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
The meta is healing. Amethyst/Ruby Bounce Control maintains its hold on the top spot, but the rest of the pack is catching up. I said last week I wanted to give it one more week before deciding whether we've left tier 0 territory and I think these numbers point to a resounding 'yes'. The deck lost a whole 4% meta share this week, indicating that players are looking elsewhere for decks to climb with.
Sapphire/Steel Resist Control lost a bit of meta share this week as well but not as much as Amethyst/Ruby, bringing them close together at the top of the meta list. Amber/Ruby Mufasa Midrange and Emerald/Steel Discard round out tier 1, with both following the trend of the top two decks and losing out on meta share but keeping a large enough distance from tier 2.
In tier 2, we find the usual suspects, as well as a couple of new archetypes making their tier list debut. A new Mufasa deck, this time paired with Emerald, came out of nowhere this past week to place second in one of the largest Lorcana tournaments yet. This helped propel the deck from near obscurity to a solid 4.2% meta share in just one week. Also making the list this week is a new Amber/Steel list that eschews the usual midrange Song build and opts instead for an aggressive line which utilizes Tiana to help keep your board in tact against the control decks.
Down in tier 3, we find yet another new deck as Emerald/Ruby Evasive just barely makes the cut to appear on the tier list. This archetype has been around for a while but was always hovering just under the 2% meta share minimum. It finally broke through this week, thanks partially to some modest tournament success. Time will tell if this is a mere blip for the archetype or the start of a steady climb to meta relevance.
Anyway, here's the list!
Tier List
| Tier | Deck Name | Meta Share | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 |   Amethyst/Ruby Bounce Control | 14.4% | 49.4% |
  Sapphire/Steel Resist Control | 11.0% | 51.0% | |
 Amber/Ruby Mufasa Midrange | 8.0% | 50.7% | |
 Emerald/Steel Discard | 7.0% | 50.2% | |
| Tier 2 | Amber/Steel Songs Flute Midrange | 5.5% | 49.7% |
| Amethyst/Steel Bounce Control | 5.3% | 49.8% | |
| Ruby/Sapphire Item Control | 4.8% | 49.9% | |
| Amber/Emerald Mufasa Midrange | 4.2% | 50.4% | |
| Amber/Amethyst Hyper Aggro | 3.6% | 49.3% | |
| Amber/Steel Tiana Aggro | 3.1% | 49.9% | |
| Tier 3 | Amber/Sapphire Midrange | 2.4% | 50.9% |
| Amber/Steel Songs Midrange | 2.4% | 48.5% | |
| Emerald/Steel Midrange | 2.3% | 49.1% | |
| Emerald/Ruby Evasives | 2.0% | 50.6% |
Tier 1
Amethyst/Ruby Bounce Control
It's another week at the top for Amethyst/Ruby Control, but it's stranglehold on the meta has let up a bit. It is still a force to be reckoned with on the tournament scene, however. This week it continued to pull in multiple top 8 performances. This is due partially to it being the most played deck, but it's also a deck with no real poor matchup, which means you always have a chance.
This deck topped the massive 270-player Lorcana tournament, hosted by Thea Booysen on Pixelborn over the weekend. The list is from Francis Cormier and includes all the usual Amethyst/Ruby good stuff, but instead of running The Sorcerer's Spellbook includes a few more top-end plays in Elsa - Spirit of Winter and Ursula - Power Hungry.
Sapphire/Steel Resist Control
We're changing the name on this Sapphire/Steel archetype from Item Control to Resist Control since the typical item package in this list has been pared down to solely Pawpsicle and Fishbone Quill. The main draw of this deck is the Resist coming from Cogsworth - Grandfather Clock, since it makes life very difficult for other Steel decks.
Our highlight for the deck this week is one that landed in the top 8 in Thea Booysen's Pixelborn tournament. This deck from George Machado has become close to the standard for this archetype. Nothing to Hide has become a key card in this list, as the natural enemy of this deck is Be Prepared, so knowing if and when that card might be coming is crucial.
