5 Lineups for the Runeterra Open of January 2024

The first Runeterra Open in 2024 is here! We can finally go back to the competitive scene with all we got.

However, unfortunately, this Open won't have any money prizes, and won't give out points to classify players for any extra event this year, like Worlds. The reason is that this will be the last Open in the current competitive format we know - the next tournaments will be part of a slightly different competitive format, which will be announced soon.

In any way, we still have boards, cardbacks and title prizes. This means, the competition for these cosmetic rewards is still on.

I listed for you down below the top 5 lineups to play at this January's Runeterra Open in case you're a bit lost in the competitive meta.

Keep in mind that this article is based entirely on my competitive experience of 4 years casting and competing in Runeterra tournaments! Let's go.

This meta is extremely varied, and it is impressive just how many lists are viable, competitively speaking. The greatest secret is knowing which deck you'll play with the Elder Dragon because this champion is currently the most popular card in the game, making up 50% of the decks that are at the top of the popularity rankings.

The Elder Dragon is extremely strong due to its origin, which builds incredibly versatile lists, and it can adapt to anything and any meta.

We're in a metagame with just a few aggressive options, several slow Midrange lists, and Control lists replacing Aggro, due to the slower and more sequenced rhythm the Elder Dragon imposes on matches.

That being said, I picked out 5 lineups: the most popular one, the most aggressive one, the Control one, the anti-meta one, and lastly, the adventurer's lineup.

This lineup contains the competitive scene's 3 most popular decks. Unlike other metas, this lineup doesn't necessarily include the 3 most popular decks on the ranked queue because the Elder Dragon is included in the top 2 most popular decks on the ranked queue, which isn't possible for a Riot-Lock lineup.

Therefore, I chose the 3 lists I consider the most popular among grassroot tournament players, or at least the most successful ones.

To play with this lineup, I recommend you ban Elder Dragon lists with Demacia and fast Overwhelm decks.

Karma Sett - This list is still present in the meta even after all this time. Karma Sett can shuffle curses in their decks by using Sunken Temple. But don't be mistaken because matchups against Demacia and curse lists aren't that good for this deck. You can still struggle considerably against players that develop units on curve and decks that spread their units' stats well on the board. Its greatest weakness is full boards.

This list shines even when it faces random meta strategies, and decks that struggle against removals, considering Karma Sett can punish opponents quite heavily on turn 10. We're talking about any aggressive lists, and Mordekaiser lists, because these lists lose all their gas once their units are removed.

Additionally, Karma Sett is a great ban target, considering most players don't enjoy playing against this archetype.

Morgana Elder Dragon Galio - This is the most popular list on the ranked queue right now, and has the highest win rate.

This list focuses on Suppression and Shackles to prevent the opponent from playing optimally while they develop their strong units on curve.

Considering this deck is the one that shows up first when you open any data website, it is predictable that most players will take this list to the tournament.

Mono Volibear - This is a Warmother's Call deck. This archetype returned after this spell was buffed to 11 mana. This means you can play Warmother's Call on turn 8.

This deck is one of the best options to play against any deck that brings the Elder Dragon, and can even be a ban target as a result. This list struggles a bit against Elusive decks, besides Ephemeral Zed lists. However, other than that, it is an extremely powerful deck that easily survives until it's time to play the Call.

This lineup is for those players who want fast matches without any stress. These are the three most aggressive lists that are strong in the current competitive format.

Keep in mind that Aggro isn't that strong right now, and, if you identify with this archetype, and the decks I'll show, it might be best to swap one of the decks to put a slower list in its place.

I suggest you ban any list that brings Targon, Shadow Isles or Frostbite decks.

Annie Jhin - This archetype returns once again to punish Demacia Midrange decks that are strong. When Runeterra enters this "whoever plays the biggest unit wins" phase, Annie Jhin returns to dominate the meta.

This list disables your opponent's blocking units with Stuns, and doesn't struggle that much against curses, like the other decks in the format.

Considering you Stun enemy units with your units' abilities, you go around Suppression, and develop your followers all in a single turn, lowering the efficiency of Shackles.

Not to mention that any list that doesn't interact well with the enemy board won't be able to deal with your Annie, so this champion will probably level up quickly.

Teemo Yuumi -This deck is the newest trend on the ranked queue because it combines an aggressive deck with Disruption elements, such as Skip, "King of the Reef".

You can steal cards from your opponent's hand, and remove their win conditions or removals. This list is strong because it can, alone, go around bad matchups by stealing cards.

These bad matchups are Control decks and Elder Dragon lists in general. Apart from this, hardly any deck can answer the aggressive rhythm Teemo Yuumi imposes well.

Zed Gwen - This, out of all aggressive lists, is the one I most recommend for the competitive scene. Almost no one builds decks to win against this archetype, and you'll win matches basically just abusing the element of surprise that is matching up against this deck.

Most times, you'll lose to yourself after you brick during mulligan. So, I recommend you play several matches with this deck to understand how its turn progression works really well.

