Dark Star Rising – Patch 10.8 Meta Snapshot

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Meta Snapshot Summary

HUGE Sorcerer buffs. They got buffed in about 6 different ways.  Dark Stars are by far the best composition because the trait is very strong and each unit uses a different set of items, so you will always have a carry.  Some comps are very strong if uncontested and absolutely terrible if they are (Bang Bros, Void Brawler).

Zeke’s Herald = Really strong early for win streaking

S: Dark Stars
A: Mech Infiltrator, Cybernetics, E-Girls
B: Kayle + Friends, Blaster + Brawler, Vanguard Sniper
C: Protector Mystic, Rebels, Mech and Friends, Protector Infiltrator, Mech Pilot Sorcerers
Meme: Bang Bros, Void Brawlers, Space Pirates, Vanguard Mystics

Items

Methodology

TFT Compositions Tier List

S Tier: Highly Flexible or Very Strong

Dark Star Snipers

Difficulty: Medium
Item Dependency: Medium
Variance: Low

Great build if you get early Jhin.  He can use almost any Attack Damage Item.  Last Whisper is pretty strong as well.  You can itemize Shaco as your secondary carry with Ashe and Lux as a support.  You don’t need to 3* anything, but it is still nice to get Shaco 3* if you can.  You can also use Dark Star spatula, which makes 6 Dark Star easy to hit.

Items:

• Jhin:
  • Infinity Edge>Runaan’s Hurricane>Last Whisper>Trap Claw>GA>Deathblade
• Shaco:
  • GA>Bloodthirster>Infinity Edge
• Xerath:
  • Quicksilver>>>>Everything else

Counters:

• Vanguard Snipers
• Disarm on Blasters (it is essentially a stun against Shaco and Jhin)

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A Tier: Solid Team Comps. Weaker, less flexible, requires more luck than S-Tier

Mech Pilot Infiltrator

Difficulty: Low
Item Dependency: Medium
Variance: Low

Requirements:

• Some 3* Mechs
• Kaisa Items
• Mech Items
• Shaco Items

Go for either Kaisa or Shaco carry.  This is especially important if the composition is contested.  Kaisa is almost an autowin with Demolitionist Spatula with 2 other items.  Seraph’s works great on her as well.  Shaco with two BF items and a defensive item is very strong.  You only really need level 7.  Slow roll at level 6 for Shaco, Mechs, Kaisa. 

Is saying “ME MECH” worth it?

Items:

Best items by far are Demolitionist Spat for Kaisa, Bramble Vest + Quicksilver for Mech.

Good items are Titan’s Resolve for Mech and Morello/Serpah’s for Kaisa.  Almost any Sword item is good for Shaco.  Almost any Ability Power item is good on Kaisa

Counters:

• Two Zephyrs.  One on Mech, one on a carry
• E-Girls
• Protectors with the right items

Cybernetics

Difficulty: Hard
Item Dependency: Medium
Variance: Medium

Requirements:

• Win streak early game
• Ekko or transition into a 3 Cyber build or Kayle (you need to know what you are doing)

Cybernetics benefit from having at least 1 item, so it’s great to diversify your team with this build.  Lucian is a great early game carry and then you can transition into Irelia and Ekko.  Lucian can use Red Buff or Luden’s.  An early Lucian with Red Buff or Luden’s is a sign to consider Cybernetics.  This composition is great for getting 2nd or 3rd place.  If you do not hit Ekko, you will need to play some sort of Blademaster/3 Cybernetic composition.

Add Thresh at Lvl 9 and have units to pull in on your bench such as Lulu, Thresh, Cho’Gath, Wukong, Blitz

Great build because you can make use of bad/weird items, which makes them consistent.  The only downside to this composition is the difficulty since you need to know how/when to transition to a different comp when you don’t hit Ekko.  You can also just Thieve’s Gloves Irelia and then itemize MF for your late game.

Fiora, Vi, Leona can use a basic item component, but some good completed items are Zeke’s Herald, Zzrot Portal, Redemption, and Zephyr.  You can also put Force of Nature on one of them such as on the Superdense Galaxy.

