If you haven’t already, be sure to read the TFT patch notes as I’ll be referring to them throughout this article.
Table Of Contents
Current State Of The Meta
We have a separate post with a list of the current best TFT comps, but here’s the table for a quick overview.
So, now that we know that, let’s get started with the predictions for patch 10.9 and see how things have changed.
Dark Star Snipers
Prediction: S+ > S-
What changed?
- (6) Dark Star nerfed.
- Xerath nerfed.
- Quicksilver nerfed.
What does this mean?
(6) Dark Star lost about 17% effectiveness however this is nothing special as most major traits received the same treatment.
Xerath lost 14% Spell Damage at 1* and 12% Spell Damage at 2*. This is a quite significant nerf but with the amount of Dark Star stacks that he typically gets it won’t be enough to bring him down from being one of the best units in the game. He also got his Area Damage reduced to 25% of his Spell Damage which is a much more significant nerf and it also gets affected by the Spell Damage nerf. This means Xerath will have a much harder time blowing up entire teams by himself but he’ll still be a strong carry in the Dark Star comp.
Quicksilver, one of Xerath’s core items also received a 5-second reduction but Dark Star fights typically don’t last long enough for that to really make much of a difference.
Summary
Xerath received a large nerf which will make him not as completely overpowered as he is currently but Dark Star was an amazing comp before Xerath was even introduced, I predict that the comp will be more focused around Jhin and Shaco again but it will still be a S tier comp.
Mech Infiltrators
Prediction: S > S-
What changed?
- Lvl. 5/6/7 Champion Odds adjusted.
- (4) Infiltrators nerfed slightly.
- Mech-Pilot trait nerfed slightly.
- Annie buffed.
- Rumble buffed.
- Kha’Zix buffed.
What does this mean?
The Champion Odds adjustment is a nerf to any comp that wants to stay at Level 5/6/7 and roll for an extended time which this comp falls into. This is particularly significant to this comp because of the high amount of 3* units it relies on.
(4) Infiltrators got nerfed slightly, however this is nothing special as most major traits received the same treatment.
The Super-Mech lost 300 base HP and 5% HP conversion from the pilots. This results in a 10-15% health reduction, getting less significant as the mech’s levels increase.
Annie gained 100 HP, a slight buff to the Super-Mech’s HP.Rumble gained a bit of additional damage, he was already a solid unit when he was stacked with all the Super-Mech’s items so this is actually a nice buff that should make it more likely to win the fight once the mech dies.
Kha’Zix buff is completely insignificant as he is just kept around for the Infiltrator synergy.
Summary
The Super-Mech’s tankiness received a sizable nerf but the Infiltrators that accompany it will be as deadly as ever. The nerfs are not enough to remove the comp from the S tier but it will reduce its dominance slightly, the reroll odds will also make it a bit harder for multiple players to find success with the comp in the same lobby.
Brawler Blasters
Prediction: A+ > S
What changed?
- (4) Brawler and Blaster nerfed.
- (2) Chrono buffed.
- Jinx buffed.
- Lucian buffed.
What does this mean?
(4) Brawler lost 8% effectiveness and (4) Blaster lost 1 bonus shot (out of 6). Probably insignificant as every other major trait received roughly the same level of nerf.
(2) Chrono now takes effect instantly which gives all the Blasters a nice AS boost right off the bat and it should help Jinx ramp up faster specifically.
Jinx received a 14% buff on the magic damage of her rockets, this is a nice little change but not too significant as usually the problem isn’t how much damage Jinx does after ramping up, but how long it takes her to get there.
Lucian received a very nice QoL bug fix that has been plaguing him since Set 1, and it should increase his reliability by a ton especially in the early game when he is used as a stand-in carry for Jinx.
Summary
Along with all the direct changes, reroll comps also got nerfed and the two previous S tier comps also received significant nerfs which makes me believe that Brawler Blaster will take a spot in the S tier of the best TFT comps.
Cybernetics
Prediction: A > A
What changed?
- (6) Cybernetic nerfed.
- (3) Blademaster buffed slightly.
- Lucian buffed.
