The ruckus of the first patch of a brand new Set (or mid-set, in this case) has settled and Tacticians everywhere are beginning to get a stronger feel for the new(ish) comps and carries. Set 6.5 kicked off with a bang as Innovators, Scrap, and Strikers dominated. After a mid-patch hotfix, Chemtechs began to also take over the meta, with Renata, Viktor, and even Rek’Sai rearing their ugly heads. This made the changes to TFT in Patch 12.5 all the more important for Riot.

Some of the biggest problem units of the last patch got nerfs, Innovators got a re-tuning, and Rek’Sai got a mini-rework. Enchanters got their time to shine, with buffs to the class as a whole, and to units like Morgana. With those changes, along with some Vi and Ekko nerfs, it should have opened the door to all new comps, but did it actually work?

Best TFT items in Patch 12.5

Starting with the item changes, we see that Shroud of Stillness has risen to the top of the item tier list for Patch 12.5 in large part to counter the growing AP and Enchanter threats. Making sure that those spell-based units cannot get their first casts off can be incredibly impactful in turning a fight, so be sure to prioritize that if you see a lot of Ahri, Senna, or Seraphines on other boards.

Otherwise, we did see a lot of AP or AP-assisting items like Blue Buff, Statik Shiv, Rabdon’s and even Jeweled Guantlet rising this patch. Archangel’s remains probably the weakest AP item, but it can work for a few niche units like Orianna and Zyra.

For the AD champions, those high-crit items (IE and Last Whisper) are still the go-tos for the likes of Jhin, Kha’Zix, and Talon. There aren’t really a lot of high-attack speed carries that need items like Runaan’s or Guinsoo’s so those (and almost all Recurve Bow items) should be much lower priority.

Best TFT comps in Patch 12.5

No need to innovate your approach in Patch 12.5, Teamfight Tactics is still dominated by the Innovators. Almost all of the good carries can fit into the Innovator comp, even ones that wouldn’t normally slot in there like Kha’Zix or Senna. We’ll get deeper into those two comps in a second.

Below the Innovator comps, we see Bruiser Renata Glasc, which is a comp that began to creep in with greater popularity later in Patch 12.4 after the hotfix. Chemtech nerfs did fell her a bit, but Renata behind a wall of Chemtech Bruisers is still a menace to face, as she uses the Morellonomicon/Blue Buff combo incredibly effectively. 

Behind that, we also have the decent comps like Enforcer Jhin, Debonair Zeri, and Arcanist Ahri. These are all comps that can work with the right items and are less likely to get contested. It’s also possible that some of those comps (particularly Ahri) will become more popular as the Innovator comps get figured out a bit more.

Innovator Kha’Zix

Even though Ekko and Vi took some nerfs in Patch 12.5, the pairing is still strong enough to enable one of the best AD carries in Teamfight Tactics, Kha’Zix. Using that aforementioned IE/Last Whisper combo, Kha’Zix can cause absolute havoc on the backline while the enemies are forced to deal with Jayce soaking all the damage. Ekko, Orianna, and Zilean will also cause issues with their crowd control and healing reductions.

For this comp, QSS is probably the most necessary item for Kha, as it allows him to immune all that CC that would otherwise let him be one-shot before doing his damage. With Quicksilver, he can get in, delete a backline carry, and then instantly jump to his next target. Unless your opponent has a dedicated healer or CC bot protecting their main carry, this Kha’Zix comp is basically unbeatable.

Innovator Senna

If you can’t hit on a Kha’Zix, though, a perfect option to pivot to with the IE/Last Whisper combo is Senna. She can actually hit like a truck with the full AD items as her ultimate ability does 150% of her total AD and she heals allies for 50% of the damage dealt per enemy hit. That means that, not only does Senna have the ability to pump out a lot of damage, but she can keep her frontline healthy to protect her while she does.

Positioning with this comp is going to be the most critical, as you have to sacrifice the QSS you would have used for Kha’Zix for another AD item (here, Giant Slayer, but Deathblade, Bloodthirster, or Hand of Justice can work too). While you are surrounding Senna with buddies to protect her, a well-placed Blitzcrank or Zephyr can completely screw up your chances with this comp. Scouting is therefore incredibly important for making this comp successful, so be sure to check the next possible opponents and reconfigure your units accordingly.