The Evelynn Viego deck is truly a force to be reckoned with in Legends of Runeterra. Its win conditions go even beyond its two potent champions, and it has cards that allow it to be flexible enough to win at any stage of the game. As such, it has the potential to go toe to toe with almost any type of deck.

RELATED: Legends Of Runeterra: The Best Cards From Awakening

If you’re looking to play the Evelynn Viego deck you should note that, while it doesn’t require a PhD to pilot, it isn’t as easy as a simple aggro deck to play. With the two core mechanics being focused around Evelyn and her Husks, and Viego and his Encroaching Mists, you’re in for a treat once you learn how to master using them both.

General Strategy

Sample Decklist:

Considering the multitude of win conditions this deck has at its disposal, a good general strategy would be to pick one and cater to it the best you can. However, it’s not as simple as that, as you won’t know which is actually going to be your win condition until you see what type of deck you’re playing against and how your opponent responds to your moves.

To give a brief example, you’re up against a Kindred Nasus deck and you curve out well and play Evelynn on turn four. You got some more Husk-generating cards in your hand, and you’re ready to make Evelynn your win condition, but then they kill her with Vengeance.

That means two things: first, Evelynn can no longer be your win condition (unless you just draw another the next turn) and they used one of their hard-removal spells to kill her, paving the way for a different one of your heavy-hitters, perhaps Viego, who is also in your hand, to become your new win condition.

The point is, you’re never going to know how a game will turn out, so use your judgment as you play your possible win conditions. See how your opponent responds, and go from there. What this deck lacks in defensive spells it makes up for in game-winning threats, so it’s alright to sacrifice one win condition for another.

Mulligan

You’ll want to mulligan Hate Spike, Sultur, one of your three drops, and an Evelynn. Of course, your Mulligan varies depending on what type of deck you’re up against, but as a rule of thumb, these are the cards you want to aim for.

Another general mulligan to go for would simply be two spells, a low-costing minion, and Evelynn. So, perhaps, instead of grabbing Sultur or a three drop, you may want to pick up a vile feast or Black Spear instead.

In sum, it’s good to mulligan Evelynn, one to two low-costing spells, and one to two minions, preferably those that spawn Husks.

Win Conditions

As previously mentioned, this deck has quite a few win conditions, so let’s look at each one more closely so you can better adapt to each of your games.

• Viego: Viego is the most front and center win condition. His ability to infinitely buff himself as well as the threat he poses once leveled up makes you incredibly relevant in the late game. Your opponent will need to respond to him as soon as possible because if he's left unchecked, he’ll walk over any deck.
• Evelynn: Evelynn is less of a win condition than Viego, but can undoubtedly become one under the right circumstances. If you get her rolling with her Husks and (temporary) keywords, your opponent will be forced to spend a hefty amount of mana to remove her.
• Neverglade Collector: Neverglade Collector will usually be your win condition when up against aggro, or even mid-range decks. In most scenarios, you won’t be given the chance to get either of your champions rolling as aggro and mid-range decks can pick up steam pretty quickly. Thus, you’ll be trading away your minions quite a bit, which is where Neverglade Collector becomes an issue for your opponent.
• Atrocity: Atrocity is your win condition if all else fails. Typically, you’re going to want to use this on a buffed-up Viego or Encroaching Mist, but sometimes using it on Evelynn or an Invasive Hydravine can suffice. Just be super careful of Ionian decks, as Deny can ruin your day.
• Invasive Hydravine: Invasive Hydravine is like a mini Viego. Granted, it doesn’t stack itself, but its ability to summon an Encroaching Mist at the start of every turn makes it something that, if not addressed, will snowball the game in your favor.

Playing Against Aggro Decks

Playing against an aggro deck can be tough, but is certainly doable if you can afford to play reactively. You’re going to want to Mulligan as usual and find two or three low-costing minions, especially your Hapless Aristocrat (finding Evelynn is less important), and a Hate Spike or Vile Feast (or both).

In terms of playing reactively, this is hard to do if you’re under immense pressure. However, if you can afford to do so, there’s nothing better than killing the target of their Noxian Fervor with a Hate Spike or Black Spear. Other than that, remember to trade as effectively as possible.

RELATED: Legends Of Runeterra: The Best Equipment Cards

Playing Against Mid-range Decks

Against mid-range decks, you definitely want to mulligan an Evelynn (along with the usual low-costing followers and spells), as she is your ticket to sustain through their early to mid-game onslaught. Mid-range decks are all about tempo, so the goal here is simply to out-value them so that you gain tempo, and they lose tempo.

The way to do this is by taking good trades; many mid-range decks don’t have the same early power as aggro decks, allowing you to strategically take some small hits in order to gain value in later turns. Another thing to keep track of is good Husk bonuses, as you’ll want them on any of your win conditions.

Playing Against Control Decks

Your strategy for dealing with control decks comes down to Viego and your Invasive Hydravines. Sure, Neverglade Collector might be able to see you through to a win against a control deck, but it’s unlikely considering its two-attack makes it vulnerable to low-costing spells such as Quietus and Culling Strike. In truth, Invasive Hydravine becomes vulnerable against a control deck too due to its inability to self-buff itself.

Thus, Viego and Atrocity are your most reliable tickets toward beating a control deck, so if you know you’re up against one, be sure to play him when it’s safe. Try and wait out your opponent's hard removal, or if you have two Viegos in your hand, bait out the hard removal with one and then play another.

Some Tips

• In certain situations, if you have a really good keyword on a Husk in play, it may pay to wait a turn so that you can get it to trigger on either Evelynn or Viego. Only do this if either champion is in your hand already and if you’re not under a great deal of pressure to respond to your opponent. The keywords you’ll want to look out for to do this are Regeneration, Challenger, and SpellShield (Fury is a good one too).
• If you’re against a deck that has high-priority mid-range targets (champion or follower), keep an Evelynn in your mulligan. Evelynn’s champion spell is an incredible way of getting rid of five to six health targets without having to waste a Vengeance.
• Unless you’re under an insane amount of pressure, try to use your spells reactively, especially your Hate Spikes and Glimpse Beyonds, as missing out on those effects can be pretty detrimental.
• Speaking of Hate Spike and Glimpse Beyond, if you suspect your opponent has a one-damage spell in their hand, feel free to use either of these low-costing spells on Sultur. His three health makes it so he’s not so easily killed in reaction to your spell, and also, let’s be honest: you don’t really want him on your board when you have much more powerful minions coming.

NEXT: A Starter Guide To Legends of Runeterra