Welcome back to the lands of Runeterra, where it’s time to conduct another experiment in The Lab. This one is unique, in that it is an entirely single player experience. Two of our newest champions, Leona and Diana, are looking to reach the peak of Targon to face Aurelion Sol. Along the way, they’ll each face obstacles and enemies barring their path.
Let us help these champions complete their journey.
I like the decision to use both Leona and Diana as the champions for this event, because they are complete opposites from a mechanical perspective, doubly so when their special abilities for this event are factored in.
Leona has an aggressive play pattern. She wants to play about one, maybe two units per turn and use their powerful Daybreak triggers to gain the advantage. Because her units are powerful, but only if they’re the first one played each round, she folds if her opponent is allowed the chance to recover. Therefore, her objective is to quickly close the game so that her enemies can’t out-value her in the long game. Her ability to give the weakest unit on her board a power boost and a barrier also allows her to more safely attack into strong board states.
Diana, meanwhile, favors a more deliberate style. Unlike Leona, she can gain multiple Nightfall triggers in a single turn, many of which allow her to either create or draw additional cards. The net effect is that her hand is constantly filled with tools that her can use to get out of any bind and accrue value over the long game. And if she is out, her combination of Challenger and Quick Attack should allow her to take out any foe in her way, clearing the path for her other forces to finish off her adversaries.
Of course, we had no trouble either way because it’s still a single-player mini-campaign against Runeterra’s AI. No matter what abilities or cheats they bring to bear, they’re still easy to manipulate. That said, I hope they produce more of these because it’s a good way to just relax for an hour or so and play a low-stakes card game.
I can even feel good about it because Runeterra doesn’t utilize predatory business practices to keep the profits flowing. This is much unlike a certain magical card game that I’ve played a lot of on here, but I suppose it’s weird of me to point that out here.
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