Deciding which Classes and Origins to choose is crucial to your success in Riot Games’ new autobattler, Teamfight Tactics. This tier list should give you a better understanding of the power rating of each Class and Origin, as well as their strengths, weaknesses, and place in the metagame.
The tiers are based on a mixture of criteria, including raw strength, flexibility, and composition synergy.
S tier (The very best)
- Glacial (Class)
- Imperial (Class)
- Assassin (Origin)
Glacial is a Class that can easily fit within multiple comps. It’s great rolling six Glacials, but four (or even two) can be just as deadly. If you combine them within a Ranger comp, for example, and take advantage of Ashe, it works wonders.
The Imperial bonus is easy to come by. All you need to do is rest your Darius on the bench and wait until you pick up the all-important Draven. Darius and Katarina aren’t the best units, but they’re far from the worst. If you can buff your Draven with double damage, he’ll absolutely carry your game. Swain shouldn’t be underestimated, either. Combine the four of them together and you’ll be unstoppable.
Assassin comps are arguably the best at the moment. Three Assassins is fine and the extra critical strike bonus can be effective in the early stages of the game, but six Assassins is a different story. It’s hard to handle and can quite easily delete the enemy team in an instant.
A tier (Consistently strong)
- Ranger (Class)
- Shapeshifter (Class)
- Sorcerer (Class)
- Dragon (Origin)
- Wild (Origin)
Four Rangers is a powerful comp. It has the potential to be S tier, but it can be difficult to build. You’re often forced to take the back foot in the early game and it’s easy to lose ground. When it reaches its power spike, however, it’s great.
Almost all of the Shapeshifters are top tier, with the exception of Elise. She’s legitimately pure garbage. The combination of Gnar, Shyvana, and either Swain or Nidalee can easily carry your game. Stack a couple of defensive items on your tanks and they’ll be unkillable. A Phantom Dancer on Gnar is ridiculously strong. The Class also synergies nicely with the Dragon Origin.
Sorcerer features one of the absolute best carries in the game in the form of Aurelion Sol. If you can buff him up with a Lulu, Ahri, or Veigar, his damage will be explosive. Add a Spear of Shojin and a couple of attack speed items, and he’ll solo carry. Lulu is also strong as a stand-alone unit. Yordles are underrated and her ult is well worth it.
The Dragon Origin is another reason Aurelion Sol is such a powerful unit. Combine him with Shyvana, and they’ll both be immune to damage. This allows him to stay in the backline and ult freely. Assassins are an issue, but there’s nothing wrong with equipping Phantom Dancer. It’s one of the best items in the game for a reason.
As a stand-alone Origin, Wild isn’t great, but its units are top tier. Pair Nidalee with Warwick, Ahri, or Gnar and you should be strong. The Origin makes use of both Shapeshifter and Sorcerer, further propping it up.
B tier (Respectable)
- Elementalist (Class)
- Yordle (Origin)
- Ninja (Origin)
- Phantom (Origin)
The ability to summon a huge frontline tank is worthwhile. Not all of the Elementalist units are ideal, but it’s still a decent Class. Brand is extremely strong and Anivia has potential when combined with items. You can go for a squishy build with damage-heavy carries and simply rely on Daisy to tank.
The Yordle passive is underrated. It’s just been buffed, and while it’s still not revolutionary in the early game, it can be very effective in the late game. Gnar is one of the strongest units because of his ability to tank and his CC. Lulu’s knock up and team-oriented survivability is great, and Tristana’s carry potential is immeasurable. If you can stack your Gnar with tanking items and combine him with the Shapeshifter passive, then adding a 25 to 60 percent chance to miss him just adds insult to injury. Poppy and Kennen are still underwhelming, but Veigar has his niche. His Sorcerer Class is always handy, and when he’s upgraded, he can one-shot units with his ultimate.
Four Ninjas aren’t great. Shen and Kennen are lackluster and Zed is average. Akali, on the other hand, is fantastic. She’s one of the strongest carries in the game and she fits into the Assassin comp. She’s a late-game unit, though, and she’ll take time to upgrade. Zed can always be used in the early game and sold when she comes into play, however.
Mordekaiser is a poor unit, but when you combine him with Kindred or Karthus, he’s suddenly much more desirable. The Phantom passive is toxic. It’s completely RNG-based and has the means to turn the tides of a game. If it chooses a carry unit, then your chances of winning have automatically multiplied. Kindred is also a decent stand-alone unit. They’re needed for the Ranger comp and their ult is fantastic.
C tier (Hit or miss)
- Blademaster (Class)
- Gunslinger (Class)
- Exile (Origin)
- Noble (Origin)
Blademaster can be incredibly strong when combined with Draven and Yasuo, but it can be hard to pull off. The remaining Blademaster units are fairly poor. Aatrox has potential and so does Shen, but other than that, they’re nothing special. If you can get the right combination together and upgrade both your Draven and Yasuo, though, you should be more than capable of winning a game.
Gunslingers are hit or miss. Tristana is a good alternative carry to Draven and Miss Fortune is decent, but grouping together four Gunslingers is risky. They can be strong with a tanky frontline, but there are better alternatives. When the stars aline, Gunslingers are fantastic. But other than that, they’re in the middle of the pack.
Yasuo is the only Exile Origin. He used to be overpowered, but now he’s just average. He’s good when you upgrade him and you combine him with the perfect comp, but he’s not easy to get off the ground.
Noble is an Origin that has the means to be strong. Hitting all six of them isn’t easy, though. If you tunnel on this comp in the late game, you’ll likely lose. It’s fine if you’re lucky with Kayle, or you switch and change your comp, but you should always make sure to be flexible.
D tier (Mediocre)
- Guardian (Class)
- Brawler (Class)
- Demon (Origin)
- Robot (Origin)
- Void (Origin)
There’s nothing wrong with Guardian, but it’s not particularly powerful. Braum and Leona are solid units, but an extra 40 armor is nothing to write home about.
The same goes for Brawler. It’s nice making use of the added health, but tunneling on four Brawlers is never a good idea. If you stick with Cho’Gath, one of the best units in the game, and whoever else fits in your comp, you should be good to go.
Demons are hard to place in the metagame. They look like they should be strong, but they haven’t proved themselves yet. There’s no defined comp that allows them to show their prowess. They could just as easily be placed higher on this tier list, though. Burning mana and stopping ults is extremely valuable.
Blitzcrank is the lone Robot in the game. He’s good if you level him up and give him some AP, but other than that, he’s mostly obsolete. It’s rarely worth investing resources in him. He can one-shot a target of your choosing, though, so he shouldn’t always be underestimated.
The Void / Assassin comp is one of the strongest in the game. It has almost nothing to do with the Void passive, though. Ignoring armor is fine against Noble, but other than that, it’s useless. Kha’Zix and Cho’Gath are great additions to your team, and choosing between Kassadin and Rek’Sai is really up to your preference. As long as you combine Void with Assassin units, they’re good. But other than that, the passive alone isn’t worth it.
E tier (Poor)
- Knight (Class)
- Pirate (Origin)
Knights are similar to Guardians and Brawlers. If you can passively make use of them, then it’s fine, but you should never tunnel on building around them. Blocking damage is underwhelming, especially with low numbers like 20/40/80.
It’s fun picking up gold, but Pirates should never be your priority. You should learn to play the economy game without their help. They have a couple of good units, but building your comp around them is almost always a waste of time.
This tier list is a starting point for TFT and it’s bound to change. We’ll make sure to update it as the meta shapes and forms in the months and patches to come.
