LoR's Next Standard Champion Rotation: Review for the Next Expansion

This article is the first of a series of three articles! In each one, I'll analyze and review a part of Legends of Runeterra's 2024 card rotation with you all.

As there are a lot of cards, and a lot of information, I decided to split these articles into three. In this first article, I'll review only the champions that will rotate in and out of Standard.

This content was entirely based on my 4-year experience playing and casting LoR professionally.

Tell us in our comment section what do you think about this rotation and Riot's latest decisions for the future of Legends of Runeterra!

We'll start this article with a controversial decision! Pyke, one of the most popular champions in the entire game, will rotate out of Standard.

Spoiler: Rek'Sai will also rotate out of Standard, which means Lurk decks will no longer be available to play in this format.

The decision to rotate Lurk champions is incredibly controversial and does worry players and fans, considering most (almost 70%) new and casual players in Standard are fans of this archetype.

Riot "IamWalrus", one of Riot's game developers that were responsible for this rotation, told us through social media that he believes Lurk players will be able to play with other strategies in Standard that will "appeal to them". We'll mention "IamWalrus" a lot throughout this article.

One of the issues rotating cards creates is "killing archetypes" that are fan favorites, and it seems Lurk was the sacrifice this year.

From a technical standpoint, Lurk has always been famous for preying on other slower decks. Many times, Rek'Sai stopped more ambitious strategies from expressing themselves, particularly in lower ranks. With them rotated, Standard can embrace strategies that weren't viable before because of this incredibly fast, explosive deck that was frequently played in the ranked queue and in the meta overall.

Rotating Fizz will put an end to strategies that focus specifically on abusing his "spell-counter" mechanic, and also stop them from being a force to be reckoned with in Standard. This strategy was incredibly popular at the last LoR World Championship.

In this same sense, rotating Nami might bring an end to the prime era of lists that focus on cheap spells in Bilgewater.

Nami, after her rework, went through some challenging times, and has never been competitively relevant after this. Clearly, this champion wasn't really in sync with the region identity Riot wanted to develop for Bilgewater in the last few months.

We could see this clearly after Nilah came along, considering Nilah only works when paired with her own support cards, and these support cards don't really match Nami.

And, lastly, as Gangplank will rotate into Standard, we can assume Bilgewater will once again be a region that focuses only on Aggro strategies, and, at least for the beginning of the next set, it might be the region you'll use to support Plunder archetypes. Gangplank works really well in this type of deck, and can be a great addition to them, considering Samira will remain in Standard this year.

Demacia is rumored to be the great star of early 2024: Sylas is one of the champions that players are most excited for and have most eagerly awaited for.

What we can say about Demacia is that its job in the meta was to support Midrange decks with its spells, nothing else. Lists that used Demacia as its main region were Galio/Formidable decks, which were extremely relevant in the past few months. After they were nerfed, however, they stopped seeing play as they once did.

Lucian might be LoR's most unfairly treated champion, and has spent many years, since beta, not receiving the least amount of care and love. Unfortunately, this situation won't be changing, as he'll be rotating out of Standard.

The last time Lucian saw any competitive play was in the Siren Song meta in Illaoi lists, almost a year ago. This might tell us that, for 2024, Riot doesn't intend to support Demacia as an aggressive region that uses lots of cheap units, and lets them die for their cause.

We'll see soon as we'll discuss the champions from other regions that it seems like Riot's main idea was to gather all the strategies that protect units on your board in Standard. This doesn't really match Lucian's game style, considering he wants you to kill your allied units to level up.

Quinn and Jarvan IV were support champions for certain archetypes all throughout 2023. Quinn would do that in Scout and Vayne Aatrox lists, and Jarvan IV would do that in basically every other Demacia deck, including lists with Warden of the Tribes (which might be an extremely relevant archetype at the beginning of the next season).

It pains me to see Jarvan IV going away, but I agree that he might be a bit too consistent, and this can get in the way of Riot's plans for Demacia (you don't want every deck to play Jarvan from now on, right?).

