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Welcome to our Riftbound Meta Tier List ! Here, you'll find everything about the past two weeks of the competitive Vendetta metagame.
Slowly, the metagame is headed back to where it was before the bans, although the perspective of a single dominant legend remains unlikely. Indeed, although the first three spots are unchanged, with Irelia still the best overall legends while Master Yi shines in 64 players tournaments and Rengar performs in larger events, no legend seems to be ahead of the pack.
This week, Kennen is the legend on the rise, sporting the best win rate in Riftbound at 57% alongside winning the largest event of the weekend in Murcia. The loss of OGN-183 definately hurt the legend's early game, as OGN194 isn't in the mix anymore. However, although it is a problem against fast-paced legends such as Rengar, the metagame doesn't seem to revolve around those strategies too much. Master Yi and Rengar are both popular, sitting in #5 and #6 respectively. Yet, Leblanc and Jayce are #2 and #4, meaning Kennen finds more favourable than tough match-ups on its way at the moment.
With Radiance available soon and no more regional tournaments, it is unlikely the metagame will change much until the end of Vendetta. At best, the popularity of some legends will go up or down, impacting which legend is best based on the rest of the field. At the moment, LeBlanc is probably the worst among the top seven picks, due to Kennen rising while Irelia remains a safe pick for many players. If the Deceiver was to lose momentum, the likes of Master Yi, Azir or Akali, legends designed to win the game through showdowns, would likely benefit from that the situation.
There aren't many tournaments left to turn the carousel, so there is no point anticipating multiple layers of strategic counter planning. Most players will simply play the legend they are comfortable with rather than learn a new strategy to counter the metagame with less than a couple of weeks left in Vendetta. The seven best legends in Riftbound have been identified, while about the same amount look like solid competitors with the right pilot and metagame.
From now on, I'll focus on the coverage of Radiance with articles about the new releases and pre-rifts events. I hope everyone is having fun. Thanks for checking out these reports and see you in the next one, to discuss the best early performers of Radiance !
Riftbound Vendetta Meta Tier List
Tournaments used to create this Meta Tier List range from September 26th to October 8th
64 to 256 players tournaments
- S4 Guangzhou City Challenge
- Beijing Masters Tournament
- S4 Nanjing City Challenge
- S4 Wuhan City Challenge
- S4 Beijing City Challenge
- S4 Shanghai City Challenge
- S4 Hangzhou City Challenge
- S4 Chengdu City Challenge
- S4 Harbin City Challenge
- S4 Guangzhou City Challenge
- S4 Shanghai City Challenge
- S4 Tianjin City Challenge
- S4 Fuzhou City Challenge
- S4 Guangzhou City Challenge
- S4 Taiyuan City Challenge
- 16k€ Grand Summoner Skirmish @Games Island
- Riftbound $10,000 Cash Tournament @ Pro-Play Summit: Orlando
- S4 Nanjing City Challenge
- S4 Shenzhen City Challenge
- S4 Beijing City Challenge
- S4 Shenyang City Challenge
- S4 Chongqing City Challenge
- CCS Sunday $5,000 Riftbound Event #5
More than 256 players tournament
- Showdown Series: Murcia
- Riftbound Showdown Series @ Malmö Game Week
- Showdown Series Bristol by Organized Play Events
Regional Tournament
- Riftbound Regional Qualifier - Los Angeles
Legends without at least one Top 8 in one of the above event and absent from Los Angeles regional tournament will not appear in this report.
