Understanding when and why to build items in Teamfight Tactics can be key to winning more consistently.

Just like our LoL tier list, our TFT items tier list is created in collaboration with high-level TFT players, such as Ace of Spades.

Patch 12.19 is a patch that isn’t shaking up the meta too too much, but it does have some large changes that will affect the meta for sure.

Let’s get into it.

Looking for info on Set 7.5? Check out our all-in-one Teamfight Tactics Set 7.5 reveal article that covers all champions, synergies, and more!

TFT Items Tier List for Patch 12.19

If you’re looking for the best champions in the Teamfight Tactics, check out our TFT tier list.

For the most updated information, check out our constantly updated TFT Item Tier list feature.

Basic Items Tier List

1. Optimal (S-tier): B.F. Sword, Chain Vest, Giant’s Belt, Needlessly Large Rod, Spatula, Tear of the Goddess
2. Great (A-tier): Negatron Cloak, Recurve Bow, Sparring Gloves
3. Good (B-tier): None

Combined Items Tier List

1. Optimal (S-tier): Archangel’s Staff, Bloodthirster, Blue Buff, Cavalier Emblem, Dragonmancer Emblem, Edge of Night, Gargoyle Stoneplate, Giant Slayer, Lagoon Emblem, Last Whisper, Mage Emblem, Morellonomicon, Protector’s Vow, Shroud of Stillness, Spear of Shojin, Statikk Shiv, Sunfire Cape, Tactician’s Crown, Titan’s Resolve, Warmog’s Armor, Zeke’s Herald, Zz’Rot Portal
2. Great (A-tier): Bramble Vest, Chalice of Power, Dragon’s Claw, Guardian Emblem, Guinsoo’s Rageblade, Hand of Justice, Hextech Gunblade, Infinity Edge, Jeweled Gauntlet, Locket of the Iron Solari, Mirage Emblem, Rabadon’s Deathcap, Rapid Firecannon, Redemption, Runaan’s Hurricane, Shimmerscale Emblem, Thief’s Gloves, Zephyr
3. Good (B-tier): Banshee’s Claw, Deathblade, Ionic Spark, Quicksilver, Swiftshot Emblem,

Recent Changes Commentary

Gargoyle Stoneplate A to S

Of the tank items in the game, Gargoyle has been the standout one supplying tanks with both Armor and MR.

Guardian Emblem B to A

High Guardian counts could be seen as a meme comp, but having 4 or 6 Guardians can actually be quite impactful.

Shimmerscale Emblem B to A

So far, Shimmerscale hasn’t seen much use, but comps are starting to use them more.

Dragon’s Claw S to A

This item saw a decent amount of play after the rework in Set 7, but other tank items seem to perform better overall.

Mirage Emblem S to A

Daeja contributes a lot to the potency of Mirage Emblem, and right now, Daeja isn’t at the top of the meta.

Swiftshot Emblem A to B

Having more Swiftshots is not particularly necessary, and having this Emblem doesn’t help you complete team comps much at all.

TFT Item Combinations

In the following sections, you’ll find commentary on the best basic items and the TFT item recipes to create the best TFT item combinations. To get a quick and easy reference, check out our TFT Items tool.

Basic Items

These basic items make the best TFT item recipes in the game. Unless you already picked up a lot of these, these are the items you should aim for at the carousel.

B.F. Sword

B.F Sword is a great offensive item pick as it builds into the best Attack Damage items and also healing items for both AD and AP users.

Chain Vest

Armor always brings great utility and defense to a team, and the balance of the game brings defensive items into a good spot.

Giant’s Belt

Giant’s Belt also builds into a good amount of S tier items. Zeke’s Herald is a strong item on many team comps, while something like Sunfire Cape can be used to try and win streak early game.

Needlessly Large Rod

Needlessly Large Rod is similar to B.F Sword in that it builds into a lot of powerful items. It can be used in attack and magic damage items, making it highly sought after.

Negatron Cloak

Negatron is similar to Chain Vest in that it mostly builds into good utility items. It usually isn’t a high priority, but it still builds into a lot of strong items you want on many teams.

Recurve Bow

Recurve bow builds into a lot of strong attack damage carry items, but not so much magic damage. It can be sought after as many of the items have powerful effects, but it’s not as flexible as some other item components.

Sparring Gloves

Sparring Gloves has become a premium item in the game. It builds into some of the best offensive items in the game as well as some of the best utility items.

Spatula

Spatula is an amazing item purely because it brings so much variance. In the hands of a good player, it can become that extra push for your team. However, it can become a dead item in some situations if you get one late in the game.

Tear of the Goddess

Tear is an extremely powerful item simply because it gives mana. To build on that, it builds into some of the strongest items as well. Overall, Tear is a solid item which is also core for some team comps that want to cast their abilities a lot.

Combined Items

Bloodthirster (B.F. Sword + Negatron Cloak)

This item provides good lifesteal for units that basic attack. Units with very high damage like Draven thrive with this item as their ability hits scales their basic attack damage.

Blue Buff (Tear of the Goddess x2)

This item is mainly used on carries that have low mana pools to allow them to continuously cast their ability.

Bramble Vest (2x Chain Vest)

This item is great for tanks as it allows them to negate any critical damage whether it’s attack damage or magic damage. The small damage it applies can also be nice for early game fights.

Chalice of Power (Negatron Cloak + Tear of the Goddess)

Chalice of Power now has an effect very much like Zeke’s Herald, only that it gives ability power instead of attack speed. For comps that stack magic damage, this item can add a lot of damage to your main carries, assuming you are able to position them close together without sacrificing your positioning.

Deathblade (B.F. Sword x2)

Deathblade is a good combined with or as an alternative to Infinity Edge. It gives a lot of attack damage to any carry that basic attacks.

Dragon’s Claw (Negatron Cloak x2)

If you are facing a magic damage comp this is ideal! This is a great item to put on a frontliner to make them take much less damage from abilities.

Edge of Night (B.F. Sword + Chain Vest)

If you have a character that is being targeted by Assassins or is maybe a frontline carry, this item can be great to take aggro off them during the fight.

Tactician’s Crown (Spatula x2)

This item allows you to place an extra unit on the field. Yeah…that’s pretty good!

Protector’s Vow (Chain Vest + Tear of the Goddess)

This item introduced in set 7.5 allows the holder to provide a lot of shield value to the rest of the team. A strong option to fit on many teams.

Giant Slayer (B.F. Sword + Recurve Bow)

Giant Slayer is one of the few items that give multiplicative scaling. This is very powerful and becomes even stronger against enemies with high health.

Guinsoo’s Rageblade (Needlessly Large Rod + Recurve Bow)

This item is in a league of its own. Infinitely stacking AS with hyper carries is a recipe for broken team comps.

Hand of Justice (Sparring Gloves + Tear of the Goddess)

Hand of Justice has a very powerful effect as it gives multiple bonuses in attack damage, ability power, and healing. This can be a good flexible item on a lot of carries.

Hextech Gunblade (B.F. Sword + Needlessly Large Rod)

Spell reliant units can benefit heavily from the omnivamp here but it can work on most damage dealers.

Ionic Spark (Needlessly Large Rod + Negatron Cloak)

Ionic Spark is a great utility item to put on front line units. Reducing magic resist is useful for all team comps and the mana debuff can also be clutch in many fights.

Infinity Edge (B.F. Sword + Sparring Gloves)

Infinity Edge is one of the best attack damage items in the game. It gives 100% crit chance to the holder and scales extremely well on a lot of champions.

Jeweled Gauntlet (Sparring Gloves + Needlessly Large Rod)

Jeweled Gauntlet is very powerful on magic damage carries as it provides crit damage to spells. This provides multiplicative scaling instead of simply increasing Ability Power.

Last Whisper (Brawler’s Gloves + Recurve Bow)

Last Whisper pairs extremely nicely with Infinity Edge against teams that have a lot of armor.

Locket of the Iron Solari (Chain Vest + Needlessly Large Rod)

A defensive option that works well against AoE comps, try it out early game for a small edge, but expect it to fall off late game.

Archangel’s Staff (Tear of the Goddess + Needlessly Large Rod)

Archangel’s Staff is a great way to provide AP scaling for magic damage champs the longer the fight goes on.

Morellonomicon (Giant’s Belt + Needlessly Large Rod)

The burn and anti-healing are good vs almost every comp. This item also fits into a lot of comps assuming you have an AoE caster.

Quicksilver (Sparring Gloves + Negtron Cloak)

Quicksilver is currently the only effective game mechanic that counters CC and will surely see some play in countering late-game enemy comps.

Rabadon’s Deathcap (Needlessly Large Rod x2)

This is a great oomph to a spell caster, but remember to pair it with items that allow the caster to cast more frequently. Otherwise, it loses its value and you are better off going for something else.

Rapid Firecannon (Recurve Bow x2)

RFC allows champions to have a bit more range, which can be useful for melee carries or for giving your ranged carry just a bit more safety. It also lets units spend less time walking around the board, resulting in more damage dealing instead.

Sunfire Cape (Chain Vest + Giant’s Belt)

Sunfire is a great early game item to add some damage to the slow fights at the start of the game. It is also a good way to utilize defensive items offensively early in the game.

Redemption (Giant’s Belt + Tear of the Goddess)

Redemption is a solid early game item that can be difficult to deal with. It provides a lot of value that might be difficult to tell, but it’s a solid pick for any comp.

Runaan’s Hurricane (Negatron Cloak + Recurve Bow)

Hurricane is core on champions who’s auto attacks are their main source of damage. This will provide multiplicative scaling for a champion, so keep this item in mind.

Shroud of Stillness (Brawlers Gloves + Chain Vest)

An item with that can be game changing due to its ability-denial but is susceptible to positioning counterplay if your opponent is ready for it. Be ready to adapt.

Spear of Shojin (B.F. Sword + Tear of the Goddess)

Spear of Shojin is for champions that have high mana pools or have high attack speed. It’s similar to Blue Buff, but will be more effective on certain champions.

Statikk Shiv (Recurve Bow + Tear of the Goddess)

Shiv is an item that is mainly used to gain an advantage early game. This item will often fall off late game, but in some comps, it can be a carry item when combined with extremely high attack speed.

Gargoyle Stoneplate (Negatron Cloak + Chain Vest)

This item is great on solo frontline units. If you want to make an unkillable tank, this is the item for you.

Thief’s Gloves (2x Sparring Gloves)

There are many champions in the game that make good use out of any item, namely the 5-cost units. For a small investment of two items, copying two items can be quite RNG based, but will on average result in decent outcomes.

Titan’s Resolve (Recurve Bow + Chain Vest)

Phantom Dancer has been replaced by Titan’s Resolve which has a very interesting stacking mechanic for a defensive item. Note that it resets every round and doesn’t stack throughout a match.

Banshee’s Claw (Sparring Gloves + Giant’s Belt)

Banshee’s is an amazing item on any team comp, giving you the ability to give a spell shield to your main carry when positioned next to them.

Warmog’s Armor (Giant’s Belt + Giant’s Belt)

Solid item to give any unit more survivability, whether its a tank or an important unit you need to keep alive.

Zeke’s Herald (B.F. Sword + Giant’s Belt)

This gives the 2 units next to the wearer attack speed. In a game where attack speed benefits nearly everyone, this is a big deal.

Zephyr (Giant’s Belt + Negatron Cloak)

Zephyr is one of the best counter play items in the game. With good positioning, you can Zephyr a specific target and completely change the outcome of a fight.

Zz’Rot Portal (Recurve Bow + Giant’s Belt)

Zz’Rot is a good item for teams that lack frontline. It comes at the cost of a bow, but on the right teams, this item can be a solid addition.

TFT Tier List Methodology

Our goal is to deliver the most correct tier list we can to help you win. As more data becomes available, we will add that to our decision making as well.

We justify our decision making in the notes, so be sure to read that and weigh in. We welcome feedback to figure out what we missed!

Items within a tier are not in a specific order of priority. Items are valued based on opportunity cost as well. Building a worse item with critical components devalues the overall power level of the item in question.

Items are valued in the following way:

• S-tier = Most powerful items in the game that are always valued.
• A-tier = Strong items that have a good use case complimenting S-tier items.
• B-tier = Items that are situational but still can work on specific champs.
• Not on the list = Items that are rarely useful and probably made because you have basic components you don’t need sitting around.

To learn about the latest new TFT Set, head to our all-in-one Teamfight Tactics Set 7.5 reveal page that covers all champions, synergies, and more!

The post Teamfight Tactics Set 7.5 Item Tier List – Best Items in Patch 12.19 appeared first on Mobalytics.

Welcome to our Teamfight Tactics cheat sheet for Set 7, Dragonlands.

These infographics will give you an easy reference for item recipe combinations.

We recommend downloading our free TFT Desktop App so you can get the cheat sheets within an in-game Overlay and not worry about looking at a second screen.

If you found this page looking for the upcoming TFT Set, currently on the PBE, head to our all-in-one Teamfight Tactics Set 7 reveal page that covers all champions, synergies, and more!

TFT Set 7 Item Cheat Sheet

TFT Cheat Sheet Item Combinations

To see all the stats for these item combinations and components, head to our handy TFT Set 7 item database.

• Archangel’s Staff
  • Tear of the Goddess + Needlessly Large Rod
• Assassin Emblem
  • Spatula + Sparring Gloves
• Astral Emblem
  • Needlessly Large Rod + Spatula
• Banshee’s Claw
  • Sparring Gloves + Giant’s Belt
• Bloodthirster
  • Negatron Cloak + B.F. Sword
• Blue Buff
  • Tear of the Goddess x2
• Bramble Vest
  • Chain Vest x2
• Bruiser Emblem
  • Giant’s Belt + Spatula
• Cavalier Emblem
  • Chain Vest + Spatula
• Chalice of Power
  • Tear of the Goddess + Negatron Cloak
• Deathblade
  • B.F. Sword x2
• Dragon’s Claw
  • Negatron Cloak x2
• Edge of Night
  • Chain Vest + B.F. Sword
• Frozen Heart
  • Tear of the Goddess + Chain Vest
• Gargoyle Stoneplate
  • Negatron Cloak + Chain Vest
• Giant Slayer
  • Recurve Bow + B.F. Sword
• Guinsoo’s Rageblade
  • Recurve Bow + Needlessly Large Rod
• Hand of Justice
  • Sparring Gloves + Tear of the Goddess
• Hextech Gunblade
  • Needlessly Large Rod + B.F. Sword
• Infinity Edge
  • B.F. Sword + Sparring Gloves
• Ionic Spark
  • Needlessly Large Rod + Negatron Cloak
• Jeweled Gauntlet
  • Sparring Gloves + Needlessly Large Rod
• Last Whisper
  • Sparring Gloves + Recurve Bow
• Locket of the Iron Solari
  • Needlessly Large Rod + Chain Vest
• Mage Emblem
  • Tear of the Goddess + Spatula
• Mirage Emblem
  • Negatron Cloak + spatula
• Morellonomicon
  • Needlessly Large Rod + Giant’s Belt
• Quicksilver
  • Sparring Gloves + Negatron Cloak
• Rabadon’s Deathcap
  • Needlessly Large Rod x2
• Ragewing Emblem
  • Recurve Bow + Spatula
• Rapid Firecannon
  • Recurve Bow x2
• Redemption
  • Tear of the Goddess + Giant’s Belt
• Runaan’s Hurricane
  • Recurve Bow + Negatron Cloak
• Shimmerscale Emblem
  • B.F. Sword + Spatula
• Shroud of Stilllness
  • Sparring Gloves + Chain Vest
• Spear of Shojin
  • Tear of the Goddess + B.F. Sword
• Statik Shiv
  • Tear of the Goddess + Recurve Bow
• Sunfire Cape
  • Giant’s Belt + Chain Vest
• Tactician’s Crown
  • Spatula x2
• Thief’s Gloves
  • Sparring Gloves x2
• Titan’s Resolve
  • Recurve Bow + Chain Vest
• Warmog’s Armor
  • Giant’s Belt x2
• Zeke’s Herald
  • Giant’s Belt + B.F. Sword
• Zephyr
  • Negatron Cloak + Giant’s Belt
• Zz’Rot
  • Recurve Bow + Giant’s Belt

To learn about the latest new TFT Set, head to our all-in-one Teamfight Tactics Set 7 reveal page that covers all champions, synergies, and more!

