Use your favourite features in-game with our Desktop AppRyze is a 7-cost unlockable unit in Set 16. He’s one of the most versatile and complete units in TFT’s history, which makes sense since he’s also one of the strongest characters in the Runeterra universe.
In this guide, we’ll cover his ability, how to build him, how to unlock him, and a few comps you can use!
In Patch 16.6, they changed Ryze’s unlock requirement from 4 regions at level 9 to 3 regions at level 9, making him even easier to unlock. Make sure to check the Team Comps section of this guide to see the best Ryze comps for this patch.
Ryze's main trait is Rune Mage, the rune mage benefits from all active region traits but will contribute to none. He harnesses the runic power from active regions to modify his ability, enhancing it in unique ways.
For his ability, Ryze releases a runic blast that deals magic damage. The blast then splits in two, hitting the two closest enemies, and each secondary blast splits again.
Doesn’t sound too complicated, right? But with his Rune Mage trait, his ability gains additional effects based on which region traits you have active. Let’s get into them.
So let’s say you have both Zaun and Demacia active, this causes his Runic Blast to apply both Poison and an Execute. The more regions you activate, the more effects his ability gains.
Of course, this powerful 7-cost unit isn’t just going to show up in your shop without a bit of work! To unlock Ryze, you must reach level 9 and activate 3 different region traits for at least one round.
You might think this sounds like a headache and it can get confusing, but here at Mobalytics, we’ve got you covered!
To make things easier, let’s talk about trait thresholds and how you can activate the simplest ones to hit that magic number, 3 regions.
There are 13 total regional traits in this set. Some require 3 units to activate, while others only need 1.
Targon, for example, requires just one unit, so adding an Aphelios, Zoe, Leona, or Taric instantly counts as one region and gets you a step closer to unlocking Ryze.
The traits that require two units include Yordle, Piltover, Shadow Isles, and Void. Shurima also needs two units, but you must field an Azir for at least two rounds to make it count, although if you naturally find him while levelling to 9, go for it!
The three-unit traits are Bilgewater, Demacia, Freljord, Ionia, Ixtal, Noxus, and Zaun. Some of these can actually be very useful because Kennen, Xin Zhao, and Vi each have two region traits, letting you piece together cheap combos that activate multiple regions at once.
With augments, there are two things to focus on, ones that help us reach level 9 with a healthy amount of HP and gold to work with, and ones that provide emblems, spatulas, or even extra team slots, making Ryze’s Runic Blast even more powerful.
To make sure you always pick the best augments - Download our Overlay and use our Challenger picked Augment Recommendations in-game!
Now starting with the Silver Tier 1 Augments:
For Econ we have Fire Sale and Late game Specialist. Fire sale will steal a random 3-cost or lower champion from your shop, making you able to get to level 9 even faster.
Late game specialist gives you 33 gold to work with once you're level 9, so you can get the 4 and 5 costs on the board ready to win some rounds.
Lastly we have Branching out, Just to add to Ryze's Runic Blast ability with a different trait and it will most likely allow us to get region threshold even easier.
Next up we got gold tier 2 augments, as theres way more of these we're gonna split them into two, econ and combat.
Starting with Econ, I’m sure you’re familiar with these. First, we have Raining Gold, which does exactly what the name suggests: it gives you a decent chunk of gold upfront and then grants 1 gold at the start of every round.
Next is Slammin’, which provides XP, but only if all your components are on the board. Make sure you have a clear plan or items you’re comfortable building before selecting this one.
Finally, Forward Thinking takes all your gold on 3-2 and returns it after 5 rounds with an additional 70 gold. This is the best choice for a fast level 9, allowing you to reach it early in stage 4, though you might lose a few rounds on the way.
Next its time to look at augments that will buff up Ryze!
First up is Set 16’s new augment, Spreading Roots! This gives you two random emblems to work with. It’s especially helpful if you already have Reforgers on your bench, if you get an emblem you don’t like, you can just cross your fingers and let Riot handle the rest.
Another new augment is U.R.F. You gain a spatula, and champions holding a Spatula or Frying Pan item will gain Attack Speed and Mana Regen. Choose this one if you already have emblems from other augments or encounters.
