Starting from April 2nd with the release of Cyber City, Double Up is getting a slew of quality-of-life upgrades and gameplay improvements.
Gameplay Updates: Teamwork Cannon
The Rune of Allegiance, an item that you could place on a unit to send it to your partner's bench, is being completely replaced with the new Teamwork Cannon!
The Teamwork Cannon takes up a slot on your bench and can be used at any time to send units to your ally, with a 4-round cooldown. You can also trade basic items and components using the Cannon, with no cooldown. A trade requires both players to agree to exchange one basic item or component for another. All trades are one-for-one, and the two items must be of equal value/tier.
As a trade-off for having one less bench slot, the Teamwork Cannon will recharge faster than the Rune of Allegiance did, allowing you to trade more often than ever before!
Gameplay Updates: Gifting
The Gift Armory is also getting an upgrade. Previously, loot gifted from the armory cost the gifting player gold that went up as the power of the loot increased. Now, gifts will always be free, so your partner can always choose the best option for you without worrying about econ, and vice versa!
Gameplay Updates: Misc
Another gift you could give your partner is a small lifeline. In the past, your team would not get eliminated as quickly as in standard play because there would be one remaining, shared hit point after one of you lost. However, starting from the 2nd of April this will be removed. Health pools will function as in standard, but shared. The core components of Double Up remain the same: you share a health pool with your partner, and you’ll be able to “gank” (or, reinforce) them if you win your round with time to spare!
Around Game Improvements
Because Double Up is the most social game mode for Teamfight Tactics, Riot is removing the ranked restrictions on Double Up lobbies, period. However, there are a few rules for skill ranking. Full parties of eight will not change their skill rank in any way after completing a game, neither in terms of LP or MMR. In parties without eight players, changes can occur.
However, if a party has players who are both above and below Masters, the Masters+ players won't receive LP or MMR updates if they are in a lobby with anyone who is Gold or lower. These changes make it easier than ever to play and even rank up with your friends, while maintaining the delicate competitive integrity of the game!
