Today we are going to talk about my all-time favorite, the Sniper composition!
Patch 6.5 brought us some fun new things, but the good old snipers are still here! They have had some adjustments, and a few champions reworks. Kog Maw and Tristana left the party earlier, but Ashe and Zeri are in the house, baby!
As for Kog and Tristana, I think we can safely say that no one is going to miss them much since they didn’t really show much potential since the release of this patch.
Snipers are a very powerful composition with high burst but relatively low sustain if you don’t have some hard def frontline in the form of bruisers. My favorite composition is six snipers three mercs, and two enforcers.
For that comp, you will need Illaoi, Vi, Gangplank – for the frontline.
Cait, Miss Fortune, Ashe, Zeri, Jhin, and an augment for snipers to place on someone from the frontline. It’ really isn’t important which champion you are going to use for Sniper augment since not a single one of them can adequately abuse it. Still, you need 6 snipers for an enormous power spike of 30% more damage per each hex that separates a particular sniper from its target.
The beauty of snipers is just pure, uncontested damage. But they aren’t without their flaws. Any type of assassin comp is going to bypass your frontline and simply devastate your backline of damage dealers if they don’t have some sustain items.
My favorite sustain items are: Guardian Angel, I mean, you can’t beat the guardian, but the thing is, he was removed, so we have to settle from some lower tier items. Well, not particularly lower, but not as op as GA was.
My choice of items for sustain would be Quicksilver, Edge of the Night, which replaced the GA, and Bloodthirster. Bt? What do I mean when I say Bloodthirster? Isn’t it damage dealing item? Yes, it is. But once you have an immense power spike with four snipers, and not to mention late game’s six snipers if you manage to get a sniper augment, apart from damage dealing, The Bloodthirster becomes an incredible sustain idem that just restores your HP like it’s coming from a tap at your home.
Guinsso’s Rageblade, combined with The Bloodthirster and Edge of the night, is simply the best (No Tina Turner pun intended) composition for any single of your snipers. Once you stack your attack speed with Guinsso’s, The BT won’t let your HP step out of the green for a split second unless you get bursted by some Arcanist or Assassin’s comp.
Alrighty then! Now when we understand the basics of our sniper comp, I think it would be a great time to introduce you to our Snipers! They will be listed accordingly to their price:
1. Caitlyn
For me personally, the best Sniper there is! Wow, we are beginning strong, aren’t we? Cait is one gold-priced champion who has a great range like all of the snipers do. The thing that put’s her apart from others, in my opinion, is her ult. Her ult is capable of erasing even five cost champions with full items, even if she is just a fable one gold champion.
The power of Cait’s ability scales with her level, but when I say scales, I mean it quintuples. The power spike you get once you reach level three is mesmerizing. Does the enemy have a full items level 3 Viktor that threatens to erase everything on the field with his lasers? No sweat, Cait can simply one-shot that guy, and he is trouble no more!
For the placing of our dearest Sniper Cait, it really depends on your items and do you want her to be your carry through the game.
If she is your carry, I would suggest placing her in the corners on the lower part of your board, BUT, and this is a BIG BUT (again, no pun intended), if you do not have a Quicksilver on her, never place her at the actual corner itself, since if the enemy is playing Blitz, she is going to be grabbed and deleted in seconds, since all of the champions (enemy’s in this case) are going to focus the champion which Blitz grabbed!
If she has quicksilver, the actual corner is your best choice since she is safe for the first five seconds, and Blitz will waste his Rocket grab, and later on, it is becoming less relevant since Blitz tends to die quickly. Also, if you ARE running QS, the corner is also a good hideout since she won’t be the first target for enemy assassins.
Caitlyn’s Ability and Stats:
Ace in the Hole
Caitlyn takes aim at the farthest enemy, firing a deadly bullet towards them that deals magic damage to the first enemy it hits.
- Damage 800/1200/2000
- Health 500 / 900 / 1620
- Armor 15
- MR 15
- Damage 50 / 90 / 162
- Speed 0.75
- DPS 38 / 68 / 122
- Mana 0 / 110
Also read: Best Little Legends in Teamfight Tactics
2. Ashe
Ashe, along with Zeri, is the newest part of set 6.5. Along with the Sniper trait, Ashe has found her place with Syndicates, but she benefits far more, damage-wise, with her friends in the trait of snipers!
She is quite a looker too! Many of us expected Ashe’s ability to be her ult from the Summoners Rift, but guys from Riot have decided for her Q. The scaling on the spell is 100% of her attack damage, so she scaled well with some heavy ad items.
