The latest set of patch notes for TFT has been revealed, bringing with them some significant changes to several individual items and champions, but less than patch notes typically have been getting. To help better understand the changes coming in this latest patch, here is an overview of the patch notes. Additionally, the notes can be accessed from their original source by clicking on this link.
As a reminder, these changes will be set to hit live servers on Wednesday, October 9.
XP to Level to 5: 12 -> 10
XP to Level to 9: 70 -> 66
These may be among the most fascinating of changes that are coming to these patch notes, in part because of how unexpected they are. This will likely change the way players approach economy in both the mid-game and the late-game, and should also lead to significantly more nine-champion compositions. This makes sense considering how many classes now have ways to utilize nine champs and TFT’s plans to add more in the coming months.
Gunslinger extra shots: 1/2/3 extra shots -> 1/2/4 extra shots
In this set of notes, Gunslinger’s get pretty seriously buffed at it’s highest tier. On the PBE, Gunslinger’s were looking to be moving from 1/2/3 extra shots to 1/3/5, but it seems that developers realized how strong this could have been. They should still see an improvement due to changes coming to other individual champs, but will not be near as broken as players had previously thought.
Thieves Gloves: Lowered the average quality of item combinations
Frozen Heart Duration: 4 seconds -> 1 second
While it’s hard to quantify what the changes to Thief’s Gloves will be, it’s very easy to see that Frozen Heart will no longer be the force it was previously. Cutting it down this severly will almost certainly mean that it will move to a bottom tier item in this coming patch.
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Guardian Armor Bonus: 35 -> 45
Knight Damage Blocked: 15/35/65 -> 15/35/60
This could lead to a slight changing of the guard for frontline units in TFT. In the current patch, Knights are favorable out of most other frontline units, and Guardians are amongst the least used. This change should help level the playing field slightly, without taking Knights completely out of commission. It seems like developers want to nerf the six Knight composition mostly, which typically synergizes with Imperial or Rangers. Monitor those composition’s effectiveness in games played on this patch.
Deathblade: Starts with 0 stacks -> Starts with 1 stack (+15 AD)
Infinity Edge: 150% Crit Damage -> 125% Crit Damage
Quicksilver: 5s cooldown -> 3s cooldown
Of these, the changes to Infinity Edge and Quicksilver seem the most significant. Infinity Edge should still be strong, as this small of a change is less than expected for an item that has become such a dominant part of so many different compositions. Quicksilver should move more into regularity now, as it will have the opportunity to be triggered almost twice as often. Running it in a composition that can draw out fights could make it a very strong option in patch 9.20.
[Related: TFT Item Tier List Patch Notes 9.20]
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Wild: 12% AS per stack -> 10% AS per stack
Assassin 3: 75% Crit Damage & 10% Crit Chance -> 75% Crit Damage & 5% Crit Chance
Aatrox Armor: 25 -> 35
Akali AS: 0.85 -> 0.8
Fiora HP: 400 -> 450
Gangplank AD: 55 -> 60
Kai’Sa Spell AS: 30%/60%/90% -> 50%/75%/100%
Kai’Sa Shield: 300/600/900 -> 400/700/1000
Leona HP: 750 -> 800
Lucian Spell: 100/225/350 -> 125/250/375
Poppy HP: 800 -> 700
Volibear AS: 0.6 -> 0.65
There is a lot to break down here, but also a few trends. First, it’s clear that developers wanted to throw some love to Gunslingers and Blademasters, buffing several heroes in those classes in addition to the aforementioned buff to Gunslingers. Additionally, developers have taken notice of Kai’Sa’s struggles as a five-cost unit and have improved just about every major aspect of her kit.
It’s worth noting that the only things to get nerfed out of this list are Poppy, Akali, Wilds and Assassins. This should drastically change the frequency of Wild Assassin compositions and should further hinder Knight’s usage in high numbers.
These patch notes not only buff Gunslingers as an entire class, but also bolster Fiora, Aatrox, Lucian, and Gangplank. Even though some of these adjustments are slight, will it be enough to bring Gunslingers and Blademasters back into the forefront of the meta? Or, will some other classes like Guardian come into play in conjunction with other, less affected classes like Glacial and Noble?
As the meta continues to shape up, let us know what’s working in your games by either commenting on this post or tagging @GoopyKnoopy and @TGHEsports on Twitter!
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