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 win rate and often a high meta share (percentage of games played) as well. 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. Lastly, we will highlight a Sleeper deck or two, which are decks with very low meta share but a high win rate. These decks are ones to watch out for, with further refinement, they could vault themselves into the top tiers of the meta.
Meta Overview
We are now two weeks into Rise of the Floodborn and the meta is beginning to coalesce around three decks: Ruby/Sapphire Pawpsicle, Amethyst/Ruby Control and Amber/Steel Steelsongs. These three decks are the most played on ladder and, strangely enough, all share an identical win rate this week.
But neither of them have the highest win rate this week. That honor goes to the Emerald/Steel Midrange deck, likely a similar list to the one we spotlighted last week. The top tier is rounded out by the hyper aggro Amber/Amethyst deck, which was last week's top deck by win rate, and a Resist-focused Sapphire/Steel deck.
In tier 2 this week, in addition to the aforementioned three most popular decks on ladder, we find the Amber/Emerald Discard deck. It saw a nice bump in win rate and stands just barely above the top tier this week. While down in tier 3 is another Emerald discard deck, this one paired with Steel. This deck isn't quite as popular or as powerful as the more aggressive Amber/Emerald version, but still manages to just barely make the list. Lastly, Amethyst/Ruby Bounce Aggro rounds out tier 3 with a much smaller meta share than the more control-focused Amethyst/Ruby decks but still a deck that can win you games.
One thing to note, this week Pixelborn has started to identify clear deck archetypes within their reported stats. This is why we can have repeat ink combos on the tier list for the first time, such as two Emerald/Steel and two Amethyst/Ruby archetypes. Going forward, this will provide better and more detailed meta share and win rate numbers. Many thanks to the Pixelborn team and community for improving things every week!
Now, onto the tier list and the decks!
Tier List
| Tier | Deck Name | Win Rate | Meta Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 |   Emerald/Steel Midrange ⬆️ | 50.7% | 4.6% |
  Amber/Amethyst Aggro | 50.3% | 5.3% | |
 Sapphire/Steel Item Control | 50.3% | 3.3% | |
| Tier 2 | Amber/Emerald Discard Aggro ⬆️ | 50.0% | 5.7% |
 Amethyst/Ruby Bounce Control | 49.9% | 13.6% | |
| Ruby/Sapphire Item Control ⬇️ | 49.9% | 11.6% | |
| Amber/Steel Songs Midrange | 49.9% | 10.7% | |
| Tier 3 | Amethyst/Ruby Bounce Aggro | 49.7% | 3.5% |
| Emerald/Steel Discard 🆕 | 49.5% | 4.0% | |
| Sleeper | Emerald/Ruby Evasive Midrange | 50.8% | 0.9% |
Tier 1
Emerald/Steel Midrange
Emerald/Steel manages to improve on its win rate from last week and stands atop the tier list, having the highest win rate on ladder this week (amongst decks with at least a 3% meta share). The deck just has no real terrible matchups and in the right hands can win a lot of games.
We'll spotlight our own list here once again, for those who may have missed it. This deck looks to take advantage of Cheshire Cat - From the Shadows and Beast - Relentless to either control games or close out games quickly. It also has a backup strategy of milling our opponent with A Whole New World. For a detailed guide on the deck, check out our deck spotlight post.
Amber/Amethyst Aggro
The Amber/Amethyst Aggro deck continues to perform well on ladder, nearly landing as top deck by win rate two weeks in a row. Being aggressive is just very good, especially in a format where you might find people experimenting with new builds, such as online. Unrefined decks will fold like a house of cards (no pun intended) to a well-optimized aggro deck.
The list we are highlighting for Amber/Amethyst Aggro is one that won a tournament at GalaxyCon Columbus over the weekend. The list, from Caitlyn Calorel, includes a couple copies of Doc - Leader of the Seven Dwarfs for some ink acceleration, allowing you to get even more threats on board as quickly as you can.
Sapphire/Steel Item Control
Sapphire/Steel saw a nice bump in win rate this week and managed to find itself in the top tier. The deck looks to abuse the Resist mechanic with Cogsworth - Grandfather Clock alongside Sapphire's powerful item-based package. The Pawpsicle+Flaversham draw engine combined with A Whole New World means you should not lack for cards.
Our deck highlight for this week is a list by miltonemcdt, which won an online tournament hosted by Manicxre. It includes 4 copies of Beast - Tragic Hero for even more draw. Tamatoa - So Shiny! is your finisher, provided you don't just win on pure card advantage and endless removal of your opponent's threats.
Tier 2
Amber/Emerald Discard Aggro
The Amber/Emerald Discard deck has fallen a bit in meta share but moved up in win rate this week. That puts it right at the top of tier 2, just a hair above the three meta tyrants. Its improvement can likely be traced to a good matchup against the Ruby/Sapphire Item Control deck, which continues to be prevalent on ladder. If you force them to discard most of their cards, it is hard for the Pawpsicle deck to ramp or get their draw engine up and running.
