It’s been the best year on record for Teamfight Tactics as 2022 draws to a close with four major expansion updates throughout the year, as well as the continuation of the game’s most impactful expansion, TFT: Gizmos & Gadgets, earlier in the year. With so many big changes to the game, some champions were better than the others. Here are Upcomer’s picks for the best TFT champions in 2022.
Best TFT Set 6 Champion: Yone
Four-cost carriers ruled TFT: Gizmos & Gadgets, and while many of them had their time to shine, Yone shone brighter than the others and for longer. Yone was blessed with two of the expansion’s best traits and one of the most broken abilities of all time. Yone’s powerful combination of Duelist and Academy traits gave him blistering attack speed, letting him hit harder and faster. But what really set Yone apart from the rest of the pack was his ability, Soul Unbound. The ability created a clone of Yone to attack an additional target; What that broke is that if Yone “died” to something like Guardian’s Angel, the clone would keep attacking, which was usually the difference between winning and losing games.
Best TFT Set 6.5 Champion: Silco
The very first non-League of Legends character to be featured as a TFT champion also happened to be one of the strongest champions of 2022. Silco – from the hit Arcane series – made his debut in a Riot Games title in the 6.5- Update to TFT: Gizmos & Gadgets and has been a staple of the meta from the day it appeared to the day it went. Silco was a five-cost character with the Mastermind trait that gave 30 extra mana to two champions placed in front of him. In the ability-heavy set, that meant winning fights as soon as the round started; and that’s before Silco starts using his active ability to buff weaker heroes with Shimmer.
Top TFT Set 7 Champion: Xayah
Throughout TFT’s history, one thing has been assured; the characteristics make the champion. While Xayah definitely had some really good traits, picking Xayah as the best champion of TFT: Dragonlands was easy given that he was also an S tier carry. Xayah was a ranged damage carry that scaled with attack speed – her Ragewing trait gave her more than enough attack speed. On top of that, she was also a Swiftshot which gave her even more attack speed so she would quickly reach her attack speed ramp. And to top it off, the guild pack played around them kept the best carry champion at the top of the meta, despite Riot nerfing them multiple times.
Best TFT Set 7.5 Champion: Graves
Although the best trait in TFT 7.5 was dragon, the best champion of 7.5 is not dragon but dragon slayer Graves. One of the new champions introduced in the TFT: Dragonlands mid-set expansion, Graves became an instant meta-threat for his unique ability to be a massive tank and damage dealer. With magic damage dragons dominating the metagame, Graves was able to dance across the board while also getting in range to destroy dragon-based comps.
Best TFT Set 8 Champion: Yuumi
This is not a prediction of what will be the best champion of 2023, so looking at the metagame in 2022 when it comes to TFT: Monsters Attack! goes, the best champion in the young lifespan of the set so far is without a doubt Yuumi. TFT: Attack of the Monsters! is still young, so that may change in the future; But looking at the late 2022 meta, Yuumi is by far the best bet. As the main carry in the set’s most notorious comp, Yuumi has the power to murder any enemy carry on the backline while staying on her own backline. Through the power of Supers and Mascots, a two-star, three-star champion is stronger than any other champion in the game. Although 2023 could change things, Yuumi is the best TFT Set 8 champion.
