Just a few patches ago, Infinity Edge was an extremely hot item fiercely contested in Teamfight Tactics. However, at this moment, this item has seen a significant drop in usage and is being rated relatively low by statistical sites. Notably, this item has not been nerfed throughout the ongoing Season 5. So what has caused Infinity Edge to suddenly be rated so low?
The first reason for the decline in Infinity Edge’s effectiveness is that its ability to ignore evasion often does not activate. In the current Teamfight Tactics meta, only Nidalee has evasion capabilities. This champion is not particularly popular or frequently seen, so the evasion-ignoring effect of Infinity Edge holds little significance.
Furthermore, most of the popular ranged carries in the current meta have very long attack ranges of 4 to 5 squares (except for Draven). With such long ranges, these carries do not need to move to deal damage to the opponent’s formation. Therefore, the additional 1 square of range provided by Infinity Edge is not very valuable in the current meta.
Another significant reason is that melee carries are gradually disappearing from the Teamfight Tactics meta in recent patches. Essentially, Infinity Edge helps melee carries deal damage from a safe distance during matches. This item also allows melee units to save movement time and have more space to deal damage.
However, in a meta where Rell remains a highly popular frontline unit, the damage output from champions like Lucian, Draven, Kayle, and Aphelios is so high that melee carries find it hard to survive. Clearly, when the champions that utilize Infinity Edge effectively have no place in the meta, the item’s appeal diminishes.
Another drawback of Infinity Edge is that it requires two Wooden Bows to build, which are very valuable standalone items at the moment. Players now have too many other strong options to increase damage, such as Guinsoo’s Rageblade, Runaan’s Hurricane, and Bow of Green… so using two Wooden Bows to craft Infinity Edge is seen as too wasteful.
In conclusion, with low practical effectiveness and not being strong enough in the current meta, Infinity Edge is gradually becoming an undervalued item. This item might only be used in a few setups featuring Yasuo or Riven as carries. Perhaps Riot should consider revamping this item in the future to make it more useful instead of leaving it in its current weak state.