Continuing our Teamfight Tactics (TFT) series, we will now talk more about items in the game mode. For those of you who have been living under a rock, Teamfight Tactics is a newly released game mode developed by Riot Games (the creators of League of Legends) to be implemented within the League of Legends client. It is a free-for-all, 8 player turn-based strategy/drafting game that relies on the classic League of Legends champions & items for its assets. It belongs to the heavily trending genre recently, which houses Dota Auto Chess (DAC) which is currently a massively popular game on its own.
How do items work in TFT
When playing a game of Teamfight Tactics, there are PvP rounds and PvE rounds, as well as shared draft (also known as carousel) rounds. In this article we will be focusing more on PvE and carousel rounds, as those are the rounds where you can gain new items to use in the rest of your TFT game. In Teamfight Tactics, items are split into two categories: component items & completed items. There are a total of 8 different component items, which can be used to create up to 36 different completed items. We will talk briefly about each item in this article, explaining some of the compositions where they work well and explaining their effects.
Items vs. Champion synergies
In Teamfight Tactics, drafting powerful synergistic champions and collecting the proper items for them is generally how you keep your Little Legend alive until the end. There are currently two schools of thought that are considered the optimal way to play the game: Adapting and pivoting your champion picks and synergies around the items you get in the PvE rounds and carousels up until the Krugs/Wolves rounds, or holding the component items you get early until you get an acceptable/strong set of champions that you want to build around, sometimes it is also considered acceptable in the second method to combine the components you get to generally strong items that fit in many compositions (Locket of the Iron Solari, Ionic Spark, Phantom Dancer, Morellonomicon, etc.).
Component items in Teamfight Tactics
In Teamfight Tactics, there are 8 different component items, each of them can be combined with another one to create 8 different possible completed TFT items. We will briefly mention each of them now.
1- B.F. Sword:
The first component item in TFT is B.F. Sword. It increases the Attack Damage of the unit it is given to by 20. This will increase the holder’s damage per successful attack, and will give further benefits when you land a critical hit. It is generally considered a necessity when drafting Assassins.
2- Recurve Bow:
The next component item in Teamfight Tactics is Recurve Bow. It grants the holder +20% Attack Speed. This causes them to attack quicker and has the interesting impact of increasing their mana regeneration, and is great to collect if you are planning on playing Gunslingers.
3- Needlessly Large Rod:
The third component item in the game is Needlessly Large Rod. It gives the user +20 Ability power. This will increase the holder’s damage/utility on their ability. Naturally, they fit Sorcerers and Elementalists the best.
4- Tear of the Goddess:
Another component item in TFT is Tear of the Goddess. It increases the Mana of the unit holding it by 20, allowing them to cast their first ability quicker than normal since they have a 20 mana headstart. This item is versatile and would be considered suitable for multiple synergies, like Gunslingers/Demons/Sorcerers/Elementalists/Assassins, as it can be used to make a Spear of Shojin which is considered one of the strongest items in TFT.
5- Chain Vest:
The next component item in Teamfight Tactics is Chain Vest. It grants the unit that it is given to an extra 20 Armor. This means the Physical damage they receive is reduced. It is also highly desired for most compositions as it builds into extremely valuable TFT items such as Red Buff, Thornmail, and of course Phantom Dancer.
6- Negatron Cloak:
The sixth component item in the game is Negatron Cloak. It gives the unit holding it an extra 20 Magic Resist, which reduces the Magic damage they receive. It is extremely strong as it builds into the extremely strong TFT items Dragon’s Tooth & Ionic Spark.
7- Giant’s Belt:
To continue, the next component item in the game is Giant’s Belt. The unit wielding it is given an additional 200 Health, which increases their survivability against all types of damage. Generally a good defensive option that builds into many good offensive options as well, such as Titanic Hydra, Red Buff & Morellonomicon.
8- Spatula:
The last component item in the game is Spatula. It gives no additional stats to the unit holding it, but it can still be used with the other components to make unique completed Teamfight Tactics items. It is the wild card item which allows you to be creative with your compositions, we will talk more about why later.
Completed items in TFT
Continuing, we will now discuss the completed items in Teamfight Tactics. There are a total of 36 unique completed items in TFT, and we will shortly examine their effects and which synergies they are good with.
1- Infinity Edge:
Created by combining 2 B.F. swords, gives the holding unit +40 Attack Damage. Grants +150% bonus critical damage to the wielder. Considered a niche item in TFT, it can sometimes be combined and given to a stacked 2 star Draven or Tristana with a Rapidfire Cannon, where they can continue to land lots of damage from a safe distance.
