Top Five Lineups for the Runeterra Open

Hello everyone! The first Runeterra Open is starting tomorrow, and by now, you should have an idea of what your lineup will be. If not, don’t panic; I’ve got you covered!

I’ve been testing different lineups in the Daily Rumble, trying to search for the best performers in the current meta, and identifying the underperformers.

Here are five lineups you can consider bringing for tomorrow’s Runeterra Open.

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Aggressive Lineup

Teemo Tristana

Miss Fortune Twisted Fate

Kayle Leona

• Good against: Jax Ornn, Illaoi Twisted Fate, Ryze Ionia
• Ban recommendation: Shadow Isles swarm decks
• Other fitting decks: Kalista Nocturne, Tristana Gnar

Aggressive decks have been popular on the ranked ladder and daily Gauntlet. This is a lineup that wants to end games as quickly as possible before your opponent can set up their win condition.

The meta was heavily dominated by Jax Ornn and Illaoi Twisted Fate IO, which gave room for aggressive decks to take over. Now, players have started adapting to the aggressive nature of the meta, which means you might risk facing an anti-agro lineup.

Swarn Shadow Isles decks are probably your worst nightmare. As for Noxus control decks, you should be able to sneak wins even though they run a lot of cheap removal tools. If you manage to put enough early pressure before Lord Broadmane drops on the board, you can overwhelm them and close out the game before they pick up the pace.

You have the option to tweak the lineup with other aggressive decks; Kalista Nocturne, for example, has been a popular choice, especially with Deny and Rite of Negation not widely popular, making The Harrowing a strong finisher.

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Counter Noxus (My Last week Lineup)

Norra Viego

Heimerdinger Jayce

Ryze Ionia

• Good against: Noxus decks.
• Ban recommendation: Ryze Ionia, Illaoi Twisted Fate
• Other fitting decks: Viego Norra, Master Yi Karma, Trundle Tryndamere (SI)

Last week, I finished second place in the Aegis tournament with this lineup.

This lineup beats control Noxus decks that run Lord Broadmane as a win condition. You run the removal tools to deal with Broadmane and you’re capable of out-valuing them. Ryze, on the other hand, can just work on developing the World Runes, and with your protection tools, you’ll be able to keep Ryze alive until you commit your attack.

This lineup is also great against Jax Ornn, a deck that was popular last week but has been losing that popularity with aggressive decks shining.

Speaking of aggressive decks, both Norra Viego and Heimerdinger Jayce demolish an aggressive lineup. However, Ryze Ionia will be the weak link here. You run cards like Tasty Faefolk and Eye of the Dragon that can carry the matchup, but not finding them early on means you’ll get destroyed before you set up your win condition.

Master Yi Karma is a great substitution for Ryze Ionia. You’re still good against the popular control Noxus decks and can beat aggressive decks like Miss Fortune Twisted Fate and Tristana Gnar NX.

I would have added a Nasus deck in here, like Kindred Nasus or Thresh Nasus. However, after bringing it to my Gauntlet run, I wasn’t satisfied with the archetype and recommend against bringing it.

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Broadmane Lineup

Ezreal Annie

Norra Gnar

Katarina Twisted Fate

• Good against: Ornn Jax, Illaoi Twisted Fate, Aggro decks
• Ban recommendation: Ryze Ionia
• Other fitting decks: Swain Twisted Fate, Norra Swain

This lineup was popular in last week’s Aegis tournament. It’s a control Noxus lineup that wants to run the opponent out of value with the help of Lord Broadmane.

This is a lineup that wants to face decks that heavily rely on board-centered units as part of their game plan. Decks like Jax Ornn, Twisted Fate Illaoi, and Gangplank Sejuani will have a rough time keeping key units on the board.

Moreover, this lineup puts up a good fight against aggressive decks like Tristana Gnar and Miss Fortune Twisted Fate. You’re able to keep their board in check with your spells, making it difficult for their units to connect with your Nexus. All three of your decks don’t run any healing cards, so it’s important to halt their unit damage, or you’ll end up losing to their burn cards.

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Triple Shadow Isles

Master Yi Karma

Heimerdinger Jayce

Norra Veigar

• Good against: Noxus decks and aggressive decks
• Ban recommendation: Ryze Ionia and Mono Shurima
• Other fitting decks: Viego Norra, Trundle Tryndamere SI

I brought this triple Shadow Isles lineup to today’s Gauntlet and ended up with a 6-2 score. It operates similarly to the “Counter Noxus” lineup but has a better matchup against aggressive decks and can beat Viego decks.

I personally prefer this lineup the most and will probably take it to the open rounds. You have a good matchup against aggressive decks while also beating all the popular Noxus decks. Tristana Gnar NX, Miss Fortune Twisted Fate, and Leona Kayle are all popular decks you will most likely face, and with your lineup, you should be good against them. Kalista Nocturne is probably the first aggressive deck I’d ban on sight since the fearsome units can be bothersome for your decks.

Ornn Jax is another matchup you hold up well against. Aloof Travelers can discard Ornn out of their hand, and if you keep the board in check, the late game should be under your control.

Ryze Ionia is an insta-ban; your decks will crumble against it.

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All Around Solid

Trundle Tryndamere SI

Annie Ezreal

Ryze Ionia

• Good against: Norra Viego, Jax Ornn
• Ban recommendation: Ryze Ionia
• Other fitting decks: Kalista Nocturne,

All three decks have a slow, powerful game plan that requires them to last until the late stages of the game to start taking over.

Jax Ornn is a popular deck, so it’s wise to bring a lineup that’s capable of beating it. On top of that, decks like Norra Viego and Gangplank Sejuani have a tough time dealing with your decks. Both Trundle Tryndamere and Annie Ezreal have the tools to deal with their champions. As for Ryze IO, the deck can simply keep stunning and recalling their threats until you set up the game winning play.

Additionally, you’re capable of putting up a good fight against aggressive decks. Ryze IO might struggle a bit, but with an early Shard of Reverence and Shard of Betrayal, you should be able to keep up with your opponent.

Annie Ezreal is slightly unfavored against Heimerdinger Jayce, but the matchup is winnable, and you’d rather ban Norra Veigar over it.

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Closing Words

The Daily Rumble has been a great game mode to practice and get a feel for the meta. I wish you the best of luck in the open rounds.