Why TF is the Best SoloQ pick

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For years, Twisted Fate has been the #1 SoloQ pick, specifically in Korea. For years, Dopa (the most renowned TF player), has dominated the Korean SoloQ scene, boasting an incredible win ratio at the most competitive level of play. I'm going to be explaining the ins and outs of why Twisted Fate is the KING of SoloQ, and why you should start playing this masterfully designed champion.

Over the course of this article, I'm gonna be breaking down what's so important about TF when it comes to his impact in soloQ. On top of that, I'll be giving some extra tips on gameplay and item builds that can be useful to know.

So, what makes Twisted Fate so great for SoloQ? The biggest factor is his ability to affect his team, specifically with his ultimate (Destiny). TF is essentially able to teleport anywhere he might need to be on the map, from mid lane. This allows him to quite easily get his teammates ahead. This is arguably more important than winning your own lane. How often have you won your lane hard, for it not to matter? That's because it usually doesn't matter. People think that stomping your lane is how you're supposed to carry a game, but in reality, the best way to carry a game is to get your teammates ahead. TF is the master of this.

Twisted Fate is a relatively safe pick mid lane, with not many hard counters. In lane, you usually aren't looking to solo kill your laner (perhaps only if they misplay). You mainly want to be shoving your lane whenever possible, and roaming afterwards. TF's ultimate isn't only good for when you're actually using it; it's also a great tool to apply pressure to other lanes in the game. Imagine you're playing against a Twisted Fate mid. He shoves the lane, and disappears off the map. That creates instant pressure on both of your teammates' sidelines, because of TF's ability to instantly teleport to either of their lanes. That's perhaps one of the most important parts of TF. Not just his ability to gank lanes, but just the pressure he creates by disappearing off the mini-map. This is similar to champions like Aurelion Sol, but because of TF's ability to instantly teleport + his guaranteed stun, he's slightly better at pulling this off.

TIPS AND TRICKS

Level 1, you're going to want to start W. Ideally, you will want to set up the first three combat minions to all die to your Red card. Max Q > W > E. By maxing Q first, you should be able to one hit caster minions by around level 8-9 (especially if you take minion dematerializer, and are using them on casters). This greatly increases your ability to push lanes, which as we talked about earlier is pretty important. This one is a little more advanced, but whenever you aren't actively using your W, the cards keep on ticking. This means if you pay enough attention, and are counting the the ticks in your head of which card it's on, you can instapull a certain card. Shove your lane and disappear off the map! For runes, you typically want to go Arcane Comet. This elevates your poke with Q, and fits to TF's style of trading, which is usually full of short trades. Also has good synergy with your gold card, which guarantees an Arcane Comet hit. Manaflow Bind > Transendence > Scorch for the following three under Sorcery. For secondary tree, you're going to want to go Inspiration. Time warp tunic and minion dematerialized under that second tree. Start the game with Corrupting Pot. This will allow you to safely farm and trade if you have to. Corrupting Pot pairs really well with time warp tunic as well. This is super strong on Twisted Fate, because while you are using a potion you get a small movement speed boost. This allows you to get your gold card off much easier, and is a perfect way to setup ganks. Sometimes, you'll want to pop a corrupting pot before a trade as well, to get value out of the burn damage you get while using an ability/auto with a Corrupting Pot running. You're going to want to try and back right before you hit level 6. Anywhere around level 5 is perfect, so you can back and get items and be fully prepared to use your ultimate to roam around level 6. ITEM BUILDS As talked about earlier, you're almost always going to want to start Corrupting Pot level 1. Item builds vary on the matchup. Typically, you're going to want to go Luden's Echo first time. An ideal first back would be Lost Chapter + Control Ward, possibly boots if you have enough. If survivability is looking to be an issue this game, Rod of Ages first item is a solid pick up as well. If you're playing against an AD assassin or a really bursty mage, this is definitely the item you're going to want to be picking up first. Zhonyas following as a second item is standard against AD assassins. Against lots of AP burst, Rod of Ages into Lichbane is a good pickup. It'll allow you to tank their hits and get decent trades off at the same time. Typically, any AP burst mage will be squishier, so this is a time when Lichbane really shines. A full build can and will definitely vary. Zhonyas will usually be a must in every game, but other then that you can build a lot of what I've already named. Spellbinder is an amazing pick too, as the movement speed boost from it's active will let you catch out and burst people really easily. With enough AP, you can almost one shot squishy champions with this combo. Item builds are definitely situational though (whether your team needs damage, for you to survive, or both). Lichbane, Void Staff, Rabadons, Luden's Echo, Spellbinder, Banshee's Veil are all items you should be considering when looking at full builds. RoA should only be built early game, which is why it isn't listed here. For boots, you typically have three or four options. If you feel your enemy laner is going to have kill pressure on you, Tabis or Merc Treads are a really solid pickup. Any AD laner you play against, Tabis is typically a must. Against AP matchups, I'd only go Mercs if you feel you really need it. Otherwise, you can go Boots of Swiftness (this combined with move speed from Corrupting Pot REALLY allows you to get those gold cards off). With a playmaking jungler, you can do a lot of work with these boots. This last one isn't as common, but if you feel your team really needs the damage, or if the enemy team is stacking hella MR, you can grab penetration boots.

Edited October 13, 2019 by Loading

[Awooken]

Great job on making this detailed guide. 

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if we can get the TF card picker, and some combo scripts. With map awareness, TF will carry you to diamond.