As set two inches closer to the finish line, the developers of Teamfight Tactics have said they will be releasing smaller patches instead of big ones. However, Patch 10.3 is in fact, a huge patch.
With the infamous spatula item being removed from the carousel and a whole bunch of buffs and nerfs, the meta is bound to change. The question is, will the nerfs and buffs be enough to take down the most popular comps of 10.2? Take a look at the top predictions of patch 10.3
Light will still be good
In patch 10.2, the rise of the six light composition cemented itself at the top of the meta game. With a two-star Vayne dealing insane damage while protected by a giant light wall, the composition was almost impossible to beat. Yorick with his ability to create light clones was vital to this comps success.
In patch 10.3 Vayne, Yorick, and the Light trait all saw nerfs. Vayne’s auto-attack speed saw a 5% decrease, Yorick saw his ghoul clones health decrease by 100 and his mana nerfed, and the light synergy saw a healing and attack speed nerf. The comp will definitely not be as strong as it once was but it will still be good for a couple of reasons.
First, the spatula changes dont really affect the comp in its current form. Items like Rageblade and Guardians Angel are more important than the Talisman of Light item. The only real-time Light players went for ToL is when a spatula dropped on a PvE round. The comp is stronger with ToL no doubt but losing on purpose for a carousel spatula didn’t matter much before and it won’t matter now.
Second, with the comp seeing less play, it is more likely that Light players will be less contested meaning they can find their key upgrades faster. A two-star Yorick in Light last patch practically guaranteed a top 4 finish, however, it was also very difficult to find a Yorick two-star without high rolling. With the nerfs to Light and Yorick, it will be way easier to find the Yorick upgrade but at the cost of the nerfs. In the end, the trade-off will benefit the player because the extra gold and econ saved can now be used to offset the nerfs by pushing levels quicker and throwing in powerful traits like four Mystic. Lunar also received a buff which helps offset the power loss too.
Third, Lucian saw significant buffs that can make the tier four Light unit become the primary carry in place of Vayne. With Lucian firing an additional two shots on his ability and having his attack damage ratio buffed by 10% at level two, Lucian will once again be a very scary threat.
Predators will shoot up the tier list
The Predator composition has always been on the cusp of tier one. Since the Predator trait can kill units earlier than other comps, it has always been in the back of every player’s mind. In patch 10.2, Predators received a buff in an increase of damage to the item, Luden’s Echo. The splash damage item is vital for the comp’s hyper carry, Kog’Maw. In patch 10.3, Luden’s Echo saw an early game buff but a late-game nerf. However, Statikk Shiv, which is another good item for Kog’Maw, also received a buff.
It wasn’t just the items either. Kog’Maw received damage buffs this patch too including a 75 damage buff at three-star. Combined with Luden’s Echo, Kog’Maw is now doing insane damage. Other units in the comp received buffs too. Dr.Mundo, which is used for the Poison synergy in the comp sometimes, received a health buff and Rek’Sai, needed for the Predator synergy, received an armor buff. Both of these buffs keep Kog’Maw’s front line healthy and in return, have fun watching Kog’Maw 1v9.
Ocean Mage, Shadow Inferno, and Warden Rangers still at the top but will be harder to force
Along with Light; Ocean Mage, Shadow Inferno, and Warden Ranger rounded out the top four comps of last patch. Going into 10.3, these four comps are looking like they will be the top four comps once again. However, they might be in a different order.
Unlike Light, these three comps didn’t receive any real change in the patch notes. The only minor change is the spatula drop for Ocean Mage. This will make forcing the six mage synergy part of the comp less reliable.
Shadow Inferno only saw the damage for the six shadow synergy slightly nerfed. However, going the six inferno path has been untouched. However, the spatula changes make going for the six inferno synergy a little less reliable.
The only top comp to receive virtually no nerf was Warden Rangers. The comp relies on units like Twitch and Ashe to deal tons of damage. Patch 10.3 did not nerf the champions themselves and item nerfs aren’t significant at all. The item Infinity Edge, which is a staple saw a crit damage nerf of 25% but it might not matter. This is because the buff to Statikk Shiv, a staple on Ashe, should offset the IE nerf. The composition was already near the top of last patch. With the comps above them receiving nerfs to damage and consistency, Warden Rangers may be the top dog in 10.3
There are different reasons for these compositions being harder to force. For Ocean Mage and Shadow Inferno, the spatula changes make it harder to force. For Warden Rangers, the idea of being the best composition in the game could make the composition harder to force. This is due to the number of high tier units needed and the low supply but huge demand.
Conclusion
Although the meta looks very similar to last patch, count on Predators joining the rank of tier one. The last prediction of 10.3 is that this meta will be a good one.
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