After the release of Teamfight Tactics 12.1, we can clearly see a shift in the meta as team compositions revolving around Kai’Sa and the Idol system have significantly decreased in popularity. Following that, teams utilizing Urgot have also lost their dominant position with Riot heavily nerfing this unit’s interaction with Statikk Shiv. This opens up opportunities for many new compositions or previously underused team comps to rise.
Among them, the Swain – Empire composition is rising powerfully on the Chinese server. The reason is that this composition has been significantly buffed in patch 12.1 with an increase in Swain’s skill damage and improved snowballing potential from other units like Talon and Samira. This allows players to secure winning streaks easily during levels 5-6 and amass a large amount of gold to roll for 2 core units, Swain and Vex, at 3 stars.
An ideal start for this composition would be to activate the 3 Yordle bonus as early as possible. This will help players increase their chances of obtaining Vex and also provide a significant amount of gold from selling unnecessary units. Additionally, you should ensure your frontline has enough durability with Darius or Blitzcrank combined with Poppy.
In the mid-game, what you need to do is gradually add Mage units to ensure output damage. Swain is the number one choice as this unit has excellent damage and sustain capabilities. If you obtain Malzahar early, you might consider pushing for the 4 Mage bonus. If not, stopping at 2 Mages while adding Talon and Samira to reach 3 Empire units is the play you should aim for.
By level 7, you should look to complete the 3 Empire and 4 Mage bonuses to ensure your composition has a stable amount of power. After that, players will proceed to reroll with the priority of leveling Vex and Swain to 3 stars as quickly as possible. With a core that is both sturdy and has good area damage, players can definitely aim for a high placement.
In terms of technology core priorities, you should choose upgrades that provide gold and items like Tycoon or Pandora’s Box. This type of composition requires a lot of rerolling, so economic factors need to be prioritized. Additionally, the Ancient Shield core is a great upgrade as it provides Swain and Vex with a decent amount of shields. If possible, you can choose the Together We Rule core to increase damage for Talon or Samira to have another source of damage alongside Swain.
In terms of items, Swain should be placed in the front line and equipped with items such as Giant’s Energy Book and Lightning Bow. For the remaining item, you can choose another defensive item like Warmog’s Blood Armor, Thornmail, or an offensive item like Gauntlet of the Guardian. For Vex, items that increase defensive stats such as Warmog’s Blood Armor, Thornmail, and Dragon Claw are always top choices.