New day, new in-depth guide for Teamfight Tactics! On todays menu are Assassins!
Introduction
Since the release of Teamfight Tactics, The Assassin composition was present in many sets. And with that name too. We had several traits that have been present too, but most of the times they have a different name eg. Mages-Arcanists-Spellcasters , Bruisers-Tanks, Challengers-Duelists, etc.
But Assassins have always been and stayed Assasins.
This composition is revolving around the assassin theme from The League of Legends itself. Basically its just a composition that prioritizes high burst damage in short period of time with the total absence of sustain.
Like the champions themselves in League, The Assassins in TFT are very powerful but squishy units who specialize in eliminating high damage units with low maximum hp. And that is what are they good for. They can quickly take out Arcanists or Scholars, but Bruisers simply outlive them.
If you want your Assassins to survive you will need some good items for lifesteal and attack speed like The Bloodthirster and The Guinssoo’s Rageblade. The Edge of Night always comes handy too.
Assassins will do the best they can to wipe out the enemy’s backline but will struggle with tanks or bruisers, and especially Bodyguards. Since most of those units scale in armour and will likely have some items like The Bramble’s Vest that will just repel the damage you are inflicting back to you. Because of this you will need some strong frontline units as well, since once the backline is gone you will just bounce of some units with greater amount of HP and Armour.
Most of the units are pretty easy to get and are cheap. This also means that you will easily get them to level three, but the most important thing for this composition are items for sure. You probably know by now that you don’t get the endless amount of items per game, since that would be stupid, so you have to chose wisely what items to equip to certain champion. And the most important thing to know is what champions should you not upgrade with items, since they can be a bit of a waste for some good items.
If you want to have the best damage output you can, then you are somewhat Augment dependant since you can get the Assassin Emblem combining Thieves Gloves with Spatula, so the Augment isn’t the most necessary thing in the world. But it sure does help. Just not that much.
The Assassin trait
Innate: When combat starts, Assassins leap to the enemy backline. Assassins’ Abilities can critically strike and they gain bonus Critical Strike Chance and bonus Critical Strike Damage.
- 2
- 10% Crit Chance & 20% Crit Damage
- 4
- 30% Crit Chance & 40% Crit Damage
- 6
- 50% Crit Chance & 60% Crit Damage
Champions
- Nocturne
- Twitch
- Talon
- Ekko
- Kha’Zix
Nocturne
The demon of fear came from the nightmares of children from Runterra.
Nocturne came with the patch 12.5 and has found a place with The Hextechs. He is also an assassin. With a price of just one golden coin he is a unit that can be bought for pennies and I think he is definitely worth the money. When compared to Twitch who is also an Assassin he is much better choice.
I’m not saying that Nocturne is the best champion in the game but he can deal some nice chunks of damage in the early stages of the game. Of course, as the game progresses his damage decreases. Well, not technically decreases but simply can not cope against some stronger units, with or without items.
He does came in handy since for both of his traits you can activate the bonus early on. For Assassin’s you can have 3 Assassin bonus on the level three, and for the Hextech as well.
Speaking about items, he will benefit from some damage items that can work well with his burst. Those items would be The Infinity Edge, The Bloodthirster, The Last Whisper and some similar stuff. But the question that rises here is, is he worth upgrading with items? I would say no. He is cheapest Assassin and Hextech and there are simply better units that can use those items better. Especially in The Assassin composition where every single unit on the team uses the same items. So, just don’t waste them because they are pretty damn good items.
But, not everything is bad in here. Since he is quite cheap, that means that in the pool there are many Nocturnes. And with many units in the pool he can be levelled to level three very soon. Even without items, a unit on level three early on can win you many battles and save you a lot of gold. So he is definitely worth upgrading, for sure.
His position, like every Assassin is in the back line, across the Hex you want him to jump onto at the beginning of each battle.
Ability: Unspeakable Horror
Nocturne terrifies his target, stunning them with fear and dealing magic damage over the duration.