The post Teamfight Tactics Set 7 Cheat Sheets for Items, Champions, Origins, and Traits appeared first on Mobalytics.

Welcome to our Teamfight Tactics cheat sheet for Set 6, Gizmos and Gadgets.

These infographics will give you an easy reference for item recipes and champion trait combinations.

We recommend downloading our free TFT Desktop App so you can get the cheat sheets within an in-game Overlay and not worry about looking at a second screen..

If you found this page looking for the upcoming TFT Set, currently on the PBE, head to our all-in-one Teamfight Tactics Set 6 reveal page that covers all champions, synergies, and more!

TFT Set 6 Item Cheat Sheet

TFT Cheat Sheet Item Combinations

To see all the stats for these item combinations and components, head to our handy TFT Set 6 item database.

• Academy Emblem
  • Spatula + Tear of the Goddess
• Arcanist Emblem
  • Spatula + Needlessly Large Rod
• Archangel’s Staff
  • Tear of the Goddess + Needlessly Large Rod
• Assassin Emblem
  • Spatula + Sparring Gloves
• Banshee’s Claw
  • Sparring Gloves + Giant’s Belt
• Bloodthirster
  • Negatron Cloak + B.F. Sword
• Blue Buff
  • Tear of the Goddess x2
• Bramble Vest
  • Chain Vest x2
• Chalice of Power
  • Tear of the Goddess + Negatron Cloak
• Challenger Emblem
  • Spatula + Recurve Bow
• Chemtech Emblem
  • Spatula + Giant’s Belt
• Deathblade
  • B.F. Sword x2
• Dragon’s Claw
  • Negatron Cloak x2
• Frozen Heart
  • Tear of the Goddess + Chain Vest
• Gargoyle Stoneplate
  • Negatron Cloak + Chain Vest
• Giant Slayer
  • Recurve Bow + B.F. Sword
• Guardian Angel
  • Chain Vest + B.F. Sword
• Guinsoo’s Rageblade
  • Recurve Bow + Needlessly Large Rod
• Hand of Justice
  • Sparring Gloves + Tear of the Goddess
• Hextech Gunblade
  • Needlessly Large Rod + B.F. Sword
• Imperial Emblem
  • Spatula + B.F. Sword
• Infinity Edge
  • B.F. Sword + Sparring Gloves
• Ionic Spark
  • Needlessly Large Rod + Negatron Cloak
• Jeweled Gauntlet
  • Sparring Gloves + Needlessly Large Rod
• Last Whisper
  • Sparring Gloves + Recurve Bow
• Locket of the Iron Solari
  • Needlessly Large Rod + Chain Vest
• Morellonomicon
  • Needlessly Large Rod + Giant’s Belt
• Mutant Emblem
  • Spatula + Negatron Cloak
• Quicksilver
  • Sparring Gloves + Negatron Cloak
• Rabadon’s Deathcap
  • Needlessly Large Rod x2
• Rapid Firecannon
  • Recurve Bow x2
• Redemption
  • Tear of the Goddess + Giant’s Belt
• Runaan’s Hurricane
  • Recurve Bow + Negatron Cloak
• Shroud of Stilllness
  • Sparring Gloves + Chain Vest
• Spear of Shojin
  • Tear of the Goddess + B.F. Sword
• Statik Shiv
  • Tear of the Goddess + Recurve Bow
• Sunfire Cape
  • Giant’s Belt + Chain Vest
• Syndicate Emblem
  • Spatula + Chain Vest
• Tactician’s Crown
  • Spatula x2
• Thief’s Gloves
  • Sparring Gloves x2
• Titan’s Resolve
  • Recurve Bow + Chain Vest
• Warmog’s Armor
  • Giant’s Belt x2
• Zeke’s Herald
  • Giant’s Belt + B.F. Sword
• Zephyr
  • Negatron Cloak + Giant’s Belt
• Zz’Rot
  • Recurve Bow + Giant’s Belt

TFT Set 6 Synergy Cheat Sheet

To find more on champion synergies, check out our TFT synergies database.

• Academy
  • Garen, Graves, Katarina, Leona, Lux, Yone, Yuumi
• Arcanist
  • Lux, Malzahar, Swain, Twisted Fate, Vex, Viktor, Ziggs
• Assassin
  • Akali, Ekko, Katarina, Shaco, Talon, Twitch
• Bodyguard
  • Blitzcrank, Braum, Darius, Galio, Leona, Poppy
• Bruiser
  • Cho’Gath, Dr. Mundo, Illaoi, Tahm Kench, Trundle, Vi, Zac
• Challenger
  • Camille, Fiora, Kai’Sa, Quinn, Samira, Warwick, Yone
• Chemtech
  • Dr. Mundo, Lissandra, Singed, Twitch, Urgot, Viktor, Warwick, Zac
• Clockwork
  • Camille, Jhin, Orianna, Zilean
• Colossus
  • Cho’Gath, Galio, Sion
• Cuddly
  • Yuumi
• Enchanter
  • Janna, Lulu, Orianna, Taric
• Enforcer
  • Caitlyn, Fiora, Jayce, Vi
• Glutton
  • Tahm Kench
• Imperial
  • Samira, Sion, Swain, Talon
• Innovator
  • Ezreal, Heimerdinger, Jayce, Seraphine, Singed, Zilean
• Mercenary
  • Gangplank, Illaoi, Miss Fortune, Quinn, Tahm Kench
• Mutant
  • Cho’Gath, Dr. Mundo, Kai’Sa, Kassadin, Kog’Maw, Malzahar
• Protector
  • Blitzcrank, Garen, Kassadin, Sion
• Scrap
  • Blitzcrank, Ekko, Ezreal, Janna, Jinx, Trundle, Ziggs
• Scholar
  • Heimerdinger, Janna, Lissandra, Yuumi, Zyra
• Sister
  • Jinx, Vi
• Socialite
  • Galio, Seraphine, Taric
• Sniper
  • Caitlyn, Jhin, Kog’Maw, Miss Fortune, Tristana
• Syndicate
  • Akali, Braum, Darius, Shaco, Twisted Fate, Zyra
• Transformer
  • Jayce
• Twinshot
  • Gangplank, Graves, Jinx, Kog’Maw, Urgot
• Yordle
  • Heimerdinger, Lulu, Poppy, Tristana, Vex, Ziggs

To learn about the latest new TFT Set, head to our all-in-one Teamfight Tactics Set 6 reveal page that covers all champions, synergies, and more!

The post TFT Set 6 Cheat Sheet for Items, Champions, and Synergies appeared first on Mobalytics.

Set 5 is coming to a close, and everyone is excited to try Set 6 out on the PBE server.

The new Hextech Augments mechanic will definitely change how the game is played every game.

As a result, the variance in this set will likely be higher than in Set 5.

Keep in mind that all of this information is subject to change during PBE testing.

For more information on the new set, head to our all-in-one TFT Set 6 reveal page!

If you’re looking for a handy reference for item/synergy combinations, check out our TFT Set 6 cheat sheet.

Jump to a section:

• New Traits
  • Origins
  • Classes
• New Champions
  • 1-cost
  • 2-cost
  • 3-cost
  • 4-cost
  • 5-cost
• New Mechanics
  • Hextech Augments

Set 6’s New TFT Traits

We have a whole slew of new Origins and Classes, so let’s get right into the new additions.

Set 6’s New TFT Origins

Academy

Bonus: Academics have bonus Attack Damage and Ability Power, and can learn from their allies, increasing this bonus whenever an ally casts an ability. (2,4,6,8)

Champions: Garen, Graves, Katarina, Leona, Lux, Yone, Yuumi

First Impressions: 

This trait is very similar to Spellweavers from Set 5 except this time the trait gives both AD and AP. Giving bonus stats is a very common trait bonus, which allow scaling items to be more effective on carries.

Chemtech

Bonus: After dropping below 60% Health, Chemtech champions gain 25% Damage Reduction, 50% Attack Speed, and regenerate 5% of their maximum Health each second. Breakpoints add to the duration of this effect. (3,5,7,9)

Champions: Singed, Twitch, Warwick, Lissandra, Zac, Dr. Mundo, Urgot, Viktor

First Impressions: 

If this buff lasted until the end of the fight, it would be broken. However, the units in the trait determine the duration of this effect. Even still, attack speed, damage reduction, and health regen are all great stats to have on any unit.

Cuddly

Bonus: Yuumi attaches herself to her nearest ally at start of combat, or to the lowest Health ally after being briefly unattached. Attaching grants the ally a shield equal to a portion of Yuumi’s maximum health, and Yuumi detaches if the shield is broken.

While attached Yuumi is untargetable and can’t attack, but gains mana per second, and whenever the ally attacks.

Champions: Yuumi

First Impressions: 

This trait is specifically for Yuumi, who will attach herself to allies. This trait can be extremely useful if you attach to a tank in the frontline. This will allow her to constantly attach herself to allies, giving your team more effective HP.

Clockwork

Bonus: All allies have increased Attack Speed, and additional Attack Speed for each Hextech Augment you own. (2,4,6)

Champions: Camille, Zilean,  Jhin, Orianna

First Impressions: 

This trait is quite simple and gives Champions attack speed. It will likely be a trait that you will fit 2 units in for some bonus attack speed for the team. Whether the 4 champions synergize together enough in a team comp will have to be seen.

Enforcer

Bonus:  Enforcers detain enemies at the start of combat, temporarily removing them from combat:

• (2) Detain the enemy who has the most Health.
• (4) Detain the enemy who dealt the most damage last combat.

Champions: Caitlyn, Vi, Fiora, Jayce

First Impressions: 

This trait seems very annoying to deal with, however, I wouldn’t call it OP or anything. The usefulness of this trait largely relies on the units. If the units are good, then this is simply something you have to play around. If it’s not, you likely won’t need to worry about it too much.

Glutton

Bonus:  Once per planning phase, you can feed a unit to Tahm Kench. This unit is consumed, granting permanent bonus stats. The more valuable the unit, the bigger the bonus. To feed Tahm Kench, hover a unit over him until his mouth opens, then release.

Champions: Tahm Kench

First Impressions: 

This is the trait for Tahm Kench, and it seems like a very fun one to use. Feeding Tahm Kench units just seems like a treat to do.

Imperial

Bonus: At the start of combat, the Imperial who dealt the most damage last combat becomes the Tyrant. The Tyrant deals bonus damage (3,5). When the Tyrant dies, the Imperial who has dealt the most damage this combat becomes the new Tyrant.

Champions: Swain, Talon, Samira, Sion

First Impressions: 

Imperial is finally making a comeback, but it looks a lot different than before. The bonus is quite strong as it automatically will go to your main carry with how it’s built.

Mercenary

Bonus:  Gain a treasure chest that opens when you win combat against a player. At the start of each planning phase, roll the dice to add more loot to the chest! The longer you’ve gone without opening the chest, the luckier the dice:

• (3) Roll two dice.
• (5) Roll a third dice that grants you a bonus orb right away.

Champions: Illaoi, Quinn, Gangplank, Miss Fortune, Tahm Kench

First Impressions: 

Mercenary is the new economy trait just like Fortune and Draconic. This is much closer to Fortune in that you get a big payout once you win a round. Players will be very excited to try this out.

Mutant

Bonus: Mutants gain unique bonuses. These are different each game. (3,5)

Champions: Kassadin, KogMaw, ChoGath, Malzahar, Dr. Mundo, KaiSa

First Impressions: 

I can’t comment much on this trait since we don’t know what bonuses Mutant will come with.

Scrap

Bonus: At the start of combat, a number of incomplete components on Scrap champions turn into an ephemeral full item for that combat. Additionally, at the start of combat, Scrap champions gain a Health shield increasing with each item equipped in your army:

• (2) 1 incomplete component
• (4) 3 incomplete components
• (6) All incomplete components; Health bonus is doubled.

Champions: Ezreal, Ziggs, Blizcrank, Trundle, Ekko, Janna, Jinx

First Impressions: 

This trait is very unique and follows similarly to Cybernetic from Set 3. You’re incentivized with this trait to put item components on Champions to turn them into random full items. It’s a bit RNG, but at 4 Scrap units, this trait could provide a lot of value.

Sister

Bonus: (2) Sisters are empowered by trying to one-up each other.
Vi’s ability range increases by two hexes. Jinx gains stacking Attack Speed for 3 seconds on takedown.

Champions: Vi, Jinx

First Impressions: 

This trait basically screams to always pair Jinx with Vi and vice versa. Vi slow roll can potentiall be a comp that is further buffed by Jinx. Jinx is already a strong 5-cost, so pairing her with Vi increases her strength.

Socialite

Bonus: Socialite reveal a spotlight on the battlefield. The unit standing in the spotlight at the start of combat gains unique bonuses:

• (1) Bonus Damage
• (2) Bonus Mana Regen
• (3) Bonus Omnivamp.

Champions: Taric, Seraphine, Galio

First Impressions: 

This trait is very similar to Coven from Set 4, except it’s unclear where the spotlight will appear. You’ll also need either Galio (a 5-cost) or a Hextech Augment to reach 3 Socialite, so keep that in mind.

Syndicate

Bonus: Chosen allies are cloaked in shadows, gaining Omnivamp, Armor, and Magic Resistance:

• (3) The Syndicate champion with the lowest current Health.
• (5) All Syndicate champions
• (7) All Allies. All bonuses are increased.

Champions: Darius, Twisted Fate, Zyra, Shaco, Braum, Akali

First Impressions: 

Syndicate is a very simple vertical trait that gives a solid bonus. The buff is quite useful as it will jump from your frontline to back with how it’s determined through low current health.

Yordle

Bonus: Yordles created more Yordles and reduce mana costs:

• (3) After combat with a player, a random free Yordle appears on your bench!
• (6) Yordle’s mana cost are reduced. “

Champions: Poppy, Ziggs, Tristana, Lulu, Heimerdinger, Vex

First Impressions: 

This is another economic trait being added to the game. 3 Yordles will be like Draconic in that you get more Yordles as the game progresses. This will definitely make players interested in slow rolling this comp with early Yordles.

Set 6’s New TFT Classes

Arcanist

Bonus:  Allies have increased Ability Power:

• (2) All allies gain Ability Power.
• (4) Arcanists gain additional Ability Power.
• (6) All allies even more AP. Arcanists gain an additional 50%.
• (8) All allies gain a ton of Ability Power.”

Champions: Twisted Fate, Ziggs, Swain, Malzahar, Vex, Lux, Viktor

First Impressions: 

This seems to be the premier trait for magic damage. A simple AP buff, but it can be very effective when paired with scaling items like Jeweled Gauntlet.

Assassin

Bonus: Innate: Assassins jump to the enemy backline at the start of combat. Assassins’ Abilities can critically strike, and they gain bonus Critical Strike Chance and Critical Strike Damage. (2,4,6)

Champions: 1g Twitch, 2g Katarina, 2g Talon, 3g Ekko, 3g Shaco, 5g Akali

First Impressions: 

It wouldn’t be TFT without some form of Assassin. We’ve seen Assassins time and time again, so not much to comment on here.

Bruiser

Bonus: All allies have increased Health. Bruisers gain double this bonus. (2,4,6,8)

Champions: 1g Illaoi, 2g Trundle, 2g Vi, 3g Cho’Gath, 3g Zac, 4g Dr. Mundo, 5g Tahm Kench

First Impressions: 

Bruisers are a new take on the classic Brawler trait giving more HP to units. Brawlers haven’t been favored over traits that give Armor, but this may change things.

Bodyguard

Bonus: Bodyguards have increased Armor (2,4,6,8). Shorly after combat begins, Bodyguards taunt adjacent enemies.

Champions: Darius,  Poppy, Blizcrank, Leona, Braum, Galio

First Impressions: 

Bodyguards are the new Knight/Vanguard trait that have bonus Armor. Instead of Magic Resist, though, they instead have a taunt which will be very effective against Assassins.

