Legends of Runeterra’s Worlds are coming up soon, and we’ve heard there are Shurima and Ionia card nerfs coming. Emergency nerfs like this are new to us in Legends of Runeterra, that’s for sure. When you launch a 126 card expansion right before a world tournament is a pretty bold move. There are some seriously dominant archetypes and cards to go with them right now, and it would probably make LoR’s Worlds pretty boring to watch. We can’t have that! The official Legends of Runeterra Twitter confirmed these and said this hotfix patch would be the one Worlds will be played on, “barring any emergencies.” What Ionia and Shurima cards are catching nerfs in Legends of Runeterra, though?

Legends of Runeterra’s Twitter account gave us a very brief explanation of what’s going down and why. We don’t get “emergency nerfs” in Runeterra, so these Shurima and Ionia card nerfs genuinely are surprising. Some might think the Ionia card nerfs should have happened sooner. 

Here’s what the reasoning was.“With Worlds around the corner, we’re releasing a hotfix targeting some of the most dominant decks disrupting the meta that have persisted through the release of Beyond the Bandlewood. These updates aim to encourage deck diversity and address a high-impact bug fix.”

Shurima’s cards are up first, and there are a few of them. First up is the Ruin Runner, which was a 6/4 for 5. However, it’s going to be reduced to a 6/3, making it easier to respond to. That’s what most of these nerfs are focused on. Some of these cards are just too strong and too reliable. Merciless Hunter is going the same route. As a 4/3 for 3, it becomes a 4/2 for 3. 

It still grants an enemy Vulnerable, so it and will still have Fearsome. It’s still a threat, but not a threat that feels too hard to deal with. Merciless Hunter is in pretty much every Shurima deck for a reason. It has too much value. Shaped Stone is also changing but will remain a Burst Speed spell for 1. Originally, if a Landmark has been played this turn, give a unit +3/+1. Now it will give a unit +2/+1. 

The two cards in question will get cost increases to make them more reasonable for Ionia. Interestingly, Flawless Duet, an uncollectible card for Irelia/Lead and Follow spell. It’s going to go up from 1 to 2 mana. Flurry of Fists joins it, going from a 3-cost to a 4-cost. With all of these high-power, low-health followers, Flurry of Fists guarantees incredible amounts of damage coming out of absolutely nowhere. If the target already had Quick Attack, it now has Double Attack (and gains +1/+0. 

In particular, the Flawless Duet nerfs will hopefully make the Azir/Irelia decks less impactful. They’re so obnoxious and powerful, cranking out tons of free damage for just about no effort. Will it make that deck, not tournament viable? It’s entirely likely. Shaped Stone was another staple of the deck, so the more I think about it, the more I think we won’t see them at worlds. The Shurima cards are still good, but they’re a little less dangerous now. 

There’s also a hotfix being put in for a new Beyond the Bandlewood card, The Arsenal. It gained a random keyword for each destroyed allied Landmark before it came into play. However, he could gain some stuff he shouldn’t, like a permanent Spellshield. Combine it with Elusive and Quick Attack, and he’s completely unstoppable. Now he won’t be able to get that, as it was unintended. Other unintentional keywords (Stunned) won’t be able to show up either.

We’re not certain when these updates will come in, but we imagine it won’t take too long. There’s no telling if Azir/Irelia decks will still dominate. Will nerfing these cards make them impossible to win with? This writer doesn’t think so, but time will certainly tell.