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 often a high win rate 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.
Meta Overview
Not much movement on the tier list this week. Amethyst/Ruby is still the clear king of the meta, although its meta share dropped a bit this week. But it continued to dominate on the tournament scene, especially at two large tournaments from this past weekend. There was a 95-player $2k tournament hosted by StarCityGames in Cincinnati and a 250-player tournament hosted on Pixelborn. Amethyst/Ruby Control secured four top 8s in the former and five top 8 spots in the latter. So 9 out of 16 top 8 spots in two of the biggest Lorcana tournaments have gone to Amethyst/Ruby Control. The tier zero status is well-earned.
Emerald/Steel Discard seems to be the best chance to beat Amethyst/Ruby Control, so it's no surprise then to see it at the top of tier 1. Elsewhere in tier 1, Amber/Steel Songs Flute makes a jump in meta share this week and moves up a tier, while Sapphire/Steel holds steady.
In tier 2, we see Amber/Ruby Mufasa and Ruby/Sapphire Pawpsicles both seeing a rise in meta share, putting them at the top of tier 2. While Amethyst/Steel Tempo and Amber/Amethyst Aggro more or less remained the same and round out the tier.
Lastly, tier 3 is much of the same as well, with the other Emerald/Steel deck and the other Amber/Steel deck topping the tier. Both of these decks are clearly behind their counterparts in tier 1 in popularity, but still remain viable options. The bottom two decks of Amber/Sapphire Midrange and Amethyst/Emerald Aggro are still not seeing much movement, but things could change as players continue to experiment with them.
Tier List
| Tier | Deck Name | Meta Share | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 0 |   Amethyst/Ruby Bounce Control | 15.2% | 49.9% |
| Tier 1 |   Emerald/Steel Discard | 8.5% | 49.3% |
 Amber/Steel Songs Flute Midrange | 8.0% | 50.6% | |
 Sapphire/Steel Item Control | 7.6% | 50.2% | |
| Tier 2 | Ruby/Sapphire Item Control | 6.6% | 49.6% |
| Amber/Ruby Mufasa Midrange | 6.0% | 50.1% | |
| Amethyst/Steel Tempo Control | 5.5% | 50.5% | |
| Amber/Amethyst Aggro | 4.6% | 50.0% | |
| Tier 3 | Emerald/Steel Midrange | 3.3% | 49.9% |
| Amber/Steel Songs Midrange | 3.1% | 49.0% | |
| Amber/Sapphire Midrange | 2.7% | 50.4% | |
| Amethyst/Emerald Aggro Bounce | 2.4% | 49.9% |
Tier 0
Amethyst/Ruby Bounce Control
Amethyst/Ruby Bounce Control maintains its grip on the meta, although it did slip a bit in meta share this week. But as mentioned in the overview, the top 8s for this deck continue to roll in. At this point, you are either bringing Amethyst/Ruby Control deck to a tournament or you are bringing a deck that can counter it. There's not much else to say.
Our deck highlight for this week is the deck that topped the 250+ player Pixelborn tournament. Created by LorcanaTwin, this deck seems designed to work well in the mirror matchup. Specifically, running Fidget - Ratigan's Henchman as a hard counter to Minnie Mouse - Stylish Surfer is an interesting choice.
Tier 1
Emerald/Steel Discard
Emerald/Steel Discard seems to be gaining meta share, largely off the perception that it has the best matchup against Amethyst/Ruby Bounce Control. The problem? According to the data, it has only a 48% win rate against the deck on ladder. Maybe in a best-of-3 tournament format it performs better, but it's not a slam dunk matchup, either way.
Speaking of tournament performance, this deck from Kyle Dunne landed a top 8 at a recent 2k tournament in Knoxville. It includes the usual discard draw package with Prince John - Greediest of All but also has a lot of passive card draw in Beast - Tragic Hero and Donald Duck - Perfect Gentleman.
Amber/Steel Songs Flute Midrange
Steelsongs Flute saw a nice bump in meta share this week, which propelled it into tier 1. We know that Amber will remain relevant in the meta for as long as there are powerful Song cards and Singer characters to sing them.
This deck from Nicholas Rausch took home a top 8 at the 2k StarCityGames tournament in Cincinnati. This deck in particular really drives home the power of Songs and Singers as it runs 17 Songs and 12 Singers to sing them. And, of course, 4 copies of Sleepy's Flute.
Sapphire/Steel Item Control
Sapphire/Steel Items looks to have settled in as a permanent tier 1 deck, as it has now maintained a solid meta share and win rate for the third week in a row. The combination of ramp and lots of card draw is a good one.
We will again spotlight a deck that performed well in a tournament, with this list by Matthew Peddle coming in 2nd place in the huge Pixelborn tournament over the weekend. The inclusion of Nothing to Hide is interesting, as the one thing this deck can struggle with is a well-timed Be Prepared, so being able to have some knowledge of if and when that is coming could be crucial.