Colossus

Bonus: Innate: Colossus are bigger, more powerful, and take up two slots in your army:

• (1) Colossus are immune to Crowd Control effects.
• (2) Colossus take reduced damage.

Champions: Cho’Gath, Sion, Galio

First Impressions: 

This is a trait we’ve something nothing like before. Two unit slots is a heavy price to pay, but the units may be worth it.

Challenger

Bonus: Challengers have increased Attack Speed (2,4,6,8). Upon landing a takedown on their target, challengers will dash to a new target, doubling this bonus for 2.5 seconds.

Champions: Camille, Quinn, Warwick, Samira, Fiora, Yone, Kai’Sa

First Impressions: 

Challengers are similar to traits from the past like Duelist, except takedowns allow them to dash to targets. This helps them as most of them are melee units and mobility helps a lot.

Enchanter

Bonus: Enchanters’ healing and shielding are stronger, and all Allies gain increased Magic Resistance. (2,3,4,5)

Champions: Lulu, Taric, Janna, Orianna

First Impressions: 

Mystics have been updated and now increase their own healing and shielding. This is quite an interesting thing to add as they now are stronger the more Enchanters you have, but are not as strong by themselves.

Innovator

Bonus: Innovators build a mechanical companion to join their battle:

• (3) Mechanical Scarab
• (5) Mechanical Bear
• (7) Mechanical Dragon

Champions: Ezreal, Singed, Zilean, Heimerdinger, Seraphine, Jayce

First Impressions: 

Summoning units is always fun in TFT and these Mechanical summons will definitely be interesting. We don’t know what they do yet, but we’ll find out soon enough.

Protector

Bonus: Protectors shield themselves for 4 seconds whenever they cast a spell. This shield scales with max Health and trait breakpoints (2,3,4,5). The shield doesn’t stack.

Champions: Garen, Kassadin, Blizcrank, Sion

First Impressions: 

This trait doesn’t seem to be extremely strong, but it can be quite strong early game as the HP can make it difficult to take down the units.

Scholar

Bonus: All allies restore some mana (2,4,6) every 2 seconds.

Champions: Zyra, Heimerdinger, Lissandra, Janna, Yuumi

First Impressions: 

This trait will be an obvious pair with any Arcanist comp to give all allies more mana generation.

Sniper

Bonus: Snipers deal bonus damage (2,4,6) for each hex between themselves and their target.

Champions: Caitlyn, Kog’Maw, Tristana, Miss Fortune, Jhin

First Impressions: 

Snipers are back, and more importantly, Jhin is back. He was quite the strong carry in both Set 3 and 4, so he likely will make a strong comp in the new set.

Twinshot

Bonus: Whenever a Twinshot attacks, they have a chance (2,4,6) to attack twice instead.

Champions: Graves, Kog’Maw, Gangplank, Urgot, Jinx

First Impressions: 

This trait interests me, but it comes with some caveats. This is basically another form of attack speed, but also scales with any on hit effects. This also scales with attack speed, so doubling down essentially.

Transformer

Bonus: Transformers have two forms that they can swap in from during planning phase depending on whether they are placed in the frontline or backline.

Champions: Jayce

First Impressions: 

Jayce can transform between a ranged and melee unit, making him an interesting unit to try out. He may be able to fit into many situations with his different skills.

Set 6’s New TFT Champions

Ready to dive into the new Set 6 champions?

We’ll cover their abilities, likely position within a formation, and our first impressions.

Positioning Key

The terminology we’ll be using in this article in reference to a champion’s potential position will be frontline, midline, and backline.

1-Cost Champions

Caitlyn – Enforcer Sniper

Ability (Ace in the Hole): Caitlyn takes aim at the farthest enemy, firing a deadly bullet towards them that deals 800/1200/2000 magic damage to the first enemy it hits.

First Impressions:

Caitlyn is coming back with the same ability as in Set 3. We’ve seen her be quite strong in Set 3, and this new set is no different. The high magic damage is very strong in early fights when there are only a few units on the board.

Positioning: Backline

Camille – Clockwork Challenger

Ability (Defensive Sweep): Camille gains a shield blocking 300/400/600 damage over 4 seconds, then sweeps her leg, dealing 150/200/300 magic damage to enemies in a cone.

First Impressions:

Camille fits the role of a frontline unit that does a little more damage than just a tank. How strong she is early largely depends on how well she can synergize with 3/4 other units.

Positioning: Frontline

Darius – Syndicate Bodyguard

Ability (Decimate): Darius swings his axe in a circle, dealing 100/150/200 magic damage and healing himself for 50/75/100 health for each enemy hit.

First Impressions:

Darius can be very strong in the early game as he can heal a lot from enemies with his ability. Instead of being a pure tank, he deals damage and heals.

Positioning: Frontline

Ezreal – Scrap Innovator

Ability (Mystic Shot): Ezreal fires a missile at his target, dealing 125/200/350 magic damage. If the missile hits, he grants himself 30% bonus stacking attack speed, up to 150% at 5 stacks.

First Impressions:

Ezreal hasn’t seen himself in much of TFT yet, and his kit this time is quite unique. He will benefit from a lot of different items, which can make him a versatile early game unit.

Positioning: Backline

Garen – Academy Protector

Ability (Decisive Strike): Garen shrugs off all Crowd Control effects, empowering his next strike to deal 225%% of his Attack Damage, plus an additional 20/25/30% of his missing Health in bonus physical damage. This ability can be cast while stunned.

First Impressions:

Being able to cast an ability while stunned is very unique. Garen is yet another frontline that deals a solid amount of damage rather than being a pure tank.

Positioning: Frontline

Graves – Academy Twinshot

Ability (Smoke Grenade): Graves launches a smoke grenade toward the enemy with the highest Attack Speed. The grenade explodes on impact dealing 150/250/400 magic damage to nearby enemies, and Disarms enemies who remain within the smoke cloud for 2/2.5/3 seconds.

First Impressions:

Smoke Grenade will definitely be a very annoying skill to deal with. It will target enemies with the highest attack speed, so it likely will hit enemy backline carries.

Positioning: Frontline

Illaoi – Mercenary Bruiser

Ability (Harsh Lesson): Illaoi slams her target, linking their souls for 5 seconds and dealing 175/300/500 magic damage. While linked, Illaoi is healed for 30/35/40%% of the damage taken by her target.

First Impressions:

What’s interesting about Illaoi is that she heals based on the damage the linked enemy takes rather than how much damage she does. That means if your team deals a lot of damage, she will be able to heal a lot even if she doesn’t have any items or scaling.

Positioning: Frontline

Kassadin – Mutant Protector

Ability (Null Sphere): Kassadin fires an orb of void energy at his target, dealing 200/275/340 magic damage, applying 35/50/65%% Mana Reave, and granting Kassadin a shield that reduces incoming damage by 30%% for 4 seconds.

First Impressions:

Kassadin is a Protector just like Garen, so they will synergize together early game. His ability is quite simple, but stacks with his Protector shield to make him even tankier.

Positioning: Frontline

Poppy – Yordle Bodyguard

Ability (Buckler Toss): Poppy throws her buckler at the farthest enemy, dealing 200/250/300%% of her Armor as magic damage. The buckler then bounces back, granting Poppy a shield that blocks 250/375/525 damage.

First Impressions:

We’ve seen Poppy with this ability a couple times now, so there’s nothing particularly new about this. It’s unlikely that “Candyland” will come back, but she’ll likely just be a solid frontline unit.

Positioning: Frontline

Singed – Chemtech Innovator

Ability (Fling): Singed flings a nearby enemy towards the largest cluster of enemies, stunning his target for 1.5/2/2.5 seconds when they land. All adjacent enemies take 125/175/250 magic damage and are briefly stunned.

First Impressions:

Singed is able to punish enemies that group their units together on the board. Being able to fling a frontline away while also potentially stunning backline units can be quite useful.

Positioning: Frontline / Midline

Twisted Fate – Syndicate Arcanist

Ability (Wild Cards): Twisted Fate throws three cards in a cone that deal 150/225/300 magic damage to each enemy they pass through.

First Impressions:

Twisted Fate is a simple early game magic damage dealer. He won’t be amazing, but he will likely be a solid item holder assuming Arcanists are good.

Positioning: Backline / Midline

Twitch – Chemtech Assassin

Ability (Piercing Bolt): Twitch fires a powerful bolt towards his target that pierces through enemies hit, dealing 175/185/200% of his Attack Damage as physical damage and applying 50% Grievous Wounds for 5 seconds.

First Impressions:

Twitch will be an interesting unit to use. He is a ranged Assassin, so positioning him can be quite open. However, positioning him so that his ability hits many enemies will be harder to achieve.

Positioning: Backline

Ziggs – Scrap Yordle Arcanist

Ability (Mini Inferno Bomb): Ziggs hurls a bomb at his target. After a moderate delay, the bomb lands dealing 250/350/475 magic damage to the enemy in the epicenter, and half to adjacent enemies.

First Impressions:

A 1-cost unit having 3 traits is very interesting. He is a Yordle, making him attractive for Yordle comps, while Scrap is also a strong early game trait. Arcanists make him nice to pair with other Arcanists, so he has a lot of early game options to pair with.

Positioning: Backline

2-Cost Champions

Blitzcrank – Scrap Protector Bodyguard

Ability (Rocket Grab): Blitzcrank pulls the farthest enemy, dealing 200/350/999 magic damage and stunning them for 2.5 seconds. His next attack after pulling knocks up for 1 second. Allies within range will prefer to attack Blitzcrank’s target.

First Impressions:

Blitzcrank is finally back, so enemies can no longer afford to corner their carry every game. Banshee’s Claw makes Blitzcrank less strong than previous sets, but he still will warp the positioning meta game.

Positioning: Backline / Midline / Frontline

Katarina – Academy Assassin

Ability (Shunpo): Katarina blinks behind the enemy with the lowest Health within three hexes and slashes all adjacent enemies, dealing magic damage. For each enemy this kills, Katarina is refunded mana.

First Impressions:

Assassins with any type of blink or teleport ability can be very annoying to deal with. Katarina refunds mana on kill, so she may not need Blue Buff, but it may provide more consistency.

Positioning: Backline

Kog’Maw – Mutant Sniper Twinshot

Ability (Barrage): For 3 seconds, Kog’Maw gains infinite Attack Range, 80% Attack Speed, and his attacks deal 3/4/6% of the target’s maximum Health as bonus magic damage.

First Impressions:

Kog’Maw’s kit synergizes very well with itself. Attack speed makes him attack more with Twinshot, while the increased range makes him deal more damage with Sniper. Mutant is just the cherry on top.

Positioning: Backline

Lulu – Yordle Enchanter

Ability (Wild Growth): Lulu embiggens 1/2/3 low Health allies, granting them 300/350/400 bonus Health and knocking up enemies near them. If the ally is already embiggened, they are healed instead.

First Impressions:

Lulu is coming back with the same ability as Set 4. She no longer CC’s enemy units, but the increased health can make teams very hard to take down with an early Lulu 2.

Positioning: Backline / Midline

Quinn – Mercenary Challenger

Ability (Disarming Assault): Quinn sends Valor out at her target, dealing 150/250/350 magic damage to the target and nearby enemies. The main target is disarmed for 3 seconds and all nearby enemies have their Attack Damage reduced by 40/40/80% for 4 seconds.

First Impressions:

Quinn doesn’t really appear to be a carry candidate, but she will be an important pickup for anyone trying to play Mercenary for that juicy loot.

Positioning: Backline

Swain – Imperial Arcanist

Ability (Death’s Hand): Swain unleashes piercing bolts of eldritch power in a cone towards his target, dealing 300/425/575 magic damage to enemies within and healing Swain for 200/275/350 for each enemy hit.

First Impressions:

Swain is a nice frontline Arcanist as he doesn’t have defensive traits, but his ability heals him. He will be a nice addition for any Arcanist team as those teams usually lack frontline.

Positioning: Frontline

Talon – Imperial Assassin

Ability (Blade’s End): Passive: Talon’s first attack on an enemy causes them to bleed for 450/600/1000 magic damage over 7 seconds. Every third attack on a target applies an additional bleed.

First Impressions:

I’m not the biggest fan of Talon as Assassins usually want to burst down enemies rather than deal slow damage. However, his bleed damage can be very strong, especially if it crits.

Positioning: Backline

Tristana – Yordle Sniper

Ability (Buster Shot): Tristana fires a massive cannonball towards her target, dealing 200/210/225% of her Attack Damage plus 150/200/250 physical damage to the first enemy it hits. If the target is within two hexes of Tristana, they’re knocked back 1/2/3 hexes and briefly stunned.

First Impressions:

Tristana doesn’t seem to be particularly strong, but her Buster Shot can be very useful to deal with things like Assassins or even in fights when your frontline is gone.

Positioning: Backline

Trundle – Scrap Bruiser

Ability (Chomp): Trundle bites his target dealing 175% of his Attack Damage, applying 50% AS Slow for 3 seconds, and stealing 20/30/50 Attack Damage for the rest of combat.

First Impressions:

Trundle is a Bruiser that can become quite scary if the fight goes on long enough. The more he casts his ability, the more damage he will build up.

Positioning: Frontline

Vi – Enforcer Sister Bruiser

Ability (Denting Blow): Vi empowers her next attack to blast through her target, dealing 350/500/750 magic damage to all enemies in a cone and reducing their Armor by 40/50/70% for 8 seconds.

First Impressions: 

Vi is a solid frontline that helps deal with enemy frontlines that have armor. This incentivizes players to build Attack Damage team comps along with Vi.

Positioning: Frontline

Warwick – Chemtech Challenger

Ability (Eternal Hunger): Passive: Warwick’s Attacks deal an additional 6/9/12% of his target’s current Health as bonus magic damage, and heal him for the damage dealt.

First Impressions: Warwick can be quite scary as his ability makes his attacks deal magic damage. Since Challengers mostly deal attack damage, he can provide a solid amount of magic damage to help with enemies with high Armor.

Positioning: Frontline

Zilean – Clockwork Innovator

Ability (Time Bomb): Zilean places a bomb on the closest enemy, Stunning them for 1.5/2/2.5 seconds. When the stun ends, or the target dies, the bomb explodes dealing 200/300/450 magic damage to adjacent enemies and applying 20/35/50% AS Slow for 3 seconds.

First Impressions:

My only complaint about Zilean is that he targets the closest enemy. It can be useful to stun enemy frontlines, but hitting backlines would be better. It would be funny to pair him with Tristana to Buster Shot a Time Bomb to the enemy backline.

Positioning: Backline

Zyra – Syndicate Scholar

Ability (Grasping Spines): Zyra summons vines in the row with the most enemies, dealing 200/300/500 magic damage and stunning for 1.5/2/2.5 seconds.

First Impressions:

Zyra is the first unit I can think of that deals damage to an entire row of enemies. This will definitely be something players will need to position around to avoid getting their carry stunned.

Positioning: Backline

3-Cost Champions

Cho’Gath – Mutant Colossus Bruiser

Ability (Feast): Cho’Gath devours the lowest Health enemy within range, dealing 500/750/1500 magic damage. If this kills the target, Cho’Gath gains a stack of Feast, up to 6/12/999. Each stack of Feast grants 2% bonus Health and size permanently.

First Impressions:

The first Colossus unit is Cho’Gath and he looks very fun to play with. He will take up two unit slots, but he has the potential to turn into an extremely high health monster. Make sure to build a Giant Slayer if you’re playing against him.

Positioning: Frontline

Ekko – Scrap Assassin

Ability (Parallel Convergence): Ekko invokes an afterimage that bats a device towards the largest group of units. Upon landing, it deals 200/325/450 magic damage to enemies within and applies 35/35/50%% Slow for 4 seconds. Allies inside gain 30/50/70% Attack Speed for 4 seconds.

First Impressions:

Ekko is a great Assassin that provides a bit of utility. His ability says the largest group of units rather than enemies, so he incentivizes good positioning with Assassins. If most of your Assassins jump to the enemy carries, Ekko will very likely cast his ability toward them, slowing enemies and buffing allies.

