leona - spiritforged

### No longer theory testing. Against watcher, there is basically no answer. I think going back to the 6 poros build might be the only way to play, but that strategy was always flawed anyway, so currently giving up on Leona. all mail arrived; now theory testing #### TL;DR: this deck SUCKS. each card struggles to achieve its full value when facing the meta of **falling star**s and unpredictable **dazzling aurora**s. So if you: - think you can outskill your opponent 101% of the time - have opponents that are not on full power tier 1 decks - can see the future then this deck still wouldn't be the choice for you. ##### I just like leona. #### Theory: - I've built this to mainly counter kai'sa. #### Battlefield choices: this is a pseudo "holding" deck. battlefields like **fortified position** and **vilemaw's lair** help units like **sett** and **fiora** stick at battlefields while **leona** retreats to base to reactively stun and answer opponents' pushes (watcher is not a unit you want to be caught with your pants down going against). **Reaver's row** is meant to throw **leona** onto, then almost indiscriminately retreat in favor of getting more attack triggers--it's not worth trying to defend a position with leona when stunning nearly guarantees you'll get the battlefield back on the crackback. #### I have intentionally chosen not to play the following battlefields: - **grove of the god-willow**: ahri - **hallowed tomb**: too slow. If I had access to confront (orange) then maybe. - **monastery of hirana**: sett - **obelisk of power**: do you want to lose? going first, there's no premier 3 drop, and you have to face an opponent with 4 mana. going second, opponents would love their 3rd mana as they can play a 2 drop then hold 1 for hextech ray, defy, stupefy, retreat, sabotage, stacked deck, whereas you get: 1 4 drop looking to get cleared on opponent's 5 mana turn. - **candlelit sanctum**: what is the point of peeking 2 when you can't draw it - **dreaming tree**: kai'sa - **grand plaza**: viktor - **trifarian war camp**: ahri, viktor #### battlefields in consideration: - **navori fighting pit**: wanting to hold means the fighting pit could be fine. But then I would put in a third **call to glory**, come back to **faithful manufactors**, and add **machine evangel** - **windswept hillock**: I just haven't tested. #### Unit choices: The list currently has no 2 drops. dropping a gear like **mask of foresight** or **spirit's refuge** turn 1 is more valuable to proactively prepare for putting down **fiora**, **leona**, or **sett** turn 2, who are going to be your tempo carries. You give up 1 point in the early game to better prepare for a stronger push/position in turns 2-4. I would only consider playing **pouty poro** (red) because deflect is nuts right now, which we don't have access to. - **solari shieldbearer** isn't as valuable as I originally thought, as you need another unit to capitalize off of its on-play value, which I don't have much of in the first place. - **sona** is very close to being cut, as it is a remnant of making a budget choice (was $2 on purchase, helps cycle **disciplines** and **meditations**). the current list isn't starving for the mana refund because it's fine just passing on 4 mana or more up without developing a body, assuming that any of the 4drop champions are in play. - **tasty faefolk** has proven to be **way more valuable** than initially anticipated, as I didn't think that I could safely spend 7-8 mana without getting punished elsewhere on the board (like leaving my 4drops vulnerable to spells because I left no mana up to defend with) I would love to buy more to put a second copy in the main or side. The accelerate mechanic is not easily accessible in leona's color kit, artificially raising its value to help reclaim battlefields in the mid-late game. - **noxian drummer** might be the best 3 drop at the moment to combat **cull the weak**. If I had a choice i'd cut her too. #### Other Observations: - **seal of unity** ended up **not being as useful as anticipated**, as I only really needed power production for the green combat tricks used on the opponents' turns. - **zenith blade** is so powerful, but I never want to see more than 2 in a game because of its steep cost. Perhaps a third in the side is warranted, but I don't have enough games to make that claim confidently. - **call to glory** is a good card, but sometimes underperforms from not having access to enough buff engines to really cheat out the 0 mana +2-3 - **meditation** ended up being worse than anticipated. the only perceived value is either: an "upstart goblin" (yugioh, attempts to reduce the deck count by 1) effect on turn 1 going first (going second I'd much rather find my center), or after my board has developed and I'm using **sona** as a draw bot, in which case I could have just had 2 other cards that have more utility than pushing advantage in a winning situation. - I really want to test out **divine judgment** and **mystic reversal**. the former seems generically good against control-oriented strategies, the latter to counter **time-warp** and/or **icathian rain**.