TFT: Remix Rumble Gameplay Overview

Welcome to THE Remix Rumble, the only music festival where you’re in charge of the lineup. To keep you informed on who’s topping the charts and winning fans’ hearts, we’ve got some show notes to go over. Here we’ll be covering just some of the bands, solo artists, and Superfans coming with patch 13.23 from across the League universe, but there’s far more to uncover at this converging Convergence confluence of compositions, including a reflection on Runeterra Reforged, and a deep dive into all things Remix Rumble with our most recent Dev Drop.

Artist: K/DA (3/5/7/10)

Members: Lilia (1g Superfan, Sentinel), Evelynn (1g Crowd Diver), Seraphine (2g Spellweaver), Kai’Sa (2g Big Shot), Neeko (3g, Guardian, Superfan), Akali (4g, True Damage, Breakout, Executioner), Ahri (4g, Spellweaver)

K/DA hit the scene back in 2018 with their debut single “POP/STARS,'' which utilized talent from a diverse ensemble of artists led by the charming main vocalist, Ahri. Their critical success comes from more than just their sound; their transcendent choreography has made its impact over in the Convergence, where lighted hexes mark the start of their formations. Once combat begins, all champions in the light gain Max Health, Ability Power, and Attack Damage. K/DA champs go All Out and get double bonuses. As you field more K/DA members (guest stars, Superfans, and Emblem holders included), you’ll hit more powerful trait breakpoints granting even MORE Health, AD, and AP.

K/DA is the perfect trait for dual carries. It must be all that practice sharing the stage! Just let Akali take your AD items and Ahri take your AP items—and make sure she gets a Blue Buff too. Depending on whose style you like more, you can lean more into Executioner to empower Akali, or Spellweaver to benefit Ahri and Seraphine.

Akali’s Breakout trait changes her ability depending on what group is trending on your board. If your board is lighting up with pop-stars, then Akali’s ability will be Unrelenting Flow, where she’ll throw a shuriken at the furthest unmarked enemy, dealing physical damage and marking them. She’ll then dash to every marked enemy and deal physical damage to each one. Keep her casting to keep her dashing and be sure to add an Executioner to your crew to allow her to clean up low-health foes.

HEARTSTEEL: 3/5/7/9

Members: K’Sante (1g Sentinel), Aphelios (2g Rapidfire), Sett (3g Brawler, Mosher), Yone (3g Crowd Diver, Edgelord), Ezreal (4g Bigshot), Kayn (5g Edgelord, Wildcard)

The new kids on the block aren’t just here to dominate the back streets, they're here to win your heart. HEARTSTEEL members earn Hearts by killing enemies and even more by losing player combat. Every 4 player combats, you’ll convert your current Hearts into powerful rewards! The number of Hearts you gain increases for each HEARTSTEEL member in play.

Heartsteel differs dramatically from econ traits of the past for a couple of reasons. First, it’s one of our premiere verticals, with six core units and the ability to reach an exceptionally powerful (and chaotic) 8 chase trait. Second, because you only need to field the trait for four rounds to cash out, you can pivot in and out of Heartsteel to your heart’s content. If you’re leading the lobby in Health, you can simply choose to swap a few units out to trade combat power for a bonus cashout that could allow you to pivot back to your main comp and turn that top four into a first. Finally, and this one is more of a tip, Heartsteel is the perfect trait to run when constantly swapping out your Headliners, units that contribute an additional +1 towards their given trait and have a special bonus. K’Sante as an early Headliner can help you lose streak early into a quick stimulus to your early econ, while swapping into Yone or Kayne can allow you to dip in 'n out like a choreographed dance.

Pentakill: 3/5/7/10

Members: Olaf (1g, Brawler), Gnar (2g Superfan, Mosher), Kayle (2g, Edgelord), Mordekaiser (3g Sentinel), Karthus (4g Executioner), Viego (4g, Edgelord), Yorick (5g Mosher, Guardian)

*in the best screamo impression* Blinded by hate brought by the low-rolls. They swear death to those who contest. You will feel the vengeance of bottom four!

