In 2024, Teamfight Tactics is the most popular auto-chess game and it’s frankly not even close.

With dozens of millions of players playing this game monthly, it’s clear that the game captured the hearts of strategy enthusiasts around the world.

Because of the continuous hype that has been surrounding the game for years, it’s only natural to be curious and dive into the phenomenon yourself.

Basic concepts of TFT

What is TFT?

Teamfight Tactics (TFT) is Riot’s 8-player auto-chess game, where you strategically build a team comp to compete against other players’ teams until only one player remains.

Unlike chess though, the pieces on your board will be comprised of powerful champions from the League of Legends’ Runeterra lore.

Even though the champions are from LoL, you don’t need any prior experience in League of Legends to be able to master the mechanics of Teamfight Tactics as they’re only visually inspired by the base game characters.

How to download TFT?

In order to hop into a game of Teamfight Tactics, you first need to download Riot’s League of Legends client.

This is because Teamfight Tactics does not have its own client but rather runs through the LoL platform.

If you don’t already have a Riot Games account, you’ll have to create one by signing up through the client or Riot’s official registration page.

Once you’ve successfully created an account and logged into the client, all that’s left is to press play, select Teamfight Tactics, and choose the game mode you want to play.

How to play TFT?

Unlike League of Legends where you control a champion, Teamfight Tactics champions fight on their own as automated units.

Your role is to strategically manage the team comp and select the champions that automatically combat the opponents’ team of champions in rounds that repeat in succession with rotating opponents.

The outcome of these battles determines your overall standing as you lose HP on the overall scoreboard.

You progress through the game by drafting and placing new champions on the board while powering them up through level-ups and items.

TFT core gameplay mechanics

Legend level 

In TFT, you can gain XP and level up which increases your team size cap as well as provide you with access to high-cost units.

This level is known as Legend level and each player starts at level 1, potentially leveling up to level 10.

Your Legend level determines the number of champion units you can have on the board (eg. level 3 can have 3 units)

At the latter stages, levels massively impact your rotating store and the champions that are offered.

This is because 4-cost or 5-cost champion units have the highest likelihood of being offered in the rotating shop at levels 8-10.

To put things into perspective, you have a 0% chance of ever seeing a 5-cost unit in your rotating shop before player level 7.

These are your rolling chances based on your Legend level:

Champion positioning

When playing Teamfight Tactics, in some situations, you’ll sometimes feel as if you lost the combat round against an opponent while playing a stronger board with more powerful champions.

More often than not, this is because of sub-optimal champion positioning on your board that can lead you to bad fights between your pieces on the board.

The main method of champion positioning in TFT is to divide your team into a frontline and a backline.

This basic division will allow your tanks and bruisers to stay in the front while tanking and protecting the AP/AD carries that are dealing heavy damage in the backline.

Champion positioning effects

Apart from determining the tempo of combat, champion positioning can provide you with active and passive buffs.

For example, snipers specifically gain damage based on the distance in hexes between them and the champions they’re fighting. Naturally, a buff like this will make you position them as far as possible away from opponents.

Furthermore, some champions and items have passive effects that provide their champions in nearby hexes with buffs or debuffs, which is why you should place them properly.

TFT Champions guide 

What are champion traits in TFT?

Champion traits are the champion’s characteristics and they shape the champion’s in-game identity and power.

The traits of the champions you currently own are visible on the left-hand side of your screen and they are used to power up your team composition as you collect multiple champions of the same trait.

Think of champion traits as the building blocks of a house, and in TFT you can build houses of all sorts of colors based on the traits you end up combining.

Depending on the trait you’ve chosen, the units on your board can receive a wide variety of combat boosts ranging from ability damage boosts to additional sources of utility.

More often than not, you need two or more champions of the same trait to unlock their special effect, and the effect’s potency is maximized at 6-8 champions of the same type.

TFT champion mana and ability

Except for having traits that help them stand out among the rest and mix with other units, champions on your board have a single unique ability that they can cast.

These abilities are inspired by the original champion abilities in League of Legends and they have a wide variety of effects.

The timing in which these abilities are cast in-game depends on the unit’s current mana.

Essentially, mana is gathered through Items that directly boost a unit’s overall mana or manually ramped up by attacking the enemy units.

Once a champion hits its full mana threshold, it casts the ability, resetting the current mana of the unit to 0.

