Top 5 Lineups for the Heart of the Huntress Eternal Runeterra Open!

The Heart of the Huntress Runeterra Open is coming, and, as usual, I bring a lineup guide for all of those who didn't have time to study the meta and really want to play the Open. This article will help you organize yourself for this Open, which looks like one of the most varied tournaments of all time.

The Eternal meta is full of surprises, and many people will certainly get lost when it's time to build lineups. Don't be one of those people.

Keep in mind that everything contained in this article is based on my experience competing and narrating LoR tournaments for 3 years. Don't feel obligated to follow my tips literally, after all, in Runeterra, what's really strong is building your lists your way.

The Eternal format is pretty crazy, but it is still possible to draw a line regarding what's strong or not, and what's competitive or not as well.

The most popular list currently for competitive standards is Jax Vi Timelines, and also Samira Celestials. That means these decks are the most present in the lineups brought by players who fight in grassroot tournaments every day. In the ranked queue, these decks might not be the best, but don't forget: the ranked queue meta is very different from the competitive meta.

Now that we know the most popular lists, we can identify right away some peculiarities about this September's Eternal Open, which are:

- Slow Burn is an archetype which is extremely strong, and can appear in many lists with different goals, such as Timelines, or even Aphelios Viktor.

- Samira is still a very strong champion, and the greatest question is which Samira deck you must bring to the Open, in case you're interested in this champion.

- Shadow Isles control is relatively weak, but can still bring surprises as it is good against some lists in the meta. It's up to the player to gauge whether it's worth it or not to bring a list with this region.

- The greatest theme of this Open is "Choices". That means, for most lists we'll see, the choices you make really alter the way your gameplay will go. For instance: the choice of followers you pick in your Timelines deck, which list you chose to put Samira in, which deck you chose to counter, and which Celestial you must add to your hand.

Let's see the lineups.

Timelines - This deck is incredibly strong, besides adaptable. Timelines' strength is in its power of fixing some bad matchups, transforming your followers into useful units which work in your favor.

In case you're in need of an Elusive blocker, you can get one out of Timelines; if you need a unit with Challenger, you can also get one from Timelines. Additionally, your deck is prepared to end games quickly and efficiently with direct damage spells.

This list is very versatile, and, in the hands of those who know what they're doing, will cause a lot of headache for many players. Which is why I recommend, in most cases, that you ban this deck.

Celestials - Keep in mind that there is a version of this list with Samira, but as in this lineup we're playing Samira Akshan, I brought the version of this archetype with Viktor and Sump Monument.

This deck is equipped with many tools that exclaim consistency in tournaments. We're talking about healing, direct damage, card creation, removals - all in one place. This deck does it all, and doing it all in Eternal meta is what we want. This list, just like all others in this lineup, can adapt really well to matchups as well. Creating Celestials can stop some strategies in some meta lists very easily.

A Crescent Strike, for instance, can easily end the dreams of any list which has as main strategy attacking with multiple units.

Samira Akshan - This deck exploded in popularity in the ranked queue, buts its win rate isn't that expressive, with a fair 53%. Despite being a deck which, I think, is quite hard to pilot, this win rate is great for decks which are hard, and that makes me believe that it really is an outlier list in the hands of experienced players.

It is likely that this deck will show up a lot in the Open in lineups of more experienced players, so be prepared to play against this list.

The problem is that it is a bit hard to build a lineup which can win against this list and still have a decent lineup against other strategies in the meta. You'd have to go triple Demacia, which loses to Timelines. Or triple Aggro, which loses to any Targon list, in general.

My premium tip for this Open is: choose one of the three lists above to counter, and pick decks which win against the other two, or bring this lineup. Obviously, you should build your decks to your taste, but always consider these three lists. With that in mind, let's see the rest of the lineups.

I built this lineup focusing on banning Targon decks, and locking down Samira Akshan lists, or Shurima combo lists. "Locking down" here refers to bringing 3 decks which win against a list, so, in case you face that specific list, you'll already drastically increase your chances of victory.

Annie Jhin - This is still an absurdly strong list in LoR, and is popular among Aggro players. In the Eternal format, this deck is even stronger, and can be even faster and more lethal than in Standard.