Pentakill units deal more damage and take less damage. During combat, as you get kills, this bonus increases. Once you get a pentakill (5 kills), this bonus gets EVEN MORE POWERFUL!

• (3) 7% bonus damage, 5% damage reduction
• (5) 11% bonus damage, 7% damage reduction
• (7) 20% bonus damage, 11% damage reduction
• (10) 50% bonus damage, 25% damage reduction

While the base of the comp may come from the lower cost Pentakill members, the real bass comes from the 5-cost Yorick. With his ability, Yorick summons headbanging zombies around the edge of the board that pile in towards the center, each dealing physical damage over three attacks and sundering enemies. Every other cast also summons a BIG zombie, with more durability and damage. The large ones also make for terrific roadies.

True Damage: 2/4/6/9

Members: Kennen (1g, Superfan, Guardian), Yasuo (1g, Edgelord), Senna (2g, Rapidfire), Ekko (3g Spellweaver, Sentinel), Akali (4g Breakout, Executioner), Qiyana (5g Crowd Diver),

True Damage members, uh, *checks notes* deal bonus true damage. But in addition to that, their abilities have unique Bling Bonuses that activate as you equip an item to them.

Let’s talk about a few of their Bling Bonuses:

He may be a Superfan, but to the members of True Damage, Kennen’s also part of the crew. His Bling Bonus allows his ability, which jolts enemies around him, to strike and stun an additional enemy. With True Damage, Akali’s ability becomes Deep Cuts, which throws three waves of kunai at the closest three targets. Each wave deals physical damage split between targets hit. For each target that survives all three waves, Akali will be refunded some mana so she can cast again and cut even deeper. With her Bling Bonus active, she’ll also heal for a portion of damage dealt, which means you can itemize her further with offensive AD items. That way you can save your sustain/healing items for Qiyana, the crew’s 5-cost, who can make temporary copies of enemy items as she fights. And, if she’s blinged up and survives long enough, she can even make permanent completed items.

Item Augments allow you to take full advantage of the trait’s Bling Bonus, so keep an eye out to bling up. The comp also benefits from adding additional Guardians/Sentinels to empower your frontline and provide Akali and Qiyana the space to flex their skills: rapping, wiping the enemy board, and I guess also printing items—jeez they’re talented.

Country: 3/5/7

Members: Tahm Kench (1g, Brawler), Katarina (2g, Crowd Diver), Samira (3g, Executioner), Urgot (3g Mosher), Thresh (4g, Guardian)

Desperado, our Country band, unites the harbingers of twang to summon the Dreadsteed upon losing a percentage of your team’s health. The Dreadsteed gains Health and Attack Damage with each star level of your Country champions, and as you achieve higher breakpoints with the trait, it also gains new abilities to empower your wily crew.

• (3) Dreadsteed gains the ability: The Reaping
• Passive: On entrance, grant allies attack speed for the rest of combat.
• Active: Deal physical damage to all enemies within 2 hexes.
• (5) Dreadsteed gains the ability: The Dreadful Reaping
• Passive: On entrance, grant allies attack speed for the rest of combat, and Country units gain Omnivamp for the rest of combat.
• Active: Deal physical damage to all enemies within 2 hexes. For a few second, nearby enemies take more damage and The Dreadsteed heals for a portion of damage dealt to them.
• (7) Dreadsteed gains the ability: The Infernal Reaping
• Passive: On entrance, grant allies attack speed for the rest of combat, and Country units gain Omnivamp for the rest of combat.
• Active: Deal physical damage to all enemies within 2 hexes. For a few second, nearby enemies take more damage and The Dreadsteed heals for a portion of damage dealt to them. During this time, summon a spectral rider every half second that deals physical damage to enemies it passes through.

The Dreadsteed provides a powerful buff to your team, but also serves as a Bruiser for the vertical. To keep the Dreadsteed stampeding your foes, rerolling to star up your Country units is a must! Staying at level 7 can allow you to star up Samira and Urgot, your primary carries, while rushing to later levels can allow you to add additional Executioners for damage, and Guardians or Brawlers for more frontline. Emo is a great add to the Country core. Speaking of, get your Tears ready for the next section!

