Table of Contents
Introduction
Welcome to Lorcana.gg's weekly meta report! Each week we analyze the state of the meta using data from the previous week of tournament play. Our tier list is updated with the latest data, while this meta report will go over what it all means, as well as highlighting some particularly strong and interesting decks in each archetype.
The tier list is separated into three tiers. Tier 1 has the strongest decks, usually with multiple top 8 performances in major tournaments. Tier 2 and Tier 3 decks are a notch below the top tier, with these decks usually having one or two weaknesses keeping them from dominating the meta.
Meta Overview
It is the week before Set Championships and the meta is still shifting. Bucky Discard remains on top, but the Ruby/Sapphire Sisu on Ice deck is starting to slip (no pun intended). It had only 2 top 8s on the week which would normally put it more in tier 2 category. I don't think it's quite that dire for the deck just yet, but after a very strong start to the Returns meta, it now finds itself being targeted by the top two decks in the format, Bucky and Amethyst/Ruby Bounce Control.
Elsewhere on the tier list, Sapphire/Steel Ramp Wheel now seems to be consistent enough to move it up a tier. It had the third most top 8s for the week and has been on a general upward trend the past few weeks.
Meanwhile, Steelsong moves up to the top of tier 2. It had 1 top 8 on the week, but it also had a handful of top 16s and top 32s as well. More importantly, it is poised to continue to be a strong choice in the meta, as its worst matchup, Ruby/Sapphire, starts to lose popularity.
One other noteworthy development on the tier list this week is the arrival of a wholly new archetype. An Amber/Ruby deck heavy on location synergy popped up this week and managed a top 8 performance in a 2k tournament at Charlie's Collectibles Show. Is this a one-off surprise or the start of a new meta build? Time will tell, but it is definitely worth a spot down in tier 3 for now.
Without further ado, the tier list!
Tier List
| Tier | Deck Name | Top 8s |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 |   Emerald/Steel Bucky Discard | 18 |
  Amethyst/Ruby Bounce Control | 11 | |
 Ruby/Sapphire Sisu on Ice | 4 | |
| Sapphire/Steel Ramp Wheel | 5 | |
| Tier 2 |  Amber/Steel Steelsong | 1 |
| Amber/Emerald Discard | 1 | |
| Amethyst/Emerald Tempo | 1 | |
| Amber/Ruby Red Mufasa | 0 | |
| Tier 3 | Amber/Amethyst Hyper Aggro | 0 |
| Amber/Ruby Locations | 1 |
Tier 1
Emerald/Steel Bucky Discard
Bucky has a very strong hold on the meta at the moment and does not appear to show any signs of letting go. Not only is it a very good deck, but is relatively easy to pilot with clear lines of play. Mulligan hard for Bucky and Diablo, play Bucky turn 2, Diablo turn 3, profit?
Here is a list that won a 108-player tournament in France over the weekend. The deck, from Hugo Lejeune and cheekily named "ban bucky", has a whopping 27 Floodborns in it for maximum Bucky value.
Amethyst/Ruby Bounce Control
Amethyst/Ruby Bounce Control is looking to regain its crown as the best Ruby deck in the format. And possibly the best deck overall? It had a very strong week with 10 top 8s to its name. After a slow start to Ursula's Return, players seem to be returning to what still is a powerful deck archetype.
This deck from Luca Serano took home the win at a 153-player 10k tournament at Charlie's Collectibles Show over the weekend. Nothing too fancy here, just good ole bounce shenanigans combined with Ruby's removal.
Ruby/Sapphire Sisu on Ice
As noted in our overview, Ruby/Sapphire Sisu on Ice has started to lose some of its luster of late. The deck can cease to function when Bucky discards its hand, while Bounce Control can start fast now and effectively race the deck to 20 lore. Being at a disadvantage in those two very common matchups is not great.
