In previous articles about Teamfight Tactics: Galactic Infinity, the introduction of cosmic battlefield mechanics by Riot Games was already something extremely novel. Until Riot announced the Mech-Pilot race, which has the ability to merge into a “Super Robot,” the gaming community erupted completely.
However, with the latest PBE update marking the official launch of Teamfight Tactics: Galactic Infinity, these new features are just the tip of the iceberg. Many races and champions with incredibly unique skills and effects have been added to “gacha” by Riot Games. Below are the 5 most bizarre elements that Riot Games has managed to create and implement into the game.
Skill Upgrade Mechanic
This isn’t something entirely new in League of Legends, as champions like Gangplank, Kai’Sa, and Kha’Zix can upgrade their skills under different conditions. The problem is, it’s very difficult to implement this in Teamfight Tactics due to the fast pace of each round and the fact that champions only have one skill. In this season, Riot Games has addressed this by utilizing the characteristic of Teamfight Tactics known as “gacha”.
Specifically, units from the special Mercenary race, Miss Fortune and Gangplank, can upgrade their skills. The unique point is that you cannot directly obtain this upgrade, as it would be too unbalanced; you must purchase the upgrade effect from the shop, meaning you have to exchange “gacha” for the upgrade. Currently, we do not have detailed information about all the upgrades, but it surely has to be worth the 8 gold, more expensive than Lux in season 2.
Lulu Transforms into Multitarget Beast
Transforming into a beast, or Hex in English, is an extremely powerful control effect, even stronger than stunning, as opponents become weak creatures that are both slowed down and unable to use their abilities. In League of Legends, only Lulu has this ability, and in season 3 of Teamfight Tactics, this Yordle sorceress also brings her signature skill into the game.
However, Lulu in Teamfight Tactics costs 5 gold, and being able to Hex only 1 target does not correspond to the price of this champion. Therefore, Riot Games has granted Lulu the ability to transform multiple targets into small and “useless” creatures that can only hop around the battlefield. Of course, defeating those adorable creatures is hard to do, but what can you do? You fight to win after all.
Aurelion Becomes a True Spaceship
If you’re a die-hard fan of the Star Wars franchise, you’re probably familiar with the scene where a bunch of small ships launch from a “mother ship.” In Teamfight Tactics: Galactic Infinity, this is mirrored with the champion Aurelion Sol. Our dragon in season 3 possesses the super bizarre Starship trait, which prevents the champion from attacking.
Instead, Aurelion Sol will fly around the battlefield, and whenever an enemy is nearby, a small ship from this champion will launch out and deal damage to the enemy. Combined with his Rebel trait, Aurelion Sol excites players as it closely resembles battles in Star Wars.
Thresh Can Pull Allies from the Waiting Line
There’s a basic knowledge that every player of Teamfight Tactics knows: champions on the board and in the waiting line do not interact with each other. However, this has changed in season 3, as Thresh, with his signature ability Dark Passage, can pull one or more allies from the waiting line onto the battlefield.
With his cost of 5 gold, Thresh needs to have a skill that significantly impacts the game, and adding a champion to your team without needing Natural Armor is one of those. If you want to pull multiple champions at once, you’ll have to wait until you have a 3-star Thresh, which is extremely difficult and heavily relies on “gacha.”
Ekko Freezes Time for the Entire Round
This is truly a “game-breaking” skill that Riot has added to Teamfight Tactics. The details of this ability are that Ekko will fracture the timeline, freeze all champions, and then attack all enemy champions with bonus magic damage while applying attack effects. It’s uncertain whether this skill is beneficial or detrimental, as it also freezes allied champions when Ekko uses this ability.
There have even been reports of the first game bug involving Ekko on the League of Legends forums. Riot might have a tough time fixing this champion and addressing the bugs that Ekko has caused.