Anima Squad guide, tips, and tricks for TFT Set 8

With powerful units such as Miss Fortune and Vayne, Anima Squad is one of the best traits in Set 8 of TFT. Knowing that, here are some of the best comps you can use with Anima Squad in TFT Set 8. From going all out Anima Squad to fitting it in another composition, getting this trait in early and letting it stack can be critical to a top-four finish.

Anima Squad explained

This composition can prove very useful as a primary or secondary trait because it gives its units more attack damage and ability power. The bonus depends on how many Anima Squad units you use, going in intervals of 3/5/7. For running three Anima Squad units, they gain 10% more attack damage and 10 ability power. Running five gives 30% attack damage and 30 ability power, and running seven gives 55% attack damage and 55 ability power.

Alongside that, when the trait is active, every time an Anima Squad unit kills an enemy, a stack of Fame is added to a pool. The more Fame you stack, the more bonus Health all your units get for the rest of the game. The benefit of the Fame part of the trait is that, even in round losses, killing enemies with Anima Squad units can make your team tankier.

Powerful Anima Squad compositions

To start, here is the main Anima Squad comp that revolves around getting as many of the trait units as possible.

Anima Squad Miss Fortune

This specific Anima Squad composition has been around one way or another since Set 8 started in TFT. To start, it all revolves around getting the trait early with cheap units like Nasus, Jinx and Sylas. As mentioned earlier, the sooner those units are in, the faster you can get Fame stacks and build a strong frontline.

Then, the next key units are Riven and Vayne, both to hit five units for the trait and for the uses they provide. Vayne is a good carry to build earlier in the game as a three-cost unit, doing true damage with her ability. Items like Infinity Edge, Ghost Slayer, and Guinsoo’s Rageblade make her a fearful unit to your enemies.

To determine your late game, it all depends if you can get an Anima Squad emblem or not, whether from carousel or augments. If you do, you keep Sylas, try and hunt for Miss Fortune and go for seven Anima Squad units. If not, getting Miss Fortune and sticking with five is good, and you can add tanks like Vi and Alistar for the Brawler, Mascot and Aegis traits. Either way, throw tank items on Riven to keep her alive, like Sunfire Cape, Ionic Spark and Warmog’s Armor.

Miss Fortune is the true carry, as her ability can wipe out boards thanks to her Ace trait. That execute part of Ace makes Miss Fortune powerful, especially with items like Spear of Shojin, Jeweled Gauntlet, and Giant Slayer.

Recon/Anima Squad Vayne

The Miss Fortune comp is by far the better comp available for the Anima Squad trait, but there is another top contender. A specific trio of three-cost units have proven very useful, and since one of them is Anima Squad, it isn’t hard to incorporate the trait.

Like the previous comp, starting with the cheap Anima Squad units of Nasus, Jinx and Sylas can be key but isn’t as crucial with this comp. There are two other potential starts since Recon and Duelists are key to it. One is Underground, as going with Vi, Kayle, and Ezreal can lead to a snowball. The other is all Recon, with Ezreal, Ashe, Renekton and so on.

The three units to focus on are Kai’Sa, Nilah and Vayne. Focusing on those units, building them with key items like Guinsoo’s Rageblade for Kai’Sa, Locket of the Iron Solari for Nilah, and Infinity Edge for Vayne and trying to three-star them is the goal. Recon helps the two damage dealers stay alive and crit more, while Duelist makes Vayne scary in long rounds.

Normally, this comp allows for Star Guardian to be an extra trait to fit in, with Ekko rounding it out. However, if you build a strong early game with Anima Squad, you can keep those units in alongside the three carries, and it would make Vayne much stronger whereas Kai’Sa would be the true carry in the Star Guardian version.

Quick tips for Anima Squad

To end this guide, here are some quick tips if you aim to run Anima Squad.

First off, the earlier you get trait up, the better. Getting those Fame stacks is crucial, especially as the game goes into its late stages. Secondly, with how powerful Miss Fortune is in the first comp, building her items is really important, even if you don’t have her yet. Putting those items on Threat units like Vel’Koz or Aurelion Sol and fitting them in until you get Miss Fortune is a good way to stay in the lead until you get your carry.

As for the final tip, for Recon/Anima Squad Vayne, try and get either augments that help you re-roll, stack money, or the Tri-Force augment. There isn’t a lot of time to roll for three-star units with it, so getting free re-rolls with Trade Sector or getting a lot of money will make that easier. Tri-Force is also a no-brainer, as it makes your three carries all better.