The Games Cabin is bringing you the newest in-depth guide. It’s time for the master of defense, The Bodyguards!
Introduction
The Bodyguard trait has been in the Teamfight Tactics since its release, in one way or another. It was called many different names but the point stayed the same. It was always a bonus via flat amount of Armour for the units of that composition.
The Bodyguard trait in the Set 6 and Set 6.5 is pretty balanced composition that has stayed almost unchanged since its release in Gizmos and Gadgets. This is overall a pretty strong and simple composition that focuses on one thing, and one thing only, Armour. When I say Armour, I mean the overall sustain for the champions that share the Bodyguard trait. You get free bonus armour, and with your items you buff your champions in the fields that are lacking from this trait. You can add them HP or Magic Resist for even more sustain, you can equip them with more amount of armour, or you can try and give them some damage to help them blast of your enemies. It really depends on your choice, the items you get and what compositions are your enemies playing.
This is one of the simplest compositions there can be in Teamfight Tactics and their build is pretty straight-forward and basic. You don’t have any complex bonuses and the champions themselves are all frontline units whose spells really and mostly just buff their defensive stats, with some exceptions of course.
This composition works pretty well all by itself, but it will sure benefit from some help from other units. The Bodyguards have pretty nice 2 units. Darius and Braum who both share The Syndicate and The Bodyguard trait, so you really need only one more Syndicate champion to get the Syndicate Bonus.
If you are trying to go for full 8 Bodyguards you will be pretty Augment dependant, but that isn’t the only way to get The Bodyguard Emblem, since you can get it with the combination of items and spatula.
The Bodyguard Trait
Bodyguards have increased Armor. Shortly after combat begins, Bodyguards gain a shield and taunt adjacent enemies, forcing them to attack the Bodyguard.
- 2
- 75 Armor, 200 shield
- 4
- 150 Armor, 400 shield
- 6
- 250 Armor, 800 shield
- 8
- 450 Armor, 2000 shield
Champions
- Poppy
- Darius
- Blitzcrank
- Leona
- Braum
- Galio
Poppy
Poppy is a angry litle Yordle that has the Yordle and Bodyguard origin and class. Poppy is an excellent starting champion. She is pretty damn cheap unit but I think that is a fair price for her, since for that much money you don’t expect much but you do get a champion that can work with many other traits apart from her own, like for an example she is great addition to the Syndicate composition. Since she is part of the Yordle crew, and their bonus she can get to the level three pretty soon in game.
She works best with armor items since her passive stacks with it.
But the thing is, that she isn’t really worth investing items in, since there is at least one champion in her composition that does what she do, and that is Vex. And she is much stronger than Poppy. Just food for tought.
Your early game will be weak if you don’t equip your champions with items, and that is a pretty normal thing. The game just works that way. If you’d like to reduce the loss of HP, equip her the Gargoyle’s Stoneplate or The Sunfire Cape.But that is only the case if you have The Magnetic Remover on hand, otherwise you should forget about it.
In the Bodyguard comp, the thing stays the same, and you are likely to get The Bodyguard emblem from some of your augments, so you can use it on some better champs like Cho Gath, along with the items you would equip on Poppy.
She does shadow over Ziggs in the Yordle comp, purely because of Sustain>AP damage rule in the first rounds of the game.
In the Bodyguard comp, Darius is a better choice for one gold coin champion, but you at least have some synergy early at levels. So even if you are planning to go for something else, later on, it’s a good starting comp that you can build your items on and later sell them once you reach the champions you desire.
As for positioning, she should be positioned on the front side of the board in the middle, so she would take an aggro.
As I said, for items, just don’t bother.
Ability: Buckler Toss
Poppy throws her buckler at the farthest enemy, dealing a percent of her Armor as magic damage. The buckler then bounces back, granting Poppy a shield that blocks damage.
