Ornn
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Poor (3/10)
High Investment Required
Epic Relics
Paid Relics
Ornn is widely regarded as one of the weakest champions in the game due to his high mana cost (7) and slow ramp-up time, often referred to as 'The Tension of Doing Nothing'. His starter deck lacks early interaction, leaving him vulnerable to aggressive enemies. While he offers high 'big number' satisfaction for a niche audience, he typically requires significant investment in Epic relics and Constellation powers to function at a baseline level acceptable for high-tier content.
Titanic Mana Ramp
Essential for fixing Ornn's primary weakness: his late arrival. Provides +1 Starting Mana, allowing Ornn to drop on Turn 3 (or earlier with plunder). Requires Ornn to be 'Titanic' (8+ Power or Health).
Required to activate Starforged Gauntlets. By providing +3 Health, it ensures Ornn meets the Titanic threshold (8+ Health) once he has a few levels.
The primary win condition. Allows Ornn to consume his summoned Ram on attack. Since the Ram is Ephemeral and dies anyway, this recycles its massive stats and keywords onto Ornn permanently.
Strategy
This build addresses Ornn's severe tempo disadvantage by accelerating his summon timer. Once on the board, attacking with Ornn and eating the Ram creates a self-sustaining, massive Overwhelm unit that can end the game in one or two swings.
Triple Plunder Aggro
Reduces Ornn's cost by 2 when Plunder is triggered. Stacking multiple copies allows for a Turn 1 or Turn 2 Ornn drop.- A second copy further reduces cost, enabling an immediate summon if you can deal damage to the enemy Nexus.
Rallies on level up. If Ornn drops early and levels immediately (easy with pre-game forging), this allows for an instant game-ending attack.
Strategy
This strategy relies on mulliganing aggressively for a Plunder activator (like the 'Blade's Edge' power or a low-cost elusive unit). By reducing Ornn's cost significantly, you bypass his slow early game entirely. If triple Scourge's Stash is unavailable, mixing in 'The Curator's Gatebreaker' can also work to apply immediate pressure.
Rare Relic Scaling
- Essential for converting the temporary power of the Ram into permanent stats on Ornn.
- Provides necessary tempo by reducing Ornn's cost, helping him hit the board before the game is lost.
Removes a key enemy threat upon summon and helps level Ornn immediately if his power is high enough.
Other Relic Options
Highly effective for scaling. Ornn's 'Time and Dedication' spells are fully doubled, accelerating stat growth significantly.
Summons an attacking copy of the supported ally (the Ram). Since Ornn wants to attack with the Ram anyway, this effectively doubles your output.
Stacking multiple copies can create an 'Instawin' button on summon due to his high attack, bypassing the need for combat.
Constellation
Ornn's constellation upgrades are viewed as necessary fixes for a fundamentally flawed base kit rather than exciting power fantasies. Without them, he struggles to compete with modern champions.
Sweet Solitude
Round Start: Create a 0 cost Fleeting Time and Dedication in hand.
I Made This
+1 Starting Mana. The first time you play an ally or equipment that cost 4+ mana, Manifest an equipment and reduce its cost by 2.Review
Widely considered one of the worst 2-star powers in the game. The requirement to play a 4+ cost card to generate equipment is too slow and mana-intensive, often providing value only after it no longer matters.
Sweet Solitude II
Round Start: Create a 0 cost Fleeting Time and Dedication in hand. The first time you Forge each round, Forge again.Review
Essential. The ability to forge twice is critical for his scaling and leveling condition. Ornn is often described as 'unusable' without this power.
Gameplay Tips
Consuming the Ram
When attacking with Ornn equipped with Corrupted Star Fragment, place the Ram to Ornn's right. The Ram is an Ephemeral unit that will die at the end of the round regardless. By letting Ornn 'eat' the Ram during combat, you permanently transfer its stats and keywords to Ornn, preventing the value from being lost.
The Support Carry
Due to Ornn's high cost and lack of early game presence, it is often strategically correct to ignore Ornn entirely during the draft and focus on building a powerful support champion package. Treat Ornn as a late-game insurance policy rather than the main protagonist.
Lissandra Interaction
In the Lissandra adventure, playing a card that copies an item (like Ornn's equipment duplication) does not count towards the limit of cards played for her mana tax penalty. This allows you to scale your board without being punished as severely as other spell-heavy champions.
Managing Hand Size
Ornn's powers generate equipment and forge spells, which can quickly clutter your hand. Be mindful of burning your next draw. It is often better to pass on generating a weak equipment if your hand is full of essential cards.