2- Sword of the Divine:
Created by combining a B.F. sword and a Recurve Bow. Grants +20 Attack Damage and +20% Attack speed to the holder. Every second, has a 5% chance to gain 100% critical strike chance until the end of combat. A very unique item, it is rarely seeing usage in Teamfight Tactics games, but it can sometimes be especially powerful with Assassin champions, since the synergy grants them additional Critical Damage, which synergizes greatly with increased Critical Chance. It is specifically strong on Ninja Assassins (Zed/Akali), since they also get additional Attack Damage from the Ninja tree, further synergizing with the Critical Chance & Damage.
3- Hextech Gunblade:
Made from merging a B.F. sword with a Needlessly Large Rod. Gives the unit that it's given to +20 Attack Damage & Ability Power. Heals the unit by 33% of all damage dealt (not counting damage from item effects). In Teamfight Tactics it is commonly used on units such as stacked 2-3 star Shyvana/Akali, or other units who deal mixed damage and can benefit from the sustain.
4- Spear of Shojin:
Results from combining a B.F. sword with a Tear of the Goddess. Grants +20 starting Mana and +20 Attack Damage. After casting an Ability for the first time in a round, basic attacks restore an additional +15% maximum Mana per hit. It is one of the strongest items in TFT and its being used very frequently on units that have a powerful ability. It sees a lot of play on units such as Pyke/Brand/Aatrox.
5- Guardian Angel:
Created from combining a B.F. sword with a Chain Vest. Grants +20 Attack Damage & +20 Armor to the champion holding it. Upon death, clears Grievous wounds & revives the unit after 2 seconds with 1000 Health. It does not see much play, but sometimes in TFT it is taken on extremely tanky front line units such as Darius/Aatrox/Warwick/Volibear, with a heavy focus on having a way to sustain their health like Bloodthirster or Warmog’s.
6- Bloodthirster:
Made from the combination of a B.F. sword with a Negatron Cloak. Gives +20 Attack Damage & +20 Magic Resist to the wielder. Heals the wielding unit by 50% of the damage dealt by basic attacks. It sees some play on front line units specifically, since they take the most damage and thus can benefit the most from the additional longevity during rounds. It also sees some Teamfight Tactics play specifically on Draven, as his ability allows him to heal more than any other unit from the Bloodthirster effect.
7- Zeke's Herald:
Results from the combination of a B.F. sword with a Giant's Belt. Gives +20 Attack Damage & +200 Health to the wielder. At the beginning of combat, the wearer and the champions two spaces to the left and the right are granted +15% Attack speed till the end of the round. It is considered a strong item in TFT since it grants Attack Speed and thus quicker Mana generation to 5 units on your board, which makes it uniquely strong.
8- Youmuu's Ghostblade:
When mixing a B.F. Sword with a Spatula, this is what you get. It grants the wielding unit +40 Attack Damage and adds the "Assassin" class to the holder, in addition to the rest of their synergies. This item allows you to go for combinations with 6 Assassins earlier by 1 level, such as Void Assassins or Ninja+Elementalist+Assassin which are considered very strong in the current Teamfight Tactics items meta.
9- Rapidfire Cannon:
Results from combining two Recurve Bows. Grants the holder +40% Attack Speed, doubled attack range, and their attacks cannot miss. It is an extremely strong Teamfight Tactics item that sees lots of play, since it counters Phantom Dancers and Yordle synergy as well as allowing your primary damage carry to attack from a safe distance away from AoE abilities that could threaten them.
10- Guinsoo’s Rageblade:
Made by merging one Recurve Bow with one Needlessly Large Rod. Allots the carrier +20% Attack Speed and +20 Ability Power, as well as +4% Attack Speed per basic attack till the end of the round, stacking infinitely. It sees semi-frequent Teamfight Tactics play, especially on units that can survive for a relatively long time to stack it a lot and also units that benefit heavily from increased Mana regeneration.
11- Statikk Shiv:
Created by combining a Recurve Bow with a Tear of the Goddess. Provides the wielder +20 Starting Mana and +20% Attack Speed. Every 3rd basic attack deals 100 Magic Damage to the target and 3 additional targets. In Teamfight Tactics this item is considered one of the primary options for Gunslinger/Blademaster compositions, since they can proc it multiple times.
12- Phantom Dancer:
Results from merging a Recurve Bow with a Chain Vest. Gives the wielder +20% Attack Speed and +20 Armor, as well as 100% dodge chance against critical hits. (Does not work vs. a Rapidfire Cannon holder). It is one of the most over-used items in TFT right now, since it gives an insane amount of damage mitigation to the wielding unit and allows them to potentially use their ability numerous times per round.
13- Cursed Blade:
Made by mixing a Recurve Bow with a Negatron Cloak. Grants +20% Attack Speed and +20 Magic Resist. Basic Attacks have a 20% chance to shrink the target, removing 1 star from that unit. Units affected can be reduced to level 0. (This reduces their base stats and HP massively). This item in Teamfight Tactics is also considered one of the primary options for Gunslinger/Blademaster compositions, since they can proc it multiple times and on multiple targets at the same time.
