Completely breaking the spontaneous gameplay of “luck-based chess”, Riot Games is transforming the meta into a battleground where only the strongest compositions survive. Among them, Jarvan and the Black Mist team are gradually becoming a dominating force in meta 10.14. There is even a player who shared his secret of using the 6 Black Mist composition with a 100% top 4 rate at Master rank. Here’s his handy guide:
First, here are some basic compositions you can choose at levels 7, 8, and 9:
*Note: Equip any items you have on the corresponding champions, no need for as many items as in the pictures.
After reviewing some compositions for each level above, you can check the analysis of strength and gameplay guidance below:
Why play Black Mist?
Currently, Black Mist is one of the top compositions in the meta, arguably the number one. Riot has buffed 5 out of 6 Black Mist champions, except for Xerath. The only reason Xerath wasn’t buffed is that this sorcerer has one of the highest DPS in the game.
Even when Black Mist is not typically regarded as a top-tier composition, the synergy between Jarvan, Karma, and Xerath in the late game has always been dangerous.
The passive of Black Mist increases damage each time any ally is taken down, so you need to ensure your main carry survives until the end. We can secure that with Karma’s shield and Guardian Angel.
About Jarvan IV
Currently, Jarvan is indeed a phenomenon in meta 10.14, but I believe many are being “tricked” by Jarvan and are using him incorrectly.
Jarvan 2-star with the Guardian trait activated along with a Blood Armor will definitely carry the team strongly until the Stone Golem round, often helping you maintain 75 health or more by round 4-1, and can even create a winning streak all the way to round 4-3.
As strong as he is, however, Jarvan can stall in the mid to late game. I’m not saying Jarvan isn’t strong; he’s very solid with a 100-200% attack speed buff for the whole team, but the difference between Jarvan with 1 item and Jarvan with 3 items is not significant. Jarvan in the late game can get eliminated by Jhin and Syndra easily. If you stack too many items on Jarvan, your damage carries will be “starved”.
Moreover, the difference between having 2 and 4 Guardians is not substantial. If you play Black Mist, then 6 Black Mist + 2 Guardians will always be stronger in the late game; 4 Guardians are unnecessary for Jarvan.
Strengths:
The strongest composition when all champions reach 2 stars or more, you can achieve at least top 2 if you meet this condition (excluding scenarios where you encounter “bugged” 3-star champions like Irelia, Syndra, or Cassiopeia).
Leverage the strength from the beginning to the end with the hottest champion in the meta – Jarvan.
This is a highly flexible composition, capable of utilizing many champions with different traits.
Weaknesses:
I think this composition is quite demanding on the player, as Assassins and Marksmen are somewhat tricky champions to use in Teamfight Tactics. The most important thing when using these champions is positioning, so checking the map of other players is particularly prioritized.
Since various champions can be used in the mid-game, you need to effectively substitute champions as necessary. If possible, you can turn this weakness into an advantage during this phase.
Priority Items
First shop visit: Belt > BF Sword > Cloth Armor / Gauntlet.
Jarvan: Warmog’s Armor > Thornmail > Silence Cloak > Magic Resistance Items
Shaco: Guardian Angel > Bloodthirster / Infinity Edge > Iceborn Gauntlet / Rapid Firecannon / Giant Slayer / any item that increases physical damage
Xerath: Sorcerer’s Hat > Guinsoo’s Rageblade / Protective Gloves > Spell Shield
Jhin: Guardian Angel > any item that increases physical damage
Fizz: Thief’s Glove / Iceborn Gauntlet > Stormrazor
Karma: Shojin’s Spear > Blue Buff
How to roll and manage gold
I think you should save starting from round 2-1, however, I see many players are quite bold and also have certain advantages. So if you see a chance to maintain a winning streak, you should also play boldly. There are 3 main ways to roll when playing this composition: round 3-5 (level 7), round 4-1 (level 7), and round 4-3 (level 8).
Round 3-5 at level 7: At this stage, I advise you to look for strong items for Shaco like Guardian Angel and Bloodthirster. Moreover, if no one is playing Shaco or if you’re low on health, rolling for a 2-star Shaco at this round will help you stabilize health better, and you might even hold on and save gold to level up to 9.
Round 4-1 at level 7: Still for the same reason to roll as above, but you should decide whether to roll based on the compositions of other players or roll to maintain more health as a buffer.
Round 4-3 at level 8: At this point, you can roll heavily to get Jayce and Wukong along with other late-game champions in your composition.
When should you grab champions while still maintaining gold?
You can hold onto Karma and Ashe when you have over 40 gold, but if you get them early, you might as well play the mid-game composition too. Take every Shaco the shop sells you, because as I mentioned, a 2-star Shaco with 2 items can carry the team strongly. Jhin can be played at any time as long as you have the Marksman activation.