Both of the deck's top 8 performances came in the 10k CSS tournament, with this list from Enrique Eligio coming in 2nd place. Interesting to see Great Stone Dragon making the list over Fishbone Quill. The Dragon isn't as punishing on card advantage compared to Quill, so this could be some Bucky discard tech.
Sapphire/Steel Ramp Wheel
Sapphire/Steel Ramp Wheel has shown enough top tournament performances to slide up to tier 1. This week it took home 4 top 8s, good for third amongst the whole meta.
This list from Davide Cabrino secured the win in a 98-player tournament in Italy. Avalanche is a great way to banish an unexerted Bucky, while also occasionally helping deal with locations. I expect we might see that card pop up more and more in Steel lists.
Tier 2
Amber/Steel Steelsong
Things were looking pretty bleak for Steelsong throughout this first month of Ursula's Return, but now all of a sudden its fortunes are taking a turn. With Sisu on Ice getting bullied out of the meta, Steelsong can now spread its wings and fly. This archetype may be poised for a big Set Championship.
This Steelsong list from [TSI] QT landed in the top 4 in a 108-player tournament in France. The 002-186 into 001-018 curve is some nice tech that offers some strong early board presence with card draw upside.
Amber/Emerald Discard
The Amber/Emerald Discard deck maintains its tier 2 ranking this week with one top 8 finish, as well as one list that just missed out on a top 8 spot. It's an archetype that is still being explored, but shows some promise for sure.
Here is that top 8 finish, a deck from Chris Andersen that came in 2nd place in a 58-player "Win an Enchanted Elsa" tournament. 003-086 works as a nice Evasive threat that can also be a Diablo - Devoted Herald counter.
Amethyst/Emerald Tempo
Amethyst/Emerald Tempo jumps up to tier 2 this week. The archetype has shown some more signs of life lately, with back to back weeks now with a top 8 performance.
This deck from Gavin Ditchey was in the top 8 of the "Win an Enchanted Elsa" tournament in the US. Pretty surprising to see Ursula - Deceiver of All being cut form these lists but I guess Diablo - Devoted Herald is enough of a draw engine now.
Amber/Ruby Red Mufasa
Amber/Ruby Red Mufasa just manages to hold onto a tier 2 spot, despite no top 8s for the week, based on past performances. As we've mentioned, the deck is one that will likely never be top tier but is always a solid option.
Here is the best performing Mufasa deck from this week's tournaments. This list from Jonathan Lowman came in the top 8 in a 42-player 2k tournament at Origins Game Fair. The trend of more and more songs making the cut in Mufasa lists continues here, with Jonathan opting to run 10 songs total.
Tier 3
Amber/Amethyst Hyper Aggro
Amber/Amethyst Hyper Aggro managed to claw its way back into the meta, thanks in part to its good matchup into Ruby/Sapphire Sisu on Ice, but if that deck starts falling off Hyper Aggro might not be around for much longer. Especially if a card like Avalanche starts to see more play.
With no top 8 performances for the deck this week, let's take a look at this deck from last week which managed to make it to the top 20 of a 94-player tournament. This list comes from HinaK and makes for a decent budget deck option.
Amber/Ruby Locations
The final spot on our tier list goes to this new deck archetype that managed a top 8 at the CCS 2k tournament. It's built around Ruby's location synergies with Amber providing some much needed card draw and recursion.
Here is the full list from Lorcana streamer TowelManPurple, who piloted the deck to the top 8 of the 68-player 2k tournament. One of the key cards for the deck is Just In Time, which when combined with 003-109, allows us to cheat out Jim and a location as early as turn 3. That's a lot of early tempo.
That concludes the meta report for this week. We are seeing some shifts ahead of the Set Championships, so the meta is not yet "solved", by any means. But I also expect to see a lot of Bucky during those local tournaments, so be prepared to deal with him in any way that you can. The decks that will do well and earn an 004-P1-038 are ones that can consistently handle those strong Emerald/Steel starts.
Until next week, good luck and have fun!