Apart from this, the only real problem you might face are Norra Elder Dragon Control lists because this is the only deck in Standard that has removal spells such as Pie Toss in the meta.

This lineup is for those players who identify with Control. This type of deck is extremely strong in the current meta and can even be the best option for the competitive format.

When it was time to build this lineup, I realized I had several decks that were already included in this article. To compensate, I decided to swap some of these lists for alternative versions that are just slightly different. So, feel free to use these deck's original versions if you'd like to.

I suggest you ban fast Midrange lists and Demacia decks if you want to use this lineup.

Lissandra Volibear - This deck can be swapped by Mono Volibear.

The difference between these lists is that this one has a slightly better early game because of Lissandra, besides an alternative win condition with Watcher.

It is still a Warmother's Call deck focused on removals and mana ramp, with the difference it is a bit better into other Control lists due to Watcher.

Seraphine Sett - This version of this Ionia Piltover & Zaun Control archetype is the fastest of them all and is the one that is better prepared to deal with aggressive lists. This version is much harder to pilot than the original Karma Sett because you'll be dealing with randomly generated cards.

Its main win condition is Purrsuit of Perfection and Sett.

You can also play with Karma in this list if you think you need a strong late game option.

Morgana Elder Dragon Age of Dragons - This list is my chef's pick for this Open. Age of Dragons is a spell that wins the game on its own when played, considering you can fill your hand with 0-cost Dragons.

This deck is a ramp list, with lots of healing, but no removal. You need to mulligan aggressively to find Age of Dragons. Otherwise, you can have issues.

Apart from this, on turn 9, the only deck that wins against this is Karma Sett and Ionia lists, due to Deny.

This lineup is for those players who prefer to focus on neutralizing the meta, and like playing safe choices that will probably not be on their opponents' radar.

These decks sprout from the ranked queue to neutralize a strong meta deck. Considering these strong lists can also appear in this Open, you can be successful against them over there too. These three decks play well against all Elder Dragon lists, and Morgana Mordekaiser decks.

To play this lineup, I recommend you ban Targon, Shadow Isles, and Control lists in general.

Aatrox Reaver's Row - This archetype was created in April 2023, in the Siren Song meta, and it has now been revived to fight against the Elder Dragon.

This list has many 1-cost units that together form an unstoppable army of attackers with huge stats.

We depend on Reaver's Row to work properly. But, unlike its original version, this deck now has Citrus Courier to Rally, and a game plan that doesn't completely ignore Aatrox in this deck. Like so, this champion can also be a win condition at the end of the game.

Fizz Yuumi - This is one of the most powerful decks competitively speaking. Fizz can counter removals, preventing Control lists from doing anything against your board.

Not to mention, this is an Elusive archetype, and very few Elusive decks are in the meta nowadays. Lists that remove units through Challenger units also can't deal with your protection spells.

This means it is very difficult to deal with this deck. Really, the only thing that stops Fizz is Targon, due to Hush, and decks that Frostbite units.

Viego Elder Dragon Mordekaiser - Viego alongside Mordekaiser is an unstoppable duo. Actually, this combination makes this deck the best Mordekaiser for matches between Mordekaiser decks.

It is practically a counter deck for other lists like it. The Elder Dragon's package of cards fit Mordekaiser's followers really well, and Viego has never leveled up faster as he does in this deck.

Elusives might be a problem, and Control lists in general as well, considering you can't protect your units if Mordekaiser isn't on the board. But. considering you'll ban these decks if you play this lineup, you probably won't have any issues.

This lineup is for those players who just like competing and don't really care about prizes, but still want to play at a high level (with fun decks).

Considering this Runeterra Open won't be worth any money, it is likely we'll have many players building lists just based on fun.

I suggest you ban Elusive lists, and Morgana Elder Dragon decks in general.

Aatrox Vayne Morgana - This deck is a 2022 classic, and has now been updated with Morgana, who takes up Quinn's spot.

This change makes this list a bit more modern, considering this deck can now deal with big units. Previously, this list's main goal was to control their opponent's board early on by removing their units. Because other players don't really focus on this anymore, this archetype became an "attack many times with your Ranger-Knight Defector archetype".

This archetype is extremely challenging because it is very difficult to get 100% value out of your plays. So, for those who enjoy a challenge, I strongly recommend this list.

Neeko Gnar - This deck is for those who want a thematic list which is still strong. Neeko went from forgotten to meta in the last World Championship, in which she starred in a few lineups.

This deck is a version of the Warden of the Tribes archetype with a few Neeko followers to sprinkle a bit more fun on the top.

Unlike Vayne, this deck is easy to pilot and very satisfying because at all times you'll increase your units' stats, making them gigantic.

Nilah Miss Fortune - This deck popped up a few days ago as a version of Pirates that is more modern for Standard.

Nilah performs really well with the aggressive game style that this archetype imposes. With the addition of cards like Enraged Firespitter + Might, you'll end the game quickly if your opponent can't remove your units.

Noxus has been unpopular since Samira got nerfed, and this list is trying to bring this region back to the competitive scene.

If you read this far, now you're ready for the first Runeterra Open in 2024!

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