How to Play All the New Set 3 Champions in TFT (Items, Tips, and First Impressions)

Beginner Guide: All New TFT Champions from Galaxies

Welcome to our guide on EVERY set 3 champion. TFT Set 3: Galaxies is officially on the PBE and we’ve got you covered regarding the recommended items, tips, tricks, and first impressions for every champion.

Keep in mind, however, that the data and these thoughts are subject to change depending on if Riot decides to alter anything throughout the PBE testing period.

Notes: Our overview of these champions are edited to be more concise, for a more in-depth look on every champion ability and their stats, check out their Champions Page for more details.

If you’re looking for the new synergies, be sure to check out our guide on the new origins, and classes.

Positioning Key

We’ll be giving basic positioning suggestions for every champion to get the ball rolling for you, but remember that positioning is incredibly contextual in TFT and to always adapt to the situation at hand.

The terminology we’ll be using in this article will be frontline, midline, and backline.

Following this key, you’ll be able to understand the rows that champions should be placed in general.

Here’s a quick overview of all the origins and classes (click the image to expand).

1-Cost Champions

Caitlyn – Chrono + Sniper

First Impressions:

Caitlyn seems similar to many previous ranged 1 cost units like Vayne or Kog’Maw. She has high attack speed and low health and defensive stats. However, her ability deals an extremely high amount of damage if she is able to cast without dying.

Positioning:

Backline.

Tips:

Caitlyn’s ability will target the furthest enemy, but will hit the first enemy it passes. Positioning her in the middle will allow her to hit corner units ideally without hitting a frontline tank.

Fiora – Cybernetic + Blademaster

First Impressions:

Fiora is coming back in the form of her Project skin. She is essentially identical to her set 1 counterpart, and will likely become a transition item holder.

Positioning:

Frontline side.

Tips:

Fiora won’t be very tanky and will do better on the side, but with an early item like Hand of Justice, she can deal more damage or heal with her insane attack speed. Being cybernetic will allow her to be a solid early game unit if you can find 2 other cybernetics to pair with her.

Graves – Space Pirate + Blaster

First Impressions:

Graves does not deal very much damage, but his utility can be very useful against teams that deal mainly attack damage.

Positioning:

Frontline.

Tips:

Graves is decently tanky for a 1 star unit, and will benefit from taking damage in order to cast his ability faster.

Jarvan IV – Dark Star + Protector

First Impressions:

Jarvan is a tanky frontline unit that gives a solid attack speed bonus to his allies. He also will buff up his Dark Star allies after he dies.

Positioning:

Frontline.

Tips:

Grouping up your allies will help you get the attack speed buff on more of your units after Jarvan casts. Also, remember to position him close to the Dark Star that you want to receive the buff.

Kha’Zix – Void + Infiltrator

First Impressions:

Kha’Zix is almost identical to his set 1 counterpart except he is now an infiltrator instead of an assassin.

Positioning:

Backline.

Tips:

Kha’Zix will likely become one of the best early game damage dealers without any synergies. Keep his isolation damage in mind while positioning him, or positioning against him.

Leona – Cybernetic + Vanguard

First Impressions:

Leona is the same as her counterpart from set 2, except for her traits. With her cybernetic trait, she can become a monster tank in the early and mid game with only 1 item.

Positioning:

Frontline.

Tips:

With vanguard now giving flat armor, Dragon’s Claw may become a solid item choice over Bramble Vest on Leona, but this will depend on what the enemies in your lobby are playing.

Malphite – Rebel + Brawler

First Impressions:

Malphite’s kit is purely defensive, and his rebel trait will add on top of his ability to give him a massive health shield.

Positioning:

Frontline.

Tips:

Rebels may position similarly to berserkers in set 2, as they gain bonus effects when positioned adjacent to each other. Thus, Malphite is a perfect candidate to place in front of your circle formation.

Poppy – Star Guardian + Vanguard

First Impressions:

Poppy will be the main tank of any team planning on running star guardians. Her quick cast time will allow her to give mana to all her allied star guardians as well.

Positioning:

Frontline.

Tips:

Poppy will sling her shield to the furthest enemy, so try to use this to your advantage to target enemy carries.

Twisted Fate – Chrono + Sorcerer

First Impressions:

Twisted Fate deals mainly magic damage with his ability and sorcerer class, but his Chrono origin also will allow him to build up large amounts of attack speed.

Positioning:

Backline.

