Hey everyone, welcome back to another TGH Day TFT Patch 12.5 Tier List and meta prediction piece! This piece was written by Trade, currently ranked 3 on the NA ladder with ~1300 LP.
His LoLCHESS can be found here.
His Twitch streams can be caught live here. (Trade is playing in the Innovator Cup on March 4; be sure to follow if you want to tune in!)
Patch 12.5 brings a few nerfs to combat augments, buffs to Bodyguards, and a few other changes, likely shifting the meta away from a fast 8 Bruiser meta towards a potential reroll meta. This patch will be a whole month long and as seen with all long patches, the meta will likely end up shifting around a few weeks in depending on what players find strong and what the counter to those comps are. This list is merely Trade’s best guess on what comps will be good on the first day; use this list as a guide but be sure to experiment with different comps to find what works before everyone else does!
TFT Patch 12.5 Tier List S Tier:
VIP Talon Reroll
VIP Talon is a comp that has already been dominating the meta on patch 12.4 when given the correct opener. Not only is he untouched this patch, but Bodyguards got a slight buff, Brand got a small buff, Bramble vest got a nerf versus sins and basically every other comp in the game got knocked down a peg. This comp is probably still good without VIP Talon if given the right opener (good Talon items and an early Talon 2), but this comp is definitely S+ tier with a VIP Talon. Talon’s best-in-slot items are Rapidfire Cannon, Infinity Edge, and Quicksilver, but items such as Giant’s Slayer, Deathcap, and Gunblade are all very good on him as well. Ekko wants to be itemized with a Morello, Frozen Heart, and any other mana items. Leona should be itemized with all the tank items and Syndra can eat any leftover AP or Mana items. Reroll this comp on 6 until Talon 3. If a player is close to three-starring the other units as well, stay 6/7 to finish them off. If not, rush 8 to play 5 Debonair or 4 Assassin.
Enchanter Senna Reroll
Senna almost got untouched this patch as seen during Mort’s early patch rundown but ended up being nerfed right before the patch notes came live. Despite this, Senna will still probably be extremely strong given that Enchanters got buffed and that the comp was already dominating the meta on 12.4. Senna’s best-in-slot is probably Infinity Edge, Giant’s Slayer, and Guinsoo’s Rageblade but any combination of AD or mana items will work very well on her. Tank items should be stacked on Morgana and utility items such as Frozen Heart and Morello should be stacked on Ekko. Leftover AD items can go on Gnar, and leftover AP items can go on Orianna or Seraphine. This comp is definitely S+ with a back-row Socialite hex but is probably A/S- tier otherwise. If playing for tempo, this comp can be run with 5 Innovator instead (cut Gnar and Morgana for Jayce and Ezreal). Roll on 7 to three-star Senna, Morgana, Ekko, and Gnar. If playing for tempo or contested, simply push level 8 and pivot the Senna items onto a different AD carry such as Jhin, Kha’Zix, Irelia, Draven, Sivir, Jinx, or Jayce.
Twitch Innovator Reroll
Twitch is one of the most dominant comps on 12.4 and is only being slightly nerfed in 12.5. The comp is pretty simple: roll on 4/5 to three-star all the one costs. If close to Warwick and Zilean, continue rolling on 6 to three-star those. If not, level to 8 to slot in 5 Innovator. Best-in-slot Twitch items are Infinity Edge, Last Whisper, and Runaan’s Hurricane or Giant’s Slayer, but any combination of AD items will work well on him. Ekko wants the utility items such as Frozen Heart and Morello, and Camille/Singed can hold all the tank items.
TFT Patch 12.5 Tier List A Tier:
Syndicate Ahri
This could be a very spicy (and potentially incorrect) prediction, but with buffs to Ahri, Braum, and Enchanters, it is likely that Ahri becomes extremely powerful next patch. Ahri can hold two types of items. She can either burst and one-shot enemies with items such as Blue Buff, Deathcap, and Giant’s Slayer, or she can drain tank and go infinite with items such as Quicksilver, Warmog’s, Gunblade, and Morello. Trade has had a bit of success with both builds but feel free to experiment to see what works best. With tank items, Ahri should be placed in the first or second row in order to tank aggro and heal back up, as well as allow for backline access. Tank items should be placed on Morgana, leftover AP items can go on Orianna or Renata (if running Renata over Silco).