Lastly, for pure combat, we have Bronze for Life. Many Ryze comps run multiple Bronze traits to fit in as much as possible and buff the big purple man. This can be an extremely strong augment, giving you a damage amp for each Bronze trait you activate.
Now it’s time to look at the Prismatic tier 3 Augments. We’ll separate them into Econ and Combat again, since there are quite a few to cover.
First up are the econ augments, and these will take you straight to level 9.
Upward Mobility lets you intentionally play for a 5-loss streak early. Every time you level up, you gain free rerolls and health, giving you a solid chunk of HP by the time you reach level 9.
Next is Invested. This augment helps you hit your 4 and 5 cost units once you get to level 9. Note that in previous sets you needed to be above 80 gold at the start of the new round to get maximum free rerolls, now you must have 80 gold when the round ends.
Lastly, there’s the classic Level Up. XP costs less, letting you reach level 9 the fastest out of the three. Keep in mind, though, that the other options give you extra HP or rerolls. However, if you start with a gold opener or get an encounter like Gold Subscription, then Level Up becomes your best choice.
For the Prismatic combat augments, we have a few new ones introduced in Set 16.
Starting with The Trait Tree, this augment simply gives you 3 random emblems and 3 gold. Most of the time, it makes activating 4 regions incredibly easy, and in many cases it lets you unlock 4–6 regions total, turning your Ryze into a monster.
Next is The World Runes. You gain 2 emblems from random regions, and this is arguably the best option because you can’t receive useless emblems like Longshot or others that don’t synergize with Ryze’s kit. In addition, each player combat where you have 4+ region traits active, It will grants you a 6 XP making it even easier for you to go level 9 to get Ryze online.
Lastly, there’s Bronze for Life. As mentioned in the gold augment section, you end up stacking a crazy number of Bronze traits, and with the prismatic version you gain both durability and damage amp. This makes it one of the strongest combat augments if you’re leaning toward a Ryze focused game plan.
With augments out the way lets go over what items work best with Ryze.
Ryze can be built either as a utility unit or as a pure damage carry.
For utility, you want items like Morellonomicon to apply anti-heal, Void Staff to spread magic shred, and Blue Buff for faster casts.
For a primary damage-focused build, look toward the AP crit setup. Build Nashor’s Tooth paired with Jeweled Gauntlet and Striker’s Flail. This combo works extremely well because Ryze gains mana whenever he crits through Nashor’s Tooth, allowing him to cast very frequently.
Since you won’t get perfect items every game, you can also look for other options such as Spear of Shojin, Rabadon’s Deathcap, or Archangel’s Staff.
For Artifacts, strong choices include Dawncore, Zhonya’s Paradox, and Seeker’s Armguard.
Let’s quickly go over a couple of encounters that make Ryze extremely powerful!
Most comps that play Ryze are Fast 9, so encounters like Scuttle Puddle and Gold Subscription make hitting Level 9 much smoother. Pair one of these encounters with an economy augment and you’ll be Level 9 in no time.
Another encounter that’s broken for Ryze is Emblem Ensemble. This encounter grants you three random emblems at the very start of the game, making the unlocking process significantly easier. You’ll often end up adding an extra region or two to Ryze’s kit in the late game, massively boosting his power.
Now that we know Ryze’s abilities, how to unlock him, and which augments and items to look for, all that’s left is to go over a few comps he fits into, so you can really push for that 1st-place finish.
We are going to go over some powerful Fast 9 comps and a Fast 8 that all use Ryze!
Next its our Demacia Ryze comp, this comp also has 4 regions unlocked, they're Ionia, Demacia, Targon and Shurima.
Ryze will be the main damage dealer then you'll want to gear up Sylas to be your secondary damage dealer. Taric will be your main tank with left over items going onto Sett or Xerath.
For the unlocks we have,
For the early and mid game you can play around any strong AP opener but we recommend either Ionia or Demacia as it will help with the Kennen and Galio unlock.
The hardest part of this comp is getting Xerath unlocked. You’ll need to reach level 9 and be willing to intentionally lose one round with Azir on your board. Start by winning a round, then item remove your carry so you can guarantee a loss in the following fight. After that loss, win the next round and your Xerath will unlock. If you’re extremely low HP, you can skip the loss setup and just play for win streak instead, this will make you unlock Renekton.