The items I would recommend are Infinity Edge, Deathblade, and if you opt for her as your carry, then some kind of sustain, in the form of Quicksilver or The Edge of the Night. If you already have a carry, and you just want your backup damage deal who shreds enemies from far away, I would opt for Last Whisper.
If Ashe is your carry, she is best placed around the corners at the back of the field with quicksilver and on the inside of the backline if you do not have one on her.
She is pretty cheap, and I would recommend maxing her asap whether she is your primary carry or not.
Ashe’s Ability and Stats:
Volley
Ashe fires a volley of arrows centered on her target, dealing 100% of her Attack Damage as physical damage per arrow and slowing their Attack Speed by 15% for 3 seconds.
- Arrows: 6/7/8
- Health 600 / 1080 / 1944
- Armor 20
- MR 20
- Damage 70 / 126 / 226.8
- Speed 0.7
- DPS 49 / 88 / 159
- Mana 30 / 60
3. Miss Fortune
This champion is the core of this system and composition. She is the bread and butter, the link, the chosen one since she is the only champion that holds both mercenary and sniper traits. Whatever composition you choose, she is an inevitable part of it, whether it’s 5-7 mercs or 4-6 snipers.
At the cost of three gold, MF is an excellent mid-game pick, and if you manage to score her in the first couple of rounds out of fighting minions, there is a good chance you are going to win that game. Miss Fortune is an excellent pick since she combines AD and Ap so well like old Akali or Jax used to do in Summoner’s Rift. She benefits both from AD items such are The Bloodthirster or Infinity Edge, Attack speed items like Guinsso, or she can just go full mental with a Blue Buff, Rabbadon’s Deathcap, and Jeweled Gauntlet.
Whatever items you choose on her, I would skip the sustain items since I have found out she actually holds well and doesn’t get burst down immediately as some other carries do. Maybe I’m just losing my mind, but I would save those sustain items for Cait or Jhin.
She is best placed in the lower part of the board, skipping the edges, because we must watch out for that Blitz!
She has a tremendous power spike at level two, but I have found out she is pretty quickly maxed to level three, so if you see her in your shop, go for it! With maxed items and at the maximum level, she can do some severe damage. Trust me. I know what I am talking about.
Also read: Best Chemtechs Comp in Teamfight Tactics
Miss Fortune’s Ability and Stats:
Make it Rain
Miss Fortune rains 4 waves of bullets down around a random enemy, dealing magic damage to enemies in the area and reducing their incoming healing by 50% for 6 seconds.
- Damage: 200/300/450
- Health 650 / 1170 / 2106
- Armor 25
- MR 25
- Damage 60 / 108 / 194.4
- Speed 0.7
- DPS 42 / 76 / 136
- Mana 40 / 80
4. Jhin
Now, this is where things get serious! Four gold cost champions and some crazy amount of damage is what defines Jhin as a sniper! I can not stress enough how much damage this guy has. When he is ready to use his spell, the enemy has nothing left to do but to pray for the Heavens above and ask for their mommy!
Although he doesn’t have any kind of sustain and is likely to get blasted by any assassin that crosses his path, it is your job and your decision if you are going to risk it all by playing him offensively or if you are going to have some reason and quip him with a Quicksilver or something similar.
As far as positioning goes, Jhin should never touch the edge of the board unless he has Quicksilver. Items should always be Infinity Edge and Last Whisper no matter what, but for the last item, you have many options and combinations. You can go Blue Buff which is the highest damage output combination, since he will ult immediately as the fight starts, or you can go for Quicksilver and take some necessary precautions.
A very difficult champion to obtain even at level one, let alone two or three, your goal is to have him at level two by the end game if it is possible. Like most of the Snipers, Jhin’s isn’t working great against burst compositions like assassins and arcanists.
Jhin’s Ability and Stats:
Curtain Call
Jhin transforms his weapon into a powerful sniper rifle for his next 4 shots. Each shot deals a percentage of his Attack Damage as physical damage, reduced by 33% for each target it pierces through.
The 4th shot is guaranteed to critically strike, and deals 44% more damage based on his target’s missing Health. Passive: Jhin always attacks .9/.9/1.4 times per second. He converts each 1% of bonus Attack Speed into .8 Attack Damage.