Emo: 2/4/6

Loners: Annie (1g, Spellweaver), Amumu (3g, Guardian), Vex (3g, Executioner), Poppy (4g, Mosher)

So sad, so alone. Emo Champions have reduced Mana requirements for casting their ability. Whenever an ally dies, Emo Champions further reduce their max Mana up to a limit of 50%, making it even easier to cry the pain away. Once their spell has 50% the cost, deaths will grant Mana instead.

Playing around Emo means playing around sadness. Look for Tears at every opportunity to make Blue Buffs and Emo Emblems. With Blue Buff, Annie and Vex have never looked so…happy—but that could also be from watching their allies hit the dirt. Emo can be played as a 1-cost reroll with Annie as your carry, or a 3-cost reroll by playing around Vex/Amumu. Add more Spellweavers to empower Annie, or add Country units to open for the Emo show and activate Executioner, Mosher, and Guardian.

Punk: 2/4/6

Members: Jinx (1g, Rapidfire), Vi (1g, Mosher), Pantheon (2g, Guardian), Twitch (2g, Executioner)

Roll with the punches, roll with the Punks. Punks get bonus Health and Attack Damage. This bonus is increased by 1 percent each time you spend gold on a reroll. After using Punks in combat, your first reroll costs 1. As you gather your band of Misfits, the base bonus increases, also increasing the value you get out of rerolling, resulting in a late game Clash with fully stacked punks.

These Stooges provide a great core for any 1 or 2-cost reroll comp. Make sure you’re rerolling once per start of combat—it may feel like you're tossing your econ into the Pavement, but it will ensure your comp is Built to Spill enemy Tactician health throughout the game. Picking up a reroll Augment can take an already strong Punk core into Nirvana.

Disco: 3/4/5/6

Members: Nami (1g, Dazzler), Taric (1g, Guardian), Gragas (2g, Brawler, Spellweaver), Blitzcrank (4g, Sentinel), Twisted Fate (4g, Dazzler)

Boogie on over to the good times with Disco where you’ll receive a placeable Disco Ball that empowers champions who start combat next to it, granting Attack Speed and healing each second. At Disco 5, you’ll gain a second Disco Ball, which will allow you to place one by your frontline, and another to turn up the beat in your backline.

Disco can be played a number of ways. You can hyper-roll for 1-costs to 3-star Nami and Taric, creating a powerful front and backline. During this early game be sure to fully clump your comp around the Disco ball to get the most from the powerful buff. Late game, or if you decide to power level instead, look out for Blitzcrank, your go-to tank, and Twisted Fate, whose spell, Wild Cards, benefits greatly from both Attack Speed and AP. If you can hit an early Ziggs and Lulu, the Hyperpop duo, you’ll have synergy that can turn some Bee Gees into Gee Gees.

Jazz: 2/3/4

Members: Bard (2g, Dazzler), Miss Fortune (3g, Big Shot), Lucian (5g, Rapidfire)

Jazz is about the complex harmonies of syncopated rhythms and improvisations. As you splash different genres and traits together with Jazz active, your champions will gain bonus Health and deal bonus Damage with each non-unique trait you have active. Investing deeper into Jazz provides larger and larger bonuses to express your soulful improvisations.

Playing with Jazz is similar to the Stand United Augment of sets past. Any time you see your comp going wide, it’s a good idea to add in the Jazz ensemble to take your comp the extra Miles and Duke it out even harder in the late game.

8-bit: 2/4/6

Gamers: Corki (1g, Big Shot), Garen (2g, Sentinel), Riven (3g, Edgelord), Caitlyn (4g, Rapidfire)

If you add a video game music-inspired trait into a video game that is music-themed, isn’t it just the music trait? ThInKiNg.

8-bit champions gain Attack Damage. When your team deals damage, your score goes up. For every high score you've beaten, 8-bit champions gain even more Attack Damage. At six 8-bit, your team has the opportunity to unlock a grand prize upon reaching the top high score—good luck!

