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THE DETAILED GUIDE TO TFT (SET 14)

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Teamfight Tactics Guide

Teamfight Tactics (TFT) is an auto-battler game mode within the Riot Client, separate from League of Legends. In each match, eight players compete over the course of 20-30 minutes, navigating through various stages while positioning their units, coordinating strategies, and engaging in tactical battles. Mastering TFT is key to climbing the ranks and improving your gameplay. Think of it as chess; with a passive approach, you set up your units and then watch them execute their strategies autonomously, leaving you to focus on planning and adapting.

Diving into the fast-paced action of TFT, you'll quickly develop your own joys for strategic thinking, whether it's adapting to RNG or predicting your units AI behavior. To improve your chances of winning, it's essential to understand the core principles of how TFT works. Let’s break down these fundamentals and explore how mastering them can give you an edge in the game over everyone of your opponents.

What is AutoChess?

TFT can be thought of as a chess-like game that plays itself. You place your units on the battlefield, and they automatically fight for you, with minimal input required beyond adjusting their positions and equipping items between rounds. To succeed, you must craft a strategy and make the most of the resources at your disposal. Simply placing units without a plan won't get you far, it's about maximizing their strengths.

No two games will ever be identical. If you're the type of player who enjoys sticking to the same playstyle each time, keep in mind that TFT’s unpredictability makes that difficult. Each item drop and unit availability are never guaranteed with the same composition as before. Since everyone shares the same unit pool, it becomes a challenge if another player picks up on your strategy. Be sure to scout out other players and observe their builds to stay one step ahead.

The Unit Pool

The unit pool refers to the number of units currently in and out of play. Since there’s a limited number of units available, it’s difficult for every player to reach a 3-star version of the same unit, especially the higher-tier ones.

Let’s say you’re aiming to get a 3-star . You notice that two other players have a 2-star , which removes 6 of the 17 's from the available pool, leaving you with only 11 potential 's to pull. To make a 3-star , you would need 9 of her. Even with a strong economy, it would be challenging to force a 3-star if any other player pulls another 2-star , as the pool will be drained. If you or another player uses a duplicator to create a unit, it adds one to the pool when sold back to the shop. The same happens when you defeat an opponent with a similar build, their units return to the pool when they’re eliminated.

Unit pool chance

To win, place in the top four!

Competing against 7 other players might seem intimidating, but all you need is to finish in the top 4 to avoid losing LP and secure a win. The real challenge lies in aiming for the top spot.

What is the Carousel?

After a certain number of rounds, players ranked 8th to 1st compete in a carousel to select a unit or item of their choice. Occasionally, fully built items will appear, which can be a game-changer. Your selection can greatly impact your strategy for the rest of the match. Any items equipped by a unit you pick from the carousel are removed once you place them on your board. This change, introduced in Set 8.5, was a crucial QoL improvement to making the game fairer.

CAROUSEL RANDOM ENCOUNTERS

Improved Carousels

Carousels can occasionally offer more than just a champion and an item, thanks to the effects of portals or the game mode. They may also provide entire items, emblems, and other valuable resources.

CAROUSELS FEATURES

Forcing the carousel

Whether you're in first, last, or somewhere in between, you always have a chance at getting a specific unit or item. Sometimes, intentionally losing a few rounds can be a valid strategy if you really need to secure that item or unit first. Occasionally, the entire carousel may feature only full items or a single type of item. It could be anything in the game, so use that to your advantage. Acquire items that complement the unit, especially if they fit into your current composition. If you have the opportunity, it benefits both you and the unit in your company.

What's new?

Cyber City brings a fresh lineup of units, blending new and returning champions alongside revamped attributes, origins, and the all-new Hack mechanic. While this set introduces exciting changes, it also phases out some familiar features, including champions you may have grown attached to. However, with no drastic gameplay overhauls, adjusting to the new meta should be relatively smooth, making it less overwhelming than some past transitions.

NEW UNITS AND TRAITS

Hacks

Anvils

EXAMPLE: TIER 1/2/3 SET OF AUGMENTS.

Many arguments remain, while others have been replaced, and new ones have been introduced. Reviewing them will help you get a sense of the new Set 12. Keep in mind that you won’t always get the same augments as in a previous game, so you won’t be able to run the same composition. Many old traits and origins have returned, with slight reworks.