Darius
Darius is among the strongest one gold coin champions. And when patch 6 known as The Gizmos and Gadgets first released, he was unbeatable. With his amazing healing and damage ability, he’d look like a blender spinning around the board. Since he is part of both The Syndicate and The Bodyguard characteristics, his sustain is only outshined by Braum who shares these traits also. If you didn’t understand perfectly, Riot has made two champions with two identical traits. They are both in incredible harmony with each other and can produce incredible synergy. It’s fantastic! The two champions are both front-line players and likely to be right next to each other in battle. This is among the most powerful, with only two champions. You also have two Syndicates (and two Bodyguards) on the board. Darius is stronger in terms of damage in his attack, whereas Braum is more concentrated on the defense-utility field. They can have the strength and power of four champions. I’m sure of it.
When he came out, you could easily stack The Rabbadon’s Death Cap, The Hextech Gunblade, and The Blue Buff on Darius, and the game would be pretty much over once he hits level three. Now that has changed, and he doesn’t do very well with those items. When I say he doesn’t do or perform very well, I mean, it can not be compared with the damage he had before nerfs, but I promise you, even now, with those items equipped on Darius, he can do some pretty sick stuff.
But, those items now go much better with some actual AP scaling champions, so for Darius’s items, I would go for The Warmogs Armor, The Titan’s Resolve, The Sunfire Cape, The Redemption, The Bramble’s Vest. You get the point. Although I have to say the disclaimer that I wouldn’t equip Darius with any items unless you have The Magnetic remover since there are a lot more champions in the Syndicate composition, which can do much more and benefit more from them than Darius can.
For positioning, you should go straight on, face to face with the enemy. He should be placed in the front row of your battle arena so he can do some damage while taking aggro instead of your team. Talking about taking one for the team, eh?
Since he is a relatively low-cost unit, Darius shouldn’t be a problem getting to level three. If you are still in the early game, you should make that a priority, but if you are somewhere towards the mid-game, I wouldn’t bother to be honest.
Ability: Decimate
Darius swings his axe in a circle, dealing magic damage, then heals himself for each enemy hit.
Blitzcrank
What do you think TFT be like without his presence? The rocket grab is an iconic part of nearly 60 percent of TFT sets. While the robot’s rusty appearance does not cause a lot of damage, his rocket grab can sometimes do, when upgraded with the best ap items and being maxed out to the level three. It can also single-shot targets that are squishy, but it is only a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I’ll stick with the fact that he’s an extremely useful unit that can be utilized by any game, even if it doesn’t match your currently-used traits. Two traits are preferred by Blitz when it comes to traits. They are The Scrap and The Bodyguard traits that Blitz is very well with.
It is crucial to know the mechanism behind Blitz’s rocket grab. The Blitz will grab any champion located in the back-end of the map, and he will pull the champ from the very corner of the map. He will select the closest Hex Champion if there’s not any champions in the area. Blitz was greatly nerfed after patch 6.5. He could pull an opponent across the field , not only in corners, but the one that was standing across him on any place of the map. This was a huge benefit for any player playing Blitz at the time. He could simply observe his adversaries until the very final second prior to a fight and then switch his Blitz and put him in the hexagon he wants. Then he would grab the opponent’s champion and basically wipe it out from the game.
Blitz is nor front liner nor backliner, but somewhere in the middle of the field, both literally and figuratively speaking. He is a utility-only champion, and his only job is to pull one champion and knock him in the air. After that, his mission is complete, and if he doesn’t die instantly, anything beyond that is a bonus!
I usually don’t equip Blitz with items, but if you would like him to have a chance to pull the opponent twice, then you should go for The Blue Buff, The Spear of Shojin, The Titan’s Resolve.
His position should be in the first or the second row directly across the corner you want to pull the enemy champion from.
As for leveling, he is an easy champion to level to the max, and bear in mind that the more you level him, the longer he will live and the more chances you get more than one pull per fight.
