Patch 9.15 brings a bevy of changes to Teamfight Tactics. For the first time, multiple classes/origins have been partially or completely reworked. Many of the reworks have the potential to shake up the meta, so here is a rundown of what’s changed and what it means.
Courtesy of: Riot Games
The Assassin changes are mostly technical. Their jumps will now be quicker, but they can also be targeted sooner. While this doesn’t mean much overall, it should allow for more actual strategy in positioning as or against Assassin teams. The 3 weakest Assassins, Evelynn, Katarina and Rengar, also were given fairly significant buffs. Watch for the latter 2 to show up as carries in the sparse Assassin comps.
The mana burn chance for Demons has gone from 25/50/85 to 20/35/60 percent. A nerf at every stage coupled with nerfs to the three most prominent Demons, Varus, Aatrox and Morgana, means that Demons will be taking more of a back seat this patch. However, they can still be teched into many comps with success. Varus, Brand, Aatrox and Swain can still be used to complete their other synergies. Just don’t expect the old 6, or even 4 Demon comps to come through every game.
Dragons have lost their complete magic damage immunity. They now only get a Dragons Claw’s worth of magic resistance, 83 percent. Shyvana and Aurelion Sol were given compensation buffs to make up for this, so the change should be neutral overall. This does make Dragon much better versus physical damage compositions, but a bit weaker to Sorcerers.
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The amount of armor Guardians give to teammates went from 40 to 50. They also no longer buff themselves, but Braum and Leona were given 50 and 45 armor respectively to compensate. This means that having 1 Guardian is now no longer as punishing. Braum is a very contested early unit at the moment because of this (and his abuse of Thornmail). He is a very good early pairing for Ashe as well.
Knights have received a complete overhaul. Instead of Knight units blocking 20/40/80 damage off of basic attacks, they now give your entire team 15/30/55 damage blocked from all sources. Every Knight was also given at least 5 armor. This new mechanic allows you to keep stacking Knights into late game. The massive frontline they can put up allows one or two hyper carries, such as Draven or Brand, to have plenty of free time to hit whoever they want. While definitely not overbearing, expect more Knights to make their way into your games.
The Ninja trait bonus has changed from 40/80 percent AD to 40/60 flat AD and AP. These flat amounts end up giving a larger bonus overall than the sole AD percentage. While a Ninja’s AD stat alone suffers at higher star values, the added AP puts them over the old damage values (except in the case of Shen). To compensate, Akali and Kennen’s spells have received hefty damage nerfs. Still expect to see Kennen for Elementalist and Yordles, but he is not the instant pick up that he was last patch.
Courtesy of Riot Games
While the thresholds for Noble buff have stayed the same, the buff itself has been overhauled. Instead of 100 armor on each buffed target, they now receive 60 armor and 60 magic resistance. This gives Nobles a way to combat Sorcerer and Demon comps, their biggest weaknesses prior to the rework. However, the main issue is still having a low damage profile overall. While Lucian can be a good carry candidate, looking for another with your extra team slots is never a bad idea. Since everyone is so tanky at 6 Noble, you don’t require any more frontline anyways. Ashe and Braum are a very good 2 piece addition to give you Ranger, Guardian and Glacial.
Pirates were barely changed. Just a small buff to their average gold per chest: 1.6 to 1.75. Something important to note is that Twisted Fate has received buffs that actually make him into a viable early game piece, and even potential carry threat for Sorcerer comps.
Courtesy of Riot Games
Void has also been given a complete overhaul. Instead of all units ignoring 50 percent of armor, all Void units will now deal true damage. In addition, every single Void champion received buffs to either attack speed, attack damage, their spell or a combination of those. While these champions don’t seem like traditional carries, this buff allows them to be built as carries. After all, what does Dragon or Noble buff do to a massive true damage Rupture from a Sorcerer Cho’gath? We’ve already seen Rapid Firecannon Kassadin and Cho’gath builds. This change definitely gives options to a previously non-interactive origin.
The Yordle change is a small one. The 25/60 percent chance to dodge has been shifted to 30/55 percent. The dodge will also now dodge on-hit effects. While 6 Yordles dodge chance is down, dodging on-hits opens up Yordle comps as a counter to Gunslingers. The buff to 3 Yordles also allows them to be teched into many more comps, such as Sorcerers or Shapeshifters. Watch out for Lulu and Gnar to make their way in as carry threats.
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