Alongside the popularity of the reroll playstyle, the Undead race is gradually becoming one of the strongest and most popular races in Teamfight Tactics. However, using this race effectively, especially the Transmutant Undead, is not an easy task. In fact, you could end up losing a match regrettably by not maximizing the power of the Undead race. Let’s explore the insights from top 8 North American Challenger player Kiyoon to tackle this issue.
According to Kiyoon, the biggest mistake that players using Undead often make is overloading a single champion with too many items. We need to remember that the Transmutant Undead will possess 1 random item from each Undead champion when the round begins. Therefore, even if you assemble many strong items for a champion like Nunu & Willump or Ryze, only 1 item will be given to the Transmutant Undead.
Furthermore, the Transmutant Undead will take items from the closest Undead champions to the grave. This allows players to control which unit will use which item to deal maximum damage. If you are playing with 4 Undead units, you should position Nunu & Willump farthest from the grave and equip this champion with tank items. For the remaining Undead units, you should distribute offensive items evenly to ensure the Transmutant Undead always takes the best damage-dealing item.
Regarding item build, Kiyoon shared that the 3 items Infinity Edge, Runaan’s Hurricane (both standard and Dark) and Giant Slayer are the items you should assemble for Undead units. You should avoid using items that provide too much healing or attack speed for Undead units since the Transmutant Undead already has skills that enhance those stats. Instead, items that increase direct damage will be far more effective.
The easiest team composition to play with Undead is likely the team comp centered around Sett as the carry. In this case, the Transmutant Undead will solve the problem of Sett and the Fighter units lacking front-line access. When playing this composition, besides Sett as the main carry, you should equip at least one Giant Slayer for Kalista or Ryze to ensure damage output for the Transmutant Undead.
If you have many Wooden Bows from the monster rounds, Kiyoon’s advice is to choose Riven as the carry. This champion is very suitable for the Fighter and Undead units, activating the Legion and Divine effects with Gragas and Kalista. The strength of this composition lies in its relatively strong damage in the mid-game and can help players secure a top 4 finish quite easily.
In case you have strong spell damage items, you can aim for an Undead – Demon composition. Essentially, you will use the Demon composition in the early game and combine it with Brand to ensure damage. After that, you will gradually bring in units like Lulu, Nunu & Willump, or Ryze to activate the Undead race and deal with the backline units of the opponent.
