Table of Contents
Designed to keep Draven in check, but also the miracle builds which became the norm across legends from the Chaos domain, these 7 bans should impact the Riftbound metagame as a whole.
Riot already discussed at length about their reasoning behind each ban, so I won't dive into a card by card analysis. I feel like OGN-168 could have stayed in the game, and just be changed to not have the Hidden keyword anymore. Otherwise, I agree with the goal of these bans, which is to promote more interaction, and make every fundamental aspect of the game represent an investment.
Now, let's dive into the question everyone is trying to answer: Who is going to rule Riftbound next?
I don't know honestly, but I might have a few pointers to share, and maybe contribute to figuring out what Lille and Atlanta will look like.
Draven
With the ban list, the Glorious executioner loses its featured Chosen Champion, at least one staple card in all its archetypes (OGN-168), and one or two battlefield. Yet, while the psychological bias will tell us Draven is now completely unplayable compared to its former self, I feel like Midrange Draven might still be able to compete. Unfortunately, both the Miracle and Detonate build will likely lose too much, as these two lists were using all the non-battlefield cards mentioned in the ban list
Obviously, Midrange Draven being the sole option left will make that legend much weaker in a control oriented metagame. Nevertheless, the winning deck from Las Vegas still packs a decent punch on paper, while disruptive cards like OGN-192 or OGN-026 still exist to help against reactive opponents.
It wasn't an easy deck to craft, especially when it came to replacing the banned battlefields. I'm fairly confident about OGN-290 as it will synergize with our new chosen champion. However, OGN-294 is a pick for spell oriented opponents, but clearly could be another one if you have a synergy you want to support.
Otherwise, the legend should still provide plenty of draw, while we also can add SFD-149 if need be. We won't have much to discard due to OGN-182 being banned. Still, the 3-cost remains a great way to dig through our deck in match-ups we feel reliability is key, on top of helping with repeat costs.
As for replacing OGN-168, arguably the biggest loss for Draven, I'll have to settle for SFD-139 at the moment when it comes to supporting a hold, while SFD-003 will help on offense.
Other Chaos Legends
Many players worry Irelia would take over Riftbound if the ban list was targeting Draven exclusively. With OGN-168 plus two battlefields banned, the Blade-Dancer also took a significant hit with this update. She will be able to mitigate most of that hit with OGS-011, but still has to find new battlefields to run.
On the other hand, Ezreal got away with just losing SFD-122. It is a big loss, but if the Prodigal Explorer doesn't have to beat opponents as strong as Draven before the bans, it might be a fine update for Ezreal.
The third legend to consider is Annie, who can rely on OGN-201 for card draw with OGN-292 and OGN-182 not playable anymore. The same could be said for SFD-020, with OGN-012, SFD-025 or OGN-027 still available.
At the moment, I would venture to call Ezreal the best legend in the Chaos domain, at least from a relative standpoint, while Irelia would be the best in terms of raw power. If the game slows down, the Prodigal Explorer is the best equipped for a value oriented battle, while it still packs a good amount of draw, even with SFD-122 out of the picture.
Irelia will naturally benefit from a slower environment as well, but I doubt she will be able to thrive in a metagame designed to beat her like Draven managed to. The ability of OGS-011 to replace OGN-168 will determine how strong Irelia is going to be, alongside dodging OGN-295 plus removal designed to take out her key units specifically.
Annie will have the easier time adapting to the bans and a new environment, since her core game plan is to be proactive. However, she is also the weakest of the three ahead of the ban list, so it would take a significant jump to become a dominant legend. Possible, but I feel Ezreal has a more reasonable chance, while Irelia is arguably already there.
The other Chaos legends lost even more with this update. Sivir and Miss Fortune cannot play Miracle anymore, but their OGN-160 deck also lost OGN-168, SFD-122 and OGN-284 while there is no reason for gear removal to be any less popular. Teemo and JInx both relied on the Miracle build to post convincing results. With that possibility out of the way, I fear these two will struggle to mount any sort of momentum.
Body Legends
With the domain able to move units no matter their might taking a huge hit, it is only logical to believe the domain most reliant on units will feel much stronger. As a result, I expect Master Yi, Fiora, Jax, Sett and Lucian to improve after this update, maybe enough to press some decks to finally account these in their deck building.
One important note is the fact Fiora, Sett and Jax will have to replace the banned OGN-292, as battlefields are a key component of their draw engine. Early on, OGN-280 should do the trick, but this combined with a new metagame might press these legends to adapt their deck a little.
Control oriented Legends
Kai'sa obviously comes to mind, but the Order domain with Viktor, Azir, Rek'Sai or even Lux also packs a few contenders to potentially improve with this update. However, I'm going to place my hot take in this section, and predict this ban list might hurt those reactive legends more than it helps them.
Indeed, if Irelia and Ezreal take over for Draven as Chaos top performers, it might be even more difficult to run your opponent out of resources. Plus, if my prediction about the Body domain is correct, there should be a lot more of SFD-105 in the metagame.
As a result, while games will last for a few more turns on average, I'm not sure reactive legends will have an easier time overall. Indeed, whether it is Irelia or Ezreal that ends up as the new Chaos front runner, these two would rather face a slower opponent they can calmy set up against.
In that context, Viktor and Azir, who have the best proactive arsenal, maybe Rek'Sai if she leans on her aggressive side more, should represent the likeliest legends to progress in this update. The ability to bring some pressure supported by the like of OGN-209 or OGN-213 is how I envision Order to succeed in the near future.
Sorry for Kai'sa or Lux enjoyers.
Closing Words
A ban list was required to influx some new life into the Spiritforged metagame, unless Riot was okay with the remaining tournament being a drawing competition among Miracle decks.
Considering the frustration around the community, it was almost impossible to please everyone, but I feel like Riot did a pretty good job, targeting key cards and battlefields as a way to nerf without hurting one specific legend too much. Obviously, Draven took the bigger hit, but we all knew that was coming.
Now, the second Spiritforged metagame can begin, with the events ahead of Lille on April 18th becoming a ton more interesting, as they will shape what the last two regionals should look like.