TFT champion star and cost

Unlocking champions in TFT requires you to spend your gold equal to the champion’s cost. The champion cost ranges from 1-5, depending on the champion’s rarity and power level in the game.

With every passing round, a new selection of available champion units appears at the bottom of the screen which you can utilize to power up your squad.

Apart from adding new champions to your board, you can also power up your existing ones by increasing their star level.

Essentially, you can evolve your one-star champion into a two-star or ideally a three-star unit which massively increases its output and base stats on the battlefield.

Two-star champion units are acquired by having 3 copies of the same one-star champion and a three-star champion is unlocked by having 3 two-star copies.

TFT Items guide

How do items work in TFT?

Items are the key to fully unleashing your champion's true power as they significantly amplify the champion's power level on the battlefield.

Even though your champion might be high-level, its output on the board relies on the items that increase its stats and give it unique abilities.

To fully understand how items work, it's important to make a distinction between core items and item components.

What are item components and core items in TFT?

Think of item components as the building blocks of core items that provide you with raw stats. Core items are fully forged items that are comprised of two item components that provide you with stats as well as powerful active or passive effects.

Different combinations of item components provide different core items and you can inspect the recipes for specific core items by right-clicking on an item component.

Last but not least, items in TFT can be active or benched. Active means they’re currently equipped to a champion and can only be removed by selling the champion it’s equipped on while benched items are currently not in use and can be equipped at any time.

Types of items in TFT

Not all items and components in TFT provide the same types of benefits as there are dozens of unique components and full items with varying powerful effects.

That being said, there are three types of items in TFT based on the type of boosts they provide, those being:

•  Physical (AD)
•  Magical (AP)
•  Defensive

Apart from these basic item types, you can also get special items through Encounters and random drops throughout the game.

Which items should I build on TFT?

You can find out which items belong to which champions by hovering over their abilities that have the corresponding symbol based on the ability damage type.

Depending on the type of damage champion abilities do, champions scale with either AP or AD, or both, which impacts your item selection and build path.

TFT economy guide

Interest

Understanding the economy system in Teamfight Tactics is extremely important as having an efficient economy is often the key to winning TFT matches.

The most basic concept of the TFT economy is compound interest which provides you with 1 additional gold per 10 gold you have stored in the bank with every new round.

This interest stacks up to 5 times which means that you can get a maximum of 5 additional interest gold per turn if you have 50 gold or more stashed in the bank.

This gameplay mechanic is crucial in TFT, especially for team comps that are scaling and are looking to get multiple 3-cost or 4-cost champions in their roster.

Win streaks and loss streaks

Another way of getting more gold per round than usual is by consecutively winning or losing rounds.

Once you’ve lost or won two or more rounds in a row, you enter a loss streak or a win streak.

Depending on the length of your win streak or loss streak, you get additional gold that you can spend on powering up your current squad.

This is how much gold you receive for losing or winning consecutively: 

• 1 gold for 2-4 round win/loss streaks
• 2 gold for 5 round win/loss streak
• 3 gold for 6+ round win/loss streaks

This mechanic balances out the game for players who may have fallen behind in the early game while also providing the players who are doing well and beating the opposition with additional resources to keep going.

How should I spend my gold in TFT?

Spending your gold effectively at first might seem like a very difficult task as you have multiple choices you can make every turn.

In some situations, you have enough gold and interest in the bank to start rolling for picks, but at the same time, you could potentially invest in XP as a way to increase your board strength.

The main way to tell if you should spend gold is by assessing all of your options and determining whether your strategy requires a fast level-up route or prefers normal level-up with occasional re-rolls. 

When should I buy XP in TFT?

The main method of obtaining XP manually and expanding your team comp is by purchasing XP directly.

This is only recommendable if you’re trying to fast roll to level 8 or 9 because of a specific team comp you want to build, which is usually considered an intermediate-level strategy.

These strategies require more pieces on the board in order to trigger more trait synergies or simply aim to unlock 4-cost or 5-cost units.

That being said, you’re better off ignoring this as a beginner. Generally speaking, you should only purchase XP if a single purchase levels you up and doesn’t negatively impact your economy by reducing your interest.

When should I re-roll in TFT?

Depending on your current level, certain champions have a higher probability of appearing in your rotating market.

Based on the team comp you’re planning to build, you’re going to favor hyper-rolling at different levels in the game because they provide you with the highest statistical odds of getting the champion you desire.

For this reason, in certain games, you’ll go on a long streak of rounds where you don’t re-roll at all as you scale up and level until you’ve reached the units you want to acquire.

