Legends of Runeterra’s newest patch, 0.9.4, will go live tomorrow, introducing a potent nerf to a vital Demacia card and a slight buff to another one.
Vanguard Bannerman was a powerful card that was used heavily by Mono or near-Mono Demacian decks. It could often seal games if you were to play a powerful curve in the three turns before he could be played on turn four. Vanguard’s Bannerman effect will now affect every other friendly unit on the board, excluding himself.
While losing out on an extra +1/+1 buff may not seem like a large nerf at first, a popular aggressive deck losing one power can have that damage loss rack up over time and gives slower decks a larger chance of stabilizing sooner. Additionally, it makes Vanguard Bannerman less threatening against units with four health since they’ll have a chance to value trade against him now.
Losing out on one health will also make him more vulnerable to removal. At four health, he was generally safe. But three health opens him up to dying to more units and fast spells, like Get Excited or Grasp of the Undying.
While this nerf will lower the power of the decks he’s featured in by a considerable amount, Vanguard Bannerman should still be a powerful option and top-tier threat to look out for.
Laurent Duelist was less popular than Vanguard Bannerman in constructed since it was understated for its cost alongside having a less-than-appealing effect. Laurent Duelist receiving one extra power this patch most likely doesn’t improve its chances of appearing in strong meta constructed decks. But Laurent Duelist should appreciate this change in Expedition, which may entice players to pick him a bit more when he appears in buckets since this allows those limited decks to be more aggressive with him.
LoR Patch 0.9.4 will be released tomorrow, April 14, at 11am CT.