This board is extremely strong, and if you have more AP components than usual, definitely give this variation a try as Xerath and Sett can both hold your extra items very effectively.
For more tips and tricks check out the full comp!
Next is our FlexiMel comp which uses Ryze as a secondary carry while playing around a bunch of powerful traits and units.
Mel will be the main carry with Ryze and Sylas being the secondary damage dealers. The main tank in this comp will be Swain.
For unlocks we have,
You ideally want to play around a strong AP Noxus opener with unlocking Leblanc ASAP so you can put AP items onto her and winstreak throughout the early and mid game.
As this is a fast 9 comp you also need to look for High gold augments and high gold encounters as this comp requires a bunch of gold. You also need to focus on the unlocks as this comp has a bunch.
This board you ideally don't want to roll on 8 but if you're losing HP you can roll on 8 for a copy of Mel while also upgrading units like Swain and Taric to keep you stable for stage 4.
Once level 9 Focus on getting Xerath, Ryze and Sylas online as these units make the difference between a top 4 and a 1st.
For more tips and tricks check out the full comp!
Next its our Bruiser Bear comp, It plays around a mix of traits giving Ryze 4 regions, they're Targon, Ionia, Frejlord and Yordle.
Ryze will be the main damage dealer backed up by Lissandra and Volibear. Wukong or Taric can be the main tank.
For unlocks we have a few so lets get into it,
You can play around pretty much any strong AP opener with this comp, Ionia can be great as it helps unlock Kennen and you can use Ahri as an Item holder, Look to angle this with Paths that give XP or gold so you can get to level 8 even faster.
You can also play this version with the Lifting Competition augment.
If you're not playing around Ionia or even bruisers make sure to hold copies of Ionia's and Bruisers once you're above 50 gold so you can unlock Kennen and Kobuko & Yuumi during PvE rounds. You also want to prioritise HP items so its easier to get Volibear unlocked.
You can go fast 9 with this board but if you're struggling you can roll down on 8, as you can unlock Volibear and an upgraded Lissandra and Wukong will make you stable for stage 4.
Its important not to go level 9 with 1 life as you need to wait a turn to unlock Ryze, so make sure you have at least 2-3 life's so once you're level 9, play this exact board without Ryze as it has 4 regions and he'll be unlocked next turn.
For more tips and tricks check out the full comp!
Next its our Boom & Runes comp, this comp is extremely strong as it has 5 regions unlocked for Ryze, they're Targon, Zaun, Ionia, Piltover and Yordle.
Ryze will be the main damage dealer with Ziggs being your secondary damage dealer. You can make either Wukong or Taric your main tank with left over items going onto Sett.
For the unlocks we have,
This comp is a fast 9 comp so you ideally want to play around Econ traits to help boost your economy, Bilgewater and Ixtal can do the trick and also Ionia depending on what path it is. But the most common path to this comp is Yordle, because it gives you a ton of econ, free rerolls and it unlocks Kennen on the way to level 9.
You don't really want to roll on 8 so pair the econ traits with econ augments or an encounter that can give you extra resources, like scuttle puddle or gold subscription.
Its important that once you're above 50 gold, on your journey to level 9 you start holding final board units on your bench as it will help us with unlocking Ryze later on.
When you get to level 9 its important to not get there with one life, as you need to level and wait a turn to unlock Ryze and Ziggs. Once you're level 9 roll down and try to upgrade as many units as possible, depending on who you upgrade first make Wukong or Taric your main tank.
Lastly, if you are struggling to unlock Ryze once you're level 9 we got you covered, this board only has 8 units but has 4 Regions unlocked. You can replace Teemo with any Yordle or add in any Zaun unit.
For more tips and tricks check out the full comp!
Now we have our Bilgewater Ryze comp, this comp plays around Bilgewater throughout the early and mid game then once we're level 9 we can get Ryze on the board, this comp is extremely strong with the added econ/items that Bilgewater provides and this comp will add 4 regions to Ryze's Runic Blast, they're Frejlord, Bilgewater, Yordle and Targon.
