Recently, SyFen has perhaps been the biggest nightmare for Teamfight Tactics players as this champion is not only tough but also deals incredible damage. As a result, SyFen has been significantly nerfed lately, and its ability to “carry the team” is no longer as strong as before. However, players have discovered another Shadow Dragon champion, Elise, who is just as annoying, allowing SyFen to no longer have to “carry everything” alone.
Essentially, this “new” Shadow Dragon composition will still use familiar champions like SyFen, Sylas, Thresh, and Elise. However, the special thing here is that you will combine them with Jade Dragon champions like Neeko and Taric to gain both the transformation effect and additional strong healing capabilities. With SyFen’s skill nature, Elise provides a lot of damage, and those defensive effects will help them survive extremely long and secure victories.
For building the composition, you should start with basic Jade Dragon pieces like Taric, Karma, or Ashe. Sett is also a strong choice at this moment as he can activate 3 Dragon Warriors while holding items for SyFen and Elise. You can also add any Guardian champion at level 5 to increase durability.
After that, you will apply a playstyle of keeping gold and leveling up steadily to level 7; if you see SyFen appear early, buy it immediately. This is the first sign to help you determine the direction of building the composition with Shadow Dragon champions. If you manage to buy Elise as well, Gnar is a champion you should have for the transformation effect.
At the end of the game, you will complete the composition by rolling the shop and achieving Elise 3 stars at level 7, then pushing to level 8 and upgrading the necessary champions like Neeko, SyFen, or Sylas. If you can buy Soraka, this is also a significant power addition.
Regarding the technology core, upgrades that boost healing are the most suitable for this composition because, as mentioned above, SyFen and Elise already deal a lot of damage. Ascension is also a strong core because compositions using SyFen are often very “tanky” and can withstand fights for a long time.
When building items, the two most important pieces for Elise will be the Dragon’s Claw and Guinsoo’s Rageblade. For the third item, you should choose the Archangel’s Staff to increase damage when the round drags on. For SyFen, items like Bloodthirster and Giant Slayer are still familiar choices.