Balance changes from the Legends of Runeterra 1.4 update have been in effect for less than 24-hours, but that hasn’t stopped streamers from trying a variety of decks.
Over 20 balance adjustments were made in the patch, with big changes applied towards champions like Braum and Anivia. Even Darius got some love, increasing his health from five to six. According to Jody “Nolagold” Keith from Team IQ, the sleeper of the day was good old Braum/Vladimir.
Players have been trying to make Vladimir work since the LoR open beta, with the builds always falling just shy of A-tier status. But with the recent change to Braum, in that he pumps out a 3/3 Poro with Overwhelm the first time he survives from damage, the build finally has some legs.
Another popular deck build yesterday within the Noxus/Freljord archetype was Braum/Sejuani. Created by Miguel “Mogwai” Guerrero, Imperial Demolitionist did her dirty work with Crimson Disciple during the early game while Kato the Arm was solid support later on. But in essence, it was all about Sejuani and Braum.
But let’s not forget about Poros, who received buffs via Poro Herder and Aurora Porealis. Emanuel ‘ManuS’ Sutor wasn’t afraid to take the deep dive, going all-in on the build with Braum at the helm. Poros still aren’t A-tier status, but they sure are fun to play. And the Braum buff helps the build fire-off even quicker than before.
With all the Braum decks being played, it seemed like Anivia wasn’t going to get any first-day meta love. That is, however, until Alessio “Ultraman1” Bouko played her in a Zombie build with Thresh.
Elusives were on the rebound prior to the LoR 1.4 update, though many players were too busy experimenting with other deck builds yesterday to play them. Nolagold was ahead of the pack, however, creating a scary Draven’s Shadows build with Draven, Zed, and a balance of Elusive and Burn.
It will likely take players a few days to figure out what works best in the new 1.4 LoR meta. But for competitive players, especially those competing in the first Fight Night Legends tomorrow night, time is short. And despite recnet trends towards “Aggro dominance” after a blance patch, it seems Midrange decks are getting a good amount of play this time around thanks to Braum.
