Best TFT Set 18 Comps in Patch 18.2b

The Set 18 meta that existed at launch is gone. Patch 18.2 landed on September 10, a mid-patch update followed on September 14, and between them they inverted what the set rewards.

If you learned the set on the 18.1 comps, most of that board list no longer holds. Here is what replaced it, and the economy change that explains why.

Why the meta flipped

Patch 18.2 did two things at once.

It cut leveling costs: level 7 to 8 went from 60 to 56 gold, and both 8 to 9 and 9 to 10 went from 68 to 64. And it cut Wisp costs across the board, with Backrow Star dropping from 3 gold to 1, Lightning Storm and Combust both from 5 to 3, and Barrier from 4 to 3.

Riot stated the goal plainly: put more gold in the bank so comps that could not compete with reroll and Ahri finally could.

Then on September 14 the leveling change was partly walked back. Levels 8 to 9 and 9 to 10 went back to 68 gold each. Only the 7 to 8 discount survived.

Fast 9 stayed on top anyway, and the reason is the part most tier lists skip. The XP discount was never the main gold source. The Wisp price cuts were. A Combat Wisp that used to cost 5 gold now costs 3, you are offered one every other round, and from Stage 5 every other Wisp is a Combat Wisp. Across a full game that is far more banked gold than 8 gold off two level-ups, and unlike the XP change it was not reverted.

So the honest read of 18.2b is this: leveling is not much cheaper, but you arrive at the level-up with more gold in hand.

The champion changes that mattered

Buffs went to Azir, Kha'Zix, Diana, Ivern, Akali, Leona, Varus, Warwick, Yunara and Mama Beak. Nerfs hit Master Yi, Rengar and Sentinel, LeBlanc's clone chance dropped from 10/15/40% to 10/15/30%, and Maokai's mana went from 30/90 to 30/100 to stop him chain-casting.

The Master Yi and Rengar nerfs are what removed the 18.1 reroll lines from the top of the board. The Kha'Zix buff is what replaced them.

The best comps in patch 18.2b

Ashe Dragon Fast 9

Difficulty: hard. This is the strongest line in the patch and the least forgiving.

Flex slots go to Gnar, Kennen, Cinderling and Ivern.

How to play it: slam items aggressively on Stage 2 and play 3 Blossom for a win streak. Keep the streak through Stage 3 and take an economy augment if you have not got one. On Stage 4, if you are above 80 health, you can deliberately lose the stage and bank everything. Target fast 9 by the end of Stage 4 or at 5-1.

Augments: Level Up, Hedge Fund and Luxury Subscription first. Late Game Specialist, Late Game Scaling and Patient Study behind them. Swordsmith and Sword Overflow if you are taking an item augment.

The health threshold is the whole comp. Below 80 you cannot afford the Stage 4 sacrifice, and a fast 9 you arrive at on 20 health is a fourth place.

Ashe Juggernaut

Difficulty: hard. A 4-cost fast 8 that transitions into the same late board.

Rakan, Vi, Ivern, Maokai and Taric fill the rest.

How to play it: build an AD opener around Yunara and slam generic AD and tank items for the win streak. Level through Stage 3 picking up Juggernauts and Executioners. On Stage 4, roll for 6 Juggernaut plus Sivir to stabilise, then push level 9 and transition to Ashe and five-costs.

The Juggernaut emblem is a genuine upgrade here rather than a nice extra, because it gets you to six without spending board slots you need for carries.

Primal Sivir

Difficulty: medium. The same fast 8 shape with the difficulty taken out.

Tristana, Ivern, Vi, Lillia and Shen round it out.

How to play it: strong AD opener, add Hunters and frontline through Stage 3, then level to 8 and roll for Sivir and an upgraded tank line. There is no timing window to miss, which is why this is the fast 8 to learn before you attempt the two above.

Lunar Kha'Zix Reroll

Difficulty: medium. A level 7 reroll averaging 4.22 across 26,000 ranked games, which is the best-performing reroll line in the patch.

Fiddlesticks, Ornn, Soraka, Alune and Ezreal (Red Buff, Spear of Shojin, Deathblade) complete the board.

How to play it: you need an early Kha'Zix with items, because the comp snowballs off Rival and does nothing without it. Play any upgraded frontline tank to stall while he ramps. Econ to 7 through Stage 3, then slow roll at 7 for your three-star three-costs.

The detail that decides placements: Kha'Zix should gain his traits through takedowns in the order Ravager, then Executioner, then Spellweaver, then Rapidfire. Double Hand of Justice is best in slot after the buff, though Jeweled Gauntlet or Deathcap in place of one of them is fine.

Augments: Champion Delivery, Pandora's Bench, Flowing Tears, Advanced Loan Plus, Heroic Grab Bag++, Legion of Threes, Lucky Gloves Plus, Prismatic Ticket.

Veigar Reroll

Difficulty: easy, and the reason it is here rather than at the bottom is that it is a top-tier comp anyway: around 3.96 average placement.

Teemo, Fiddlesticks, Rammus, Sett and Gnar fill out the board. Traits are Sprykin, Blackthorn, Brawler and Consuming Flora.

How to play it: prioritise early Veigar upgrades so he starts stacking. On Stage 3, count your copies. Seven or more and you commit and roll for the three-star. Three or four and you slow roll above 50 gold instead. Once Veigar is three-starred, level up and add Sprykin, Blackthorn or Brawler.

Itemisation alternatives: Hextech Gunblade works in place of Jeweled Gauntlet in the LeBlanc and Ornn variant of this board. On artifacts, Dawncore is the standout, with Luden's Tempest as the fallback.

Spellweaver Ahri

The flex line, and the one worth knowing because it plays whatever the game hands you.

Spellweaver emblem on Morgana is exceptionally strong, as is Invoker emblem on Ahri. Open around 3 Blossom, hold your AP items on Karma and itemise any two-star tank. Flex in more Blossom or Spellweavers as you find them, and do not force a frontline type: Juggernauts, Defenders and Vanguards all work. Level and roll for Ahri, Morgana and your tanks, then push 9 for Lux once you are stable.

Blackthorn is still being played wrong

One mechanic decides more placements in this set than the comp you picked.

The ally standing on the Blackthorn hex is sacrificed before combat, and your remaining champions gain health from it. Blackthorn champions gain additional stats scaled by the sacrifice's role, star level and cost.

Star level is in that formula. Sacrificing a three-star unit gives maximum Blackthorn stats. Most players sacrifice their worst unit, which is the opposite of what the mechanic rewards. If you are running Blackthorn and you have a spare three-star sitting on your bench, that is not a spare unit, that is your best sacrifice.

If you are new to Set 18

Start with Veigar Reroll. It is rated easy, it is currently top tier, and one-cost rerolls give you a fixed roll level instead of a fast 8 or fast 9 window you have to judge.

Move to Primal Sivir next. It is the same fast 8 shape as the two hard comps without the timing requirements, so you learn the pattern before you have to execute it precisely.

Leave Ashe Dragon Fast 9 until last. It requires you to read your own health total against the lobby and deliberately throw a stage, and getting that wrong does not cost you a placement or two, it costs you the game.

If you want the mechanics underneath all of this, our Set 18 breakdown covers Wisps, the trait list and how the set is built.

Frequently asked questions

Skip the learning curve

A set takes most players several hundred games to read properly, and 18.2b is the second meta in three weeks. If you would rather be at the rank than in the reps, our boosters play Set 18 daily: TFT boosting.

Current as of patch 18.2b. Placement data cited from ranked games on 18.2b.