LoR: Which Elder Dragon Deck is the Best?

The Elder Dragon is the greatest promise of the new Legends of Runeterra season in terms of deckbuilding. And it is certainly the champion that promotes the widest variety of decks possible nowadays, because of its origin.

The community has already created enough lists for us to figure out what this champion is capable of - and we can already tell what works and doesn't work with it.

Let's unwrap a few mysteries regarding this champion and decide which Elder Dragon list is the best one for once and for all.

This was one of the first decks created with this champion, and was the most played list on the first day of the Fate's Voyage: Beyond expansion.

This list abuses the exceptional power Heisho, Shell of the World carried before the hotfix. Now, after the changes, this entire archetype had to be reconsidered, because it is no longer worth it to be greedy to the point of building an entire list focused on just a single card in this deck.

This is the more updated version of this archetype:

It is still not a very competitive list, and I also don't really recommend it for the ranked queue, but it is a very fun deck that stands out, particularly to new players. It is easy to say this is the weakest Elder Dragon version that is being played.

This archetype was also one of the first archetypes to be built with Elder Dragon, as soon as this champion was released in LoR. The Targon package was a bit difficult to refine compared to the Freljord version, because you'll be changing this deck's game style entirely. This list became a lot more responsive and slower.

Even though this is the Elder Dragon deck in our list with the worst win rate, it is a list that is better prepared for the competitive scene compared to the Freljord Ramp version. This happens because you can ban a deck in tournaments, which solves a few of the matchup problems this deck has, unlike the Freljord version, which struggles a bit more homogeneously against all meta decks.

Control lists, and even Burn decks, such as Annie Jhin, can't keep up with this list's healing and value tools. Anyhow, it is one of the worst decks that bring the Elder Dragon.

Now we start discussing the Elder Dragon lists that stray away from the main idea of promoting this champion as the main finisher. This deck only uses the Elder Dragon to abuse its origin, which allows you a better deckbuilding.

We'll still see other lists further on that bring this idea of only using 1 copy of this champion, but this is certainly the weakest of all of them. This list is unfortunately too slow, and doesn't have play lines that are explosive enough compared to the other meta decks, at least not to the point of actually competing with them fairly.

This list's plan is to play Elemental spells and skills, so you can then play a gigantic unit by using Galesong Flock. However, as the unit summoned by this spell doesn't have any keyword, it is very easy to block and remove it from the board.

Some cards in the latest Dragon package that were released in the Fate's Voyage: Beyond expansion have direct synergy with Elemental skills and the Elder Dragon, so it makes a lot of sense to use them together.

You can even win matches in the ranked queue with this deck, due to the more aggressive nature it works with. But, by far, this is the least competitive Elder Dragon list of all, simply because it doesn't have any good matchups against tournament decks.

I strongly recommend you only use this list in the ranked queue, because that is where it shines. You can really punish players who are testing out new lists and strategies that don't interact with your board.

Now we're talking about lists that have over 50% win rate in the ranked queue! This deck is one of the most aggressive decks in the entire game, even though it uses the Elder Dragon, which is a slower champion.

The list above is this deck's first version, which was being played on day 2 of the new expansion, and it is a spell-less deck. Elites is an archetype that has one of the highest numbers of support units, only losing to Yordles. The issue is that it was always a list that struggled a lot because it didn't have direct damage nor card draw. By using the Elder Dragon's origin, you now have access to these two things, without necessarily hurting this list's build.

This is the most modern version of this deck, which brings 3 copies of Form Up!

This was the list I used to climb the most this season, and was the deck that helped me get to Diamond, and even go to Diamond 1. This is the list I most recommend for those who want to climb ranks fast, as it is an easy deck that is extremely strong and fast.

This list uses Wiggly Burblefish, Plaza Guardian and Lord Broadmane, all in the same deck, precisely because of Elder Dragon's origin. All these cards really match Seraphine and Janna.

This deck also brings Sunken Temple; you'll draw numerous cards in sequence and reduce their cost a lot. It is great for the competitive scene, even though it is very difficult to pilot. Use this deck in the ranked queue only if you're certain you can work with random spell generation, and risky plays.

This is the new version of Seraphine lists, and, probably, with time, will only get better.

We've reached this article's prized contender. This list represents the best deckbuilding Legends of Runeterra can offer. The version above is the first Elder Dragon list with Bandle City, which is nothing more than an improved Jhin Bandle City deck.

You're practically playing with the same cards as Jhin Bandle City, but now they are played on the board with Dragon Boons. Jhin Bandle City was a very impactful deck competitively because it was a very well-rounded list that could deal with anything, even though it was the hardest list to pilot of all time.

This archetype's problem was that its main finisher, Riptide Rex, would regularly not win matches for you due to bad RNG. It is very common for Rex to only hit a single target, and not kill the enemy unit you want to remove the most, or spread its shots in a way the enemy Nexus will still be standing after it finishes shooting.

We soon realized that the Elder Dragon version also has the same problems, even though it plays better units. As a result, a more modern version of this deck came along, one that promotes a more aggressive play style, without depending on RNG as much.

This version brings Lost Soul alongside cards that discard other cards, such as Arena Promoter and Electro Harpoon, so you can access Twinblade Revenant. It is a card that recycles itself very easily, and practically gives you infinite value in your matches.

Not to mention, this deck also brings The Rekindler, which allows you to play Elder Dragon more aggressively without worrying about removal, because you'll easily be able to revive it later on.

This list is one of the most impressive lists we have in the game in terms of deckbuilding. I strongly suggest you play it, and try to improve it as well.

If you read this far, now you know which are the best Elder Dragon decks.

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