LoR: 20 Most Relevant Cards Rotating to Standard in 2024!

As there are a lot of cards and info in LoR's 2024 rotation, I decided to split it into three articles. In this third and final article, I'll analyze 20 non-champion cards that will rotate into Standard and will be extremely relevant for the meta this year. I didn't rank these cards in any specific order, but I did organize them by region to make it easier to analyze each one of them.

In my previous article, I analyzed the 20 most relevant non-champion cards that will rotate out of Standard. If you want to check it out, click here.

Keep in mind that this content was based entirely on my 4-year experience playing and casting LoR professionally.

Tells us what you think in our comment section! Which cards will be the most relevant meta cards in the next few months?

Loping Telescope

Loping Telescope wasn't relevant in Eternal in 2023. However, it was certainly very relevant before Riot introduced rotation to the game.

This is card is better in a smaller card pool because you'll have a higher chance of creating the same cards over and over, or creating the card you're looking for more often. So, the theory that Loping Telescope will stand out in the following months is very likely, and it might even be popular in the ranked queue.

Stress Defense

This is one of the best cards you can use to protect your units because it is extremely flexible. You can use it on enemy units and reduce their attack power to 1, or on your own units to grow their defense to 6.

Like so, considering the next meta will probably focus very heavily on Midrange decks, whose main focus are "constant battles between units", this spell will probably be incredibly valuable in Bandle City decks.

The Dreadway

Gangplank's "boat" will rotate into Standard just like him, naturally.

The most significant difference between Gangplank's boat and other boats in the game is its effect, which doubles the damage you deal through skills, spells, and also doubles your units' stats. Consequently, you can use it as the main card in some combo deck.

It is quite common for players to create decks that use, as their main win condition, The Dreadway + some card that deals damage to the enemy Nexus directly.

Apart from this, this card is extremely fun and can also be used just to draw Gangplank, who will probably be strong in the next few months too.

Laurent Protege

Laurent Protege, despite being quite simple, has always been one of the best units (throughout LoR's first few years) to control your opponent's board.

As the years went on, he became rather outdated because the game evolved quite a lot.

However, in a smaller card pool, Laurent Protege will likely be very relevant in the meta because of its defensive stats.

Golden Aegis

This card will probably be broken in Standard because Taric returned too. For those of you that don't know, the Taric + Golden Aegis combo lets you attack up to 3 times in a single turn, and your units also gain Barrier as it resolves. This combo can literally end the match on the spot against some archetypes.

Without cards like Concussive Palm and the removal spells that will rotate to Eternal, this combo will likely be really powerful in Standard.

After I looked very closely at the cards that will return to Standard, I need to say that only a few of them (if not none of them) can handle this combo. We can only hope that the new cards have some interesting mechanic that can stop this combo; otherwise, you can be sure Taric combo will be a tier 1 deck.

[m]{(This article was written during the reveal season, and, so far, only Lux: Illuminated has been revealed.)}

Cithria the Bold

Cithria the Bold has always been extremely strong because of her combat effect, even though she doesn't affect the board immediately when you summon her.

Strategies that play many small units on the board will likely be very popular (particularly in Demacia decks), so, naturally, Cithria the Bold may stand out in the next few months.

Brightsteel Formation

Brightsteel Formation was once one of the best finishers in the game, and now it may reclaim that title. Keep in mind that Fiora Shen will once again be a viable archetype in Standard, and this deck benefits quite heavily from Barriers.

As the game's rhythm will be considerably slower, we might have enough time to play 9-cost cards again without losing the game instantaneously. Brightsteel Formation is also an iconic card in Fiora decks, which will return at full strength, so this expensive Barrier card might affect the meta quite heavily.

Ancient Yeti

Ancient Yeti won't return to Standard to play in Freljord decks: it will play in Elder Dragon lists.

In the last competitive season, played in the Eternal format, this unit became one of the strongest units in the (at the time) new Elder Dragon archetype with Shurima. It will certainly pop up in most decks that play this champion, not necessarily with Shurima.

Additionally, the Elder Dragon archetype will likely evolve quite a lot and become even more competitive in the next few months because it is one of the few Overwhelm decks that are still viable in Standard.

Windswept Hillock

Yasuo will return to Standard and, like Gangplank, he will bring his "boat", Windswept Hillock.

The impact of this landmark in the game is connected to the fact the meta itself will be slower and focus more on units next season. For these reasons, it will be easier to play expensive cards with continuous effects, like Windswept Hillock, which lets you control the enemy board but doesn't force you to lose "tempo" when you play it on the board.

Not to mention, Aftershock, the best landmark removal in the game, will rotate out of Standard, and Noxus (which has the second-best landmark removal in the game, Scorched Earth) is a bit unpopular and weak right now. Landmarks might be a great strategy in the next meta, particularly with the new mechanic, Stories.

Blade's Edge

Riot removed some "ping" cards from Standard, but it brought in a few others, like Blade's Edge.

Noxus' control archetype lost and gained some cards in this rotation, which means decks in this style weren't eradicated - they'll just be different now.

Noxus might become the control region that will answer the meta next season because it is one of the few regions that have "pings" right now, just like Bandle City did in the Legends of Runeterra's 2023 World Championship competitive season.

