4 Guardians of the Ancient Decks to Try During Launch Week
Hey, it’s Trevor “Shugo” Yung and I’m here to bring you four new decks to try during the new expansion!
Today’s the day, so if you want to jump in quick, give these decks a go!
You can craft new decks with the new cards right now by heading to the Deck Builder.
Lastly, to see our card-by-card expert impressions from the reveal season, click here.
Deck #1: Swain Zilean
Deck Code: CEBQMBAHAEGRYJ2PM4BQEAYBA4EQCAIDFYBQEBAHHNGACAIDG4AQEAYDAIAQEAYIAEBQGDI
[See Swain Zilean deck details]
First up we have a new take on an old favorite, except this time we move out of Bilgewater and into Shurima.
Most of what we lose has been nerfed, and the tools we gain should add a whole new level of consistency.
Zilean’s Time Bombs help us level Swain cheaply and can later proc stun triggers post level-up.
In addition, Zilean gives us a late-game value engine, allowing us to recast anything!
Predict works well here as it lets us filter our removal.
This way we can find Ravenous Flocks when we need them, or shuffle them away when we don’t.
Preservarium is also a fantastic form of card draw and a much better alternative to previous options like Salvage.
One great thing about being in Shurima is we now have access to a deny in Rite of Negation.
We can now fight better against greedier control decks and have a way to survive a burn spell or two.
Ancient Hourglass gives us a way to protect our champions or The Leviathan.
Lastly, with the new debuff cards like Scrying Sands and Merciless Hunter, we can occasionally cheese our opponent from blocking Swain to make him even more lethal!
Deck #2: Yasuo Malphite
Deck Code: CEBAKBAJAQEAUDIOAQAQECAPFY4QGAIEAIDQCAQCAUAQCARRAQAQGAQUAQBQSAIVKRKQCBAJA4AQCARY
[See Yasuo Malphite deck details]
Next up, we get another chance to bring Yasuo into the spotlight!
We’re investing in Targon, and with the new tools, there’s potential to make things happen.
It may hurt to part ways with Noxus, but trust me, this deck is gonna rock!
Our game plan is to play reactively.
We’ve got some great new early defensive options with Blue Sentinel and Solari Sunhawk.
I didn’t realize you could have nine champions in one deck, but apparently if you shrink down Leona into a 2|3, you can!
Joking aside, Solari Sunhawk is incredible.
The greatest loss from Noxus is Arachnoid Sentry, but Solari Sunhawk is a fine replacement!
Just be mindful that the stun can be redirected, and Daybreak forces us to play it first.
Eye of the Ra-Horak is a really interesting card.
While it is slow, if we curve into it after Yasuo we have the ability to trigger FOUR stuns over two rounds.
It’s also what we’re relying on to level up Malphite alongside Blue Sentinel and Startipped Peak.
There’s a good chance this is way too clunky to actually see competitive play… but could it lead to some big explosive blowouts? ABSOLUTELY!
One final trick is to use Syncopation with Fae Bladetwirler.
While it’s never been hard to attack for 10+ damage, we rarely get the chance to strike their nexus.
However, if you have an unblocked elusive you can sneak right in for the win!
Deck #3: Azir Irelia
Deck Code: CEBQKBACAQCQSCYPAQCAOAY2GM4QEAICFIWAEAQEA5HVEAIEAIDQCAIDAIKA
[See Azir Irelia deck details]
Perhaps the most hyped reveal of the expansion, we get to explore a new mechanic with Irelia!
She and her supporting cards bring us Blade Dance which gives us an extremely efficient way of triggering summon effects to level Azir and herself.
Let’s take a look!
This deck is centered around summoning Sand Soldiers, but unlike anything previously, we can trigger this multiple times in one turn!
While this was technically possible between Scouts and Rallys, with Blade Dance we can do it much more effectively.
Emperor’s Dais is key here alongside Azir.
Then all of our Blade Dances turn into devastating attacks while we sit back with the rest of our board and watch blades fly!
Make use of Recalls to reuse our Blade Dances or cycle through our cards with Dancing Droplet.
Inspiring Marshal is the icing on the cake to push as much damage as possible.
Sparring Student looks fantastic here as we’ve never had this many summon triggers before.
Just like Fae Bladetwirler, Syncopation helps put all those buffs to the face!
Deck #4: Thralls
Deck Code: CEBQKBAHBUOCYQTOAMCACAIFAYBACAIDGIBQCBAHPAAQCAIUAECACDQDAEBQCAQCAQDR6OYBAQAQY
[See Thralls deck details]
Finally, this last deck is sure to make you enthralled!
… I’m sorry.
Now that we have more Countdown support, it’s time to give this archetype another try!
We gained a handful of new cards that use the Advance mechanic, allowing us to have more control over our landmarks.
One common problem was being one turn too late to summon these big guys, but now it may be possible to overcome this. These new cards should help add some consistency.
Stoneweaving with only two mana available guarantees us the ability to find a Frozen Thrall.
This means if we play a one-mana card on turn 1, followed by Stoneweaving on turn 2, we can ensure we find a Frozen Thrall for that turn.
Then with help from Clockwork Curator, Time in a Bottle, and Imagined Possibilities, we can speed things up for Draklorn Inquisitor.
If things go south, you can always bring out The Watcher to obliterate them. But I think we’ve all seen enough of that for a long time.
It’s time to release the Thralls!
Shugo’s Productivity Thought of the Day
We can accomplish a lot even when the time feels limited.
Imagine dedicating 30 minutes per day, or 1-2 hours per week on one given thing.
Naturally, you’re going to get somewhere, and for all you know that little time could inspire a world of opportunity.
To see more Guardians of the Ancient decks, head to the Deck Library! To build your own, head to the Deck Builder.