Tips:

Placing Twisted Fate in the middle will allow his coned ability to ideally hit with all 3 cards, but with character AI, this may not always be the case. You can always try to line up opposite of enemy units to at least hit multiple units with his center card.

Xayah – Celestial + Blademaster

First Impressions:

Xayah doesn’t offer much to her kit other than large amounts of attack speed. However, when combined with blademaster, she could become a single target DPS monster with the right items.

Positioning:

Backline.

Tips:

Xayah will likely become an early item holder for higher cost blademasters as her damage stats simply fall off in the mid to late game.

Ziggs – Rebel + Demolitionist

First Impressions:

Ziggs’s ability is a simple single target magic damage ability with low mana cost. With demolitionist, however, Ziggs can become a low cost CC bot that spams 2.5 second stuns.

Positioning:

Backline.

Tips:

Ziggs can be a great early game unit with Seraph’s Embrace to deal some damage. If you are able to find Rumble, Ziggs can really shine as his abilities will start to stun enemies.

Zoe – Star Guardian + Sorcerer

First Impressions:

Zoe is one of the few 1 cost units that have a stun built into their ability. Ziggs can count, but he requires 2 demolitionists for his ability to stun. Zoe can have a strong effect early game by stunning enemy frontline units.

Positioning:

Backline.

Tips:

Zoe may fall off in the late game as she targets the enemy with the highest health, which usually are not the carries. Because of this, don’t invest too many items on Zoe as she will likely remain on star guardian or sorcerer teams for her trait.

2-Cost Champions

Ahri – Star Guardian + Sorcerer

First Impressions:

Ahri is returning in set 3 with the same ability from set 1. She provides solid midgame damage for builds looking to go for sorcerers.

Positioning:

Backline.

Tips:

Ahri in set 1 found great success with Statikk Shiv as wild gave her bonus attack speed. Without wild, Ahri will do better with more traditional ability power items.

Annie – Mech-Pilot + Sorcerer

First Impressions:

Annie is another unit like Graves that is decently tanky despite her looks. She has high base armor and her ability will function best when she’s closer to the front.

Positioning:

Frontline side.

Tips:

Annie needs to be closer to the frontline for her ability to reach more units. She won’t be tanky enough to be the main tank, but she is tanky enough to be a side tank.

Blitzcrank – Chrono + Brawler

First Impressions:

Blitzcrank is finally coming back to pull enemy units. With a newer board, it will be fun to see how players adapt to the iconic hook coming back.

Positioning:

Backline.

Tips:

If you didn’t know already, if the enemy has only 1 backline unit in the center, and units on the sides (but not in the back row), Blitzcrank will pull the center enemy instead of the baits.

Darius – Space Pirate + Mana-Reaver

First Impressions:

Darius is coming to set 3 with his iconic dunk ability. Furthermore, his ability will naturally allow him to execute enemies, giving you bonus gold and items if you have the space pirate synergy.

Positioning:

Frontline.

Tips:

Darius does not deal an extraordinary amount of damage, but his ability can be clutch in the right situations.

Kai’Sa – Valkyrie + Infiltrator

First Impressions:

Kai’Sa has her Q ability from League of Legends allowing her to hit multiple targets. If you have 4 infiltrators, this will allow her to refresh her bonus as she will get takedowns on multiple enemies.

Positioning:

Backline.

Tips:

Kai’Sa has a solid base attack speed and with 2 Infiltrators, will start the round with even more attack speed. Statikk Shiv could look to be a solid item choice for Kai’Sa.

Lucian – Cybernetic + Blaster

First Impressions:

Lucian is returning now with different traits. He seems to pair nicely with Fiora and Leona early game for cybernetic and a nice early game spike.

Positioning:

Backline.

Tips:

Lucian will dash away from his target, so use this to your advantage and figure out which enemy he will attack first to influence where he will dash.

Mordekaiser – Dark Star + Vanguard

First Impressions:

Mordekaiser is like an interesting combination between Diana and Nasus from set 2. He is one of the tankiest 2 cost units and will be a perfect frontline for any team that wants to go Dark Star.

Positioning:

Frontline.

Tips:

Just like Jarvan make sure to position your Mordekaiser in a way that allows you to pass the Dark Star buff to the unit you intend to.

Rakan – Celestial + Protector

First Impressions:

Rakan has quite a powerful CC ability considering he is only a 2 cost unit. This is offset by his high mana pool, though. He also has quite decent defensive stats for a 2 cost unit.

