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 online and 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 that boast a high meta share (percentage of games played) and 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
This week we have a new addition to the tier list. To give more insight into each deck's tournament performance, we've decided to add a tally of top 8s that that particular deck managed in the previous week. We want to note though that we are only looking at what we consider "major" tournaments, which we are defining as any tournaments with 40 or more players.
So let's take a look at the tier list with this info in mind. At first glance, it looks like Ruby/Sapphire Pawpsicle Control has closed the gap and is basically even with the Amethyst/Ruby Bounce Control deck at the top of the tier list. But the top 8s tell a different story. Amethyst/Ruby is still dominating the tournament scene with a whopping 15 top 8s this week alone. Now, we don't have the full tournament entry lists so it could be that there are just a ton more Amethyst/Ruby Bounce Control players in these tournaments than any other decks. I'm sure that has something to do with its inflated top 8 number, but the deck is still obviously a very strong one at the tournament level.
All that being said, Ruby/Sapphire Pawpsicle Control is shaping up as a very worthy contender to the best deck in the format, with an equal meta share and six top 8s of its own this week. The other tier 1 decks are Amber/Steel Steelsongs and Sapphire/Steel Ramp Wheel. Both are not too far behind the top two decks in meta share while also managing some tournament successes of their own.
In tier 2, we find both the Emerald/Steel decks, neither of which had any notable tournament showings. However, both Amethyst/Emerald Tempo and Amethyst/Steel Jafar had a couple tournament top 8s this week. And then there is Amber/Ruby Mufasa, which still isn't seeing a ton of play online but it did manage a surprising three top 8s this week. Is this a fluke or a sign of things to come for the deck? Time will tell.
Down in tier 3, we have the debut of a new deck archetype in Amethyst/Steel Tempo, which has burst onto the scene thanks to some impressive tournament finishes lately. There is also the old Amber/Amethyst Hyper Aggro deck, which is just barely holding on to a spot on the tier list in this control-dominated meta. And, falling off the tier list this week, is the Ruby/Steel Pirate deck. The pirates had a good run, but they've since been outclassed.
So, without further ado, here is the tier list!
Tier List
| Tier | Deck Name | Meta Share | Win Rate | Top 8s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 |   Amethyst/Ruby Bounce Control | 10.0% | 49.9% | 15 |
 Ruby/Sapphire Pawpsicle Control | 10.0% | 50.0% | 6 | |
  Amber/Steel Steelsongs | 7.4% | 50.4% | 3 | |
| Sapphire/Steel Ramp Wheel | 6.2% | 49.6% | 5 | |
| Tier 2 |  Emerald/Steel Discard | 5.5% | 50.0% | 0 |
| Emerald/Steel Control | 5.2% | 49.9% | 0 | |
| Amethyst/Emerald Tempo | 4.1% | 49.5% | 2 | |
| Amethyst/Steel Jafar Wheel | 4.0% | 49.9% | 2 | |
| Amber/Ruby Red Mufasa | 3.9% | 50.1% | 3 | |
| Tier 3 | Amethyst/Steel Tempo | 3.4% | 49.7% | 1 |
| Amber/Amethyst Hyper Aggro | 3.3% | 50.3% | 0 |
Tier 1
Amethyst/Ruby Bounce Control
While we aren't seeing the absurd online meta share numbers from the last set's meta, Amethyst/Ruby Bounce Control is still raking in numerous top 8s from offline play. The deck is clearly very good in the best-of-3 format that Lorcana tournaments are currently running. It will be interesting to see if things change in the 2-game format that Challenge will be adopting.
For our deck highlight, we are taking a look at this list from LorcanaBro which won the 42-player HBMO tournament in Texas last week. Maui's Fish Hook has become a key tech card for the deck, allowing your Maui to deal with high Willpower locations such as McDuck Manor - Scrooge's Mansion or an Evasive threat.
Ruby/Sapphire Pawpsicle Control
Ruby/Sapphire Pawpsicle Control has caught up with Amethyst/Ruby Control in online play, with them both being at 10% meta share. And, unlike in the previous meta where it was quite popular online but didn't manage many top 8s, it is now pulling in some decent tournament results. With more players taking the list to tournaments, we could see the Pawpsicle deck really start to differentiate itself as a top tier deck.
This list from Eric Schiro took home the win in a 40-player 2k tournament at Cerberus Den in Cincinnati. Lucky Dime is finding its way into almost all Sapphire decks these days. It is just too good at closing out games, especially against Amethyst/Ruby Control, which has no way to interact with the item directly.
Amber/Steel Steelsongs
Amber/Steel Steelsongs finally takes its place amongst tier 1 and it is well deserved. The deck has been very good since the start of Into the Inklands, but it took some time for players to come around to it. It probably helps that the deck topped one of the largest Lorcana tournaments to date last week. And it continues to find success at the tournament level with three top 8s this week as well.
One of those top 8s was this deck from Dominick DeRose, which came in 2nd place in the HBMO tournament. As we saw last week, Sleepy's Flute has made its way back into Steelsongs lists. Again, items that gain us lore are good against Amethyst/Ruby Control, as they have no way to deal with them.
Sapphire/Steel Ramp Wheel
Outside of the first week after Inklands' release, Sapphire/Steel Ramp Wheel has been a consistent presence in the top tier of the meta. That doesn't look to be changing any time soon as the deck continues to find success both online and off. The aforementioned Lucky Dime, as well as McDuck Manor - Scrooge's Mansion, have both proven to be a key cards, giving the deck multiple ways to close out games.