The list we are highlighting by Wintertooth100 goes all-in on the discard synergies, including Belle - Hidden Archer for the ultimate discard bomb. It also has 4 copies of Donald Duck - Perfect Gentleman which can give our opponent more cards that we then can force them to discard.
Amethyst/Ruby Bounce Control
The most popular deck on ladder right now is Amethyst/Ruby Bounce Control and for good reason. The combination of the bounce package for early game and Ruby's plethora of late-game control options makes for a very powerful deck. The deck archetype, while performing solidly on ladder, is absolutely dominating in the tournament meta, landing 4 top 8s at GalaxyCon Columbus and 6 top 8s at PAX Unplugged over the weekend.
This Amethyst/Ruby Bounce Control list, by Dusty Hostutler, took 2nd in the GalaxyCon Columbus tournament. It looks like The Sorcerer's Spellbook has become a core part of the deck, something I predicted could happen in my Amethyst set review. It just adds such an oppressive clock on your opponent and can even let you bank the win without having any characters on board.
Ruby/Sapphire Item Control
Ruby/Sapphire Item Control continues to be a popular choice on ladder, coming in as the second most played deck this week. It has yet to really distinguish itself in any tournaments though and also makes up a much smaller portion of the meta at the highest levels of the Pixelborn ladder. This suggests the deck may not be quite as good as it first seemed. It could also just be an effect of the deck being targeted by most players due to its popularity.
The list we are highlighting, by Matthew Beeman, is one that had a decent showing at the GalaxyCon Columbus tournament taking 8th place. Lady Tremaine - Imperious Queen has become a very popular card choice for any Ruby control deck, as she is the perfect follow-up to a Be Prepared. The board gets reset and then your opponent plays one big threat which you easily answer with your Tremaine, even if that character has Ward.
Amber/Steel Songs Midrange
The third of the trio of meta tyrants is good ol' Steelsongs. Amber/Steel continues to be a solid performer on ladder and in tournaments. It is the deck that takes the most advantage of one of the best ways to gain free tempo in Lorcana: Songs. To that end, Sleepy's Flute has now been added to the deck as an alternate win condition.
We see that new addition put to good use in this deck list, which won the PAX Unplugged constructed tournament. Reportedly put together by Dave Pendergrass the morning of the tournament and never played prior, it is a somewhat budget version of the deck as it doesn't run either Rapunzel - Gifted with Healing or Stitch - Carefree Surfer. But the addition of the Flute, plus a host of songs and a relatively low-curve, likely propelled it to victory.
Tier 3
Amethyst/Ruby Bounce Aggro
Amethyst/Ruby's other deck choice, a Bounce Aggro build, eschews the top-end control stuff goes full aggro with the bounce package. This one is not quite as strong, simply because Ruby's top-end is just that good. But it can still crank out wins, especially in a best-of-1 format, such as on the ladder.
The list we are highlighting showcases perfectly how this deck differs from the control version. It is super low to the ground, topping out at 4 ink, and cares only about getting units on board and questing with them, then protecting them with bounce or ready effects.
Emerald/Steel Discard Control
A new discard deck has emerged over the past week, this time pairing Emerald with Steel. Prince John - Greediest of All is still your build-around card but with Steel you now have more control tools and can just slowly drain your opponent of resources, both on board and in hand. It doesn't seem like the pairing is a winning one yet, but perhaps with further refinement, it can climb up the tier list.
We are highlighting this list by top Pixelborn player RMB which showcases this build perfectly. You have Emerald's discard package coupled with Steel's suite of damage-based removal. Cinderella - Stouthearted is an interesting inclusion, as without a lot of songs you won't be able to activate her ability all that often, but she is still a decent finisher, questing for 3 lore.
Sleeper
Emerald/Ruby Evasive Midrange
In our sleeper tier this week, we have an Emerald/Ruby Evasive build. This sort of deck is perfect for the budget conscious player, as none of the cards are particularly expensive. It has performed well on ladder, albeit at a small sample size, so will likely do well for you at your locals or possibly even in small tournaments.
Here is an example list for the Evasive deck. At less than $70, you aren't going to find too many decks that are cheaper. But it still can hold its own thanks to a strong Evasive package that includes cards like Minnie Mouse - Stylish Surfer and Ray - Easygoing Firefly.
That is it for our meta report this week. After two weeks of Rise of the Floodborn, Amethyst/Ruby Control looks to be reasserting itself as a dominant force once again. The addition of the bounce package has given it a good way to combat hyper aggro decks while also giving it a way to close out games late.
But Steelsongs, Pawpsicles decks and Amber/Amethyst Aggro are also strong options, with solid tournament showings and good ladder results. Meanwhile, Emerald/Steel continues to sort of fly under-the-radar, having a chance to be the best deck of them all.
Can't wait to see what next week brings!