Positioning: Backline

Gangplank – Mercenary Twinshot

Ability (Parrrley): Gangplank shoots his target, dealing 225/250/300% percent of his Attack Damage. If this kills a champion, Gangplank plunders 1 gold.

First Impressions: 

Usually when Champions abilities scale with Attack Damage, they also scale with other on hit effects. I hope this means that his ability works with Twinshot, but I’m not certain. Even still, he will be fun to use in Mercenary team comps as yet another way to gain extra economy.

Positioning: Frontline / Midline

Heimerdinger – Yordle Scholar Innovator

Ability (Rocket Swarm): Heimerdinger fires 3 waves of five rockets that converge on his target. Each rocket deals 30/45/75 magic damage, reduced by 30% for each target they hit. Each successive cast fires an additional wave of rockets, up to 10.

First Impressions:

Heimerdinger clearly is a unit that you want to cast multiple times throughout the fight. We don’t know his exact mana pool yet, but he likely will need mana generation like Blue Buff to scale his ability up.

Positioning: Backline

Leona – Academy Bodyguard

Ability (Solar Eclipse): Leona calls down a beacon of light upon herself, granting herself a 500/800/1300 Health shield for 4 seconds. Leona and all allies within two hexes gain 30/50/80 Armor and Magic Resistance for the same duration.

First Impressions:

Leona finally is not a 1-cost unit. She seems to be quite a strong frontline unit, but she doesn’t provide much CC which is very crucial for late game frontline units.

Positioning: Frontline

Lissandra – Chemtech Scholar

Ability (Iron Maiden): Lissandra encases her target in an iron maiden, stunning them for 1.5 seconds and dealing 250/400/700 magic damage to enemies within a large area. If Lissandra is below 50% Health, she encases herself instead, dealing damage to surrounding enemies and becoming untargetable and invulnerable for 2 seconds. Damage from this ability applies 40% Attack Damage reduction for 5 seconds.

First Impressions:

Lissandra is another unit that can be on the frontline even if she isn’t very tanky. Her ability is very strong against enemies, and can be used as a way to save herself. This also makes Guardian Angel a very strong item on her.

Positioning: Frontline / Midline

Malzahar – Mutant Arcanist

Ability (Malefic Visions): Malzahar infects the mind of the closest unafflicted target, dealing 800/1100/1500 magic damage over 8 seconds and applying 40% Magic Resistance shred for the duration. If an afflicted target dies, Malefic Visions spreads to the nearest 1/1/2 unafflicted targets with the remaining duration.

First Impressions:

Damage over time usually isn’t super amazing unless he can cast his ability quite often. However, being able to save the overkill damage to spread to other units makes him a very efficient damage dealer. The magic resistance shred also increases the damage he does as well as his allies.

Positioning: Backline

Miss Fortune – Mercenary Sniper

Ability (Make it Rain): Miss Fortune rains 4 waves of bullets down around a random enemy, dealing 200/300/450 total magic damage to enemies in the area and reducing their incoming healing by 50% for 6 seconds.

First Impressions:

The Sniper trait lets Miss Fortune deal bonus damage based on their distance, which should scale with her ability as well. We’ve seen Miss Fortune be a strong carry in Set 5, so she potentially could do the same in this set.

Positioning: Backline

Samira – Imperial Challenger

Ability (Flair): If a target is adjacent to Samira, she slashes with her blade in a cone towards them dealing 150/160/175%% of her Attack Damage as physical damage to all enemies within and reducing their Armor by 5/10/15. This armor reduction can stack. Otherwise, she fires an empowered shot at her target with the same effects and refunds 20 mana.

First Impressions:

Samira is an interesting carry to say the least. She has the Challenger trait meaning she will dash to another target after a takedown. Even if you position her in the backline, she will inevitably dash in after ramping up a bit.

Positioning: Midline / Backline

Shaco – Syndicate Assassin

Ability (Deceive): Shaco dips into the shadows, briefly becoming untargetable. His next attack is empowered to deal 250/260/275% of his Attack Damage as physical damage, and is guaranteed to critically strike targets below 50% Health.

First Impressions:

Shaco will be a very annoying unit to deal with his Deceive ability. The fact that he is guaranteed to critically strike is a bit out of place in my opinion. Every Assassin carry wants Infinity Edge which guarantees a crit anyway, so this seems a bit unnecessary.

Positioning: Backline

Taric – Socialite Enchanter

Ability (Starlight Bastion): Taric heals himself and the lowest Health ally for 200/300/600. Any overhealing is converted to a shield that lasts 4 seconds.

First Impressions: 

Taric is definitely a nice unit to have on any team since he has the Enchanter trait. This makes him very flexible as he has a flexible trait and can be used for frontline.

Positioning: Frontline

Zac – Chemtech Bruiser

Ability (Yoink!): Zac stretches his arms up to three hexes to pull the two most distant enemies towards him, dealing 450/600/999 magic damage. Zac takes 60/70/80% less damage while using this ability.

First Impressions:

Zac being able to pull in enemies makes him yet another unit to have to position around. With other units like Blitzcrank in the game, this will make positioning more intense than before.

Positioning: Frontline

Vex – Yordle Arcanist

Ability (Personal Space): Vex shields herself against 500/700/900 damage over 4 seconds. When the shield expires, it deals 150/250/350 magic damage to all enemies within 2 hexes, and an additional 150/250/350 damage if it wasn’t destroyed. If it was destroyed, Personal Space becomes 25% stronger this combat. This effect can stack.

First Impressions:

Vex is another Arcanist that can act as a frontline unit with her shield. This makes Arcanist a very high damage comp with frontline units that are also dealing magic damage.

Positioning: Frontline

4-Cost Champions

Braum – Syndicate Bodyguard

Ability (Vault Breaker): Braum slams his vault door into the ground, creating a fissure towards his target. Enemies within two hexes of Braum and those struck by the fissure are stunned for 2.5/3.5/7 seconds and take 100/125/1000 magic damage.

First Impressions: Braum will very likely be a strong frontline unit as his kit provides a lot of CC. However, it’s unlikely that his ability will be able to reach backline enemies, but he will still be strong against low range enemies.

Positioning: Frontline

Dr. Mundo – Chemtech Mutant Bruiser

Ability (Zap Dose): Dr. Mundo injects himself with “medicine”, restoring 20% of his maximum Health and becoming energized for 6 seconds. While energized, he restores an additional 65/75/200%% of his maximum Health over the duration and deals 30/50/100 magic damage per second to a random nearby enemy. At the end of the spell, Dr. Mundo expels a burst of electricity that deals 20/25/30% of his current Health as magic damage to all enemies within two hexes.

First Impressions:

Mundo has an ability that scales with Health which also synergizes with the Bruiser trait. He will become quite the frontline unit with the insane amount of health he can have and regenerate.

Positioning:

Fiora – Enforcer Challenger

Ability (Blade Waltz): Fiora becomes untargetable as she strikes her target’s vitals four times. Each strike deals 200% of her Attack Damage as physical damage, 75/125/400 bonus true damage, and heals her for 15%% of the total damage dealt. If the target dies, Fiora will change targets to the nearest enemy.

First Impressions:

Fiora is the 4-cost melee carry of the set, and she looks to be quite powerful. Being able to become untargetable makes her difficult to take down, and her Challenger trait allows her to be mobile.

Positioning: Frontline / Midline

Janna – Scrap Enchanter Scholar

Ability (Monsoon): Janna summons a Monsoon, healing all allies for 400/550/2000 Health over 3 seconds. When the spell is cast, nearby enemies are knocked back and stunned for 1/1/4 second.

First Impressions:

Janna is a very powerful unit against Assassins, but if there are no Assassins, she will still be a solid unit to have. The heal is quite useful, and the Enchanter trait also makes her very flexible.

Positioning: Backline / Midline

Jhin – Clockwork Sniper

Ability (Curtain Call): Passive: Jhin always attacks .9/.9/1.4 times per second. He converts each 1% of bonus Attack Speed into .8 Attack Damage. Jhin transforms his weapon into a powerful sniper rifle for his next four shots. Each shot deals 175/250/444% of his Attack Damage as physical damage, reduced by 33%% for each target they pierce through. The fourth shot is guaranteed to critically strike, and deals 44% more damage based on his target’s missing Health.”

First Impressions:

Jhin has a different ability than we’ve seen so far in that it actually deals damage instead of being an empowered auto attack. The ability gives some AoE, but we’ll need to see it in action before knowing how powerful it is.

Positioning: Backline

Lux – Academy Arcanist

Ability (Final Spark): After gathering energy, Lux fires a beam towards the farthest enemy target, dealing 350/500/1337 magic damage and applying 40/40/80%% Attack Damage reduction for 4 seconds.

First Impressions: 

Lux is the 4-cost Arcanist carry, and her ability seems decent. She will be like Vel’Koz in that you will want to line her up opposite of enemy carries to hit as many enemies as possible with her beam.

Positioning: Backline

Orianna – Clockwork Enchanter

Ability (Command: Shockwave): Orianna sends out her ball towards the largest group of champions, then commands it to release a shockwave. Allies within two hexes gain 175/375/750 shield for 4 seconds, while enemies within the area are briefly knocked up and dealt 350/550/1500 magic damage. Enemies adjacent to the ball are drawn in, stunning them for 1.5/1.5/5 seconds.

First Impressions:

Orianna provides a very strong unit for Clockwork team comps. Her ability provides a lot of utility and damage, and she also provides Enchanter, giving the team some extra magic resist.

Positioning: Backline

Seraphine – Socialite Innovator

Ability (Encore): Seraphine projects her song towards the largest group of units. The song deals 200/300/1000 magic damage to enemies and applies 35/35/50% Attack Speed slow for 4 seconds. Allies it passes through are healed for 200/300/1000 Health and gain 30/50/100% Attack Speed for 4 seconds.

First Impressions:

Seraphine is another unit that provides an ability that does it all. It deals damage, buffs allies, and debuffs enemies. The most important thing with Seraphine will be positioning her so that you can get the most value out of her ability.

Positioning: Backline

Sion – Imperial Protector Colossus

Ability (Decimating Smash): Sion winds up for a moment, then smashes his axe down. All enemies within a large area are knocked up, stunned for 1/1.5/4 seconds, and dealt 400/600/2500 magic damage.

First Impressions:

The second Colossus unit we see is Sion. His ability is quite simple, but we will need to see how large the AoE is to see just how menacing he can be.

Positioning: Frontline

Yone – Academy Challenger

Ability (Soul Unbound): Yone summons his spirit to attack distant enemies for 4/5/20 seconds. The spirit is an untargetable, invulnerable copy of Yone and heals him for 40/50/100% of the damage it deals. If Yone dies, his spirit dies with him.

First Impressions:

Yone is another 4-cost Challenger carry, and his kit allows him to bypass the need for healing. This means you can build him extremely offensively to push through as much damage as possible. I’m also curious to see if Guardian Angel will allow his spirit to continue attacking.

Positioning: Frontline / Midline

Urgot – Chemtech Twinshot

Ability (Purge): For the next 5 seconds, Urgot attacks the closest enemy at a fixed rate of 5/7/15 attacks per second. Each attack deals 30% AD * 30% AS physical damage. (This ability’s damage scales with Attack Damage and Attack Speed.)

First Impressions:

Urgot is an interesting unit as he is usually a tanky damage dealer, but his Twinshot trait makes players incentivized to place him further away from enemies.

Positioning: Frontline / Midline

5-Cost Champions

Akali – Syndicate Assassin

Ability (Perfect Execution): Akali dashes through the most enemies in a line, dealing 225/350/2000 magic damage as she passes through and marking them for 7 seconds. When a marked target drops below 15/25/90% Health, Akali will dash through them, executing enemies below that Health threshold and dealing 225/350/2000 magic damage to all other enemies she passes through.

First Impressions:

Akali looks to be an insane 5-cost carry for Assassin team comps. Viego was a 5-cost Assassin, but he was more utility than damage. Akali looks to be a main carry if you are able to find her.

Positioning: Backline

Galio – Socialite Colossus Bodyguard

Ability (Colossal Entrance): Passive: Galio’s critical strikes slam the ground, dealing 100/150/500 bonus magic damage to enemies around his target. Galio becomes invulnerable and leaps into the sky before crashing down on the largest group of enemies. Enemies within a large radius 200/300/2000 magic damage and are knocked into the sky. The lower the enemy’s maximum Health is compared to Galio’s, the further they are knocked up.”

First Impressions:

Galio has a very strong CC ability, but is limited by the fact he is Colossus. Having 2 unit slots to fit him in the late game is a tall order to ask.

Positioning: Frontline

Jayce – Enforcer Transformer Innovator

Ability (Mercury Cannon/Mercury Hammer): Melee form: Jayce swipes his hammer twice before slamming down on his target, dealing damage and shredding their resistances.

Ranged form: Jayce deploys an acceleration gate, granting allies in the same row bonus Attack Speed and empowering his next three attacks with electricity.

First Impressions:

Jayce is very interesting as he has two forms that you can choose from. For the most part, ranged damage is usually preffered, but we will see how strong his melee form is before making a judgment.

Positioning: Frontline / Backline

Jinx – Sister Scrap Twinshot

Ability (Super Mega Death Rocket): Jinx rides her rocket high into the sky. After a moderate delay, she comes crashing down near the center-most enemy, dealing 400/600/3000 magic damage to enemies around the epicenter, and 50% of the damage to all other enemies in a large area. The epicenter is left burning for the rest of combat, applying a 2/2.5/3% Burn to friends and foes who remain inside other than Jinx.”

First Impressions:

Jinx is quite the monster. Her ability deals a lot of damage, but makes her jump right into danger. Even still, with the right items and team comp, she can probably carry many late game team fights.

Positioning: Backline

Kai’Sa – Mutant Challenger

Ability (Icathian Monsoon): Kai’sa dashes to the hex furthest from all enemies. She then fires a volley of 14/18/40 missiles spread evenly among all enemies that deal 50/75/150 magic damage each. For each time Kai’Sa has attacked this combat, she’ll fire an additional missile.

First Impressions:

Kai’Sa seems like a very scary unit to play against. She has Challenger which makes her very mobile, and her ability also takes her away from danger. As the fight goes on, her ability will deal more and more damage, making her a scary scaling carry.

Positioning: Backline

Tahm Kench – Mercenary Glutton Bruiser

Ability (Devour): Tahm Kench devours his target, storing them in his belly for 3 seconds and dealing 1000/2000/30000 magic damage damage over the duration. During this time, they are invulnerable to other sources of damage and Tahm Kench takes 40%% reduced damage. If they die while inside, Tahm Kench spits out a random item component they were holding, or the cost of the unit in gold. Otherwise, he spits them towards the farthest enemy, briefly stunning targets they impact.

First Impressions:

Mercenary looks to be extremely fun to play with Tahm Kench. Being able to swallow enemy units can be extremely strong, especially if you are able to target the enemy carry.

Positioning: Frontline

Viktor – Chemtech Arcanist

Ability (Death Rays): Viktor summons multiple singularities to fire death rays that cut across the battlefield in a line, melting through enemies’ defenses. Enemies caught in their path take 300/400/1500 magic damage, have 25/33/100% of any remaining shields destroyed, and suffer 40/50/70% Armor Shred for a few seconds.

First Impressions:

Viktor is a little weird since his ability shreds the Armor of enemies instead of Magic Resist. Even still he likely will deal an insane amount of damage as a 5-cost unit.

Positioning: Backline

Yuumi – Academy Cuddly Scholar

Ability (Final Chapter): Yuumi and Book launch 4/6/33 waves toward the farthest enemy, each dealing 60/80/247 magic damage and stunning enemies for 1 seconds. She then re-attaches to the nearest ally.

First Impressions: Yuumi will be very interesting to play with. She provides a lot of utility by granting shields with her trait, and she also deals a solid amount of damage. On top of that, she is difficult to take down as she attaches to allies.

Positioning: Frontline / Midline

Hextech Augments

Here is a rundown of the new Set 6 Mechanic: Hextech Augments.