AUGMENT TIER LIST

The Magnetic Remover and Golden Remover is obtained through loot orbs, augments & carousels. These items allow the removal of items from a unit instead of selling that unit. However, you may find that these items don’t always serve a purpose or that you receive too many of them instead of stronger, more useful components. Unfortunately, that’s just the RNG at work.

The Reforger is obtained through loot orbs, augments & carousels. It modifies the rules by allowing you to recraft items. You can use it on created items, components, or emblems, and it will randomly reroll them, potentially giving you an item you desperately need for your composition. When used on a unit with 1-3 items, it unequips and rerolls all of them. Are you willing to gamble?

The Champion Duplicator is obtained through loot orbs, augments & carousels. It alters the rules by generating an extra 1-star unit of your choice. Typically, you’ll want to keep that for harder-to-2-star or 3-star 4-5 gold cost units later in the game. It can also be useful when attempting to 3-star level 1 units late in the game. If sold, this unit will add one extra copy to the pool.

What is the significance of items?

Items are crucial, especially strong ones that complement specific units and compositions. They help you combat other players while boosting your strength. DPS items are essential for your damage dealers, while tank items are needed for your frontliners. Once you equip an item to a unit, you cannot remove it unless you sell the unit or use a Magnetic Remover. When placing an item on a unit, exercise caution. It’s often better to wait and see what happens before applying it to a random unit, unless you feel the need to equip items early on.

Avoid giving tank items to squishy units or DPS items to tanks, unless the tank is intended to be a DPS unit or the squishy unit is meant to be a backline tank with a unique origin/class setup.

"Slamming"

In the early game, when gathering items and picking units, try to slam tank or utility items to maintain flexibility.
If you have a double ? Slam on your frontline tank.

It’s not always necessary to slam items; it depends on what you can get away with. If you have several tier 2 units, it’s fine to save your items for a specific composition you plan to build later on. In the later game, after losing a combat round and taking more damage, holding onto "useless" items that could be upgraded into better variants is a poor choice. It's better to slam them into useful items that can help you in the short term.

OUR TFT ITEM CHEETSHEET

Item Inventory Management

Item drop rates

Items are now more plentiful in PvE battles, so don't worry too much. In the past, you could go through several battles without receiving a single item. Didn't get any components? You can still earn gold or units; it's a lot more fair these days. It's more effective to equip items on units that can fully benefit from them.

For example, attaching a to a unit that can't make full use of it is a waste. Units that need high attack speed, like backline carries, benefit more from it. Many compositions can work for nearly any unit, depending on their origins and classes. However, the best way to learn is through experience. A tutorial can only teach you so much; you need to adapt and understand the game through practice.

ITEM CHEAT SHEET

Health & Current Placements

Check the right side of your screen for your current HP and placement among the other seven players. You’ll always begin with 100 health. If your HP hits 0, you lose.

At the carousel, the closer you are to the bottom, the more likely you are to get first pick. Going first improves your chances of securing key items and units. If you’re at the top, you’ll pick last, which can set you back. Having items or units taken from you can be frustrating, but you can use that to your advantage. If you need an item that won’t drop in PvE or from augments, consider purposely losing a few matches.

Losing in TFT can be very beneficial, as you can control and receive more rewards.

If another player is "on fire," it means they're performing very well and gaining extra gold per turn. Monitor their strategy and consider countering them specifically, especially if other players aren’t a significant threat. Every composition has different ways to play, and you’ll learn these through experience. You can also refer to our compositions page for guidance.

Each time you lose against an NPC or player, you'll take damage based on the number of units remaining and their level. You’ll take more damage from 8 units than from just 1.

Try to build a composition that keeps you alive.

Calculating Unit Roles

Above your health and placement, you'll find a sword icon. Selecting it shows a list of your units' computations, helping you place items on your best DPS, healer, or tank units. It serves as a basic calculator to optimize your setup.

If you're unsure of what your comp is doing, review these calculations after a fight. It’ll guide your decisions on unit placement and maximizing their potential.

For example, , is tanking the most damage as one of our frontliner, so they should be equipped with tank items to support , allowing her to survive longer and deal damage in the backline with AP items.

A tank that can survive 10-15 seconds of combat is more reliable than 3 frontline tanks that barely last 5 seconds. Tanks are built for durability, so always keep that in the back of your mind.

It may be confusing at first, but you’ll quickly learn the basics!

Reviewing these calculations will show you who’s doing what on your team and highlight what you’re missing. You'll need to make the necessary adjustments.

UNIT CHEAT SHEET

Current Compositions

Each Origin and class is displayed on the left side of the screen next to items. These effects activate automatically when you have matching units, shaping your team.