Fiora made her triumphant return to Standard - whether you love her or hate her, you can count on her to shake the meta.

I need to stress that Fiora wasn't that relevant when she was only available in Eternal, but, as you can expect Standard's "power level" to drop quite significantly after this rotation, she might, yes, be a great threat to the Standard ranked queue. It all depends on how many support cards Riot plans to release for her in 2024.

The most complete, powerful region in the entire game has just lost one of its most promising cards: Udyr.

It is a bit sad to see him leaving Standard, considering he got some great support cards, like Bladebound Berserker, just last set.

In any case, Freljord's card pool will still be incredibly powerful, and losing only Tryndamere and Sejuani is "ok" if we consider these champions were the champions in this region that least impacted the meta.

Tryndamere only plays in "ramp" lists, and Sejuani only completes Overwhelm decks, besides not getting much direct support last year. Also, let's all just admit that Gnar and Darius were always better than her in Overwhelm decks.

Gwen might somewhat miss Sejuani, but, still, there are way better champions to play in this archetype, such as Gnar himself, who we've already mentioned.

One of the greatest stars of this rotation is Braum, who will certainly return to Standard as one of the most popular champions in LoR. He also complements The Poro King and other incredibly strong Midrange strategies really well.

(m)(Spoiler: Vladimir is also coming! And he's Braum's best friend.)

Freljord will most likely still be one of the strongest regions in the game. It will certainly still be relevant in 2024, considering it didn't lose its most important cards, and it also got back an extremely valuable champion for this year.

The decision to rotate Ahri wasn't a surprise to anyone because she had been one of, if not the weakest and least popular champion last year. Clearly fixing Ahri wasn't in Riot's list of priorities in the last expansion, Fate's Voyage, and it makes a lot of sense to give her a break in Eternal and see if that opens up some space for other Ionia champions (I'm even surprised she remained in Standard all throughout 2023).

On the other side, Karma is one of the controversial cards that will be rotated to Eternal this year. Unfortunately, she is a very polarized card, and as certain as many players will celebrate her departure, many others will be extremely upset.

One thing is certain: Karma was dominant in almost all control metas since Ionia was rewritten as a control region last year. Karma Sett is one of the decks competitive players love the most, and now it will only be available in Eternal.

Riot IamWalrus briefly commented on why they rotated spell-centric champions (like Karma). He made it clear that we'll get another expansion soon and this may make up for the absence of these champions, not to mention there are other champions rotating back into Standard as well.

Zed was really well-positioned in the metagame, both in Eternal and Standard. But anyone could see that this happened because of both luck and opportunity; Gwen Zed was interesting in Standard, just like Zed Hecarim was quite strong in Eternal.

If you really look at it, Zed didn't get any support cards in the last set, but, even then, he crawled into the meta like a viable option just because of his matchups. Unfortunately, he isn't in Riot's 2024 plans, despite how good he is right now.

Every casual player's favorite samurai has returned in style.

Yasuo tends to shine in slower metas with reduced "power levels". This means Ionia may once again go through an identity change, and, once again focus on Midrange lists or aggressive decks with a game style that is more ambitious.

As for Lulu's return, this decision makes it clear that Riot wants the metagame to focus on protection strategies, and decks that focus on combat, which would reinforce Ionia's Midrange identity. Certainly, the meta in 2024 will focus on Midrange lists; and Lulu has always been a great option for those who want an aggressive deck that can fight against these types of strategies head-on.

Noxus is one of the worst regions going into rotation this year. It was nerfed considerably all throughout last year, particularly after Glory in Navori, and its main 2023 champion, Samira was almost retired out of the meta completely.

Riven was the Noxus' main star in the last competitive meta: she was one of the World Championship winning champions, and was played at a higher level. However, she really would only pop up in tournament lineups, and only in the hands of extremely specific and talented players. Other than at those times, she wasn't very popular, and as Riot seems to be removing some spell-centric champions, it makes sense to rotate her.

