Thread by @BrosephTft

I just hit Rank 2 on NA today. I can say by far the most important skill for consistently climbing is looking to play the open line.

1- Way Brand is S+ tier
2-Way Brand is A tier
3-Way Brand is C tier

Here's how to play the open line in TFT Set 14 🧵//

What is Playing the Open Line?

Playing the open line means you steer yourself towards the path with the least other players. Often in the early game you are presented with important decisions (items & augments) that dictate what you are playing that game.

In this game I have the choice of making a few different combinations of items:

Adaptive + Red Buff + Sword = AD
Shojin + Red Buff + Cloak = AP

What's the correct set of items to make?

The answer is: it depends on what other people are playing.

More AP players = We play AD
More AD players = We play AP

Why play the Open Line?

When the comps are roughly balanced in terms of strength, the deciding factor becomes who can hit their upgrades and cap out their board the fastest or the highest.

Because everyone is drawing from the same pool of units, if someone else is playing the same comp, they'll be reducing the number of units you want from the pool, making it more expensive for you to hit your upgrades, sending you behind in board strength.

1) Brand 2) Vex 3) Marksmen 4) Marksmen 5) Fiddle 6) Zeri 7) TF 8) Zed

If we use playing uncontested as a baseline, playing 1 way contested sets you back by roughly 20 gold, and playing 2 way contested sets you back roughly 40 gold.

If 2 other Marksmen players have hit Aphelios 2, your 3rd Aphelios will only come half the time if you roll 50 gold.

How to find the open line?

To figure out what's least contested, you'll need to scout each opponent's board for their items, components and units, and make a list of what each player is probably playing.

The biggest indicator of what someone is playing is 1) made items and 2) committal augments.

This post will use examples from this patch, but each comp regardless of patch will have specific items that are core and will indicate what comp someone is aiming to play.

Here's my shortlist of item-comp combos on this patch:

Shojin = Brand
JG = Brand
Spark = Brand or Vex
BB = Vex
Guardbreaker = Vex or Brand
Gunblade = Vex

IE = Marksmen
Guinsoo = Marksmen
Evenshroud = Marksmen

This board is an Exo opener with Evenshroud made. This could either be Marksmen, or Zeri/MF. We can check their Exotech items to determine if they can play Zeri/MF or not. This player had Chassis + Pulse, which means they're quite inclined to play Zeri + MF since it's one of the best Exo item setups for the comp.

JG made + AP opener, pretty clearly Brand here.

BB + Morgana opener, almost certainly Vex. (Even without Board of Directors)

Augments

Certain augments make it really easy to tell what someone will be playing. Flatline, Board of Directors, any Emblem or Trait augment gives you a clear answer for what someone is playing.

Some reroll augments like Shop Glitch or Two Much Value suggest someone may be rerolling, but does not guarantee it.

Rerollers

Some items are shared between reroll comps and 4 cost comps.

Guinsoo + Gargoyles could be played in both TF or Marksmen. The giveaway would be if the player is holding TF, Shaco, or Darius on stage 2. If so, they're much more likely to be playing TF.

Artifacts

Certain artifacts are only good on one or two units in the game, and clearly indicate what someone is playing.

Wits End, Gamblers = TF
Fishbones = Shaco, Xayah, Vex
Silvermere = Rengar, Jarvan
Lich Bane = Yuumi, Vex
Unending Despair = Braum, Mordekaiser

+ Many More

Even though there are no TF units on the board, the Darius + Shaco on bench plus Wits End + Bow makes it clear this player is angling towards TF this game.

Just Ask

If it's not super clear what someone is playing, and it might be your desired comp, just ask! Nobody wants to be contested, and if you are willing to play around what they want to play, it's in their interest to tell you what they are angling.

I know what people are playing, now what?

Once you know what people are playing, you can figure out what is best for you to play. You really don't want to opt into a comp that 2 people are already playing.

It's usually worth it to delay making your items if you have to slam items that force you into a heavily contested comp.

By 2-2 I am able to determine what comps people are angling. Given this comp spread, what's the correct comp to play?

The answer is: the best uncontested comp. If all A and S tier comps are contested, consider contesting 1 way one of those comps. If your spot allows, also consider playing a B-tier comp.

That brings us back to this spot. In this lobby, I noticed nobody was angling Brand, so I make Shojin + Red Buff and hard angle Brand, nabbing a first to put me above 1600 LP.

If the lobby already had 3 JGs made, my play would be game losing on the spot. It all depends on the open line.

Thanks for reading to the end! If you found this helpful, like and repost the original thread here: x.com/BrosephTft/sta…

I streamed all my games today at twitch.tv/brosephtft. Give me a follow and watch over the games to see how I applied this concept in my own games.