League of Legends TFT: Previewing the item changes in Patch 10.1

Riot Games /

A big set of item changes in TFT have hit the League of Legends PBE and we have the full breakdown.

League of Legends may be done with patches and updates for 2019, but there is still plenty of intrigue to be found on the PBE. Of course, it’s not just Summoners Rift that’s gotten early Christmas presents. There are a bunch of changes to TFT items that hit the PBE last night.

That’s right, yesterday Riot announced a huge slate of changes coming to Patch 10.1 next year. These include the addition of three new items and major changes to four others. Here’s what to look for in Patch 10.1 and what it might mean for the meta.

New items

Last Whisper (Replaces Repeating Crossbow)

"When the wearer inflicts a critical hit, the target’s Armor is reduced by 90% for 3 seconds."

Thank God we’re done with this pretense that Repeating Crossbow was actually an item that anyone ever wanted. Last Whisper is a pretty interesting item because, in theory, it massively helps Assassin comps.

It also has a decent build path for Assassins (Recurve Bow + Sparring Gloves) so I think this could actually an item worth buying. The problem is that, since it’s on the Recurve Bow build path it’s going to have to compete with a lot of better items like Shiv, PD, Guinsoo’s and Runaan’s. That said, it should have a nice home if you’re going an Assassin comp.

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Bramble Vest (Replaces Thornmail)

"Negates bonus damage from critical hits on the wearer. When the wearer is hit by a Basic Attack, a hail of thorns hits nearby enemies for 80/120/160 magic damage (increases with the holder’s star level and can only damage once per second)."

This is a great change because right now Thornmail is basically only good on Braum and maybe an off-tank like a Berserker. This change not only makes it a very good front-line item (great for Wardens) but it also acts as a great counter for enemies who clump their team. It’s also the first item that scales with star-level, so it’s definitely going to be more powerful when big frontline comps are strong (old Darius and Garen wish they could have had this).

Titan’s Resolve (Replaces Phantom Dancer)

"When the wearer is hit by a source of damage, they gain a 2.5% stacking damage increase (stacks infinitely)."

I like the idea of this item, sort of a Nasus Q in item form. However, I do not like the idea of removing PD in favor of this item.

By doing this, Riot is basically throwing up their hands and saying the item is unbalanceable, and I think that’s just plain not true. I think there’s every possibility that PD could be balanced so that it gives an opportunity to counter Assassins while also not making them completely negated. In any case, this will be great for attack speed carries and for the Assassins who can now kill them easily.

Item updates

Iceborn Gauntlet

"Old: Creates a zone of ice that expands when the wearer Dodges, slowing enemies’ Attack Speed by 25%.New: After casting a spell, the wearer’s next Basic Attack freezes the target for 1.5 seconds."

I was actually kind of a fan of the old IBG, since it could be super effective in certain comps like Cloud or on certain champions like Jax. Now, this item is basically a guaranteed Glacial proc/old Sejuani ult. If this is an on-hit effect, it would synergize like gangbusters with Blademasters or Runaan’s.

Quicksilver

"Old: Prevents the next crowd control effect applied to the wearer. Refreshes every 3 seconds.New: The wearer is immune to crowd control effects."

So this item went from being kind of troll to being OP into certain comps. I think it would actually be massive more on off-carries than backline carries, so putting it on a Singed or Renekton could be OP.

Frozen Heart

"Old: Reduces the Attack Speed of nearby enemies by 25%.New: Reduces the Attack Speed of nearby enemies by 40% (stacking increases the radius of this effect)."

This is basically just a straight-up buff to the item since it gives more attack speed and spreads in a wider radius as it stacks up. Riot notes that attack speed is the premium stat in TFT and I couldn’t agree more. Nice to see that the anti-AS item is actually getting some teeth put into it.

Ionic Spark

"Old: Whenever an enemy casts their Ability, they take 90 true damage.New: Enemies within 3 hexes that cast a spell are zapped, taking magic damage equal to 200% of their max Mana."

The biggest problem with Ionic Spark was that its impact wasn’t obvious. It was never really clear when the effect was procced. Now, giving it a big AoE impact will make that impact more obvious.

dark. Next. LoL is again snubbed from the Fandom 250

Locket of the Iron Solari, Statikk Shiv, and Luden’s Echo

"Now scale based on the wearer’s star level"

I agree with this change to Locket, but given how snowbally TFT can be I don’t know if Luden’s and Shiv should be given the same treatment. They’re both incredible early-game items and I think it’s worth the gamble. Locket, of course, is the exception because it’s an AoE effect and it really doesn’t have a huge impact early on.

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