Elise
In patch 11.8 of Teamfight Tactics, the Cultist composition remains incredibly strong and sits at the top of the meta. Therefore, all Cultist Elite units, including Elise, are worthy investments for players. By acquiring Elise early as a Cultist Elite, you will have additional slots in your team composition to find ways to augment damage and tankiness for your other units. For example, using Sniper units can increase damage for Sivir during the mid-game.
Even if you purchase Elise in the Guardian Elite form, this unit will still help players secure victories. With the ability to activate a shield when in the Guardian Elite form, Elise will ensure that the remaining units in the composition survive and deal damage much more effectively. During the mid-game, Elise will help you reach the crucial milestone of 4 Guardians effortlessly. Of course, you won’t hold onto Elise in the Guardian Elite form until the end of the game, but she remains a very strong unit in the early game.
Maokai
This tree has incredibly strong base stats, so obtaining a 2-star Maokai through the Elite system will give you a significant advantage in the early game. Moreover, if you manage to get Maokai in the Fighter Elite form, this unit will also self-heal. Even if you don’t acquire other Fighter units, Maokai can already withstand damage very well. With just a Liandry’s Anguish or Zz’Rot Portal, Maokai will ensure you have a winning streak that is anything but short.
If you purchase Maokai in the Spirit Guardian form alongside Nunu & Willump, you will have an incredibly beefy frontline. Both of these units have substantial health with the Fighter effect, and reaching the 3 Spirit milestone makes them even stronger with added armor and magic resistance. However, this is just a “stopgap” strategy in the mid-game. The advice is to sell Maokai in the Spirit Guardian form later and roll for a stronger unit.
Tristana
While the two names mentioned above focus on tankiness, Tristana’s strength lies in her ability to deal devastating damage. With additional skill damage when in the Elite form, Tristana can achieve a terrifying attack speed when using her abilities without needing items. You can have confidence in your team’s damage output just by acquiring Tristana Elite. If you can activate the Dragon effect, players can look forward to a long winning streak in the early game.
Furthermore, Tristana also serves as an effective item holder for your main carry, whether you receive items that boost physical or magical damage. This allows players to start crafting items early, and the transition of team compositions during the mid-game becomes much smoother. The most appropriate time to sell Tristana Elite is during levels 6-7. At that point, you will have a higher chance of acquiring 3-gold Elite units that can shape your gameplay.