Meta is Data - Episode 1 - Samira & Naafiri Reroll
First article in a TFT Data Analysis bi-weekly series!
Hey there fellow tacticians and welcome to this new series of articles! In here you will find a bi-weekly analysis of the latest Meta trends identifiable in the Data.
A few quick disclaimers :
Every stats you will see were extracted from tactics.tools filtered on Master+ Elo on the 21/09/2023 (Patch 13.18b).
The point of the series is not to provide step by step composition guides, but to point out Data outliers for you to take advantage of in your climb. When possible I will redirect you to complete guides for the compositions mentioned in the articles.
Data interpretations and computations are my own so feel free to ask your questions or point out mistakes in the comments section!
Without further ado, let’s get into Episode 1! Here is what the Data has to say about today’s focus:
Samira & Naafiri reroll
Comp introduction:
The main mechanic around which the comp is centered is Naafiri’s Darkin Dagger effect : “After casting, summon packmates that attack the first enemy hit for a total of 114/176/270 AD”
Hence, the idea is to reroll both Naafiri and Samira and to position in a way that guarantee Naafiri dies quickly and pass the dagger to Samira. With the Challenger trait, Blue Buff and Edge of Night, Samira is then a prime holder to become a raid boss: casting very often (to proc the dagger effect) while being relatively safe with Edge of Night.
Recent trends:
Even though we have known about the theory behind this comp for weeks now (shout-out leduck) it has only emerged in the meta for a few days, as we can see in the Play-Rate and Avg. Place trends below:
Interestingly, we see that Korea who was an early adopter seems to be shying away from the comp. That might means that counter plays to the comp are being implemented by players as time goes on. So keep an eye on the Korean’s server trends in the upcoming days.
Now, let’s look into external factors contributing to the comp’s success from game to game.
Augments:
Most played:
Green → Positive trends → Augment looks overall great for the comp.
Orange → Mixed trends → Augment is probably conditionally good.
Red → Negative trends → Augment is a bait (can be conditional).
Noxus Crest → Specifically good if it can be itemized on Naafiri (more about that on the “Items” section).
Total Domination → Better on 2-1, the 2 Noxian units offered can be clutch to accelerate the comp tempo in early.
Gifts from the Fallen → Probably the comp’s best combat augment since it fits perfectly with the 1v9 clutch factor of Samira (with Edge of Night).
Worth mentioning:
Double Trouble Gold and Prisma → Respectively 2.18 and 2.56 Avg. Place but sample size is very low for now. Keep an eye on those.
Items:
Most played:
Don’t get fooled by the deltas, these core builds are extremely dominants in terms of Play Rate and should be considered BIS most of the time.
Noxus emblem is obviously in itself very good to cap the comp but it’s impact is multiplicated if you can equip it on Naafiri. As a reminder, Noxus 7 offers 42% base AD + and additional 35% at max conquered stacks for a total of 77% AD (in comparison Deathblade grants 66% AD).
Worth mentioning:
Giant Slayer: Situationally good against Cho’Gath rerolls, Jinx/Vi rerolls etc. Keep in mind that even after dying, the damage from Naafiri’s Darkin Dagger will benefit from the damage amp if her host is hitting a 1600HP+ unit.
Titan’s Resolve and Sterak’s Gage: Can be good Deathblade alternatives if you are unable to find enough BF Swords as they offer 50 AD (only if fully stacked in Titan’s case)
Sample Size is quite low so interpretation must be taken with a healthy pinch of salt Ornn Artifcats: Ornn Artifcats offer a bunch of good options but Sample Size is way too low on those for now to draw any defenitive conclusions. To keep on eye on: Gold Collector, Sniper’s Focus, Death’ Defiance, Infinity Force and Trickster’s Glass
Portals:
Most played on:
Portals data is incomplete for now, so consider this section experimental. Still, some outliers can be identified:
Bandle Cafeteria → The free spat is almost a guarantee of a Noxus emblem on Naafiri + you can stack HP on your Samira as soon as stage 2-1.
Ornn’s Forge → As mentioned above, this comp can benefit from a lot of different Ornn Artifcats.
Worth mentioning:
Placifium Library → Guaranteed Noxus Emblem on Naafiri on stage 3-5
Conclusion:
TFT is a very scary game to write Data Analysis articles about since it is so complex with many inter-connected variables, but I hoped I was able to provide interesting insights and advices.
Anyway, if you enjoyed the read and the series’ concept make sure to drop me a follow! Episode 2 of “Meta is Data” is coming in a few days. :)
Good luck on your ranked climb and I will see you in the Convergence!