Only when you have the highest odds of getting the unit you want should you hyper roll as it puts a dent in your economy.

It’s needless to say you should always utilize your re-rolls if you’ve gained free re-rolls from an Encounter or an Augment.

TFT events guide

Carousel

This is an event that spawns a random pool of rotating champions in the middle of the floating island, one of which can be picked up per player in the game and added to the team comp.

These champions are equipped with items that range from basic components to full core items (in the latter stages) and they're automatically equipped to the champion you've chosen.

Even though all of the champions are accessible to everyone in the lobby, the order in which they're picked is pre-determined.

The players are released from their cages and allowed to select champions two-by-two, depending on their current HP.

This means that the players who are in the lowest spots have the ability to select the champion first.

Naturally, this event is essentially a comeback mechanic that evens out the playing field for players who have fallen behind or are playing a scaling team comp and require more time before becoming competitive.

Encounters

Encounters are a gameplay mechanic that has been introduced in the newest Set 11 with the intent of further spicing up the game mode.

Encounters, much like the name suggests, spawn an encounter with a random champion that provides you with a certain buff.

They’re fairly similar to Augments apart from the fact that they sometimes bestow the entire lobby of players with the same power-up.

Sometimes they provide specific buffs to your team, which can range from temporary item loans to game-warping mechanics which makes for more diverse TFT matches.

There are up to 5 Encounters per TFT match, depending on how long you stay alive during the game.

Augments

Augments are unique power-ups that are distributed at several points of the match and can be a complete game-changer.

They are distributed at these stages:

• 2-1
• 3-2
• 4-2 

The Augments you can receive range from unique buffs to your champions to boosts to your economy, having the potential to change your game plan on the spot, which is why you must choose wisely.

Given the game-altering nature of these Augments, they're an additional factor that fosters diversity in-game since they're randomly distributed to players.

There are three types of Augments in TFT:

• Silver Augments
• Gold Augments
• Prismatic Augments

The Augment’s rarity determines its overall potency given that Prismatic Augments are the strongest ones in terms of the buffs they provide you.

How to win a game of TFT?

TFT early game guide

There’s no better way of learning about all of these TFT mechanics than testing them out in a game, which is why you shouldn’t hesitate to start playing.

This is all you need to know about the flow of the early game in TFT and the best moves you can make to pave your way for a successful match.

Portal phase

At the beginning of the game, TFT players in the past have selected one of the champions from a rotating carousel, but this has changed with the introduction of Set 9.

In the new version of Teamfight Tactics, players have the choice of voting for one of three effects by standing in one of three portals, each offering a different effect if chosen.

These portals' effects act as a change to the fundamental rules of the game, offering unique buffs depending on the lobby’s choice.

There are over 40 unique portal effects that are randomly selected before every game which ensures that every TFT game is a fresh gameplay experience.

When voting, keep in mind that the majority doesn’t necessarily win the vote as they only have a higher percentage chance of winning, so don’t be afraid to go against the majority. 

Monster rounds

At the beginning of every TFT match your team comp will only consist of a single champion, which doesn’t really sound like much of a team at all.

For that reason, the first few rounds will be against AI-controlled monsters that upon death provide you with random items, gold, and champions.

When a monster dies, they drop these power-ups in the form of a blue orb with a question mark which requires you to walk over it before collecting your reward.

Based on the contents of the orbs, you can start slowly developing your strategy before fighting your first PVP round at stage 1-4.

In the latter stages, these AI monsters evolve into more powerful opponents like the Elder Dragon, but in the beginning, these monsters are mostly tame Murk Wolves or Golems which means that 1-2 units are more than enough to handle them.

Assess your win condition

After obtaining a few champions from the monster rounds, your team slowly starts shaping up as you unlock a wide array of possibilities that you can choose from.

A common method is to start shaping up your team comp based on the random champions and items you’ve unlocked by slaying the monsters.

That being said if you’ve set your mind on a specific strategy between champion traits you want to test out, don’t hesitate to sell some of the champions you’ve received in favor of those that are available in the rotating shop.

Regardless of your choice, you must adopt a clear-cut strategy and a team composition that you’ll stick with until the end.

Once you’ve figured out your win con, leveling up one of the one-star units you plan on keeping to two stars can be a very good strategy as you’ll be able to win the early rounds more easily, or at least lose them more graciously.

