TFT glossary: the terms you hear in guides and streams

The numbers come from high elo:

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

TFT guides and streams use a lot of shorthand. This glossary explains the terms you will meet most often, in plain language. The terms are community slang, so they can vary a little between players, but these are the usual meanings.

Gold and economy

Econ (economy): Everything about how you earn and save gold. See the economy guide.
Interest: Extra gold at the end of a round: 1 for every 10 you have saved, up to 5. Hence the “10, 20, 30, 40, 50” breakpoints.
Streak: Winning or losing several rounds in a row, which gives extra gold. A deliberate loss streak is called a “lose streak” plan.
Roll / reroll: Paying 2 gold to refresh the shop and look for units.
Slow roll: Rolling only with the gold above an interest breakpoint, so you keep earning interest while you search.
Hyperroll: Spending all your gold on rolls at a low level to upgrade a cheap carry to 3★. It is the extreme version of a reroll comp.
Hold: Save gold instead of spending it, usually before a key level or roll.

Levels and game plans

Level up / leveling: Buying experience to raise your level, which lets you field more units. See when to level up.
Fast 8 (fast 9): Rushing to level 8 (or 9) early, then rolling there. Compared with reroll in the reroll or fast 8 guide.
Opener: The board you build in the early rounds with what the shops and carousels give you.
Tempo: Playing a strong board early to win rounds and protect your health, even if it costs gold.
Pivot: Changing your target comp midgame, usually because it is contested or your items and units point elsewhere.
Flex: A unit or slot you can fill in different ways depending on what you find. A flexible comp has several options for its last slots.
Contested: When other players are going for the same units as you. There are fewer copies for everyone. See scouting.
Scouting: Looking at the other boards to know what comps your opponents are building.

Units and board

Carry: The unit that deals most of your damage and holds your best items.
Tank / frontline: Durable units in the front rows that protect your carry.
Backline: Units placed in the back rows, usually carries and casters. See positioning.
Pool: The limited number of copies of each unit shared by all players in the lobby.
1★, 2★, 3★: The star level of a unit. Three copies make a 2★, and three 2★ units make a 3★.
Bench: Where you keep units that are not on the board yet.
Trait / synergy: A bonus that activates when you field enough units sharing the same trait.
Emblem: An item that adds a trait to the unit that holds it.
Augment: A bonus you choose at certain points in the game, which shapes your strategy.

Items

Component: A basic item. Two components combine into a completed item. See the items guide.
Slam: Building an item right away instead of waiting for the perfect one. Slamming early gives you power now.
BIS (best in slot): The best possible item (or set of three) for a given unit.
Carousel: The shared round where players pick a unit that comes with a component, in order of lowest health first.

Results

Placement: The position, from 1 to 8, in which you finish the game.
Top 4: Finishing in the top half. It is what gains points in ranked. See what a good placement is.
Lobby: The group of eight players in your game.
Meta: The set of comps that are strongest right now, which changes with each patch. See how to read a tier list.

How TFT Coach helps

The in-game coach and the comp pages use these terms. If you meet one you don’t know in the app, this page is the place to look it up.