yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh boyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
This game is rad and should only get better. It took almost 6 years for anybody to top Hearthstone, but I think Riot did it
There are currently 6 factions: Demacia, Freljord, Ionia, Shadow Isles, Noxus, and Piltover&Zaun. It is confirmed that more factions are coming, I wouldn't be shocked if we eventually have 9 or 10. League fans know that there are several left to represent, like Bilgewater or the Void.
The game also features a very interesting monetization model. You literally cannot buy a full collection right out of the gate even if you want to give Riot a billion dollars. The shop refreshes weekly and you can only do 3 draft runs per week for rewards (and then unlimited free play afterward). XP is limited per day so you can't grind endlessly that way either. This means that even the top players are utilizing pretty much the same sized collection as everyone else. Climbing the ladder in this game comes down to pure skill, meta knowledge, and of course some good luck here and there from draws or matchups.
Some examples of decks that are powerful currently:
You'll find in general that Ionia is currently the best class. Having access to the best collection of Elusive minions and a number of ways to support them, you will often be able to win games by simply attacking with unblockable units. Deny is one of the most powerful tempo tools in the game, allowing you to maintain your powerful board by countering any removal tools your opponent may try to cast. Freljord is an excellent pairing with Ionia because it gives you access to Omen Hawk, which is a fantastic 1 drop that buffs your Elusive units out of common removal range and if you can follow that up with Novori Conscriptor on turn 2...yikes. Getting your Elusive minions to 4 health is often game-winning, because the common removal in the game like Black Spear from Shadow Isles or Mystic Shot from P&Z simply cannot do 4 damage. Braum is a powerful champion for this playstyle because he can control the board effectively, using Challenger to effectively take out any Elusive blockers the opponent might have. He's also just plain strong standalone, and if you happen to land a buff like Take Heart on him you will often be able to suffocate the opponent's resources all game long.
This is my personal favorite deck out there right now. Hecarim was one of my favorite League champions and he's a seriously strong card in this game as well. This deck seeks to utilize the excellent suite of early game board presence and removal available to Shadow Isles alongside just a handful of relevant support cards from Ionia. Deny is here again because, well, it's overpowered. Death Mark is an insane card for this list, letting you transfer Ephemeral from a friendly unit to an enemy which effectively serves as hard removal. The combo is especially insane with Darkwater Scourge, which leaves you with a 5/5 Lifesteal which can be very important at keeping you alive long enough to close the game with Hecarim. Rhasa tops the curve as probably the strongest 7+ mana unit in the game, he's just absurd.
And of course the spider deck. There are other faction combinations you can run with this but I think going all-in on pure aggression with Noxus is the best way to go. There's not much to talk about with this one. Vomit spiders on the board and try to kill the opponent. Darius is an awesome curve-topper, if you can play him as a 10/5 with Overwhelm it's very difficult for the opponent to stop that without dying. This deck is very good but not as fun to play as the other two I posted imo
What kinds of decks are you guys playing? Are you enjoying Expeditions? Can't wait to see how this game develops over time.