TFT Set 8 Guide: How to Play Ox Force

How to Play Ox Force

Welcome to another in the series of our How to Play TFT trait guides.

For this article, I’ll be covering the Ox Force trait, which has one of the most powerful abilities we’ve seen in TFT so far. Ox Force provides a strong attack speed bonus, but also allows your units to become invincible. (albeit for a short second)

Let’s get right into the guide.

If you haven’t checked out all of the Set 8 information yet, check out out Set 8 Reveal Page!

How Ox Force Works

Ox Force units gain an Attack Speed buff that ramps up the lower health they are. You start the fight with some Attack Speed bonus, and at 1 Health, the unit gains about double that initial buff.

Furthermore, once an Ox Force unit drops to 1 Health (or dies), instead, they will become invincible for one second.

We’ve seen ramping attack speed abilities before in previous sets, but a 1 second invulnerability is extremely powerful.

Ox Force Trait Bonus

Ox Force: Ox Force units gain Attack Speed that increases with their missing percent health. Ox Force units will fight to their dying breath to defend their city, becoming invulnerable for 1 second the first time they would die in combat.

Ox Force (2): 15% – 30% Attack Speed

Ox Force (4): 30% – 80% Attack Speed

Ox Force (6): 70% – 150% Attack Speed

Ox Force (8): 125% – 300% Attack Speed

Ox Force Synergy

The Ox Force synergy has 6 units in total, making the 8 Ox Force buff very difficult to attain. Even still, it is possible. Within the Ox Force units, we only have one overlap in Renegade with Talon (1-cost) and Viego (4-cost).

Here’s a list of the traits you can branch into with the Ox Force units.

• Mascot
• Aegis
• Spellslinger
• Gadgeteen
• Sureshot
• Duelist
• Renegade

The synergy with Talon and Viego is nice because you only need 1 additional Renegade unit to complete the Renegade 3 bonus. The perfect unit for this would be Leona, as she is both the strongest other Renegade, and also provides Aegis to pair with Alistar.

Unfortunately, up until that point, there is quite a lack of overall synergy. Renegades don’t pair well with many other units. You have Sylas early game and potentially Nasus for Mascot and Anima Squad, but these units fall off very quickly.

Because of this, playing Ox Force can feel very risky as you rely heavily on hitting strong 4 and 5-cost units like Viego, Aphelios, and Leona.

Ox Force Champions

Let’s briefly go over each Champion in the Heart trait and what you can do with them. We’ll also show each Champion’s Hero Augments so you can know what to look out for.

Talon – Ox Force + Renegade

Talon is the first entry and only 1-cost unit in the Ox Force trait. For the most part, Talon will be your primary way of getting through the early game. With his ability, Talon will almost be like an Assassin and jump toward enemy backline units.

The main issue with Talon is that while he may be strong in Stage 2, he definitely falls off in Stage 3 once players start adding in more 3-cost units.

Even still, in the right fights, he can snipe enemy carries, letting you win fights when you have an overall weaker board.

Talon Hero Augments

Edgelord: Gain a Talon. He gains 40 Ability Power. After killing an enemy, he restores 40 Mana.

OX-ian Rage: Gain a Talon. When you field him, your team gains 10% Attack Damage and 10 Ability Power, tripled when they are below 50% Health.

Both of Talon’s Hero Augments are quite good.

The Support Augment synergizes extremely well with the Ox Force trait, making it an easy early pick up if you’re committed.

Talon’s Carry Augment can be quite decent at  getting you through the early game, but will fall off later unless you plan on going for Talon 3.

Annie – Ox Force + Gadgeteen + Ox Force

Annie is a simple frontline unit that is mostly seen in AP comps. While Ox Force is a bit of a hybrid between AP and AD, Annie doesn’t do too great here.

This is mainly because Ox Force comps don’t really have enough space to fit in things like Spellslinger or Gadgeteen.

Because of this, Annie acts as mainly a trait bot for Ox Force comps. Even still, more frontline Ox Force units are great because they can stall effectively with their invincibility.