Debonair/Clockwork Draven
This patch brings slight nerfs to VIP Draven but pretty big buffs to non-VIP Draven. VIP Draven on patch 12.4 was an absolute menace and was destroying lobbies. With the Draven changes in 12.5 as well as Braum and Bodyguard buffs, VIP Draven will likely be at a similar power level, but non-VIP Draven will likely be much more powerful, making this comp pursuable even without a VIP Draven. In NA, players will typically run 5 Debonair and in China they often run 4 Clockwork. Both Variations are powerful, but be sure to pursue 7 Debonair if ever given a Debonair spat. This comp can also run Jayce, Silco, Renata, and any other powerful units a player may hit on their rolldown. Clockwork Heart/Spat is very powerful in this comp as it allows the player to cut Zilean for a better unit. Draven’s best-in-slot is probably Infinity Edge, Giant’s Slayer, and Quicksilver/Bloodthirster, but all AD and Attack Speed items are very good on him too (especially Guinsoo’s Rageblade). Non-VIP Draven may want to tech in a Last Whisper in Bodyguard heavy lobbies but it probably isn’t needed for VIP Draven. Tank items can go on Leona, and leftover carry items can go on Zeri.
Jhin and Friends
Ok… gonna be honest. Every single time Trade has predicted Jhin to be meta, he has been wrong. Last patch, Jhin was considered pretty mediocre but was Trade’s most played carry that patch. His last 20 games consisted of 12 Jhin games, all of which have been top 4’s. Literally, every single other four-cost carry got nerfed, Jhin got buffed, Bodyguards got buffed, Enchanters got buffed, so Trade believes that Jhin will SURELY be good in Patch 12.5 (could very much be wrong again!!!). His best-in-slot itemization will consist of Infinity Edge, Last Whisper, and Giant’s Slayer, but any AD items are extremely good on him. Items such as QSS and BT are also very good in a lobby full of backline access. The only core units in this comp are Jhin, Orianna, and a Sniper unit. Bodyguards can be dropped for Bruisers, the Scholars can be dropped for Renata/Silco; this comp can run 4 Enforcer, 4 Sniper, 4 Bruiser, 4 Bodyguard, etc. This comp is extremely flexible so be sure to play what you hit.
Innovator AD Flex
Innovators are largely untouched other than an Ekko nerf and a slight Ezreal nerf. Although their power level may have dropped a bit, they still remain an extremely flexible and consistent way to top 4 lobbies. This comp runs 5 Innovator and flexes the last three slots for a four-cost carry and two powerful supporting units. This comp can flex between Jhin, Sivir, Draven, Kha’Zix, and Irelia carry. Be sure to check out Trade’s in-depth AD Innovator Flex guide for more details on this comp.
Syndicate Ashe Reroll
Ashe on Patch 12.4 was a pretty powerful comp when the stars aligned; however, getting to a capped Ashe comp can be extremely difficult without bleeding too much HP in the mid-game. Luckily, Ashe’s early game was buffed this patch, along with Braum, Enchanters, Bodyguards, and Jhin, hopefully making the journey to late-game easier as Ashe. Ashe’s best-in-slot itemization will likely be Infinity Edge, Last Whisper, and Guinsoo’s Rageblade, but any AD items such as Deathblade, Giant’s Slayer, and Rapidfire Cannon are all great on her. Tank items go on Morgana and leftover AP items can go on Zyra or Orianna. Roll on 6 for Ashe and Zyra 3. If close to Morgana, continue rolling on 7 for Morgana and Senna 3. Senna can be replaced with any unit such as Renata, Silco, or Jayce.
Mutants
Mutants are largely untouched this patch other than a Malzahar nerf. This comp can either reroll on 7 for Malz, Cho, and Rek’Sai 3 or this comp can go fast 8 and carry Kaisa or Kha’Zix depending on the mutant trait of that game and what items a player is offered. The two best mutants are definitely Synaptic Web (Mana) with Blue Buff Malzahar and Voracious Appetite (Darkstar) with Target Dummies, Woodland Trinket and/or ZZ’rot portals. Malzahar’s best-in-slot is Blue Buff, Gunblade, and damage (Morello/Giant’s Slayer/Jewelled Gauntlet/Deathcap). Cho’Gath’s best-in-slot itemization is Redemption, Bramble Vest, Dragon’s Claw, and Kha’Zix’s best-in-slot is Infinity Edge, Quicksilver, and Bloodthirster. If carrying Kha’Zix, be sure to run an Assassin such as Ekko to enable him. If the player is rocking a very tanky Cho’Gath 3 with good tank items and/or Metamorphasis as the mutant, be sure to cut Silco and run a different unit instead as he will kill Cho’Gath.
TFT Patch 12.5 Tier List B Tier:
Bruiser Renata
With further nerfs to Renata, as well as nerfs to Vi and the already hotfixed Zac, Silco, and Rek’Sai nerfs, Renata is likely a shell of her former self. She will probably still be very strong when highrolling as this comp has an extremely high cap and can easily win lobbies with an itemized Viktor, Silco, or Tahm Kench 2. However, given all the nerfs, this comp is much less consistent than it used to be, especially now that an early Vi will not stabilize a player nearly as hard as it did on 12.4. Renata’s best-in-slot itemization is Blue Buff, Morello, and Gunblade, but items such as Giant’s Slayer, Deathcap, or any other damage items work quite well on her. Vi should be holding the bulk of the tank items. Viktor can hold leftover AP items and Tahm Kench can hold leftover AP/Tank items.