- Base Damage: 175/250/444%
- Health 700 / 1260 / 2268
- Armor 30
- MR 30
- Damage 90 / 162 / 291.6
- Speed 0.9
- DPS 81 / 146 / 262
- Mana 0 / 70
5. Zeri
Along with Ashe, the newest addition to our TFT universe, Zeri is high damage, high-cost unit, which basically tells you, you get what you pay for! In my opinion, she is too strong at the moment, and some nerfs are heading her way on Summoner’s Rift and TFT arenas as well. She has an insane burst potential, and if you manage to get her up to level, God knows how many seconds will pass before your enemies beg for mercy!
Zeri is powerful at level one as a person would expect a five cost champion to be, but she shines even brighter, nope, scrap that, but she buzzes even stronger when she is at level two, and I am afraid to tell you that one-second delete you get if she somehow reaches level three.
Positioning-wise, at the back, like most of her colleagues, of the sniper trait, you should always try to shield your five-cost unit with some of your other, lower-cost units.
Item-wise, you want to go Guinsoo’s Rageblade for the bonus attack speed, Titan’s Resolve for sustain, and Last Whisper for some good old armor penetration shredding.
Also read: Is Teamfight Tactics Cross-Platform?
Zeri’s Ability and Stats:
Lightning Crash
Zeri charges herself up with electricity for 6 seconds. While electrified, she aims at the farthest enemy, her attacks pierce, and she dashes after every shot. Passive: Zeri’s attacks fire bullets, each dealing 18% of her Attack Damage as physical damage plus bonus magic damage to the first unit hit. VIP Bonus: Zeri’s Lightning Nova’s radius is doubled.
- Bullets: 5/5/30
- Damage: 11/22/44
Alrighty, then! Now that we have our five Snipers, we are depending on the Gods of Riot to send us The Mighty Sniper Augment so we can complete our mission of having six Snipers looking through their scope and waiting to blow someones head off. Well, not exactly. That came around a little bit harsh. It is only a game. So let’s just say that our snipers are locked and loaded! Sir! Yes, Sir!
But we haven’t made it to the end just yet! You see, our sniper buddies would be deleted from the face of Runeterra if we didn’t have some form of sustain in front of our board to block that might attacks that are coming from across the field!
This is where Mercenarie, Enforcer, and Bruiser traits come in handy, along with the champions that carry their marks.
Listing them according to their cost we have:
- Illaoi
- Vi
- Quinn
- Gangplank
- Tahm Kench
So, let’s waste no time and dig right into their specs!
1. Illaoi
In the first place, we have The Big Mamma herself, The Lady of the Ocean, The Tentacle Monster, The Kraken, but let’s be honest, we all know her as Gangplanks high school girlfriend. Illaoi is a must-have in every composition, whether it’s snipers or mercenaries you are going to favor in that particular game.
Low-cost, high damage, even higher healing, and immense sustain, Illaoi benefits from any kind of sustain and tanky items that you equip her with. Bear in mind that she may look weak, but trust me, she is not. Compared to the five cost champions with high levels, she is quite a decent opponent. And because a lot of people don’t know this, she isn’t used that much, so you have a pretty high chance of maxing her level as early as level four of the game. Do a couple of rerolls, and you sure won’t regret it!
The items she benefits the most from are Bramble’s vest, Warmog’s armor, Dragon’s claw, Titan’s resolve, Zz’Rot Portal, Sunfire Cape, Redemption, and any kind of similar item. You get the pattern. I had even won some games when I had her equipped with Morello’s. Don’t ask, just don’t.
Anyways, take me for my word. This girl is a ticket to some easy Elo.
Illaoi’s Ability and Stats:
Harsh Lesson
Illaoi slams her target, linking her soul to it for 5 seconds and dealing magic damage. While linked, Illaoi is healed for a percentage of the damage taken by her target.
- Damage: 175/300/500
- Heal: 30/35/40%
- Health 700 / 1260 / 2268
- Armor 40
- MR 40
- Damage 70 / 126 / 226.8
- Speed 0.55
- DPS 39 / 69 / 125
- Mana 40 / 80
Also read: Best Strategies For TFT Set 6.5
2. Vi
Vi is an essential part of many compositions, including the obvious, Bruisers, and Enforcers, but actually, she is a necessary part of the Sniper – Merc, or Merc – Sniper com as well. If Miss Fortune is the link or the glue that keeps it all in place, Vi would, in that case, be a nail that you, well, nailed through the glue, just in case.
She is powerful and valuable in Bruiser composition, benefiting from the HP buffs, and she is incredible in Enforcer comps, where she can glow with just two enforcers instead of four. But that’s because Enforcers are something that Riot needs to work on since they are kinda pointless to play on their own.
