MetaTFT Tierlist - 13.16 Set 9
Patch 13.16 is the most balanced patch to date. All the 4-costs are playable in some capacity, and there are many reroll comps to choose from as well. In this article, I’m going to show you my tierlist for the current meta, take a look into each of the comps mentioned, and explain the best strategies to climb on this patch.
Tierlist
S Tier
6 Shadow Isles is the best comp in the meta. With Urf being the best legend on this patch, it’s not too hard to get +1 Shadow Isles, so if you have a chance, you should usually play this comp. Gwen is still a decent carry without a Shadow Isles spatular, but she’s definitely not S tier.
A Tier
Aphelios is back as the premier AD carry in the meta. He’s a really flexible unit, and isn’t really tied to any traits, so there are multiple boards you can play with him, most commonly Bastions and Freljord.
Noxus Darius falls out of S tier after its early game was nerfed significantly. This is a great tempo comp that can also cap out very high if you can hit Darius 3 Katarina 3 with good items and augments, but you can only play this comp from a good opener.
Invoker Karma is the most underplayed AP comp in the meta. This comp stabilizes really hard on 6 Invoker with the 2-star board on level 7. You can usually top 4 with this comp if you hit your board, but you can only top 2 if you have really good items and good combat augments.
Azir is a decent AP carry after some buffs. He’s not really a solo main carry but he works great in the 7 Shurima comp with +1 Shurima and the strategist comp with Lux as a duo carry.
Sorcerer Lux is another great AP option that becomes very strong if you can reach 3-item Ahri. However, you cannot play this comp from behind unless you have +1 Sorc.
Challengers are our last A tier comp. This comp really depends on how easily you stabilize your board and how fast you reach legendaries like Senna, Aatrox, Heimer, and Bel'Veth. If you get a challenger spatular, this comp becomes incredibly strong though, as all the legendaries use it very well.
B Tier
All the B Tier comps are much more niche and spot-dependent to play than the A-tier comps, but many of them can be just as strong under the right circumstances. Teemo reroll has one of the highest caps in the game, but it never stabilizes until you hit literally everything and reach Teemo 4. Kayle and Rek'Sai rerolls are only playable from the correct openers and items, while Zeri is really only good if you hit early Piltover. Demacia Garen reroll is only playable with +1 Demacia or with Master Yi as your legend, but it’s not consistent enough to be forceable every game.
Now, let’s get into my strategy for climbing on this patch:
The best legend on this patch is Urf. He has the best 3-2 and 4-2 augments of any legend, and his gold and prismatic augments on 2-1 are very good, especially prismatic. Shadow Isles, Challenger, Bastion, Piltover, and Noxus are the best options, while Bruiser, Sorcerer, Ionia, and Shurima are also decent choices from the right openers. Urf is great if you are flexible and willing to play many different comps depending on what you are offered, but I don’t recommend to beginners.
The next best legend is Vladimir. His 4-2 augments and 2-1 augments are the reason you pick him, aside from transfusion 1. Battle ready is alright, but you’re never excited to take it. If you take Vlad, you should always be defaulting to Aphelios or Azir carry. If you are playing Aphelios, you almost always want to play Bastions, as they benefit much more from the transfusion HP and stall longer for ascension. Both 7 Shurima and strategists with Lux are good options if you play Azir, but you should only play 7 Shurima with an emblem.
Poro and Ezreal are also decent options, but they aren’t optimal choices on the current patch.
We also need to be aware of the best augments of the current patch, since Riot temporarily removed all augment data until the mid-set, all we have to work with is a tierlist. But keep in mind to always evaluate your current situation before picking an augment, as sometimes it’s better to pick one of the lower performing options, as they benefit you more in certain situations.