Twitch
This set is a tough one for the tiny rat as per my opinion. I don’t think he’s unimportant, but I’m going to be very rough with him as his only purpose is to acquire The Chems trait and to be killed before the other units.
Every time I have tryed to incorporate him in both of his traits he wouldn’t work. He wouldn’t work as Chemtech, he doesn’t work as an Assassin. If he had an ult that was different from the one you see today, he could be an outstanding champ. Or maybe he could just be invisible like he is in Summoner’s rift. He could be so strong if his ult increased attack speed as fast as when you equip Guinsoo’s Rageblade. But in this case, I feel like his basic attacks are stronger than his ult. I wish he just wouldn’t ult at all. Just do the basic attacks and he may do some damage.
One may think that he is bad since he is cheap but there other cheap units that rock. Take Illaoi, for example, Garen from an earlier patch, Kassadin from both patches? Come on. He had to be better.
He is easy to get on the level three at least since he is pretty cheap and relatively underplayed so that is at least something to count on.
You can position him anywhere, but I would use him as a shield for your carry unit, so somewhere in the back of the board.
I wouldn’t waste any items on Twitch since it would be a waste of resources.
Ability: Piercing Bolt
Twitch fires a powerful bolt towards his target that pierces through enemies hit, dealing a percent of his Attack Damage as physical damage and applying 50% Grievous Wounds for 5 seconds.
Talon
One of the best Assassins in the game right now! And a decent Debonair too. With the arrival of The Neon Nights, along came Talon. The Debonair Assassin.
Talon is one of those units that cost a few pennies but he is definitely worth it. He is among units with the best price-worth ratio. For 2 golden coins you do get a lot. Great burst power, with the ability to delete enemy’s back line in seconds. With a proper set of items he can even take on some Bruisers and Bodyguards. And that’s not all of it, if you choose The VIP Talon from The Debonair composition he will get yet another bonus. Believe it or not, the good news don’t stop there. Since he is so cheap, there are many of Talon units in the pool, so you can level him to maximum pretty early in the game. And if he is on level three early in the game, that can be a game changer.
Definitely an S tier unit in my opinion. He brings insane amount of damage to the game, and he even has some decent sustain, considering that he is, in fact, an Assassin.
He benefits greatly from some high damage items, but I like to put some attack speed and lifesteal on him, so he can stay much longer in battle. For me, best items for Talon are The Bloodthirster, The Infinity Edge, The Guinsoo’s Rageblade is a must! He works pretty damn well with The Last Whisper, and for some nice sustain The Edge of Night is the best choice.
Like I said, he is a cheap unit and there is a lot of him in the pool. You should take this opportunity and use it in your advantage. You should level him asap, and in both of his compositions that should be your priority.
His position, like every Assassin is in the back line, across the Hex you want him to jump onto at the beginning of each battle.
Ability: Blade’s End
Passive: Talon’s 1st attack on an enemy causes them to bleed for magic damage over 7 seconds. Every 3rd attack on a target applies an additional bleed.
VIP Bonus: Bleed deals true damage and lasts 100% longer.
Ekko
Ekko has been around from the beginning of the set 6, and he is a decent pick. He rocks three traits, with them being The Innovator, The Assassin and The Scrap trait. That is the thing that makes him a decent pick since without the third trait he isn’t the best choice there is.
His colours shine the brightest with The Assassin comp, but he works well with Innovators too. The Scrap trait is strong but a risky one so I would say that is the one where you never know what to expect.
At the cost of three gold coins, the is somewhere in the mid range when it comes to the price, but his cost isn’t , unfortunately backed up with a great power. He is the champion that isn’t picked as much so he will be an easy unit to level up to the max, but that’s something that you should do only if you have some gold to spare, since he really isn’t worth the investment.
His position , like any other Assassin is in the back line, right across the hex you want him to jump on when the game commences.
Items should be focused on Ap, Mana and Omnivamp, so the best choices are The Blue Buff, The Rabbadon’s Deathcap and The Hextech Gunblade.
