Anyone who has been paying attention to the TFT Challenger ladder knows that Keane consistently has 2 accounts in the top 10 and hits Rank 1 frequently. Patch 9.15 and the similar 9.15b have been his playground. His favorite composition currently is a mix of frontline champions and Sorcerers. Here is an example of the final lineup:
This comp is very effective at giving Aurelion Sol and Karthus time to rail off multiple spell casts. Buffed Yordles and Sejuani make so much space with their tankiness and crowd control ultimates, that teams struggle to shut him down in time.
Many units and items are interchangeable in this comp, but the core idea stays the same. The reason why this composition is not the easiest to get to is the fact that it uses mostly 3 gold units and above. Therefore, your pivot has to be very resource intensive. You may not find everything you want on those level 6 and 7 rerolls, so improvisation is key.
Early Game
To start off it is important to find a strong early game composition to get rolling. Void, Noble, Knight and Wild are good candidates. The best early items are going to be Shiv, Morello, and Guardian Angel. Ludens and Ionic can also be made. Start stacking GA and Morello on a frontliner with an AOE spell like Garen or Darius until Kennen is available. Shiv and Ludens can be made on a Twisted Fate or Ahri until they can be placed on late game Sorcerers. Running Warwick to give a carry Ahri Wild buff is also a very good mid game strategy. Lucian can also be a viable mid game carry.
Mid Game
Since this strategy needs so many 3+ gold units, it is important to have at least 30 gold when hitting level 7 for the initial rerolls. Transitioning the bulk of the comp to an entirely new one can be challenging. Here are some tips:
- Don’t have a set idea of what you must have. Grab whatever looks good and you have items for. You might even find an unexpected angle to work from.
- Keep an eye on the enemy comps before you reroll. Look at what is mostly off of the table, or what you can build to counter them. For example, grab Shyvana for Dragon buff if you notice many Sorcerer comps.
- Be careful about combining units that you likely won’t use. The sell value goes down a lot once a unit is 2 starred, especially 4 gold units. If you don’t have a Karthus, combining a Kindred could end up being a big bait. Same goes for Brand if you don’t have Anivia.
- Keep in mind that this transition period is very skill and judgement based. Your ability to craft a late game comp from here will reflect your mastery of all-ins and your understanding of the meta. It takes time to get used to it.
Some viable transitions are Elementalists with a Brand/Anivia roll, Void with a Cho’gath roll, Yordles with Gnar and Poppy or a combination of good units. Keane always makes sure to keep an eye out for the key Sorcerers as well.
Late Game
It is important to position the backline in the back row and the frontline in the front row, leaving no units in the middle row. Backline units should be placed to the side opposite of the opponents crowd control units. It is imperative that the Karthus and other backliners are allowed to keep casting their spells without being interrupted. Frontline units being lined up in the front also helps them build their spells faster. With Morellos on Kennen or Sej, the faster they can get that burn off the better.
As always, it is essential to watch for key Blitzcrank and Zephyr plays from your opponents. Karthus and other carries are the most important to keep safe. Keeping them in the middle 2 spots in a 4 unit row should do the job. Aside from that, most micro positioning is done off of feel, which takes lots of practice.
Depending on his total HP left, Keane decides whether to keep rerolling frequently to hit upgrades that will keep him in the game or build economy to level to 8 and roll again. The increased chance to hit Karthus and other 5 gold unit upgrades can be a ticket to an easy first place.
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