Teamfight Tactics is one of the most beloved game modes of League of Legends. Since its launch, this game has gone through six seasons and is preparing to enter 6.5. It’s no longer just a game mode for League of Legends players to unwind after intense hours on the Summoner’s Rift; TFT is gaining more recognition. In fact, Riot even plans to turn this game mode into a standalone title, separate from League of Legends.
TFT is also a rare game mode that has a vast community and its own tournaments, ranging from small amateur competitions to large-scale events like the World Championship for professional TFT players. However, due to this, what was once often called a “luck-based game” now requires players to calculate meticulously to secure victories, alongside the critical factor of luck.
Recently, in a TFT tournament, a player demonstrated not only his “godly” calculations but also left the audience laughing uncontrollably. Specifically, this player, named DQA, encountered a situation during the Rift Herald round where only he and another player named Pockygom were left to face off. This match was part of the North American regional qualifiers for the TFT World Championship.
Both players utilized compositions with the Sentinel trait, so DQA decided to bench his two key champions, Jinx and Kai’Sa, with the confidence that the remaining champions would be sufficient to defeat the Rift Herald. However, the Rift Herald, equipped with a Infinity Edge, dealt significantly more damage than DQA anticipated. The remaining champions were insufficient, and DQA ended up “self-destructing” as he was taken down by the Herald.
In reality, DQA’s intention to bench his two key champions to avoid them being affected by the Sentinel trait was entirely correct. The only issue was that he was overly confident in the remaining champions, leading to a moment of “grounded” processing. Not only did he fail, but he also left the commentators stunned, while the audience and possibly even his opponent Pockygom could hardly believe such a victory happened in that manner.
This illustrates that no matter how carefully calculations are made in TFT, the fundamental aspect of this game mode remains: luck. Just one oversight or an unfortunate moment can lead players to “regret” their calculations.