| Tier | Legend Performances in 64+ third-party Tournaments Best Performance in Regional or Large Tournaments |
|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Irelia 6 Wins / 18 top cuts Top 2 at Los Angeles RQ Top 4 at Showdown Series: Murcia Wins Riftbound Showdown Series: Malmö Top 16 at Showdown Series Bristol |
| Tier 1 | Master Yi 3 Wins / 26 top cuts Top 8 at Los Angeles RQ Top 16 at Showdown Series: Murcia Wins Showdown Series Bristol |
| Tier 1 | Rengar 2 Wins / 5 top cuts Wins Los Angeles RQ Top 2 at Showdown Series: Murcia Top 4 at Riftbound Showdown Series: Malmö Top 8 at Showdown Series Bristol |
| Tier 1 | Kennen 16 top cuts Top 16 at Los Angeles RQ Wins Showdown Series: Murcia Top 8 at Riftbound Showdown Series: Malmö Top 8 at Showdown Series Bristol |
| Tier 2 | LeBlanc 1 Wins / 15 top cuts Top 16 at Los Angeles RQ Top 8 at Showdown Series: Murcia Top 16 at Riftbound Showdown Series: Malmö Top 16 at Showdown Series Bristol |
| Tier 2 | Akali 3 Wins / 8 top cuts Top 8 at Los Angeles RQ Top 16 at Showdown Series: Murcia Top 16 at Riftbound Showdown Series: Malmö Top 16 at Showdown Series Bristol |
| Tier 2 | Azir 1 Wins / 6 top cuts Top 4 at Los Angeles RQ Top 32 at Showdown Series: Murcia Top 32 at Riftbound Showdown Series: Malmö Top 2 at Showdown Series Bristol |
| Tier 3 | Vex 11 top cuts Top 32 at Los Angeles RQ Top 32 at Showdown Series: Murcia Top 32 at Riftbound Showdown Series: Malmö Top 16 at Showdown Series Bristol |
| Tier 3 | Fiora 3 Wins / 2 top cuts Top 32 at Los Angeles RQ Top 4 at Showdown Series: Murcia Top 32 at Riftbound Showdown Series: Malmö |
| Tier 3 | Kha'Zix 4 top cuts Top 32 at Los Angeles RQ Top 16 at Showdown Series: Murcia Top 16 at Riftbound Showdown Series: Malmö Top 8 at Showdown Series Bristol |
| Tier 3 | Rek'Sai 5 top cuts Top 64 at Los Angeles RQ Top 16 at Showdown Series: Murcia Top 32 at Riftbound Showdown Series: Malmö Top 4 at Showdown Series Bristol |
| Tier 3 | Jayce 5 top cuts Top 64 at Los Angeles RQ Top 8 at Riftbound Showdown Series: Malmö Top 8 at Showdown Series Bristol |
| Tier 3 | Kai'Sa 5 top cuts Top 16 at Los Angeles RQ |
| Tier 3 | Ornn 2 top cuts Top 8 at Los Angeles RQ Top 32 at Showdown Series: Murcia Top 32 at Showdown Series Bristol |
| Tier 3 | Diana 2 top cuts Top 32 at Los Angeles RQ Top 4 at Riftbound Showdown Series: Malmö |
| Tier 3 | Ezreal 2 top cuts Top 64 at Los Angeles RQ Top 16 at Showdown Series: Murcia Top 16 at Showdown Series Bristol |
| Tier 4 | Lucian 2 top cuts Top 32 at Los Angeles RQ Top 32 at Showdown Series: Murcia |
| Tier 4 | Lillia 4 top cuts Top 64 at Los Angeles RQ Top 32 at Showdown Series Bristol |
| Tier 4 | Draven 2 top cuts Top 256 at Los Angeles RQ Top 32 at Showdown Series: Murcia Top 32 at Showdown Series Bristol |
| Tier 4 | Viktor 2 Wins / 5 top cuts Top 256 Los Angeles RQ |
| Tier 4 | Nasus 2 top cuts Top 256 at Los Angeles RQ Top 32 at Showdown Series Bristol |
| Tier 5 | Pyke 2 top cuts Top 128 at Los Angeles RQ |
| Tier 5 | Jhin 1 top cut Top 128 at Los Angeles RQ |
| Tier 5 | Ivern 1 Win Top 256 at Los Angeles RQ |
| Tier 5 | Poppy Top 512 at Los Angeles RQ Top 8 at Riftbound Showdown Series: Malmö |
| Tier 5 | Sivir Top 256 at Los Angeles RQ |
| Tier 5 | Master Yi, Wuju Master 1 top cut Top 256 at Los Angeles RQ |
| Tier 5 | Renekton 1 top cuts Top 512 at Los Angeles RQ |
| Tier 5 | Leona 1 top cut Was at Los Angeles RQ |
| Tier 5 | Teemo 1 top cut Was at Los Angeles RQ |
| Tier 5 | Zed Top 512 at Los Angeles RQ |
| Tier 5 | Vi Top 512 at Los Angeles RQ |
| Tier 5 | Rumble Top 512 at Los Angeles RQ |
| Tier 5 | Mel Top 512 at Los Angeles RQ |
| Tier 5 | Sett 1 top cut Was at Los Angeles RQ |
| Tier 5 | Darius 1 top cut |
| Tier 5 | Shen Was at Los Angeles RQ |
| Tier 5 | Renata Glasc Was at Los Angeles RQ |
| Tier 5 | Annie Was at Los Angeles RQ |
| Tier 5 | Lux Was at Los Angeles RQ |
| Tier 5 | Volibear Was at Los Angeles RQ |
| Tier 5 | Lee Sin Was at Los Angeles RQ |
| Tier 5 | Garen Was at Los Angeles RQ |
- Tier 1: Expected top cut performer and potential winner in high-stakes tournaments.
