Set 7 is out for Teamfight Tactics, Riot Games' (known, of course, for League of Legends) own Auto-Battler using their beloved characters. This Set is called "Dragonlands", and Riot has really innovated once again with all the crazy new mechanics this time around. It makes sense that they would go wild with this Set, with all their mainline games coming to Xbox Game Pass, there's about to be a large bump in its player base.
There are Traits that summon new creatures onto the battlefield, units that eat others to gain their stats, and even a unit based entirely around giving a rare form of currency through dancing! But, one of the more complex systems added in Set 7 has to be the Dragons themselves, a new type of Trait unlike any seen before. So, let's go over exactly what these Dragon units are, how their Trait works, and how Teamfight Tactics players are meant to use them.
What Are The Dragonlands Dragons?
Now, the thing about the Dragons in TFT is...a lot of them look very similar. It's pretty clear that Riot made a conscious decision to just reuse Shyvana's Dragon from, Gatekeeper Galio, and Aurelion Sol models with tweaked aspects and colors to create the other Dragons. And, most of these Dragons are also new "characters" (wonder what their "lore will be) as only two of them are actually Champions in the base League of Legends game. There are seven in total:
|
Name |
Traits ( (m) = Marked Trait) |
Gold Cost |
|---|---|---|
|
Daeja |
Mirage(m), Dragon |
8 Gold |
|
Shi Oh Yu |
Jade(m), Mystic, Dragon |
8 Gold |
|
Sy'fen |
Bruiser, Whispers(m), Dragon |
8 Gold |
|
Idas |
Shimmerscale(m), Guardian, Dragon |
8 Gold |
|
Ao Shin |
Tempest(m), Dragon |
10 Gold |
|
Aurelion Sol |
Astral(m), Evoker, Dragon |
10 Gold |
|
Shyvana |
Ragewing(m), Shapeshifter, Dragon |
10 Gold |
Aurelion and Ao Shin have the same base model, Shi Oh Yu and Daeja do as well, and then Idas and Sy'fen are modified version of Shyvana's Dragon form (why not use Bel'Veth as a base for a Dragon design?). And, while Ao Shin is a Little Legend, all of the other Dragons seem to be entirely new designs and characters that will likely get their own Little Legends (and hopefully their own stories) somewhere down the line. Outside of that, however, they're just another Trait that players can activate by placing them on the field in TFT.
How Does The Dragon Trait Work?
While the Dragon is a Trait just like any other, such as Assassin or Bruiser, it is a bit of a "special case". The closest comparable Traits from other Sets would be that Dragons are sort of a mix between the Debonair VIPs from last Set and the Colossi that have appeared in multiple Sets in the past. Here are all the unique aspects of Dragons:
- They're gigantic units that take up two slots on the team like a Colossus unit would.
- They cost twice the amount a Unit of their same rarity would usually cost. For example, Sy'fen has the same purple border around its image as any of the 4-cost Champs, but it costs 8 Gold instead.
- Dragons gain 600 Bonus Health while on the field.
- Dragons have at least two Traits, with the "Origin" Trait always being marked and counting for +3. So Idas, a Shimmerscale, Dragon, and Guardian Unit adds +3 to the players Shimmerscale synergy since that's its "marked" Trait.
- Multiple Dragons can be on the field, but the added benefit of the "marked" Trait is disabled when two or more are on the field at once (AKA Idas would only add +1 to Shimmerscales). This can be circumvented if the player is offered either the Dragon Alliance or the Dragon Horde Augments.
Are Dragons Actually Good?
The Set is still pretty new, so it's difficult to say anything definitively, but so far PC and mobile players seem to love Dragons as they combine all the fun from running one big, unstoppable Colossus in previous Sets with the enjoyment that comes from getting a Trait Bonus to absurd levels like +8 or +9.
Plus, most of the Dragons have innately powerful Abilities and fantastic stats, making them easy to just slap on the field when they appear. Hopefully, Riot Games adds more new dragons during the eventual mid-Set 7.5 update, and maybe they'll even use some other Dragons, such as Chemtech Drake, as a foundation.
Teamfight Tactics is available for Android, iOS, PC, and Mac