Illaoi
To say that Illaoi greatly benefits from the current meta in TFT in recent versions is not an exaggeration, thanks to her incredibly strong tribe – system. There was a time when the Spirit tribe became overwhelmingly strong due to the huge additional damage, making Illaoi highly sought after. In the recent meta that favors magic damage dealers, Illaoi is even more in demand as she serves as an excellent tank in Mage compositions.
Even after the increase in the 3-cost champion rate in patch 14.12, Illaoi is even more sought after by players looking to upgrade her to 3 stars. This has led to Illaoi, despite not possessing an overly “dominant” skill, always facing fierce competition for acquisition. According to statistics from Metatft.com, Illaoi’s purchase rate currently stands at a staggering 35.4%.
Galio
The Warlord in TFT is an extremely strong tribe providing a free Kayle unit on the board with decent damage and versatility. Compositions using variants of Warlord are highly favored by players due to their safety and effective rank climbing. Therefore, Galio is highly sought after as a 4-cost Warlord champion, possessing significant tankiness and versatility.
Moreover, the rise of Kai’Sa recently has made Galio even more “scarce”. Although they do not have direct interactions, since they are both 4-cost champions, Galio and Kai’Sa often pair together to create a significant power spike at level 8. With Kai’Sa remaining an incredibly strong carry and the Warlord tribe providing immense value, it’s no surprise that Galio boasts a purchase rate of up to 29.7% at this time.
Nautilus
Although Nautilus does not possess the same tankiness as Galio, he has another extremely powerful weapon: wide-area crowd control. This ability can affect even the backline of opponents, making Nautilus an incredibly important champion for controlling teamfights in TFT. With numerous backline carries like Lux, Teemo, Janna… rising in recent times, Nautilus’ crowd control has become even more valuable.
Furthermore, this champion indirectly benefits from patch 14.13 when Riot buffed the Marksman system. At that time, the Guardian champions (including Nautilus) were also more favored as they played a crucial role in creating space for Marksman champions to deal damage. This has led to Nautilus having an extremely high pick rate (up to 26.6%) in the current patch 14.13.