My girl Vi benefits from any kind of tanky items, such as Bramble’s vest, Warmog’s armor, Dragon’s claw, Titan’s resolve, Zz’Rot Portal, Sunfire Cape, Redemption, and not too long ago, a Guardian Angel. But now you can just use The Edge of the Night. You can, but you should probably save it for some carry in the back. Saying that, it is clearly implied that Vi is a frontliner, and with that, a mighty one.
Her place is in the front center of your field, with her tank buddies around her. Her newest addition replacing The Sister Trait is The Rival Trait. This trait is active when you have precisely one unique Rival unit, as Rivals refuse to work together. Vi’s mana cost is reduced by 20. Jinx gains 40% Attack Speed for 3 seconds after scoring a takedown.
In Merc – Sniper or Sniper – Merc compositions, any kind of augment you get, whether it is Sniper or Merc one, she can be equipped with it. She does benefit more from the Merc one since it provides her with more HP, which then scales with her bruiser trait if Illaoi is on the field as well.
THE ONLY TIME YOU DON’T HAVE VI ON THE FIELD WITH SNIPER – MERC (or vice versa) COMPOSITION IS IF YOU ARE ABLE TO GET 5 MERCS AND 6 SNIPERS!
Needless to say, that happens in around 1% of the time you ever play those comps.
Vi’s Ability and Stats:
Piltover Pulverizer
Vi shields herself and deals magic damage to her target and enemies behind it. On her 2nd cast, she also dashes through her target. On her 3rd cast, she instead throws her target into the air and slams them back to the ground, dealing damage in a circle around her target.
- Shield: 225/325/750
- Damage: 150/225/450
- 3rd Cast Damage: 300/450/900
- Health 900 / 1620 / 2916
- Armor 50
- MR 50
- Damage 80 / 144 / 259.2
- Speed 0.7
- DPS 56 / 101 / 181
- Mana 0 / 40
3. Quinn
This lady has been so underrated throughout the whole Set 6, and in my opinion, unfortunately, it has stayed like that with that patch as well. You see, the thing to understand is that Quinn is not a damage champion, I mean, she does deal damage, but that’s not the point, for she is a Utility champion whose primary role is to disarm and disable her enemies with her ult. Hence the name ‘’Disarming Assault’’.
She is a goldfish, a genie in the bottle for any kind of composition she plays along, even if you added her an augment so she can stay relevant to the team. The benefits are immense. Apart from disarming her foes, she also reduces Attack damage to any nearby enemies for the full length of four seconds.
She is very important both to the Mercenaries and Challenger compositions. Relatively low cost, starting at just two gold, this champion is the one you can max with levels, and you won’t even feel it since she is so underused and played just to fill a spot for the trait.
As for positioning, she is quite versatile. She can go in the lower end of the board, along with some Snipers, or she can go in the middle, standing behind strong tanks, while giving them her massive support!
Item-wise, I wouldn’t spend some of the better items on her since her primary role is not to deal damage but rather to disable and disarm. She would be most beneficial to your team if you equip her with some attack speed items so she can disarm as many opponents as she can while she is still alive in that particular combat.
Quinn’s Ability and Stats:
Disarming Assault
Quinn sends Valor out at her target, dealing magic damage to the target and nearby enemies. The main target is disarmed for 3 seconds and all nearby enemies have their Attack Damage reduced by for 4 seconds.
- Damage: 150/250/350
- AD Reduction: 40/40/80%
- Health 550 / 990 / 1782
- Armor 20
- MR 20
- Damage 60 / 108 / 194.4
- Speed 0.7
- DPS 42 / 76 / 136
- Mana 70 / 140
Also read: How Long Does An Average TFT Game Take?
4. Gangplank
GP is a kind of champion that never really takes the spotlight but rather does well in the shadows of someone else. Kind of like a whole medical and coaching team behind every sports star ever. He rarely gets any credit but rather gives one (pun intended, since he provides gold for his kills).
I have played many games of this patch on the PBE, and never have I once seen someone use a four twinshot trait. I promise I will make it work.
Returning to my guy GP, his usefulness was much clearer in the former patch since we had Kog Maw, who was a Twinshot and a Sniper, and GP is Merc and Twinshot, so they would form a synergy.
Nowadays, GP is mostly used to fill the position of lacking Merc since his utility was cut in half with the departure of Kog Maw. That doesn’t mean he is useless, but not as useful as before.
He still can do some damage and earn you some gold coins for every enemy he shoots with his pistol. His placement should be just behind the front line, in the middle, since he tends to die quickly.