Counters:

• Vanguards
• Bramble Vest

E-Girls – Star Guardian Sorcerers

Difficulty: Medium
Item Dependency: High
Variance: Medium

Requirements:

• 3 Star Syndra
• Defensive Item Neeko
• Seraph’s or Chalice for Syndra

Slow roll at 7 for 3 star units.  At level 8, add in second Soraka. 

Star Guardian spatula can be used for Xerath, Lux, or Velkoz and it will allow you to run 6 Sorcerers without going to level 9. 

Syndra likes Seraph’s and Hat.  You can add one more of either item to complete her build or a defensive item.  Neeko likes GA and QSS.  These two items are critical because she is your only tank.  If she gets Zephyred, it is GG.  ZZrot is good on Neeko, but try not to build it when you have GA.  Neeko can use a lot of different items such as Bramblevest, Ionic Spark, Morellonomicon, and many more!

Counters:

• Guardian Angel on your carry

B Tier: Playable, but not Preferred. These comps could be strong if uncontested.

Kayle + Friends

Difficulty: High
Item Dependency: Medium
Variance: Low

Requirements:

• Kayle Items

 

Flexible composition due to 6 unit core.  You can add in either anything you hit or anything that is good against your lobby.  You can also drop down to 2 Chrono and add 4 Brawler.

Kayle Item Priority: GA>>>>Rageblade>Rapidfire Cannon>Hand of Justice>Trap Claw>Morello>Hat

Good on Lilac Nebula

Blaster Brawler

Difficulty: Medium
Item Dependency: Medium
Variance: Medium

Keep Blitzcrank next to Jinx to let her get a quick kill.  Rebel spatula is useful to get to 3 Rebel.

Counters:

• Red Buff/Morello to kill front line
• Infiltrators to kill Jinx

Vanguard Sniper

Difficulty: Medium
Item Dependency: Medium
Variance: Medium

Requirements:

• Jhin 2* and great items
• Winstreaking and getting Vanguards early

 

Dark Star complements each carry very well in this composition.  Mordekaiser is unkillable and Jhin deals a lot of damage.

Good on Neekoverse because you can get both 3* Morde and still get to Jhin/Lulu easily.

Counters:

• Infiltrators to kill Jhin
• CC for Mordekaiser if he is 3* so he can’t shield himself
• Zephyr + Blitz combo

C Tier and Below: These are compositions that are weak, but if they are given to you, you might be forced to play them.

Protector Mystic

Difficulty: Medium
Item Dependency: High
Variance: High

Requirements:

• 3 items for Xin and Rakan
  
• 3 Star Xin and Rakan
• Level 8 for Lulu for 4 Mystic

 

Xin and Rakan 2 vs 9 every game.  You really need dragon claw on at least one of them with 1 damage item (Morello, Ionic Spark, or Titan’s Resolve).

Shojin is incredibly good for multiple Rakan ultimates.  Bramble Vest counters every attack damage dealer without Last Whisper.

Sona uses Seraph’s Embrace very well.  Sona is critical because she removes anti healing debuffs.

Rebels

Difficulty: Medium
Item Dependency: High
Variance: High

Rebels utilize their shield and damage buff to strengthen each other.  It is reliant on having Aurelion Sol and strong items.  Add in Mystics if you are against magic damage.

Mech and Friends

Difficulty: Low
Item Dependency: Medium
Variance: Low

This is a great top 4 build.  You can either go for 3 stars on Mechs, Kaisa, and Shaco OR go level 8 to play Gangplank, Lux, and Kayle.  You only need to itemize your Mech and one of the Infiltrators

Protector Infiltrator

Difficulty: Medium
Item Dependency: High
Variance: High

Requirements:

• 3 Star Kaisa, Shaco, Xin, and Rakan

You do not need level 8, this is fine to run at 6 people to ensure everyone is 3 star.

Base composition is 4 Protectors and Kaisa and Shaco, the rest of the slots are up to you.  You want 3* of all your protectors along with Kaisa and Shaco.

