If you played Teamfight Tactics from Season 4 and earlier, you would know that Bloodthirster was once a completely useless item. Especially in Seasons 3 and 4, where damage-dealing compositions dominated, the additional lifesteal effect was virtually meaningless. Instead of Bloodthirster, players often opted for items with strong physical damage capabilities like Infinity Edge, Rapid Firecannon, or Giant Slayer for their carries.
However, everything changed rapidly from Season 5 onwards when Bloodthirster gradually became an extremely strong item. If you pay attention, you will see that most team composition guide websites currently recommend combining Bloodthirster for physical carries. It can be said that Bloodthirster has transformed from a completely useless item in previous seasons to a core item for most current physical carries.
The first factor affecting Bloodthirster is that Riot has adjusted the effects of this item slightly. Previously, Bloodthirster only had lifesteal stats, which were not enough for the champion using it to survive. However, in Season 5, Bloodthirster now also provides a shield for the champion when they fall below a certain health threshold. This gives your team’s carry a better chance of surviving to utilize Bloodthirster’s lifesteal effect.
However, the fact that Riot reworked Bloodthirster is only half the reason for this item’s transformation. The main reason for Bloodthirster’s popularity comes from the gameplay of Teamfight Tactics Season 5, which emphasizes traits and classes with defensive effects. The most notable examples are the overwhelming popularity of the Knight class and the Armored trait, which are present in almost all meta compositions.
When players have to spend many positions in their comp to bring defensive units into play, activating many damage-dealing traits and classes is nearly impossible. Your carry will then deal less damage in a short time and needs to survive as long as possible to be effective. Therefore, Bloodthirster becomes increasingly important for physical carries.
Furthermore, with the popularity of Vel’Koz, Bloodthirster becomes even more crucial as it helps carries survive the first use of Life Form Disintegration Ray. If your Aphelios, Draven, or Lucian does not have Bloodthirster, they can easily be taken down by additional damage from Syndra or Lux, for example.
In summary, in Season 5, Riot’s rework of Bloodthirster has made this item no longer seem so bad in the eyes of players. Furthermore, the gameplay of Season 5 requires physical carries to have good survivability to deal damage, making Bloodthirster even more valued. It can be said that Bloodthirster is currently the most significant rework product from Riot Games.