Ability: Parallel Convergence
Ekko invokes an afterimage that bats a device towards the largest group of units. Upon landing, it deals magic damage to enemies within and applies reduced movement speed for 4 seconds. Allies inside gain bonus Attack Speed for 4 seconds.
Kha’Zix
Our favorite bug-alien void creature , and a newcomer to the TFT arenas Kha’Zix. After patch 6.5‘s release, he was added to the arenas of TFT. The theme he has adopted remains the same as he is on the Summoner’s Rift, so he is still a stealthyhigh-damage burst assassin.
He is damn powerfull but an expensive pick, and he is worth his cost. Since his debut in the past, he has been one of the best four gold coin cost champions due to his ability to deal TONS OF DAMAGE. If, by some wild chance you get him early on from The Orbs or maybe Augments, he is definetly worth scraping your whole team that you had at that point and just focusing on one of his two traits. Or maybe both! Keep him if you can.
He has The Mutant and The Assassin Origin and Class. He is quite useful in both of them however he’s a bit squishy, so if you do not have The Edge of the Night or The Quicksilver, he won’t be as useful as you’d expect because he dies fast in battle without some degree of endurance to his name. He is an assassin who runs to the enemy’s backline, jumping over tanks and front line units, and has to fight their most powerful troops.
For items, you should go for The Bloodthirster, The Hand of Justice, The Infinity Edge, The Edge of The Night, or The Quicksilver.
His position is the same as every other assassin. Directly across the place of the board, you want him to jump in as soon as the game starts. Those places are the ones you expect your enemy’s carries to be.
Since he is a late-game unit, I don’t expect that you will be able to get him to level three each game. Most of the time, you won’t be in that situation, so he does work well even at level two, but some three cost units from both Mutants and Assassins might do more damage since they will be able to get to level three rather quickly than Kha. This is the reason why you should consider equipping him with items.
Ability: Arid Assault
Kha’Zix leaps towards the lowest Health enemy, striking them for a percentage of his Attack Damage plus Bonus Damage and increasing their maximum Mana by 50% until they cast.
Supporting champions
Like I said in the beginning, The Assassin compositions focuses primarily on the damage output, leaving no space for sustain. This is where you will need help. A lot of it to be precise. Here are the champions that are going to help you win some games.
- Warwick
- Sejuani
- Zac
Warwick
This champion is one the most outstanding in the game. Warwick is one the most valuable champions in the game. He stays relevant until the end. Warwick is also a champion who can work with most of the current set’s items, regardless of whether you want to use him as a tank, bruiser or attack speed, or even damage bonuses. He can also use some AP items, but only if it becomes too easy or you need some challenge. (Pun intended. He is a challenger.)
WW is the very affordable starting champion. It costs only two gold and is easy to upgrade to level three. I am serious. He thrives in any role, whether it’s as a Chemtech, Challenger or both.
With The Chemtech’s equipped with Titan’s Resolve, Guinsoo’s Rageblade, and The Bloodthirster, I promise you, this guy will not die. I am not joking. Once you have five to seven Chemtech’s infield, the hp regeneration from the traits benefit combined with his ability, and his hp just won’t drop for a split second. Also, add Titan’s Resolve with the stacking of size and defensive stats, and Guinsoo’s just doing the thing you like the most on that item. He becomes The Ultimate Hunter!
With The Challenger’s you can pretty much do the same items, but I would swap The Bloodthirster with something tankier, like The Bramble’s vest, since you will already have a lot of speed and power from the trait itself, but you will lack regeneration that you get from The Chems. In The Challenger composition, Warwick is likely to die among the first ones, but his sacrifice won’t go in vain since he will not die quickly, leaving just enough time for his buddies to shred your opponent’s backline.
Position him on the front center of the board so he can take as much aggro possible. Max him asap to level three.
Ability: Eternal Hunger
Passive: Warwick’s Attacks deal an additional percent of his target’s current Health as bonus magic damage, and heal him for the damage dealt.
Sejuani
Sejuani came along with The Neon Nights patch. I think she is rather good, and deserves a place in the current patch.
