Legends of Runeterra: A complete guide to Ionia champions

This is a Legends of Runeterra guide explaining the mana costs, power, health, spells, and level up conditions of all five Ionia champions.

Legends of Runeterra is Riot Games’ digital card game that shares the same universe as League of Legends, which means you’ll see some familiar faces from the seven regions of Runeterra during your LoR journey. This is a breakdown of the basics of the five Ionia champions and how they function in game.

While war has waged between Demacians and Noxians alike throughout history, Ionia has remained a peaceful, neutral bystander and an independent region of Runeterra. Surrounded by ocean on every side, Ionia (translating to “The First Lands” in Vastayan) is a beautiful, unspoiled beauty, home to scattered settlements and some of the most powerful magic across Runeterra.

Ionia champions utilize mainly basic mechanics in Legends of Runeterra, like Shen’s Barrier (protect a unit from any damage for a round) and Lee Sin’s Challenger (can choose which enemy blocks the attack). To make the most out of Ionia champions, players have to utilize a spell-heavy deck to trigger their level ups and attacks.

These are the five Ionia champions available in Legends of Runeterra:

Karma

Karma
Karma is a strong early game card that becomes even more deadly upon reaching maximum mana (Enlightened). For 5 mana, you’ll summon a 4|3 card that creates a random spell in your hand every time a round ends, which synergizes well with other Ionia champions that benefit from spell usage, such as Lee Sin.

Level Up
Upon reaching 10 maximum mana (Enlightened), Karma will level up and receive a +1|+1 boost to her stats. On top of that, whenever you cast a spell the Enlightened One will cast the spell again at the same targets. If you have a bunch of powerful spells in your deck, level 2 Karma could make winning the game a piece of cake.

Karma’s Insight of Ages
Insight of Ages is Karma’s burst champion spell. This is basically the same as level 1 Karma’s mechanic, creating a random spell in the player’s hand, or 2 if you’ve reached 10 maximum mana. Once again, this synergizes well with level 2 Karma and any other champion or unit that uses spells to their advantage. Creating a deck filled with strong spells for Karma is key.

Lee Sin

Lee Sin
Lee Sin is the highest mana cost Ionia champion at 6 mana. For this, you summon a unit with 3 power and 6 health, but with the added bonuses of Challenger and Barrier if you cast 1 or 2 spells in a round. If you create a spell-heavy deck around Lee Sin, he could become an unkillable unit capable of wiping out even the strongest of opponents.

Level Up
To reach level 2, Lee Sin simply has to see 7+ spells be cast. From this point, the Blind Monk will receive a +1|+1 stats bonus and will also use Dragon’s Rage on whichever enemy he Challenges.

Lee Sin’s Dragon’s Rage
Lee Sin’s champion spell is Dragon’s Rage which kicks an enemy into the enemy Nexus, striking both the unit and the Nexus. If the enemy survives the attack, they will be recalled to the opponent’s hand. Combining this with Lee Sin’s Barrier is an excellent way to force a strong enemy unit off the board while also dealing critical Nexus damage in the same turn.

Shen

Shen
Shen is a strong defensive unit, boasting 5 health and 2 power for just 4 mana. When attacking, Shen will give the unit to his right a Barrier, allowing them to negate all incoming damage. If paired with a strong attacking card, Shen and his partner could do serious damage to the enemy Nexus as early as round 4.

Level Up
Reaching level 2 requires allies to receive Barrier 4+ times in the game which will give Shen a +1|+1 boost and allies that receive Barriers from now on will also gain a +3|+0 upgrade for a round. Once again, this could be a deadly mechanic if paired with the right unit.

Shen’s Stand United
Shen’s champion spell is Stand United, a burst spell that swaps two allies, giving each Barrier for the round. At 6 mana, this is quite an expensive card, but if used in the right situation it could result in a huge swing, whether on attack or defense.

Yasuo

Yasuo
The most annoying champion in League of Legends is arguably the most annoying champion in Legends of Runeterra due to his ability to deal damage to ANY enemy that is stunned or recalled. Not only that, but Yasuo is also a powerful 4|4 card at just 4 mana WITH Quick Attack.

Level Up
Leveling Yasuo up is beneficial in terms of receiving his improved stats and also stunning or recalling 5+ opponents, dishing out 10 total damage due to Yasuo’s mechanic. Level 2 Yasuo gains +1|+1 and now strikes an enemy if they are stunned or recalled. With 5+ power, this is huge for taking down high health opponents without risking losing your champion in battle.

Yasuo’s Steel Tempest
Yasuo’s champion spell is Steel Tempest, a fast spell that stuns an attacking enemy, preventing them from damaging your blocking unit. Also, if you have a Yasuo on the board, they will attack them instantly, dealing upwards of 2 damage to the unit.

Zed

Zed
Zed is the least expensive Ionia champion, costing just 3 mana. Zed has 3 power, 2 health, and Quick Attack, allowing him to attack his blocker before they can respond. Also, whenever Zed attacks he summons a Living Shadow to the board that shares the Master of Shadows’ stats. In terms of early game damage, Zed is one of the best units to quickly wipe out enemy units and deal some early Nexus damage.

Level Up
To level up, Zed and his Living Shadows must strike the enemy Nexus twice. From this, Zed will gain a +1|+1 boost and his summoned Living Shadows will now share his keywords, such as Quick Attack. This isn’t too much of an improvement on Zed’s level 1 card, but it is relatively easy to reach level 2.

Zed’s Shadowshift
Zed’s champion spell is Shadowshift, a 3 mana fast spell that recalls any ally from the board, replacing it with a Living Shadow. Living Shadows are units that last for 1 round, dealing 3 damage to their opponent. This spell is ideal for instances where your highly-prized units are in danger of being killed as they can be quickly switched out for an expendable Shadow.

Which of the five Ionia champions do you think is strongest? Will you be building an Ionia based Legends of Runeterra deck?