A new patch has dropped for Teamfight Tactics but 10.13 has produced another solid meta game. Keeping up with the trend of the first couple of weeks of set 3.5, the meta game has boiled down to about five different comps. This week’s top five has some returning veterans and some new and improved versions to fan favorites.
Without further ado, here is the Week 1 10.13 tier list.
S-Tier: Will Top Four At Average Power Level/Consistently Win At Optimal Power Level
Cybernetics
Last Week Position: S-Tier
Just like before the mid-set update, Cybernetics seem like it will always be a reliable comp that can net top fours. In the current meta game, its probably the most reliable comp to get wins too.
The holy trinity of Vayne, Irelia, and Ekko create so many opportunities to carry games. In the past if Irelia died early on in a fight the round was lost. This happened because the other cybernetic units were merely just meat shields for Irelia. But thanks to Ekko and Vayne, Irelia doesn’t have to carry as much. In fact, she doesn’t really need to carry at all.
Vayne is the perfect mid game carry in the comp due to her consistent damage and insane range. As a Sniper, Vayne is very rarely in danger of getting hit. Even if she was, she can just tumble away from it. Vayne’s damage starts to fall off in the late game, but its still enough to do the heavy lifting with optimal items.
Even without optimal items, this comp is the best comp in the game currently because of just how good of a unit Ekko is. Ekko, even at 1* is a fantastic secondary carry. Give him good items like Red Buff and he can actually out damage Vayne at 2*. Ekko not only does a good amount of damage, his ability is loaded with CC in the form of a Frozen Heart like effect.
The rest of the Cyber units do their job well when it comes to being meat shield and thanks to the Cyber trait, they are also very good at being utility machines. Items like Shroud of Stillness, Redemption and Zephyr are amazing when placed on the other Cyber units.
Besides the six Cybernetic units needed for this comp to spike, the current meta variation utilizes the Chrono trait, specifically Thresh. Thresh is arguably the best tier five unit in the game because he can pull in powerful units at will. Need to stay alive longer? Pull in Soraka. Need some extra CC? Pull in a Gnar or Wukong. Need to just eliminate a 9* mech? Pull in Urgot and watch your fears become your opponents.
This comp is very straightforward and very strong. Hands down the easiest comp to net top fours with and the most likely comp to win lobbies in the current meta game.
Jinx Brawlers
Position Last Week: S-Tier
Right behind Cybernetics is another safe bet to net top fours. Jinx Brawlers are also arguably just as good at winning lobbies too.
When it comes to front to back fighting no comp does it better than Jinx Brawlers. Maybe that’s because this comp doesn’t play fair when doing so.
The heavy CC from the four Brawlers in the comp make positioning against this comp a nightmare. Gnar can dig deep into an enemies back line to pullout hyper carry units in hiding. If they are not hiding well enough, those units become easy prey for Jinx. Blitzcrank compliments Gnar well when it comes to fleshing carries out of the back corners. If enemies want to place a carry unit there and it will get hooked and killed immediately, put a decoy unit there and it will only accelerate Jinx. Vi can get to the back line quickly too.
The comp doesn’t just have the Brawlers keeping Jinx safe, it also has Rebels too. Jinx being a Rebel is a godsend in this meta. The Rebel bonus granting Jinx extra health and damage means that she can go full offensive with her build. Especially because Mystic units like Soraka can keep Jinx healthy even when she goes full offense. In this meta Jinx needs all the offense she can get.
The meta game is filled with tanky front lines that might be a little hard for Jinx to take out seeing as she is the only damage dealer in the entire composition. Every other unit in the composition has a specific role to keep Jinx alive as long as possible.
If a player can find the right upgrades and find very strong offensive items on a Jinx 2* then those players can top four with their eyes closed. If they open their eyes or if they stumble upon Jinx 3* then they will have a very good chance at winning any lobby.
Sorc Riven
Position Last Week: N/A
There has been a debate on what the best sorcerer composition is in recent weeks and one particular variant has started to separate itself from the rest of the pack. Riven Sorcs have taken the throne for now.
The comp on paper is simple. Throw in a lot of sorcerer units and a Riven with Deathcap and Guardian’s Angel and watch Riven as she gains an infinite shield and do a ton of damage. That’s cool and all, but the comp is actually a little more complex than that.
Obviously, players will want to put in high cost Sorcerer units like Xerath and Viktor. Those units will be the secondary carry units in the comp. Because players will have six sorcerers, every unit will do an additional 75% magic damage. Even without items, Xerath and Viktor will be doing a good amount of damage.
With a comp like this, the only front line is Riven. This means that the entire enemy team will be focusing Riven. She wont live forever so in this comp its important to kill the enemy team faster than they can kill Riven. This comp is full offense and no defense. To add onto that, players often will throw in Fizz as the eighth unit after the six sorcerers and Riven. This gives players an opportunity to dive back lines and kill carry units. Fizz actually does a lot of damage with his ability thanks to the buff’s he received at the start of set 3.5. With the six sorc boost, he actually will one shot entire back lines.
