Viego
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Excellent (9.5/10)
Low Investment
Rare Relics OK
Viego is widely considered one of the strongest champions in Path of Champions, often rated as S-tier or 'godlike' at higher constellation levels. His ability to scale infinitely, control the board through unit stealing, and drop as early as Turn 1 makes him a premier choice for clearing Nightmare adventures.
The Ruined King (Turn 1 OTK)
The cornerstone of high-level Viego play. It allows you to kill your initial Mists or fodder units to reduce Viego's cost, often enabling a Turn 1 summon while simultaneously triggering 'Ally Death' effects to buff him immediately.
Provides the starting mana necessary to consistently drop Viego on Turn 1 when paired with Disciple of Shadows. Also contributes to his stats to ensure he hits the board as a threat.
Strategy
This build focuses on pure speed and aggression. By utilizing the mana from Starforged Gauntlets and the cost reduction from Disciple of Shadows, you can summon Viego immediately. Spectral Scissors ensures that your first attack is often lethal, as Viego will likely be leveled or huge from the Mists generated.
Mist Consumer (Sustain & Control)
Excellent for board space management. Viego consumes his own Mists or stolen units to grow permanently huge and acquire their keywords (like Lifesteal or Elusive).
Triggers an immediate strike on summon. This kills an enemy unit, generates a Mist (if Viego kills it), and helps stabilize the board instantly.
Grants Overwhelm to Viego and his allies. If you have Viego's 4-star power (which provides Overwhelm), this slot can be swapped for 'Spellshield' (Black Shield) or 'Guardian Angel'.
Strategy
A more balanced approach that solves Viego's main weakness: board space. Corrupted Star Fragment condenses stats onto Viego, preventing your board from being clogged by small units. This build is safer and offers better sustain if you can steal units with Lifesteal.
F2P / Rare Only
- The best rare relic for Viego. It allows him to eat his ephemeral Mists before they die, retaining their stats permanently.
- Provides essential removal and helps level Viego by generating kills.
Necessary for closing out games by granting Overwhelm to your massive units.
Strategy
Even without Epic relics, Viego is a powerhouse. Use Corrupted Star Fragment to eat your own units to clear board space for more Mist spawns, and use Stalker's Blade to control the enemy board while growing Viego.
Other Relic Options
Viego is the engine of the deck; Spellshield protects him from removal, which is critical in high-difficulty adventures like Lissandra or Swain.
Synergizes well with Shadow Isles unit pools, often discounting powerful high-cost units like Mordekaiser to play alongside Viego.
Provides insurance against removal and can be abused with Corrupted Star Fragment or Spectral Scissors to print Viego copies.
Avoid 'The Curator's Gatebreaker' as Viego's stats on summon are often small before Mists ramp up. 'Transmogulator' is a trap because it transforms Mists into random units, removing their synergy.
Constellation
Viego's constellation is considered one of the best in the game. He functions perfectly fine at 3 stars, but his higher star powers turn him into a monster that ignores most adventure mutators.
Beyond the Mists
Each round, the first time you slay an ally, summon an Encroaching Mist.
Harrowed Path
+1 Starting mana. When an ally with 4+ power dies, reduce the cost of all 4+ power allies in hand by 1.
Beyond the Mists II
Each round, the first time you slay an ally, and the first time you slay an enemy summon an Encroaching Mist.
Crush
Allies have Overwhelm.Review
A significant power spike that grants Overwhelm to your Encroaching Mists (and often Viego via aura/keywords). This frees up a relic slot that would otherwise be used for Troll King's Crown or The Beast Within.
Manaflow
Game Start: Get a mana gem.Review
Provides a starting Mana Gem. While Viego has built-in cost reduction mechanics, the extra mana improves consistency, ensuring you don't 'brick' on hands with no cheap fodder to sacrifice.
All Will Serve
When you summon a Encroaching Mist, grant allies Everywhere +1|+0.Review
Widely regarded as 'broken' and 'godlike'. It grants allies Everywhere +1|+0 whenever you summon an Encroaching Mist. Since Viego summons Mists constantly, this leads to infinite, exponential scaling that trivializes even Nightmare encounters. It transforms him from a 'great' champion to an 'auto-win' champion.
Gameplay Tips
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Mist Management: Viego's Encroaching Mists are Ephemeral and die at the end of the round. Don't be afraid to attack with them or sacrifice them using cards like Glimpse Beyond or Spirit Leech to draw cards and clear board space.
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The Board Space Trap: One of Viego's biggest struggles is a full board. If you have 6 units, you cannot summon new Mists, which halts your scaling. Aggressively trade units or use Corrupted Star Fragment to eat them to keep slots open.
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Turn 1 Lethal: With Disciple of Shadows, you can often play Viego on Turn 1 by killing the Mists spawned by your starting powers. This immediately buffs Viego and starts his engine.
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Stealing Win Conditions: Viego's level 2 ability allows him to steal the strongest enemy unit. Against bosses like Aurelion Sol or Baron Nashor, you can steal their massive units to use against them. Note that stealing Baron Nashor usually breaks the enemy AI, causing them to stop playing units.
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Countering Counters: Viego struggles heavily against the Yasuo adventure (Stuns prevent Mists from striking) and Lissandra's Rimefang Shaman encounter (Frostbite negates Mist power). Avoid these paths or draft specific counters (like Spellshield) when possible.