- Tier 2: Routine Top 16 or 32 performer in Regional Qualifier tournaments, typically a win or two short of top 8.
- Tier 3: Competes for Top 64 spots with an experienced pilot, combining both a good understanding of this legend and the tournament metagame.
- Tier 4: Competitive sparks here and there, capable to reach the top 64 when the draws align or in the right environment.
- Tier 5: Best-of cards are worth good money.
To decide which tier each legend belongs to over the last two weeks of the Vendetta set, I assigned each performance a certain amount of points. I know it isn't a perfect system, especially for those valuing solid yet not stellar results in regional qualifier tournaments.
When two legends are close to each other, I will edge towards the one with better results in regional qualifier events, or the one with the best recent results.
Performance in a Regional Qualifier Tournament:
- Regional Win: 10 Points
- Regional Top 2: 8 points
- Regional Top 4: 6 points
- Regional Top 8: 4 Points
- Regional Top 16: 3 Points
- Regional Top 32: 2 Points
- Regional Top 64: 1 Point
Performance in a third-party large event:
- Win: 5 Points
- Top 8: 3 Points
- Top 16: 2 points
- Top 32: 1 Point
Performance in 64+ players tournaments:
- Win: 2 Points
- Top 8: 1 Point
Tier 1
Irelia
6 Wins / 18 top cuts
Top 2 at Los Angeles RQ
Top 4 at Showdown Series: Murcia
Wins Riftbound Showdown Series: Malmö
Top 16 at Showdown Series Bristol
Except for a top 16 in Bristol, Irelia made it to the semifinals of most tournaments since the bans. Based on her match-up spread, it makes sense to see the Blade Dancer do so well in an environment featuring less of both Kennen and Master Yi. However, these two have been picking up momentum lately, so Irelia might have a tougher time going forward.
Master Yi, Wuju Master
3 Wins / 26 top cuts
Top 8 at Los Angeles RQ
Top 16 at Showdown Series: Murcia
Wins Showdown Series Bristol
Many players anticipated a loss of momentum for Master Yi, due to Kennen being less popular following the bans. Plus, LeBlanc and Jayce are difficult match-ups, and both were on the rise shortly after the balance update. That downfall happened in Los Angeles, where Master Yi recorded its lowest count of players in a regional tournament.
The Wuju Bladesman still managed to reach the top 8 there, showing it remained a serious competitor. The popularity has been on the rise since, especially in China, where Master Yi is the legend with the most top cuts recorded.
Rengar
2 Wins / 5 top cuts
Wins Los Angeles RQ
Top 2 at Showdown Series: Murcia
Top 4 at Riftbound Showdown Series: Malmö
Top 8 at Showdown Series Bristol
Rengar doesn't shine like most other top competitors in Riftbound when it comes to low stakes tournaments. Irelia, Master Yi, Kennen and LeBlanc all eclipsed the 10 top cuts mark in those tournaments while Rengar sits at 5.
However, Rengar has nothing to envy those legends in larger events, as he leads the pack in that category. Indeed, The Pridestalker is the only legend to make it to the Top 8 of all four 256+ tournaments, including the win in the biggest of them all.
Kennen
16 top cuts
Top 16 at Los Angeles RQ
Wins Showdown Series: Murcia
Top 8 at Riftbound Showdown Series: Malmö
Top 8 at Showdown Series Bristol
As the primary target of the bans, Kennen naturally lost a good amount of momentum shortly after OGN-183 was forbidden. Yet, even if he failed to earn a top 8 spot, the Heart of the Tempest shocked the community with a stellar conversion rate in Los Angeles, explained by its strong match-up into LeBlanc or Jayce.
Kennen has done nothing but improve since the regional event, recording a ton of top cuts in third-party events while sporting the best global win rate over the past two weeks with 57%. It took some time to win a tournament, but that win came in Murcia, anchoring the return of Kennen as a serious competitive threat.
Tier 2
LeBlanc
1 Wins / 15 top cuts
Top 16 at Los Angeles RQ
Top 8 at Showdown Series: Murcia
Top 16 at Riftbound Showdown Series: Malmö
Top 16 at Showdown Series Bristol
LeBlanc is undeniably the legend who benefited the most from the bans, as the Chaos domain's ability to send unit back in hand is a nightmare for her core synergy. LeBlanc worst match-ups are Kennen, Irelia, Ezreal and Vex so you bet the Deceiver was glad to see a Chaos card banned.
