TFT Beginner’s Guide

So you’re loading up with your friends in your first game of Teamfight Tactics or you just want to learn a little more about the game. In this guide we will discuss the basics of the game and help start your journey to become a TFT master.

What is TFT

Teamfight Tactics is an 8-player free for all auto-battler, where you form your own army in order to fight for your side. If you come from card games, TFT can feel similar to deck builders, where you buy cards, or in this case units, from the shop in order to strengthen your deck/team. Build an unstoppable team, clash with rivals, and be the last one standing.

The Units

Every round in TFT, you will be offered a shop of units. These units will vary in pricing from 1 cost to 5 cost. While not always true, generally the higher the cost of the unit the stronger they are. If you manage to buy three of the same unit, then you will create a 2-star unit, which makes the unit stronger. A 2-star 1 cost unit is often stronger than a 1-star 2 cost unit. If you get three of the same 2-star unit, then you will create a powerful 3-star unit. Also, although extremely rare, if you manage to collect three of the same 3-star unit, then you will create a 4-star unit. Units that you already have on your bench or board will be highlighted in the shop if they appear again.

Items

As the game goes on, you will be dropped components. These components can be combined to create items. You can right click on an item to see all the possible combinations of an item.

If you do not know what items to make, you can right click on a unit you own and hover over their role and it will show you generally what items are good on that unit. Items are really important and make your board strong, so it is advised to combine your components as often as possible to make items instead of worrying about getting the best possible components for later in the game. Right clicking the unit also shows you their ability, stats, and generally where to position them.

Traits

On the left side of your screen, there will be a list of traits. Each trait will require a certain number of units to activate, usually the first breakpoint will be two or three, but some will activate with only one unit. Knowing this, you want a combination of units that share similar traits to activate their bonuses, while also having 2-star or 3-star champions to make your board stronger.If you want to try some team compositions that make great use of putting these traits together, you can find them here.

Gold

To buy units in this game, you use gold. You get 5 gold every round plus an additional gold for every 10 gold you save up with a maximum of an additional 5 gold for saving 50 gold. You can spend gold on leveling up or rolling the shop to try and find units for your board. If you are about to die, you should try to spend all of your gold to try and win. If you want to learn more about gold and economy and how to utilize it properly to roll check out this guide here. 

Levels

Your level in this game determines how many units on your board you can play, so if you are level 8, you can play at least 8 units. You can play more units if you have the augment New Recruit or if you have an item that gives you +1 to team size. Additionally, you will get 2 exp every round to help you level up. The comps page on the site also shows which stage player’s most common level, which is shown in the image below. Right above the levels also shows common positioning for units so you do not have to worry about it. As you level-up you will get access to stronger units. For more information on the shop odds as you level-up, click here.

Portals and Carousels

At the beginning of the game, you will be shown 3 portals to vote on. These portals can range from changing the game up a little bit to shaping the entire game because of the portal. In the middle of each stage you will see a carousel of units and items going around in a circle. During this, the losing players will get to pick their unit/item first and the winning players will pick last. It is suggested that most of the time you should pick a good component that can help you later in the game rather than picking the preferred unit of the carousel.

Augments

3 times a game you will be offered a choice of 3 augments. Augments are one of the most fun parts about TFT and one of the reasons this game is super replayable. Augments can give you gold, items, combat power, or completely change your game around. If you get some augments you don’t like, you can reroll them to try and find one you do like. We won’t go too in depth about what augments to pick in this guide, but if you want to know what is generally strong, you can check out augment stats here.  The MetaTFT app also shows you the stats in game. You can even select a specific comp on the bottom left for more filtered stats.

Charms

Charms are the set mechanic for set 12 and can be a powerful tool in your shop for economy, combat, and more. You get 1 charm every three shops until stage 5+, where you start seeing them every two shops. Whenever you see a charm in your shop, you should consider if it is worth buying. I will not go in depth in this guide about charms, but for some stats and information about charms, click here.

Basic strategy

In your first game, you should pick a composition that you like or saw somebody play and just try to play that one composition. Make sure you make the economy thresholds of 10 gold up to 50 and make as many items early as possible. If you are new, it is very good to watch streams and guides. A very good beginner friendly content creator is Frodan.

After you are comfortable with that one comp and know the good positions to play it in you should try and force a different comp until you are comfortable with that one. Then when you feel really comfortable, you can start playing flexibly around the units and items you are offered and build really cool strong/unique boards.

Common Beginner Mistakes

As a beginner, you are going to make a lot of mistakes, which is okay, as even the best players do not play perfect games. Here are some common mistakes beginners make that you can avoid. The first beginner's mistake is not managing the economy properly, and rolling too much. Remember that every 10 gold you save earns you an extra gold the next round. To know when to roll, save, and level-up, consider clicking here and reading this economy guide next.

The next beginner mistake is saving items too much for the best possible combinations. Oftentimes, you see what items to build in guides, but a good rule to follow is if you have four or more items, you should consider combining, even if they are not the best items. This is because a subpar item can save you health, so try making items as often as possible, as long as they are somewhat useful. Also, you get a magnetic remover every minion round, so don’t be afraid to put it on a unit you need later.

Another common mistake beginner’s make is not having a plan when they roll. Whenever you roll, try to put the units you are rolling for in the team planner. This one is quite simple, just make sure you roll with a purpose in mind and you are trying to make your board stronger.

Go Play Games

Teamfight Tactics is a great strategy game with a lot of depth and almost infinite replayability, especially when the balance team does a good job. Finally, if you are having a rough time in your games and not winning, then don’t feel discouraged. Try and find a friend to help you out or watch some guides from the best players. Hopefully this guide helped you learn the basics of TFT. Thank you for reading and I hope you have a great time on your TFT journey! Good luck in your games!