Rapid Firecannon
Without changing any stats and merely adding the simple description “Your attacks cannot be dodged”, Rapid Firecannon has shot to prominence as one of the most crucial items for all carries. Essentially, Teamfight Tactics will not change too much after the upcoming mid-season update; physical damage compositions are still very strong, so items that provide dodge capabilities like Duelist Gloves + defensive items are extremely important.
By completely eliminating the possibility of being dodged, powerful carries in the game like Jhin, Jinx, or the latest addition Kog’Maw can freely unleash their firepower, obliterating opponents without fear of damage loss. Of course, it’s not always the case that opponents have many Thief’s Gloves to counter you, but being cautious is never a bad thing, right?
The Introduction of Blue Buff
Blue Buff is the replacement for the Rod of Ages in the current version; Riot recognized that the energy regeneration capability of this item was too powerful and unbalanceable, hence the change. The effect of Blue Buff will be: “Whenever a champion casts a spell, their maximum mana is reduced to 20,” and now each champion can only hold one of this item.
With this change, Blue Buff will gain even more value on champions with high mana, possessing dangerous skills that can end games exceptionally well, rather than giving it to some low-mana unit and forcing them to cast spells continuously as in the case of Sona. Riot doesn’t want to see a second Candyland, so they revamped this item into Blue Buff.
Chalice of Harmony Remade into Chalice of Power
Similarly to Rod of Ages, Chalice of Harmony was a crucial part that made the Candyland composition dominate in the first half of season 3. Therefore, Riot has removed this item and replaced it with Chalice of Power, an upgraded version that increases AP like Zeke’s Herald but no longer grants energy regeneration “like water” as it did before.
This change significantly reduces the essence of this item; instead of increasing energy, it boosts the skills of your team’s carries, making it suitable for compositions that deal heavy damage. Perhaps the Sorcerer or Pirate compositions will be the most promising candidates to utilize this chalice.
Infinity Edge Always Crits
You heard that right; in the next patch, Infinity Edge will grant you a 100% critical hit chance, while the critical damage will be significantly lower. However, that’s enough to make this item overpowered. Infinity Edge will interact extremely well with Blue Bow, allowing you to reduce opponents’ armor right from the first hit, thus taking down the front line of the enemy much faster.
The combination of Infinity Edge + Blue Bow is the reason why the Brawler – Gunner composition, despite losing its key piece Miss Fortune, still remains at the top of the strongest compositions. By equipping these two items to Lucian, he can carry the entire team through to the end of the game even at just two-star level. Moreover, your carry can then hold items that deal actual damage, while Lucian can inflict enough effects to soften up the opponents.
