Teamfight Tactics (TFT) is a free-to-play auto battler game developed and published by Riot Games. It is a spin-off of League of Legends, and is based on the Dota Auto Chess mod. In TFT, players compete online against seven other opponents by building a team of champions to be the last one standing. The champions in TFT are all from League of Legends, and the stories/lore from LoL carry over to the season stories for TFT. (LoL has a LOT of lore, for those interested in knowing the backstories of the champions and their world.)

TFT is a turn-based strategy game. On each turn, players are given a limited amount of gold to spend on purchasing champions from a rotating pool. Champions can be placed on a board in a variety of formations, and each champion has their own unique abilities. Each champion has 1-3 traits, and fielding champions with matching traits grants them additional bonuses.

The goal of TFT is to be the last player standing. Players can achieve this by defeating their opponents’ teams in battle. Battles are resolved automatically, and players can only control the positioning of their champions.

The game is constantly being updated with new champions, traits, and balance changes, so there is always something new to learn. One of the toughest things to learn with each new season for me is which champion is which, since the visuals/champion appearances are changed to go with the story/lore concept of the new season. The champions will often look very different than they did the previous season. There is also usually a half way point in each season where some champs are changed in/out and some of the traits may change, but the overall look and story are consistent to the first half of the season.

Players can chat with each other during the game, but in my experience there isn’t a whole lot of chatting or banter. On the plus side, I very rarely encounter anything remotely toxic inside TFT. (Note that I do not play the ranked mode, so I can’t confirm that the same vibe exists in that mode.)

Choice of Game Modes

Normal

Normal Mode starts tacticians with 100 health. Players will need to balance spending coins on refreshing their champion shop, purchasing champions, and leveling up their tactician. Each level allows players to place one additional champion on the playing field, and increases the odds of having higher tier champions appear in the shop. In between each battle there is a small window for players to purchase champions, move champions around on the play field, and equip items on the champions that provide stat bonuses. Each loss to another player results in taking damaged based on the number and levels of the champions still alive on the winning team. A close battle can result in a small loss of tactician health points, but losing with a large number of the opponents team still up can really drop that HP.

I don’t mind playing Normal Mode, but I do find that the length of the games can tend to run longer than in Hyper Roll. Normal also carries an extra strategy of ‘Economizing’, and trying to balance leveling, obtaining champions, and earning interest on retained coins. If I’m playing at the end of a long day, I tend to opt for Hyper Roll since it has less factors to consider in the short windows allowed for adjusting your champions between battles. (More on Hyper Roll below.)

Ranked

Ranked Mode is essentially Normal Mode format, but with player rankings at stake. I pretty much never touch this mode because I play this game to relax and have fun, and I find ranking/leaderboards a stressful format. Because I haven’t played this mode, I can’t speak to what differences you might encounter vs. Normal Mode. If leaderboards or climbing the ranks are your jam – definitely give Ranked Mode a go, and let me know how you like it down in the comments!

Hyper Roll

This is my preferred game mode. Tacticians start with only 20 health. Each loss to another player results in a loss of a set number of health (starting at 2 health per loss and eventually increasing to 6 health per loss), instead of the scaled damage taken in Normal mode. Player levels are determined by the round of play, with all players increasing in level at the same time without having to invest coins in their level. This mode also doesn’t have the same emphasis on economizing that exists in Normal mode. Because all players level based on the round of play, the only real concern is when to spend coin to get champions from the shop. There is still a small amount of economizing, but with no level costs and no interest for held coin, it’s really all about how to stay in the game while shopping for the champions that complete your team.

Double Up (Workshop)

Double Up is a twist on Normal mode that is fun to play with a friend. Both players build their own teams and engage in battles one on one vs members of one of the other 3 teams. The team shares a health pool, which starts at 100 health and the health points lost are scaled like in Normal mode. One fun difference in this mode is that occasionally you have the ability to send an item or a champion from your bench to your teammate. My favorite perk of this mode is that if you win your match while your partner is still battling, you can teleport to their battle with your remaining troops and help secure a second win for your team in that round.

Shiny Things:

• Easy to get started but challenging to master
• Frequently updated with new content
• Great game for casual and competitive players alike
• Can queue alone or with friends for any of the game modes
• Double Up mode allows two friends to work together if preferred
• Social game that can be played with friends or strangers
• As a Mom, I appreciate a multiplayer game where I have the ability to step away if necessary and not have my absence negatively impact teammates

Not So Shiny Things:

• The shop RNG can be brutal on occasion
• If playing with a friend (in modes other than Double Up) you may have downtime for a player that gets eliminated earlier in the game
• Sometimes it’s tough watching the autobattle when champions make questionable combat decisions (split DPS that results in a loss can be painful ^.^)

Overall, Teamfight Tactics is a fun game that lets players test their strategy (and luck getting the champions they need from the shop) against others. I would definitely recommend Teamfight Tactics to gamers looking for a strategy game.