TFT Patch 10.25 Changes Explained

Balance-wise, TFT is in a place where a lot of compositions are viable. Warlord, Cultist, Dusk, Divine, Elderwood, and Keepers are all perfectly playable.

Zed reigned supreme for a bit, but only for a brief period. Thanks to the B patch it seems that the meta is in a fairly healthy place. Nothing is completely dominating, there are certainly strong and weak compositions, but as mentioned previously, variety is king here. Players who enjoy forcing one composition every game may not find this meta satisfying because of the diversity between lobbies. Still, there may be hope for those people because TFT is an ever-changing game and on December 4, Riot released the upcoming list of tentative changes for patch 10.25.

For dedicated players, principal game designer, Riot Mort, releases videos every patch detailing the success of each patch. Mort will share data that average players don’t have access to, and could prove useful to anyone looking to climb the ladder.

Buffs

Xin Zhao lovers are sad, but they've been sad for a while / Photo Courtesy of Riot Games

The most impactful changes will likely be to Vanguards and Talon. When talking about the Talon nerfs in previous patches, Riot Mort said, “it has been refreshing for the game and refreshing for the meta to have Talon out of the meta.” Mort is signaling that they are overall content with Talon being weak, but they don’t want him to be too weak.

Xin Zhao is on the buff list yet again, this is his third time being buffed. Riot has been taking a slow approach to the champion, as overturning him could push Duelists into the oppressive territory. The change to Vanguard could potentially be the most impactful, however, and if Xin Zhao or other AD Carries were buffed enough then a Vanguard buff could be the perfect counter. As it stands, Vanguards are solid early game picks, but rarely does the vanguard synergy have any utility in the late game. A buff paired with the individual buffs coming for Hecarim and Wukong definitely make Vanguards a synergy to watch out for.

Elderwood and Mages are already in solid places as well, not oppressive and not terrible. Often both of the compositions will make it into top four without much trouble. Mages tend to center around Nami who is, despite her nerfs, still decent. Elderwoods will usually makes Ashe or Veigar the carry, they're both straightforward, inoffensive compositions that are easy to pilot. The TFT Team has had a history of pushing out minor buffs and seeing what happens. For compositions like these two, we can expect more of that. But be sure to watch for the exact changes, because if either of these are given significant buffs it could push them into the must-play category.

Nerfs

Goodbye buddy, I won't miss you / Photo Courtesy of Riot Games

Poor Jarvan has had his time in the sun, but now it seems to be over. Patch 10.24 brought with it significant changes to Jarvan, a reduction in his stun time, but an increase in overall power. This made him a strong carry for Warlords and Keepers, give him a Jeweled Gauntlet and he would knock out a backline in one spell. In Warlord compositions he became the most important person to stack items on, expect this to change in Patch 10.25, and for Warlords to fall back into obscurity.

Kayn is also getting some much needed nerfs. Even with Zed no longer dominating the meta, Shades has still proven to be a solid team. Kayn was the lynchpin in all of this, and even for players not running a Shades composition, Kayn was an auto-buy for an 8th spot. His ability to destroy backlines, sap mana, and survive tough situations made him overpowered.

Adjustments

I'm scared for what is to come with Aphelios / Photo Courtesy of Riot Games

The big change to watch out for in this department is Aphelios. Currently, he has a bug that has made the hunter synergy not apply to his turrets, this is due to be fixed next patch. Riot Mort estimates that Aphelios is a strong champion to pick and that hunters are strong as well. For the next patch, if you can get your hands on an Aphelios with correct items it’ll definitely be worth a shot. Besides that, Evelynn moved up in priority after Zed’s nerf, and it has been through her strength that Shades has been able to survive. Depending on what the adjustment actually is, we could see Shades fall severely in priority.

To wrap it all up, Hunters, Vanguards, and Elderwoods will be compositions to watch out for next patch. Elderwoods already being strong while getting buffs too Maokai and Hecarim makes for a terrifying prospect.