One of the primary ways of getting resources in Legends of Runterra is playing the Expedition Mode. Specifically, achieving 7 wins in Expedition will get you the maximum number of dust and wildcards. I am AkeetheGreat [Masterβs Player and LoR Coach] and this article is here to help you get to 7 wins in expedition with more consistency by showing you the best strategies for drafting your deck and playing against your opponent.
1 β DRAFT POWERFUL CHAMPIONS
Your success in LOR expeditions is heavily dependant on what champions you draft. Unlike in normal ladder, champion strength in expedition is based on how consistently they can represent a powerful threat in your deck and how many synergies you would need to draft to make them strong. Generally speaking, the stronger a champion is on its own and the fewer synergies that champion requires, the better that champion will be in your draft.
Let’s refer to my tier list above. A good example is Sejuani. The reason that Sejuani is an S tier champion in LOR expeditions is that she is still a powerful unit even if you do not level her up. Similarly, Heimerdinger is S tier because he generates so much value when he is not removed.Β Even though he requires some synergy in the form of adding higher cost spells and Flash of Brilliance to your expedition deck, the value he generates outweighs the inconsistency of the synergies required to make him work. Meanwhile, a champion like Fiora is bad in LOR expedition due to the vast number of synergy cards she requires to make her viable. There is no guarantee that you will draft the Fiora “stay-alive” cards that she needs.
2 β DRAFT SYNERGIES WHEN POSSIBLE
Depending on what champions you draft, certain “buckets” of cards containing certain synergies will show up as you draft your deck. In Legends of Runeterra, unlike in Hearthstone, you draft cards 3 at a time, so you will need to weigh groups of three cards against each other each time you add to your deck. Each champion represents one or two buckets that have their own synergies and win conditions. For example, “Scraphead” contains cards from Piltover & Zaun and Noxus. Scraphead buckets contain synergy cards surrounding the discard mechanic. You will be presented with Scraphead buckets if you have chosen Draven or Jinx because they each involve discarding cards.
It is best to choose the same type of bucket as much as you can. Given how inconsistent the expedition draft can be, any amount of consistency in strategy you can establish is immensely valuable. However, you should sometimes deviate from your the main bucket you have chosen in favor of a healthy curve or card draw.
Note: Your picks alternate between “Synergy Picks” and “Wild Picks.” Synergy Picks offer you buckets that synergize with your comp. Wild Picks offer more random cards.
3 β KNOW HOW TO SWAP CARDS
Swapping cards is vital to improving your deck as you play. Once during your draft and after many of your wins and losses in expedition, you will get the chance to swap one of your cards for a different one. Given how varying the quality of your cards will be after your draft, the swapping option is a great opportunity to consolidate your supporting cards or fill in some gaps to improve the curve, sustain, removal, or card draw of your deck.
You need to understand the power level of each of your cards in order to know which cards to switch out. Make sure you are learning the weaknesses of your expedition deck as you play with it so you know in what areas to improve it.
Note: When you achieve your 6th win you get to swap 5 times (minus however many losses you have suffered)
4 β USE ONE CHAMPION
Your initial draft sees you choosing 2 different champions. Then, on your first and third wins, you get to choose another champion for your deck! When you are presented with these opportunities to add more champions to your deck, make sure that they are both the same as one of the two you had initially chosen. Sometimes you will get to swap one of your champions so that you only have one type of champion in your deck. That is ideal, but very inconsistent.
The reason you will want to choose the same champion as much as you can is that you must be trying to make your win condition as achievable as possible. The more of the same champion you have in your deck, the more you can expect to draw that champion. This makes your draw less unpredictable and your strategy much more consistent overall.
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5 β MULLIGAN FOR A GOOD CURVE
Because you don’t have too much information to go on when you see your opponent’s expedition deck, it is hard to know what to play around. Much of the expedition decks are random so you need to focus on making your own plays strong and value oriented. Mulligan for cards that will help you tempo out as it is one of the few things you can control.
Don’t worry about having a 1, 2, and 3 drop as long as you have spells to use your mana efficiently. But it is vital that you have a good curve to use all of your mana in the early game. While tempo is important, it is more important that you get value out of every card.Β Players who can get the maximum value out of every card they are presented are able to most consistently get 7 wins in expedition.
6 – LEARN CERTAIN STRATEGIES AND STICK TO THEM
While it may feel like you have no control over what cards you get, you will eventually learn the strategies associated with certain champions. If you feel comfortable playing Swain and you are offered Swain in your draft, pick him!
Because everyone is struggling to work with what they have, all you need to do to get 7 wins in expedition is find some edge on your opponent. One of the best ways to do that is just to have superior knowledge of the champions and synergies with which you are playing.
Getting 7 wins in expedition is not easy. Very often, you will be presented with a choice between a bunch of difficult champions or terrible cards. But keep in mind that no matter how many wins you get, expedition is an efficient way to gain more resources. With this guide, hopefully you will be able to stretch out the value of those tokens and get 7 wins in expedition like a champ!
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