When it comes to the tank classes in the current meta, players of Teamfight Tactics will immediately think of Knights and Cavaliers. However, there is another tank class that doesn’t get much attention, and that is Fighters. In fact, according to the evaluation by the specialized site Tftactics.gg, Fighters are considered the worst class in the game, at least since the arrival of Season 5.5.
So what has led to such a low evaluation of Fighters? The most obvious reason is that the Fighter effect only provides health to the champions and does not come with any other benefits. When compared to this same class in Season 4.5 (when the effect also provided additional attack damage), the current Fighters are significantly weaker.
Essentially, health stats are most effective in the early game and gradually lose their value in the mid and late game. With a meta where 4-5 cost carries are currently very strong, the general gameplay of Teamfight Tactics players will be to save gold and level up as quickly as possible. Once players can purchase strong carries like Kayle, Lucian, Aphelios, etc., the large health pool that Fighters possess becomes less meaningful against their damage output.
Furthermore, the versatility and protection capabilities of Fighters are also weaker compared to other tank classes. We need to remember that the effect of the Fighter class only increases health for the champions of this class. Meanwhile, the Knight class effectively helps the entire team absorb damage. Or the champion Rell from the Cavalier class has the ability to shield multiple champions in the team.
Most recently, the Fighter class received an indirect nerf when Volibear was stripped of his ability to negate shields with his ability, Rumble of the Gods. It’s important to remember that classes like Legion, Marksman, or Sorcerer also don’t have particularly powerful effects. However, the fact that these classes have strong champions capable of carrying, like Kayle, Aphelios, and Vel’Koz, prevents them from being rated too poorly. When the strength of the class is already lacking, combined with the strongest unit being heavily nerfed, it’s easy to see why Fighters are currently labeled as a “trash” class.
Due to their current weakness, it’s time for Riot Games to consider reworking the Fighter class to make it at least a bit more useful. They could potentially consider having the Fighter effect increase health for the entire team while reducing the stats that units of this class receive to enhance their protective capabilities. Alternatively, they could also add defensive effects to the skills of the Fighter units to make them more resilient late in the game instead of being easily replaced as they are now.
