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Hello! Thanks for checking out my Twisted Fate guide. I'm Stinger7480, and I've been playing League of Legends since season 3, but this is my first guide on MOBAFire. I ended last season at diamond 3, so I can't be that bad.
I actually picked up Twisted Fate as a joke, since I got into playing him right after his huge nerf in 2013. I would complain to my friends all the time about how terrible he was, but for some reason I kept playing him. Somewhere along the line it stopped being a joke - and over time, I've really grown to love playing this champion. I may not be the best player around, but I hope you can learn a thing or two from me. Writing this guide has helped me realize the gaps in my own knowledge, too. I'm always learning, so I appreciate any feedback. Now let's get to it!
Unsealed Spellbook is hard to use properly, but worth it. My favorite swaps are Heal and Ghost. Be careful about swapping to Ignite or Exhaust - you can't clear them when your other summoners are up without a target champion.
Minion Dematerializer makes Twisted Fate clear waves so much more easily. Activate all 3 uses on caster minions so you can 1 shot non-cannon waves after getting a few items.
Nimbus Cloak might be the best rune in the game right now. Extra movement speed after using a summoner spell is the best time to have it - and with Unsealed Spellbook, Twisted Fate uses summoner spells literally all the time.
Flash is an absolute must on Twisted Fate. With very low mobility, it helps him get out of a tight spot and pull off awesome engages to teamfights.
Situational
Teleport seems to be the most meta pick right now. It is super helpful for difficult match-ups during laning phase and for returning to your lane after a Destiny roam. the extra movement speed after activating Teleport in combination with Nimbus Cloak also makes it so strong as a roaming tool.
Ignite is a more aggressive option for Twisted Fate. It helps secure kills, reduces Heal and the support's ability heals by half when roaming bot, and is up much more often than Teleport is. The only downside is that enemy mids often take Cleanse for Twisted Fate'sGold Card, which also removes Ignite. Make sure not to stun and use Ignite at the same time in these cases.
You cannot beat a good Zoe without Cleanse. It helps a lot in less intensive match-ups like Lissandra as well, but it isn't as important. Often, you can still run Teleport in these match-ups and just switch to Cleanse with Unsealed Spellbook.
Lost Chapter is super helpful for only 1300 gold and builds into Everfrost. It gives Twisted Fate some extra damage tons of mana to cast his abilities freely. When backing with fewer gold, I typically go for Sapphire Crystal and 1 Amplifying Tome over 2 Amplifying Tomes because casting more abilities is usually more important than a tiny bit more damage.
Dark Seal is a low-risk way of capitalizing on a potential lead. The goal on Twisted Fate is to keep yourself alive and slowly build up stacks. If I manage to get 10 stacks, upgrading to Mejai's Soulstealer is very strong because of the extra movement speed. Never upgrade before then - that gold is more useful towards Twisted Fate's core items.
Boots helps out Twisted Fate a lot because of his low base movement speed. It's not a huge deal if you can't get this on your first back though.
Always get a Control Ward if you have an extra 75 gold. They are simply too powerful to not get after every recall.
Boot Choice
Generally, Ionian Boots of Lucidity is the go-to boot choice. It's cheap and lets Twisted Fate use his abilities and summoner spells much more often. I usually build these right after Everfrost, but you can also rush them if it makes gold sense or the enemy mid has lots of skill shots.
Everfrost pretty much does it all - granting health, mana, ability power, ability haste, and an incredible active that is almost guaranteed to hit an enemy stunned by aGold Card. Always make sure to layer CC so that your opponent is immobilized for the max amount of time in preparation for your next combo.
Lich Bane is the bread and butter item for Twisted Fate - AP, movement speed, and a great passive that synergizes well with Pick A Card. You can really start to do work once you have this item.
With Rapid Firecannon's Energized Attack, Twisted Fate can initiate fights with a huge rangeGold Card that would normally require Flash. Remember to keep Twisted Fate moving and the Energized Attack will be up pretty much whenever you need it, just make sure not to waste it on a normal auto attack.