Amber/Ruby Mufasa Midrange
Mufasa - Betrayed Leader has really shown himself to be powerful card. Not only has he carried the Amber/Ruby Mufasa deck into tier 1, but he's also now showing up in other decks on the tier list. Is it possible that Mufasa can topple Beast - Tragic Hero as the consensus best legendary in the set?
This list split a top 2 at a 35-player tournament in Italy over the weekend. With only two non-character cards in the deck, you are almost guaranteed a hit on your Mufasa whenever he is banished.
Emerald/Steel Discard
Emerald/Steel Discard is still probably the deck best positioned for success against Amethyst/Ruby Control. It just struggles against other Steel decks that run A Whole New World, as that card effectively neuters the strategy of gaining card advantage through forced discards. And with so many other Steel decks in the meta, you are really handicapping yourself against the field as a tradeoff for that one good matchup.
That being said, it can be a winning strategy in tournaments, where you may face 75-80% Amethyst/Ruby decks. This list from Thomas K. topped a 37-player tournament in France this past weekend. You'll notice the deck runs 4 copies of Hercules - Divine Hero, a card we pegged as one to watch out for in our weekly finance report.
Tier 2
Amber/Steel Songs Flute Midrange
Steelsongs Flute deck holds steady at the top of tier 2 this week. The deck is one that can gain a favorable matchup into Amethyst/Ruby Control, as they have no way to interact with your items. But you need to get your Flutes out early enough to have a chance. Trying to cycle through your deck quickly with A Whole New Worlds is key to this strategy.
This is why most Steelsong decks are now running 4 copies of Gaston - Barritone Bully in addition to Ariel - Spectacular Singer. More ways to sing your powerful 5 cost songs are key to making the deck work. This list from Frank Zheng came in 3rd place in the huge Pixelborn tournament and likely showcases a close to optimal build for this archetype.
Amethyst/Steel Bounce Control
The Amethyst/Steel Control deck was formerly called Tempo Control but it's using as much of the bounce package as the Amethyst/Ruby deck is, so why not call it Bounce Control? That's my thinking anyway. The deck lists are quite similar but Ruby's endgame is just much better than Steel's, which is what ultimately makes that deck better. That being said Amethyst/Steel Bounce can still perform well, both on ladder and in tournaments.
This list from Song placed top 8 in the 43-player FanBoy3 New Year Event (just ignore the fact that 6 of the other top 8s went to Amethyst/Ruby Bounce Control). The deck has a lot more 2-ofs and 3-ofs than I'd probably run, but if it's topping a stacked field of Amethyst/Ruby Control decks, who am I to question it?
Ruby/Sapphire Pawpsicle Control
It's the same old story for the Ruby/Sapphire Pawpsicle deck. It seems to do okay on ladder, but bring the deck to a tournament at your own peril. The best performance for the deck at Thea Booysen's Pixelborn tournament was a top 64 showing. Yikes. And the rest of the recent tournament results aren't much better with very little Pawpsicle decks making an appearance.
One exception was this list from Steven Obrist which managed to place top 4 in a 50-player $1k tournament in the US. I love to see a list that includes Mickey Mouse - Brave Little Tailor. It's not really a good card, but it is an iconic one!
Amber/Emerald Mufasa Midrange
Amber/Emerald... Mufasa? Yes, that's right. Mufasa - Betrayed Leader is now being experimented with in other ink combinations. Christened "Greenfasa" (hey, TCG players are creative when it comes to building decks, not so much when it comes to naming them), this build is hoping to pull something like Ray - Easygoing Firefly or Kuzco - Temperamental Emperor from your Mufasa, establishing another difficult to deal with threat for your opponent.
This list from Wooseok Oh took a surprising 2nd place in the large Pixelborn tournament. It runs only characters, so your Mufasa will always pull something onto the board when he is banished. Some targets are obviously better than others, but the deck does run a high percentage of Evasives and characters which quest for 3 Lore, so you should get something good a lot of the times.