Ability: Rocket Grab
Blitzcrank pulls the farthest enemy, dealing magic damage and stunning them for 1.5 seconds. His next attack after pulling knocks up for 1 second. Allies within range prefer attacking Blitzcrank’s target.
Leona
Leona is so strong right now. Like every other Debonair unit she came along with The Debonair trait in patch The Neon Nights.
She is blessed with The Debonair and The Bodyguard traits. She works well with both of them. If you are going for The Debonair comp, her VIP bonus can be a nice addition if your secondary units are Bodyguards and you will have the strongest frontline in the game there is.
The same goes for The Bodyguards, since her sustain is ridiculous. With some nice sustain items she can be almost impossible to kill. Her price is 3 golden coins, and even if it may seem like a lot, you do get a nice unit for your money. Since she is an aggressive frontline tank with a nice ultimate. The only problem is, since she is somewhere in the Mid-range when it comes to the price, is that there won’t be as many Leonas in the champion pool, as a person would like.
This shouldn’t come as a problem considering that not many players are playing The Bodyguards, but a lot of them play The Debonairs, so it is a little bit of a challenge to get her to level three.
Her items should be standard tank items like The Titan’s Resolve, The Warmog’s Armor and The Sunfire Cape. The Bramle’s Vest and The Dragon’s Claw are great choices too.
If you get a chance to level her up, you should definitely do that since she is not a waste of money, but rather a great long lasting unit.
She should be placed in the front line so she can take as much aggro as she can, and while taking a lot of damage, her mana pool will fill up a lot faster, so hopefully she will be able to cast her ultimate a couple of times per battle.
Ability: Solar Eclipse
Leona calls down a beacon of light, granting herself shield for 4 seconds. Leona and allies within 2 hexes gain Armor and Magic Resistance for the same duration.
VIP Bonus: Heals for 0.8% of max HP for each enemy targeting her.
Braum
Since the patch 6′s release in the past, this character has been with us. Braum has been one of the top champions in The Gizmos and Gadgets when they are in defense, and I can safely say that it had stayed the same when The Neon Nights came that it has stayed that way. Braum is with Galio who is considered to be the greatest defensive champion on the field. Braum’s entire kit is centered around defense efficiency, utility, and help to his teammates. Since it’s less likely that he’ll be killed within the first few seconds of the match that’s why he’s in place to take on all the aggro. Even if he dies during the final moments of the game, it should give enough time for you to do some serious damage to your opponent and perhaps win the fight or even the game. Braum is a father figure in every game, shielding his imaginary children from his formidable Freljordian shield. There’s some satisfaction in his appearance. Some warmth, if you will.
Like Darius, Braum shares both of those traits as well. If you didn’t understand perfectly, again, Riot has made two champions with two same traits, which are both in incredible harmony with each other and can create incredible synergy between themselves. As I said earlier, both of the champions are front-liners as well and will most likely stand next to each other on the battlefield. Those two champions alone make this composition one of the strongest there is since with just two champions on the board, you have two Syndicates and two Bodyguards. Darius is better damage-wise, while Braum is more focused on the defense-utility field. Combined, they have the strength of 4 champions.
And again, like Darius, Braum is a tanky frontliner bodyguard that benefits from standard tank items such as being The Warmog’s Armor, The Sunfire Cape, The Dragon’s Claw, The Titan’s Resolve (being the best tank item there is).
His position is in the front line, blocking every shot that comes towards your squishy team. The center or the edges, it doesn’t matter. Nothing can bypass this wall of defense, made from pure ice. He needs to take that aggro because if he doesn’t, you are pretty much toast.
He is a tough one to level, and of course, it should be a priority since level three Braum is pretty much unkillable, but you are going to have a hard time doing that since he costs 4 gold coins and there is a relatively few Braums in the collective pool in the game. Be happy if you manage to get him to level two.
