After the release of patch 12.14, Teamfight Tactics players have clearly noticed the rising popularity of the Aurelion Sol composition in each of their matches. This popularity stems from a bug with Aurelion Sol, which, while not severe, has been continuously exploited in recent times to cheat equipment and power.
Specifically, when you activate the Aurelion Sol stage 9 during the preparation phase, the Aurelion Sol shop will almost always grant you the necessary components. As a result, players can run a 6 Aurelion Sol composition against their opponents to secure victory, then during the preparation phase, bring in remaining Aurelion Sol champions to cheat equipment. Meanwhile, according to Riot’s Mortdog, you must activate the stage 9 Aurelion Sol at least once in a match against another player to obtain this.
Because of this bug, in high-ranked matches, Aurelion Sol has been excessively exploited, leading to player frustration. However, Riot Games seems to have made no adjustments and allows this rampant exploitation of Aurelion Sol to continue without control.
Perhaps due to impatience, in recent posts on Reddit, tournament organizers for Teamfight Tactics in North America announced that they will implement a ban on exploiting the Aurelion Sol bug. This rule will not only apply to the bug at stage 9 but also to the use of stages 3 or 6 Aurelion Sol during the preparation phase and then removing them to cheat resources, which is also completely prohibited.
This rule is necessary because in Teamfight Tactics tournaments, efficiency is always prioritized, and players can use any means to win. Clearly, at this moment, having a 2-star Aurelion Sol, numerous items, and cheating items with the Aurelion Sol stage 9 bug is the surest way to victory. If the community does not impose a ban on exploiting this bug, the scenario of 4-5 players in a match using this bug is entirely possible.
It should be noted that the aforementioned Aurelion Sol bug has existed since the launch of season 7. The reason it has only recently become prevalent in patch 12.14 is that Riot increased the rate of item provision for Aurelion Sol stage 9. This is indeed well-intentioned to encourage players to use this stage, but Riot seems to have forgotten about the bug, resulting in the negative gameplay currently seen in Teamfight Tactics.
Fortunately for professional players, they can compete without worrying about facing opponents cheating with Aurelion Sol. However, regular players who climb ranks daily are not as fortunate, so people can only hope that Riot will soon make adjustments to eliminate this bug as quickly as possible.