Now, let’s take a deeper look into each comp:
6 Shadow Isles
Our first comp is 6 Shadow Isles. This is generally a fast 8 comp, as you really want to hit Senna and Gwen is your main carry, though you will generally have to roll on level 7. There are multiple ways to play this board, and it becomes even more flexible if you hit more than 1 Shadow Isles spatular or a Challenger spatular. This is the most standard board, where you put the spatular on Shen. Zed gets replaced by Aatrox, and Yasuo can be replaced by Kai'Sa or Heimer. Because Shadow Isles gives you a ton of mana and frontline, scaling items are ideal for this comp. Rageblade on Kalista in particular is a high priority, as she’s an amazing secondary carry even at 2-star, but you should go for 3-star if possible. Her other best items are Giant Slayer and JG. Archangel’s and Titan’s are two of Gwen’s best items, but her itemization is much more flexible than Kalista’s. Other than those, Gwen can use Deathcap, JG, Guardbreaker, Hoj, Gunblade, and Bloodthirster. Magic shred in either Shiv or Spark is really important for comp, so make sure to go for that as well. Having two tank items on shen is more important than itemizing another carry, but you can go for Kai'Sa, Yasuo, or Aatrox items if you have extra.
Aphelios
Our second comp is Aphelios. This is a 4-cost carry, so you want to be rolling level 7 in most games, or pushing for a fast 8. If you are playing Vladimir or Bastion +1, you should be defaulting to the Bastion variant almost every time. With Bastion +1, you should always play 6 Bastion and put the spatular on Urgot or Gwen if possible; without it, you can play 6 if you hit K'Sante, but it’s not mandatory. If you have augments that give AD like you have my sword, long distance pals, and social distancing, you can reasonably play the standard Freljord board, but it’s much weaker than it used to be. Try to avoid 4 Deadeye unless you can get a fully itemized Urgot 2. If you are playing Freljord and don’t have Urgot items, just drop to 2 Deadeye and play more frontline or any legendaries you might hit. Aphelios’s only mandatory item is Rageblade. If you are playing Bastions, a second Rageblade is his next best item, followed by AD items like Titan’s, Deathblade, Giant Slayer, and Guardbreaker. If you are playing Freljord, you don’t need two Rageblades.
Noxus
Our next comp is Noxus reroll. This is a 3-cost reroll comp, so you want to slowroll on level 7 for Darius 3 and Katarina 3. Noxus stacks are very important, so you usually want to try to tempo on stage 2, and you should avoid this comp if you can’t get 3 Noxus in early. Slam suboptimal items if you have to so you can continue your winstreak. On 3-2, you usually have to roll to make your board stronger to continue winning always roll for 6 Noxus, but roll deeper if you have multiple important pairs. You want to play a Juggernaut like Warwick, Nasus, or Aatrox on level 7 and drop Cassio for sion if you hit him. Play Jarvan, Senna, Heimer, or a Rogue at level 8. If you have a Noxus spatular, put it on Ekko and go for Ekko 3 or put it on Aatrox or Nasus. Always prioritize making 3 good Darius items first, as he is the main carry of the comp. Darius’s best items are a healing item like Hoj or BT plus two damage items like Titan’s, IE, Giant Slayer, and Last Whisper. Itemize Katarina next; she wants Spark, AP items like JG, Deathcap, and Guardbreaker, and a healing item like Hoj or Gunblade. Zephyr is incredibly strong in this comp, as it often allows your Darius to wrap backlines.
Invoker Karma
Invoker Karma is another 3-cost reroll comp, but it usually plays differently than Noxus. You often want to roll down on 3-2 if you are weak or want to maintain a winstreak as there’s a ton of units you can hit. Usually you end up with 4 Invokers plus Ionia or Taric. From there, push level 7 and roll down again on 4-1 for 6 Invokers plus Taric. From here, decide whether to go for Karma 3 on 7 or push level 8. You usually should push level 8 for Ionia; only stay level 7 if you hit a lot of Karmas on your rolldown and aren’t contested and need the early power spike. Going level 8 is super important to try to hit Ahri and Ryze, and you can often go for Karma 3 later. In most games Soraka, Taric, and Lissandra 3 are too expensive, but you can go for them if you have enough money. If you have +1 Invoker, just play Ionia at level 7 and put the spatular on Taric. Karma’s most important item is Gunblade, as this is a stall comp that greatly benefits from the sustain. After that, her best items are Archangel’s, JG, Guardbreaker, and Deathcap. Prioritize making Magic Shred in either Shiv or Spark for this comp, and make sure you go for a 3 item Shen, as he’s the real carry of this comp.
