Many card games use some of its mechanics to limit the kinds of cards the players can put in their decks in order to make the game more balanced and more diverse. Magic: The Gathering has different colors, Hearthstone different classes, among others. Runeterra is no different, using a region system and limiting every deck to two of them. 

    Picking which pair to put on your deck is not very difficult if you already have a play style in mind, but can be a little harder in case you’re not sure what kind of deck you want to play. This list will help you understand what are the strengths of each region and what kind of playstyle they favor.

Demacia:

The proud kingdom of Demacia

    Demacia decks are mostly focused on cheap units that can be buffed to greatness. Its focused combat play style makes it a great option for players who prefer a straightforward approach. It’s also great for Barrier focused decks, since many of its units greatly benefit from it (I’m lookin at you, Fiora).

    Strengths:

• Strong but cheap units that buff each other.
• Combat-focused play style makes it a strong aggro option.
• Tons of units with Tough and Challenger.
• Barrier-focus can make some units almost immortal.
• Fiora has a special winning condition that is exclusive to this region.

    Weaknesses:

• Most spells are focused on buffing and summoning units, which means no damage dealing spells.
• Can be countered by Frostbite and Stun decks without much difficulty.
• No Elusive units, making defending against them nearly impossible.

Freljord:

The harsh tundra of Freljord

    One of my personal favorite regions, Freljord is focused on having a few strong units, using spells to control the board and winning in the late game. Its frostbite mechanic, which is exclusive to this region, is very useful for neutralizing threats and taking out enemies without sacrificing your own allies. It also has most of the Poro and all of the Yeti and Elnuk cards in the game.

    Strengths:

• The only region that uses the Frostbite mechanic, which can neutralize the entire enemy board.
• Has a few of the best champions in the game, like Braum, Ashe and Sejuani.
• Can be used for Poro-focused decks, which include the Mighty Poro, one of the best units in this region.

    Weaknesses:

• Hits strong, but slow. It’s weak against aggro-focused decks.
• The best cards have a high-cost, making it almost exclusively late-game.

Ionia:

The balanced provinces of Ionia 

    Although Ionia might not have the strongest-hitting allies, it makes up for it by using other strategies. It’s heavily focused on stunning, recalling and elusive units, making it a force to be reckoned with. It boasts some very good champions, like Zed, Lee-sin and Yasuo, and has a lot of synergy among its cards.

    Strengths:

• A lot of Elusive units, which are hard to counter for not control-focused decks.
• Stunning and Recalling can be used to neutralize threats or make the enemy waste turns.
• Once leveled-up, Zed, Yasuo and Lee-sin are almost unstoppable.
• Very useful cards, especially Deny, which can stop slow and fast enemy spells.

    Weaknesses:

• Most units have low health, making this region weak against damage spells.
• Depending on how you build your deck, losing an ally can mean losing the game.
• Not much to offer in the late-game.

Noxus:

The powerful empire of Noxus

    For all the aggro lovers out there, Noxus is the one for you. It focuses a lot on aggression, be it by combat or direct damage to the nexus. It also has a bunch of overwhelm units, which makes blocking them with weaker allies very dangerous for your enemy. Hitting hard and fast is the way this region works.

    Strengths:

• Great aggro and burn potential.
• Tons of spells and unit skills that deal damage to the Nexus.
• Allies with high damage and overwhelm.
• Early-game top dog.

    Weaknesses:

• Not a lot of utility or defensive spells.
• Most units have low health, making them easily beat by control decks.
• Will likely lose if the game goes on for too long.

Piltover and Zaun:

The undercity district of Zaun

    Being one of the most versatile regions, Piltover & Zaun bets on diversified spells that combo with its followers and champions. It is heavily focused on drawing and playing a lot of cards, and making sure you always have a response to your enemy moves. It also has Vi, a very strong champion that gains damage for each card you play as long as it’s in your hand or in play.

    Strengths:

• Great variety of offensive and defensive spells.
• A lot of synergy between its cards.
• Champions like Ezreal and Heimerdinger can give you an endless supply of spells or units.
• Vi is a beast once she levels up.
• Can play Purrsuit of Perfection.

    Weaknesses:

• Needs a lot of mana to do its thing.
• Can be obliterated by faster decks.
• Generally mid-range.

Shadow Isles:

The cursed lands of the Shadow Isles

    If you’re more of a ruthless player, the Shadow Isles will give you access to a large array of cards that suit you. It’s all about sacrificing your own units to become stronger, be it by making use of the Ephemeral allies that only last one turn, or by killing your own Last Breath followers in order to obtain their effects. It’s also extremely necessary in order to build a Spider deck, one of the most popular aggro decks out there.

    Strengths:

• Is the only region with Kill, Drain and Steal mechanics and the only one which can bring back dead allies.
• Has a lot of Last Breath followers, making the loss of your units an advantage.
• Maybe the easiest to play region.
• Spiders. A lot of them.

    Weaknesses:

• Although strong, Ephemeral units only last one turn.
• Control-focused decks with stun or frostbite can neutralize your last-breath and ephemeral units without killing them.

Bilgewater:

The port city of Bilgewater

    The latest region added to the game, Bilgewater does not fall behind the other ones. It does that by featuring Deep monsters, which get stronger after you discard or use half your deck and Plunder allies, which have special effects if played after you have damaged the enemy Nexus. Depending on how you build your deck, it can be used for either early-game strategies or a late-game approach.

    Strengths:

• Versatile deck capable of a lot of what the other regions can offer.
• Deep decks will almost certainly win after reaching the late-game.
• Plunder, associated with Miss Fortune and Crackshot Corsair, can give you a huge advantage.
• Can draw from the enemy deck.

    Weaknesses:

• Since it draws from the enemy deck, synergy might be difficult to obtain.
• Jack of all trades, master of none. It does everything every other region does, but worse.

    This list is by no means ultimate, but only a general guide on what each region is capable of. After all, when building your decks you will pair them up when creating your strategies, so pay mind to what each one is good at to either complement each other, or to double down on your favorite mechanic in order to guarantee your victory.

    Will you pair Demacia and Ionia, taking advantage of the cheap units and endless spells at the same time? Or will you go with Bilgewater and Shadow Isles, tossing away all your cards to awake your deep monsters? Learning about the regions is important, but even better is being creative when building your decks in order to have as much fun as possible. So go at it, and remember to keep trying new stuff!

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