Even though Teamfight Tactics (TFT) can seem like a light and easy game, each Set brings its own twists and turns that make it a bigger, more dazzling puzzle for its players. In Set 6, one of the most enticing puzzles is the Mercenary trait. Coming with a loot-filled chest and a perchance for loss streaks, the Merce trait can seem dangerous and elusive — which is why it’s so alluring.
Mercenary trait and chest
Much like the Fortune trait back in Set 4, the Mercenary trait is all about loot, money, and gambling. Even more painfully like the Fortune build, the more you lose, the better loot you get.
- 3 Mercenaries: Roll 2 dice
- 5 Mercenaries: Your dice become luckier
- 7 Mercenaries: When you win and your chest opens, roll a third dice to gain bonus loot
So, when you have the Mercenary trait, you get a treasure chest on your bench. Each time you win a round against another player, it opens. At the start of each planning phase, you get to roll two dice (or more, depending on how many Mercenaries you have). The better you roll, the better the loot. Then, when you win a combat, you get whatever your “lucky” dice have earned you. Sounds easy, right? Just win, and you get stuff.
Loot rules
The concept of a losing streak is what makes this complicated. After all, these dice do stack. They even get “luckier” the longer your losing streak is. So, if you lose two rounds in a row, you’ve now rolled four dice, and all those winnings have been added to your chest. And by the time you roll your sixth dice, they become even luckier, starting to offer up more money and items with each loss.
So, what is a “good” roll?
The basic Mercenary dice comes with four options: X, Fish, Coin, and Bag. Double X is the worst, and double Fish is the best. However, as the game goes on and if you get a proper loss streak going, other options like Soldier, Shell, Sword, etc., can appear on your dice to mean different things and more powerful loot. At zero losses, you can earn a high of four gold, but by 12 losses, you could get anything from Loaded Dice to Thieves Gloves to 50 gold. So, next game, will you try out Mercs and take that gamble?