Positioning:

Frontline.

Tips:

You may not want to put mana items on Rakan as you can try to kill the enemy frontline units before Rakan can use his ability. This way, he can ideally target high priority backline units.

Shen – Chrono + Blademaster

First Impressions:

Shen is back from set 1, but unfortunately he won’t have access to the old Iceborn Gauntlet anymore. Even still, he provides solid early game frontline for both blademasters and chrono units.

Positioning:

Frontline.

Tips:

Keep in mind that allied units can also stand inside Shen’s zone to dodge attacks. Position your units in the front close together to maximize this potential.

Sona – Rebel + Mystic

First Impressions:

Sona is the first unit in TFT to be able to cleanse debuffs on allies. Sona cannot cleanse herself from debuffs, but with safe positioning, she will help any team against things like mana lock, silence, disarm, etc.

Positioning:

Backline.

Tips:

Sona has a small mana pool of 40 mana, and with Seraph’s Embrace she will waste her first cast. However, the constant 20 mana refresh will help her and her team out immensely in the long run.

Xin Zhao – Celestial + Protector

First Impressions:

Xin Zhao is similar to Yasuo with his additional attacks and on hit effects. Xin Zhao is more of a tank compared to Yasuo and will likely be used for his knock up ability rather than the on-hit effects.

Positioning:

Frontline.

Tips:

There aren’t many on hit items in the game, and the few items that exist are not very well suited for a frontline tank. Because of this, general tank items are our recommendations for Xin Zhao.

Yasuo – Rebel + Blademaster

First Impressions:

Yasuo is coming back to set 3 with the same kit, but differing traits. This time both of his traits are offensive-oriented, so expect big things to come from Yasuo carry once again.

Positioning:

Midline.

Tips:

Yasuo was already a solid early and mid game carry in set 2, so many players will likely be trying him out in a similar role with the new synergies.

3-Cost Champions

Ashe – Celestial + Sniper

First Impressions:

Ashe has one of the highest ranges in the game, and her ability will also stun for longer if she is further away.

Positioning:

Backline corner.

Tips:

Placing her in a corner position will allow her to target with the maximum range possible.

Ezreal – Chrono + Blaster

First Impressions:

Ezreal’s ability is quite interesting in that it has built-in mana manipulation. Ezreal can be a nice transition unit for both chrono and blaster teams.

Positioning:

Backline.

Tips:

Ezreal is one of the few champions that can delay enemy abilities.  Unfortunately, he targets randomly but he’s a good choice if you’re playing against ability-based comps.

Jayce – Space Pirate + Vanguard

First Impressions:

Jayce is a simple champion with vanguard as his main use for additional armor. Space pirate can also be utilized early to start building up gold, but it may be too unreliable to do so.

Positioning:

Frontline.

Tips:

You should try to position Jayce similarly to Aatrox as you want to hit as many enemies with his ability as possible.

Karma – Dark Star + Mystic

First Impressions:

Karma is coming back with the same kit from set 2 only this time, she’s a Dark Star instead of Lunar. Karma has been a staple in set 2 for her attack speed, and she will likely play a similar role once people learn how to fit her in comps.

Positioning:

Backline (tethered to carry).

Tips:

Lunar in set 2 was very easy to fit into any team, but Dark Star can be more difficult to fit. Try and decide if Karma is worth a spot on your comp even if you aren’t running Dark Star.

Kassadin – Celestial + Mana-Reaver

First Impressions:

Kassadin also plays a semi tank role like Graves since his stats allow him to tank a decent amount. His ability also wants him to be on the front line to allow him to hit as many units as possible with his cone.

Positioning:

Frontline.

Tips:

Kassadin’s ability as well as his Mana-Reaver bonus can be crucial to win a fight. Make sure you are positioning him ideally to make the most out of these two abilities.

Lux – Dark Star + Sorcerer

First Impressions:

Lux has quite a solid ability that gives teams access to early CC. Getting Lux to hit multiple units with her ability can be quite difficult, but in the late game with crowded boards, it will likely hit more targets.

Positioning:

Backline.

Tips:

In the early and mid game, look to see where enemies are placing their units so you can try and line up enemies for Lux’s ability.

Master Yi – Rebel + Blademaster

First Impressions:

Master Yi has great synergies with Yasuo as they are both rebels and blademasters. He also has a decently small mana pool that will allow him to cast his ability quickly, especially if he has an item like Hand of Justice.