Unfortunately, Chaos legends are making a comeback lately, especially Kennen although Vex is also doing quite well. As a result, even if one can expect LeBlanc to perform well at most events, it is also likely the Deceiver won't be in the top 8 when it is time to battle for the tournament win.
Akali
3 Wins / 8 top cuts
Top 8 at Los Angeles RQ
Top 16 at Showdown Series: Murcia
Top 16 at Riftbound Showdown Series: Malmö
Top 16 at Showdown Series Bristol
The winning list from Singapore prior to the bans remains the norm for Akali in both regions. Her wins in city challenge tournaments also come from that same list. In that context, the main difference for the Rogue Assassin is the fact she isn't winning large events anymore. Her top 8 in Los Angeles showed she could still compete, but the other tournaments with more than 256 players also show limitations with three top 16 finishes.
LeBlanc and Jayce are both unfavourable match-ups for Akali, which can explain her struggles in the post-ban metagame. These two are losing momentum with Kennen making a comeback. This should help Akali a bit, although that's still a difficult match-up to go against.
Azir
1 Wins / 6 top cuts
Top 4 at Los Angeles RQ
Top 32 at Showdown Series: Murcia
Top 32 at Riftbound Showdown Series: Malmö
Top 2 at Showdown Series Bristol
The pair of top 4 in Los Angeles immediately made Azir a serious contender in the post-ban metagame. Unfortunately, the Emperor of the Sands failed to keep up with that level of performance. The matchup table shows Azir not doing well into most of the top ranked legends, with Master Yi and Akali being good while Irelia, Kennen, LeBlanc or Rengar being difficult match-ups.
Overall, it feels like the key with Azir is to be a fantastic pilot, as both Squirtle and Rocklho are beating the odds every time they enter a regional tournament.
Tier 3
Vex
11 top cuts
Top 32 at Los Angeles RQ
Top 32 at Showdown Series: Murcia
Top 32 at Riftbound Showdown Series: Malmö
Top 16 at Showdown Series Bristol
Vex is a very consistent legend in the post-ban metagame, with the fifth most top cuts recorded overall, and at least a top 32 finish in all the large events. However, Vex is also consistently outside the picture of possible tournament winners. Once the field narrows down to the best legends in the game, Vex is unfortunately left with a lot of tough match-ups as Azir, Kennen, Master Yi or Irelia are all 45% opponents at best.
Fiora
3 Wins / 2 top cuts
Top 32 at Los Angeles RQ
Top 4 at Showdown Series: Murcia
Top 32 at Riftbound Showdown Series: Malmö
Fiora has her sparks from time to time, especially in the Chinese metagame. Her favourable match-up into Irelia and Akali keep her a contender in the right metagame, but the Duelist has too many difficult opponents to be a reliable competitor.
The focus with Fiora should be to edge game 1 as much as possible, her side deck options feeling limited compared to most. In Murcia, the idea to play Aurora in game 1 and then be able to take the card out did well, after it reached the top 8 in Singapore prior to the bans.
Kha'Zix
4 top cuts
Top 32 at Los Angeles RQ
Top 16 at Showdown Series: Murcia
Top 16 at Riftbound Showdown Series: Malmö
Top 8 at Showdown Series Bristol
Kha'Zix has been a reliable legend in large events, but fails to be more than a good legend in the grand scheme of things. Overall, the Voidreaver is a menace when it manages to snowball the early game, but can feel helpless if the opponent manages to seize the board first and win the early showdowns.
Rek'Sai
5 top cuts
Top 64 at Los Angeles RQ
Top 16 at Showdown Series: Murcia
Top 32 at Riftbound Showdown Series: Malmö
Top 4 at Showdown Series Bristol
Rek'sai can feel as strong as Rengar when everything goes according to plan and the opponent fails to remove our tokens while we remove their board for cheap. However, while Rengar packs the reactive tools from the Body domain to interact during its opponent's turn, Rek'sai mostly plays during her turns, making her more predictable and as a result, easier to play against.
Jayce
5 top cuts
Top 64 at Los Angeles RQ
Top 8 at Riftbound Showdown Series: Malmö
Top 8 at Showdown Series Bristol
Jayce was expected to pick up some momentum with the bans, but failed to make much of an impact. Early on, the Defender of Tomorrow racked up a few top cuts and looked like another synergistic legend to keep in mind alongside LeBlanc.
