The mid-set update for Teamfight Tactics Set 9 brings lots of new content to players’ hands, including a couple of new traits to get familiar with. One of them is Ixtal, revolving around some of the new champions joining the TFT roster and bringing back some hex-focused gameplay.
Here is how the Ixtal trait works in TFT Set 9.5, including a list of all the units featuring the trait.
The Ixtal trait in TFT Set 9.5, explained
In TFT Set 9, we’ve seen elements of gameplay that have focused on hex-specific positioning, mostly from Noxus portals. Now, for Set 9.5, we have a dedicated trait that will pop up hexes across your board—placing units within those hexes can be the difference between a loss and a win.
Ixtal’s focus as a trait is on elementals, and when the trait is active, elemental hexes will appear on the board. These hexes provide buffs for units placed on them, regardless of whether they are an Ixtal unit or not.
However, if you place an Ixtal unit on said hexes, they receive an even stronger buff than a non-Ixtal unit would. These spots will be in the same location for every player in a game, so your opponents will share the same positioning of their hexes, allowing for potential counter-play.
In terms of the trait itself, it scales with 2/3/4 units. The more units you have, the more hexes will appear on your board. As for the buffs they provide, it varies on which element the hex represents.
Stone hexes provide crowd control immunity and damage resistance, ice hexes protect the unit within once they drop critically low on health, and electric hexes stun enemies once the unit within deals ability power damage, along with the empowered units eventually dealing more damage to the stunned units. Woodland hexes grow the unit within a little, making them tankier, while fire hexes give the unit within the ability to set enemies ablaze once they hit them with ability power damage.
For specific numbers for what each hex provides, the 13.19 patch balanced a lot of them.
All Ixtal units in TFT Set 9.5
There are three Ixtal units in TFT Set 9.5:
- Milio (Ixtal/Invoker)
- Qiyana (Ixtal/Rogue/Slayer)
- Neeko (Ixtal/Bastion)
Those are the only three base Ixtal units in the mid-set update. As the maximum Ixtal buff requires four units, players seeking the most powerful version of the trait will have to increase their count via emblems or augments.
As for trait combinations, the Ixtal trait offers lots of flexibility thanks to its low activation threshold with only two units needed. So, fitting in other traits that overlap like Invoker or Bastion is easy to do. Focus on three-starring Milio, developing your frontline, and then go with what the game gives you. Find another powerful potential carry and bank on Ixtal giving you a backline hex you can put your carry units on.
Another good combination is units that can get the most out of specific buffs that hexes can provide. For example, Rogue is good with the Ice hex, while Bruisers can get a lot of value out of the Woodland hexes. Lastly, one of the notable combinations is Slayer, thanks to Qiyana and some potential hexes making a unit very strong.
