Legends of Runeterra ranked meta: Top 5 decks dominating ranked early in Between Worlds

Legends of Runeterra is into the first week of the new season, "Between Worlds", and the latest live balance update seems to be already having an effect.

Riot Games has introduced an all-new live balance update system in Legends of Runeterra. Players will get regular monthly updates that will buff and nerf cards based on their standings. This system has been introduced in the game by the latest game patch of 2.18.0.

Several champions and cards have changed, and the Dragons have been buffed. From Aurelion Sol to cards of staple dragon decks, the buffs have become widespread. It is no surprise that dragon decks are doing well in the early meta.

But we already have a deck to have entered masters in North America, and it isn't a dragon deck. Let's look at five decks doing well early in the ranked season in Legends of Runeterra.

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Top 5 decks dominating the early "Between Worlds" ranked ladder in Legends of Runeterra

5) Gangplank Sejuani

Gangplank and Sejuani are not nerfed and nor have the cards that their deck uses. Gangplank Sejuani is a highly aggressive midrange deck that tries to do as much damage as possible from turn 1. The deck also has a unique RNG element due to the keyword 'nab'.

The deck focuses on doing as much damage to the opponent's nexus as possible. This helps to level up Gangplank and Sejuani faster, which allows the player to win the match. The deck was a top 5 last season, and players can expect the deck to do well in the current season of Legends of Runeterra.

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4) Braum Vladimir

Braum received a proper patch in the latest patch of Legends of Runeterra. Earlier, the card could only absorb damage, but it is now tankier and deals damage with the buff.

The deck works on the chemistry between Vladimir and Scragrounds. Once the two are set up, Vladimir uses its neighboring unit's health to damage the nexus while the landmark protects and buffs the unit making it more damaging.

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3) Ziggs Poppy

The Bandle City units have received the expected nerfs, but both champions have stayed as they were at release. The Bandle Burn deck remains very viable, at least in the early days. It provides an excellent option for players who want to main an aggro deck in the current season.

The deck revolves around Poppy and her ability. The main objective is to flood the board with cheap units and then use Poppy to give those units permanent buffs. Ziggs and Poppy have made a strong start in Between Worlds ranked season of Legends of Runeterra.

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2) Shyvana Auerelion Sol Jarvan

The Targon region, along with dragons, got a lot of buffs in patch 2.18.0. of Legends of Runeterra. This deck focuses on bringing forward the best of both. It is a pure dragon deck that focuses on Shyvana and the fury keyword. This is a long-tempo midrange deck, so players who prefer patient plays will like this deck more in the ranked season.

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1) Lurk deck

We spoke earlier about a deck already entering the master tier in NA, which is interestingly a lurk deck. The Lurk deck seems to have made a strong comeback in the current seasonal meta. The deck is built around Rek'sai and Pyke.

The deck is straightforward at what it does and perhaps is a big reason why it has done so well. However, players need to be cautious against aggressive burn decks that can counter it. The Lurk deck has done well so far against dragon decks and decks that counter dragons in Legends of Runeterra.