14- Titanic Hydra:
Created from the combination of a Recurve Bow with a Giant’s Belt. Provides the holding champion +20% Attack Speed and +200 Health. Basic attacks deal 10% of this champion’s maximum health as bonus damage to the target and all adjacent enemies in a cone. It is a strong TFT item that can be considered on any early 2-3 star units that you manage to collect, since that increases their maximum health and thus the total damage you gain from it.
15- Blade of the Ruined King:
When mixing a Recurve Bow with a Spatula you get a BotRK. It grants the wielding unit +40% Attack Speed and adds the "Blademaster" class to the holder, in addition to the rest of their synergies. This item in Teamfight Tactics allows for extremely powerful combinations between Gunslingers/Blademasters or Demons/Blademasters. It sees lots of play on units such as Graves/Tristana in Gunslinger compositions that are significantly accelerated by having Gangplank who provides both synergies, as well as units such as Brand/Swain in Demon compositions, that are accelerated by having Aatrox who is a Demon/Blademaster.
16- Rabadon’s Deathcap:
Merging 2 Needlessly Large Rods will give you Deathcap. It grants the holding champion +40 Ability Power, and increases their total Ability Power by 50%. It doesn’t see much play because it is difficult to get enough Needlessly Large Rods to justify building it after having two different completed Needlessly Large Rod items in your Teamfight Tactics game on a unit already, although it is mind-blowingly strong in case you manage to reach that point on an already-strong caster unit such as Kennen/Morgana/Brand.
17- Luden’s Echo:
Created by combining one Needlessly Large Rod with one Tear of the Goddess. Provides the holder +20 Starting Mana and +20 Ability Power. The holder’s ability deals an additional 200 Magic Damage to all adjacent enemies to the target, unaffected by Ability Power. It got heavily nerfed recently by removing its scaling, and ever since that it has seldom been seen. It can still be used in some TFT games, but it is considered inferior to other Needlessly Large Rod options.
18- Locket of the Iron Solari:
Results from mixing a Needlessly Large Rod with one Chain Vest. Gives the wielding champion +20 Ability Power and +20 Armor. At the beginning of combat, the wearer and the 2 champions to the left and to the right are granted gain a +200 Health shield. Another TFT item that was heavily nerfed recently, it is still seeing a lot of play because it is very powerful and can be stacked.
19- Ionic Spark:
Mixing one Needlessly Large Rod with one Negatron Cloak will result in this item in Teamfight Tactics. Gives the holder +20 Ability Power and +20 Magic Resist. As long as the holder survives, whenever an enemy champion casts their ability they take 200 True Damage. This does not scale with Ability Power, but is affected by Imperial (as of Patch 9.14B). Currently considered extremely broken by most players, it is built in almost all compositions just due to the sheer value it grants your board.
20- Morellonomicon:
Created by combining a Needlessly Large Rod with a Giant’s Belt, giving the champion wielding it +20 Ability Power and +200 Health. When casting their ability, applies a burn on the enemies hit for 5 seconds, dealing 5% of target's maximum health as True Damage each second and applying Grievous Wounds for the duration, preventing healing on the target. One of the most broken items in Teamfight Tactics, on any AoE caster it is exceptionally strong. Currently seeing lots of use on units such as Kennen/Brand/Swain/Anivia/Morgana/Karthus, and for good reason, since they can hit multiple targets and apply it to them.
21- Yuumi:
Merging a Needlessly Large Rod with a Spatula will give you this. It grants the holding champion +40 Ability Power and an additional class of “Sorcery” to the rest of their synergies. It is great for combining 6 Sorcers with Elementalists or Yordles early, allowing you to skip having to level to 8/9 in your typical Teamfight Tactics game.
22- Seraph’s Embrace:
Results from the mixture of 2 Tears of the Goddess. Grants the holder +40 Starting Mana, as well as +20 Mana after they cast their ability. It is a crucial TFT item on units that have a powerful ability that can be cast multiple times in a round, such as Miss Fortune/Pyke/Karthus/Brand, especially since it also grants 40 Starting Mana which significantly jumpstarts your combo in the round.
23- Frozen Heart:
Combining a Tear of the Goddess with a Chain Vest will grant you this item in TFT. Gives the user +20 Starting Mana and +20 Armor. Adjacent enemies have their Attack Speed reduced by 25%. It is interestingly being considered a very powerful Assassin item in Teamfight Tactics, since they jump to the enemy’s backline and thus applies the debuff Aura to the most important units on the enemy composition more often than not.
