Lessons learned from the TFT Set 6 Piltover Cup

The first event in the Teamfight Tactics tournament season for Set 6, TFT: Gizmos & Gadgets, has just wrapped up. Just two weeks into the event, North America got the ball rolling with the Piltover Cup. Over 150 of NA’s fastest climbing players competed for cash prizes, qualifier points and a seat at the Reckoning Mid-Set Finale. This article will cover the lessons we learned from this interesting weekend in TFT esports.

Ramblinnn makes his case as an elite player

Team Liquid’s Robin “Robinsongz” Sung ascended to the status of the best player in North America thanks to his dominating performance at the TFT Reckoning Regional Finals. But, even back in Aug., when he competed in the Giant Slayer Series 3 duo’s event with “Ramblinnn,” he won that event too. Just a couple of months later, Ramblinnn is showing that Robinsongz isn’t carrying him.

At the Piltover Cup, Ramblinnn not only managed to get all the way to Day 3. He also ended up winning the event overall. With the format of the Piltover Cup putting the final 32 players into four static lobbies, Ramblinnn destroyed his. Across the five games in the finals, Ramblinnn never placed below third in any game. Five straight top-three finishes netted him a total of 39 points, the most of any player in the finals and successful enough to lock up his spot at the Mid-Set Finale.

Ramblinnn flexed his mastery of the game and made it known that he isn’t just Robinsongz’s shadow; he is good enough to walk alongside him.

Hosting a major event two weeks into a major expansion isn’t the best idea

Many players were eager to dive into the competitive season for TFT Set 6: Gizmos & Gadgets. But, in terms of gathering the best players, Wisdom Media holding a tournament this early in the cycle — on the second weekend of TFT 6 — caused some challenges. To qualify for the event, players had only six days to play as many games as possible. And, those players had to rank up high enough to be eligible. 

Thankfully, Wisdom Media was bailed out by a stable metagame. This isn’t typical when a set comes out for obvious reasons, especially one as ambitious as TFT Set 6. With that said, the decision to hold the first of only three semi-open qualifier tournaments throughout the entire set, on the very first patch, is a head scratcher — especially because the next event, Zaun Cup, won’t occurr until the end of  Jan.

The metagame is wide open

One positive in hosting a tournament this early is that players and spectators got a good look at what the early metagame for TFT Set 6 looked like.

During Game 1 of the finals on Day 3, Lobby A came down to a Mutant mirror. Kai’Sa carries finished first and second. Game 2 in Lobby B showcased the power of the Academy trait, especially the Academy Emblem. A six Academy comp with an Academy emblem-empowered Viktor ended up winning the lobby.

In Game 3, AP comps showed up again. Lobby C was won by a six Arcanist composition with a Lux hyper-carry. The combination of Infinity Edge, Jeweled Gauntlet and Blue Buff showed to be too strong. Game 4 showcased a unique four Sniper composition with Miss Fortune leading the charge in Lobby D. In Game 5, one of the most broken compositions on the ranked ladder, Imperial Samira reared its ugly head as it took down Game 5 in Lobby B. Urgot and Yone also performed well, as expected. However, a lot of original compositions were on display in the finals as well.