VIP Syndra Reroll/ VIP Brand Reroll
Both VIP Syndra and VIP Brand are extremely powerful when given the right opener. This usually involves an early VIP copy of that unit (preferably two-starred) as well as good items. Unlike Talon, however, this comp should never be played without their respective VIP bonuses. In addition, both Syndra and Brand need pretty specific items, whereas Talon essentially only needs an IE and a defensive item. Syndra’s best-in-slot is Shojin, Infinity Edge, and Jewelled Gauntlet, but items such as Blue Buff, Deathcap, and Giant’s Slayer are really good on her too. Brand needs similar items, but in order to function, he must have a Blue Buff (or Blue Battery). If playing Syndra reroll on 6 for all the two costs. If playing Brand, reroll at level 5 instead, and play Brand + Kassadin > Zyra + Talon.
Chemtech Reroll
This comp was pretty decent on patch 12.4 but was by no means oppressive or dominant. This patch brought nerfs to Vi, Renata, as well as nerfs to Tryndamere so this comp will likely suffer the same fate as their Chemtech counterpart. This comp can be extremely powerful when given the right opener or augments (such as Double Trouble or Triforce). This comp can carry either Tryndamere or Warwick. Tryndamere’s best-in-slot itemization will consist of Infinity Edge, Last Whisper, and Bloodthirster. Warwick on the other hand likes items such as Quicksilver, Statik Shiv, Titan’s Resolve, and Guinsoo’s Rageblade. AP, Mana, and Morello should go on Renata. With Warwick items, reroll on level 6 for Warwick and Sejuani 3. With Tryndamere items, reroll on 7 for Tryndamere and Zac 3. For the best result, try to three-star both Tryndamere and Warwick, but this won’t be possible every game.
6 Scrap Irelia/Jinx
This comp can carry either Irelia or Jinx depending on a player’s items. Jinx likes items such as Guinsoo’s Rageblade, Bloodthirster, and Giant’s Slayer, while Irelia likes items such as Infinity Edge, Last Whisper, and Bloodthirster; however, be sure to duo carry both as a player can simply slam a component on them and let the item complete on its own via the Scrap synergy. Ekko should hold items such as Frozen Heart and Morello. Braum and Jayce can hold all tank items. This comp is extremely flexible and can run Strikers, Arcanists, Twinshots, Bodyguards, and Innovators depending on what a player hits. This comp performs much better with a Scrap Heart as the player can cut useless units such as Ziggs and Ezreal.
Sivir and Friends
Like Renata, the recent nerfs have caused Sivir to feel pretty underwhelming; however, with slight buffs this patch she will likely be playable again. Sivir can be run with either 4/6 Striker or 6 Hextech depending on her items. With items such as Statik Shiv and Rageblade, Hextech will probably perform much better but with items such as Last Whisper, Giant’s Slayer, and Infinity Edge, the Striker board will likely perform much better. Usually, Sivir is played as a secondary carry alongside Irelia, as Sivir is struggling to find her place in this meta after the hefty nerfs.
TFT Patch 12.5 Tier List Honourable Mentions:
Twinshot Reroll
With buffs to both Corki and Lucian, Twinshot reroll may end up being extremely powerful this patch but is perhaps not always forcible. This comp can be run with either a Bruiser Frontline or Yordles (Vex 3, Gnar 3). Be sure to slap items such as Blue, GS, and Deathcap on Corki/Lucian and Bloodthirster, Infinity Edge, and Last Whisper on Gangplank. This comp probably should only be played with a good opener as well as augments such as Trinity Force and Double Trouble, but given the prevalence of other reroll comps, this comp may rise as a counter. In addition, reroll comps often get stronger when other reroll comps are in the meta (due to other players taking out units from the pool) so be on the lookout as this comp may end up being OP.
6 Yordle
This patch brings buffs to Gnar and Corki. Given the right Yordle opener as well as good items and either an econ augment or So Small, Yordles can be extremely powerful. However, this comp should only be played when given the perfect spot for it. Blue, Giant’s Slayer, and Deathcap on Corki. Leftover AD items on Senna or Jinx or Gnar. Tank items on Vex. Run Veigar 2 over Senna or go level 9 to slot everything in.
Stay Connected
You can find more articles like, “TFT Patch 12.5 Tier List” and you can ‘Like’ The Game Haus on Facebook and ‘Follow’ us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from other great TGH writers along with Nathaniel!
“From Our Haus to Yours”