Hextech Augments are the new mechanic that will allow you to power up your entire board. Some Augments feature bonuses that power up your team while others may give you valuable loot.

There are over 140 Hextech Augments to choose from, making every game you play unique.

In every game, you will be able to choose 3 Hextech Augments to improve your team comp.

You will also be able to see what Augments other players pick through their Hexcore (a new monument featured near your board).

There are three tiers of Augments, ranging from small bonuses to game-breaking upgrades.

Some Augments have versions in each tier, while others may be unique to one tier.

Every player will choose their Augments at the same time in a game, but the Augments offered to each player will vary.

For more information on the new set, head to our all-in-one TFT Set 6 reveal page!

The post Gizmos and Gadgets: New TFT Set 6 Revealed (All New Champions, Traits, and Hextech Augments) appeared first on Mobalytics.

TFT has been out for over two years now, and the game has been constantly improving.

Even still, there are some game or system mechanics that I believe could still be improved. It may not be a priority for Riot to update these, but these are definitely on their radar.

In this article, I’ll be going over some faults in the system, and some ideas I have for improving them. These improvements won’t drastically improve the game, but they are a nice way to benefit player experience for both gamers and viewers.

I don’t claim to be a genius problem solver, so these solutions might not work, but I thought I’d put some ideas out there.

1. The Scouting System

Scouting has been a fundamental aspect of TFT for a long time. It’s a form of skill expression that allows players to squeeze out an edge against opponents.

While scouting is definitely a crucial part of the game, it is a bit vanilla in how it’s done.

Problems

Simple Answers

Sniping an enemy carry with a Zephyr can be done maybe once or twice, but once the enemy knows you have a Zephyr, it becomes very hard to snipe them.

A similar thing can be said about countering enemy comps. If the enemy has Assassins or a Vel’Koz, the best move to be would be to switch your backline to the other side.

However, if the enemy only needs to reposition one Assassin, this becomes a very difficult thing to do.

Bland Gameplay

Even in high-level gameplay, most players “fake” opponents by moving some of their units to the opposite side before moving back.

From most of the gameplay I’ve watched, this rarely leads to any benefit. In tense 1v1 situations, you can see very interesting movements, but they all resort to moving a couple units at the very last second.

Possible Solutions

Fog of War

Mortdog recently brought up a possible solution in his recent AMA Video. The game could implement a “Fog of War” system that hides the enemy board once there are only 5 seconds left in the preparation phase.

This allows players to optimally move their units around without worry of being hard countered at the last millisecond. I am very intrigued by this possibility, as in my opinion, it opens up more skill expression than simply seeing who can move units the fastest.

Enemy Shadow

One other feature that may help this issue is to allow an option to view enemy boards on your own board. This doesn’t directly solve the issues with scouting, but it gives a better viewing experience and also helps newer players scout easily.

With this feature, you won’t have to constantly switch back and forth between yours and enemy boards to position.

This feature could also show enemy movements in real-time, allowing you to swap around reactively.

2. The Item Orb Drops

The first 3 rounds of every TFT game play out the same. You fight a few weak creep rounds and they proceed to drop orbs that contain things like gold, champions, items, or more.

Problems

Running out of Time

Sometimes, you won’t have enough gold to buy out the shop, when an orb drops from the last minion on the far side of the board. You rush to grab it with your little legend, and can’t pick up the gold in time to buy the units in the shop.

This can also happen if the orb drops Champions, and you quickly have to decide whether to sell that Champion or not, sometimes within a couple seconds.

These decisions are often small and won’t affect every game, but there will be the occasional game where you wish you had a bit more time to make a decision based on the item drops you were given.

Randomized Drops

People have complained for a while about the RNG involved in how much gold you’re given in the early game. Considering how the interest system works, the more gold you get earlier on, the better off you usually are.

The drops are somewhat balanced between giving gold, items, or things like Neeko’s Help, so I don’t find this issue as much of a problem. At the very top level, players will often prefer a specific opener compared to others, but considering the game itself has a lot of built in variance, I don’t mind this mechanic so much.

Possible Solutions

Are Minions Necessary?

One thing the creep rounds do for players is give them time to make transitions as well as gain items. However, the minion system is very different now compared to before. Almost every team regardless of how weak you are can beat the minion rounds. As such, are they even a necessary component to the game?

One could argue that having creep rounds makes sure that players don’t simply open fort completely as they still need a team to defeat minions.

Early Drops

I don’t mind having minions in the game. They’re a fun little break from the PvP rounds, but the item orbs in my opinion should come a bit earlier in the round if possible.

Maybe instead of random drops from each minion, just have one loot orb that gives you your drops at the start.

The minions can stay the same, but this way, players are given more time to plan around what they get rather than spazzing to pick up items and do everything else they need to do.

3. The Matchmaking System

TFT is usually supposed to match you up against a “random” opponent every round, but players have figured out how the matchmaking system works.

Players who use third party tools, or who can keep track of their enemies very well can accurately predict who they will fight next round.

Problems

No Longer Random

The matchmaking system was never intended to be figured out by the community. Players were incentivized to position in a way that allowed them to win the most fights against the most enemies.

However, ever since the system was cracked, players found themselves with a large advantage given they spent the time to track their fights.

Some players will argue that this gives players more ways to show their skill. Even if the matchmaking system were changed, players will still likely not position against the last enemy they fought.

Even still, I think this system presents an issue to players new and old.

New players are at a large disadvantage without knowing the system, and even older players don’t always want to spend time tracking every match to scout to perfection.

Possible Solution

Unfortunately, I don’t have an easy solution for this system. I do believe that the matchmaking system needs an update, but I’m out of my depth in determining a new system that will be fair but still random.

Way back in Set 1, there were issues where players would constantly fight the same opponent, and the matchmaking system has come a long way from there.

Even still, I believe there is room for improvement. The matchmaking system should ideally be one that is untrackable, but still gives some room for skill expression.

Players should be able to assume that they won’t fight someone they recently fought, but it shouldn’t be with certainty.

Closing Thoughts

The game has come a long way since its release, and I’m confident that the game will only become better.

The dev team is constantly trying new things and testing different solutions, so I imagine that these problems won’t be around for too much longer.

Even if these problems aren’t fixed soon, the game is still in a very enjoyable state.

Frequent content updates and balance patches make the game a refreshing experience for many players around the world.

These were just a few small issues I believe are in the game that could use some time to update.

Thanks for reading! Head to our Team Builder to start theorycrafting and be sure to check our best meta comps to find another answer to climb!

To learn about the latest TFT Set 6, head to our all-in-one Teamfight Tactics Set 6 reveal page that covers all champions, synergies, and more!

The post 3 TFT Mechanics That Need Updating appeared first on Mobalytics.

TFT Set 3 – Galaxies: Return to the Stars mid set expansion is arriving on PBE and with it comes brand new champions, origins, classes, and the removal of some champions as well.

In this article, we’ll be covering all of the upcoming changes coming to TFT so you can be prepared to try out some new fun builds on the PBE server.

Keep in mind, however, that the data and these thoughts are subject to change depending on if Riot decides to alter anything throughout the PBE testing period.

What’s not coming back?

To start things off, let’s go over every champion that is being removed from Set 3.

• Valkyrie : Kai’Sa, Kayle, Miss Fortune
• Void : Kha’Zix, Cho’Gath, Vel’Koz
• Other : Sona, Kassadin, Lux
• Items : Demolitionist’s Charge (Now Battlecast Armor)

If you absolutely adore any of these champions or items, make sure to play on the live server for the last patch before the update goes live.

New Traits

In Return to the Stars, there are 3 new traits, 2 origins and 1 class.

Origins : Battlecast, Astro

Battlecast (6 units)

Battlecast Champions, upon dealing or taking 10 instances of damage, heal for 75 (2) / 150 (4) / 250 (6) if below half health, or deal 75 (2) / 150 (4) / 250 (6) magic damage to the nearest enemy if above half.

• Nocturne (1-cost) – Battlecast + Infiltrator
• Illaoi (1-cost) – Battlecast + Brawler
• Kog’Maw (2-cost) – Battlecast + Blaster
• Cassiopeia (3-cost) – Battlecast + Mystic
• Viktor (4-cost) – Battlecast + Sorcerer
• Urgot (5-cost) – Battlecast + Protector

First Impressions:

The battlecast synergy is somewhat difficult to assess. It will likely have potential to splash into comps that can easily fit 2 battlecast, but whether or not 4 or 6 battlecast is worth it is a tough call. It’s unlikely that the devs want simple comps like 6 battlecast to be strong, so even if it thrives on PBE, expect nerfs to happen before the trait hits live.

Astro (4 units)

Astro champs have 30 reduced mana cost (3).

• Nautilus (2-cost) – Astro + Vanguard
• Bard (3-cost) – Astro + Mystic
• Gnar (4-cost) – Astro + Brawler
• Teemo (4-cost) – Astro + Sniper

First Impressions:

Astro is a very simple trait as it only requires 3 and it simply reduces the mana cost of its units. Teemo and Gnar will greatly benefit from this, but Bard and Nautilus early game won’t help your comp too much even with Astro. It will likely be a trait used for comps that run Teemo, or if you happen to find an early Gnar and want to build up experience using Bard’s ability.

Class: Paragon

Paragon (1 unit)

Ally Star Guardian basic attacks are converted to true damage. All other ally basic attacks are converted to magic damage (1).

• Janna (5-cost) – Star Guardian + Paragon

First Impressions:

Paragon is an extremely interesting trait. If the enemy is stacking armor against your attack damage comp, you can simply throw in Janna to convert all of your units’ basic attacks into magic damage. Janna in star guardian comps will also provide a solid DPS boost. The fact that Paragon exists will create more interesting late game moments and counter play. Mystic may become extremely popular as a possible counter play against a Janna splash. (Also note that they removed 1 mystic, Sona, but they added 2 other mystic units in Bard and Cassiopeia, likely as a response to Paragon).

New Champions: Tips, First Impressions, and Positioning

Notes: Our overview of these champions are edited to be more concise, for a more in-depth look on every champion ability and their stats, check out their Champions Page for more details. Also note that some removed champions will still show on the trait sections of new champions as they are still on live servers.

Positioning Key
We’ll be giving basic positioning suggestions for every champion to get the ball rolling for you, but remember that positioning is incredibly contextual in TFT and to always adapt to the situation at hand.

The terminology we’ll be using in this article will be frontline, midline, and backline.

Following this key, you’ll be able to understand the rows that champions should be placed in general.

Here’s a quick overview of all the origins and classes (click the image to expand).

1-Cost Champions

Illaoi – Battlecast + Brawler

First Impressions: Illaoi shows potential as an early frontline unit to compete against other units like Leona and Poppy. With Malphite, another 1 cost units, brawlers may have early game potential to rival vanguards. The addition of Illaoi and Gnar also make 4 brawlers much easier to reach as you don’t need a 4 cost unit to get 4 brawlers.

Positioning: Frontline

Tips: Illaoi’s ability will target a line in front of her, so if you have additional time in the early game to scout, you will get much more mileage out of her if you place her right in front of where the enemy places their units.

Nocturne – Battlecast + Infiltrator

First Impressions: Nocturne plays a similar role to Zoe. He is a 1 cost unit that provides decent CC. While he likely won’t become the carry of a team (unless someone innovates a hyper roll comp around him), he will likely be a synergy piece on either infiltrator or battlecast teams.

Positioning: Backline

Tips: Since Nocturne provides CC, you will get the most out of him if you place him so that he targets an enemy carry. Getting CC off the enemy main carry can completely change the fight if you are able to position well enough to do so. Enemies can counter this with better positioning or items like Quicksilver, but keep this in mind throughout the game to really squeeze every drop of potential in this unit.

2-Cost Champions

Kog’Maw – Battlecast + Blaster

First Impressions: Kog’Maw right off the bat shows solid potential to possibly be a slow roll carry. He is a blaster with essentially a free Giant Slayer on him. He may become a secondary carry in blaster teams, or he may become the main carry in a slow roll team. Who knows?

Positioning: Backline

Tips: Kog’Maw, with no attack speed items, will have 1.33 attack speed during his ability. Since his ability lasts three seconds, he will auto attack 3.99 times (assuming there are no AI bugs). Even with one bow, you guarantee that Kog’Maw will attack 4 times during his ability (barring AI movements). Stacking more attack speed will increase the attacks he gets off during his ability.

Nautilus – Astro + Vanguard

First Impressions: Nautilus off the bat shows potential as an early game unit that pairs very well with vanguards. Mordekaiser, the other 2-cost vanguard can be really tanky with his ability, but Nautilus provides a solid amount of CC instead. This will likely make him a premier early game unit to pair alongside Leona or Poppy.

Positioning: Frontline

Tips: It is unclear currently how his ability decides who to target. It may be random, or it may be the furthest unit (or whatever the devs decide to do). Whatever the case, use this to your advantage if you can to try and target enemies you want to.

Zed – Rebel + Infiltrator

First Impressions: Zed is back once again and has a very interesting ability. The bonus magic damage on his ability is quite low, but the attack damage steal can be quite strong if you are able to hit an enemy with high damage.

Positioning: Backline

Tips: Zed, like many other infiltrators, will do a lot of work if he has RFC. Because of his melee range, RFC will allow his AI to attack enemies much more smoothly rather than walking around constantly.

3-Cost Champions

Bard – Astro + Mystic

First Impressions: Bard is an extremely interesting unit. He does not provide much help outside of his traits, but his ability will slowly be able to give you XP over the course of the game. This can make him a solid mana item holder for late game units while you rack up additional XP.

Positioning: Midline

Tips: Bard will likely be an early/mid game unit that will allow you to snowball your XP. He will most likely be sold in the late game regardless of what team comp he is in, so don’t be too afraid to slam mana items onto him.

Cassiopeia – Battlecast + Mystic 

First Impressions: Cassiopeia has interesting potential as she deals damage over time. The only caveat is that fights may not last long enough for her to deal sufficient damage against enemies. However, since she provides mystic, she may have an interesting pairing alongside Urgot, another new unit, to combine protectors and mystic in a slow damage team comp.

Positioning: Backline / Midline

Tips: Like many other champions, Cassiopeia has a specific targeting ability (nearest non-poisoned champion). Use this to your advantage to hit the targets you want to first during fights.

Vayne – Cybernetic + Sniper

First Impressions: Vayne is a 7th cybernetic unit that will be added to the set. This will allow cybernetic comps to not solely rely on Ekko in order to hit 6 cybernetic. Her carry potential will have to be evaluated, as cybernetic units have a multitude of paths to go (blademaster, infiltrator, blaster, and now sniper).

Positioning: Backline

Tips: Like Kog’Maw, stacking more attack speed on Vayne will allow her to attack more times while her ability is up. Her ability may add some innate survivability, so she may not need defensive items, but it may not be enough to warrant 3 offensive items.

4-Cost Champions

Gnar – Astro + Brawler

First Impressions: Gnar is coming back as one of the best CC units from set 1. This time, he has an astro tag which will greatly help his ability to cast before dying. Being a brawler unit, he essentially takes over Cho’Gath’s role as the high cost brawler CC unit.

Positioning: Frontline / Midline

Tips: Having a Guardian Angel will almost always ensure that Gnar casts, but you may not have enough items to spare a GA on him. Since he is a ranged unit, if you are afraid that he will die, you can place him in the middle of the board so that he does not take too much aggro. If he does have GA, you can slam him in the front to get the most out of his ability.

Riven – Chrono + Blademaster

First Impressions: Riven is very interesting as her ability has three parts, building up as she casts her ability. Attack speed may not be so ideal on her as she casts her ability so often, it may not even be necessary. Either way, she will provide solid magic damage to any team that likely is running a majority attack damage.

Positioning: Midline

Tips: We have Seraph’s recommended for her as this will allow her to cast after only 1 auto attack, but with blademaster, Seraph’s might not even be necessary. Quicksilver will definitely be nice though, as she is melee and will be prone to many sources of CC.

