Thread by @MeanMisterKien

I'm NA Rank 7 (1550 LP) at @TFT and this thread will teach you how to improve and climb the ladder (no matter the patch). Focus on things you can control:

1. Line Selection (Play a good comp)
2. When to level / Roll + Why
3. How to position

1. Line Selection

Pick your comp early so you can start committing towards items, units, and augments for it. Ideally, you want:

1. Uncontested if reroll, 2-way contest if 4-cost carry
2. A-Tier or S-Tier (you can use any TFT comp website -- I use TFT Academy and Blitz).

For 99% of people, doesn't matter if it's contested. Even GM+ players contest lines from bad spots, so what hope do players below that have? This means:

1. Scouting is not worth yr time b/c it's too hard to read people.
2. Do you even know what you're looking for when you scout?

You should just focus on what you have. Sometimes you're going to be contested. That's okay. You have some options:

1. 1-cost and 2-cost reroll can sometimes support two people.

2. You can hit 2-stars for your board and push levels.

3. You can pivot.

Easiest thing to do is hope you win the reroll war. You can try to roll before they do or hope for good econ augments.

You can push levels if you're able to win-streak early and just hope for a Top 4. I don't recommend pivoting because most people aren't going to do it well.

This is going to change (as early as with the patch later today) and I'll post an update at some point (will also be a Blitz article), but this is the basic decision tree early right now. If unit is not listed, it's probably not worth holding early.

2. When to Level/Why

Cookie Cutter timing for Standard Fast8 play:

4: 2-1
5: 2-5
6: 3-2 (can roll if you have pairs)
7: 3-5 (if you can still make 30+g)
7: 4-1 (more common timing)
8: 4-2 (you can also go 8 on 4-1 if you have 50g+)

Level 9 is a luxury more than a plan.

For reroll comps, the easiest thing to do is make 50g as fast as possible -> hit the level you need to be at to optimally roll (level 5 for 1-cost carry, 6 for 2-cost, 7 for 3-cost) -> roll until 50g every turn.

The big thing to learn is when to all-in -- low HP? Go for it.

It's not always right to sit at 50g. I.E, If I have 7 Kai'Sa, I might roll down from 50g to 30g and if I hit an 8th Kai'Sa, then I'll just roll to 0. It's a BIG power spike.

You generally want to hit 1-cost reroll by 3-5, 2-cost by 4-2, and 3-cost by 5-2 to keep a good tempo.

You can afford to be slower the lower in elo you go because the tempo and board strength isn't going to be as demanding, but you should at least know what good tempo is in Challenger lobbies.

Rolling and leveling at weird timing/intervals is the #1 thing people fk up in low elo

The simplest thing you can do to climb is follow my leveling curves + play strong boards early and always try to play for a win streak. Having more HP late game is insurance against rolling and missing units, bad fight position RNG, and whatever other misplays you might make.

You want to avoid holding unnecessary units early (pick your line quickly!) -- this sometimes includes 3-cost units early if they cost you an interest threshold. You want to make 10g, 20g, etc. as often and as soon as possible! Don't chase 3-stars if not rerolling.

How do you make interest thresholds and still be strong early?

1. Slam items (units do have BiS, but a lot of times their 4th or 5th items are still good on them). Items win fights early.

2. Balance frontline + backline early.

If no items slammed + no upgrades, you probably want 2 front line + 2 back line units. If you have upgraded backline + backline item, then you can play 3 tank units + that backline unit. Or vice versa. Always try to balance your board around what you have.

For positioning, the basic goal is to have your main tank in front of their carries + your carries in front of their squishier units. Killing the filler units can help you collapse on their team. This can change depending on comp, but that's generally how it's going to be.

Ultimately, most people can look up comps and know what board they should aim for + what items to build. They loosely know how to position those units. The biggest distinctions are

1. Picking the right comp to play given the information you have on Stage 2

2. Manage econ

Too many people pick bad lines, lose most fights early, and then don't have any HP to play with by the time they get their board. Focus on winning early (slam items! Level!) and the elo will follow.

Early game mistakes compound and are the biggest reason people struggle.

Level based on my timings! Slam items! Balance your tanks + backliners! That's the holy trinity of early game. Slam fruit on whoever has your items.

As for late game, the biggest thing is being able to identify if a game is winnable or not. You can throw LP by not doing this.

This won't be as applicable until you can climb and scouting starts to be more useful to you (you know what you are looking for), but you can also base it on the feel of your own game. But basically, if you don't think you can play for 1st, then you want to over-roll.

Even in Challenger, people greed their spots and try to go to level 9 because they think their board isn't bad. It doesn't matter if they're right. If one upgrade might win you a fight, then that might be 4th vs 5th in placement. Sometimes you have to cut your losses.

It's not an easy concept to master. Yu're going to over-roll or under-roll in almost every single game you play (even if only a bit). But in general, you roll because:

1. You are not strong.
2. You have critical units you still need to hit.

If you're winning anyway, why roll?

If you are winning, you should just econ back up and push levels. Or if you are losing, but you have a lot of HP and you think you can play for 1st, then go ahead and sack some rounds.

Low HP? Safer to just roll if you don't know how stable you are.

FAQ:

What about augments? I heard it's 1 econ, 1 item, 1 combat?
- 1 Econ is good if it's no econ encounter, 2 econ is fine but generally means you re playing for top 4
- item and combat almost always good

I'm still losing early?
- Maybe you're climbing in elo. Watch streamers.

Which streamers?
- @robinsongz is my favorite for educational stuff. Answers questions. Doesn't have TFT accent.

Do you play pro?
- No, I don't like competitive TFT. I do want to say that when I'm in form, I feel good about my chances in lobby. Stats this patch:

Do you stream?
- No. Maybe some time tho.

How can I support you?
- Buy my book! Give it a review on Goodreads!

Thanks for reading. GL on the climb, and feel free to ask any more questions!amazon.com/Extinction-The…