As for LeBlanc, just like Zed, she leaves Standard despite how well-positioned she is: you can find her in Ashe decks, again, or in Yeti strategies that can answer the meta well.

Unfortunately, this type of list has the same effect on the ranked queue as Lurk decks. They punish slower strategies, and as Standard's "power level" will go down, it makes sense to remove her from this format.

This is one of the few decisions I disagree with. Darius is essential for Noxus, considering he is the litmus test for Overwhelm metas. He is one of the main pieces in Overwhelm decks with Noxus and Freljord, and also a solid card that will be sorely missed in Standard.

Vladimir's return was quite obvious because he went through a rework while already in Eternal. It is almost as if Riot were telling us, since mid-2023, that he would be coming to Standard in 2024, and he finally did.

Vladimir Braum lists were already incredibly popular in the last Eternal meta, and now they'll be available in Standard. They might even be one of the best deck options for those who want to climb ranks fast as soon as the new expansion comes along. We all know that this type of list is relatively easy to pilot, and, with less cards available, the chances of this archetype actually working out are significant.

Seraphine is one of the most controversial cards in the game, just like Karma. However, everyone expected her to be rotated because of her RNG nature. Unfortunately, having less cards in Standard might make her extremely abusive, as Seraphine tends to always create the same spells (which can be awful for 2024's early meta). So, as much as this hurts control players, it makes a lot of sense to rotate Seraphine.

Heimerdinger always shows up in the meta to reinforce one of the greatest ground rules in LoR: "removing enemy units while you place your own allied units on the board is one of the strongest strategies in LoR".

It seems to me that the decision to remove Heimerdinger is so Riot doesn't have to worry about future interactions that might make him toxic - particularly the new cards.

The queen of Eternal has returned to Standard. Vi was always considered one of the most versatile cards in the entire game. In 2023, the goal was to "close in" on the archetypes by bringing cards that have synergy only with each other, but now it seems that, in 2024, the goal is to "open up" archetypes by bringing broader ideas and cards that are more generic. Vi is perfect for this design philosophy, and this all matches Piltover & Zaun really well.

By far, Shadow Isles was the region which least benefitted from 2023's rotation. Actually, this region had several identity crises throughout the year, and though Riot's goal was to turn this region into a control region, Nocturne and Kalista were still in Standard.

As much as the decision to rotate Nocturne and Kalista now is incredibly accurate for Shadow Isles' current region identity, I must point out that it took Riot a year to realize these cards don't match any Standard Shadow Isles archetype and rotate them out.

Veigar Senna was one of the "coolest" Shadow Isles decks, but, truly, it got left behind, and it is a bit decadent and outdated nowadays.

This archetype got so outdated that both of its champions experimented a bit with Nasus all throughout 2023, but they hardly ever played together. As most of their cards are from Bandle City, it makes sense to rotate them out to open up space for new Shadow Isles strategies.

Thresh had to be rotated into Standard in 2023; he was sorely missed by Shadow Isles' control decks, which are now, once again, finally able to play with its best control champion of all time.

Thresh is coming back into Standard and will probably play with Mordekaiser, which interacts directly with his Midrange game style. Both, together, may be one of the most promising pairings for the next meta, so keep an eye on them.

Hecarim is a mysterious pick for Standard: He demands a more "closed off" game style with a few very specific cards that support him. However, as it seems, these cards will return to Standard, so a new era of Ephemeral decks might dominate this format again with Hecarim.

One of the first few details we were told about LoR's 2024 rotation was that Akshan would be restricted to Eternal, so we already knew about this decision. But, just to explain one of the reasons why, this is once again because Riot doesn't want that many spell-centric champions in Standard's meta.

Rek'Sai will also be rotated out of Standard, as we mentioned; The reason is that Lurk lists are too predatory for the slower, more ambitious strategies Riot wants to support in 2024.

