Teamfight Tactics season 5.5 is nearing its end, and at this moment, Riot has started to release information about the upcoming season 6, which is certainly attracting most of the attention from the gaming community. However, this does not stop the players of TFT from coming up with unique yet effective metas to counter the ongoing “same composition” issue at various ranks. Among them, we must mention Thresh “One Hook One Kill” who has proven to be quite effective recently.
Overview and Operation
Thresh is one of the hottest champions right now when combined with Nautilus, creating a deadly crowd control combo. Especially, Thresh has the ability to counter most team compositions that tend to keep their carries at the edge of the battlefield. With Thresh’s crowd control lasting 2/3/4 seconds at each level, that duration is enough to turn defeat into victory.
If you use Thresh “One Hook One Kill,” it’s essential for this champion to reach 3 stars. With a cost of 2 gold, this isn’t a difficult requirement. However, players need to ensure they have at least 2 Thresh 2 stars early on, as this unit is highly contested at the moment. The second factor for the “unique” composition revolving around Thresh to operate smoothly is that the player must play a Shadow Isles composition, and Thresh must have the right items.
With a cost of 2 gold, Thresh can appear from rounds 1 and 2, so players need to grab all Thresh units that appear in the selection, even if it means dipping into their gold reserve. At the same time, Thresh will work best with Nautilus, so it’s crucial to arrange for these two champions to deploy together. In the early game, using just 1 to 2 damage dealers is sufficient, and players should prioritize 3-star units if possible. The reason is that players need to focus on finding Thresh and the 3-star units provide just enough power without requiring players to concentrate their economy on upgrading too early.
For this composition to operate optimally, it is essential that by round 3-1 at the latest until round 4-1, players must have Thresh at 3 stars, even if it means spending all their economy to roll. The reason is that in round 3-6, players will have their first pick of Light items, and in round 4-2, it will be the last free item pick (after 4-3, it will only be common picks and rounds of battling monsters with random items that are heavily contested). Therefore, if by round 4-1, players cannot achieve Thresh at 3 stars or do not have the right items, they need to change their composition immediately to avoid wasting economy and being ineffective.
Additionally, another factor to maximize Thresh’s effectiveness is activating the 6 Shadow Isles trait. This is entirely achievable since the Shadow Isles composition only has Viego as the expensive and hardest unit to obtain. The rest, including Draven, can be obtained early and reach the necessary level by level 6. Among these, Vayne provides true damage, Miss Fortune has multi-target damage, Draven and Viego are quality damage sources in the late game, while Hecarim offers defensive capabilities. Furthermore, although fragile, Shadow Isles can compensate for defense with a well-arranged composition and favorable items.
At the end of the game, players only need to reach level 8 to have a complete 6 Shadow Isles composition: Vayne – Thresh – Hecarim – Miss Fortune – Draven – Viego – Nautilus – Rell. If they reach level 9, they can add Akshan/Gwen to thicken the composition and provide additional diversity in attack.
Strengths and Weaknesses
The strength of this composition is that it takes advantage of the power of a low-cost champion (Thresh costs only 2 gold) while utilizing the highest potential (excluding trait items) of the Shadow Isles composition. Additionally, with a low cost, Thresh can be easily upgraded without impacting the player’s economy. This is also considered one of the strongest crowd control compositions, gathering 3 names: Thresh – Nautilus – Rell. As mentioned above, the composition revolving around Thresh can practically feature any carry, with Rell – Nautilus at the front providing both stun and knock-up, while at the back, no one is safe from Thresh’s hook without a Trap Claw or a Quicksilver.
However, the weaknesses of this composition stem from its dependency on too many factors. First, Thresh must reach 3 stars. Second, the items are crucial. Thresh at 3 stars certainly needs items, and names like Draven and Vayne often require similar items, while Viego also needs items to maximize his skills. Particularly, if any one of these factors is lacking (insufficient trait activation, lack of proper items, or failure to achieve Thresh at 3 stars), then all the effort put into building the composition can be in vain. This is particularly dangerous, especially for players who are not used to adapting their compositions based on items.
In summary, the Thresh “One Hook One Kill” composition is a “unique and rare” playstyle that is rarely replicated, but it requires a lot from the player in terms of champion selection, item selection, situational judgment, and of course, luck. However, if given the chance, players can certainly try it out, and many will be surprised by the effectiveness that the Chain Warden brings.