TFT Tip Tuesday: Learning the New Artifacts

Maxwell Tsao

Maxwell Tsao

In this edition of TFT Tip Tuesday, we teach you the new artifacts and how to pick your best options for success.

TFT (Teamfight Tactics) Tip Tuesday is doing a bit of a deeper dive into the new artifacts. Nineteen artifacts were added to TFT in Patch 14.9. Cursed Blade, the 20th artifact, is currently disabled due to unwanted interactions.

However, there are many new items that may be overwhelming for a lot of players. For this week's TFT Tip, we teach what every item does, and how to use stats to pick the best items in your games.

Read on to learn how you can utilize this tip in your own ranked climb!

TFT Tip Tuesday: Using stats to pick the best option

TFT Tip Tuesday: Artifact general strength

When comparing the general strength of the artifacts before factoring in your composition direction or the type of item you need (offense, defense, utility), these are the steps you should take:

  • Go to tactics.tools
  • Hover the "Stats" dropdown menu
  • Click on "Items"
  • Change the Rank to "GM+"
  • Click on the Ornn checkbox to filter for artifacts
  • Click on "Place" so it filters from lowest number to highest number

This will give a broad picture of what the best-performing artifacts are in the current meta.

TFT Tip Tuesday: Explorer tool

If you already have a carry in mind or are curious about how artifacts perform on specific units, take advantage of the explorer tool.

  • Go to tactics.tools
  • Hover the "Stats" dropdown menu
  • Click on "Explorer"
  • Change Rank to "GM+"
    • Sample size may be too low, so you might need to select "Master+" instead
  • Use the search bar for the specific artifact
  • Check place and delta
    • Place is the average placement with this combination
    • Delta show how much better the unit performs with that item versus without that item
      • The lower the delta, the better

TFT Tip Tuesday: New artifacts, explained

Porcelain Ashe (Image via Riot Games)
Porcelain Ashe (Image via Riot Games)

Artifacts are powerful items "crafted by Ornn" that are available mainly via augments and encounters. Patch 14.9 increased the amount of artifacts in the game by 17. Nineteen new artifacts made it to the live patch, while two were removed. Here's a list of all of the artifacts, what they do, and their best users. Users are listed in alphabetical order. Some units will be bolded, indicating they are the best user by a significant margin.

Fishbones

+30% Attack Speed
+30% Attack Damage

"Doubles the holder's attack range and causes each of their attacks to target a random enemy."

Best Users

  • Ashe
  • Tristana

Forbidden Idol

+200 HP
+25 Armor
+25 Magic Resistance

"Shields have 50% of their value converted to max health instead."

Best Users

  • Cho'Gath
  • Rakan
  • Tahm Kench

Horizon Focus

+250 HP
+25 Ability Power
+15 Mana

"Stunning an enemy causes lightning to strike them, dealing an additional 20% of their max health as magic damage."

Best Users

  • Lissandra
  • Lux
  • Nautilus
  • Udyr
  • Volibear

Innervating Locket

+150 HP
+15 Mana

"The holder gains 2% of their total mana whenever they're hit by an attack. Each cast restores 20% of the holder's max health over 3 seconds."

Best Users

  • Annie
  • Galio
  • Ornn
  • Sylas
Dryad Kindred (Image via Riot Games)
Dryad Kindred (Image via Riot Games)

Lich Bane

+30 Ability Power
+15 Mana

"The holder's first attack after each cast deals 150 bonus magic damage. (Damage increases based on Stage)."

Best Users

  • Kindred
  • Hwei
  • Sylas
  • Teemo

Lightshield Crest

+40 Armor
+40 Magic Resistance

"Every 3 seconds, shields the lowest percent health ally for 50% of the holder's combined Armor and Magic Resistance. On death, grants this shield to all allies."

Best Users

  • Galio
  • Nautilus
  • Ornn
  • Thresh

Luden's Tempest

This is not an item you want to be picking much, if at all, on this patch.

+30% Attack Damage
+30 Ability Power

"100% of overkill damage plus 100 is dealt as magic damage to 3 enemies nearest to the target."

Best Users

  • Alune
  • Azir
  • Lillia
  • Morgana
Dryad Gnar (Image via Riot Games)
Dryad Gnar (Image via Riot Games)

Mittens

+80% Attack Speed

"Shrinks the holder, granting them increased movement speed, 20% damage reduction, and immunity to Chill. (Chill: Attack speed reduction)."

Best Users

  • Gnar
  • Kayn
  • Lee Sin
  • Sett
  • Udyr
  • Wukong

Prowler's Claw

Another item that is not ideal on Patch 14.9. It may be optimal to avoid if possible.

+25% Critical Strike Chance
+25% Attack Damage

"After killing a target, shed negative effects and dash to the farthest target within 4 hexes. The next 2 critical attacks deal 60% bonus critical strike damage."

Best Users

  • Lee Sin
  • Kayn
  • Wukong

Rapid Firecannon (RFC)

RFC is another hard to use artifact in the current meta. Try to look for better options.

+50% Attack Speed

"Gain +1 Attack Range, increased by 1 whenever the holder kills an enemy."

Best Users

To call these the "best" users really just means you have a strong board with legendary units and are in the position to slap RFC on as a leftover item.

  • Azir
  • Lissandra
  • Xayah
Umbral Sylas (Image via Riot Games)
Umbral Sylas (Image via Riot Games)

Seeker's Armguard

+25 Ability Power
+25 Armor and Magic Resistance

"Takedowns increase the holder's Armor, Magic Resistance, and Ability Power by 10, increased to 15 if they score the kill."

Best Users

  • Lillia
  • Morgana
  • Sylas

Silvermere Dawn

+150% Attack Speed
+50 Armor
+50 Magic Resistance

"The holder's attack speed is locked at 0.5. Grants immunity to stuns and the holder's attacks stun the target for 0.5 seconds."

Best Users

  • Gnar
  • Kayn
  • Riven
  • Sett
  • Wukong

Spectral Cutlass

+30% Attack Damage
+20% Critical Strike Chance

"Combat Start: Teleports the holder to the mirrored hex on the enemy's side of the board. After 6 seconds, the holder returns to their original location."

Best Users

  • Kayn
  • Lee Sin
Porcelain Lissandra (Image via Riot Games)
Porcelain Lissandra (Image via Riot Games)

Suspicious Trench Coat

+250 HP
+25% Attack Speed

"Once per combat at 50% health, the holder splits into 3 copies of himself each with 25% of their max health. (Unique - only one per champion)."

Best Users

  • Lissandra
  • Sylas
  • Udyr

Talisman of Ascension

+300 HP
+15% Attack Damage
+15 Ability Power

"After 20 seconds, gain 100% max health and 100% increased damage for the rest of combat."

Best Users

  • Ashe
  • Irelia
  • Syndra

Unending Despair

+400 HP
+40 Armor

"Whenever a shield on the holder breaks, 50% of that shield's initial value is dealt to the nearest enemy as magic damage."

Best Users

  • Ornn
  • Thresh

Wit's End

+30% Attack Speed
+30 Magic Resistance

"Attacks deal 42 bonus magic damage. Heals the holder for 35% of all magic damage dealt."

Best Users

  • Bard
  • Sylas

TFT Tip Tuesday: Last week's edition

Although reroll compositions are less prevalent in the meta, it is still important to know the unit pool size and reroll odds. To understand how to utilize this knowledge in your own games, check out this guide from last week!

That's all for this week's TFT Tip Tuesday! Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest TFT news and updates.