TFT: Why patch 9.17b is not releasing this week
Since its launch, Teamfight Tactics (TFT) has received weekly patches, but that seems to be slowing down as Riot lets the meta settle in.
When TFT, aka Teamfight Tactics, first launched, the goal for Riot Games was to support the new auto-battler strategy mode with patches on a weekly cadence. The strategy was to release a major update to the mode with the regularly scheduled League of Legends patch, featuring larger changes like new champions, items or traits. The in-between week patch would focus more on balance adjustments and bug fixes.
As TFT is technically still in beta, these weekly patches were deemed necessary. But while there are still some kinks and bugs to work out, TFT is largely a polished product at this point. Sure, we’re still missing a spectate mode (which is key to competitive tournaments) and there are still issues with in-game matchmaking, but the game is still enjoyable in its current state.
With most major issues fixed, Riot is slowing down their patch cycle. According to TFT product lead Richard Henkel, the team wants “to let the meta develop.” This should result in a less frantic gameplay experience as the meta won’t be changing every week as a result of Riot’s buffs and nerfs.
It seems that Riot is content with the current state of the game, in terms of champion and team comp balancing, and are going to let things play out as is for the next week. Rather than forcing a change to the meta through nerfs and buffs, they are going to let the community do its thing.
Hey folks!
— Odyssey Maple (@OdysseyMaple) August 30, 2019
It's Friday, so wanted to talk briefly about a few changes for TFT ya'll should be aware of.
1. No Weekly patch next week. We want to start slowing down to let the meta develop, and also feel like there isn't anything too pressing that needs immediate attention. pic.twitter.com/2k74AXvgHm
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Unfortunately, this means we likely have at least another week of Evelynn and demon comps dominating the game. Personally, I’m a fan of the weekly patches as it keeps things feeling fresh. Two weeks of seeing everyone rush for the same team comp gets stale and boring. The b-side patches allowed for necessary adjustments for overpowered and underpowered team comps.
Despite the change of schedule, it still seems Riot is okay with issuing hot patches, as evidenced by Pantheon. The “Unbreakable Spear” was added to TFT last week with patch 9.17 and was immediately deemed overpowered, so Riot issued a quick hotfix that nerfed some of his abilities. He’s still a little strong if you ask me, but it’s good to see that Riot is at least still willing to act quickly if something is blatantly broken or overpowered.
But having to wait two weeks now between patches in TFT seems a little rough. I get Riot wanting to let the meta develop, but it doesn’t seem to take too long for the community to find the overpowered team comp and start rolling with it soon after a patch arrives.
Next. TFT: Best team comps and strongest champions for patch 9.17. dark
Are you a fan of the biweekly patches for TFT or would you rather Riot stick to the weekly cadence as before?