With Patch 11.9 for TFT live and underway, players are looking to optimize the best comps to rack up easy wins. Beyond just looking at which traits are overtuned, a good rule of thumb is to look to see which traits have very strong units around which you can build comps.

Looking at the best comps being played by high Elo players (Platinum and above) as well as which incorporate the strongest units, it's quite easy to see which have stood out as the strongest early on in this patch. The five TFT comps below have floated to the top as the most powerful and reliable so far.

1. Coven/Assassin

• Key units: Nocturne, LeBlanc, Morgana
• Key items: Recurve Bow, Brawler's Gloves, Needlessly Large Rod, BF Sword

Coven/Assassins is a fantastic and versatile comp that spikes early but also scales fairly well into the late game. It’s possible to build around either (or both) Leblanc and Morgana, but one can easily pivot to build around Nocturne, Viego, or Volibear depending on items.

The key difference will be whether the player is able to get Recurve Bows or Brawler’s Gloves from the armory and carousel. More Recurve Bows are better suited for a Nocturne, while crit items are ideal for Leblanc. Regardless of which wrinkle, though, either comp benefits from Needlessly Large Rods and BF Swords, so make sure to pick up plenty of those.

2. Revenant/Invoker

• Key units: Karma, Volibear
• Key items: Jeweled Gauntlet, Hextech Gunblade

This comp is incredibly item dependent, but it takes advantage of the strength of using a lot of late-game carries. Karma is still one of the strongest 4-cost carries in the game, but this comp also has a massive front line to protect her with Volibear, Rell, Nautilus, and Garen.

Make sure to get multiple Jeweled Gauntlets for Karma and eventually Heimerdinger. The Hextech Gunblade on Karma can be sacrificed if the Jeweled Gauntlet is not a Shadow Item, but if it is the Gunblade is needed to sustain Karma after taking damage from the item. While many of the frontline items can be swapped (though getting Ironclad is preferred), Volibear is absolutely necessary as the resurrection for Ivern and himself is needed to keep Karma alive as long as possible.

3. Draconic/Ranger

• Key units: Ashe, Heimerdinger
• Key items: Spear of Shojin, Guinsoo's Rageblade

A very fun comp that can snowball heavily, but it comes online very late in the game. This is why prioritizing the Ashe items (Shojin and Guinsoos) early is necessary, as well as pairing with another Ranger. In the early game, Varus is an ideal pairing because he can hold items for Heimerdinger, or at least until hitting an Aphelios.

Getting Heimerdinger/Volibear can be extremely tricky, so be ready to pivot if lose-streaking. The items work extremely well for the Invoker/Revenant or Revenant/Assassin comps, depending on which one the player has already completed (Jeweled Gauntlet means Invoker, Guinsoos means Assassin).

4. Revenant/Assassin

• Key units: LeBlanc, Nocturne
• Key items: Guinsoo's Rageblade, Infinity Edge

A nice middle-ground between the Revenant/Invoker and Coven/Assassin comps. It’s not as strong as either, but it’s a good pivot should hyper-rolling for LeBlanc fail. However, the biggest key is that the player needs to get Guinsoos or at least one other attack speed item to maximize power on Nocturne. The Infinity Edge is preferred, but any AD or attack speed item can work. Make sure to level quickly, especially if slow-rolling Nocturne is impossible. Check the other boards to see how contested Nocturne is before making the determination whether to slow roll for a 3-star or just go for a "Fast 8" [leveling up to level 8 quickly, ideally on Round 4-3 — Ed.].

5. Coven/Renewer

• Key units: Vladimir, LeBlanc, Lissandra
• Key items: Very Dark Blue Bluff, Jeweled Gauntlet

Another wrinkle to the Coven comp, which focuses on a rarely-used unit in Vladimir. Try to hyper-roll for Vladimirs, LeBlancs, and Lissandras in the early game. By about Level 6, the determination should already be made whether it’s possible to hit those 3-star units, so be sure to check other boards before leveling to see how contested those units are. If the shop has already given two 2-stars of at least one of those units and the rest of the lobby isn’t contesting, go ahead and roll down before Level 6 to try and 3-star the three.

For itemization, prioritize getting LeBlanc her Dark Blue Buff for more chains and a Jeweled Gauntlet for Lissandra. For Vladimir, just about any defensive item will do. Note also that the Vlad and Lissandra items can be shifted to Ivern and Karma, respectively, should it become impossible to 3-star either or both.

Honorable Mentions

Dawnbringer/Invoker

Take the Revenant/Invoker comp and drop the three Ironclads (Jax, Rell, and Nautilus) for Dawnbringers (you can drop one Dawnbringer late game if you hit a Heimerdinger). The only important Dawnbringer to hit is Soraka, as she can hold Ivern’s items instead of him.

Hellion/Ironclad

Another hyper-roll comp and the only real viable Hellion comp. It’s actually fairly flexible when it comes to itemization, as Kled can hold just about any item (Zz’Rot Portal is ideal), Ziggs can go either attack speed or AP, depending on which items hit, and Kennen is actually fairly strong with Morellonomicon. Players will need to sacrifice leveling to roll their gold and get 3-star Hellions wherever possible. However, the risk is worth it if they hit and get some good items on Jax.

Nightbringer/Ranger

Aphelios is a tad overrated this patch, but his strongest comp is still extremely viable, especially with the ideal items. Bloodthirster and Guinsoos, in particular are incredibly strong on Aphelios. Make sure to include the strongest Nightbringers like Morgana, Diana, and Darius, and Ashe for the other Ranger until you can nab a Kindred.

Redeemed/Knight

This is a full Knight comp with Kayle as the only true carry. This means positioning and hitting the best units is critical to keeping Kayle upright. Like in previous sets, she thrives with a Guinsoos to help her ascend, but with the AoE damage she can take advantage of Hextech Gunblade for plenty of healing.

All images via: TFTactics