Warren Younger is a Master Tier player on NA. He is always open to suggestions to make this weekly tier list better. Look for weekly tier lists every Monday.

The 10.8 patch picked up where 10.7 left off. Most of the usual suspects are still around. Some are lower on the list, some are higher. Here is the first week tier list of the new Teamfight Tactics patch 10.8.

Just like last patch, its still very important to play uncontested comps but some of the comps on this list can definitely be played even though they are contested. What is more important in this patch is item quality. Players should play compositions based on the items they hit while also being mindful of the level of contention of the comp they want to play.

Included with the tier list are positioning and basic item guides for each comp. Players should use them as a base for building and not law as things like positioning and items are match dependent.

S-Tier: Comps that consistently win/will almost always top four

Dodging nerfs and receiving a new carry is the best composition in this patch, Darkstars. However, this isn’t your grandpa’s darkstars. Jhin is more of an afterthought in patch 10.8. The scary thing though? He still can definitely be the main carry in this comp.

The star of the show continues to be Shaco. Despite being nerfed for the second consecutive patch, Shaco off-sets all of those with the Darkstar bonus he receives the longer the fight goes on. A Shaco 2 with a Guardian’s Angel and a Bloodthirster is enough to one-shot every single unit in the game. Also, Shaco dives the backline assassinating enemy carry champions in the process.

The new toy Darkstars have now is like calling a new Ferrari a toy. Xerath provides two important additions to the Darkstar comp. The first is that Xerath can easily replace Jarvan as the sixth and final Darkstar unit in the comp while adding the all-important Sorcerer buff due to being paired with Lux. A 20% ability power boost to the entire composition is such a big deal. The second Addition is that Xerath is a fantastic carry option late game if Jhin or Shaco are not optimized. Xerath scales very well with Attack speed items and a level two Xerath with items like Rageblade and Quicksilver Sash will assassinate entire enemy teams while sitting pretty on the back row of hexes.

Jhin is still very scary and now doesn’t even need offensive items to solo carry fights. Simply putting items like a Trap Claw and a Runnan’s Hurricane is enough for Jhin to pop off late game. Adding in Celestial buff with Ashe and Lulu makes this comp an easy way to top four and can consistently win lobbies. The best part? No three-star champions required.

Star Guardians are more deadly then ever. The comp packs a huge punch with a ton of Crowd Control that buys Syndra enough time to one-shot entire teams. Soraka also received a buff that keeps the entire composition healthy as well. Was it mentioned that Syndra actually got buffed? Syndra had her range increased as well.

Neeko, Zoe, and Lux can lock down any champion that tries to dive the backline. At this point Neeko is Shaco’s worst nightmare.

Good items on a fully upgraded Star Guardian comp is an almost guaranteed top four. However, level three Neeko and Syndra are usually required to win lobbies. Syndra also probably needs perfect items to stay alive. Seraph’s Embrace, Deathcap, and a Guardians Angel are very good for her. Neeko likes defensive items like Brambles Vest, ZZ’Rot Portal, and Trap Claw. Pretty much anything to buy time for Syndra.

The comp can also gets even stronger with a Star Guardian Spatula item which opens up the six Sorcerer bonus as well. Xerath, the new tier five sorcerer fits nicely in this variation.

An optimal Star Guardian build is practically impossible to beat but getting there can be a little hard.

A-Tier: Comps that can win/consistent top four

Fresh off their nerf, Cybernetics were taken down a tier but are still very powerful.

Irelia is still the star of the show. She still does not need to be level three for this composition to win lobbies. However, Irelia does need very good items to win.

The days of running Chrono on level eight are pretty much over. Due to Cybernetics having less health due to the nerfs, they need healing to stay alive for as long as possible. That’s were Celestial comes in. Thankfully for Irelia, there is a Celestial Blademaster and Mana-Reaver with Xayah and Kassadin.

Ideally players will want to find double Infinity Edge and a Last Whisperer for Irelia. But if found, even an Irelia two can defeat even the most high rolled compositions.

Besides being item dependent, Irelia is suspect to Crowd Control. A Trap Claw on a unit in front of her can make or break this compositions success.

This composition may be in a weaker state but Irelia 2 is still one of the best units in the game and a well built Irelia 2 can easily top four if not just straight up win.