Disintegrate will rotate out of Standard, which may kill these decks a bit - but, regardless, this archetype might still be viable because players will have to answer the meta with something.

Legion Grenadier

We know Noxus will lose many aggressive cards in this rotation. Well, one of the cards that will rotate into Standard to make up for the absence of these cards is Legion Grenadier.

But don't be mistaken: this unit is versatile enough to be a blocker in control lists. As a result, since we'll have a smaller card pool, we might see it in both aggressive and control decks.

Arachnoid Sentry

Arachnoid Sentry

Arachnoid Sentry has been one of the, if not the most, versatile card in Noxus all throughout LoR's history.

The number of decks and combos this unit enables is almost impossible to count, and it was everything Noxus needed for 2024.

As we all know, Noxus is currently considerably weaker and more unpopular than it was last year because of the Samira nerfs (among many other factors), and it does need to find another place in the meta. Maybe Arachnoid Sentry is the card that will put Noxus on the map again.

Thermogenic Beam

Piltover & Zaun got back one of its best direct removals: Thermogenic Beam, which is excellent to remove medium and/or big units.

This region has always been the best at removing small, early game units. However, now, it seems Riot wants small units to survive for longer, so, naturally, Piltover & Zaun might struggle to perform in the new meta.

To give it a new direction, Riot decided to give it Thermogenic Beam back, which is a great choice because you can use this removal at any point in the game, even though it is a slow-speed spell that forces you to spend all your mana. So, Piltover & Zaun will never come out ahead, even if it does break the rules of the new rotation and expansion and remove small units.

Additionally, it will keep part of its region identity and be the region that removes units in general.

Ballistic Bot

This card was chosen by the Brazilian player "Iannogueira" to come back to Standard as his prize for topcutting the Runeterra Invitational, in early 2024. He won the "Heart of the Huntress" Eternal Runeterra Open, which earned him an invitation to the Runeterra Invitational.

Ballistic Bot has always been one of his favorite cards, so it's not a surprise Ian chose this card to return to Standard. Even more so because, no matter the meta, this card always manages to show up in some aggressive deck.

Hexcore Foundry

This is one of the most interesting cards for Standard in 2024 because Janna and Nilah will still be in this format this year.

This might be a great card both in Janna's archetype or to play against it, as you can force your opponent to burn their cards with it.

Not to mention, this is one of the best cards against control lists, which will probably return to the meta to answer Midrange decks. In this type of meta, with countless Midrange lists, Hexcore Foundry may be a tuner that keeps the meta evolving and doesn't let control lists take over the ranked queue.

Unfortunately, after a lot of consideration, I didn't find any relevant Shadow Isles cards returning to Standard this year.

Most Shadow Isles cards returning to Standard are Hecarim's support cards.

Considering Vex is this expansion's new Shadow Isles/Bandle City champion, her new cards should be really impactful and make up for the cards that will return from Eternal but aren't strong enough to get a spot in this list.

Shaped Stone

This is the strongest spell in Shurima (apart from The Absolver).

Without Akshan, we will once again use Shaped Stone as a "combat trick" rather than a "combo piece".

Shurima can still play landmarks on the board better than any other region, so cards like Ancient Preparations and Rock Hopper will still be incredibly strong.

Ekko Jinx lists will remain popular; they can even use Shaped Stone as a combat trick as well.

Rite of the Arcane

Historically, this card has always been one of the best unit removals in Shurima.

This region was never known for removing units, but, with this spell, Shurima might be quite flexible in the ranked queue, and might even be the forefront of the meta because it is one of the few regions that can deal with 4-health units.

Inventive Chemist will also return to Standard, which is even better for Rite of the Arcane - she pairs really well with the card above because she summons a landmark on your board that you actually want to destroy.

Mountain Goat

Mountain Goat is definitely the G.O.A.T. when the matter is versatility, particularly in Targon.

This unit sees play in practically any Targon deck because it is simply one of the few blocker options that cost 2 and have 3 attack power.

This card isn't necessarily broken or strong, but it is so versatile we'll probably see a lot of it next season.

The Veiled Temple

Aphelios will return to Standard with his signature landmark, The Veiled Temple.

This card enables several combos in Targon decks that might be quite interesting in the next meta, considering this region is quite slow and struggles to interact with its opponents early game.

To make up for this, The Veiled Temple can, from turn 4 onward, create enough mana and value to let the Targon player "come back" into the game.

I don't believe we'll have, on the first few days of the new expansion, well-rounded decks that use The Veiled Temple, but, eventually, you can be sure this card will pop up.

Arbiter of the Peak

Just like the Ancient Yeti, the Arbiter of the Peak won't return to Standard to play in Targon decks - it will see play in Elder Dragon lists.

As the last Eternal competitive season showed us, this card is one of the strongest cards in the new Elder Dragon archetype with Shurima, and might catch many players off-guard.

The problem is that Akshan and the other cards in this archetype haven't survived the rotation hammer. However, nothing is stopping you from building an Elder Dragon list with Freljord and many spells that target your own units so you can actually lower the cost of your Arbiter of the Peak.

If you read this far, thank you! I hope you enjoyed reading this article.

Don't forget to share.

See you next time!