Your main goal in TFT is to obtain as many synergies as possible while building compositions that complement each other, using items to counter opponents or boost your team. Everything hinges on this. You might receive items that don’t fit your current units. Adapt to what you’re given, whether that means forcing a Pandora's Box to randomize items or work with what you have. The approach is up to you.

You'll need to build around what you have early on and proceed to plan for the proper upgrades and unit switches later. Do you invest in your current units or adjust for a stronger composition somewhere down the line? It’s up to you. There are many ways to shape or break your comp, so don’t try to force the same strategies.

COMPOSITIONS SHEET

Economy

Gold is crucial in TFT. The more you have, the more you can level up and strengthen your team, staying ahead of opponents. You earn gold by winning, losing, selling troops from the carousel, and battling PvE. Maintaining a strong income is a key strategy. Don't spend your entire time rerolling, let it build up to acquire a steady income.

(4 Gold): The Level Up button lets you grow stronger and hold more units. A key strategy is to earn 50+ gold consistently and gradually level up, with a focus on using the economy method outlined below.

(2 Gold): The refresh option lets you reroll the shop to gamble for units. Use it to acquire lesser units early or force them at higher levels later, all while managing your economy.

Your gold (placed and shown in the center) can be spent at the in-game unit shop in one of three ways.

Purchasing a Unit: costs from a range 1 to 5 gold. Pretty straight forward.

Locking the Shop: can help you purchase a unit. Lock your shop so you can buy it the next time you have more gold. Make sure the little lock is closed and secured in the bottom right corner of the shop before the round concludes.

Selling a Unit: can earn income by dragging them onto the shop or by clicking on them and pressing E. You may have acquired a pricey unit from the carousel that you do not require. This is excellent news for your economy.

EXAMPLE OF THE IN GAME SHOP

Basic Economy

Bonus income is shown on the left side of the board, alongside your Origins and Classes. Each chest adds 1+ gold per turn. You can use this feature to gauge your opponents' gold and their ability to level up or upgrade units compared to you. If an opponent’s economy is drained, play aggressively to exploit their inability to challenge your composition. You can even try to exhaust the unit pool; they need to weaken them if you have a stable setup. Avoid overspending. Losing a bit of HP for a strong late-game economy is often better than re-rolling early and becoming weaker. TFT has three main strategies: fast-8, slow-roll, and re-roll. Each has its pros and cons, with different approaches to winning.

Normal Leveling Strategy

SLOW ROLL STRATEGY

FAST-8 STRATEGY

Apply this rule

The key is to stop spamming "Re-Roll" and "Level Up." Focus on the standard leveling approach and managing your economy to control the game, rather than wasting it. You’ll learn these economic tactics as you gain experience.


Need a refresher? Check out the compiled list of Classes and Origins HERE. Use it as a guide to plan your next game and acquire units that complete synergies. Having just one unit trait isn’t useful unless the full trait is activated with other synergizing units. Experiment with builds, sticking to one playstyle won’t always work, as players often use the same compositions. Remember, unit pools are shared.


Stages and your early game Each stage is displayed at the top of your screen, showcasing in detail each upcoming PvE/PvP fights and what to expect. These early fights help guide you into a set composition based on RNG rolls, including items, units, and gold. You'll want to consider your late-game plan while progressing. Low health? If your economy is strong, use this information to aim for a three-star unit or push an extra level to hold out until the next carousel.
More rewards the further you get As the game progresses, PvE battles become tougher, with stronger bosses and monsters offering better rewards, including powerful items that can be game-changing. While there’s no strict limit on stages, most games reach around Stage 6 before players start losing and dropping out in the final battle for the top four slots.

Positioning

Positioning plays a key role in TFT. You can’t just place units randomly. If your opponent’s composition counters yours, consider repositioning your units at the last minute, using a less important unit to interfere. It can change the outcome of the next fight.

You can also click on other players’ icons to spy on their composition. While it can be frustrating to be constantly watched, stay prepared to make quick adjustments in response.

TEAM PLANNER

In TFT, a team that doesn't fully utilize its board positions, especially in the final stretch as one of the top four players, can significantly lower their chances of winning. Always be mindful of your positioning. See the sample below.

UNDERSTANDING PROPER FORMATION

Watching another player's formation can reveal their strategy. They may have moved their main carry or adjusted their comp. So you'll want to keep monitoring their setup and adjust yours accordingly.