Annie Hero Augments

Reflector Shield: Gain an Annie. While her Ability’s shield is active, enemies that attack her take 185 magic damage (once every 0.2 seconds).

Burning Spirit: Gain an Annie. When you field her, your team gains 15% Ability Power, tripled while they are below 50% Health.

Annie’s Carry Augment doesn’t really have a place in Ox Force comps. She likely won’t survive long enough to get good value out of it. However, in other AP comps where she acts as the main tank, this augment can be quite good.

Annie’s Support Augment is pretty decent in Ox Force comps. Viego will benefit from the bonus AP, and other units like Talon and Aphelios can also use AP decently well. Once again, for other AP comps that look to run Annie, this can be a strong choice to buff up the entire team.

Fiora – Ox Force + Duelist

Fiora is an interesting case when it comes to Ox Force comps. Like Annie, she somewhat turns into a trait bot with Ox Force in the late game. However, she can help you get through the mid game if you invest into Duelist units like Yasuo or Nilah.

In other comps like Duelist comps, she mostly is just there to provide her trait.

Fiora Hero Augments

Frontline Fencing: Gain a Fiora. While her Ability is active, she gains 150 Armor and Magic Resist.

Vitality of the Ox: Gain a Fiora. When you field her, your team heals 2% of their maximum Health when they attack.

Fiora’s Carry Augment is probably the worst one so far. Fiora 3 likely won’t contribute too much to your team’s success whether you’re playing Ox Force or Duelist. She also isn’t that tanky, making this feel like a bit of a waste.

On the other hand, Fiora’s Support Augment is quite strong. Both Duelist and Ox Force comps scale with Attack Speed, so this support ability is good for both comps. While the heal isn’t OP, it does allow you to flex between Duelists and Ox Force pretty well.

Alistar – Ox Force + Aegis + Mascot

Alistar is a very common meta tank due to him having Aegis. This makes him popular in quite a few comps that run units like Leona, Vi, or Ekko.

He has a decent ability which helps him survive and also provides a little bit of CC. Overall, he’s a solid frontline unit for both Ox Force and other comps.

Alistar Hero Augments

Behemoth: Gain an Alistar. He gains 450 bonus Health and his Ability deals bonus damage equal to 12% of his maximum Health.

Smash!: Gain an Alistar. He gains 300 bonus Health and restores 10 Mana per second and his Ability hits all enemies within 1 hex.

Unfortunately, both of Alistar’s  Augments are simply decent. It’s around the same level as Fiora and Annie, but getting a free Alistar copy is quite nice. The damage from Carry Augment is quite nice, and the bonus Health is nothing to scoff at. The Support Augment can also be decent if your Alistar can line up a good AoE knock-up.

Viego – Ox Force

Viego is a bit of a weird carry to evaluate. In some fights, he can absolutely demolish the enemy team with non stop Heartbreakers. In other fights, he may only get a few off before he dies.

What’s important to note is that Viego synergizes quite nicely with a strong Talon. Viego’s ability targeting prioritizes the unit with the lowest Health. If Talon can jump into the backline and lower their Health, Viego can stop jumping on frontline units and almost assassinate backlines.

The hard part is actually getting Talon to jump to a backline carry and also survive long enough to get them low.

Viego Hero Augments

Heartstopper: Gain a Viego. He gains 10 Ability Power and his Ability deals up to 50% increased damage based on the enemy’s missing Health.

Partners in Crime: Gain a Viego. When you field him, your team gains 12% Omnivamp, tripled when 2 or less allies remain.

It should come as no surprise that both of these Augments are great for the comp. Since Viego is one of the main carries, his Carry Augment is quite powerful.

However, Viego’s Support Augment is even better. Omnivamp is extremely powerful in the current meta and buffs up everyone on the team.

Aphelios – Ox Force

As of writing this article, Aphelios is simply one of the strongest carries in the game. He has 3 different guns which allow him to fit many situations. He can even become the hyper carry in an Ox Force comp or a Sureshot comp.