Positioning:

Midline.

Tips:

If Master Yi is one of your main carries, you will want to place multiple rebels around him to give him bonus damage and a health shield.

Neeko – Star Guardian + Protector

First Impressions:

Despite her looks, Neeko functions more as a tank than a backline damage carry. She has high armor and health, and her ability functions best when she’s close to the enemy team.

Positioning:

Frontline.

Tips:

If the game is in the late game stages and Neeko can no longer hold up as a frontline tank, you can move her a row back or to the sides to mitigate the damage she takes.

Rumble – Mech Pilot + Demolitionist

First Impressions:

Rumble’s ability is quite powerful as it has a built-in Morellonomicon effect. When combined into the Super mech, the super mech will also have Rumble’s flamethrower ability.

Positioning:

Frontline.

Tips:

Being a demolitionist is absolutely insane for Rumble as that means his AoE spell will stun enemies for 2.5 seconds. Furthermore, the super mech will also become a demolitionist, so try to have Ziggs on your team as well for these moments.

Shaco – Dark Star + Infiltrator

First Impressions:

Shaco is similar to Kha’Zix from set 2 in how his ability will teleport him and allow him to deal more damage on his attack. Unfortunately, his mana pool is larger at 65, but Shaco can possibly be a solid mid game carry for any infiltrator or Dark Star builds.

Positioning:

Backline.

Tips:

Shaco will always critically strike after using his ability, so items like Infinity Edge that increase his critical damage will be most beneficial for him.

Syndra – Star Guardian + Sorcerer

First Impressions:

Syndra is an exciting new Sorcerer that will deal increasing damage the more times she casts her ability. Combined with her low mana pool, Syndra can definitely become a potent carry for ability power teams.

Positioning:

Backline.

Tips:

Having multiple Syndra’s on the board should allow the orb build up to be faster, making both units deal more damage faster.

Vi – Cybernetic + Brawler

First Impressions:

Vi is coming back and has her same ability as from set 1. Her ability can be very disruptive, and when paired with Blitzcrank, she will become an annoyance to any enemy team.

Positioning:

Frontline.

Tips:

Vi will always target the furthest enemy, so make sure you keep that in mind when positioning her in the frontline.

4-Cost Champions

Cho’Gath – Void + Brawler

First Impressions:

Cho’Gath is coming back from Set 1 with his iconic rupture ability. Brawlers have always been a solid frontline with amazing CC, and with Blitzcrank, Vi, and Cho’Gath coming back, they will likely become a dominant front line one more.

Positioning:

Frontline.

Tips:

Cho’Gath can be susceptible to getting burst or CC’d before he can cast his ability. To ensure he goes off, you can place Guardian Angel on him, letting him cast right when he revives.

Fizz – Mech-Pilot + Infiltrator

First Impressions:

Fizz also has a high impact ability that provides CC to your team. As the third and last mech pilot, finding Fizz will spike your team in power if you are able to combine into the super mech.

Positioning:

Backline.

Tips:

If you happen to be in the Galaxy where the starting carousel contains 4 cost units, Fizz can be a decent choice as it will allow you to complete the mech-pilot synergy very early in the game.

Irelia – Cybernetic + Mana-Reaver + Blademaster

First Impressions:

Irelia has a powerful ability and a low cost mana pool that will let her use Seraph’s Embrace very nicely. Because she has 2 classes, she will likely become a strong 4 cost carry that for anyone that can build around her traits effectively.

Positioning:

Midline.

Tips:

Like any melee carry, it is important that you keep her out of aggro by positioning her slightly back, or use defensive items to ensure she’ll stay alive.

Jinx – Rebel Blaster

First Impressions:

Jinx is definitely on the radar for one of the strongest carries on release. Her great attack speed combined with the blaster damage will shred through any team.

Positioning:

Backline.

Tips:

Jinx pairs very well with Blitzcrank. When Blitzcrank pulls an enemy, your team will focus on that unit and Jinx will get her passive ability proc very quickly.

Jhin – Dark Star + Sniper

First Impressions:

Jhin has an interesting ability that converts any bonus attack speed into attack damage. This can be useful for items like Rapid Firecannon or Last Whisper that give strong effects as well as attack speed.

Positioning:

Backline.

Tips:

Jhin can definitely be a solid carry, but he might fall short as he has no way of actually increasing his attack speed. This can leave him vulnerable to other teams that can do more burst damage faster.