Ryze will be the main damage dealer with Volibear and Lissandra helping him out, Tahm Kench will be your main tank. You can also chase Illaoi 4 if you natural units throughout the game and you can even purchase some copies in the Black Market.
For the unlocks we have,
This comp is played around a Bilgewater opener, preferably a strong one as we ideally want to go Fast 9. As we want to win streak you can buy any unit in the Black Market early on if you think it will make the difference in winning and losing.
You also want to get in 7 Bilgewater ASAP so you can farm even more serpents because unlocking Tahm Kench sooner than later is always great. We also need to buy a couple of Items from the shop, Blackmarket Explosives is insane on Ryze and will require 7 Bilgewater to see so when using the shop toggle in 7 and look for this Item for Ryze. You can also look for any tank ones for Tahm Kench like Bareknuckles or Pile O' Citrus.
Make sure to focus on buying cheap bruisers once you're above 50 gold so it's easier to unlock Kobuko & Yuumi plus focus on getting HP components and making HP items as we really need to hit 3800HP for Volibear. This board without Ryze has 4 Regions so when you hit level 9 just play the exact units and you will have Ryze unlocked next turn.
For more tips and tricks check out the full comp!
Another comp it our Bronze for Life Ryze comp, this comp has 4 regions unlocked for Ryze, they are Targon, Ionia, Freljord and Yordle.
Yunara and Ryze will be the main damage dealers while Wukong or Taric will be your main tank.
Now for unlocks,
This comp can honestly be played from almost any strong early game board you naturally hit. However, we recommend leaning toward traits that help unlock Kennen and Kobuko, such as Ionia, Yordle, or even Bruisers.
You can delay playing Ryze and instead put his items on Lissandra, then roll on 4-2 to upgrade your board. Since this comp doesn’t rely on 5-cost units, the only reason to push level 9 is to unlock Ryze, but upgrading your 4-costs early can save you a massive amount of HP and greatly improve your placement.
For this version, we highly recommend running it if you’re offered the Gold or Prismatic Bronze for Life augment, since this comp naturally has 7 Bronze traits, and the augment makes it beyond broken!
For more tips and tricks check out the full comp!
First its our Zaun Ryze comp, with this comp Ryze has 4 regions unlocked, them being Zaun, Shurima, Piltover and Yordle.
It uses Ryze and Azir as the main damage dealer with Nasus being the main tank.
Lets go over the unlocks for this comp as they're extremely important.
Its best during the early and mid game you play around this type of board, It has the Zaun and Juggernauts to unlock Singed, the regions for Ryze and you can always play around more Defender focused frontline or an Ionia backline to quickly unlock Kennen.
Once you're level 9 you need to wait 2 rounds to play Nasus as he will stiil be locked, so play Taric for the time being as his Targon trait will also count towards 1 region.
If you played around another strong opener and didn't really take into consideration the unlocks now you're level 9 with a bunch of gold, dont you worry, we got you!
This board only requires Singed unlock which is the easiest out of the bunch but it has 4 regions and you will activate Ryze next round and Ziggs also if you have 3 items on Singed.
For more tips and tricks check out the full comp!
Moving on and we have our Ryze comp, this version doesn't have many regions for Ryze but more powerful units. The regions unlocked are Noxus, Shurima and Targon.
Ryze is your main damage dealer alongside Azir, while Nasus serves as your main tank. Depending on your components, you can itemize multiple units in this comp. Mel and Fiddlesticks can take AP items, while Ambessa and Shyvanna can use any AD items or even Thief’s Gloves. If you’re unable to hit Nasus 2, you can simply make Taric or Swain your main frontline tank instead.
Get get the whole squad online we will need a few unlocks,
Again, if you do get to level 9 and forgot about unlocks to get Ryze then you can play a board similar to this for one round to get him unlocked.
Put 1 item on Ambessa and have her die, the next round you will have Ryze and Mel unlocked so switch out Draven, Neeko and Seraphine for Ryze, Mel and Shyvanna.
For more tips and tricks check out the full comp!
Thats how you play Ryze in set 16!
We hope this guide has been helpful! be sure to visit our meta team comps page for full guides, and don't forget to download our in-game overlay to enhance your experience while you're playing.
Good luck and have fun Tacticians!
