Teamfight Tactics has proven to be one of the most successful auto battler games to be launched within the past few months. It has grown in popularity and sustained its user numbers well past the initial hype phase. This is no surprise when you take into account the massive League of Legends userbase.
Many people are still trying the game for the first time and grinding the hours to try and gain some ranks. As it turns out, the game is a lot more complex than it appears to be. It’s not as easy as just picking a comp and hoping for the right units. These beginner mistakes to avoid in Teamfight Tactics will hopefully help you on your journey to higher ranks.
Picking an end-game team composition too early
The first mistake to avoid is one of the toughest obstacles to overcome. You might get some very good synergies early on, but that doesn’t mean you need to use these synergies for the rest of the game. Going Void Brawlers might look enticing, but the one thing you need to keep in mind is that items really carry team builds.
You need to pay attention to the items you’re getting, and also what items and builds other players are going. After all, you are battle other players and their builds matter just as much as your own. Some people suggest a good rule of thumb is to focus on your end-game build around the time you battle wolves. If by the raptor round you don’t have a good team comp, it’s time to spend some gold until you feel comfortable with your lineup.
Rolling too often without a purpose
Economics are important in this game, and more so in the most recent updates. It’s tempting to spend some gold and roll in hopes of getting a hard carry unit, but this can lead to a major loss of gold in the long run. Have a goal in mind and keep in mind what level you are and what the drop rate is for the units you need.
Units in this game are shared between players. If you are looking for a particular unit three other players are using, your chances of finding that unit go down significantly. If you notice other players are focusing on a strong economy, you should too. Otherwise you risk getting stomped out and falling behind in the mid to late game.
Building items incorrectly or at the wrong time
The items in the current meta are Guardian Angel, RFC, Statikk Shiv, and Morellos. You might see Karthus or Cho pumping out massive damage with the items. Other items are deemed pretty risky like Hurricane, Titanic Hydra, and Sword of the Divine, since the items used to make them can be better spent on other combinations. Instead of a Titanic Hydra, you might make a Morellos with the Giant’s Belt and a RFC, Rageblade, or Stattik Shiv with the Recurve Bow.
It’s difficult to provide a perfect guide for when to make items, but the general rule of thumb is to wait until you can make the best items for the team comp you have in mind. If you are quickly losing health you may be forced to create items just to avoid getting eliminated early.
If you can, try and hold off until the carousel round even if it means losing a few hit points. You may find the item you need for a crucial item combination in this round. Jumping the gun might completely ruin your build.
Ignoring what the game gives you and failing to transition to something else
Do not try and force a particular build if you aren’t getting the units you need. Often you will see players spend 100+ gold just on trying to force a comp through re-rolling. Here’s an example: you want to go Void Brawler and you’ve spent 20 gold rolling, but you have seen 5 Gnars in the process. It might have been wiser to pick up the Gnars and go Wild Shapeshifters. This is especially true is 3 other players are also looking for Void Brawler units and Wild Shapeshifters is uncontested.
What make some Teamfight Tactics players so good is they know how to play what the game gives them and take into account what builds are uncontested. Having a few lineups you are familiar with can help you shift your strategy throughout the game and take advantage of this. Good players are also willing to transition out of a failing composition fairly effortlessly.
Having low value or low tier units
When you are in a position where you are not entirely comfortable with your current lineup, it might be a good idea to look for some high value units. These units might be core units in strong builds or strong units in the current meta.
Rather than try and force a low value unit to tier three, think about if that unit will still be useful if you fail to get the other units you need for the team comp you have in mind. Avoid using units that are just generally not very good. Refer to a unit tier list if you need some help with this.
Not analyzing your team’s strengths and weaknesses
One major mistake beginners make is not analyzing their team’s strengths and weaknesses throughout the game. A good team composition needs a few things:
- Stability – your units shouldn’t just get melted with ease. You need a strong front line such as Guardians, Knights, Brawlers, or any units that can take some damage.
- Strength – units like Gnar, Sejuani, Cho’Gath would fit into this category. Glacial and Demon synergies and items like Hush, Cursed Blade, or Sword Breaker also come to mind. You’re looking for units and items that have good initiation and can easily disrupt enemy units.
- Damage – damage can come from units like Rangers, Sorcers, Assassins or individual units like Draven and Rengar. You need to be able to fight your way through the enemy lines to take down the opposing team!
You should be constantly thinking about how you can improve your lineup. For example, a Braum or Poppy could help you if you lack stability.