Ability: Vault Breaker
Braum slams his vault door into the ground, creating a fissure towards his target. Enemies within 2 hexes of Braum, and those struck by the fissure, are stunned and take magic damage.
Galio
Galio is among the most powerful bodyguards and tanks on the field. Period. This isn’t surprising since the champion is priced at five gold. According to Mobalityics the champion is currently classified as A-tier, however I think he’s considered to be an S Tier. Galio is even blessed with three characteristics. He is among the few champions who cost five gold and comes with three characteristics. That makes him highly suitable for a variety of combinations. Additionally, he could be utilized as an off-comp champion because Galio brings the Socialite trait to fight. There are three traits that Galio has. They are the Bodyguard Trait as well as The Socialite trait. The Colossus trait can be a bit problematic because it needs two arena fields in order to be placed in the game. Galio, along with The Colossus and The Bodyguard, is among TFT’s most powerful front-liner and sustainers. Galio is a great champion with any combination however it is also an excellent solo player. Once he has reached the level of three the Ult can deal an amazing 9000 damage, or AOE damage to opponents. It’s over 9000! (Dragon Ball Z pun, anyone?)
His items are the standard tank items, so you can always equip him with The Bramble’s Vest, The Warmog’s Armor, The Redemption, The Sunfire Cape, and The Gargoyle’s Stone plate.
As I said, he is a mighty front liner, so that is his place in the team. The Centre of the front line, to be precise, is a place where Galio shines the brightest.
Since he is among the most expensive units in the game, I don’t expect you to be able to get lvl three Galio every game, but his leveling is a priority, so even at level two, he is very strong, and you should have that in mind.
Ability: Colossal Entrance
Galio becomes invulnerable and leaps into the sky before crashing down on the largest group of enemies. Enemies within a large radius take magic damage and are knocked into the sky. The lower the enemy’s maximum Health is compared to Galio’s, the further they are knocked up. Passive: Galio’s critical strikes slam the ground, dealing bonus magic damage to enemies around his target.
Supporting champions
The Bodyguard Class is pretty strong on its own, but since you have so many opportunities to make it stronger, why wouldn’t you use them. I mean you already have 2 Syndicates for free and a Socialite, just use that. Actually abuse it!
- Senna
- Morgana
Senna
Senna The Socialite Enchantress, was born in the long-awaited patch 6.5. The abilities she has to support players in game are extremely effective and can be seen throughout combat in the TFT arenas. If used properly she could also cause severe damage. If the game permits, with making the spot somewhere in the backline, you should place her in the Socialite place.
Apart from damage to her enemies, she also has a built-in healing kit like Seraphine so she is pretty gold efficient champion, that has many uses in game and she is a must have pick for any of her traits. Also she works as a glue that connects two very compatible synergies, The Socialite and The Enchanter traits.
While she’s an easy squishy champ, and the damage that she has won’t be as strong until she is at her highest level. Her price is 3 gold coins. It is expected that she will appear at some point in the middle of the game. It will take lots of money to get the third level on Senna. If you do not have the ability to manage the economy in game effectively, you will not be able to fully utilize her potential.
Her placement should be somewhere in the back of the field, but she might go even somewhere through the middle of the arena if The Socialite spot is placed there. The more she is placed at the front of the map, the higher the chances of her being killed off early in the fight. You will need to find a balance for her placement and have some strong front line if you want her to survive and heal your other champions while dishing out tons of damage.
She benefits mostly from AP items, but this can be upgraded with some form of sustain or Attack speed as well. I would recommend The Hextech Gunblade as your primary item since she deals damage, heals her allies, and if you have this item, she will heal herself as well. That is the core item for her build, whether you are going for The Socialite or The Enchanter composition. The Second item can be some form of AP, with The Rabbadon’s Death Cap being the best solution for obvious reasons, but it can even be a mix of AP and mana, with the items in question being The Chalice of Power or The Archangel’s Staff. The third item is decided by the current game you are playing. It should ultimately be a decision between The Guinsoo’s Rageblade and The Edge of The Night or The Quicksilver.
