IntroductionToday, we'll explore the deck that got me 1st place at my local Skirmish: Holding Vex with Ahri. This list proved to be extremely competitive and strong in the current meta. It was built to face LeBlanc and Irelia, two popular lists in my region. Let's see how it works.Before we begin, however, let me introduce myself. My name is Total, and I used to cast Legends of Runeterra tournaments professionally. I covered all the official tournaments, including Worlds, and I am known for creating deck guides for LoR as well. Now, I am a part of the Riftbound community!Holding Vex - Unstoppable SnowballDeck Code:CMAAAAAAAAAACAQAAAVKMAIAAABQGAAAFU5ESAIDACAACAYEAASCVDIBAMBQAABZIKWACAQDAAWZEAICAQAIAAMGAEBQKAAAIOUQDFYCUABKCAQDAQAJMAOBAHBACAIEAGLACAACAIBQAIBLAECABAYBAIAQAAFJAEAQGAB4AECADFQBDeck link: hyperlinkThe idea behind this deck is to put Vex - Apathetic or Sona on a battlefield as fast as possible and try to hold it until the game ends, as well as prevent the opponent from attacking you or removing your units.To make sure you don't lose if you're second to play, this deck also includes Ahri - Alluring. With her, you'll be able to tie the score or even surpass your opponent in points, even if you start out a little behind.The real secret is knowing how to manage your Hidden cards and your Side Deck, as this way you'll improve certain matchups and will always be ahead, even if you're second to play, like we mentioned above.When you're the first to play, it's almost certain that you'll win, considering how this deck works and how your list can create an unstoppable "snowball". We'll show you how this happens right now.Main StrategyFirst, Mulligan after any 2-cost unit in your deck.If you already have one, Mulligan after any Hidden card.This deck is pretty straightforward and plays out nearly the same every time: You'll play a 2-cost unit on turn 1, move it to an open battlefield on your turn 2, then play Vex - Apathetic on that battlefield alongside any Hidden card.This strategy only loses if your opponent has a Punch First to play on their 2-cost unit and a Defy in hand to counter your Hidden Stun.Another strategy that beats this includes Irresistible Faefolk. The opponent can pull Vex to another battlefield, then play Punch First, which prevents you from targeting something with your Hidden Stun.The best strategy against orange decks that can counter you like this is playing Sona on turn 2 instead of Vex. Like so, you'll have more energy to play a card like Discipline, Block, or Rebuke to protect your battlefield and your units.BattlefieldsYou should start out by playing Startipped Peak. When you're playing blind, your games are more flexible because you can focus on your battlefield or the opponent's to sabotage their strategy. Do this when the opponent's battlefield is critical for their main strategy, somehow.If you're first to play, play Fortified Position and focus on it.If you're second to play, play Targon's Peak and try to focus on the opponent's battlefield if they start out with a bricked hand. If they don't, focus on your battlefield.Important NotesThere are 3 "undecided" card slots in this list.I decided to play Shadow and two copies of Block because they're great against orange decks, and these are very popular at my local game store.If that doesn't apply to you, feel free to use these 3 slots however you like.My suggestions:Vilemaw - You can play this instead of Shadow. It automatically beats some midrange decks. But it is quite expensive, and, as this deck uses a lot of Power, sometimes you won't have the resources to play it.Thwonk - You can play this instead of Block. It's strong and does almost the same, but you can't play it hidden.Zhonya's - You can play this instead of Block. It's a defensive option that will help you keep your units alive. You can also play it hidden, and it can save you in many game states. However, it loses a lot of value when you're ahead or have a full board with many units.Bone Skewer - You can play this instead of Block. It's an interesting way to get information on the opponent's hand. It's also great against Rengar and Master Yi, which play a lot of units. You can delay the opponent's game plan and also play around the cards they revealed this way. Bone Skewer is a pretty situational spell, so it doesn't work all the time, but when you manage to "snipe" a Karthus or any other key enemy card, it often wins the game on the spot.Janna - Saviour - You can play this instead of Shadow. It is also pretty situational and only works against midrange or aggro lists that attack your board. It is powerful, though, and, if you can get 100% out of its effect, it also wins matches on the spot.Managing Runes: Always try to keep the same amount of each type of rune on your board when you recycle them. In other words, only recycle the runes you already have a lot of. Example: If you have 4 green runes and 1 purple, recycle a green one.MatchupsLeBlanc: This deck won't attack you, so always play Evelynn as your Hidden card. With her, pull the enemy Karthus whenever possible.In game 2, get 2x Disarming Rake and 2x Emperor's Divide and remove 2x Block, 1x Shadow, and 1x Gust.Gust is notoriously strong against LeBlanc because it destroys their turn-1 strategy. However, this is only strong in purple decks that can play this card on turn 1 or 2 and not get behind in resources or tempo, like Ezreal or Diana. In our case, Vex can't really spend that 1 energy to return an enemy character to the opponent's hand without losing too much tempo.So, even though this card is strong against LeBlanc, this deck doesn't need to use it.Master Yi and Rengar: In these matchups, get 2x Abandon instead of 2x Not So Fast. Play your Abandon to counter the enemy Punch First.Against Master Yi, Mulligan after Sona and try to play it before Vex - Apathetic. Against Rengar, do the opposite: Always play Vex - Apathetic before Sona.Mirror matches: Get a Tianna Crownguard and watch your opponent melt their brains trying to figure out how to win after that.Final WordsIf you read this far, thank you! I hope you had fun and enjoyed reading this article.Don't forget to share.See you next time!
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