Mercenaries have always been one of the most popular traits among players due to the exciting randomness and the rewards received when they “hit the jackpot”. However, aside from Tahm Kench, most players who use Mercenaries gradually replace these champions after hitting the jackpot. The simple reason is that besides the benefit of “hacking” resources and the fact that Tahm Kench is too “overpowered”, Mercenaries no longer have any advantages when paired together. In fact, Gangplank is considered the worst 3-cost champion in TFT season 6 at present.
However, if combined with Chemtech – a composition that has been incredibly strong since the beginning of season 6 and has names that directly address the weaknesses of Mercenaries, players will solve many problems and climb ranks effectively, while not fearing duplicates.
Overview and Operation
This composition revolves around the 4-cost champion Urgot, so players do not necessarily need to struggle to reach 3 stars by any means. Just equipping properly and activating the traits at the lowest thresholds is sufficient. Additionally, this composition will fix the weaknesses of Mercenaries (lack of sufficient damage or tankiness, except for Tahm Kench) and by maintaining a losing streak in the early game, can help players acquire the necessary items.
As a composition that requires taking damage first before “turning the tide”, in the early game, players only need to have Illaoi (from the shared draft or shop) and 3 Chemtech champions (Singed – Warwick – Twitch). This phase needs to avoid unnecessary health loss because the playstyle incorporating Mercenaries is extremely risky.
After acquiring the first Mercenary champions (Miss Fortune, Quinn), players should immediately pivot the composition. When Gangplank is available, he should also be included even though this champion is weak and the 4 Mercenaries trait does not provide any benefits, but he is still a necessary name for the mid-game phase.
At levels 6 and 7, when Tahm Kench is not yet available, players need to have Chemtech – Brawler champions to enhance the durability of the entire team. Particularly, this is the phase where players need to have Urgot – the main damage dealer for the late game in the composition. Therefore, equipping Urgot with the correct items is also a necessary requirement.
By the late game, the composition will be completed at level 8 with the appearance of Tahm Kench, consisting of: Tahm Kench – Dr. Mundo – Zac – Gangplank – Urgot – Miss Fortune – Quinn – Illaoi.
Strengths and Weaknesses
This is a composition where both sides will address the weaknesses of the remaining traits. Chemtech will solve the issues of durability and damage for Mercenaries while Mercenaries will help Chemtech acquire the necessary items. Furthermore, the explosiveness from Tahm Kench at the end of the game will allow players to “turn the tide” if the fights become tricky, even potentially neutralizing key opponents’ champions.
However, the weakness lies in the risk associated with playing around Mercenaries, as TFT players are already very familiar with. Therefore, this composition also requires players to have suitable traits, good enough items, and especially the ability to arrange the composition and read situations to avoid falling into too many consecutive losses without bouncing back. Another weakness is that the composition requires some champions to be at least 3 stars, but overall, this factor can be remedied by the presence of Mercenaries.