TFT Set 6 Patch 12.1: Full notes and updates

The new year rings in a decent size Set Six Teamfight Tactics update, focusing on trait-linked Hextech Augment effects, along with over-performing traits, items, and champions.

Hextech Augment balance changes

Trait Augments like Hearts and Crests were updated with new champions that are granted. Lifelong Learning, a Scholar Augment, was reworked. Nerfs were applied to Stand United and Cybernetic Implants. Sunfire Board and Weakspot are “no longer mutually exclusive,” according to the TFT team, and Smoke Bomb (Assassin) was slightly nerfed, along with tooltip changes that will get used as “a balance lever” moving forward.

Lifelong Learning (Scholar): Reworked to now grant Scholar units two ability power after each combat and an additional two ability power if they survive combat
Cybernetic Implants: Bonus health for equipped units nerfed from 200/300/400 to 150/250/350
Portable Forge Armory option: Death’s Defiance will now grant 20 percent omnivamp
Stand United: Attack damage and ability power per active trait nerfed from 3/4/5 to 2/3/5
Smoke Bomb (Assassin): The Set Six tooltip was updated to now show the damage reduction applied to the excess damage from the instance of damage that triggers stealth
Smoke Bomb: Damage reduction nerfed from 100 to 80 percent

Makeshift Armor: Magic resistance and armor buffed from 30/45/60 to 35/55/75
Ardent Censer: Bonus attack speed increased from 40 to 50 percent
Ascension: Bonus damage reduced from 65 to 50 percent
Duet: Bonus health decreased from 500 to 400
Sunfire Board: Maximum health burn reduced from 20 to 16 percent
Spellblade: Ability power on hit buffed from 200 to 225 percent
Woodland Charm: Clone health buffed from 1,500 to 1,600
Shrug it Off: Health regeneration per second increased from 2.5 to three percent

Trait Heart and Crest Hextech Augment balance changes

With a goal of making trait Augments “more consistent,” according to the TFT team, champions were switched up via Heart and Crest Augments. In addition, overperformers like Mutant Crest and Protector Heart trait Augments were nerfed.

Arcanist Heart: Granting a Swain
Challenger Heart: Changed from granting a Warwick to a Quinn
Protector Heart: No longer granting a Blitzcrank
Scholar Heart: Changed from granting a Lissandra to a Zyra
Scrap Heart: Changed from granting an Ekko to a Blitzcrank
Twinshot Heart: Changed from granting a Graves to Kog’Maw
Assassin Crest: Changed from granting an Ekko to a Talon
Arcanist Crest: Changed from granting a Twisted Fate to a Swain
Challenger Crest: Changed from granting a Warwick to a Quinn
Chemtech Crest: Changed from granting a Zac to a Warwick
Imperial Crest: Changed from granting a Talon to granting a Swain
Mutant Crest: No longer grants a Kog’Maw

Scrap Crest: Changed from granting an Ekko to a Blitzcrank

Trait balance changes

The Tyrant was given a buff within the Imperial trait while Socialite two was hit with a mana-per-second nerf. Chemtech’s early game was nerfed but buffed at nine and Innovator five was improved with buffs to the mechanical bear. And spawn odds for the Yordle trait were adjusted, decreasing the chance of a two or three-cost appearing.

Imperial: Tyrant bonus damage increased from 75/125 to 80/150 percent
Imperial: Units bonus damage buffed from 0/75 to 0/80 percent
Chemtech: Damage reduction reduced from 25 to 20 percent
Chemtech: Health regeneration increased from 3/4/7/12 to 3/5/8/15 percent
Chemtech: Attack speed adjusted from 20/50/80/125 to 15/50/90/135 percent
Socialite: Mana per second reduced from five to three

Innovator: Mechanical bear health buffed to 850
Innovator: Mechanical bear armor and magic resistance buffed from 60 to 70
Syndicate: Syndicate seven power increased from 33 to 50 percent
Yordle: Mana reduction increased from 0/20 to 0/25 percent
Yordle: One-cost spawn increased from 60 to 70 percent
Yordle: Two-cost spawn decreased from 25 to 20 percent
Yordle: Three-cost spawn decreased from 15 to 10 percent
Mutant: Metamorphosis ability power and attack damage increased from 1/2 to 2/4

Champion balance changes

A number of major changes for TFT Set Six champions were applied within Patch 12.1. Caitlyn was nerfed at three-star while Tahm Kench was buffed at three-star when getting fed an allied unit. Urgot had his spell nerfed to every third shot counting as a basic attack, previously every second shot, reducing damage output with items like e Runaan’s Hurricane and Guinsoo’s Rageblade. Kai’Sa was slightly nerfed and Heimerdinger’s range was increased.