Teemo – Astro + Sniper

First Impressions: Teemo is finally coming to TFT and has a very fitting ability. Any team that runs around Teemo will likely want to Astro to reduce his mana cost. Teemo also has one of the fastest base attack speeds in the game, so items like Shojin and Rageblade could allow him to spam his ability assuming he stays alive.

Positioning: Backline

Tips: With astro, Teemo will only have a mana cost of 50, so Seraph’s Embrace can be an alternative to Spear of Shojin if you have the astro units. His long range will give him innate survivability, but you may find yourself needing a defensive item like Quicksilver or Guardian Angel to keep him alive long enough to carry the team.

Viktor – Battlecast + Sorcerer

First Impressions: Viktor has a very interesting ability. He targets the two units that are furthest away from each other, and will deal additional damage to units in between. This opens up a lot of positioning play and counter play, but I think the important thing to note is that Viktor 3 star will instantly kill the two units furthest from each other (even with magic resistance on the enemy, with ability power items his ability will scale past 100%).

Positioning: Backline

Tips: Positioning Viktor does not matter as much as counter positioning since his ability depends on the positioning of the enemy rather than your own. This can make things difficult for the Viktor player, but it will limit how your opponent can position his board. Having units like Blitzcrank alongside Viktor will also make your opponents life a nightmare to position around you.

5-Cost Champions

Janna – Star Guardian + Paragon

First Impressions: Oh my oh my. This unit is a game changer. Her ability is quite good as it provides ally buffs and enemy CC, but her Paragon trait really steals the show. With a Star Guardian’s Charm, you can make any ally deal true damage from basic attacks just by having Janna on the board (I’m looking at you Jhin). While this may not be extremely competitive and consistent, it will definitely make for some fun games.

Positioning: Midline

Tips: Janna fires her tornados in a cone, so you can assume that placing her in the middle will cover the most area. This may not be the case depending on how wide the tornados travel, but play around with it to figure out how to cover the most space on the enemy board, while also hitting most of your own units.

Urgot – Battlecast + Protector

First Impressions: Riot is really turning it up with these creative 5 cost units. Urgot, based on how his ability text is give, seems like he will kill any unit he casts his ability on. While his ability may take some time, being able to kill any unit with true damage can be extremely powerful.

Positioning: Frontline / Midline

Tips: Since Urgot’s ability guarantees a kill, you may want to try and keep your team alive as long as possible, rather than kill as fast as possible. Protector mystic teams may come back in style with a powerful unit like Urgot. Note that Urgot may also pair nicely with Cassiopeia as she provides both battlecast and mystic.

The post All the New Champs and Synergies in TFT Set 3: Galaxies – Return to the Stars appeared first on Mobalytics.

Welcome to our guide on EVERY set 2 champion. With the set 2 out for a while now on PBE, some champions and builds have shone above the rest. Keep in mind, however, that a lot of these thoughts are initial impressions. Once set 2 hits ranked, expect many new builds and powerful combinations to arise and keep up with that through our team comps page. For now, here’s our general thoughts on every champion so far.

Notes: Our overview of these champions are edited to be more concise, for a more in-depth look on every champion ability and their stats, check out their Champions Page for more details. To learn about the other changes in the game, check out our guide on the new game mechanics, origins, and classes.

Positioning Key

We’ll be giving basic positioning suggestions for every champion to get the ball rolling for you, but remember that positioning is incredibly contextual in TFT and to always adapt to the situation at hand. We recommend revisiting our unit positioning guide to brush up your fundamentals.

The terminology we’ll be using in this article will be frontline, midline, and backline.

Red = frontline, Orange = midline, Green = backline

Following this key, you’ll be able to understand the rows that champions should be placed in general. Note that the Set 2 board is one row bigger – in general this slightly weakens AoE units and buffs melee comps a tad since they’ll have more space to get in on backliners.

1-Cost Champions

Diana – Inferno / Assassin

First Impressions:

Much like Kha’Zix from set 1, Diana is a decent assassin that you can use in the early game. Inferno currently is not as strong as some of the other traits in the game. Because of this, not many late game comps currently use her so expect her to hold your late game items and then transition out into stronger units.

Positioning:

Backline, opposite the target you want to jump to.

Tips:

If you have an inferno hex game, she can pair nicely with Qiyana for inferno and assassin early, and she can also pair early with Varus and Kindred for early Inferno as well.

Ivern – Woodland / Druid

First Impressions:

Much like many one cost champions, Ivern doesn’t bring much to the table, but when combined with an early Woodland and Druid, he can give you some early round wins to start win streaking.

Recommended Items:

Guardian Angel, Warmog’s Armor, Redemption

Positioning:

Midline. 

Tips

If you find an early Ivern 2 star, look for other woodland units like Maokai or Neeko to make use of their synergy early to rack up your win streak. Be prepared to transition out, however, as they don’t scale very well into the late game.

Kog’Maw – Poison / Predator

First Impressions:

Kog’Maw is in somewhat of an awkward spot in that players haven’t yet figured out strong uses of Predator other than hyper-rolling. Poison also comes very late with only a few units, high cost units, having Poison. As such, Kog’Maw should also be a transition early game unit.

Positioning:

Backline.

Tips:

Since Kog’Maw likely won’t be in your end game team, you can put nearly any items you want as you will likely sell him later, but if you hyperroll, Hurricane makes great use of predator ability.

Maokai – Woodland / Druid

First Impressions:

Maokai functions very similarly to Ivern, a strong early game snowball, but falls off very quickly. You can simply use him early to hold your defensive items to sell for later.

Positioning:

Frontline.

Tips:

Look to pair with other Woodlands like Ivern, Neeko, or even LeBlanc to snowball early, but prepare to transition.

Nasus – Light / Warden

First Impressions:

Nasus himself is not the strongest, but the light synergy has shown itself to be very powerful so far. There are strategies to hyper-roll for Nasus and Vayne to eventually reach 6 light. Item

Positioning:

Center frontline (to maximize AoE).

Tips:

Nasus is an early unit that make might stay into your late game team, so don’t put any items on him you might want for more powerful units later. Even still, a 3-star Nasus with items can help you cruise the early and mid game.

Ornn – Electric / Warden

First Impressions:

Ornn hasn’t shown too much promise yet with Wardens lacking damage and electric only on Zed and Volibear. However, there will still be more playtesting needed before any final thoughts.

Positioning:

Frontline.

Tips:

Like many other early game champs, you can place any items unless you plan on keeping Ornn.

Renekton – Desert / Berserker

First Impressions:

Renekton plays very similarly to Darius from Set 1, and can be used early to get Desert buff online or be used in a 6 berserker team. While not the strongest unit, Renekton seems to be a solid unit early.

Positioning:

Center frontline (to maximize AoE).

Tips:

Place items wisely. If you find yourself in a position where you want to run 6 berserkers, try not to place any strong items early that you might regret. If used for an early desert buff, you can place items if you plan on replacing Renekton.

Taliyah – Mountain / Mage

First Impressions:

Taliyah definitely is not the strongest unit, but when there are mountain hexes, you can pair Taliyah with Qiyana for an early mountain buff. This massive shield can definitely win some early rounds.

Positioning:

Midline.

Tips:

If you happen to be running a team with Malphite, or find an early Malphite, consider running Taliyah if you can fit her in your team. A free 1500 HP shield can go a long way.

Vayne – Light / Ranger

First Impressions:

Vayne in set 2 has some very strong synergies with rangers and light. Light 6 has made it viable to have Vayne as your hyper carry in the late game, assuming you can 3 star her. Even if you don’t, you can still use her to transition into any comp that uses rangers.

Positioning:

Backline, side or center as hyper carry.

Tips:

Keep in mind that light units will likely be very contested with many players attesting to their strength. As such, it might not be the best idea to hyperroll on the first day, but balance changes can still happen, so we will see.

Vladimir – Ocean / Mage

First Impressions:

Mages haven’t seen much play in PBE, but Vladimir is still a pretty solid unit. Be wary of any buffs to mages in the future, but for now don’t expect too much from Vlad in the mid to late game.

Positioning:

Midline.

Tips:

Vlad can still be a solid choice to hold your items until you transition into stronger units.

Warwick – Glacial / Predator

First Impressions:

So far, Warwick hasn’t shown much promise. Both glacial and predator don’t see much so far, so don’t expect much from Warwick until someone innovates.

Positioning:

Frontline.

Tips:

We’ve suggested some general tanky items for Warwick, but since you likely have him as a transition unit, feel free to place any items that you want on him.

Zyra – Inferno / Summoner

First Impressions:

Zyra is a solid early unit. She doesn’t scale very well into the midgame, but a possible early summoner or early inferno bonus can justify picking her up early.

Positioning:

Midline or side backline.

Tips:

Zyra is arguably a stronger transition unit compared to other one cost units allowing for early inferno or summoner. Even still, don’t expect to keep her in your team for too long as there are just better units later on. Items are quite flexible early for transition units, so anything that helps her summon plants will help.

2-Cost Champions

Braum – Glacial/Warden

First Impressions:

Braum isn’t that much different from his Set 1 self. Now that he’s no longer a Guardian, you can be a bit more flexible in his placement since starting adjacent allies isn’t as forced upon you.

Positioning:

Frontline in front of where he can mitigate the most damage with his ult.

Tips:

Glaicial stuns in set 2, so you can position Braum to delay ultimates from enemy frontliners.

Jax – Light / Berserker

First Impressions:

Jax has shown to be a promising unit so far in the PBE. With light being a strong synergy overall, Jax fits right into the mold. With 6 berserkers also being a possibility, Jax has an initial good rating.

Positioning:

Side frontline.

Tips:

Jax has potential to make it into your late game team, so don’t itemize him heavily early as you want to save your best items for your late game carries. Iceborne Gauntlet is a solid item that synergizes with his ability.

Leblanc – Woodland / Mage / Assassin

First Impressions:

Leblanc has good potential to be a solid transition unit, but with Mages not showing too much promise, Leblanc mostly will be used to transition from woodland into assassins. Even then, she will be replaced quickly by better assassins. There is potential with 6 assassins, but that will have to be playtested more.

Positioning:

Backline, opposite the target you want to jump to.

Tips:

LeBlanc provides the best transition out of woodland into a possible assassin comp. Be ready to replace her once she begins to fall off. If playing for a 6 assassin team, don’t prioritize her for items.

Malzahar – Shadow / Summoner

First Impressions:

Malzahar is definitely a solid unit being able to transition into both summoner and shadow builds. With Zed and Master Yi both being strong units, Malzahar can be your transition into those late game powerhouses.

Positoning:

Center backline.

Tips:

Malzahar isn’t really a transition unit, but more of a synergy bonus unit. As such, be wary of any items you place on him as he might stay into your final team. 4 Shadow builds and Zed builds have shown good promise, so try picking up Malzahar to get there.

Neeko – Woodland / Druid

First Impressions:

Neeko is kind of in an awkward spot thus far. With woodland and druid being very early game oriented, investing into a 2-cost unit will only lose you gold if you sell Neeko later on.

Positioning:

Midline or side backline.

Tips:

Be wary of investing in Neeko early on. If you need her to finish 3 woodland, feel free to keep her at level 1 until you find better units to replace your woodland units.

Rek’Sai – Steel / Predator

First Impressions:

Rek’Sai seems somewhat lackluster at first based on her skill, but, when paired with Nocturne, the steel bonus can be quite strong especially for Nocturne. This opens up possibilities for 6 assassins with Nocturne as your main carry or a strong carry for hyper-roll predators.

Positioning:

Side frontline.

Tips:

Zeke’s Herald can be a very strong item when stacked on a 6 assassin team. Youmuu’s Ghostblade will also allow the team to fit in better units while allowing Nocturne and Rek’sai to get steel bonus.

Skarner – Crystal / Predator

First Impressions:

Skarner seems to be somewhat weaker than many of the other 2 drops, with Crystal only available later with Ashe and Taric. Predator has some potential but even then Skarner likely won’t make the cut compared to the other predators.

Positioning:

Frontline.

Tips:

Skarner can be picked up early to pair with Ashe or to pair with other predators like Kog’Maw, but will likely be transitioned out of. As such, we’ve recommended general items once again on a transition unit like Skarner.

Syndra – Ocean / Mage

First Impressions:

Mages haven’t shown great potential yet, so naturally, Syndra hasn’t shown much promise yet either.

Positioning:

Midline or backline.

Tips:

Even with ocean and mages being weak currently, be ready for possible buffs or new innovations from players.

Thresh – Ocean / Warden

First Impressions:

Most ocean and warden champions have not shown much promise in the PBE, and as such, Thresh doesn’t show much promise yet either.

Positioning:

Frontline.

Tips:

Wardens currently don’t have enough upside to warrant running yet, but be ready for any balance changes.

Varus – Inferno / Ranger

First Impressions:

Varus shows promise mainly being a ranger and pairing nicely with Kindred for a possible early ranger and inferno buff. However, most builds tend to drop inferno toward the late game. As such, Varus can be used as a solid transition unit while waiting for stronger rangers.

Positioning:

Backline against assassins, backline corner to maximize damage.

Tips:

It it uncertain whether 6 rangers are viable enough, with most players opting to run 2 or 4 currently. Because of this, Varus transitions easily into stronger rangers such as Ashe or Twitch and can hold items for them until they appear in your shop.

Volibear – Electric / Glacial / Berserker

First Impressions:

Volibear has decent potential being one of the units with two origins. Electric will need more testing, and glacials haven’t shown as much promise yet, but with a fast changing meta, Volibear can definitely become a top pick in the 2 drop category.

Positioning:

Frontline.

Tips:

Being a berserker, on-hit items synergize well with their bonus, and Volibear can hold items for Olaf provided you find another copy to replace him in your team. The glacial from Volibear and Olaf also work well together.

Yasuo – Cloud / Blademaster

First Impressions:

When a cloud hex appears on the board, Yasuo definitely becomes one of the most contested units in the game to pair with Qiyana for early dodge chance. Late game, Yasuo also synergizes with Master Yi to complete a shadow, blademaster, mystic, cloud team.

Positioning:

Frontline or midline.

Tips:

Yasuo can be kept as a defensive frontline with itemization, or you can put offensive items to hold for Master Yi in the late game. Either way, early cloud with Yasuo can be a powerhouse to cruise through the early mid game.

3-Cost Champions

Aatrox – Light / Blademaster

First Impressions:

Aatrox, much like Nasus and Jax, has the powerful light buff which already makes him a strong unit. His blademaster class makes him even better to possibly go for 4 blademaster teams with Yasuo and Master Yi, or 6 light teams with Master Yi or Vayne as your carry.

Positioning:

Frontline.

Tips:

Aatrox has great potential and will likely be a fairly contested unit on release.

Azir – Desert / Summoner

First Impressions:

Azir is a solid unit in that desert pairs nicely with either Sivir or Kha’Zix to build into blademasters or assassins or both. For assassins, Azir also brings summoner that will help Zed in your late game. For blademasters, Azir might be dropped late game for Kha’Zix, but overall he is a very solid unit.

Positioning:

Backline.

Tips:

Shojin, Rageblade, or other items will help Azir summon more sand soldiers, but Zeke’s Herald will buff the rest of your assassins if building into Zed and Kha’Zix, and buff your other summoners.

Dr. Mundo – Poison / Berserker

First Impressions:

Dr. Mundo fits nicely into possible 6 berserker comps, but also allows to build into comps that use Twitch as their main carry.

Positioning:

Frontline.

Tips:

Mundo definitely won’t be the star unit on your team, so we recommended general defensive items. Don’t prioritize these items, but instead items for your Singed or Twitch instead.

Ezreal – Glacial / Ranger

First Impressions:

So far, Ezreal seems to be one of the weaker rangers, mainly used to complete your ranger buff or give glacial buff.

Positioning:

Midline or backline.

Tips:

With Ezreal’s low mana pool, Luden’s can be strong early on, but it will fall off toward the late game.

Kindred – Inferno / Shadow / Ranger

First Impressions:

Kindred is definitely quite strong as a 3 drop and opens up synergy with Master Yi in the late game. The early inferno buff can also be used with Varus for a strong opener.

