Since its release in 2019, Teamfight Tactics (TFT) has become one of the most popular multiplayer games. It still is quite popular on Twitch and has millions of players. Considering the popularity numbers, game balance, and fan opinions, let’s rank all TFT sets from best to worst.
Over that time, fans have enjoyed a wide swath of game sets inspired by the spiritual heavens, dragons, or space itself. With every new set, comes new champions, new mechanics, and new gimmicks. That said, what really matters is how good the new elements are.
10. Set 2: Rise of the Elements
As much as the early sets had their charm, Set 2 is where the game’s growing pains became obvious. The devs didn’t quite know how to balance everything, making the situation messy. Do you think Set 7 and its dragons are frustrating? You don’t remember Set 2’s Olaf or Nocturne properly, then. Let’s all respect this set for moving the game forward, but it definitely was the biggest “working out the kinks” period in TFT‘s life.
9. Set 1: Beta
When the Beta for TFT hit, AKA Set 1, everything was an experiment — and that experiment hooked a bunch of early fans. The game was released in June 2019, and by September, it had over 33 million monthly players. Even though Set 1 was painfully unrefined, it did what it was meant to do: attract the right players to the game. While you might lament the horror of Set 1’s Kayle slashes, Jinx rockets, or, worst of all, Blitzcrank pulls, it was a solid beginning that spawned the game it is today.
8. Set 5: Reckoning/Dawn of Heroes
If you love Set 5, let’s just say you’re in the minority. While the champions used had cool designs and pairings, many players were ultimately underwhelmed by the Shadow item mechanics. Having to balance huge buffs with equally troublesome debuffs wasn’t a big hit. The only reason it even got this high on the list is that its companion set, Set 5.5: Dawn of the Heroes, assuaged fans by replacing Shadow items with Radiant items. At least we got the Chaos Pengu out of it.
7. Set 7: Dragonlands/Uncharted Realms
A bold and innovative set, Set 7 has some great shining features and also huge pitfalls. Keeping Augments around has worked swimmingly, and the Dragon Shrines were a welcome addition. Also, all the dragon options are fun and powerful to play. However, that’s kind of the exact problem — dragons. While they are the main feature of this set, it does make it feel like the entire game takes a backseat to them much of the time. There were quite a few fans who hoped, against all logic, that Set 7.5 would have no dragons at all. If dragons augmented gameplay instead of dominating it, Set 7 would be much higher on the list. Alas, this beautiful and well-intended set ends up firmly middle-of-the-road.
6. Set 8: Monsters Attack/Glitched Out
Monsters Attack, for many, was the set that secured Teamfight Tactics‘ longevity. Lead Developer Mortdog has been honest that the game nearly didn’t survive the mess that was Set 2, and another stumble with Reckoning had players nervous for their favorite game even after the overwhelming success of Gizmos & Gadgets (and Dragonlands). There was nothing to be scared of, though, as it turned out that the TFT team had another gem coming down the pipeline.
Monsters Attack was an exciting concept and made for a gorgeous backdrop, but the Glitched Out Mid-Set elevated it to another level. Those Infiniteam compositions were good enough to drool over, Leona gave everyone nightmares, and Hero Augments were a delectable dice roll that made every game stand out from the last.
5. Set 4: Fates/Festival of Beasts
Do you remember the bonk-monkey? Because everyone loved turning Wukong into the golden, Recurve-Bow and B.F. Sword-covered bonk-monkey. Set 4, Fates, wasn’t the most ground-breaking creation. However, it had diverse, fun builds for everyone, from the hyper-roll players to the fast-8-lovers. With all its options and decent balance, players got to be pretty creative in their choices. It wasn’t mind-blowing, but it was still solid — and who doesn’t love those airy, pastel aesthetics?
4. Set 10: Remix Rumble
The 10th set of Teamfight Tactics, known as Remix Rumble, introduced a musical element to the game. It featured a mix of musicians from renowned music groups such as K/DA, True Damage, Pentakill, and HEARTSTEEL. This set brought significant updates to the game mechanics, including portals, augments, and leveling systems, offering players the opportunity to revamp their strategies in each game.
3. Set 9: Runeterra Reforged
Runeterra Reforged had the rare honor of bringing TFT back to its roots, while also changing the face of the game forever. This set This set’s items, traits, and augments were enough to shake things up for a while. The introduction of Region Portals, Legends, and the near-total removal of Hero Augments brought an unexpected facelift to the game. Using Set 1 characters as the base for the experience orchestrated a beautiful song of nostalgia and wonder combined. There were some balancing mishaps in the set, like the week where nearly everyone played Draven, but all in all the meta took fun and interesting turns as it walked us down memory lane.
2. Set 3: Galaxies/Return to the Stars
The birthplace of aesthetically thrilling themes, Set 3 is a common favorite among TFT players. The high energy and experimental style of Galaxies was a huge hit, with a wide range of viable builds. Granted, if you don’t love a good gunfight or mecha, you might not have the best time. But as far as the majority of the community is concerned, this was a fun and exciting set that they wish they could play all over again. Who doesn’t want Graves of Miss Fortune to spew a bullet hell across their board? This set exemplified the weird and wonderful science fiction of the cosmos.
1. Set 6: Gizmos and Gadgets/Neon Nights
As much as Set 3 dazzled people, no other set evolved and elevated the game quite like Set 6. In this electric Hextech world, the game devs hit a legendary combo: Hextech Augments, Arcane tie-ins, Chibi Champions, and returned to fun, player-approved gameplay. When Riot Games released Set 6 in November 2021, TFT streaming viewership tripled. Overnight, it went from 300k to 500k daily hours watched to a little over 1.5 million. Timed perfectly alongside Arcane and made with great, game-changing mechanics, Set 6 is what players have to thank for the TFT they know today.
Published: Oct 28, 2022 10:16 am