Coven and Abomination highlight the new TFT Reckoning Traits

Teamfight Tactics Reckoning is right around the corner, with the latest TFT set releasing on the Public Beta Environment on April 13. The set will bring 58 champions to duke it out in the battle of good vs. evil.  Just like with any set, some new traits will likely become smash hits with the TFT Reckoning player base. We got a chance to playtest the new set and give our first impressions on what the coolest new traits are in TFT Reckoning.

Coven is one of the best-designed TFT Reckoning traits

Throughout the history of TFT, the design of certain traits hasn’t really urged specific positioning. It’s been pretty straightforward, with units containing tank traits in the front and those with damage traits in the back. Usually, when a champion goes against this method, it’s because of their ability or items, not necessarily their trait. There have been exceptions like Keepers and Rebel, but when it comes to rewarding unique positioning, Coven is up there as one of the best-designed traits of all time.

Coven is a three-piece trait that requires a player to have all three of the Coven champions. These champions are the Lissandra (one-gold cost), the LeBlanc (two gold) and the Morgana (three gold). Once a player has these three champions on the board, the champion nearest the center of the three Coven champions is deemed the Coven Leader. The Leader gets 50% bonus ability power, and whenever a Coven champion casts their own ability, they give the Coven Leader mana equal to 25% of their ability cost. One common misconception is that the Coven leader has to be a Coven champion. This is not true, as any unit can be the Coven Leader. In a playtest, Mordekaiser, a four-cost Dragonslayer Legionnaire, was a fantastic Coven Leader.

This TFT Reckoning trait fulfills the raid-boss-hyper-carry fantasy perfectly. Hyper-carries are a crucial part of TFT, and players are always trying to make their raid boss a little bit stronger. The Coven trait does a perfect job in that regard. When it comes to positioning, the Coven trait rewards players for toying around with positioning. Thankfully, LeBlanc being a back line jumping assassin alleviates some of the fear of front-lining fragile champions for the sake of the Coven Leader. Morgana’s ability also rewards front-lining, as her Soul Shackles can stun potential threats.

Abomination is like if Mech-Pilots and Cultists had a baby

One of the more popular ideas to come out of recent TFT sets has been the notion of “making a big minion super strong.” Although Coven does that to a degree already, Abomination takes the raid boss fantasy in a different direction.

The Abomination trait works differently. On the map, there’s a gravestone that passively sits on one side of the arena, on the Abomination player side. This gravestone appears when a player has the trait online. Once it’s set up, if three Abomination champions die during a fight, a huge Frankenstein Sion pops out and rushes the furthest enemy champion, knocking them up and doing damage. The “monstrosity” has high attack speed and gets bonus health and attack damage based on the number of Abomination champions the player had. Sound familiar?

The mech pilot part comes from the second portion of the trait. At the start of the round, the three closest Abomination units to the gravestone throw a random copy of one of their items into the pit. When the “monstrosity” awakens from its grave, not only does it have the bonus damage and health, it also applies the effects of those items.

It’s unknown which combination of items will be good as of now. Will it be big damage items? Will it be sturdy tank items? A mix of both? The meta will sort itself out, but thanks to the 90 different items in TFT now present with the Shadow item mechanic, the Abomination trait will surely make TFT fans happy to play.