This deck was once considered a hard list, but today, due to the rising popularity of the deck, and how easy it is to consume content about this list, I daresay it can be considered easy already. And that really influences its popularity for the Open.

Another very important factor is that this deck is Midrange-proof, so, in case your opponent comes in with ideas of bringing lists which are a bit slower, or Demacia decks, they won't be able to play well against your stuns.

Draven Jinx - This list also goes into the category of lists which "are better in Eternal". This deck is also one of the favorites of aggressive players in the meta, and it is a list which really surprises unassuming players who aren't prepared for Burn.

Draven really makes a difference for this discard archetype, and this list in the Eternal format is much more well-rounded than in the Standard format because of that.

Despite being a deck which is a bit harder to play, it is still a solid alternative which tries to hit Samira and other decks which lose to wide boards and direct damage head on.

Pirates - Just like the rest of this lineup, the Pirates archetype is also much more solid and better in the Eternal format. I think this deck might still go through punctual changes, and some cards can be altered here and there, so, keep an eye on players who are experimenting with this list to see what they're using.

But, even then, it is still a deck which easily "steals" victories, as it is a very fast and aggressive archetype. This type of strategy works well in tournaments, as you only need to ban Targon decks, and healing lists, to have reasonable results.

I think this strategy for tournaments is very solid, and I'm sure many people think so too. Which is why many players might consider bringing Control lists. Let's see the Control lineups.

Control for September's Open tournament is a bit of a sensitive topic. Because, despite many decks performing well currently, this type of strategy is very dependent on the experience and skill of players who bring those decks. They aren't bad lists, but they are lists which certainly won't play well in the hands of unprepared players.

Samira Seraphine - This deck, despite being nerfed many times, is still a very strong and competitive list.

The greatest strength of this deck is in its build, as it is possible to fill the deck with card draw, and, despite the list still bringing singular copies of cards, it is still very consistent. With that in mind, you can remove and add cards at will, making the deck work in any way you want, knowing that each spell or unit that you add to the list will do its job in the matches.

It is still a very hard list, and it requires a certain care from the Control player when it is time to make choices and plays.

Another problem with this deck is that, early game, plays are slow enough to give your opponent many windows to develop their strategy well. If you go through the first few turns okay, eventually the match will turn in your favor, regardless of the matchup you're having.

Zoe Viktor - This list goes in the range of Celestial lists, and is currently the deck in that style which has the highest win rate in the ranked queue, with 60%.

I chose this version for competitive, as Sump Monument is a very strong tool to guarantee you have time enough to develop your heavy Celestials, or have very slow plays.

This deck also goes in the range of lists which can be built in several different ways. You can, if you'd like to, add more Burn resources, or even build the deck a bit slower, only focusing on Celestials.

Ryze - Despite being a deck with a really low win rate in the ranked queue, this list collects several good matchups in the competitive scene.

This list goes well against all Midrange decks which build strong attacks, and other Control decks which might show up. The real truth is that this deck requires you to make very hard decisions, and slow plays, so you can eventually "check-mate" your opponent with your landmarks. In case you do everything right, Ryze can win any matchup, but it is common to lose yourself with some decision-making, and not get the right landmark at the right time.

Ryze, historically, is a deck which performs really well in tournaments, and it is even the focus of bans most times. As a result, it is recommended that you consider this list when it's time to build your lineup, as it is possible you end up against it too.

This lineup can be quite popular as well, as one of the standards for Eternal's competitive scene has always been: your decks must be strong enough to play well against anything, as you can face anything.

And in this Eternal tournament we have many lists which are strong candidates for anti-meta decks.

Fiora Galio - This is a deck which came about in tournaments as a great answer for any Piltover&Zaun list. Your enemy will have a lot of trouble playing their deck's cheap spells if you have Mageseeker Junior on board.

This deck is also great against Ionia and all Targon decks in the meta, and can be one of the most used lists in the Open. Fiora Galio is only not stronger as it loses to Timelines, and other Burn lists in the meta, but that isn't a problem, as in tournaments you can ban these decks.

This list might be the one which will perform best on the Open weekend, so get ready to play against this deck.