Sejuani is a tank, like she is in The normal League of Legends. She is an aggressive frontliner with loads of sustain and crowd control. Riot games implemented this perfectly and she is now one of the most valuable champions in the game. When it comes to the tanky ones of course.
She holds on three traits, with them being The Bruiser trait, The Enforcer Trait and The Hextech Trait. She can work with all of them and for every single one her job is almost always the same, and the only difference is the bonuses that she will receive from the particular composition you are going for in that respective game.
She will always be a frontliner designed to take as much aggro as it is humanly possible, but instead of being just a meat for pounding (sorry kids), she also carries some utility with her kit. That basically means that her team could benefit greatly from her ultimate, and her enemies won’t, as it tends to be.
Her positioning should always be in the front two rows, taking as much damage and trying to survive as long as she can, so the more powerful units, in the form of damage, can clear the debris from the enemy’s side of the field.
Her items should always be the ones that provide the most sustain, but depending on what do you need in particular game its hard to tell. But again, there aren’t a million of them, are there? For some bonus armour you should always go for The Titan’s Resolve and The Bramble’s Vest. The Sunfire Cape works well too! For Magic Resist there is The Spirit Visage and The Dragon’s Claw. And for HP, and overall good item is always The Warmog’s Armour.
She is among the cheaper units in the game, with the price of just two golden coins so that makes her available for upgrading to the maximum level. The only problem is she does hold on to 3 traits, so she is very much needed for a lot of compositions.
Ability: Arctic Assault
Sejuani signals Bristle to charge, dealing magic damage and stunning her target. She then gains Frost Armor, granting her Armor and Magic Resist for 4 seconds
Zac
Zac is currently the champion in the S-tier. While he’s powerful, it’s not enough to warrant his position. I will not spend a lot of time pointing out his shortcomings or criticizing him, as there are many other champions who are doing a lot worse than him. Wow! That sounds like he’s a bad champion. He’s not. He’s an Chemtech Bruiser and has numerous applications for both of them.
He’s very tough and is able to take out two enemies at once with his ability. He is able to deal some serious damage up to level 3 however, that’s remarkable for an bruiser tank type of champion.
His price is decent, it’s three gold coins, and that puts him in the middle of the range. I think it’s a fair price for him, and since not many people are playing The Chemtech or The Bruiser comp, because of the hype of the new set, he is actually available a lot. Do you know what that means? Yup, you can upgrade him to level three pretty quickly.
His position is in the front. Alongside his tank buddies, he does great both as a tank and disrupter of the enemy’s front line. He also does not tend to die quickly since both of his traits are focused on sustain.
Item-wise, you can’t go wrong with The Warmog’s Armor, The Sunfire Cape, and The Dragon’s Claw.
Ability: Yoink!
Zac stretches his arms up to three hexes to pull the two most distant enemies towards him, dealing magic damage. Zac takes less damage while using this ability.
The Assassin Composition
The In-game guide
Early game
You should be one of the stronger players when it comes to the early game since most of the units you need for this composition will be there. Twitch and Nocturne both cost just one gold and with Talon at 2 gold, you will activate the Assassin bonus early on. Also you can get Warwick and Sejuani in here if you can.
Mid game
This is the time where you should have 3 Assassins 2 Bruisers and if you are lucky 3 Chemtechs. If you already didn’t buy Zac, now is the time.
Late game
At the late game should everything be in place. By now you must have Kha’Zix and Zac and your composition should include 6 Assassins, 2 Bruisers and 3 Chemtechs. When I say 6 Assassins, I mean that you should have that Assassin Emblem or Augment by now. If you don’t, then it is time to scrap the idea of 6 Assassins, and you should turn to some other composition to be your main one, while The Assassins stay like a supporting composition.
Conclusion
You see, this is not the most powerful composition in the world, simply because they don’t have enough sustain on them. You will be a God in the earlier stages of the game, but as the game progresses you will see that your power is starting to decline. That is unless you execute everything perfectly. If you do, there will hardly be anyone in the game to stop you.
Stay tuned, since we will be posting new in-depth guides every day. Only on, The Games Cabin!