Renekton, unfortunately, was one of the least popular champions in the game last year, and, out of all the Ascended champions, he was the one that most struggled to find his place in the meta.

In one of his posts on social media, Riot IamWalrus commented that Renekton is either too weak, or too strong against specific matchups. This type of card is also not what they're looking to support in 2024.

It is not at all surprising that Sivir will return to Standard, considering we'll have more Midrange strategies in Legends of Runeterra in 2024.

Be careful with Shurima: it may be one of the best regions for this game style. Shurima is one of the few regions that can reduce the power of enemy units and give them Vulnerable, which really helps you trade your units favorably. Sivir is extremely cheap and versatile, so she might be a big threat at the beginning of the next expansion.

Targon had the biggest flow of champions rotating in and out. This may change its region identity quite drastically.

It is visible that one of the main themes of Targon decks last year - protecting specific units - won't be such a viable strategy in the next expansion, considering Yuumi and Pantheon are going to Eternal.

It makes sense for Diana to go to Eternal because she is a bit lost in Standard currently, and has many times filled in as a "worse" Samira. Nightfall decks will also disappear from Standard because Nocturne rotating out, which is another reason to rotate Diana as well.

As for Kayle, she is one of the most frustrating champions when the matter is adapting her game style into a proper deck. Even though she did show up in many metas and was relatively relevant, we hardly ever played her in the way she was meant to be played. She has always been a complement for aggressive decks because she grants attack power to your board. It is very rare to finish the game by attacking with your level 2 Kayle and her Double Strike, so rotating her gives her the opportunity to be something more than just a random piece in Standard decks, and opens up space for other cards to shine in her place.

Control players have long asked for Aphelios to be included in the next rotation, and he'll certainly love the next meta, which appears to be slower. As the years went on, Aphelios gradually became a support card for aggressive Piltover & Zaun combo decks that focused on Burn and Elusive units.

Now, with less cards in the pool, he can shine once again as one of his decks' main win conditions, even more so because his landmark, The Veiled Temple, will also return to Standard.

Taric is one of the most dangerous cards that will return to Standard. He is responsible for a few of the most absurd and toxic interactions with Golden Aegis, which will also return to Standard. Unfortunately, I'm not thrilled about Taric returning to this format because he is an outstanding champion when the matter is Midrange decks, and can dominate the meta in a way that is just a bit too toxic.

Unlike 2023, in 2024 Runeterra champions will rotate to Eternal.

Regarding the decision to rotate Bard, Riot IamWalrus commented that he would initially remain in Standard, but, apparently, some interactions between this champion and some new cards were the reason why they decided to rotate him to Eternal.

Honestly, Ryze was supposed to rotate to Eternal when the first rotation, in 2023, came along. Unfortunately, he didn't do anything in Standard last year because most of his cards were in Eternal.

It is incredibly difficult to see the Darkin trio being rotated out. They were so iconic and impactful in the last few years that it is almost unbelievable to see them go.

Don't worry, all Darkin weapons are still in Standard, which is a good sign, considering they were the great cards that made their decks what they were.

However, Cultists weren't that lucky, and almost all of them will rotate to Eternal, including the most impactful card in Standard, Forsaken Baccai.

We have to agree that Darkins weren't doing all that great; Kayn saw no play, Varus decks were almost all hunted down after Samira was nerfed, and Aatrox was only used because of his origin, which let you use all Darkin weapons and Xolaani in your deck. All of this is already reason enough to rotate them out, and it makes a lot of sense for them to leave Standard for now.

Lastly, I think it is important to discuss this post from Riot IamWalrus, in which he comments on "spellinger" decks.

He clarifies that Riot doesn't want to kill this game style, but rather give it a new face and bring us other ways to play this type of strategy in Standard. He then mentions Tellstones, and states that they've also rotated to Eternal, which is something I'll discuss in my next article discussing the actual card rotation. In the next article, I'll discuss the most important cards that will rotate to Eternal and be sorely missed in Standard.

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

Don't forget to share.

See you next time!