However, the top 64 in Los Angeles showed a limited legend, dependent on the metagame to perform. With Kennen making a comeback while neither Rengar nor Akali took over the metagame, Jayce isn't benefiting from the favourable environment many anticipated.
Kai'Sa
5 top cuts
Top 16 at Los Angeles RQ
Kai'Sa was a surprising top 16 finisher in Los Angeles, but her 5 top cuts in third-party events show the Daughter of the Void is still capable of the occasional performance. This remains a beloved legend in China, so it not surprising to see her do well in that region.
The main problem with Kai'sa is the side deck, which is only used to target specific match-ups, but doesn't allow much flexibility. As a result, tournaments played in Best-of-Three can be difficult for this legend, who really only has way of playing the game, and everyone knows exactly what it is at the moment the legend is revealed.
Ornn
2 top cuts
Top 8 at Los Angeles RQ
Top 32 at Showdown Series: Murcia
Top 32 at Showdown Series Bristol
TheManLand is showing everyone what to do with Ornn in order to find success, but it seems much easier watched on stream than done. The top cut in Los Angeles carries this legend's stock for sure, although other players managed to reach the top 32 in Murcia and Bristol. In China, Ornn isn't much of a factor, but that region favours slower strategies a lot more so it is not shocking to see an aggressive build perform worse there.
Diana
2 top cuts
Top 32 at Los Angeles RQ
Top 4 at Riftbound Showdown Series: Malmö
The top 32 in Los Angeles was on par with Diana's performance prior to the bans, indicating the Scorn of the Moon did not suffer too much from losing OGN-183. However, Diana hasn't done much else apart from a top 4 in Malmo since that point. The Chaos domain is on the rise lately, with Kennen and Vex performing well, so maybe Diana could follow that trend.
Ezreal
2 top cuts
Top 64 at Los Angeles RQ
Top 16 at Showdown Series: Murcia
Top 16 at Showdown Series Bristol
Ezreal won the Convergence #3 tournament shortly after the bans, but failed to post any impressive result since the metagame has been set. At least, the Prodigal Explorer has performed well in several large tournaments.
Overall, the metagame still isn't keen on legends willingly playing from behind and accepting a reactive role. Irelia, Kennen or Master Yi, three of the most popular legends at the moment, are among Ezreal's worst match-ups, either due to their ability to craft explosive play-patterns, or counterspells from the Calm domain.
Tier 4
Lucian
2 top cuts
Top 32 at Los Angeles RQ
Top 32 at Showdown Series: Murcia
Lucian could make a claim for a Tier 3 spot with the recent top 32 in Murcia, reminding everyone he can compete. Yet, even if the Purifier manages to routinely post a top 32, this legend fails to make any sort of impact on the metagame, and consistently lives in Rengar or Rek'sai shadow when it comes to fast-paced proactive strategy.
Lillia
4 top cuts
Top 64 at Los Angeles RQ
Top 32 at Showdown Series Bristol
Lillia is doing well in China with 4 top cuts recorded in city challenge tournaments. However, the Bashful Bloom struggles to impact large events, typically failing to reach or barely making it to the first important treshold.
Draven
2 top cuts
Top 256 at Los Angeles RQ
Top 32 at Showdown Series: Murcia
Top 32 at Showdown Series Bristol
The top 256 in Los Angeles showed a weakened Draven, unable to compete following the bans. With a pair of top cuts in China alongside two more top 32 in large events in the West, the Glorious Executioner looks like it still has some gas left. Plus, its global 54% win rate over the past two weeks compared to legends ranked much higher on our list.
However, the issue of a weak Champion unit unless he can score early on remains while the match-up table has Draven struggling against Rengar, Irelia and Kennen, three legends you can't ignore at the moment.
Viktor
2 Wins / 5 top cuts
Top 256 Los Angeles RQ
Viktor stays true to its reputation of a Best-of-One tournament legends. Two wins and five top cuts easily puts Viktor as a top 10 performer in that regard. However, its complete failure to impact large tournaments shows a limited legend, best suited for small or casual environments.
Nasus
2 top cuts
Top 256 at Los Angeles RQ
Top 32 at Showdown Series Bristol
Nasus feels like a decent legend when OGN-103 shows up on turn one, or the opponent willingly takes things slow. However, when forced to play in a rush without its only card able to showdown, Nasus falls too far behind to make a successful comeback once it finally reached its comfort zone.