Kayle – Valkyrie + Blademaster

First Impressions:

Kayle has come back with a different kit in this set. After casting her ability, she no longer needs to recast and will continue dealing bonus damage for the rest of the fight. She also has great base attack speed and with Valkyrie can mitigate damage from melee attackers.

Positioning:

Backline.

Tips:

Kayle has fairly short range for a ranged carry, so items like Rapid Firecannon can help. You can also make sure to place Kayle in an area where she won’t walk into danger or CC.

Soraka – Star Guardian + Mystic

First Impressions:

Soraka is interesting as she has a very simple ability that heals the entire team. She completes the star guardian bonus, which will likely be her main role, but her heal can definitely come in clutch for certain fights.

Positioning:

Backline.

Tips:

There is definitely some potential in Soraka with Spear of Shojin to constantly heal the team, but she may fall short compared to other units that do more things with their abilities.

Vel’Koz – Void + Sorcerer

First Impressions:

Vel’Koz definitely has the potential to be the main carry in a sorcerer team. If you are able to fit void and sorcerers, Vel’Koz will deal immense true damage to enemies. His mana pool can be quite large at 0/90, but with a few mana items or a Star Guardian spatula item, he can definitely do major work.

Positioning:

Backline.

Tips:

Without ocean from set 2, mana generation on sorcerer teams may be lacking, but with proper itemization, Vel’Koz can likely still become a main carry on a team.

Wukong – Chrono + Vanguard

First Impressions:

Wukong might not be your main damage dealer, but his ability provides great CC for any team that is able to fit him.

Positioning:

Frontline.

Tips:

Since Wukong is Chrono, he can be a solid pickup for any team that runs at least 1 Chrono unit. This will give a nice attack speed boost to the entire team while also being a solid frontline tank.

5-Cost Champions

Aurelion Sol – Rebel + Starship

First Impressions:

Aurelion Sol is like the new Singed of set 3. It will take more testing to see if his ability deals enough damage that he is able to be the sole carry on the team like Singed was able to do early in set 2.

Positioning:

Midline.

Tips:

If you are planning on running a 6 rebel team, placing your units around Aurelion Sol can potentially make him a formidable late game carry.

Ekko – Cybernetic + Infiltrator

First Impressions:

Ekko definitely has a very powerful ability. Being able to freeze time and hit every enemy with on hit effects is like Yasuo on steroids.

Positioning:

Backline.

Tips:

Ekko will definitely make great use of items like Swordbreaker, Hand of Justice, or Red Buff since he applies on hit effects with his ability.

Gangplank – Space Pirate + Mercenary + Demolitionist

First Impressions:

Gangplank with demolitionist seems extremely powerful as his ability will stun multiple enemies. He isn’t extremely tanky, but if he gets his ability off, expect him to deal immense damage.

Positioning:

Midline / frontline.

Tips:

In the late game, if you have space, fitting space pirates into your comp will let you get the chance at some extra items. Fitting them all late game may be a struggle, but if your Gangplank is killing the entire enemy team, you can easily nab an item a round or so.

Lulu – Celestial + Mystic

First Impressions:

Lulu definitely has one of the best CC abilities in the game we’ve seen so far. She will be a great addition to any late game team that has the space, or needs a mystic unit.

Positioning:

Backline.

Tips:

If you’re cheeky enough, you can place an Infiltrator Spatula on Lulu so she targets the enemy backline units.

Miss Fortune – Valkyrie + Blaster + Mercenary

First Impressions:

Miss Fortune is back in TFT, and while she was slightly underwhelming in set 1, set 3 has some differences. Mainly, with the addition of Quicksilver, Miss Fortune won’t get her ability canceled if you have it on her.

Positioning:

Backline corner.

Tips:

Putting her in the corner can be hit or miss as she may hit only half of the board depending on where her target is. Try to place her so that she fires toward the rest of the enemy team behind her target.

Thresh – Chrono + Mana-Reaver

First Impressions:

Thresh probably has the most unique ability in the new set thus far. Pulling an extra unit onto the board will be crucial in many late game situations and can completely change the tide of a fight.

Positioning:

Midline.

Tips:

In the late game, if your team is completely maxed out on upgrades, you can keep only one unit on your bench. This way, it will guarantee that Thresh will pull the unit you want onto the board.

Thanks for reading our TFT Set 3 champions guide! Be sure to check our site for new recommended team comps, champs, and items.