Hello, this is my first guid on Mobafire so wish me luck.

The controversy of AD Tf or Ap is a huge argument in the lower level play and i honestly think that AP is better for a few reasons.
1. It has a longer range.. Tf's auto attack range is to short to be played as an AD carry.
2. He has an AOE nuke with the LONGEST non ultimate range in the game.. how amazing is that? it has a 65% AP ratio (Correct me if i'm wrong).
3. He works better in team fights.. With AD Tf you can focus one target and get focused down quickly because of how short his range is..

Magic Pen Marks - They work like they should.
Mana/5 Seals - Your team should be giving you blue buff constantly, but when your team can't these come in handy.
CDR Glyphs - Standard caster stuff, can trade for more survivability.
Flat Health Quints - These give you amazing survivability early game along with doran's ring.

In this section, i want to talk about soulstealer..

Pros
1. Amazing Ap boost
2. 20 stacks comes with HUGE cooldown. Makes you feel like ryze!! (Not exactly)

Cons
1. Can be horrible if you keep getting focused.
2. 1k early on is a lot so if this fails, your ****ed unless you can fix it.

Moving on, i think rushing deathcap is important because of the flat AP that TF needs for his damage. Sure you can get ROA or some other items but that wont really give you the push that you need for those mid game fights.

Then the void staff or lich bane. its your choice you can switch it up.

Then one of the most underrated items in the game, Haunting Guise. this item is awesome because of the Mpen it gives which can make you dish out some more damage on those that build MR.

After that, sell Doran's ring and get a banshee's veil. This item is AMAZING. it gives you health and mana + some MR ANDDD a spell shield every 45 seconds. this will save your *** when you get focused.

Of course the boots. I prefer sorcerer boots, but some people build merc treads/boots of swiftness. Its really a preference.

Your bread and butter. This skill is a long range nuke (longest non-ultimate in the game),
An amazing! poke in team fights, and that AMAZING feeling when you get a kill from a card going diagonally.

This skill is gods gift to all Tfs. this skill will show whether you are a BAD tf or a GOOD tf. this skill has 3 uses. Blue card A magic damage oriented skill that gives you mana steal, GREAT for last hits. Red Card Has an AOE slow and damage, has the most damage out of all cards andddddddddddddddd its an amazing farming skill in conjunction with blue card and wild cards. and finally the infamous
Gold card. This is the mini skill that shows whether you are a Bad or good TF, if you can pull this when ever you want (especially in team fights) i will marry you because i still can't pull it off whenever my team needs it. getting to the point, this skill is amazing, a stun, mana steal, and AOE damage/slow.

Hot.
This is mostly for AD Tf but this skill is amazing with lich bane. I'm not sure what the AP ratio is but its amazing! its like another lich bane.
This is what makes Tf, Tf. it allows you to see all your enemies and gate to anywhere you want. what the jesus christ this ult is amazing!! it allows you to backdoor with a lich bane and can win or lose you a game depending on the user.

This is what Tf is best at.
You can throw a red card and clean up with wild cards...
no need for more.

I preferandThese make up for Tfs burst and his defensive/offensive moves.

All in All Tf is a BEAST as an AP carry because of his long range nuke, and his three skills in one (Pick a Card). If played right Ap TF is amazing and makes you feel good in the inside. His farming ability is great, and his ability to burst someone down is amazing! But he is VERY squishy so you should never roam out alone.