Lux Jayce - This is a very solid deck, but it isn't that popular. Lux is the closest Demacia can offer as a Control tool, and, in the Eternal meta, the mix of this region with Piltover&Zaun constructs a deck which specializes in Midrange styles.

It is a bit annoying to play this deck, in the sense that it is a bit repetitive, and also because it doesn't give players a clear impression regarding if they're winning or losing. These solid plays, are literally that; solid, and nothing more. But as you're having solid and consistent plays at all times, at some point you win because you played your mid and late game better.

This game style isn't most players' cup of tea, but, if it pleases you, you can bring this deck, as it is extremely strong currently.

That is due to the good matchups against Targon and Ionia, and also because this list wins against Timelines.

Gwen Sejuani - This list is incredible. The Overwhelm Gwen Sejuani archetype is a bit old, but it has always been present, even more so in the Eternal format, in which you have access to Atrocity.

In general, this list performs well against Celestials, and other Midrange decks, such as Fiora and Galio, and any other list which doesn't interact with your board, because if you leave your units on board, at one point they'll just explode your enemy's Nexus.

You can have a few problems with Samira Akshan, but nothing that a good ban can't solve.

This deck is great to punish players who bring adventurous decks which are not part of the meta records in any database, or original creations of players who like to cook lists. It is very easy to just position your units, and at the right time buff them until it is impossible to remove them through conventional means.

Attention: this lineup is formed by lists which don't show up as often both in the ranked queue and in tournaments, but they are decks which can be surprising, each for a different reason.

Azir Irelia - This list is perfect to surprise players who aren't prepared to deal with constant board pressure, even on defensive turns.

This deck, despite hard, and a bit too dependent on its champions, can win many matchups against Celestials, and surprise players who prefer to bring triple Celestials lineups, or triple Timelines. Any deck which doesn't bring a removal to the standard of Vengeance pr Sunburst, or which doesn't have attacking units with Challenger, will be surprised by the strength of the Blades.

In grassroot tournaments, this list has been performing well, and despite being a very nerfed archetype, it still wins frequently. This list's win rate isn't as expressive in the ranked queue for two reasons: the first is that this is a very hard deck to play, and the second is that this list loses to Samira Akshan, the most popular deck in the meta.

Lulu Braum - This is the greatest wild card in the meta, and it seems to win against everything.

This deck is a package of cards which have a strong synergy with the Support mechanic, and which also match Warden of the Tribes well, which make this deck somewhat of a Neeko list, only good and without Neeko.

The list has a very easy and intuitive gameplay, and is extremely strong and consistent. It is too easy to abuse buffs your units grant Braum, which will always be a strong threat every time he is on board.

Another important factor is that this list only loses to punctual lists in the meta, such as Ryze, Samira, Seraphine and Annie Jhin. The rest you can face without further complications.

Akshan Fizz - This list seems broken. Obviously, it isn't, but, many times, this deck just places many cards on board very quickly, and soon they're check-mating their opponent.

The goal with this list is positioning a unit which has the keywords Spellshield and Elusive or Overwhelm, and give it Double Attack with Papercraft Dragon. You hit twice now, with a follower which can't be removed.

Many meta decks can't deal with this strategy, and lists which can still can be easily surprised with the consistency you have when defending your units.

A great matchup for this deck is against Samira Celestials, as the Celestials deck can't deal with Spellshield.

Triple Timelines is a strategy which won the first Eternal Open, and might also show up now in September.

Triple Celestials is a strategy which more than once won grassroot tournaments, and might also show up.

Tristana decks with Atrocity, or Tristana Bilgewater, might surprise everyone, and these decks are out of the competitive radar.

Karma Sett and other Control lists with Shadow Isles might perform well, but they are still decks which have difficulty against lists in the current meta.

Anivia always comes back in Eternal format tournaments, and it is always a champion which steals victories. It might be a strong tool to deal against the meta, despite not being that popular.

Ezreal decks are strong, but they need to be played well, as they are hard to pilot. It is possible that lists with this champion surprise everyone on Open day, despite Ezreal not being that popular in the meta.

If you've read so far, now you have access to the Top 5 best lineups for the Heart of the Huntress' Eternal Runeterra Open!

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