Warmog’s Armor
With only 1000 health and no defensive effects, Warmog’s Armor was considered one of the most “useless” items in Season 4. However, in Season 5, this item suddenly became extremely popular and is being combined frequently. The reason is that many tank champions now come with strong defensive effects from their skills. Therefore, champions like Rell and Pantheon need the large health from Warmog’s Armor to ensure they can use their abilities.
Additionally, with Mordekaiser becoming a very strong carry champion alongside the Legion team, Warmog’s Armor is used even more. Basically, when using his ability, Mordekaiser creates a shield equivalent to 50% of his maximum health for 5 seconds. With the large health from Warmog’s Armor, Mordekaiser can have an incredibly strong shield. This will help Mordekaiser deal significant damage in the late game.
Frozen Heart
In Season 5, Frozen Heart underwent a small change with its range increased to 2 tiles, but its attack speed slow effect decreased to 35%. Essentially, the current Frozen Heart is not much different from its state in Season 4. However, this item is being combined much more than before as it can counter the meta very effectively. With the popularity of carries like Draven and Aphelios, the attack speed reduction effect of Frozen Heart is extremely important.
Another factor making Frozen Heart valuable in Season 5 is the Dark Tech – Assassin composition, which is currently very strong. By combining Frozen Heart for Assassin units, you can significantly reduce the damage output from opponents and help LeBlanc to comfortably cast her abilities. Even if you’re not playing the Dark Tech – Assassin team, the combo of Frozen Heart and Diana is still incredibly powerful and fits many compositions.
Statikk Shiv
This item was continuously nerfed by Riot Games in Season 4, from its base damage to the effect of dealing additional damage to targets affected by crowd control. Even with the addition of a magic resistance reduction effect, this item was completely overlooked by Teamfight Tactics players. The reason is very understandable, as the Mage champions in Season 4 had terrible attack speed and could not utilize this item effectively.
However, in Season 5, Statikk Shiv shines in an unexpected way, becoming the core item for Ziggs in the Demon team. With the Demon trait increasing attack speed, Ziggs can activate the effect of Statikk Shiv continuously and deal significant damage. The magic resistance reduction effect of this item also enhances Ziggs’s abilities considerably. This is considered the perfect item for the Demon composition to snowball the game from early on.