Tier 2
Ruby/Sapphire Item Control
The Ruby/Sapphire Pawpsicle deck remains at the top of tier 2 with a decent meta share number. In terms of tournament results, Ruby/Sapphire didn't show up in the top 8s in any of the recent large tournaments. Now whether that is because players aren't bringing the deck or because the deck is just under-performing is a question that remains unanswered.
There was a smaller, 25-player French tournament that the deck did perform well at, as this Ruby/Sapphire Control list from Sweefty8001 took home first place.
Amber/Ruby Mufasa Midrange
Amber/Ruby Mufasa Midrange is a deck that continues to gain in meta share each week. At this point, it's fair to say the deck is here to stay. The ability of the deck to cheat out threats is powerful and will keep the deck viable in the meta. We're going to drop the "roulette" from the deck's name going forward, since the deck is not centered around that RNG strategy. It's more about fighting for the board, which is a classic midrange strategy. But still, sometimes you get to spin that Mufasa roulette wheel.
Like most decks in tier 2, Amber/Ruby's tournament successes are fewer and farther between, but it's not unheard of to top a tournament with it. This list from Derrik Smith nabbed a top 8 at a 2k tournament in Knoxville.
Amethyst/Steel Tempo Control
Amethyst/Steel Tempo Control has solidified its position in the meta. It is a solid deck, capable of wins on ladder and in tournament play. The power level of Beast - Tragic Hero is high enough that it can carry most decks that play it and we already know what Amethyst is capable of.
Our highlight for this week is this deck list by Daniel Phelps which went top 4 in the 2k tournament in Cincinnati. This is a decidedly more aggressive version of the deck, choosing to run aggro characters such as Pinocchio - Star Attraction, Maleficent - Biding Her Time, and Arthur - Wizard's Apprentice with a host of Bodyguard characters to protect them.
Amber/Amethyst Aggro
Speaking of aggressive decks, the Amber/Amethyst Aggro deck is still an option for those who want to race to 20 lore faster than their opponent. Although we are seeing less and less of it these days, likely being driven out by the abundance of Steel decks in the meta.
There haven't been any recent top tournament results for Amber/Amethyst Aggro. In the 250+ player online tournament, the highest placed deck of this archetype was a list from Gaige Beasley that placed in the top 64.
Tier 3
Emerald/Steel Midrange
Emerald/Steel Midrange slipped in meta share this week and remains in tier 3. It's clearly not as strong a deck in the current meta as the discard version, but you can maybe still surprise people with it.
Here is an Emerald/Steel ping list by Kyle Pearl that took a top 64 in the Pixelborn. I love ping decks but even I have to concede that Beast - Relentless is probably too slow a card to really work well in the current meta. Eventually, his time will come.
Amber/Steel Songs Midrange
Amber/Steel Songs without Flute continues its slide down the tier list, now squarely in tier 3. Flutes are just better, it seems, even with a lot of Benja - Guardian of the Dragon Gems running around out there.
With the Flute variation mostly taking over the traditional Steelsongs build, maybe it is time to pivot in a new direction? This list by Ping Tham, who piloted it in the Pixelborn tournament, looks to flood the board with cheap characters and protect them with Bodyguards such as The Prince - Never Gives Up or, better yet, use Tiana - Celebrating Princess's ability to keep them safe from board clears.
Amber/Sapphire Midrange
Amber/Sapphire Midrange still makes up a tiny portion of the meta overall and hasn't distinguished itself in tournament play. It's still very much experimental and if you are someone who likes to brew up unique builds and play off-meta decks, than feel free to give this archetype a go. But don't expect amazing performance.
This ramp version from Stefen Delgado, which he played in the Pixelborn tournament, is an interesting take on the archetype. It even includes Mufasa - Betrayed Leader, to really double down on cheating out threats. The only thing is the deck does seem to lack a clear win condition, outside of just ramping and hoping one of your threats sticks, which is not likely when Amethyst/Ruby rules the meta.
Amethyst/Emerald Aggro Bounce
Amethyst/Emerald Bounce holds steady in meta share and remains clinging to the bottom of the tier list. It's a build that shows promise though, especially if it can be tailored to beat Amethyst/Ruby Control. Best way to do that might be to include some of Emerald's discard package, to force the control deck to discard all their most powerful cards.
This list by Corey Gaudreau, which took home a top 32 spot in the Pixelborn tournament, attempts to do just that. The deck looks to abuse Lucifer - Cunning Cat's targeted discard. With lots of ways to bounce Lucifer back to hand and play it again, such as Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo, you can trigger this discard multiple times and decimate your opponent's hand.
And that's the decks for this week. Nothing too surprising but it is interesting to see how the dominance of Amethyst/Ruby Bounce Control shapes the rest of the deck lists. Can a deck that effectively targets Amethyst/Ruby Control be found? And how might that shake up the meta? Hopefully the deck builders out there can come up with something, as the current meta threatens to grow quite stale with still over a month to go until Into the Inklands releases.
Until next week, good luck and have fun!