What does this mean?
(6) Cybernetics lost a bit of AD and HP however so did every other major trait so this nerf is fairly insignificant.
The blademaster buff helps a little in making Irelia a bit more reliable of a carry but it’s unlikely to affect much in the big picture.
Lucian received a very nice QoL bug fix that has been plaguing him since Set 1, and it should increase his reliability by a ton especially in the early game when he’s used as the main Cybernetic carry.
Summary
Not much has changed with the comp which is why it retains its placement.
Chrono Kayle / Blademasters
Prediction: A- > A+
What changed?
- (3) Blademaster buffed slightly.
- (4) Chrono “buffed”.
- Valkyrie nerfed.
What does this mean?
The Blademaster buff will help Kayle into being an even better carry than she is right now, a pretty nice power boost to the comp.
The Chrono changes are an overall buff until the fight has been going on for a dozen or so seconds. This means Kayle will have an easier time ramping up her Rageblade stacks which means that she’ll be more effective across the whole fight.
Valkyrie crit threshold went from 50% > 40%, not an insignificant nerf and might make Kayle clutch less fights when she’s the only unit alive.
Summary
The Blademaster and Chrono buffs will outweigh the Valkyrie nerfs and Chrono Blademasters will be in a better spot this patch. Also note that the comp doesn’t make use of any major traits which were all nerfed this patch which is an indirect buff to the comp in itself.
Star Guardian Sorcerers
Prediction: B+ > B-
What changed?
- Lvl. 5/6/7 Champion Odds adjusted.
- (6) Star Guardian nerfed.
- (4/6) Sorcerer nerfed
What does this mean?
The Champion Odds adjustment is a nerf to any comp that wants to stay at Level 5/6/7 and roll for an extended time which this comp falls into. It’ll make getting that 3* Syndra and Neeko just a bit harder.
(6) Star Guardian mana gain went from 60 to 50, which is a significant reduction.
(4/6) Sorcerer lost a small bit of Spell Power, not too significant.
Both of the above changes are a part of the major trait changes so that reduces their significance slightly.
Summary
Star Guardian Sorcerers were already struggling after the B patch and now after seeing nerfs across the board it’s gonna struggle just a little bit more.
Bang Bros / (3) Rebel Blademasters
Prediction: B > C
What changed?
- Lvl. 5/6/7 Drop Rates adjusted.
- Master Yi adjusted.
- Yasuo adjusted.
- Sona adjusted.
- (3) Blademaster buffed slightly.
- Quicksilver nerfed.
What does this mean?
The Champion Odds adjustment is a nerf to any comp that wants to stay at Level 5/6/7 and roll for an extended time which this comp falls into. This is particularly significant to this comp because of the high amount of 3* units it relies on.
Master Yi was nerfed at 3* and buffed at 1* and 2*. I think this change is power neutral overall because it’ll allow the comp to stabilise a bit better before hitting Yi 3* which was the biggest issue with the comp before.
Yasuo’s targeting was changed to no longer target the enemy units with the most items to instead the farthest unit within his range + 2 hexes, I think this is a massive nerf as Yasuo was a key element in this comp because of the way he assassinated enemy carries and left Yi to clean up the frontline.
Sona’s healing was increased in exchange for no longer being able to cleanse grevious wounds and other debuffs that aren’t stuns. This will make Healing Reduction a hard counter to the comp as it reduces Yi’s healing to an insignificant amount.
The Blademaster change is a nice buff as both main carries are Blademasters and it will slightly increase their reliability.
Quicksilver is quite a significant nerf, fights with this comp often lasted a longer time than you’d expect from most comps. The shield expiring earlier might mean that Yi can actually be stopped before he rampages through your whole team.
Summary
There are four harsh nerfs to the comp which cannot be ignored, the biggest one being Yasuo’s change to no longer target enemy carries specifically. I do not see this comp performing even close to the same level as it did before the patch.
Void Brawlers
Prediction: B- > B-
What changed?
- Sona adjusted.
- Kha’Zix buffed.
What does this mean?
