Standard: Top 5 Lineups for the Runeterra Open Last Chance Qualifier!

It's time! The next Runeterra Open will be the last Open this year, and will also be your last chance to qualify for LoR's World Championship, which will happen in December. The LCQ (Last Chance Qualifier) will happen on November 25th and 26th, and will be featuring the Standard format.

As we've recently had an Eternal Runeterra Open, many players are still vibing with Eternal. For that reason, I have come to help you all understand the Standard meta, and list the best 5 lineup choices for this format.

Standard meta hasn't changed much since they released the variety patch, and we all moved to the Eternal format. The new cards didn't impact the meta significantly, and the strongest decks continue to be, mostly, the same as before.

Be careful, though: as much as the meta hasn't changed a lot, the lists' popularity has definitely shifted, and that really influences everyone's lineup decisions. The reason behind this is that the Open is an open tournament, and players usually bring the most popular lists.

These are the most popular decks among competitive players. Jax Ornn got even more popular after the last Eternal Runeterra Open, and, as a result, should be the most played list in this tournament too. Its build doesn't change much from one format to another. If you want to play this lineup, ban Burn decks and aggressive Overwhelm lists.

Janna Nilah - Even though Janna wasn't that popular in the Eternal format, she is one of the best champions in Standard, and this is, undoubtedly, one of the best lists in this format. This deck has survived the nerfs, and is still strong even if the whole meta is focused on dealing with this list's main strategy: Sunken Temple.

This deck is the best choice in general if you're looking for safety when you're building your lineup. It has an extensive array of good matchups, and even the worst matchups are winnable and don't have a win rate below 40%.

Jax Ornn - As we mentioned, this is the most popular list in the format, and it is the deck you should be beating or bringing. This archetype dominates both competitive formats, and will probably be nerfed again.

This list is the best option in general in every lineup as it is very difficult to build a deck that frequently wins against it. You'll rarely have issues when you bring this archetype, so, when you build your lineup, you must decide if you want to bring this list or ban it.

Seraphine Sett Karma - This deck is currently the most popular deck among players in competitive tournaments that are happening during this pre-Open week. It is an archetype that was also very popular in Eternal, and in Standard it is played with almost the same cards.

Even though it is a hard list to pilot, if you dominate this archetype, you can go far playing with it. It is a deck that can adapt to any adversity, and can practically answer anything the meta works with - but its price is that it is extremely conditional and depends on RNG a bit.

This lineup has the 3 most aggressive archetypes that can appear in this tournament. If you identify with this archetype, ban Freljord decks, as they deal with your Elusive units, and because, in general, this region is great against extensive matchups.

Teemo Elusives - Even though Elusives aren't that strong in the ranked queue due to the strong Omen Hawk presence in the meta, these decks are strong competitively. Your ban allows you to avoid these Freljord lists, which gives you a great advantage, as almost no deck is prepared to deal with Elusives apart from Freljord decks.

This archetype is very fast and easy to pilot, which is perfect for the nine Swiss rounds on the first day of the tournament.

Jinx Discard - Jinx has slowly been returning to the game, and has been appearing in grassroot tournaments. This deck is quite fun and consistent, and catches many players off guard because they aren't prepared to deal with this archetype.

This is one of the best lists for the open rounds, because you don't have access to your opponent's deck. Like so, they'll never know which Bandle City nonsense you have added to your deck.

Miss Fortune Quinn - Scouts were, in the last Standard Runeterra Open, the most recommended deck for the first day. And it will probably keep that spot this weekend. Even though Champions' Strength was nerfed, this list is still incredibly consistent, and is a deck that has evolved enough to not be completely dependent on this spell.

This list isn't on every player's radar currently, as we've had less than a week to prepare ourselves for this Open. That means Scouts will probably be a big surprise, and also one of the strongest archetypes this Open.

Control archetypes in Standard have gone through a big review since the last Open, as they weren't the best choices then. However, this Last Chance Qualifier will be different, as some very strong, old lists can return, because they have good matchups against the meta's Midrange decks.

If you want to play these decks, ban Janna lists and decks that bring Shurima with Spellshield units.

