How to Read a TFT Tier List: Tiers, Playstyles and Picking a Comp

By PivotTFT · Updated 13 October 2026 · 7 min read

A tier list is a shortcut. It tells you which comps are strongest right now, so you can spend the game playing one instead of figuring one out from scratch. Here's what every part of ours means, and how to turn it into a decision in your own game.

What a tier means

Every comp on our list sits in one tier for the current patch. We rank them by how they place in ranked games, weighting high ranks the most, and move them as the patch goes on:

S S: the strongest this patch. Right now: Alune Fast 9, Elderwood Aphelios, Flora Azir Reroll, Kha'Zix Reroll, Nidalee Aphelios, Rapidfire Aphelios, Riftbeast Reroll and Veigar Reroll.
A A: strong, and often the right call.
B B: good with the right start, like the right items or early pairs.
C C: playable, but rarely worth forcing.
X X: situational. These are only strong when their moment comes, usually a specific augment or emblem. Each one shows its own tier for when it fits and what it's waiting for. On the list now: Defender Rengar Reroll, Bronze For Life, Elise Reroll, Inferno Ashe, Unrivaled Kha'Zix Rengar, Blackthorn Kha'Zix, Trait Ladder and Tristana Rengar Reroll.

Treat the tier as a starting point, not an order to follow. A B comp you're set up for usually beats an S comp you're not: the tier tells you how strong a line is once it comes together, not how likely it is to come together in your game.

Tip A small arrow next to a comp's name shows how it's moved since the patch started, and "New" marks a comp added this patch.

Playstyles: Fast 8, Fast 9 and Reroll

Under each name the list tells you how the comp spends its gold. That's the most important thing to know before you commit, because it decides your whole economy:

Reroll (31 comps): stay at the level shown, like 5 or 7, and roll for three-star copies of cheap champions.
Fast 8 (21 comps): keep a board that holds, save gold, level to 8 and roll there for two-star 4-cost carries.
Fast 9 (14 comps): keep going to level 9 for 5-costs. You need a healthy start and a stable board for this one.

The levelling and rolling guide goes through each style and the roll-down it ends in.

Difficulty

Each comp is also marked Easy, Medium or Hard. That's how forgiving it is: an Easy comp still works if you hit it a bit late or with second-best items, while a Hard one needs its key units, levels and items on time and punishes mistakes.

If you're still learning, start with an Easy comp in a high tier. Right now those are Elderwood Aphelios, Riftbeast Reroll, Blossom Ahri, Invoker Morgana, Juggernaut Zyra and Juggernaut Zyra Nidalee; the beginner comps guide walks through them.

What a comp guide gives you

Open any comp on the list and its guide unfolds right there. Every guide has the same parts, so once you've read one you can skim the rest:

The final board: where every unit stands, with the carries marked and the items they hold.
The game plan: what to do early, mid and late, from your first board to the last upgrade.
Item order: which items to build first, so you know what to slam and what to save.
Augments: the ones that suit the comp, and which kind to look for first (economy, items, combat or emblems).
Late upgrades: who comes in at level 9, and who they replace.
Similar comps: lines that share units or items, for when yours is contested.

Every guide can also copy its board as a team code for the TFT client, or open it in our team builder; the team builder tutorial shows how.

How to pick a comp in a game

Look at your components. Swords and Bows point to attack-damage carries, Rods and Tears to casters. Early on, items decide more than units, because units are easier to find.
Look at your pairs. Two copies of a champion on stage 2 are a head start on any comp that uses it.
Look at your first augment. An economy augment suits Fast 8 and Fast 9; a trait or emblem augment points at the comps that use it.
Search the list. On the comp tier list, start typing a champion, trait, item or augment you have and pick it from the suggestions: only the comps that use it stay on screen. Pick up to four and you'll see the comps that use all of them.
Scout before you commit. If two other players are already on your carry, go for the next comp that fits. The scouting tutorial covers what to look for.

When to ignore the tier

When it's contested. A comp three players are fighting over is worse for all three of them than its tier says.
When your health is low. Fast 9 needs time. At low health, a comp that's strong at your current level is worth more.
When your items say otherwise. Six attack-damage components make a caster comp a bad idea, whatever its tier.

Comps also move between patches as Riot changes the numbers. When a new patch drops, check the list again instead of playing last patch's favourite out of habit.