Amber/Amethyst Hyper Aggro
The Amber/Amethyst Hyper Aggro deck continues to have a bad time right now. Way too much Steel in the meta and Steel just eats this deck for lunch. As a result, this deck's meta share and win rate keeps slipping and the deck is in real danger of dropping down to tier 3.
It's not all doom and gloom though. While the deck has struggled in larger tournaments (its best showing in the Pixelborn tournament was a top 64), this list did make a top 4 in a 35-player tournament in Italy.
Amber/Steel Tiana Aggro
Amber/Steel has a new entrant onto the tier list and it's a build centered around Tiana - Celebrating Princess. The game plan is to get down a board of cheap characters and protect them early from Rush characters with Bodyguards like Simba - Protective Cub and The Prince - Never Gives Up and then, in the mid to late game, you protect them with Tiana's What You Give Is What You Get ability.
This pioneering deck list from Sizhe Li bagged a top 8 performance in Thea Booysen's large Pixelborn tournament. It includes everything to make the deck work but also includes a couple copies of Moana - Of Motunui, who can keep your other princesses protected from challenges while Tiana keeps them protected from actions.
Tier 3
Amber/Sapphire Midrange
The Amber/Sapphire decks are still struggling to make any headway on an effective build. Quite a few people are trying, as evidenced by its placement at the top of tier 3, but so far no established archetype has emerged.
We are highlighting a deck choice of this color combo from Goofy's Ghost. This list takes advantage of the Pawpsicle draw engine to fuel an aggro gameplan, which includes Just in Time and a selection of 5-drops that can help you protect your board.
Amber/Steel Songs Midrange
Amber/Steel Songs Midrange slips in meta share once again and with the Flute version looking stronger in the current meta, and now the emergence of Amber/Steel Tiana builds, we may be seeing the end of the traditional Steelsongs deck.
That being said, there was a non-Flute version of Amber/Steel Songs Midrange that had a solid tournament performance this past week. This list from Sullivan D. came in 2nd place in a 37-player French tournament. It is quite similar to the Flute list above, which probably speaks to just merging these two archetypes going forward.
Emerald/Steel Midrange
Emerald/Steel without discard is in the same boat as Amber/Steel without Flute above. Both are worse against the best deck in the format, which makes them not really a great option in the current meta. The Emerald/Steel Ping build had a lot of promise once upon a time, but doesn't seem like it will realize that potential any time soon.
This version of the deck was entered into Thea Booysen's Pixelborn tournament by Ryan Ruppel. And while I admire the gumption of bringing something off-meta to a major tournament, the choice ultimately did not pan out with the deck crashing out after only 1 win in 5 matches. But if you want to just pop off with Beast - Relentless, and don't really care are about your win rate, this is the deck for you.
Emerald/Ruby Evasives
Last deck for the week and it's one more new archetype to make it onto the tier list. Emerald/Ruby Evasives has been a popular budget option for players and it has typically hovered just outside the tier list, but this week managed to just barely make it on. As the deck's name implies, your game plan is to pack your deck full of Evasive characters and challenge (heh) your opponent to deal with them. The typical problem with this strategy is that Steel generally doesn't care if your characters have Evasive, as they will just Smash or Let the Storm Rage On them down anyway.
But this archetype did manage to find itself some moderate tournament success with this list from Stéphane D. ending a 37-player French tournament with a positive win rate and a top 16 placement. It is a pretty aggressive list all-around and, at less than $30 USD, it's a nice budget option to take to your locals.
All in all, a very interesting week in the meta. There has been a lot more meta movement than I would have expected at this stage in the expansion's life cycle. The discovery of Mufasa - Betrayed Leader as a primary build-around card has seemed to revitalize deck experimentation. This has led to some interesting responses across the meta as players look to find their own hidden lists and/or counter the new decks cropping up.
With exactly a month to go until the release of Into the Inklands, I'm looking forward to seeing where things go from here.
Until next week, good luck and have fun!