First Augment selection

Before engaging in your first PvP fight you will be offered a selection of 3 Augments, one of which you can permanently add as a buff to your team comp.

Since they're such a powerful tool, if you don't get an Augment that fits your needs, don't hesitate to use re-rolls under the Augments, especially if the Augment is gold or prismatic.

By re-rolling the Augment, you swap one of the offered Augments for a random one from a pool of hundreds of unique Augments.

Once you start fighting, don’t be discouraged if you lose the first few rounds, especially if you’re playing a scaling comp.

This is because the initial rounds don’t reduce your HP by that much and allow you to slowly build your strategy while scaling towards the mid game.

TFT mid and end game guide

Even though the early game shapes the identity of your team comp, the mid game and end game determine its destiny as they present the main choke points and the most important battles of the game.

This is because the rounds wager more of your HP than the early game ones, especially after stage 4, as players are expected to wield powerful team comps with several two-star and three-star units.

First carousel

After a few fights have passed and teams have started shaping up, the first Carousel takes place that allows you to further enhance the power of your team comp.

Depending on the team comp that you've decided to play, your Carousel pick can vary heavily.

Sometimes, you might be after a specific item component that will complete one of your champion's core items, boosting it heavily, which can be done by taking the champion that it's equipped on.

If you're not impressed by any of the offered champions, you can simply select the most expensive one that has the best sell-on value, as it provides you with the item the champion previously contained as well.

Naturally, this all depends on your current HP at the time of the selection since you're often stuck with sub-optimal options if you’re doing well at the time of the Carousel.

Scaling your team comp

As the latter stages of the game approach, your main aim is to assemble the strongest team comp left by getting the last few necessary pieces to complete your strategy.

This means finding those crucial 4-cost and 5-cost champions that are required in order to pair them up with the existing ones based on trait synergy.

This allows you to combine champions that form 4 or 6 champion trait squads that spike heavily in terms of their power level in the late game, especially when paired up with appropriate items.

Apart from finding the more expensive champions, you still shouldn’t forget about those 2 or 3-cost champions that are in your squad as you should aim to upgrade some of them to 2-star or 3-star level by purchasing more copies.

When you inevitably reach the final stages of the game where you’re fighting with 1-2 opponents, you should try to include late-game units that have 3 traits that potentially form multiple 2-champion trait synergies with champions on your board.

Spend your gold

Appropriately investing in XP in the mid-end game is also essential as you want to increase the champion cap of your team comp as more champions provide more potential trait synergies.

The rule of thumb is, if you can have more than 30 gold after purchasing XP and you don’t need to roll in that particular round or that level, you should level up.

The level up allows you to gain access to higher levels which have a higher probability of dropping the crucial 4-cost or 5-cost units that you’re looking for, while maintaining a balanced economy at around 30 gold which provides continuous compound interest.

Once you reach level 8 or level 9 you approach the end game as you enter the crucial power spikes when the economy aspect of the game goes out of the window.

Given that you’ll have access to the best units because of your high level, there is no point in preserving any gold for future rounds.

Instead, you should spend all of your hard-earned gold on units that upgrade your champions to three-star or elevate your comp by providing that final trait.

TFT Game modes

In Teamfight Tactics, there are several game modes that are available at all times depending on your preference.

Normal

Normal games represent the most common way of playing Teamfight Tactics as they obey the default gameplay rules and don’t have a ranking system.

This means that your performance and final position in normal games do not affect your TFT rank or MMR in any way, which is why they’re usually played with friends in a casual setting.

Ranked

TFT ranked is the usual game mode competitive players tend to play as it has a ranked leaderboard where you can compete with other players for the top spots on the ladder.

Ranks in Teamfight tactics follow a similar structure to those in League of Legends as they adhere to the same structure of divisions and tiers.

The system is divided into ranks ranging from Iron to Challenger, with every rank except for the Apex tier ranks having 4 ranked divisions.

To climb from one rank to another, you must amass 100LP within your current division which is done by consecutively winning games.

Hyper roll

Hyper Roll is a unique way of playing Teamfight Tactics as it bends the rules by changing mechanics to encourage faster gameplay.

Many of the core mechanics are altered to make matches shorter such as the player having 20 HP instead of 100 and levelling up with each round instead of having to pay for level-ups.

Double up

Double Up is another game-warping version of Teamfight Tactics that changes the mechanics by teaming you up with another player.

In this version of TFT, you fight your own fights while also helping your teammate with the help of champions that aid your ally when the combat is over.