Top 10 Domination Cards to Watch

LoR Domination: The Top 10 Cards to Watch

We’ve just concluded the latest seasonals and you know what that means.

Expansion time! It’s Trevor “Shugo” Yung here and I’ve returned with another top 10 list!

• Once again, allow me to drop the usual few disclaimers.
• These cards are in no particular order.
• No Champions, as they are the obvious place to start with when deck building.

This list isn’t solely based on power and playability. You don’t need me to tell you that a one mana 2|2 with upside is a good card. So instead we’ll focus on the more juicy stuff.

The real potential powerhouses and crazy designs!

I’ll be honest, the majority of this list will be spells, but you just gotta go with the flow. Alright, let’s get started… Drumroll, please!

Drum Solo

This is a pretty big deal for PnZ. All this time the region’s card draw options have been limited to either cantrips, symmetrical draw, discard draw, or expensive burst draw. While they all have their merits, they do require the right synergy to be effective.

Drum Solo is a straight-up card-draw. Five for two isn’t a fantastic rate, but it’s made up by the cost reduction so long as you can enable Flow.

Now, of course, you can whiff and hit 0-1 mana spells; minimizing value. However, being able to pull anything from your deck at a reduced cost could be a real game changer. There are no restrictions here, not just spells, units, or non-champions.. It’s simply draw-two.

Perhaps we’re about to see old Fizz TF make a return? If there’s a deck that loves card draw, it’s that one.. And it’s getting another spicy card as well..

Fish Fight

While a Slow speed Single Combat is a little on the weak side, a one-sided slap to the opponent’s unit is incredible! This does require some specific building, but if we can figure out an efficient list, Fish Fight will be an absolute all-star.

Even its drawback of returning the weapon to hand can be a good thing. There are times we’d rather move the equipment from one unit to another, but in order to do that, the host unit either needs to die, or we have to spend extra mana to equip it with something else.

Honestly, even in the worst case, Slow speed Single Combat is still pretty okay. I imagine this will be a Demacia staple moving forward, so long as equipment becomes a mainstay.

The Expanse’s Protection

This is Bastion for two mana. It may not give stats, and the effect may be temporary, but nine times out of ten, it’s a two-mana Bastion.

More often than not Bastion is used as a reactive protection spell. The opponent casts Vengeance? Bastion. Our unit’s about to get bounced by Homecoming? Bastion. While there are a few niche scenarios when this isn’t the case, they are far and few between.

If we ever see Lee Zoe make a return, The Expanse’s Protection becomes incredibly mana-efficient insurance. And what does it cost? Put Hookmaster into the deck. That’s it.

Of course, this won’t be the case for all region combinations, but Targon is already in a decent spot as far as equipment goes. Lodestone and Wandering Shepherd are both solid options and easily splashable. Be on the lookout for this one!

The Darkin Aegis/Joraal

Oh, man… As a baseline weapon, this card is already in a good spot. Granting +1|+1 and tough is already solid and will make combat a lot harder for the opponent. But that’s not all…

The backside of this card is our cheapest Darkin yet, and it’s a real punisher! Joraal is going to cause nightmares for spell-based decks, while also picking off enemy units. Thankfully the tax window only applies during combat, though it will make it more difficult to abuse spells like Recall and Homecoming.

We already know Demacia’s getting a big push towards playing equipment this patch, and this seems like a no-brainer inclusion. Overall this looks super solid and likely will become another Demacia staple.

Opulent Foyer

I really like the design of this landmark. Three mana is about the limit we can afford to play without falling too far behind, but what really makes this great is it guarantees a unit on summoning.

Ephemerals make for excellent deterrents, as there’s often no reason for the opponent to attack a unit that’s already going to die unless they have multiple attackers. And in that case, we get a free block on either the most threatening target or a free favorable trade.

This also gives us a repeatable way to build up Hallowed triggers. With its effect triggering upon gaining the attack token, it synergizes with Scouts, Free Attacks, and Katarina!

