TFT patch 9.23 preview: Tentative champion nerfs and buffs

Teamfight Tactics (TFT) patch 9.23 is scheduled to go live next week. Get a glimpse of the upcoming buffs and nerfs it’ll bring.

It’s been a little over the week since Rise of the Elements arrived in Teamfight Tactics. The update introduced an entirely new set of champions with new classes, elements (formerly origins) and trait mechanics to the auto-battler. But the first patch for TFT Set 2 is about to arrive next week.

For the most part, Rise of the Elements has been a great transformation for TFT. There’s more balance between the classes and elements and more variety. It’s not quite as simple as finding the strongest composition and rolling people with it, although Riot does acknowledge “some strategies will become clearly strong” once ranked play kicks back in.

But even, the developer is “cautiously optimistic” that Rise of the Elements is in a much better place overall than Set 1. The pool size changes and design of its traits allow for more flexibility and viability.

With that said, the first post-launch patch for Rise of the Elements will go live next week and Teamfight Tactics lead designer Stephen “Mortdog” Mortimer as shared a preview of tentative changes that are coming. The preview doesn’t offer any sort of specifics, but does reveal which champions, classes and elements will be getting buffed and which will be getting nerfed. It also reveals bug fixes which, in turn, could result in a buff or nerf.

Patch 9.23 hits servers next week! The first patch since Rise of the Elements launched! pic.twitter.com/4goTiwYv5y
— Teamfight Tactics (@TFT) November 15, 2019

Nerfs

Right now it’s a bit hard to say exactly how TFT patch 9.23 will impact the overall meta of the game simply because we don’t have specifics.

That said, it’s no surprise that Vladimir, Olaf, Yorick and Singed are among the champions being nerfed. The four of them are generally considered pretty strong champions right now — especially Vlad and Olaf — and they help create some of the more powerful team comps in the game right now.

Interestingly, Maokai and Ivern are also listed as getting nerfs which will likely impact some early game strategies as Druid/Woodland is a popular and strong early game comp.

The Glacial element is also getting nerfed, though this could be in relation to changes to Olaf. Shadow is also getting nerfed which, similarly, could be related to Malzahar getting nerfed.

Surprisingly, there’s no mention of Master Yi, who is generally considered one of the stronger Shadow/Blademasters in the game. That could be due to the fact that he’s a 5 gold Legendary champion and, therefore, a bit harder to obtain.

Buffs

Warden getting a buff isn’t too surprising because it’s generally considered pretty underpowered right now. A big reason for that is simply because Taric, a late-game Legendary champion, is underwhelming. With him getting a buff, it should allow for Wardens to feel better late game. Malphite, another Warden, is also getting a buff, which will help.

Ocean is also getting buffed, and this one feels a bit more curious. I, personally, believe Ocean is in a good place right now — especially when paired with something like Mage. I can’t imagine exactly what Riot is improving with Ocean, but it could just be an indirect improvement due to the buff Thresh is getting. Then again, with Vladimir getting nerfed, you think that would partially offset it.

Both Ezreal and Ashe are getting buffed, with the latter also getting a bug fix. I felt Ezreal was strong with the right items in the right team comps, but Ashe feels pretty underwhelming right now. Maybe it has something to do with her being bugged.

Either way, with both Ashe and Ezreal getting buffed, this could make Rangers a popular class in patch 9.23. I already like them paired with Light, thanks to Vayne, but you could previously get away with two rangers. Now six Light, four Rangers seems like a definite possibility.

Next. TFT patch 9.22: Best team comps and strongest champions. dark

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