TFT Galaxies has been out for about a week now on the live servers. Only a week in and the meta has already taken shape. Like all metagames, some compositions and strategies will be better than others. Sometimes there are strategies that are so strong that no other composition can beat it consistently. In the first patch of TFT Galaxies, the Rebel synergy has proven to be worthy of that claim. Many players have figured out that Rebels are the best comp in the game. How do players win with Rebels despite the comp being heavily contested? Fear not, here are the tips players need to build and play the Rebel composition.
Early Game (levels 3-6)
The game plan for this comp is to get to level eight as fast as possible because the composition has two win conditions which are both tier five champions. The early game is all about maximizing econ and collecting champions with the Rebel trait. There are two ways to approach the early game. Players can win streak or they can lose streak. Win streaking is a lot harder to pull off consistently but is the optimal choice. If pulled off, it gives players more gold and more health to work with. Lose streaking is easier to pull off but at the risk of being at extremely low health. Thankfully during the early game player damage is minimal so lose streaking doesn’t carry significant risk and can even give players item priority on the carousel.
The champions that players should be looking to pick up in the early game are Ziggs, Sona, Malphite, and Yasuo. Any three of these champions create the perfect opener for the comp as it gets the three Rebel synergy online immediately. Look to stack Ziggs with items to later replace with Auerilion Sol. Items to look for early game include Guardians Angel, Morellonomicon, Seraphs Embrace, and Deathcap. If players are fortunate enough to pick up a two-star Ziggs and Malphite, they should be looking to win streak.
At level four players should look to add in another Rebel or a Brawler like Blitzcrank to keep Malphite alive long enough to stall for Ziggs to clean up. If Blitzcrank is not found, putting in another Rebel champion can work too. Continue picking up Rebel champions as they appear in the shop.
At level five, add a Shen to compliment the Blitzcrank and give the team the Chrono bonus. Adding Shen also sets up for a potential Blademaster bonus on level six. If players do not have access to these champions, continue throwing in Rebel champions. It’s at this point in the game where players should know if they are more likely to win streak or lose streak. If win streaking look to play the Shen and Blitzcrank as it gives players a higher chance at winning. If lose streaking continue throwing in Rebel champions and clump them together. This allows for the Rebels to have enough time to take out part of the opponents team while still losing which is good for econ ironically.
On level six, the ideal composition for win streaking is having a team of Malphite, Ziggs, Master Yi, and Yasuo as the Rebel units and having Shen and Blitzcrank for the Chrono units. Shen and Blitzcrank also complete the Blademaster and Brawler synergies too, giving players a very strong board. If going this route, look to stack Master Yi or Yasuo with items as the primary carry. Items like GA, Hand of Justice, and other defensive items are good on them as they can later be transferred onto Gangplank. Ziggs should carry the AP items like Morello, Deathcap, and Seraphs. If lose streaking it might be hard to keep the board healthy enough to lose close while still losing. It’s important to have as much gold as possible while having as much health as possible. Surround Ziggs with other rebel units and hop for close fights.
Past 50 gold, spend all excess gold past 50 on exp. By doing this, players should hit level six by stage 3-5 and level seven by stage 4-1. Be warned though, players should never hit the reroll button until level eight.
Late Game (Levels 7-9)
After Wolves, players should be at level seven with more than 50 gold. At this point, players are looking to level to eight either on Stage 4-2 or Stage 4-3. If players are in good shape they can wait till stage 4-3 and roll down with around 40-50 gold. If they are not in good shape, leveling to eight on 4-2 and rolling with 30 gold is also a viable option. Level 7 does not last very long in this comp and is not that important. Essentially look to pick up Jinx if she shows up as it can give players a temporary power spike of having six rebels.
When it’s time to level to eight players have to be quick when they roll down. Look to pick up the two win conditions of this composition, Aurelion Sol and Gangplank. If found, replace the Master Yi and his items for Gangplank and put the items on him. Replace the Ziggs with Aurelion Sol and put the items on him. It’s important to have at least one spare Ziggs on the bench as players will need him for the Demolitionist buff for Gangplank. The goal is to have six Rebels so replace the Shen and Blitzcrank with the missing pieces that should be on the bench.
For the eighth unit, look to pick up a Lulu to give players the Mystic synergy with Sona. The optimal eight units on the board are Aurelion Sol, Gangplank, Lulu, Sona, Ziggs, Yasuo, Malphite, and either Jinx or Master Yi. If players are fortunate enough to hit both Asol and GP, look to level to nine and add in a Celestial champ to give the celestial synergy which will grant all allies healing.
Prioritize GP over Asol as GP is the true carry in this composition. If players had to pick either a level two Asol or a level two GP, GP should almost always be the pick. Also look for any mercenary upgrades for GP as well.
Once the board as been upgraded and players have found level two GP and Asol, they should be in a fantastic position to win the game.
Counterplay and Transitions
Unfortunately (or fortunately if playing Rebels) there is no true counter to this composition at full power. One composition that can be annoying if someone else is playing it is Mech-Pilot Infiltrator with Shaco hyper carry. Shaco at three-star can and will one-shot the entire Rebel composition. However, Lulu can stop Shaco in his tracks with her ability. This leaves the Shaco polymorphed which usually buys enough time for Asol and GP to kill him.
The item, Shroud of Stillness, is also annoying to deal with in this composition. This is due to the Rebel synergy being all clumped up together. Shroud will shoot a straight line through the heart of the Rebel clump. The item makes Rebel champions cast their ability late. If GP is also caught in the Shroud, it can be a death sentence to the powerful comp. Play around this by making sure that enemies have to either pick to go after GP or Asol leaving the other free to pop off.
The composition does not need a spatula to work but if given one can be even stronger. If a Rebel spatula item can be created or is found, put it on GP to give him the Rebel bonus. With it, he will have the damage and shield needed to solo carry fights. If this is found, players can drop a Rebel to add in a celestial to have the Celestial bonus active on level eight. The celestial bonus can be thrown in on level eight if a celestial spat is found as well. The Demolitionist spatula item is also fantastic on Asol as his ability will now stun enemies on hit.
If GP or Asol is not found, players should look to find Miss Fortune and Kayle as an alternative win condition. Miss Fortune is a Blaster like Jinx, and can use mana and AP items too. This allows players to have a hard carry in place of Asol. Miss Fortune is also a Valkyrie meaning that she does bonus damage if paired with another Valkyrie. To get the maximum damage out of MF, add in Kayle on level eight too. On level nine throw in Lulu for Mystic. Alternatively, MF holds GP items well.
If players cannot find MF, GP, or Asol. Unlucky. Go next.
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