We’ll have to see how many times this card can reliably trigger throughout a game. Summoning three Ghastly Bands gives us a little more than our mana’s worth, and any more than that is awesome value.

Fanclub President

I know its stats are awful, but the potential payoff is pretty insane. I don’t think it’s completely out of the question to play a 2/2 on turn four. After all, we already play TF and Aloof Travelers.

There are a lot of good spells that cost five mana, and they become insane when you have to consider them at two mana. Sunburst, Harsh Winds, Eye of Nagakabouros!? That’s just to name a few.

If you thought Ferros Financier was miserable to play against, have fun trying to play around with Fanclub President’s spells!

The Unforgiving Cold

It’s our second spell of the three-four mana “Once you have Equipped” bunch, and this one is equally as punishing. It’s Harsh Winds for four mana. It’s even got the potential to be better than that, as it does have double-spell applications. Does anyone else remember Ezreal Teemo?

This also fits perfectly into Ashe Noxus as a cheaper Harsh Winds. It should be easy enough to throw Hookmaster into the deck and call it a day. The deck’s already lacking 2-drops, so it sounds like a perfect fit.

Not all decks that want Harsh Winds will be able to justify an equipment package, so I don’t see this as an outright replacement. Each card will have its own place. Overall, Frostbite is still a niche mechanic, so it’s gonna depend on how the meta shapes up in the end.

Crowd Pleaser

+2 Power and Quick attack for two? That’s a pretty reasonable combat trick. Wait, it’s in PnZ!?

Crowd Pleaser is basically a miniature Rising Spell Force, except, it actually looks good! The difference between a two and three-mana combat trick is huge, and at two, it could do some real damage.

Think of it like PnZ’s version of Pale Cascade. However, instead of acting as a minor protection buff, it lets you strike enemies out of nowhere! It’s going to be pretty awkward committing a block hoping to trade, then the opponent casts this in response. What a blowout.

Not only that, but when Flow is active we get a free spell to replace it? Call me crazy, but this card looks nuts! Even when punished by removal the card still replaces itself. But when things work out, the payoff is incredible and at such little cost. I’m scared of this one.

Bloodcursed Harpy

Very few 6+ cost units are worth considering in Runeterra’s increasingly fast meta.. But Bloodcursed Harpy may just meet the bar. Scout is a busted keyword, plus we get to combine it with a free instant equip from hand. Then if it were to die, instead it just gets healed at the cost of the equipment?

Standalone this threatens a lot of damage. If we assume the average 2-cost equipment grants two power, then we can push 16 damage in one round. Obviously, we have to expect some form of interaction, be it blockers or removal, but that’s A LOT of damage in one card.

Demacia’s ready to make a comeback, and if the equipment comes to the forefront, there’s a decent chance Bloodcursed Harpy follows alongside.

The Unending Wave

And now we know why Twisted Fate is getting rotated. What is this card!? It’s the third and final equipment-reduced spell, and this card is absolutely bonkers!

Design space for spells in Bilgewater is tricky thanks to cards like Nami and Shelly. Additionally, card draw has typically been limited or came with caveats because of TF. The Unending Wave is absurdly powerful, and it’s in the region that can abuse it more than any other!

Yes, Fleeting is a real drawback, but the decks that can truly abuse this card don’t even care. Either the cards are cheap enough to play without worry, or they become easy discard fodder.

Fizz TF could make its return. Who needs pre-nerf Pick a Card when you have The Unending Wave!? Between that, Rummage, and Stress Testing, it’s time to turbo level TF once again!

At least that’s my hope haha. Fizz TF was peak Runeterra in my eyes.. 🙂

Conclusion

It may only be three champs, but I think we’re in for a wild expansion. There’s a lot of potential playables here, and the spells look insane!

Don’t forget to take the time to mess around and enjoy it!

Shugo’s Productivity Thought of the Day

While we may not control the environment around us, we can control our outlook. Reframe our negative thoughts to positive ones.

Life is a lot easier when we don’t make it mentally harder on ourselves.

To explore all Legends of Runeterra cards including the new ones from Domination, head to the Card Gallery.