Item-wise, he can benefit from the Infinity Edge and Last Whisper, but also from some kind of sustain in the form of Warmog’s or Sunfire cape.
He is still in love with Illaoi. Period.
Gangplank’s Ability and Stats:
Parrrley
Gangplank shoots his target, dealing a percentage of his Attack Damage and bonus damage. If this kills a champion, Gangplank plunders 1 gold.
- Damage: 225/250/300%
- Bonus Damage: 120/160/225
- Health 750 / 1350 / 2430
- Armor 40
- MR 40
- Damage 75 / 135 / 243
- Speed 0.75
- DPS 56 / 101 / 182
- Mana 0 / 50
5. Tahm Kench
Now, this is what we came for. I adore this guy. From his mechanics and looks in-game on regular Summoner’s Rift to his usefulness in the magical world of TFT. Coming in hot with the price of five gold, Tahm Kench is a game-changer whether you like it to admit or not. He is an integral part of Merc – Snipers, Sniper – Mercs, and Bruiser compositions. He is the champion you simply can not win without. It’s just how the game works.
While still at level one, I will admit he won’t do much, in case of doing the actual work around the field, but rather annoy you with his damage-less ability. But once he hits level two, god forbid level three, that’s where the fun begins.
Once Tahm starts chomping on his foes, as he does in his lore, you start seeing the benefits and the magic of Tahm Kench. If you are running Merc – Sniper composition, you are likely to have 5 Mercs when Tahm hits the board, and if you are lucky, you might even get a full seven. It happened to me once, happy times.
Anyways, returning to Tahm, since you will have five mercenaries at that moment, and if we just, for an example, say that you are doing well in the game, well you must have since you are able to buy Tahm. So, this is the late game, and since you have your Mercs at the least number of five, you are probably gonna have some mad items. And a lot of them. At level eight of the game, you are expected to have at least three to four items more than your opponents.
Use that for your advantage. No, abuse it. Tahm benefits from any kind of item you put on him. He is like me when it comes to food, but I rather wouldn’t get into that.
Anyways, where was I? Oh, yes. The most beneficial items for Tahm are coming from the tank or ap section of items. My suggestions are Titan’s resolve combined with Warmog’s armor and Jeweled Gauntlet.
Or you may take another approach and go for Blue Buff, Rabbadon’s, and Redemption. It’s up to you. No, actually, it’s up to him since when he hits level two, you aren’t much of a factor on the board anymore. Move over Sett. It’s the mighty Tahm Kench who is The Boss now!
P.S. Position him somewhere in the frontline. He is a oneshotting tank. Level two asap.
Tahm Kench’s Ability and Stats:
Devour
Tahm Kench devours his target, storing them in his belly for 3 seconds and dealing magic damage damage over the duration. During this time, they are invulnerable to other sources of damage and Tahm Kench takes 40% reduced damage.
If they die while inside, Tahm Kench spits out a random item component they were holding, or the cost of the unit in gold. Otherwise, he spits them towards the farthest enemy, briefly stunning targets they impact.
- Damage: 900/1350/30000
- Health 1000 / 1800 / 3240
- Armor 60
- MR 60
- Damage 80 / 144 / 259
- Speed 0.55
- DPS 44 / 79 / 143
- Mana 30 / 60
The Best Strategies for Sniper Composition in TFT
Conclusion
I am just a biased man. This is my favorite composition to play. It is just so versatile depending do you want a strong early game, so you focus on Cait and Illaoi combination to win your games as soon as the game starts, or you maybe want to max Miss Fortune and Jhin but risk losing on your way to your goal.
One thing is for sure. Once you start playing Snipers, you are not going to be able to stop. I have found myself playing them 15 times in a row in the last patch. They are simply addicting, the rush you get when Cait, that has 5 hp left, one-shots enemy’s Lucian that has a full set of items and is on the third level. The demise in your opponent’s eyes. Well, not eyes, but their Little Legend.
There is nothing sweeter than your opponent desperately spamming the golden question mark (The SS button for you that don’t get it) and rushing towards you with their Little Legends like they want to ram you Alistar style from the board. But alas, to their avail, you are the one who is victorious!
Try different positions for your snipers and different carries and essential champions, but remember, Snipers have to be in the last Hexes of the field to maximize their Sniper bonus. After all, if you manage to get 6 snipers, the distance between them and your opponent’s backline is going to be 8 hexes, multiply that with 30% damage increase for each hex, and you get a whopping 240% damage increase for basic attack’s and abilities.
I am sure you will hop on your PC, phone, or Mac and try out these compositions asap. Good luck!