One-cost

Caitlyn: Ace in the Hole damage reduced at three-star from 800/1400/2250 to 800/1400/2000
Garen: Attack damage increased from 60 to 70
Graves: Mana adjusted from 80/120 to 50/100
Illaoi: Spell damage buffed from 175/300/500 to 200/325/550
Illaoi: Spell healing increased at three-star from 25/30/35 to 25/30/40 percent
Twisted Fate: Spell damage buffed from 145/190/255 to 155/205/275\
Kassadin: Spell damage reduction decreased from 30 to 25 percent
Kassadin: Spell damage reduction duration increased from four to five seconds

Two-cost

Swain: Death’s Hand healing per enemy hit was buffed from 200/230/300 to 225/250/350
Swain: Mana buffed from 40/80 to 40/75
Kog’Maw: Spell damage nerfed at three-star and buffed at one-star from 7/8/9 to 8/8/8 percent
Talon: Attack speed increased from 0.7 to 0.75
Zilean: Spell slow duration increased from three to four

Three-cost

Heimerdinger: Range increased from three to four
Malzahar: Spell damage adjusted from 700/850/1000 to 650/850/1100
Ekko: Spell damage buffed from 150/200/350 to 175/225/375
Samira: Health increased from 650 to 700
Lissandra: Spell damage buffed from 225/300/500 to 250/325/550
Vex: Health increased from 800 to 850

Four-cost

Seraphine: Mana buffed from 80/160 to 80/150
Seraphine: Spell damage buffed from 250/400/1000 to 275/450/1200
Urgot: Every third shot from Urgot’s ability will now count as a basic attack
Orianna: Mana buffed from 50/140 to 50/130
Yone: Health reduced from 950 to 900
Sion: Spell duration increased at one-star from 2/3/6 to 2.5/3/6 seconds
Sion: Spell damage buffed at one-star from 100/200/500 to 125/200/500

Five-cost

Tahm Kench: Gains 20 times the usual stats at three-star when fed an allied unit
Tahm Kench: Damage reduction nerfed from 40 to 30 percent
Galio: Slam bonus damage nerfed from 80/125/1999 to 70/100/1999
Galio: Base stun damage adjusted from 1.25/1.75/9.5 to 1.5/1.75/9.5 seconds
Kai’Sa: Health nerfed from 900 to 850
Kai’Sa: Mana nerfed from 90/150 to 75/150
Kai’Sa: Spell damage per missle nerfed from 80/100/180 to 70/90/180
Viktor: Mana buffed from 0/150 to 0/140

Item balance changes

Overplayed items like Guardian Angel were nerfed within the TFT 12.1 patch, along with over-performing items like Morellonomicon. Rapid Firecannon and Zz’Rot Portal were also slightly buffed.

Guardian Angel: Health on revive nerfed from 400 to 250
Rapid Firecannon: Attack speed increased from 50 to 60 percent
Morellonomicon: True damage burn per second nerfed from 2.5 to two percent
Sunfire Cape: Proc rate changed from 2.5 to two seconds
Sunfire Cape: True damage burn reduced from 2.5 to two seconds
Zz’Rot Portal: Health increased at Stages three (1,800), four (2,100), and five (2,500)
Zz’Rot Portal: Hyper Roll Stage five through seven health increased to 2,100 and Stage eight increased to 2,500
Chalice of Power: bonus ability power buffed from 30 to 35 percent
Statikk Shiv: Bonus attack speed nerfed from 15 to 10 percent
Death’s Defiance (Ornn Item): Grants 20 percent omnivamp

Patch 12.1 bug fixes

A VFX issue with Eternal Winter that appeared below the frozen unit was resolved
A Blue Buff equipped on Garen will no longer stop him from gaining mana
A Frozen Heart created via the Scrap trait will remove attack speed slow upon the unitholder perishing
Winning teams will now be visible within Double Up, even if all teams were reduced to zero health during the final battle
A fix was applied to Seraphine’s tooltip that now states she will cast her spell at the largest group of enemy units
The Academy Heart tooltip was updated to include that it grants a Katarina