These eight units are good enough to net top fours as they will destroy any composition through the end of stage four and most of stage five. However, the later the game goes on the harder it becomes for these eight units to kill things quick enough. But what if players gave a Star Guardian Charm to Viktor?
If a player has access to Star Guardian Charm, the comp goes from borderline A tier to arguably the best comp in the game. Star Guardian Viktor opens up the six Star Guardian buff which makes all Star Guardian units gain mana every time a different Star Guardian unit casts their ability. This means that Viktor will be able to cast his ability quicker and more often which is critical for this comp’s success. But the fun doesn’t stop there. Janna, the newest Star Guardian, comes packed with a very strong ability that has a good chance at knocking up entire enemy teams. She is also equipped with the new Paragon trait that turns all auto attacks into magic damage and all Star Guardian attacks in the true damage.
Without the Star Guardian Charm, this comp is strong enough to easily make it into top fours of lobbies. In some cases it may be enough to win those lobbies. But if players do make Viktor into a Star Guardian, the extra oomph and ability casts will make it easier to win lobbies.
A-Tier: Consistent Top Four At Average Power Level/Can Win At Optimal Power Level
Vanguard Mystic
Position Last Week: A-Tier
The once impenetrable defense has shown weakness as of late. Dont get it twisted though, the four Mysitc four Vanguard composition is still pretty powerful.
As always the star of the show is Cassiopeia. The four mystics and four vanguard serve one purpose, to keep Cass alive as long as possible. The reasoning behind that is because Cass does 1500 damage base every time she casts her 30 mana ability. The catch is that she does that damage over the course of 12 seconds. If fights don’t last very long than that damage isn’t going to go off.
The four Vanguard front line of Wukong,Nautilus,Jayce,and Mordekaiser provides a brick wall for Cass. They also do a fair amount of damage and provide some very strong CC. Jayce acts like a secondary carry in the composition who can finish off low level enemies with his ability. Players like to put any extra items that are not core to Cass on Jayce.
The four mystics have specific roles. Soraka heals Cass, Karma shields Cass and Lulu keeps enemies away from Cass. Essentially these are the best seven supporting units to put in alongside Cass.
The problem with this comp is that if Cass dies early the comp falls apart. Infiltrators and any damage that can hit the back line become huge threats to the composition and the later the game goes on, the easier it is to take down the vanguard wall. There is a little flexibility late game with units like Thresh and Urgot making it easier to keep kill potential up, but at the end of the day, this comp’s carry is only a tier three unit.
If players can hit the right items and right upgrades, this comp is an easy top four. But if players want to win they will probably need either a Thresh 2* who can pull in Urgot’s on level nine or a 3* Cass.
Mech BS
Position Last Week: N/A
Mech-Pilot’s are so flexible that they can be thrown into mostly any composition and still serve a purpose – even if that composition is essentially eight random good units.
The latest innovation of the comp comes in the form of a core of the three Mech-Pilots and Viktor. Viktor is the main carry in this composition as he does a ton of damage from a distance. Also Viktor alongside Annie gives the mech and all other allies increased spell damage with the Sorcerer buff.
Since Fizz is an Infiltrator, players have started to pair Fizz with another Infiltrator. When picking who to throw in, players have options. Shaco for mid game, Ekko for late game. Ekko gives the mech and himself the Infiltrator bonus which lets them attack faster. Ekko attacking faster lets him use his very strong Frozen Heart-like ability quicker. His ability going off is critical when it comes to buying time for Viktor and the mech.
Cassiopeia is good in the comp as it provides Viktor with the recently buffed Battlecast bonus. Cass also does a lot of damage by herself too. With the huge mech providing the ultimate front line and Ekko buying time too, Cass can pop off in this comp. Since she is a Mystic, players might as well put in Soraka to keep everyone alive as long as possible.
Those seven units are pretty much the bread and butter of the composition but there are two more unit slots. These are very flexible. Players have taken a liking to Aurelion Sol as another disruption. Aurelion Sol comes packed with an ability that is pretty much Mana-Reaver. Players have also thrown in Gangplank which provides the mech with the important Demolitionist synergy. And if players can find the right items and upgrades for GP, he can be the true carry in the comp as well.
In set 3, the mech composition was stuck on on specific build. But in set 3.5, mech has taken a very flexible approach. It is unknown how long this variation of Mech-Pilots will last but for now this one is very strong.
If players can hit the core seven units efficiently and last into the late game, top fours are likely. If players can econ well enough to start throwing in tier five 2* units like Thresh and Auelion Sol, this comp becomes too much for anyone to handle and can net some head scratching wins.
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