Positioning:

Backline.

Tips:

While Kindred is very strong in the mid game, she will not keep up with 4 or 5-cost carries late in the game. Even still, she is a strong addition to teams that can utilize her.

Nautilus – Ocean / Warden

First Impressions:

Nautilus is in the same awkward spot as Thresh being somewhat weaker in terms of traits. However, he is similar to Vi from set 1 and provides early CC.

Positioning:

Side frontline (maximizes his ult damage).

Tips:

Nautilus can still be a solid transition unit if you happen to be running wardens, but being a 3-cost is a heavy investment. Even still his skill is quite good and can disrupt enemy backlines.

Nocturne – Steel / Assassin

First Impressions:

Nocturne is similar to Rengar from set 1 in that he is a decently strong assassin as a 3-cost. Pairing Nocturne and Rek’sai with Youmuu’s Ghostblade can be solid 6 assassin team.

Positioning:

Backline, opposite the target you want to jump to.

Tips:

Nocturne can be a strong carry if you are able to 3-star him, but if you find stronger assassins first, like Zed or Kha’Zix, stacking Zeke’s Herald can be a strong choice to buff your entire team while making him a bit tankier as well.

Qiyana – Variable / Assassin

First Impressions:

Qiyana’s variable origin will always match the elemental hexes on the board. With a cloud Qiyana, blademaster assassin teams will really shine. inferno and mountain can provide solid early game buffs, but ocean Qiyana hasn’t shown much promise.

Positioning:

Backline, opposite the target you want to jump to.

Tips:

Qiyana can be quite strong, but don’t prioritize her for items as you’ll likely have stronger units to prioritize. Being a 3-cost unit, selling her to get your items will lose you gold compared to transitioning with 1 or 2-cost units.

Sion – Shadow / Berserker

First Impressions:

Sion is a solid frontline, but really shines in that he can be decent early CC and also buff your shadow units. 6 berserker teams will also run Sion, so he seems like a solid unit overall.

Positioning:

Frontline.

Tips:

Sion like many 3-cost units shouldn’t be item stacked as he isn’t capable of being a main carry on your team. Extra defensive items can go on Sion, but there will likely be better units not far way to prioritize.

Sivir – Desert / Blademaster

First Impressions:

Sivir shows great promise taking Draven’s role of a ranged blademaster. While she won’t hyper carry as hard, her desert can be paired with Kha’Zix and provides nice backline DPS worthy of being a secondary carry.

Positioning:

Backline.

Tips:

Hurricane paired with on-hit items will do massive work on Sivir. Sword Breaker, and Guinsoo’s Rageblade are also decent items to put on her.

Soraka – Light / Mystic

First Impressions:

Soraka is not the most flashy unit, but the fact that she is both light and mystic make her a perfect pair with Master Yi if you are able to make Talisman of Light. Her mana lock can also be clutch to position against strong enemy spells.

Positioning:

Midline or backline.

Tips:

Soraka definitely is not a priority to put items on, as many other units provide higher DPS or have stronger CC. Even still, extra mana to mana lock enemies can be very useful.

Veigar – Shadow / Mage

First Impressions:

Mages haven’t shown much promise yet, but Veigar still has a place in the meta being the 4th shadow to buff up your Master Yi. In the situation you find a shadow Lux, however, Veigar likely won’t make the cut anymore.

Positioning:

Midline or backline.

Tips: There will definitely be people who roll for Veigar 3 in order to one shot enemy units. With mage, he will cast twice, which will definitely make for some great highlights, but might not be very viable competitively.

4-Cost Champions

Annie – Inferno / Summoner

First Impressions:

Annie is quite a strong unit, and summoners have shown good viability in the meta. Inferno, on the other hand, will need more innovation or buffs before Annie is used for inferno teams.

Positioning:

Midline or backline.

Tips:

Keep in mind that Annie cannot ult again until Tibbers dies, so stacking mana generation isn’t the best way to go. Items aren’t prioritized for Annie since she mainly acts as a side unit for assassin teams, but she can be a good unit to put your Rods on.

Ashe – Crystal / Ranger

First Impressions:

Ashe was very strong on PBE release that she had to be nerfed almost instantly. She has fast attack speed, and when paired with crystal on Taric is enough defensive ability to stack offensive items.

Positioning:

Center backline.

Tips:

Red Buff can be a strong alternative to Giant Slayer if you see lots of Warmogs in the game. Crystal can be online early with Skarner, but really shines when you are able to find Taric.

Brand – Inferno / Mage

First Impressions:

Brand hasn’t changed much from set 1, and so far is somewhat underwhelming. As the main carry for Mages, the fact that his ult takes time to deal full damage can be quite detrimental. And with the bigger board for set 2, Brand’s ability might not get to bounce fully. Brand, inferno, and mages will need some buffs or innovation before he is relevant in the meta.

Positioning:

Backline.

Tips:

Brand with the right buffs could definitely become quite strong in the future. But until then, don’t expect much of him just yet.

Janna – Cloud / Mystic

First Impressions:

Janna is one of the few new support units that does her job extremely well. When positioned with your main carry, her ability will provide great CC to keep your carry safe as well as heal them. Being both cloud and mystic also makes her one of, if not, the best defensive unit in the game.

Positioning:

Midline or center backline, whichever is best to help Janna protect your carry.

Tips:

Janna will definitely be heavily contested and can do very well without any items. If you find that she dies before she can ult, you can throw some mana items on her to speed it up.

Kha’Zix – Desert / Assassin

First Impressions:

Kha’Zix is quite strong and is quite similar to Akali from set 1. Being the 4-cost assassin, he will likely carry the mid to late game until you can find Zed. Desert is also very easy to fit in with Sivir or Azir, allowing your units to deal more damage.

Positioning:

Backline, opposite the target you want to jump to.

Tips:

Guardian Angel can be a great defensive option for Kha’Zix, but in the late game, if you find a Zed, it might be better off to save Guardian Angel for Zed to hopefully pair with Redemption.

Malphite – Mountain / Warden

First Impressions:

Malphite is definitely the strongest CC unit in the game with a near instant cast. However, mountain buff falls off in the late game when you have to run Taliyah and wardens have yet to show great potential.

Positioning:

Center frontline. Although you can’t control where Malphite ults, you want him to do so ASAP. 

Tips:

Even if you aren’t going for a warden comp, Malphite can still be added to basically any team with an extra slot to provide good CC.

Olaf – Glacial / Berserker

First Impressions:

Olaf has shown some potential with 6 berserkers as the main carry, but whether this team will be able to keep up will have to be seen.

Positioning:

Side frontline.

Tips:

Remember that berzerkers also proc on-hit effects with their synergy buff. However, as Olaf is if your hyper carry, stacking offensive items will be more important, while other berzerkers can use items such as sword breaker or hush.

Twitch – Poison / Ranger

First Impressions:

Twitch’s ability is extremely strong especially when paired with Runaan’s Hurricane. Twitch is without a doubt the strongest offensive ranger. Combining with Singed and Dr. Mundo allow for not just good damage but mana lock.

Positioning:

Center backline.

Tips:

Red Buff and Giant Slayer and somewhat interchangeable depending on your lobby. Try to position Twitch in a position where his Spray and Pray can hit the backline of enemy teams.

Yorick – Light / Summoner

First Impressions:

Yorick is a decent unit that can be fitted into 6 light teams or any summoner team. While not too overpowering, Yorick is a solid frontliner that will annoy opponents that can’t deal with summoned units.

Positioning:

Frontline.

Tips:

Yorick is not a priority to itemize, but if you find a Zed 2 with itemized Yorick, you can replace Yorick with either another Yorick or Annie and use the items on him for Zed.

5-Cost Champions

Master Yi – Shadow / Mystic / Blademaster

First Impressions:

Master Yi is a very strong late game carry, but like other 5-cost units can be unreliable compared to 4-cost carries. His Mediate ability also somewhat hinders his DPS output but does give him some defensive capability.

Positioning:

Side midline.

Tips:

Master Yi is quite flexible in that he can fit into a decent amount of teams so far, and with Talisman of Light can become extremely strong with his high attack speed and base damage.

Nami – Ocean / Mystic

First Impressions:

Nami is another support unit like Janna that brings mystic and decent CC to the table. While Ocean is underused right now, the possibility of 4 mystic and CC make Nami a great unit if you can afford it in the late game.

Positioning:

Mid or backline center (similar to Janna).

Tips:

Extra tears can help Nami ult faster which will not only provide good CC, but also buff your units with magic damage on hit.

Singed – Poison / Alchemist

First Impressions:

Singed is a very interesting unit, never auto attacking, but simply running around leaving a poison trail. Poison pairs very nicely with Twitch, and the mana debuff will annoy many people.

Positioning:

Center midline. Since he does not have unit collision, letting him run through your team to the enemy without aggro will help him survive longer.

Tips:

Try to position Singed so that the neurotoxins from poison hit enemies with strong abilities. Other than that just watch him run around and have fun.

Taric – Crystal / Warden

First Impressions:

Taric’s ability can be extremely strong with the right timing, and when paired with Ashe, Taric becomes extremely tanky.

Positioning:

Center frontline.

Tips:

Taric is already quite tanky without items, so items aren’t a priority for Taric, but can help him be that much more annoying for the enemy to kill.

Zed – Electric / Summoner / Assassin

First Impressions:

Zed surrounded with a supporting team of synergies can be one of the scariest late game monsters. With each of his clones copying his items, there are many items that will benefit Zed. Electric can also become quite scary if the board fills up with Zed clones.

Positioning:

Tips:

Guardian Angel and Redemption combine to make Zed a possibly unkillable monster. Combined with cloud and mystic, Zed will become virtually unkillable. In other regular assassin teams, items like Rapidfire Cannon or Infinity Edge will do great as well.

7-Cost Champion

Lux – Variable / Avatar

First Impressions:

Lux is by far the most interesting unit of the new batch. Being able to be one of ten elemental origins creates so many possibilities in the late game. As such, Lux will always be meta depending on what origins are strong, but 7 gold is quite steep for any player to stomach in the late game.

Positioning:

Center backline.

Tips:

Keep in mind that finding Lux, especially the one you want, will be difficult and not reliable. As such, build your teams that are strong without Lux, but also be ready for when the stars align and you find the perfect Lux for your team.

Thanks for reading our TFT Set 2 mechanics guide! Be sure to check out site for recommended team comps, champ tier list, and item tier list to help you stay on top of the new meta.

The post How to Play All the New Set 2 Champions in TFT (Items, Tips, and First Impressions) appeared first on Mobalytics.

The newest TFT set is finally arriving and with it comes brand new champions, origins, classes, and even brand new board mechanics.

Overall, its theme focuses on being able to adapt your play to the different elements Set 2 presents.

In this article, we’ll be focusing on the new board mechanics and synergies. Check out our separate guide that covers all the champions and be sure to check out our item tier list, champion tier lists, and best TFT team comps to help you keep up with the new meta!

Elemental Hexes

TFT’s second set is titled, Rise of the Elements. This refers to the four elements: Inferno, Mountain, Ocean, and Wind (very similar to the elemental Dragons from Summoner’s Rift). At the beginning of each match, everyone in the game will have to play around one of these four elements (decided at random).

Based on the element that is chosen, elemental hexes will appear on the board that grant buffs to the units that are positioned on them. Here is a quick TLDR of their effects:

• Inferno Hex + 30% Attack Speed
• Mountain Hex + 30 HP per round permanently for rest of game
• Ocean Hex + 30 Starting Mana
• Wind Hex + 30% Dodge Chance

In the in-depth infographic below, we’ll cover how all four of the elemental hexes work and the champions we recommend to place on them.

Bigger Board

The TFT board is now 4 rows of seven instead of the usual 3. In combination with the new elemental hexes and the removal of Hextech, this makes positioning even more complex and nuanced. Having more space makes AoE slightly harder to pull off and makes all melee comps more viable.

Early on in Set 2’s cycle be sure to experiment and get a new feel for how to position to get the most from your units. Be sure to revisit our guide on TFT positioning to sharpen your fundamentals.

New Origins

There are 14 origins in TFT’s Set 2 – they are:

• Cloud
• Crystal
• Desert
• Electric
• Glacial
• Inferno
• Light
• Ocean
• Mountain
• Poison
• Shadow
• Steel
• Woodland
• Variable

In the sections below, we’ll be covering what each origin does as well as the units that are included.

Cloud (2 Units)

• Cloud grants all allies gain dodge chance (RIP Yordles).
  • Cloud units
    • Yasuo (2-cost)
      • Blademaster + Cloud
    • Janna  (4-cost)
      • Mystic + Cloud

Crystal (3 Units)

• Crystal units have a damage cap they can receive from one hit.
  • Crystal units
    • Skarner (2-cost)
      • Crystal + Predator
    • Ashe (4-cost)
      • Crystal + Ranger
    • Taric (5-cost)
      • Crystal + Warden

Desert (4 Units)

• Desert reduces each enemy’s Armor.
  • Desert units
    • Renekton (1-cost)
      • Desert + Berserker
    • Azir (3-cost)
      • Desert + Summoner
    • Sivir (3-cost)
      • Desert + Blademaster
    • Kha’Zix (4-cost)
      • Desert + Assassin

Electric (3 Units)

• Electric units shock nearby enemies when they deal or receive critical hits.
  • Electric units
    • Ornn (1-cost)
      • Electric + Warden
    • Volibear (2-cost)
      • Berserker + Electric + Glacial
    • Zed (5-cost)
      • Assassin + Electric + Summoner

Glacial (5 units)

• Basic attacks from glacials have a chance to stun their target for 1.5 seconds.
  • Glacial units
    • Warwick (1-cost)
      • Glacial + Predator
    • Braum (2-cost)
      • Glacial + Warden
    • Volibear (2-cost)
      • Berserker + Electric + Glacial
    • Ezreal (3-cost)
      • Glacial + Ranger
    • Olaf (4-cost)
      • Berserker + Glacial

Inferno (6 units)

• Inferno units have spell damage that burns the ground beneath their target, dealing percentage magic damage over time.
  • Inferno units
    • Diana (1-cost)
      • Assassin + Inferno
    • Zyra (1-cost)
      • Inferno + Summoner
    • Varus (2-cost)
      • Inferno + Ranger
    • Kindred (3-cost)
      • Inferno + Ranger + Shadow
    • Annie (4-cost)
      • Inferno + Summoner
    • Brand (4-cost)
      • Inferno + Mage

Light (6 units)

• When a champion of light dies, the rest gain attack speed and recover 25% of their max HP.
  • Light units
    • Nasus (1-cost)
      • Light + Warden
    • Vayne (1-cost)
      • Light + Ranger
    • Jax (2-cost)
      • Berserker + Light
    • Soraka (3-cost)
      • Light + Mystic
    • Aatrox (3-cost)
      • Blademaster + Light
    • Yorick (4-cost)
      • Light + Summoner

Mountain (2 units)

• At the start of combat, Mountain causes a random ally gains a stone shield with 1500 HP.
  • Mountain units
    • Taliyah (1-cost)
      • Mage + Mountain
    • Malphite (4-cost)
      • Mountain + Warden

Ocean (5 nits)

• Ocean grants additional mana every 3 seconds to all allies.
  • Ocean units
    • Vladimir (1-cost)
      • Mage + Ocean
    • Syndra (2-cost)
      • Mage + Ocean
    • Thresh (2-cost)
      • Ocean + Warden
    • Nautilus (3-cost)
      • Ocean + Warden
    • Nami (5-cost)
      • Mystic + Ocean

Poison (4 units)

• Poison units add neurotoxins when they cause damage. This increases the mana cost of the target by 50%
  • Poison units
    • Kog’Maw (1-cost)
      • Poison + Predator
    • Dr. Mundo (3-cost)
      • Berserker + Poison
    • Twitch (4-cost)
      • Poison + Ranger
    • Singed (5-cost)
      • Alchemist + Poison

Shadow (5 units)

• Shadow units deal increased damage at the beginning of combat. This increased damage refreshed on a takedown.
  • Shadow units
    • Malzahar (2-cost)
      • Shadow + Summoner
    • Kindred (3-cost)
      • Inferno + Ranger + Shadow
    • Sion (3-cost)
      • Berserker + Shadow
    • Veigar (3-cost)
      • Mage + Shadow
    • Master Yi (5-cost)
      • Blademaster + Mystic + Shadow

Steel (2 units)

• Steel units gain temporary invincibility when their HP falls below 50%.
  • Steel units
    • Rek’Sai (2-cost)
      • Predator + Steel
    • Nocturne (3-cost)
      • Assassin + Steel

Variable (2 units)

• Variable transforms an origin is dependent on conditions met in game.
  • Variable units
    • Qiyana (3-cost)
      • Assassin + Variable
        • Qiyana’s origin matches the elemental hex on the board. If the board is Inferno, her origin will be Inferno, and so on.
    • Lux (7-cost)
      • Avatar + Variable
        • Ten copies of Lux will appear in each game: Glacial, Cloud, Electric, Woodland, Ocean, Crystal, Steel, Inferno, Shadow, or Light.
        • When you buy a Lux, all other copies of Lux in your shop will match that particular element.

