A Guide to Game Modes ( For the New Player Resources )

Hii, I am EruRainon and this is my guide to all game modes in Legends of Runeterra. The game modes in Legends of Runeterra are, Vs AI , Vs Player ( Ranked and Normal), Challenges , Expeditions , Gauntlets and Labs ( Path of Champions). Let’s look into each one of them in detail.

Vs AI

standard deck match ( 40 cards, two regions , upto 3 copies of one card, upto 6 champion cards. To add a dual region card, the deck must contain at least one card from any of the dual region card’s region ) against a random AI opponent. It can be used to try out a new deck, but the AI is fixated on accelerating it’s own gameplan and doesn’t play around anything you have. Playing around opponent’s gameplan is a core concept in Legends of Runeterra. So much that if you don’t get used to your opponent playing around your plan, you won’t improve as a player. So AI matches are better used to complete a difficult quest or get a small amount of XP quickly.

Challenges

Challenges are pre determined tutorials that help new and returning players alike to know more about the keywords, mechanics and basic archetypes in the game. New Challenges are introduced whenever new mechanics or keywords are released.Completing all challenges before starting your PvP journey is highly recommended.

Vs Player Normal

Casual play with a randomly matched opponent using a standard deck. There are no rewards for playing normal except XP. You don’t gain or lose LP by winning or losing in normal. You can use normal mode to try out a new deck that you have created without having the fear of losing LP, or maybe you need a break from all those tryhard competitive play, or you can try out that wacky new meme deck :)

Vs Player Ranked

Ranked is the primary way to experience competitive Legends of Runeterra. In Ranked, you play against an opponent of similar rank, with a standard deck. Winning gains you 20 LP and losing loses you some LP. The ranked ladder is divided into different ranks, namely Iron, bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond and Masters. Each rank upto diamond is subdivided into 4, division 4 to division 1. 100 LP takes you up one division.

Note that above gold, you will lose as much LP as you would win. That is, if you need to climb further, you need to have a win rate above 50% in effect. You won’t drop down to a lower rank once you have reached division 4 of a higher rank, but you can drop down from division 1 to division 2 and so on. The first loss in a new division is always protected. That is, if you have 10 LP in plat 3 and you lose your next game, you won’t lose 20 LP as you should have and drop down to plat 4. Your LP will go down to zero and the next loss will result in a demotion.

You can qualify for the open rounds of the seasonal tournament at the end of each ranked season by finishing in the top 700 in masters rank in your regional shard. At the end of each ranked season, you will be moved down two leagues. That is, masters to platinum, diamond to gold and so on.

Expeditions

Expeditions is a fun PvP mode that helps you grow your collection and also get a taste in deck-building. To embark on an expedition, you need an expedition token ( earned from the weekly vault) or 2000 shards.

Each expedition consists of two trials. You can earn upto 7 wins, your trial ends with two consecutive losses or one loss at 6 wins. Even if you don’t get any wins, you will be rewarded with an epic capsule. Rewards increase with each win and 7 wins in any one trial will reward you with an epic capsule, some wildcards and 2000 shards. Note that there are no extra rewards for getting 7 wins on both trials.

Gauntlets

Gauntlets are weekly competitive events and the second way to qualify into the seasonal tournament. Gauntlet matches are in best of three format. You enter the gauntlet with 3 decks. You can’t bring the same champion in two decks, you can’t bring the same region combination in two decks and you can bring only one championless deck. Previously there was another Gauntlet known as the Singleton Gauntlet, where your deck can contain cards from upto 3 regions, but can only contain one copy of each card. This Gauntlet mode was later removed. We do not know if Singleton Gauntlet ( or any way to play a proper Singleton Deck ) will ever return.

There are 4 matches in a gauntlet and the same disqualification rules in Expeditions apply. 4 wins on the first trial each week awards you a prime glory. Each Prime Glory counts as one win in the Last Chance Gauntlet at the end of the season. You can earn upto 4 prime glories each season. There are 6 gauntlets each season ; 5 regular gauntlets and one Last Chance Gauntlet. The Last Chance Gauntlet requires 5 wins, out of which 4 can be earned through collecting 4 Prime Glory-s. The first 324 players to complete the Last Chance Gauntlet qualify into the open rounds of the seasonal tournament along with the 700 from masters ladder.

In a gauntlet match, you can ban one of your opponent’s decks and the opponent does the same to you. The players play with the remaining two and whoever wins two games first wins the match. You can’t play a deck again if you have already won a game with that deck. So effectively, to win a gauntlet match, you have to win one game with each of your unbanned decks.

Finally, there are three timers in a gauntlet match. A main timer and two timers for each player. The player timers count down from a set time and can go under zero. But when the main timer runs out, the game is forced to end and the player who used the least amount of time is declared as the winner. The player timer counts down only when its your turn and is paused during your opponent’s actions. The main timer counts down continuously from game start.

Labs/ Path of Champions

Previously, labs contained multiple game modes each with its own set if rules and twists. However, in Patch 2.19.0 , all lab modes were replaced by a single new permanent PvE mode known as The Path of Champions. We do not know if old labs will ever return. In The Path of Champions, you select your champion and set out on a journey across Runeterra, meeting new opponents, gaining new powers and encountering powerful bosses. As you set out on an adventure, each win will award you with more champions and cards to add into your adventure deck, add cool powers and relic items to already existing cards in your deck, and coins to buy cards in the shops along the adventures. All these customisations and currencies are restricted to Path Of Champions alone and doesn’t affect your collection or PvP experience in any way.

So that’s it, these are the game modes in Legends of Runeterra. I also wanted to write about Tournament structures and worlds. But that’s probably for another guide. Hope I helped to improve your experience in LoR. Thank you :)

Prepared By, u/John_Ferrari IGN : Erurainon #8667