Patch 10.9 is hands down the craziest patch Teamfight Tactics has seen in a long time. When it comes to determining which comps are the best, everyone seems to have a different answer.
Patch 10.9 brought massive changes to the meta game thanks to a change in champion odds along with a slew of nerfs and a couple of buffs.
Because of this, Patch 10.9 has a whopping 10 viable compositions on this weeks tier list but there are probably more unnoticed.
Here is this weeks tier list.
S-Tier: Comps that Will Top 4
–Jinx Brawlers
In a meta game where everything seems to be good, the composition that has been steady and safe has finally taken the throne.
Jinx and friends have waited for this moment for so long. The meta has shifted to more front to back fighting. In previous patches other comps did this better but due to the vanguard take over, it’s the Blaster synergy that is able to cut through the front lines the best.
Items like Last Whisperer, Red Buff, and Giant Slayer are not only the best Jinx items, they are arguably the best items in the game.
The Brawler synergy got slightly nerfed but are still very impactful. Ironically the Blaster synergy has gotten nerfed too but it hasn’t affected the comp in the slightest.
Some players are opting to play only two blasters to fit in other synergies like Mystic. This has also been shown to work out well.
Jinx 3, Cho’Gath 3. and Miss Fortune 2 are all very viable win conditions that will not only net top fours, but will also net wins.
–Chrono Kayle
In a meta of front to back fighting, a carry that can hit both the front and back at the same time will be top tier. Kayle is the best champion in the game at doing that.
The biggest change this comp has seen in this patch has to do with the Chrono synergy rework. In a nutshell, Chrono procs its first tick immediately when the fight starts at the sacrifice of having less procs over the course of the fight. However, this isn’t really an issue with Kayle because with Blademaster synergy and Rageblade, she swings even faster now.
Valkyrie got a nerf as well which dropped the crit threshold by 10% but with good items this is barely even a nerf.
Kayle 3 is among the best win conditions in the game and even without it, a well supported Kayle 2 will top four all day long.
–Mech-Infiltrators
This. Comp. Will. Not. Die.
No matter how many times this comp gets nerfed, it still survives. For the fourth patch in a row, Mech-Infiltrators are in S-tier.
In patch 10.9, the Mech-Pilot synergy got a 300 mech nerf at all levels and the pilots no longer get mana when they inject.
This has been proven not to matter because as long as a player hits the critical 3* champions, Kai’Sa and the mech will eliminate everyone regardless.
Pro player, Kiyoon, piloted this comp to a first-place finish at the Starside Invitational with two wins and two more top fours.
If that doesn’t prove that the comp doesn’t deserve to be in S-tier, nothing will.
–Cybernetics
Cybers are proving to be the ol’ faithful of set three. The comp has never been below A-tier and is always a threat to win any lobby.
Irelia is definitely in consideration of best champion in the game. In this meta, she probably is the best.
Optimal Irelia items have always been double Infinity Edge and Last Whisperer. In a meta with every comp running Vanguards and/or armor items, this is perfect for her.
The buff to the bronze Vanguard synergy helps out this comp a little by making the early and mid game easier to navigate. It also gives the comp a good synergy to throw in at level 9.
Celestial is still the best secondary synergy to go for to make sure Irelia can dish out maximum damage while also being able to stay healthy as she solo carries fights.
Irelia 3 is as close to an auto win as a comp can get. But Irelia 2 is definitely strong enough to win lobbies, let alone top four.
A-Tier: Comps that Consistently top four
–Xayah and Friends
The biggest story of this patch has been the return of hyperroll comps focused around tier one champions. There are a few of them on this list but the one that has had the best results in high elo has been Xayah and Friends.
The comp is focused around the Celestial Blademaster, Xayah. The goal is to make Xayah dish out the most damage possible as fast as possible.
This comp has a lot of necessary parts in the equation.
The first part is the celestial units. It’s important to have healing in a composition like this without wasting item slots on Xayah with healing items. Along with Xayah, the comp runs cheap celestial units like Rakan, Ashe, and Kassadin as its core.
The second part is the Blademasters. Shen doubles as a front line unit and a cheap Blademaster making him perfect in the composition. Players usually run Fiora early game and switch her out for Irelia later. Irelia provides the Mana-Reaver synergy when paired with Kassadin.
Since the comp runs Ashe and Shen, Caitlyn completes both the Chrono and Sniper synergies too.
Jarvan rounds out the comp as a protector to pair with Rakan while also being useful for his attack speed increasing ability which allows Xayah to swing even faster.
The reason why this comp is highly rated is due to being able to shred through front line quickly with an Infinity Edge/Last Whisperer equipped 3* Xayah. Caitlyn 3 is also a good secondary carry option.
The reason why this comp is not in S-tier is that it falls off late game due to power spiking early and not having a way to increase power after.
The comp is still very strong and can win games. Look out for this comp in top four in lobbies near you.
–Candyland
The comp that has warped the meta game is ironically not a top five comp in this patch. The comp, however, demands respect.