This deck from Alex Hansen took 2nd place in the Cerberus Den 2k tournament. Not only does the deck run its own Lucky Dimes, of course, but includes multiple ways of dealing with an opponent's Dime, running both Benja - Guardian of the Dragon Gem and Beast - Hardheaded.
Tier 2
Emerald/Steel Discard
Emerald/Steel as a color combination has been slipping. They came out of the gate very strong with three viable archetypes. But since then, the Beast OTK deck has fizzled out completely while both the control decks, discard and non-discard alike, have been fading a bit. To be fair, the Emerald/Steel Discard has seen some decent tournament results, although no top 8s this week. At the moment, I'd say the deck fully deserves its tier 2 ranking. It's good but not as good as the top tier decks.
We are highlighting this build from Lorcana streamer Specimen. He has ditched the usual Bucky - Squirrel Squeak Tutor and instead opted for a faster and more aggressive version of the discard deck. Bonus points for playing Robin Hood - Daydreamer, a card I thought would be seeing more play but which actually is struggling to find a place in a meta with so much removal.
Emerald/Steel Control
Emerald/Steel Control without the discard package is, in my opinion, an inferior deck to the discard version. But people are still playing it. It's unknown how many are bringing it to tournaments, but it has no top 8s this week and very few in weeks prior to this. It's clearly not a huge tournament competitor, but if you want to climb the ladder online, it seems decent.
Our deck highlight for this build is this list from Lorcana streamer R_M_B. While he's calling the list a midrange deck, it has all the hallmarks of control with lots of removal, card draw and some big-bodied Floodborn characters to round it out.
Amethyst/Emerald Tempo
The Amethyst/Emerald Tempo deck holds steady in tier 2 this week. For players that like to play a more proactive and aggressive play style, this is probably the best deck to do that with. Its strong early game can carry it to victory against a lot of other decks in the meta.
The deck has managed to bag some tournament top 8s as well, including one this week in the 44-player Great Lakes Gaming 1k tournament. This list is from Jordyn Moore and is the first time I've seen Pua - Potbellied Buddy being played in a competitive environment. As a 2/2 for 2 that quests for 2 lore, this cute little guy is not a bad aggro card.
Amethyst/Steel Jafar Wheel
Jafar Wheel decks continue to see less and less play online but the deck is still a viable one at the tournament level. It can be a hard deck to pilot though, which may be why the player base at large is trending away from it. But for those who put the time in to learning the ins and outs of the deck, it can be very powerful.
This list, piloted by Dylan Riebesehl, came in 2nd place in the aforementioned Great Lakes Gaming 1k tournament. Rise of the Titans is pulling double duty here, allowing the deck to counter both locations and items effectively.
Amber/Ruby Red Mufasa
The Red Mufasa deck is another one that has been languishing near the bottom of the tier list for much of the Inklands meta, but still remains a viable tournament option. This week the deck managed not one, not two, but three top 8s. Last meta, Mufasa - Betrayed Leader was a popular card that worked to counter Ruby's Be Prepared. With the current top two meta decks running this powerful board wipe, players may want to look to Mufasa once again.
This list from Jesse Guardiula came in 1st place at the Great Lakes Gaming 1k tournament. You aren't always guaranteed a hit from Mufasa in this list, but running Maui's Fish Hook feels like a must to be able to take out opposing The Queen's Castle - Mirror Chambers and McDuck Manor - Scrooge's Mansions. While Teeth and Ambitions is just a very good card that helps us control the board in the early game and pairs especially well with Prince Eric - Expert Helmsman.
Tier 3
Amethyst/Steel Tempo
Amethyst/Steel Tempo is a new deck archetype that has started to gain traction of late, thanks mostly to two top 4 finishes in a couple major tournaments last week. The deck looks to control the board right at the start of the game, thanks to strong tempo cards like Rafiki - Mystical Fighter and Mr. Smee - Bumbling Mate. It builds on that early game tempo with a midgame that features Amethyst's bounce package and Steel's removal actions to hopefully snowball to victory.
This list from Michael Majors came in 2nd place at the 54-player Laughing Dragon 1k tournament in Washington. Pinocchio - Talkative Puppet pairs really well with your bounce cards, letting you get multiple activations off of just one Pinocchio, enabling you to continually deal with threats your opponent just played.
Amber/Amethyst Hyper Aggro
Amber/Amethyst Hyper Aggro is a more all-in version of the Amethyst/X tempo decks we see making some headway in the meta. But instead of playing for the board, you simply ignore it and just play as fast as you can and hope your opponent can't stop you before you hit 20 lore. Unfortunately, the types of decks you are queueing into these days can usually stop you.
While Amber/Amethyst Hyper Aggro didn't manage a top 8 in any major tournaments this week, the deck did find some tournament success. This list from Matthew Kuykendall landed a top 8 in a 22-player tournament in North Carolina. The Chernabog - Evildoer is a great fallback option for when your opponent is able to deal with your wide board. You can slam down a Chernabog for cheap and hopefully get the last bits of lore you need to win.
That's a wrap for this week's meta report. The next couple of weeks should be interesting as we continue to see how the meta develops from here. Will Amethyst/Ruby Bounce Control keep dominating at tournaments? Or are there now enough decks out there with favorable matchups into it that can help keep it in check? And how might the Set Championships coming in a few weeks affect the meta? Keep it locked to Lorcana.gg for further coverage of the Lorcana competitive meta and much more!
Until next week, good luck and have fun!
