After a wildly successful run, Gizmos and Gadgets has hit the half-season, and Teamfight Tactics (TFT) will now be making its classic mid-set evolution. This time around, Set 6.5 is called Neon Nights, an electric off-shoot of the Zaun-and-Piltover-inspired setting of the last set. With quite a few trait change-ups and adding new Zaunites from League of Legends and Arcane, Neon Nights is about to change the game up in a blast of color and chems. For one, instead of altering the special game feature, Neon Nights is just adding a new host of Hextech Augment options to Set 6.5. So, let’s take a look at the bigger changes to TFT.
New Classes
Debonair (3/5/7)
These units gain bonus health and ability power based on how many Debonair champions you have on the board. In the shop you can purchase Debonair “VIPs”. Depending on which of your Debonair units is the VIP, they have different bonus buffs that you can see in-game. You can only have one VIP at a time, so if you want a new VIP you have to sell the old one.
Hextech (2/4/6/8)
When combat starts Hextech units release a pulse that gives all units a four-second 140/180/400/600 shield, depending on the amount of Hextech units on the board. Within the shield’s duration, Hextech units do bonus magic damage. Depending on how many Hextech units you have, they will set off more shield pulses more frequently.
- (2) Hextech units set off a pulse every eight seconds and do 20 bonus magic damage.
- (4) Hextech units set off a pulse every six seconds and do 50 bonus magic damage.
- (6) Hextech units set off a pulse every four seconds and do 100 bonus magic damage.
- (8) Hextech units set off a pulse every two seconds and do 170 bonus magic damage.
Striker (2/4/6)
This is a new trait for melee units, but what the trait does is very simple.
- (2) Strikers get a 30 attack damage boost.
- (4) Strikers get a 65 attack damage boost.
- (6) Strikers get a 110 attack damage boost.
Rival (1)
This is the opposite of the Sister trait: if you have both Vi and Jinx on the board, it is not active, because they “won’t work together”. Just having one of these two sisters on the board gives each of them a different activated buff; Vi will have her mana cost reduced by 205 and Jinx will get a 40% attack speed increase for the 3-seconds after she takes down an enemy.
Mastermind (1)
This is Silco’s unique trait. At the beginning of combat, he grants two allies directly in front of him a portion of their max mana.
Socialite re-tool (1/2/3/5)
With two new units, this trait now has a five-unit prismatic active buff. Here’s how the spotlight hierarchy will work now for whichever units is standing on the spotlight itself:
- (1) Spotlight unit gets a 15% bonus damage.
- (2) Spotlight unit earns 15% bonus damage and three mana per second.
- (3) Spotlight unit gets a 30% bonus damage boost, three mana per second, and heals for 30% of all damage it deals.
- (5) Spotlight unit gets all bonuses doubled.
Colossus re-tool (2)
You only need two Colossus to activate the trait now, and there is no three Colossus buff.
New Units
There are 22 new units in Neon Nights, adding to the already stacked shops of the game. Let’s break them down by cost; you’ll notice that the new units lean on the expensive side.
1-costs units
- Brand: Debonair Arcanist
- Jarvin IV: Hextech Striker
- Nocturne: Hextech Assassin
2-cost units
- Ashe: Syndicate Sniper
- Corki: Yordle Twinshot
- Rek’Sai: Mutant Bruiser Striker
- Sejuani: Hextech Bruiser Enforcer
- Syndra: Debonair Scholar
3-cost units
- Gnar: Yordle Sniper
- Lucian: Hextech Twinshot
- Morgana: Syndicate Enchanter
- Senna: Socialite Enchanter
- Tryndamere: Chemtech Challenger
4-cost units
- Ahri: Syndicate Arcanist
- Alistair: Hextech Colossus
- Draven: Debonair Challenger
- Irelia: Scrap Striker
- Kha’Zix: Mutant Assassin
- Renata Glasc: Chemtech Scholar
- Sivir: Hextech Striker
5-cost units
- Silco: Mastermind Scholar
- Zeri: Debonair Sniper
Early Competitors
If you check out some of the online meta charts, some of the early favorites of Set 6.5 are Gismoz and Gadgets classics: Enchanters, Arcanists, Snipers, Innovators, Socialite.
However, Strikers and Hextech are already creeping into the S-tier in these first few days of Neon Nights. Also, some of the new units are already becoming the carry units of new and old builds, particularly Ahri, Irelia, Silco, and Sivir.
Removed Traits and Units
This time around, the devs removed three full classes, the Cuddly sub-class, and twenty-one units. The class casualties include Academy, Imperial, and Protectors. They didn’t quite fit the Neon Nights vibe and were some of the least consistent traits. We’re sorry if you find your favorite on the below list:
- Akali
- Dr. Mundo
- Fiora
- Garen
- Graves
- Heimerdinger
- Janna
- Katarina
- Kog’Maw
- Lissandra
- Lux
- Samira
- Shaco
- Sion
- Taric
- Tristana
- Trundle
- Twisted Fate
- Urgot
- Yone
- Yuumi