Kayle is still here, Kayle is still very strong. Kayle is still a little overlooked, but that is starting to change.

More and more players are figuring out that Kayle is arguably the best carry unit in the game.

Kayle has the benefit of being able to hit the big carry threats from this patch from a distance. She also has the benefit of doing so while killing front lines at the same time. Paired with Celestial and Chrono buffs with good items, Kayle simply can’t even be walked up on. Doing a mix of physical and magic damage makes her hard to counter.

The comp still needs a beefy front line and Kayle needs very good items. She is very squishy so unless she has a good defensive item it will not matter how much damage she does. Ironically, the new buff to Rapidfire Cannon gives her the equivalent to sniper range but its still recommended players go with an item like Trap Claw or GA. Rageblade is also a must for her.

If Kayle has good items and a good front line, its a top four every game. If players land a Kayle 3, its a first.

The comp that players swore would be meta from day one is finally back to be relevant. Blaster Brawlers are a good comp to play in 10.8.

With Mech-Infiltrator being taken down a peg or two and the amount of backline carry champions increasing, Blaster Brawlers finally have a chance to thrive.

A lot of compositions in this patch don’t have the best of front lines and often have synergy bots that are sitting ducks. This typically isn’t a problem but because Jinx thrives off of easy picks, it’s a huge benefit for her. The Brawlers in this comp are perfect for preying on the backline. Blitzcrank practically guarantees a reset for Jinx, Vi disrupts pesky carry champs as she dives back lines, and Cho’Gath strikes fear into all enemy players the moment that big purple circle appears under their entire team.

Jinx also received an attack speed buff which allows her to pop off even faster. Miss Fortune is always a fantastic secondary carry threat as well.

The main issue for this comp still is that there are still compositions that simply front to back fight better. Darkstar, Chrono Kayle, and Star Guardians can do something Blaster Brawlers can’t and that is having a main source of damage go through the front line and directly onto the backline. Miss Fortune can do this but requires a lot of set up to pull off.

Nevertheless, Blaster Brawlers are a good pick in this meta and with a Jinx 3. It doesn’t matter if Jinx cant skip the front line because she will one-shot it anyways on her way to a Win.

The kings have finally been dethroned. It might seem like they took a pretty big fall but there is a reason why this comp is still in A tier.

With Shaco receiving another nerf and the mech itself receiving a damage and health nerf, the composition simply can’t live long enough for Shaco and Kai’Sa to clean up. The major thing setting this comp back is the fact that early and mid game are even more of a pain then before.

In patch 10.8, they changed the way player damage works to punish player for lose streaking early. A common strategy for Mech-Infiltrator players was to lose streak early and roll for all of their units once they hit max econ and be at level 6. Players can no longer do that without reaching dangerous levels of health loss. Also, the composition is now weaker at the mid game level so win streaking really isn’t in the cards as well.

However, there are a couple of things going right for the comp. The first is that the comp is no longer contested meaning that players can hit level three units easier. The second is that when optimally built, the comp can still win games even against the other compositions on this list.

Instead of most things having to go right for the comp to win, almost everything has to go right. Kai’Sa needs a Demolition Spat, Rumble and Annie need to be level three, and Shaco needs fantastic items. But if a player hits that, they will definitely top four and depending on the strength of the lobby, they will win. If a player hits mech level 9 (Annie,Rumble,and Fizz 3), they have hit Exodia and the nerfs do not matter, they will win.

B-Tier: Comps that can top four/Rarely win

The so called “Bang Bros” are still here. Think of this comp as a slightly better “honorable mention” on the tier list.

Yi and Yasuo are still the stars of the show and both need to be level three for any chance at a top-four but since neither are contested in the slightest, there is a very good chance of getting there.

Yasuo items are pretty flexible but Yi’s are not. Yi still absolutely needs a Rageblade and a QSS to have any shot at making top four.

But when both of these things are checked off, this comp can pop off. Yasuo assassinate any high priority target while Yi simply never dies, unless he gets one shot.

This comp can also transition into playing the classic six Rebel variation which is now slightly buffed thanks the Aurelion Sol getting a health buff.

If uncontested and with good items, this comp can top four in the meta. Will it win? Not unless players are in a low roll lobby.

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