The new game Teamfight Tactics, the LoL Auto Chess, will probably be the summer hit of 2019. To outsiders, it may seem like not much is happening: What makes the game appealing? A short clip from Twitch streamer Reckful from a tournament for $15,000 shows the allure of Teamfight Tactics.
Many are asking: “Why do people like this nonsense?” is the question that many “normal” players are pondering about Teamfight Tactics. After all, there is no fighting involved.
For LoL players who enjoy making 18 decisions in 6 seconds and clicking 37 times, the game seems quite dull. After all, in Teamfight Tactics, you only assemble a team of heroes, give them items, and place them on a board.
The actual battle is handled by the AI.
Here are the 31 seconds: This tournament match between Twitch streamer Reckful (green health bars) and his opponent Yassuo (red health bars) can show the allure of the battle in Teamfight Tactics.
Reckful is on the brink of elimination in the tournament, he only has 3 health points left and cannot afford to lose the fight.
What’s happening here? Both players are relying on two completely different tactics and have tailored their teams accordingly:
The attacker “Yassuo” is focusing on the Assassins/Void combo. The assassins jump onto the opponent at the start of the battle and deal damage quickly. Their two tanks, Cho’Gath and Kassadin, are busy with the opponent’s tanks, Mordekaiser and Sejuani, in the upper half of the battlefield, while the assassins cut through Reckful’s vulnerable heroes.
In contrast, Reckful relies on a slower combo with 4 “Glacials” that can freeze opponents. He has gathered his damage dealers Varus, Vayne, and Ashe in the lower right corner. However, Reckful’s lines cannot withstand the assassins’ attacks and quickly collapse. As soon as the clip starts, Reckful’s lines are decimated. His own DDs Vayne and Varus are quickly overwhelmed shortly after the start of the clip.
That’s how the assassin tactic works.
The match goes such that the assassins easily gain the upper hand and almost wipe out Reckful’s entire team. Only Sejuani and Mordekaiser are holding up for a while at the top. The hero “Kindred,” who is next to Ashe, casts his ability that prevents any allied hero in the nearby area from dying, buying some extra seconds.
Ultimately, Reckful only has the heroine Ashe left in the corner. She carries 3 items, so she is extremely strong.
Still, the fight looks hopeless for Reckful. As Mordekaiser falls, Ashe faces 7 opponents alone. Reckful signed: “Okay, I think we’re dead now.”
Perfectly equipped Ashe turns match
That’s why Reckful wins after all: Ashe is isolated in the lower right corner – and the opponent has only melee fighters, who can only attack her if they are directly adjacent to Ashe. Since only 2 spaces are free, 5 opponents remain idle.
In the meantime, the opponents also gain no mana and therefore cannot use abilities, only mindlessly auto-hit.
These items and abilities make Ashe so strong here:
- Ashe is equipped with the item “Runaan’s Hurricane” so that she hits two additional targets with each shot.
- Additionally, she has the Phantom Dancer, which makes her immune to critical hits – extremely valuable against assassins.
- As a “Glacial,” she has the chance to stun opponents.
- And she recovers mana extremely quickly with the item “Spear of Shojin” and can utilize her special abilities.
Ashe can eliminate each opponent one by one, which sends Reckful into ecstasy.
The final moment is reached when the attacking tank Cho’Gath only needs one hit to win the match – but just then he gets frozen by Ashe.
This is the special appeal: In this match, you can see from Reckful’s emotions that the incredible turn of events releases a lot of adrenaline. Even though the streamer can no longer actively intervene in the fight, he is totally invested.
If you want to try Teamfight Tactics, download it here.
