Jhin – Guardian
Before the release of patch 12.2, Jhin – Guardian was a relatively stable rank climbing composition that didn’t require players to rely too much on luck for rank points. All you needed was to reach level 8 quickly, upgrade Jhin and Braum to 2 stars, and try to obtain Yuumi to have a high chance of finishing in the top 4. However, with the rise of the Assassin meta and the dominance of the reroll playstyle in patch 12.2 of Teamfight Tactics, this composition has gradually become extremely weak.
Essentially, Jhin – Guardian is a composition that attacks opponents from the front to the back, so it will always be drawn to the enemy’s frontline. Therefore, Assassin compositions will have much more time to deal damage and find ways to eliminate the backline units of the Jhin – Guardian team. Moreover, since players need to reach level 8 early, they often remain quite weak during the gold-holding phase, making them susceptible to heavy losses against reroll players. This significant health loss can easily result in players being eliminated early before reaching the top 4.
Idols and Friends
Once dominant by buffing numerous stats for a “superstar carry,” compositions revolving around the Idol system have now become extremely weak. In fact, the nerf aimed at this system’s effect has not significantly impacted the strength of the Idols, as evidenced by the fact that the Innovator team remains very strong. However, the reduced appearance rate of 5-cost champions at level 8 has rendered this playstyle almost nonexistent in the current meta.
Not only Galio, but many carries such as Kai’Sa, Akali, and Viktor have also been affected by this change, making it very difficult to upgrade them to 2 stars. Furthermore, this composition faces a significant issue of being very weak in the mid-game, so players will lose a lot of health if they try to utilize the Idol team. Normally, it would already be challenging, but with the meta flooded with reroll compositions, this playstyle has become even more “obsolete” in the current patch 12.2.
Outlaw
In reality, Outlaw has never been a stable rank climbing composition due to its high level of randomness. You can be very strong in a specific match, but in the next game, also playing Outlaw, you might end up eliminated in the top 8 just because of “bad luck.” However, this remains a composition favored by high-ranked players, especially in Challenger, to aim for the top 1 due to its potential for significant power spikes.
However, this was only true before the release of patch 12.2; currently, the Outlaw composition is not being utilized much anymore. The reason remains in the reroll meta, which makes weak and waiting-for-a-power-spike compositions like Outlaw lose even more health than before. Not to mention that reroll teams often possess 3-star champions in the mid-game, further eliminating any chance for the Outlaw composition to “spike.”