TFT Guide: A Complete Guide to Slow Roll in Teamfight Tactics

In-game screenshot by Josh Tyler. League of Legends/Riot Games /

It’s all the rage in Set 3, so we break down the concept of slow roll in our latest TFT guide!

“Slow rolling” is a term you’ve probably heard crop up a lot in Set 3, particularly when describing certain comps (for instance, Slow Roll Protectors or Valkyries). If you’re a veteran Teamfight Tactics player, you may be thinking it is similar to the hyper roll trend that was prominent in Set 2 and has subsequently fallen out of favor. You are more or less correct, and in our latest TFT guide I will explain what slow rolling is, when to do it, and how to maximize it to win more games!

What is Slow Rolling?

Slow rolling is a theory of economics (“econ”) in TFT that is designed to grant you the most gold possible in the mid and late game stages of a TFT match. The idea is that by not rolling your gold (aka spending on re-rolls of your shop) you can build a larger gold reserve for rolling at a later time.

Unlike the hyper roll strategy, which was focused on gaining as much econ early as fast as you can (even at the expense of lose-streaking early to gain gold), the slow roll strategy is more about getting gold in the mid game. So you won’t be spending all your gold re-rolling 1 and 2-cost units but will instead be aiming for 2 and 3-cost units. The goal is to get as many of these to 3-star as quickly as possible.

How Do I Slow Roll?

Slow rolling is easy to do: you spend the first few rounds building your econ to 50 gold as quickly as possible. You’ll only spend gold to level once (from Level 4 to Level 5, at stage 2-5 after the second Carousel). From that point on, you will only spend gold on re-rolls until you 3-star as many of your key 2 and 3-cost units as you can.

Once you have your key units to 3-stars, you’ll need to econ purely to level up. The key to slow rolling is that you’re not relying on getting 4 or 5-cost units except to round out your comp. If you’re relying on an Irelia, Jinx, Gangplank, or Vel’Koz to carry you late game, this strategy is not for you.

When Should I Slow Roll?

This is a good strategy for any comps that have heavy power-spikes in the mid game and its good when you don’t have a lot of items that naturally synergize with your projected comp. For instance, Space Pirates, Protectors, and Sorcerers all can be maximized with this strategy.

However, when slow rolling you need to make sure that your comp is relatively uncontested. So if at 2-5 you see someone else is also going for a Protectors comp or a Sorcerers comp, you are better off just doing the standard leveling path and getting good items on late game carries.

What are the Risks and Rewards?

The risks are obvious: you might not hit on all your key 2 and 3-cost champs and be left with a lot of units stuck on your bench. This means your comp will overall be weaker than if you had used that gold to level. You will also be way behind your opponents in levels, which means not only will they have more units on the board than you but they will also get first crack at more of the 4 and 5 gold units while you’re still rolling.

The rewards are that, if uncontested, you can get two or three units to 3-stars. That makes you almost unbeatable late game, which is why the strategy is so powerful.

What are the Best Slow Roll Comps?

Protectors

This is the quintessential slow roll comp at the moment and the one I’ve mainly based this TFT guide on. In this comp, you are rolling mainly to get a 3-star Xin Zhao and Rakan. Getting Ashe, Jarvan, and Kassadin to 3-stars is also ideal but not necessary.

Space Pirates

An underrated slow roll comp, you only care about getting Jayce and Darius to 3-star. Of course, it would be nice to get Graves to 3-stars and other Vanguards that would go with Jayce.

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Sorcerers

While most players don’t slow roll Sorcs, to me this is an incredibly powerful comp and the inspiration for this TFT guide. If you can get Syndra and Ahri to 3-stars, you almost auto-win the game. Getting Zoe, Poppy, or Lux to 3-stars is also ideal.

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