Right after patch 12.1 was released, the meta of Teamfight Tactics changed completely as Assassins compositions are rising very strongly. In fact, according to some statistical websites, teams using Assassins currently have the highest top 4 rate. For instance, the Assassin Gang has a 58.2% chance of making it to the top 4, while a 6 Assassin composition has a 55.8% chance.
Of course, in a match, you can’t force yourself to play Assassins since this composition heavily relies on items and needs to roll key champions to 3 stars. So how can you play other compositions while still being able to counter the currently hot Assassins team? Let’s explore the tips below from Challenger players.
As we know, the greatest strength of the Assassin class is its ability to directly reach the backline of the opponent at the beginning of the round. However, if this action cannot be executed, the Assassins will become extremely weak as they can easily be taken down by the enemy’s key champions from a safe distance. Moreover, they will also spend a lot of time taking down your frontline.
Therefore, to counter Assassins, items and effects that can prevent these units from jumping are extremely important. The Sword of the Divine is a good choice as it helps you disable one enemy unit. If used well, you can completely disrupt the damage-dealing key champion of your opponent and make them waste damage on the frontline. You can do this more easily if the opponent is playing the Idol system.
The effect of the Guardian trait can also achieve this by disabling the unit with the most health on the enemy team. Remember that Assassin players often try to push their key champions to 3 stars, naturally giving them high health. Therefore, when activating the Guardian effect, the opponent’s key Assassin will be completely controlled and their impact significantly reduced.
Additionally, another effective way to counter Assassins is to use Guardian units. Besides having a large amount of armor, the taunt ability of Guardians will draw the attacks of Assassin units. This allows your built-backline key champions to have more space to deal damage in the later stages of the match.
Among the Guardian units, you should use Blitzcrank as the best counter option. The dominant point of Assassins is that they disrupt the enemy team’s formation by attacking tank units. However, with Blitzcrank, this unit will remain still at the beginning of the round and only use its skill. When pulling back, surrounding units will also attack the target. This way, your formation will not be too disrupted, minimizing the risk of key champions being taken down when facing Assassins.
