Teamfight Tactics Patch 17.5: A Deep Dive into the Changes
Teamfight Tactics (TFT) patch 17.5 brings a host of changes to the game, focusing on balancing and buffing certain champions and traits. The patch notes provide a comprehensive overview of the adjustments, but here's a deeper dive into the key changes and their implications.
Champion Buffs and Nerfs
Early Game
- Nasus: Buffed health gain to 300/400/600/800 (up from 250/350/550/750) to make him more viable early on.
- Teemo: Increased spell damage to 70/105/190/325 (up from 65/95/170/300) to restore his power.
- Veigar: Given a buff to spell damage AP to 330/495/750/1200 (up from 310/465/700/1190) to make him more competitive.
Mid-Game
- Akali: Buffed spell damage AD to 39/59/88 (up from 37/56/84) to improve her effectiveness.
- Bel'Veth: Increased spell damage AD to 22/33/50 (up from 20/30/45) to make her more impactful.
- Gwen: Reduced attack speed to 0.8 (down from 0.85) and AoE spell damage to 75/110/215 AP (down from 75/110/190 AP) to balance her power.
- Mordekaiser: Buffed initial shield to 350/425/550 (up from 300/375/500) to provide better frontline support.
Late Game
- Fizz: Buffed dash damage AP to 140/210/310 (up from 120/180/290) to help him reach his full potential.
- Ornn: Reduced groove duration to 2.5s (down from 3s) to prevent him from becoming too tanky.
Trait Adjustments
Arbiter
- Reduced Leona output from 8/12% to 5/8% and armor gain from 12/18 to 10/16.
- Lowered mana cost for Leona from 50 to 45.
Meeple
- Increased Meeple (7) power and reduced Meeple (5) bonus HP to encourage more diverse comps.
- Buffed Meeplord abilities for Meeple (10).
Serpent
- Fixed bugs related to poison damage calculation and damage mitigation.
Anima Strategy
- Lowered the econ value of 300 Anima cashout and buffed Anima items to encourage more competitive strategies post-cashout.
- Adjusted Anima tech recipes to provide better value.
Augment Overhaul
- Focused on nerfing overperforming econ Augments and buffing combat Augments.
- Increased initial power for Early Learnings.
- Adjusted Heart of the Swarm to provide two-star Rek'Sai and Briar.
- Improved Little Buddies and Climb the Ladder Augments.
Radiant Items
- Adjusted Radiant Items to be more balanced in power.
Bug Fixes
- Numerous bug fixes for various issues, including blessing visibility, component spawning, and interaction with critical strike chance.
Personal Commentary
Patch 17.5 feels like a significant step towards balancing TFT's meta. The changes to champions and traits address some of the overpowered strategies while also buffing underperforming units. The augment overhaul is particularly interesting, as it shifts the focus towards combat-oriented strategies. I'm curious to see how these changes impact the competitive scene and whether they'll lead to a more diverse meta.
