How to adapt to a new TFT patch

The numbers come from high elo:

Set 18 Patch 18.5 77,232 high-elo games Games from 6 Oct to 20 Oct

Every couple of weeks the game changes underneath you. Some players lose rank in the days after a patch because they keep playing last patch’s comps; others gain it because they adapt first. This guide gives you a method that works for any patch, not just the current one.

Step 1: read the notes with a question in mind

Don’t read patch notes like a list. Read them asking: “Which of the comps I play changed?” Our patch notes group changes by champion, trait, item and augment, and link each name to its page, so you can look only at what touches your comps. For example, patch 18.5 lists 27 buffs, 31 nerfs and 9 other adjustments, and only a handful matter for any given comp.

Step 2: classify each change

• Numbers (damage, health, mana): usually move a comp by a few points. A single small buff rarely changes a tier by itself.
• Costs and pool changes: a change in a unit’s cost or in how many copies exist affects every comp that plays it, including how contested it is.
• Trait and item changes: they move whole families of comps at once. These are the ones that create or kill strategies.
• Reworks and new content: unknown territory. Wait for data before trusting them, or test them in a low-risk game.

Step 3: be patient with the data

In the first 2 to 3 days after a patch, most tier lists are guesses. Data from before the patch no longer applies, and the new data is still too small. Treat the early ranking as a starting hypothesis. Comps marked as new in the patch, and comps with a big jump, deserve extra suspicion until they have collected a few hundred games. Our guide to reading tier lists explains why.

Step 4: test without paying for it

• Try new comps in the games where you are not chasing a high placement (low stakes, or after a good result), not when you are one defeat from dropping.
• Change one thing at a time: a new carry or a new item build, not both. Otherwise you can’t tell what worked.
• Write down what happened. After each game, note the comp, the placement and the reason in one line. After ten games you will have your own sample, which is more relevant to you than any tier list.

Step 5: keep a stable base

Keep two comps you know well. If they were not nerfed, keep playing them while you experiment with new ones. A comp you play perfectly at tier B beats a comp you fumble at tier S. If they were nerfed, check by how much: a few points usually leaves them playable, a cost change or a trait change usually doesn’t.

Mistakes to avoid

• Dropping a comp because it was nerfed without checking how it actually performs afterwards.
• Copying a streamer’s comp without checking whether you have the same items or the same lobby.
• Forcing a buffed comp every game. A buff raises the odds, it doesn’t guarantee the units appear.
• Ignoring changes to items and augments, because they affect many comps at the same time.

How TFT Coach helps

Each champion, item and trait page shows what changed in the current patch (and the next one, if it is on the test server), so you can see the context before you pick. The tier list recalculates every day with the games of the current patch.