Woodland (4 units)

• At the beginning of the round, a random Woodland champion clones themselves.
  • Woodland units
    • Ivern (1-cost)
      • Druid + Woodland
    • Maokai (1-cost)
      • Druid + Woodland
    • LeBlanc (2-cost)
      • Assassin + Mage + Woodland
    • Neeko (2-cost)
      • Druid + Woodland

New Classes Summary

Alchemist (1 unit)

• Alchemists ignore unit collision and never stop running.
• Alchemist units
  • Singed (5-cost)
    • Alchemist + Poison

Assassin (6 units)

• Assassins increase their crit damage and crit chance.
• Assassin units
  • Diana (1-cost)
    • Assassin + Inferno
  • LeBlanc (2-cost)
    • Assassin + Mage + Woodland
  • Nocturne (3-cost)
    • Assassin + Steel
  • Qiyana (3-cost)
    • Assassin + Variable
  • Kha’Zix (4-cost)
    • Assassin + Desert
  • Zed (5-cost)
    • Assassin + Electric + Summoner

Avatar (1 unit)

• An Avatar’s origin element is counted twice for trait bonuses.
  • Lux (7-cost)
    • Avatar + Variable
      • Ten copies of Lux will appear in each game: Glacial, Cloud, Electric, Woodland, Ocean, Crystal, Steel, Inferno, Shadow, or Light.
      • When you buy a Lux, all other copies of Lux in your shop will match that particular element.

Berserker (6 units)

• Beserkers have a passive that causes them to jump to the nearest enemy (sort of like the opposite of assassins). They have a chance to hit all units in a cone with their attacks.
  • Berserker units
    • Renekton (1-cost)
      • Berserker + Desert
    • Jax (2-cost)
      • Berserker + Light
    • Volibear (2-cost)
      • Berserker + Electric + Glacial
    • Dr. Mundo (3-cost)
      • Berserker + Poison
    • Sion (3-cost)
      • Berserker + Shadow
    • Olaf (4-cost)
      • Berserker + Glacial

Blademaster (4 units)

• Blademasters have a 40% chance to attack additional times.
  • Blademaster units:
    • Yasuo (2-cost)
      • Cloud + Blademaster
    • Aatrox (3-cost)
      • Blademaster + Light
    • Sivir (3-cost)
      • Blademaster + Desert
    • Master Yi (5-cost)
      • Blademaster + Mystic + Shadow

Druid (3 units)

• Druids regenerate 40 health each second.
  • Druid units:
    • Ivern (1-cost)
      • Druid + Woodland
    • Maokai (1-cost)
      • Druid + Woodland
    • Neeko (2-cost)
      • Druid + Woodland

Mage (6 units)

• After casting a spell, Mages have a chance to double cast.
  • Mage units:
    • LeBlanc (1-cost)
      • Assassin + Mage + Woodland
    • Taliyah (1-cost)
      • Mage + Ocean
    • Vladimir (1-cost)
      • Mage + Ocean
    • Syndra (2-cost)
      • Mage + Ocean
    • Veigar (3-cost)
      • Mage + Shadow
    • Brand (4-cost)
      • Inferno + Mage

Mystic (4 units)

• Mystic gives all allies increased Magic Resist.
  • Mystic units
    • Soraka (3-cost)
      • Light + Mystic
    • Janna (4-cost)
      • Cloud + Mystic
    • Master Yi (5-cost)
      • Blademaster + Mystic + Shadow
    • Nami (5-cost)
      • Mystic + Ocean

Predator (4 units)

• Any damage a predator deals to an enemy below 20% HP will execute them.
  • Predator units
    • Kog’Maw (1-cost)
      • Poison + Predator
    • Warwick (1-cost)
      • Glacial + Predator
    • Rek’Sai (2-cost)
      • Predator + Steel
    • Skarner (2-cost)
      • Crystal + Predator

Ranger (6 units)

• Rangers have a chance to double their attack speed for the next 3 seconds.
  • Ranger units
    • Vayne (1-cost)
      • Light + Ranger
    • Varus (2-cost)
      • Inferno + Ranger
    • Ezreal (3-cost)
      • Glacial + Ranger
    • Kindred (3-cost)
      • Inferno + Ranger + Shadow
    • Ashe (4-cost)
      • Crystal + Ranger
    • Twitch (4-cost)
      • Poison + Ranger

Summoner (6 units)

• Summoners buff their summoned units with increased health and duration.
  • Summoner units
    • Zyra (1-cost)
      • Inferno + Summoner
    • Malzahar (2-cost)
      • Shadow + Summoner
    • Azir (3-cost)
      • Desert + Summoner
    • Annie (4-cost)
      • Inferno + Summoner
    • Yorick (4-cost)
      • Light + Summoner
    • Zed (5-cost)
      • Assassin + Electric + Summoner

Warden ( 7 units)

• Wardens increase their total armor.
  • Warden units
    • Nasus (1-cost)
      • Light + Warden
    • Ornn (1-cost)
      • Electric + Warden
    • Braum (2-cost)
      • Glacial + Warden
    • Thresh (2-cost)
      • Ocean + Warden
    • Nautilus (3-cost)
      • Ocean + Warden
    • Malphite (4-cost)
      • Mountain + Warden
    • Taric (5-cost)
      • Crystal + Warden

Thanks for reading our TFT Set 2 mechanics guide! Be sure to check out site for recommended team comps, champ tier list, and item tier list to help you stay on top of the new meta.

The post TFT Set 2: New Mechanics, Origins, and Classes appeared first on Mobalytics.

Hey everyone, welcome back to our weekly item strength analysis. 9.19 comes not only with a decent meta shift, but also the introduction of Sparring Gloves, a new base item that works similar to Spatula (since it combines with components to create items). A lot of these ratings will be first impressions based on what was being used in the PBE, so don’t overlook any item just yet.

If you haven’t already, check out our Patch Notes analysis page for insight on the reasoning for our ratings and changes. We’ll be quoting information from the official 9.19 Teamfight Tactics patch notes as well.

Sparring Gloves

• New Component: Gives +10% Critical Strike chance and +10% chance to Dodge chance.
• When building an item out of Sparring Gloves, the item will convert its core stats to either the offensive (20% Critical Strike chance), defensive (20% Dodge chance) option. Thief’s Gloves and Mittens get both.

Rating – B: The new item will definitely shake things up, but currently none of them appear to be S-tier strong. Some items might see more play as time goes on which will increase the rating of Sparring Gloves, but for now, a B rating is our initial thought for this basic item.

Infinity Edge

• Recipe: Sparring Gloves + B.F. Sword
• Stats: 20% Critical Strike chance
• Effect: +150% Critical Strike damage

Rating – A: The changes to B.F. Sword’s crit chance largely came as a result of the 20% crit chance that is now inherent in the base stats. IE is even more consistent now and will stay at an A rating.

Jeweled Gauntlet

• Recipe Sparring Gloves + Needlessly Large Rod
• Effect: Your spells can crit

Rating – B: Having spells that can crit seems nice, but considering how sorcerers function, it is somewhat unnecessary and unreliable to rely on crits on spells.

Repeating Crossbow

• Recipe: Sparring Gloves + Recurve Bow
• Effect: On death, this jumps to an allied champion and grants an additional 20% Attack Speed & Critical Strike chance.

Rating – B: While this item can have major upside, it also is held back by inconsistency and counterplay from positioning. Also, you usually will want to 3 item stack your main carry so there won’t be any space to receive repeating crossbow.

Hand of Justice

• Recipe: Sparring Gloves + Tear of the Goddess
• Effect: On round start, either gain 40% more damage or 40 life on hit.

Rating – B: Hand of Justice has a very powerful effect of 40% more damage, but 40 life on hit can be quite bad in some cases. There are just better items that do not rely on RNG at this time to warrant using Hand of Justice.

Iceborn Gauntlet

• Recipe: Sparring Gloves + Chain Vest
• Effect: On dodge, create an expandable zone that lowers Attack Speed by 35%.

Rating – B: While this item can make a yordle quite tanky with dodge and debuffs, other defensive items still take priority and sorcerers will completely ignore this item.

Quicksilver

• Recipe: Sparring Gloves + Negatron Cloak
• Effect: When CC’d, cleanse the CC. 5-second cooldown.

Rating – A: With Cho’Gath and Sejuani both receiving nerfs, there will be less and less CC prevalent in the meta. Even still, Quicksilver is currently the only effective game mechanic that counters CC and will surely see some play in countering late-game enemy comps.

Trap Claw

• Recipe: Sparring Gloves + Giant’s Belt
• Effect: On combat begin, gain a spell shield. When it breaks, stun the champion who broke the shield.

Rating – B: While Trap Claw protects against 1 shield, it is likely to be countered by positioning and will not guarantee any good results. Putting this on a frontline might simply negate a small ability that other items still take precedence over this one.

Thief’s Gloves

• Recipe: Sparring Gloves + Sparring Gloves
• Effect: This item takes all three item slots. On round begin, copy two random items.

Rating – A: There are many champions in the game that make good use out of any item, namely the 5-cost units. For a small investment of two items, copying two items can be quite RNG based, but will on average result in decent outcomes.

Mittens

• Recipe: Sparring Gloves + Spatula
• Effect: This champ also counts as a Yordle

Rating – A: Mittens will give any unit inherent tankiness against attack damage. Pairing this with a shapeshifter like Shyvana will result in a very beefy unit.

Other New Items

Deathblade

• Recipe: B.F. Sword + B.F. Sword
• Effect: On a kill or assist, gain an additional 15 Attack Damage until end of combat (Stacks infinitely).

Rating – C: This item would be somewhat decent on assassins, with assassin not as prevalent in the coming meta, this item overall does not give enough to warrant a spot in the comp. Many other great items are made from BF sword and give additional effects other than simply attack damage.

Giant Slayer

• Recipe: B.F. Sword + Recurve Bow
• Effect: Attacks deal an additional 5% enemy max Health as True Damage.

Rating – S: The only new item with an S rating and for good reason. This item paired with rangers or gunslingers will shred through enemy frontlines and will likely define the next meta. Providing both base attack damage and attack speed while TRUE dealing damage based on enemy max health is an offensive powerhouse.

Thanks for reading! Let us know what you think of Sparring Gloves, its item combinations, and the other new items in the comments below!

The post TFT Sparring Gloves (New Item Guide, Patch 9.19) appeared first on Mobalytics.

With the recent announcement that Kai’sa will be joining TFT, the development team seems to be nearing their champion pool cap for this rotation of champions. Once again, the new Kai’sa will be a 5-cost unit, so never try building your team comp around her, but rather, use her as a supplement for your team when she appears in the shop.

Kai’sa will be a void, ranger, assassin unit, combining 3 favorites into one unit. With the new patch, void assassin will see definite changes without Kassadin being able to hyper carry as well as the changes to the void passive synergy. If you are unaware of the changes, read our article on the TFT patch notes analysis for more information.

• Origin: Void
• Class: Ranger
• Class: Assassin
• Cost: 5
• Health: 700
• Armor: 20
• Attack Damage: 55
• Attack Speed: 1.25
• Starting/Total Mana: 50/125

Ability: Killer Instinct

What makes this interesting is that since Kai’sa is already an assassin, she will initially jump, then after gaining mana, will dash once more to the furthest target.

At level 2 though, Kai’sa will gain a whopping 60% attack speed for 3 seconds, combined with her new highest base attack speed (beating out Kayle), her ability guarantees her 2.0 attack speed for 3 seconds.

That’s not even considering if there are any rangers on your team. On top of that, she gains a shield that will greatly help her survivability.

Recommended Items

Most 5-cost champions are able to use almost any item efficiently, and by the time you are able to hit a level 2 Kai’sa, your item choices may be quite limited. However, it is clear that some items will be better than others when it comes to this new champion.

Core Items:

Infinity Edge – Infinity Edge builds from B.F. Sword + Sparring Gloves which greatly increases Kai’sa’s critical strike rate without relying on assassin passive. Combined with her fast attack speed, she will dish out immense damage with IE.

Rapidfire Cannon – While Kaisa is an assassin, she is also quite squishy. By using RFC on Kai’sa, you can position her to attack the frontline, ensuring that she doesn’t jump to the back immediately and possibly receive aggro. This will also allow her to attack from farther range after she ults, keeping her at a safe distance.

Giant Slayer / Guinsoo’s Rageblade – For her third item it can be quite flexible. Here we have two of the strongest offensive items you can possibly build on her, but it is also possible you will want more defensive items in her third slot.

Situational Items:

Yuumi – If Kai’sa appears in your shop while you are running a brawler sorcerer comp, a Yuumi on Kai’sa will allow her to gain mana (much like Spear of Shojin), and her shield will also scale based on her AP and sorcerer bonus.

Darkin – This will function similar to Spear of Shojin and Yuumi. This will allow her to gain mana as well as possibly fit into your demon comp.

Runaan’s Hurricane – This item will be amazing if paired with Giant Slayer or any other CC item such as Frozen Mallet or Hush. This item may not be as required as some of the others but will be amazing as a possible 3rd item.

Many other items will work and be great on Kaisa, but keep in mind that while her attack speed very high, her damage is somewhat low for a 5 cost unit.

As such, items with Recurve Bows will greatly increase her attack speed, but also BF sword items will increase her overall DPS after a certain point.

Keep in mind that AP will also buff her shield, and mana generation will allow her to be even more annoying, popping her attack speed buff and shield over and over.

Recommended Team Comps

Any Ranger Comp

Kai’sa fits naturally as a replacement for Vayne in any of the Ranger team comps. Since most ranger teams utilize the 4 ranger bonus, Kai’sa will seamlessly take Vayne’s spot in all of those teams.

6 Assassin / Rengar Carry

Void Assassin will be undergoing major changes, so it’s hard to predict whether or not a 4 void assassin comp will be viable throughout the game. With the recent buffs to ninjas, it will be very possible that we will see lots of Akali being the main assassin carry.

Also, with the changes to RFC, Rengar might see more play with wild bypassing dodge. In either case, Kai’sa can be a great DPS addition to any assassin build looking for a replacement.

Positioning:

Since Kai’sa is an assassin, she will jump to the farthest enemy possible. Keep this in mind when placing her as you will always prefer that she jump to a certain side depending on your opponent. Also, keep in mind if she has RFC she will not jump if there is a target in range for her to attack. (Her auto-attack range is 2 hexes compared to the many ranged units that have 3 hex range).

Early Impressions:

Like many champions released before, it is entirely possible that Kai’sa will be extremely overtuned on release. Her enormous base attack speed combined with her offensive and defensive ability kit will make her a scary force at level 2.

It is important to note though, that with another 5-cost unit added to the game, the chances of finding a specific level 2 5-cost unit will decrease. With Neeko’s help, though, people are certain to try and go for it anyway.

Thanks for reading! Let us know what you think of Kai’Sa in TFT in the comments below.

The post TFT Kai’Sa (New Unit Guide, Patch 9.19) appeared first on Mobalytics.