As I said earlier, she should be a priority for leveling and levelled to level three as fast as you can, but that won’t be an easy task, so be prepared to lose a lot of HP until you manage to do that.
Ability: Piercing Darkness
Senna fires a beam in the direction of her target, dealing 160% of her Attack Damage as physical damage to all enemies hit. For each enemy hit, she heals the lowest health ally for 50% of the damage dealt.
Morgana
Morgana as well as many other champions , came with patch 6.5. Since her cost is only three gold and Riot has made her an excellent choice. It’s not because she is priced too low however, it is because you can receive four to five gold quality for the price. She is able to do damage, and has an armor and stun. That’s exactly what you get in the Summoner’s Rift. However, it’s more impressive because her shield is a part of her ultimate. It’s not a spell shield, but a general shield that guards from the effects of damage, AP, AD and even real damage. It is a fantastic choice because of all the above reasons, however that isn’t the only thing.
She also wears The Syndicate traits as well as The Enchanter traits, and excels in both compositions. The Enchanter – Socialite – Syndicate composition can be played at any time during the day. It is a formidable defense stats, healing for units and damage-dealing abilities. You can also pick The Syndicate – Enchanter composition. It can give you an excellent game. Morgana is a key character in every game. It is easy to place Morgana within The Socialite slot if there are any Socialites. While she is an excellent champion, she can not carry by herself since she doesn’t have that much sustain.. However, she could be your primary damage source when you upgrade her with lots of AP. She is also able to take out multiple targets at once by using her AOE and stun.
Morgana is, as I said, three cost champion, and I wouldn’t expect her to be difficult to upgrade to level three once the later stages of the game come in place. You can always prioritize her if you equip her with some good items.
When we are already talking about items, let me give you some pointers. Morgana can benefit from AP, Mana, and even some tanky items as well. It really depends on what you are going for and what the game itself has brought to you. The items that I would recommend are The Rabbadon’s Death Cap, The Blue Buff, The Archangel’s Staff, The Titan’s Resolve, and The Chalice of Power.
As for positioning, Morgana should be in the first hexes behind the front line, even to the flank, so she can protect some squishier units than herself. Ultimately you want to place her somewhere. She won’t take the initial aggro but will be capable of withstanding the pressure once your frontline is gone.
Ability: Soul Shackles
Morgana grants herself a shield for 3 seconds and shackles herself to all enemies in a 2 hex radius. She then deals magic damage per second to them, as long as the shield holds.
If the shield expires without being broken, all targets are stunned. If the shield is broken, Morgana instead refunds herself 30 mana.
The Bodyguard composition
The In-depth guide
Early game
This is a simple composition and it has many of cheap units making it pretty good for the early game. On the first couple of levels you should get Poppy, Darius and Blitz. You can add some other units until you get the ones that you need, and just remove them when you do.
Mid game
Okay, for this composition the mid game is the most important since most of our units fit in this price range. You will have to watch your economy since you will have to spend a lot of money. You will need to buy Leona and Braum asap. And if the opportunity shows up definitely buy Senna and Morgana so you can have a Socialite, Enchanter and Syndicate bonuses active apart from the original Bodyguard one.
Late game
This is where all should take some shape. You should have at least on Bodyguard Emblem by now, and you should look for another one. This is also a time where you must buy Braum if you didn’t do it earlier and Galio is a must have unit for this composition. By the end game your composition should include 8 Bodyguards, 3 Syndicates, 2 Socialites and 2 Enchanters.
Conclusion
One of the simplest composition in Teamfight Tactics has earned its place amongst our In-depth guides. If you ask me, this is a perfect composition for a newbie or someone who is struggling with some more complicated compositions. Once you learn this composition I am sure the other ones will be a lot easier to learn.
Expect new In-depth guides every day, only on The Games Cabin!