Tempo

Tempo is a fundamental concept in many card games, and Legends of Runeterra is no exception. It refers to the speed at which you can develop your board presence and apply pressure to your opponent. Maintaining tempo often means making plays that are more efficient in terms of mana and board impact than your opponent's, allowing you to dictate the pace of the game.

Tempo in Legends of Runeterra is about controlling the pace of the game by making more impactful plays with your mana than your opponent. It's about developing your board faster, applying pressure, and forcing your opponent into reactive, less efficient plays. Mastering tempo is crucial for aggressive and mid-range strategies.

What is Tempo?

Tempo can be understood as the advantage gained by developing your board and board presence more effectively than your opponent. A player with tempo is typically the one dictating the flow of combat, forcing the opponent to react, and advancing their own win condition more rapidly. It's not just about having more units on the board, but about having units that are more threatening or that enable further development.

How to Gain and Maintain Tempo:

Efficient Mana Usage: The most basic way to gain tempo is by using your mana as efficiently as possible each turn. Playing a 3-cost unit on turn 3 is standard tempo. Playing a 4-cost unit on turn 3 (if possible through effects) is gaining tempo. Conversely, passing your turn or playing a low-impact card when you could have done more is losing tempo.
Board Development: Consistently playing units that establish a board presence is key. Aggressive decks aim to flood the board early, while mid-range decks focus on playing high-impact units that can trade favorably or apply significant pressure.
Forcing Reactions: When you make a play that forces your opponent to use their mana to respond, you are often gaining tempo. For example, attacking with a strong unit might force your opponent to block with a key defender or use a removal spell, preventing them from developing their own board.
Unit Value: Units with strong 'Play' or 'Attack' effects, or those that can trade favorably in combat, contribute to tempo. A unit that deals damage upon being played or that can take out an enemy unit while surviving itself is a tempo-positive play.
Card Advantage vs. Tempo: It's important to distinguish tempo from card advantage. While having more cards in hand (card advantage) is generally good, it doesn't always translate to tempo. A player might have many cards but be unable to play them effectively due to mana constraints or a lack of board presence, thus losing tempo. Conversely, a player might sacrifice card advantage for immediate board presence and tempo.

Tempo in Different Deck Archetypes:

Aggro (Aggressive): These decks are heavily tempo-focused. Their primary goal is to overwhelm the opponent with early-game units and direct Nexus damage. They aim to end the game quickly before the opponent can stabilize. Every mana spent should contribute to board development or Nexus damage.
Midrange: Midrange decks aim to strike a balance between early-game tempo and late-game power. They will play efficient units to establish a board and then transition into larger, more impactful threats. They can often steal tempo by playing a powerful unit that forces the opponent to spend multiple turns or cards to deal with it.
Control: Control decks are generally tempo-negative in the early game. They focus on surviving the opponent's aggression by using removal spells and defensive units, aiming to reach their powerful late-game win conditions. They often concede tempo in exchange for card advantage and survival.

Key Tempo-Positive Plays:

Attacking with units that have 'Quick Attack' or 'Overwhelm'.
Playing units with strong 'Play' effects that immediately impact the board.
Using removal spells to eliminate key enemy threats, preventing them from developing their board.
Challenging enemy units with 'Challenger' to dictate favorable trades.
Utilizing spells that buff your units to win combat and push damage.

Understanding and prioritizing tempo is a crucial skill for any Legends of Runeterra player looking to climb the ranks. It's about making every mana point count and ensuring you are always one step ahead of your opponent.