Hitting an Aphelios 2 star with some good items is almost an instant top 4. (Assuming your frontline isn’t garbage)

Aphelios Hero Augments

Armor Piercing Rounds: Gain an Aphelios. His attacks reduce the target’s Armor by 20% for the rest of combat (this can stack).

Locked and Loaded: Gain an Aphelios. When you field him, your team gains 10% Attack Damage and an additional 5% every 5 seconds.

Once again, both of Aphelios’ Augments are very good. Locked and Loaded is a bit overkill if you are running him in an Ox Force comp, but in a Sureshot comp, this can be great. Armor Piercing Rounds is very powerful as it stacks. With this Augment, you can shred through enemy frontlines.

Best Ox Force Augments

There are a lot of different Augments to choose from with the new Hero Augments system. In the notes above, I give a quick rundown of what are the best Hero Augments to get for Ox Force comps as well as some other comps.

The Best Hero Augments will change over time as the meta evolves and patches change things. Other than the Hero Augments, here are some general augments to keep in mind.

Ox Force Heart / Crest / Crown

Ox Force augments are quite strong if you plan on playing 6 Ox Force. Hitting Aphelios can be difficult, and this lets you hit 6 Ox Force much quicker, giving your team a big buff. Once you are able to hit Aphelios, you can then drop a unit like Annie or Fiora from the comp to fit in more powerful units.

If you are able to get an Ox Force Emblem, either by building or from an Augment, this also helps a lot with your game.

You can place it on a Duelist in the early game to pair with Fiora. In the mid game, you can look for an AD carry like Samira or Belveth to hold Aphelios items and also stabilize. Lastly, in the late game, you can look to place this Emblem on Leona. Her ability does a ton of damage, but she needs to survive to get the most value out of it. Luckily for us, Ox Force Emblem gives her another second at life.

Jeweled Lotus

All of the Ox Force units have strong abilities, but units like Talon and Viego scale very well with AP. Having the ability to crit on their abilities can be very powerful.

Battlemage I/II/III

Talon and Viego are both melee carries, meaning they want to be placed on the second row of the board. This is perfect for Battlemage as the bonus AP and Armor are great for these units, and also most of the rest of the team.

Renegade Heart / Crest / Crown

Renegade is also an option for Ox Force comps. In this situation, you can look to drop down your Ox Force count in favor of Renegade units. In this situation, you’re playing less of an Ox Force comp, but you still  likely will have 2 Ox Force minimum with Talon and Viego.

Ox Force Team Comps

For the most part, there is only one Ox Force comp you should look to play and it’s simply a Viego based comp.

Viego Comp

This Viego comp is the most consistent way to play Ox Force, but there are some variations you can take as well. Viego is simply a consistent 4-cost carry that you can look to play around most games with. As different augments and items come, you can look to adjust based on the situation.

Here’s a link to the full team comp guide: Viego Comp Guide

6 Ox Force Variation

As previously mentioned, 6 Ox Force can be a strong option if you are able to make an Emblem. If so, your comp can look something like this.

6 Renegade Variation

The same type of variation can be done with a Renegade Emblem. In this case you can look to use Samira as your Renegade, Aphelios, or even something like Fiddlesticks.

If you want to see and check out other Ox Force comps, you can look at our full Tier List.

Conclusion

Ox Force is a very unique trait because of the invincibility. It can stall for a lot of time for your other units like Viego and Aphelios to deal damage.

Even still, this comp can feel quite risky as there are a lot of high cost units in the ideal comp. If you can hit a Viego 2, you can stabilize quite well, but that won’t always be easy to get.

Playing Ox Force from behind can feel like a Hail Mary on hitting Aphelios. And if you don’t hit, it can be a fast 8th.

We hope you enjoyed this guide, and hopefully it helps you climb some ranks. Good luck and have fun!

Thanks for reading! Be sure to check out our meta team comps page, or head to our Team Builder to try and come up with your own comps.