Sona’s healing was increased in exchange for no longer being able to cleanse grevious wounds and other debuffs that aren’t stuns. This doesn’t really affect this comp at all.
Kha’Zix also received a small buff, once again insignificant as he is also put in the comp to complete the Void synergy.
Summary
Not much has changed with the comp which is why it retains its placement.
Celestial Space Pirates
Prediction: B- > B+
What changed?
- Lvl. 5/6/7 Champion Odds adjusted.
- (4) Celestial nerfed.
- (2) Protectors buffed, (4) Protectors nerfed.
What does this mean?
The Champion Odds adjustment is a nerf to any comp that wants to stay at Level 5/6/7 and roll for an extended time which this comp falls into. This is particularly significant to this comp because of the high amount of 3* units it relies on.
Both (4) Celestial and (4) Protector received nerfs along with all the other major traits. (2) Protectors did get buffed but it is insignificant as the Protectors are there just for their Celestial tags and more frontline.
Summary
Not much has changed with the comp but it has been refined over time and people have found more effective ways to play it which results in a placement increase.
Vanguard Snipers
Prediction: C > C
What changed?
(2) Vanguard was buffed, but it doesn’t affect this build much.
What does this mean?
–
Summary
Not much has changed with the comp except that Jhin will be less contested due to Dark Star being a less effective comp. The composition retains its placement.
6 Rebels
Prediction: C+ > B+
What changed?
- (6) Rebel nerfed slightly.
- Ziggs buffed.
- Sona, Yasuo, Master Yi adjusted.
- Jinx buffed.
- Aurelion Sol (and Starship) buffed.
- Gangplank buffed.
What does this mean?
(6) Rebel’s shield value was nerfed slightly but this is actually a much milder nerf compared to all of the other major traits which means it’s technically a buff.
Ziggs is now a more effective early-game carry, this will help Rebel’s current lackluster early game.
Sona, Yasuo and Master Yi’s adjustments were talked about in depth in the (3) Rebel Blademaster section but it should not affect (6) Rebels as much as they were not relied on as heavily, usually not even getting items in this comp.
The small Jinx buff is a nice power boost to one of the main carries in the composition.
Aurelion Sol received changes that roughly equal to him having a Seraph’s by default now. This is a massive buff and will massively increase his carry potential with proper items like Morellonomicon and Demolitionist’s Charge.
Gangplank received a mana buff which will result in him going off more frequently now which was a big problem with the unit before this patch.
Summary
Rebels received buffs across the board, enough for them to move up an entire tier.
Protector Mystics
Prediction: C- > C-
What changed?
- Lvl. 5/6/7 Champion Odds adjusted.
- (4) Celestial nerfed.
- (2) Protectors buffed, (4) Protectors nerfed.
- Sona adjusted.
What does this mean?
The Champion Odds adjustment is a nerf to any comp that wants to stay at Level 5/6/7 and roll for an extended time which this comp falls into. This is particularly significant to this comp because of the high amount of 3* units it relies on.
Both (4) Celestial and (4) Protector received nerfs along with all the other major traits.
Sona’s healing was increased in exchange for no longer being able to cleanse grevious wounds and other debuffs that aren’t stuns. This is quite a significant nerf to the comp as it relied on Celestial healing to sustain through fights.
(6) Rebels lost a bit of shield value
Summary
An already ineffective comp received more nerfs, it is likely that the comp won’t even see a spot on the next tier list.
Summary – Patch 10.9 Predictions
S TIER
- Dark Star Snipers
- Mech Infiltrators
- Brawler Blasters
A TIER
- Cybernetic Blademasters
- Chrono Blademasters
B TIER
- Star Guardian Sorcerers
- Void Brawlers
- Rebels
- Celestial Space Pirates
C TIER
- (3) Rebel Blademasters
- Vanguard Snipers
- Protector Mystics
Tiaan has been playing TFT since its inception. He finished Challenger in S1, got Challenger in S2 (then decayed after), and has even achieved Rank 1 in Set 3. He enjoys sharing his passion for the game with our readers and helping them climb!
Thanks for the guide! *****
You’re welcome!