After the 11.10 patch of Teamfight Tactics was updated, Aphelios has almost disappeared from the meta as this unit suffered a significant damage reduction to its ability. Consequently, the 4 Ranger composition was also deemed extremely weak, leading players to gradually overlook this setup. However, for top-tier player Lallana, who made it to the top 4 in the Teamfight Tactics: Destiny World Championship, he has a completely different perspective on the 4 Ranger composition.
According to Lallana, the current meta compositions utilize a lot of 4-cost champions like Draven, Jax, Diana, Rell… Therefore, the less popular 4-cost champions like Taric or Aphelios can easily reach 2-star levels. While the power of Taric or Aphelios may not be as dominant as the units in the meta, upgrading them to 2 stars early can give you a significant advantage.
With compositions revolving around Vel’Koz being extremely popular, the Assassin – Shadowplay strategy still exists, making Mystical units very important. Therefore, Lallana has chosen champions like Ryze and Lulu to pair with Kindred to enhance the safety of the Ranger lineup. As Lallana shared, Lulu is a must-buy unit in the mid-game as it provides strong crowd control and attack speed buffs.
As for the frontline choice, Lallana believes that Volibear alone is sufficient to buy time for the Rangers to deal damage in the late game. For this champion to effectively use its ability, you need to equip it with a Guardian Angel to ensure Volibear has the maximum health after reviving. Additionally, Morello’s Evil Tome is also a suitable item for Volibear.
For the backline, you should not place Aphelios at the corner of the battlefield as this champion is very vulnerable to crowd control effects from Thresh or Zyra. You should place Ashe in that position to “bait” dangerous skills from the opponent. If you want to be even more cautious, you should place Varus in the opposite corner to avoid the situation where the opponent changes their formation to counter Aphelios.
Lallana’s advice is not to use 4 Rangers until you find Kindred and Volibear. While your carry may have a high attack speed, bringing 4 Rangers into the game too early will only weaken your frontline. You should operate with 2 Rangers before level 8 and utilize highly versatile units like Nautilus, Lee Sin, Morgana… to ensure the strength of your composition.
If you find that the Ranger lineup isn’t dealing enough damage, adding Darius in the late game is essential. This champion provides you with armor reduction on multiple targets and activates the Shadowborn trait along with Aphelios.
