In the recent patch 12.1, the Gang composition was a rapidly escalating team comp with an extremely high top 4 placement rate. However, as soon as Teamfight Tactics transitioned to patch 12.2, the Gang’s power dropped dramatically. According to the expert site Metatft.com, team compositions centered around 5 Gang champions now fail to reach a 50% top 4 placement rate. So what is the cause of this power decline?
First, we must understand that this race has been nerfed in patch 12.2, with a reduction in armor/magic resistance stats. For a race with many damage-dealing champions like the Gang, this makes the main damage dealers much more susceptible to being taken down during the mid-game. As a result, the damage from units like Twisted Fate, Shaco, and even Darius has been indirectly nerfed, weakening this composition.
Speaking of Shaco, this piece also received a nerf that may seem minor at first glance (5 base AD reduction), but its impact is significant. Remember that Shaco’s AD interacts with critical hits, resulting in a considerable decrease in the output damage this unit can deliver, even when equipped with Infinity Edge. Another unit in the Gang team, Zyra, was also nerfed, further reducing the overall damage potential of the composition.
Not only in terms of damage, but the defensive capabilities of this team comp have also diminished greatly with Braum receiving a heavy nerf. If you didn’t know, in patch 12.2, Braum’s maximum energy has been increased to a whopping 200. As a result, the number of times Braum can cast his ability has significantly decreased, making the crowd control that was already scarce for the Gang race even rarer.
With only a few tank champions, the Gang team heavily relies on Braum’s crowd control abilities. This unit is supposed to create space for other champions to deal damage thanks to the large crowd control it possesses. However, with the increase in maximum energy and the subsequent decrease in casting frequency, Braum can only use his skill 1-2 times. This is not enough time for Shaco or Akali to eliminate the enemy team.
Additionally, patch 12.2 has seen the dominance of extremely “tanky” compositions or those with strong healing abilities like Innovators and Titans. As a result, damage-reduced compositions like the Gang find it very difficult to exist in the current meta. To find a way to secure victories, the 6 Assassin composition is a more suitable playstyle, while the 5 Gang team usually only reaches the 4 Assassin threshold.
In summary, with severe nerfs to both attack and defense capabilities, the Gang composition has become extremely weak in patch 12.2. Perhaps if you still want to use Shaco or Darius, you should consider shifting to a 6 Assassin composition in the new patch.