Every season, Teamfight Tactics brings us new items while bidding farewell to some old ones. Some of these departing names leave gamers nostalgic, such as the Staff of the Divine or the Sorcerer’s Hat… however, there are also items that players breathe a sigh of relief to see gone due to their frustration.
If you are a long-time player, every mention of these items brings back a “painful memory”. Although they don’t deal damage, many players enjoy this “toxic” build just to delight in watching their enemies get frustrated.
Giant Slayer – Season 1
Got high luck? Have you amassed a legendary 3-star golden team? Then you confidently strut into the next round only to realize the enemy team has… 3 Giant Slayers, so just give up this match. This item has a chance to reduce a champion’s star level, and with just two lucky shots, a 3-star champion can turn into a harmless 1-star, and naturally, they can’t recover.
This sword is usually associated with marksmen, archers, or sometimes assassins to eliminate the enemy team’s damage dealers and tanks. Trust me, it’s as frustrating as having your 3-star champion caught by Urgot, because the outcome is usually the same.
Silent Blade – Season 2
Everyone knows that the most important thing is for your champion to use their abilities, but this item makes your champion just stand and auto-attack, taking a lot of damage while their mana bar stands still. This item is the “archenemy” of all team compositions, but not every champion can wield it.
Sivir, with her ability to bounce her auto-attacks to multiple targets, is the champion that maximizes the annoyance of this item, and combined with Spellbreaker, the enemy team can only stand still until they perish. Another strong candidate right behind her is Lucian.
Iceborn Gauntlet – Seasons 1 + 2
If you have been playing TFT since Season 1 or from the start of Season 2 until now, you will remember Iceborn Gauntlet as one of the most annoying items before it received adjustments. Before the adjustment, Iceborn Gauntlet and Spellbreaker (to be discussed shortly) were the ultimate dodge combo that created unkillable monsters like Renekton, Braum… And these two items also had a significant impact on the meta balance, which is one reason they were adjusted mid-Season 2 and subsequently… vanished in Season 3.
The original effect of Iceborn Gauntlet: After an equipped champion dodges an attack, they will slow down the attack speed of nearby enemies by 35%, reactivating in new areas. At that time, Skarner with Iceborn Gauntlet was a nightmare, slowing down the entire map, unlike your current team with 6 Iceborn Gauntlets.
Spellbreaker – Seasons 1 + 2
Before it was “nerfed”, Spellbreaker had the “power” to allow the equipped champion to dodge ALL CRITICAL HITS, whether they were normal attacks or spell damage, combined with Iceborn Gauntlet above to create immortal tanks. Even equipping Spellbreaker to carry positions yielded similar results. In a context where everyone loves playing damage-dealing compositions, especially with the popularity of Assassin teams, Riot had to adjust this item in Season 2 and then send it into the past in Season 3.
However, one thing many players still do not know to this day: Spellbreaker cannot dodge hits that include the Fire Element buff.
Luckily, Season 3 does not have any item as “toxic” as that.