24- Hush:
Created by mixing a Tear of the Goddess with a Negatron Cloak, providing +20 Starting Mana and +20 Magic Resist to the unit holding it. Attacks have a 50% chance of Silencing the target, preventing them from casting. It sees little play, but is considered acceptable on Gunslingers or Volibear, since he can apply it to multiple targets with his ability.
25- Redemption:
Made by combining a Tear of the Goddess with a Giant’s Belt. Grants the holder +20 Starting Mana and +200 Health and when reaching 25% of their maximum health, creates a zone that after a small delay heals allies for 1000 health. Doesn’t see much play, but it is probably not being given the respect it deserves by players, as it can turn the tables in some situations.
26- Darkin:
When mixing a Tear of the Goddess with a Spatula you get Darkin. It grants the wielding unit +40 Starting Mana and adds the "Demon" class to the holder, in addition to the rest of their synergies. It is very strong when fast-forwarding a Demon/Brawler or Demon/Elementalist composition, and sees lots of play on champions like Volibear for their ability to proc it on multiple targets.
27- Thornmail:
Created by merging two Chain Vests, providing the unit holding it with +40 Armor. Reflects 100% of physical damage mitigated as true damage to the attacker. It sees lots of usage on frontline units that can already have lots of mitigation, and has special synergy with Knights.
28- Sword Breaker:
Combining a Chain Vest & a Negatron Cloak will grant you a Sword Breaker. It gives +20 Armor & Magic Resist to the holder, and their basic attacks have a 25% chance to disarm the target for 4 seconds, preventing them from being able to basic attack. It rarely sees play, as it is considered unreliable, however, it can be useful against certain types of compositions which rely on a specific carry unit, which if disarmed, will severely hurt the enemy composition.
29- Red Buff:
Created by mixing a Chain Vest with a Giant’s Belt, providing +20 Armor and +200 Health to the champion holding it. Basic attacks apply a burn on the enemies hit for 5 seconds, dealing 2.5% of target's maximum health true damage each second and applying Grievous Wounds for the duration, preventing healing on the target. It is commonly seen in Gunslinger compositions, and is considered one of the best items in TFT to put on Graves, as he can apply the debuff to all champions hit in the cone of his Basic Attack.
30- Knight’s Vow:
Made by merging one Chain Vest with a Spatula. Allots the carrier +40 Armor & grants them the “Knight” Class in addition to the rest of their synergies. It is very rarely seen, as Knights are considered one of the weaker synergies when factoring scaling into account.
31- Dragon’s Claw:
Results from merging two Negatron Cloaks, grants the user +40 Magic Resist and an additional +83% resistance to all Magic Damage. It is a disgustingly strong item in Teamfight Tactics, as it almost negates all Magic Damage dealt to a unit of your choice, which makes it very valuable for compositions that rely on a specific primary carry. It is also sometimes combined with Phantom Dancer on a unit to make them practically unkillable.
32- Zephyr:
Created by merging a Negatron Cloak with a Giant’s Belt, providing the unit holding it with +20 Magic Resist and +200 Health. At the start of combat, banishes the unit that mirrors the wielder’s placement on the other side of the board for 5 seconds. It has some interesting uses but is rarely seen due to the intricacy required in using it properly.
33- Runaan’s Hurricane:
Made by merging one Negatron Cloak with a Spatula. Allots the wielder +40 Magic Resist & their Basic attacks hit 1 additional target for 25% damage, applying on-hit effects. It doesn’t see much play as there are other much more valuable Spatula items in TFT, but it is considered under-researched.
34- Warmog’s Armor:
Created by combining two Giant’s Belts, providing the unit holding it with +400 Health, in addition to regenerating 6% of their missing health per second. One of the premiere frontline options, as it is reliable and has been buffed recently.
35- Frozen Mallet:
Results from mixing a Giant’s Belt with a Spatula, granting the user +400 Health and the “Glacial” Class in addition to the rest of their synergies. It sees lots of usage in Glacial/Elementalist/Gunslinger compositions or Demon/Glacial/Elementalist compositions, in order to accelerate the composition without needing to level to 8/9.
36- Force of Nature:
When mixing two Spatulas, you get Force of Nature. It gives you the unique ability of being able to add an extra champion to your board, by raising the unit cap by 1. One of the most difficult items in TFT to obtain, however it is extremely useful, as it gives you a massive head start in the game compared to other players, since you are always one unit up compared to other players (except players who invest heavily in leveling up).
Wrapping up, this guide can clearly be used as a future reference during your next Teamfight Tactics games, as a way to easily access Items in Teamfight Tactics and have an easy, hassle-free way to understand what you need to be building on certain compositions and which item combinations will work for the champions that you were given. Stay tuned for more Teamfight Tactics content in our following blogs, and thank you for reading!