Azir
Our next comp is Azir. The first board is 7 Shurima, which you should really only play with +1 Shurima, but it’s very strong if you’re able to hit Nasus 2 and Aatrox in particular. Sejuani and Sion are also decent holders of the spatula as well. The more standard board is the Strategist board with Lux as the main carry. This board is expensive and not very flexible, but you can sometimes drop Teemo for Heimer, K'Sante for Taliyah or play Aatrox over Garen if you don’t need the Demacia item. This comp is a frontline check, so getting a 3-item Nasus 2 is the main spike for this comp. Make sure to build Magic Shred, as it’s the most important thing for this comp, either Shiv on Azir or Spark on Nasus. Azir’s best items are Gunblade and Archangel’s, since this is a stall comp, but any attack speed and AP work on him. Lux wants a Mana item and a damage item or two damage items. Gunblade is also a good option. Blue Buff is better than Shojin since she has 40 Mana.
Sorcerer Lux
Next up is Sorcerer Lux. This comp can be played a few ways: if you are ahead, you want to only slight roll on level 7 or push for a fast 8 to fit this board. If you are behind and have to roll on level 7, you either have to either drop Demacia or 6 Sorcs, so you won’t be stable until you can reach level 8. Usually, it’s best to just drop 2 Sorcs for Shen. If you have +1 Sorcerer, put the spatular on Shen, Sona, or Jarvan, and roll on level 7 to stabilize. Shen is the best holder if you can fit him. Lux is usually your main carry, but if you are in a good position to hit Velkoz 3, you can go for him and itemize him as the main carry. If you manage to hit Ahri, you should try to itemize her if possible, as she is incredibly strong even at 1-star and allows this comp to play for a top 2. Velkoz, Ahri, and Lux all use similar items. Usually you want a Mana item like Shojin or Blue Buff, especially for Ahri and Velkoz, and two damage items like JG, Guardbreaker, Giant Slayer, or Deathcap. Gunblade is also a good option to heal up your limited frontline. Taric is the best holder of tank items in this comp unless you have a Sorc spatular on Shen, then he is better. His most important item is Spark; after that, any tank items will do, especially Warmogs, Gargoyle, Bramble, and D-Claw. Protector's Vow Jarvan and Zz'Rot's are also great options for frontline, as they can stall long enough for you to wipe the enemy board.
Challengers
Our last comp is Challengers. This is another 4-cost carry comp where you roll down on level 7 on either 3-5 or 4-1 to stabilize your board, then try to push level 8 for Gwen or legendaries. Sett and Shen are inter-changeable on this board, but you will usually end up with sett since shen is so expensive, even though he’s slightly better. 6 Challenger is generally better than 6 Ionia unless you have Sentinel’s Spirit or +1 Ionia, because Kai'Sa doesnt benefit from Ionia and you can fit legendaries like Heimer and Senna much easier. If you get a challenger spatular, you should be looking to cap around Bel'Veth, Heimer, or Aatrox as the holder. Yasuo’s most important item is Edge of Night to avoid getting Oneshot, then damage items like Deathblade, IE, Hoj, Giant Slayer, and Runaan's. Do NOT build RFC anymore, as his range scaling in his ability was removed. Kai'Sa’s most important item is Shojin to make sure she casts multiple times per fight; otherwise, you want damage items like Deathcap, Guardbreaker, and JG. You can also go for Kalista 3 if you hit a bunch on your rolldown as well. Her best items are Rageblade and Giant Slayer.
