Introduction

 

Teamfight Tactics (or TFT), the latest game mode addition to League of Legends, is an autobattler/auto chess game which since its announcement on June 10, 2019 and particularly since its ranked mode release on July 17, 2019 has amassed a huge playerbase.

The ranked mode introduction was the catalyst that made players change their approach from a more laid back casual experience to a more competitive setting where players who are committed to climbing are playing the game as efficiently as possible. In this article I will explain the importance of key aspects of the game while showcasing the actions of top TFT ranked players and the thought process behind them.

 

Understanding ranked mode

 

The ranked TFT system is very similar to League of Legends. You still have the same tiers and division and the end of the game you will lose or gain LP based on the end game placement.

You can queue with up to 3 friends and as the image below demonstrates there are not very strict queue restrictions:

The first 4 positions grant you LP (the higher position, the more LP) for winning while placing in the bottom 4 will have it so you lose LP(the lower placement the more LP loss).

With that information in mind if your goal is strictly to climb you should change your playstyle so your goal every single game is to place top 4 instead of strictly looking to win every game. Having the mindset of win or bust is detrimental in climbing the ranked ladder on TFT as you will make choices revolving late game and you could potentially fall too far behind in early to mid game.

The same goes when you’re losing; if you are not getting particularly lucky with rolls or your synergy is not shaping as you would hope so, making a tempo push in the mid game partially sacrificing your economy but possibly securing a higher placement position is overall beneficial for your ranked journey.

 

Ranked seasons last for 3 months with rewards confirmed but yet to be announced.

 

Champions

 

Champions are the center-piece of the game and identifying the correct choice every turn and playing around it efficiently has a significant part in winning games.

One of the things the best players are doing is playing around the current meta and while that can get hectic at times with constant changes being made in every patch it’s one of the aspects of the game that top players have a firm grip on.

 

This is an example of a champion tier list for the first TFT ranked patch:

 

Such lists are constantly changing as players figure out what are the optimal choices every patch through analyzing the changes and lots of playtesting.

Keeping up with it is possible through data-crunching websites such Mobalytics which provide an updated tier list version for every patch.

 

There are 2 main strategies  revolving champions that high ranked players employ that ensure very good results if done properly.

 

First off an economy centered strategy where you will minimize your re-rolls and save up until you will have 50 gold when the interest will cap out.

You will probably end up losing in the early game if you follow this strat but losing rounds especially with a small health cost is not something that is inherently bad in TFT. The pro of this start is you will be able to have a great pick in the Carousel and a steady source of income once you reach 50 gold and through accumulating losstreaks, once you reach that point you can start re-rolling and shape up your endgame team comp.

There is a significant con to this strategy as optimally you would want to lose with the smallest margin possible in order to take advantage of loss streak income.That is a very hard thing to balance as  you might find yourself losing too much health in the early game and be unable to recover in the mid-late game through re-rolls thus getting eliminated early and losing LP.

 

The second viable strategy is a tempo centered one. Choose this strategy if you have an early game comp shaping up like knights, void, wild or demons.

Here you want to re-roll aggressively early, sometimes even before level 5 in order to achieve a small but powerful lineup of 2 star champions and with some luck even a 3 star. The pro in choosing this approach is that you will most of the time dominate the early game and accrue a winning streak thus bonus gold while inflicting damage to your opponents ensuring a higher placement for yourself.

The con is you will have to rely on rng in order to get your desired champions leveled to 2 or possibly 3 stars. Winning early also will place you at the top of the standing which makes you have less powerful carousel choices.

 

Whatever strategy you end up going for you have to be very mindful of your level and probability of getting a specific champions while also minding items as their are very crucial in securing a high placement in your ranked game.

 

Positioning

 

This is a major key factor in TFT as it can separate the low ranked players from the top of the ladder ones.

Ensuring that your TFT champions are in the most ideal positions will help you increase their value and consistency for every combat round.

Here are the crucial guidelines to understand:

 

• Since mana generates when champs deal damage and receive damage, you want your pieces positioned on the board where they can actively deal damage and safely take damage (without dying) to gain their ultimates as fast as possible.
• A good rule of thumb is to aim to have your champion cast their ult at least once a round. If they die before that, something is wrong.
• The majority of TFT team compositions are built similarly to LoL. You have damage-dealing carries that are protected by tanks and supported by utility units.
• During the late game when there’s less players and you have a better idea of who you’re likely to face, you’ll want to be adaptive and try to optimize for that. Do not just autopilot with the same formation without double-checking that it’s as optimal as possible.
• You can save time by dragging units onto each other to switch their places. This will instantly switch their positions whether they’re on the bench or the board.
• Be mindful against assassins, due to their AI they will leap the furthest unit away. You can outplay this by positioning your champions accordingly and not let you carries be isolated
• Observe and study your units behaviour. Most highly ranked players are doing this instinctively, understanding how units behave and ensuring they are positioned according to their roles makes all the difference in the world.

 

In conclusion

 

If you apply all the things I mentioned correctly when playing ranked more you should definitely see an increase in your ranked win percentage.

Be ready to adapt to the current patch, be it with economy strategies, champion or items changes and even positioning, study top players and their thought process some more and as long as you will dedicate time and effort in improving you will see results reflecting in your rank.

 

If you don’t have the countless hours required to dedicate to the game in order to reach the highest levels, or if you just want to play with a pro player and reach your ranked target as soon as possible, check out one of the best TFT boosting platforms in the world and reach your goal today!