For the TFT Season 10, we will witness for the first time in a long time that Riot has decided to eliminate the mid-season phase to invest more in a single main season. This has both advantages and disadvantages; the most obvious is that players will not have access to any new champions or items or changes. However, the main benefit is that Riot will have time and conditions to further improve the current season, as well as make adjustments to allow players to freely innovate their strategies further.
With a series of strong physical damage champions like Yasuo and Yone being heavily “nerfed”, players have had to seek out new, more diverse sources of damage. Recently, Annie the Sorcerer has gained popularity, especially among players ranked Platinum and above. With a 3-star Annie the Sorcerer, players can easily secure victory and even reach the top position. This team boasts a top 1 rate of up to 9.6% and a top 4 rate of 56%.
Overview and Gameplay
Among the 1-cost champions with high magic power in TFT Season 10, Annie stands out impressively. Even sturdy units like Vex or units from the Guardian tribe may not withstand more than 2 hits from Annie if they are equipped correctly. Particularly, if the 6 Sorcerers are activated along with proper items (such as Archangel’s Staff, Giant Slayer…), Annie’s damage potential becomes even more impressive. The fact that she can “one shot one kill” an opponent’s champion is not far-fetched.
Moreover, Annie’s Sorcerer – Emo tribe easily synergizes with champions that can boost damage (Lulu, Seraphine), provide good tanking (Ekko, Amumu, Neeko), and those that add damage at the end of the game such as Ahri and Akali. Therefore, using Annie is considered a good choice, suitable for the current meta, and easy to build a team around.
Building the Team
Annie the Sorcerer’s first strength is her low cost, allowing players to easily obtain at least 2 two-star Annies shortly after the early game. However, with the Superstar effect, players must choose the Superstar Annie the Sorcerer to achieve the best tribe bonuses. Additionally, during this phase, players can combine her with Kennen and Lilia, along with K’Sante or Seraphine (if available) to establish a sufficiently stable team at the beginning of the match.
Moving into the mid-game phase, stronger tanks and more Sorcerers need to be added. Thus, Ekko, Lulu, and Neeko need to be included in the match. These will also be crucial mainstays, so players must equip them with the necessary items to tank effectively and boost Annie’s power as well as provide sufficient crowd control.
At the end of the match, champions like Ahri and Akali will appear to complete the team. Since Annie is the main carry, champions like Akali or Ahri not having items is not a problem.
The completed team at level 9: Annie – Kennen – Lilia – Ekko – Neeko – Akali – Ahri – Lulu – Amumu.
Strengths and Weaknesses
In the early game, this team will be somewhat weak and will struggle to withstand some champions with good early damage like Yasuo, Yone, Vi, or Jinx. Additionally, since Annie is a 1-cost champion, players need to reach 3 stars as quickly as possible and equip her with the right items. However, this is still a team that is easy to operate. Annie will be extremely effective if surrounded by solid shields, providing durability and allowing this champion enough time to deal damage to enemy targets.