Classic Karma Sett - The Karma Sett archetype has returned from the ashes in the last Eternal Open. As this list is better in Standard, due to the good matchups it has against the meta, it is only natural that many players started playing with it again to bring it to the Open.

This archetype was heavily refined, and is currently as refined as it can be. It is safe to say Karma Sett might be one of the safest choices for this Open, even though it is a hard list to pilot.

Nasus Senna - This deck isn't for everybody, as it is the slowest archetype in the format. But it is still the most well-prepared list to deal with every kind of threat and unit that your opponent plays.

Before playing this deck, I strongly suggest you play a few matches against friends to really get the hang of it and understand what is the best time to play Senna. When you really dominate when this champion should be played on the board, then you'll be ready to bring this deck to a competitive setting.

Heimerdinger Norra - This deck is a unit-based deck disguised as a Control deck. Even though it brings many control cards, Norra's portals are the greatest stars in this deck, and allow you to play at a fast tempo.

Mulligan for units when you're playing with this list, and, eventually, you'll draw your removals and control the game. Portals will be your main source of damage, besides your main win condition as well.

These are the three decks that work really well together to deal with everything that is strong in the meta. As we'll have a slower meta this Open, it is likely that these lists stand out as they are great options against Control decks that bring Piltover & Zaun, besides Combo lists.

Ban Shadow Isles Control lists (because you can't deal with the removals in that region) and Elusive decks.

Galio Udyr - This deck was the main character in the last Standard Runeterra Open. As this list wasn't changed in the slightest since last patch, it may still be one of the best options for this format. Because Piltover & Zaun is a region that is quite popular among players in this format, it is common to see the Formidables archetype come in as a great alternative to deal with that region.

Petricite Charger is the great culprit behind all of this, as this card is immune to spell damage or skill damage. As every Piltover & Zaun removal spell is based on direct damage, this region basically can't do anything against this card.

Gnar Darius - This is also one of the best options to play against Piltover & Zaun, but for different reasons than the Galio list above. As Piltover & Zaun plays units that can't defend well against Overwhelm units, you'll always have very strong attacks against your opponent's board.

Not to mention the Freljord protection spells are perfect to stop your opponent's removals.

Shen Jarvan IV - This list is the best list in the format to play against other Midrange decks, and also has good matchups against Piltover & Zaun, due to its barriers and deny spells.

This deck was also the most victorious and popular deck in Standard while we were all playing the Eternal Runeterra Open. This list occupied 20% of the Standard ranked queue.

This lineup is for those players who aren't that ambitious competitively, but like playing tournaments and having fun. I chose three decks that have the highest win rate in the format apart from the decks listed above.

But keep in mind: this doesn't mean they are the best lists competitively; they are just the best one in the ranked queue. All three are very fun, as long as you ban Shadow Isles Control lists, which are great against these choices.

Kayle Xolaani - This list is surprisingly strong, even though it brings one of the weakest champions in the entire game, and even though it is a somewhat forgotten archetype. However, after many tests and a lot of refining, this archetype now brings Yordles to complement the Xolaani strategy. Like so, as they all buff each other, Xolaani the Bloodweaver is the best finisher option in this deck.

Riven Gwen - This new archetype is becoming popular in the last few days, and is already one of the best decks in the ranked queue. This list can win games very fast, and out of nowhere. It is difficult to play against this strategy if you aren't playing Shadow Isles.

This list can surprise players in this Open as it is a rising deck in the meta, and is getting more popular by the minute.

Tristana Teemo - This list is a new version of the Bandle City and Noxus Burn archetypes in Eternal, but for Standard. Adding Enraged Firespitter allowed this region combination to become relevant again in Standard, and is currently one of the lists with the highest win rates in this format.

This deck is perfect for the open rounds, because it's closed decklist. Historically, it has always been very difficult to play against this archetype, even more so because Bandle City is a very versatile region, and decks in this region are always unpredictable.

If you've read this far, now you're prepared to guarantee your spot at Worlds in the Last Chance Qualifier Runeterra Open on November 25th and 26th.

Don't forget to share this article on social media. See you next time!