An early game Sentinel frontline with Garen does wonders for 8-bit. With Garen as your Headliner be sure to add Lilia and a few other Superfans as Garen loves powerful items. Corki here is also a great Headliner, especially when you can slam a few early AD items. But regardless, if you’re playing 8-bit early, you’ll really want a Headliner to help you rack up that high score and get to stacking AD!

Hyperpop: 1/2/4

Members: Lulu (3g, Spellweaver), Ziggs (5g, Dazzler)

With a TFT first style, the hectic and eclectic Hyperpop duo are here to raise the BPM of your board by granting Mana and Attack Speed to their closest allies after casting.

Lulu’s Saccharine Love fires a bolt toward the current target, dealing damage to the first unit it hits and a unit behind them as it passes through. Every third cast, her spell will stun the 3 nearest enemies briefly and deal damage to them instead.

Ziggs’ ability, Chaos Theory, throws a bomb at the current target dealing magic damage. It then splits into two bombs that Shred (reduce MR) their target briefly and deal additional magic damage. Each cast increases his output of bombs, which makes running Hyperpop alongside Mana regeneration items incredibly effective.

Superfan: 3/4/5

Really passionate fans: Kennen (1g, True Damage, Guardian), Lillia (1g K/DA, Sentinel), Gnar (2g, Pentakill, Mosher), Neeko (3g K/DA, Guardian)

They aren’t only fans, they’re Superfans! Superfans power up your Headliner in various ways. At 3 Superfan they’ll grant your Headliner a completed item; at 4, your Headliner will also get bonus Health and Omnivamp; and at 5 Superfan, your Headliner’s item upgrades into a Radiant version!

While most of the time you’ll be splashing Superfan to empower a Headliner in one of the overlapping verticals (True Damage, K/DA, Pentakill), finding an early Headliner Superfan can allow you to field 5 Superfan with a Radiant Item that can help you win streak into the mid-game.

Mixmaster: Sona

The Mixmaster: Sona (5g, Spellweaver)

With Sona’s Mixmaster trait, you’ll chooses a mode to modify her Ability and attacks. She has three modes that you can choose from depending on what your comp needs: Bonus healing, team focused Attack Speed, or just more damage!

Her ability, The Drop has two parts. First, Sona can’t attack enemies—that would harsh her vibe. Instead her attacks target allies with effects that depend on the mode you selected. When selecting Green Sona (healing and shielding) her attacks heal allies for a small portion of their maximum Health. When selecting Blue Sona (attack speed) her attacks grant attack speed. And when selecting Red Sona (more damage) her attacks grant her ally and herself AP

The second part of The Drop, is the active component that will change depending on whatever mode you selected as well. It can be a massive shield for her whole team, a massive Attack Speed buff for your entire team, or a massive damaging blast that hits a large number of enemies. With her survive-ability she benefits greatly from ramping items like Archangel’s or Rageblade to keep your frontline dancing till the Drop!

ILLBEATS: Illaoi

The ILLEST: Illaoi (5g, Brawler)

With her unique trait, Illaoi is able to place 2 Tentacles onto the board that will slam at nearby enemies, dealing magic damage every couple of seconds. Her ability, Drums of the Deep, revives and fully heals her tentacles and has Illaoi leap at the nearest enemy. She then drums the ground 3 times, dealing magic damage to surrounding enemies and slamming her in rhythm with her at nearby targets. While she’s drumming, Illaoi gains Armor and Magic Resist.

Maestro: Jhin

The Virtuoso: Jhin (5g, Big Shot)

With Maestro, Jhin converts bonus Attack Speed into Attack Damage. Jhin’s ability, Concerto of Demise, allows him to place Grand Finale Rifles onto empty bench slots. Upon placing 4 on the bench, Jhin begins conducting instead of attacking, firing the rifles and gaining 10 Mana per volley. Every 4th round of shots deals a climactic amount of extra damage.

That’s just the opening act. There’s a whole lot more coming during the Remix Rumble, which launches with patch 13.23. If you’re looking for more prep ahead of the main show, be sure to check out our Runeterra Reforged learnings, or our most recent Dev Drop!