The Rise of the Hidden Blade Faction in TFT Season 12
To put it mildly, the Hidden Blade faction has received a lot of favoritism from Riot Games in version 14.17 of TFT Season 12. Specifically, the damage output increase for champions holding the Hidden Blade has seen a significant boost at high thresholds such as 4-5 champions. Furthermore, Hecarim has also received extremely valuable buffs in both defensive (health) and offensive (ability damage) stats. As a result, the Hidden Blade team has gained significantly more power, allowing players to combine it with many other strong factions and traits.
Taking advantage of Riot’s buff, top players in the LPL Super Server have combined it with the Warrior duo of Fiora – Gwen and have achieved very promising results. Essentially, buffs from the Hidden Blade faction such as damage output (from the Blade), attack damage (from Hecarim), or true damage on abilities (from Xerath) have greatly enhanced the power of Fiora and Gwen. Additionally, since it consists of many valuable 4-5 cost champions, the Hidden Blade – Warrior team also ensures considerable strength in the late game.
Building a Hidden Blade – Warrior Team in TFT Season 12
In the early game, players should start with 2 units Akali – Kassadin and combine them with another unit to activate the 3 champion threshold. The reason is that both Akali and Kassadin are excellent item holders for later carries like Fiora and Gwen. This allows players to start crafting items early to look for a winning streak and maintain a lot of health in the early game.
In the mid-game, valuable 3-cost units like Hecarim and Shen will be excellent additions. They both increase the durability of the team with the 2 Guardian threshold while helping players accumulate attack speed from the Fire faction. Moreover, players should also purchase an Ahri unit to activate the Hidden Blade effect to increase the necessary attack stats for the carries.
After reaching level 8, players will spend gold to search for Fiora – Gwen and upgrade them to 2 stars as quickly as possible. If economic conditions allow, pushing to level 9 will help players complete the team with Xerath and the full Hidden Blade threshold. Additionally, Varus is also a good choice as a ranged damage dealer if players have enough resources to craft items for this unit.
Some Notes When Building the Hidden Blade – Warrior Team
After the slight rework in patch 14.17, Gwen is now much stronger when equipped with Blue Buff. Therefore, players should craft this item for Gwen and combine it with Bloodthirster and Rabadon’s Deathcap. Moreover, the upgrades that provide Hidden Blade are always extremely powerful, so players should choose them whenever possible to maximize the team’s strength. Upgrades that grant many items are also a strong choice for a team composition with multiple carries like Hidden Blade – Warrior.