Grand Archive Champion Tier List: Current Meta Rankings
Grand Archive's champion roster has grown significantly since launch. With each new expansion, old champions get new support cards and new champions shift the entire meta. Here's where every major champion sits right now.
Tier S — Format Defining
Lorraine, Crux Knight
Lorraine has occupied Tier S for most of Grand Archive's competitive life. Her ability to generate spirit tokens while playing aggressive Sword attacks creates a dual-threat gameplan that is simultaneously the fastest clock and the hardest to disrupt.
Her key combo: attack → generate spirit → spend spirit to recur an attack from graveyard → attack again. Against an unprepared opponent, this chain can end games on turn 4.
Why she's S: Linear gameplan, high ceiling, consistent execution. The deck essentially plays itself, which matters in long tournament runs.
Merlin, Grand Mage
Merlin is the combo champion of Grand Archive. His ability to chain spell cards and generate massive card advantage through his wizard tools makes him the strongest non-aggressive champion.
The Merlin matchup for aggro decks is a race condition — can you kill him before he assembles his engine? Many aggressive decks have built in a clock specifically timed to beat Merlin's turn-5 power plays.
Tier A — Consistently Strong
Diana, Roaming Huntress
Diana was underrated on release. Her archer mechanic — preparing arrows for delayed but powerful hits — rewards patient play and meticulous sequencing.
The skill expression ceiling on Diana is among the highest in the game. A mediocre Diana player will go 2-2 at a regional. An expert Diana player will top 8 the same event with an identical decklist.
Tristan, Undying Ranger
Tristan pairs well with the current crop of generic action cards. His pet ability provides board presence without requiring hand investment, giving him a free resource that many other champions don't have access to.
Weakness: His pet has low health and can be targeted. Experienced opponents will prioritise removing it immediately to cripple Tristan's resource generation.
Tier B — Solid but Matchup-Dependent
Rai, Spirit Inventor
Rai was the dominant force in early Grand Archive metas. The Floating Memory mechanic he introduced is still powerful, but the rest of the format has caught up.
He remains strong against slower decks but struggles into the Lorraine matchup specifically. Lorraine's tempo is too fast for Rai to set up his floating memories before taking lethal.
Silvie, Loving Caretaker
One of the most interesting design spaces in GA. Silvie builds a bond with her dragon — growing it over multiple turns into a devastating threat. When the bond is established, the damage output is S tier. The problem is the setup time.
Best in: casual pods and slower constructed formats.
Tier C — Situationally Viable
Kira, the Wanderer
Kira's roaming mechanic adds a positioning element to Grand Archive that no other champion explores. Unfortunately, the payoff for executing her positioning gameplan doesn't justify the complexity cost at competitive tables.
Zander, the Storm Shaman
Zander generates lightning tokens and eventually converts them into massive direct damage. The mechanic is fun, but his early game is the worst of any champion. Playing Zander is betting that you can survive to turn 6 and then win from that point. Aggressive metas punish this assumption.
Summary Table
| Champion | Tier | Archetype | |----------|------|-----------| | Lorraine | S | Aggro/Midrange | | Merlin | S | Combo | | Diana | A | Midrange/Control | | Tristan | A | Aggro/Midrange | | Rai | B | Control/Combo | | Silvie | B | Midrange | | Kira | C | Aggro (Niche) | | Zander | C | Combo |
The meta remains healthy with multiple viable strategies. Lorraine's dominance is real but not oppressive — skilled pilots of A-tier champions regularly defeat her. A diverse field at the top tables is the sign of a well-designed card game.