Candyland is catered around making Poppy an unkillable tank. Poppy has a couple of things going for her in Patch 10.9. The first is the bronze Vanguard synergy which gives units like Poppy more than double the armor it did last patch. The second is the tier one champion roll rate increase making it easier to get Poppy to 3*.
Despite not being one of the seven tier one units to receive a buff in 10.9, Poppy is definitely the best tier one unit in the game.
The reason for that is because when a player puts great items like Dragon’s Claw, Brambles Vest, Ionic Spark on her, not only does she not die, she actually does a ton of damage as well.
It takes forever for other compositions to kill her, meanwhile the rest of the comp goes to work.
There are two variations of this comp. The first is the four Vanguard variation which creates an iron wall for 3* Twisted Fate to endlessly throw cards until the enemy team dies.
The second variation goes for more damage. The six Sorcerer variation is without a doubt the more powerful version of the comp. In this variation it isnt just Twisted Fate firing from the back, its Lux, Zoe, Vel’Koz, Xerath, and Ahri too.
If a player finds a Star Guardians Charm then the comp becomes almost impossible to beat.
That all sounds good but why is the comp this low? Its because despite Poppy being advertised as an Unkillable machine, the comp falls apart if she dies.
How does she die? Last Whisperer. Almost every comp on this list can run Last Whisperer optimally which takes away literally all the armor Poppy has leaving just a health bot that can die to anything. Once she’s gone, every other squishy champ is easy to kill.
Despite that, the comp is very powerful and can win even the most stacked lobbies. It might not do well every game in every lobby but it’s a consistent power threat to top four.
–Mana Printer
The last of the A-tier comps is a comp that has came out of nowhere and for no reason. This comp did not receive any help from the changes to patch 10.9.
Sona with a two Chalice of Favor and a Seraph’s Embrace does something very interesting.
Sona’s ability costs 40 mana. When she casts her ability with Seraph’s Embrace, she gains 20 mana back for the next cast. With two Chalice of Favor she gains 10 mana for each. This gives her 40 mana every time she casts her ability which means that she infinitely casts her ability.
This is pretty neat as it gives heals to the entire team infinitely. But there is a reason why the comp is called mana printer.
Chalice of Favor doesn’t just give Sona mana back every time she casts. The items gives EVERYONE within a hex of her 10 mana every time sona casts. With two of them, she gives around her 20 mana every time she casts.
This makes it so powerful Sorcerers like Vel’Koz do not have to waste item slots on much-needed mana because Sona is literally a mana printer.
There seems to be two variations of this comp. One runs the Star Guardian package to create an endless supply of abilities raining throughout the board. The other is an upgraded version of Void Brawler Sorcerers.
A Vel’Koz with the Void bonus and infinite mana is very scary to deal with. A Sona giving Cho’Gath mana at the same time is even scarier.
This sounds fantastic but why is it not higher? The first reason is that this comp absolutely needs a Sona with perfect items. Sona either needs triple CoF or double CoF and a SE. If that does not happen then the comp is very fragile and weak.
The second reason is that the comp is still fragile even with a literal mana printer. Despite Sona giving out heals infinitely, both variations are very suspect to getting one shot by the carries of other compositions. Every comp on this list is very good at getting through the first wall and taking out what’s behind it. The six sorc star guardian version of the comp has no front line and the Void Sorc Brawler version while more tanky, is praying that Vel’Koz takes out everyone before they take out it.
With that being said, if Vel’Koz does its job and Sona has optimal items, this comp is one of the best in the game. If a player does end up hitting the optimal Sona items, this comp is a near-lock for top four.
Honorable Mention (B-Tier)
Rebels
The comp received a nerf in 10.9 but is still a very scary threat.
The stars of the show haven’t changed. Players will want to find an upgraded Gangplank and Miss Fortune to do the heavy lifting.
Jinx and Aurelion Sol are also strong enough to be the lead carry.
The biggest thing holding this comp back is lack of mobility and taking too much time to spike. But if a player can survive long enough to hit the spike, this comp has what it takes to win lobbies.
Darkstars
Oh have the mighty have fallen. One patch removed from S-tier, Jhin and Xerath are wondering where it all went wrong.
Well actually, it didn’t go wrong. This comp is still very powerful and there should be no surprise if this comp rises in the next tier list as the meta continues to shift.
Other front the back comps have better front lines than Darkstars do which is why the comp is this low right now. Jhin and Xerath are still among the best carry units in the game and the comp is still strong enough to contest top fours.
The Vanguard variation may be the better version right now too. It’s ok to sleep a little on Darkstars but prepare for a rude awakening at anytime.
Space Jam
Another comp that is laying dormant waiting for a chance to strike.
The comps main issue right now is the fact that with such tanky front lines to deal with, Darius sometimes cant even start his endless chain of abilities.
The other reason is that other champions in this comp like Rakan, Jayce, and Kassadin are contested right now.
If the hyperroll tier one unit meta dies down, watch for this comp to rise back up.
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