Mech Pilot Sorcerers

Difficulty: N/A
Item Dependency: High
Variance: N/A

Requirements:

• 3 Star Syndra
• Hitting Mechs early

Meme Tier (Uncategorized) – The real winners are those who have fun. This is a GAME after all, and if you are reading this, you are probably not one of the top 3 players trying to go pro. These oddball compositions may or may not work. Use at your own risk, but you will have fun.
Meme tier comps might be stronger than C tier.

Squid – Void Brawler

Difficulty: Medium
Item Dependency: High
Variance: High

Requirements:

• Hitting Vel’Koz and Cho’Gath.  At least 2 of them 2*, preferably 3*
• Great Vel’Koz items.

 

True damage is great because it counters a lot of defensive oriented compositions.  This composition needs to rush level 8 and slow roll for 3 star units.  Quicksilver is pretty essential on Vel’Koz because it gets rid of Zephyr and any interruptions on his ultimate.

Bang Bros (Yi and Yasuo with Chrono)

Difficulty: Low
Item Dependency: High
Variance: High

Requirements:

• Quicksilver
• Yi and Yasuo 3 star

If you ever get an early QSS, you can commit to this composition.  You want QSS, 1 damage, and 1 defensive item on Yi.  Hat and Rageblade are the best offensive with Bramble being the best defensive item.

Yasuo likes GA the most and then Infinity Edge, Hand of Justice, Giant Slayer, or Bloodthirster.

You can Rebel stack instead of playing the Chronos as well.

4 Space Pirates

Difficulty: Medium
Item Dependency: High
Variance: High

Requirements:

• Guardian Angel GP
• Lots of AP for GP
• Hitting GP
• Hitting Mechs

 

GP and Mechs are the only thing that matter.  Use Thresh and your extra gold/items to cheese late game fights.

Vanguard Mystic

Difficulty: Medium
Item Dependency: High
Variance: High

Requirements:

• Perfect Item Mordekaiser and Jayce
• Level 3 Mordekaiser and Jayce

 

Slow roll at level 5 for Mordekaiser and level 7 for Jayce to get them to level 3.  You still need level 8 for finding 4 Mystic, so this composition can feel inconsistent.  Run space pirates + 4 Vangaurd until you can get to 4 Mystic

Items

Carousel Item Priority

Higher Priority Items

Lower Priority Items

High>>>Low

Lilac Nebula – 4 Cost Carousel Priority

You need BOTH a good champion and an at least decent item component FOR THAT CHAMPION.  For example, Irelia (good champion) with a Sword (good item for her) would be ideal, but Irelia with a Chain Vest (decent item) would be very good as well.  A champion with a bad item for them is useless.  In these cases, sell the champion (Velkoz with Bow for example).  
With this in mind, I am just going to list out good champions and bad champions.  The items that are good for these champions can be found in the composition Tier List.

Good

Bad

Item Quadrant

The closer to the Top Right, the better and more versatile the item is. Avoid items on Bottom Left if possible.

Strength (y-axis) is based on how effective an item is in the situations where it is most used.  Items that are strong at all stages of the game are listed higher.

Versatility (x-axis) is based on both the number of Compositions an item fits in and Champions an item is used on.  Versatility is also how often you could build an item.

Methodology

Even though I was Challenger in Set 1 and Grandmaster in Set 2, I know there are many players better than me.  This is why I scout the Top 10 players in all major regions and analyze what they play and how they play each composition to make this Tier List.  Tiers are determined by what I think will get you the highest average rank.  This means that while one composition might be super strong late game, it may be difficult to acquire, so it may not be S-Tier.  For example, it is difficult to win with certain compositions, but extremely easy to Top 4.  Rankings within a tier are very close together.  Always try to play with what makes sense for every game, and adapt to your lobbies with proper tech choices.

Difficulty, Item Dependency, and Variance are listed.  Difficulty is how hard the composition is to play.  Difficulty does not factor into the strength or viability of the composition but serves as a factor for new players.  Item dependency is how important specific items are to the composition.  Variance is the approximate placement range of the composition.  For example, a consistent Top 4 composition has low variance.  A composition that either places 1st or 8th has a high variance. If I mention that a composition is Forcible, it means that you can play this comp every game.

Tier placement assumes strong play.  Refer to Difficulty metric before attempting to play.

Back to Summary

Video Guide

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgMdQd_QNmw