Zhonya's Hourglass has a great active ability when in a tight spot and solid stats. When in AD match-ups, build this at least before Lich Bane.
Hard to argue with a pricey item that gives only AP. Rabadon's Deathcap is a must in the super late game, and becomes stronger the more AP items you already have.
Only buy a Mejai's Soulstealer if you have 10 stacks on Dark Seal. Never just buy one outright - it's a waste of 1400 gold. If you manage to get 25 stacks, you can easily solo carry games.
Take this against high AP enemy teams and swap it with Zhonya's Hourglass. If the enemy mid, jungler, and top are all AP-based, Banshee's Veil is a definite buy. Otherwise, it isn't always the most effective.
I can't stress enough how much taking Wild Cards over Stacked Deck level 2 is an absolute noobtrap. Check out the winrates based on leveling sequence alone here. while not as popular as taking Wild Cards second, this order has a 1.5% increase in winrate at time of writing.
Whether starting a teamfight, preparing a gank, or securing a solo kill, this short and sweet combo has been effective since the dawn of LoL. Before making any initiation, always keep track of your flash for this combo specifically.
Combo #2: Full Clear
->->AA->
If you get Lich Bane and your core items soon enough, you can clear an entire non-siege wave by hitting the middle melee minion with aRed Card (and the other two with the AoE) and all 6 minions with Wild Cards. However, there is a sensitive threshold where it won't kill any of them if you fall behind in levels or items.
Combo #3: Classic Roam
AA x3 to prep->->->--
->->AA->->AA->
Preparing Stacked Deck before any roam maximizes your damage. I always make sure to start the Pick A Card cycle before Destiny so that I am fully adjusted to the cycle. I would not recommend locking in a card before activatingGate, however, because you can only hold it for 6 seconds. After activating Destiny, always make sure to look for the jungler before committing to a teleport. When roaming bot, I try to teleport into a bush if possible, lock in the card duringGate's 1.5 second channel, then hit my target with aGold Card, Wild Cards, and an auto-attack. If you run Ignite, always use it as early as possible when roaming bot to reduce the effect of Heal.
Combo #4: Misaya Bait
->->->->AA->
I include this for the memes - but it does have its moments. This is can be a great engage when yourGate location is dangerous, and Zhonya's Hourglass can bait out lots of abilities. Classically, you usually try to weave in aGold Card before activating Zhonya's Hourglass, but sometimes this is too greedy. Check out a famous (and ancient, fair warning) bait from Misaya himself below!
Combo #5: Reverse Misaya
->->
Gate doesn't have a built in cancellation, but you can cancel it by activating Zhonya's Hourglass before it's channel completes. The card animation continues even if you cancel it, allowing some trickery potential. Whether this is a 200 IQ play to bait out abilities or a panic button when you regret a teleport, it's a neat interaction to know. Personally, I think it expends too many resources to be used intentionally.
Combo #6: Active Stasis
->->->AA
When your Pick A Card is just coming off cooldown right when you are surrounded or very low health, you can start Pick A Card's cycle and activate Zhonya's Hourglass in quick succession. Then, during stasis, lock in aGold Card so you're ready for action. It's interesting how often opposing players' don't realize you can do this, so you sometimes have the element of surprise.
Combo #7: Reverse Lich Bane
AA->+
Remember: Pick A Card's cycle start activates Lich Bane, not locking in a card. You may know that Lich Bane empowers one's next auto-attack - but it is the next auto-attack that lands, not the next one thrown. This means that if an enemy narrowly escapes with low health, and you have an auto attack flying towards them, you can start Pick A Card to proc Lich Bane on that auto-attack mid air, which could make all the difference in securing the kill.
Combo #8: Spell Shield Bait
->->AA->
As noted in Tips & Tricks, Destiny's global reveal is blocked by spell shields. This can be used to your benefit by locking in an obviousGold Card and targeting a champion with a spell shield. When yourGold Card is in the air, activate Destiny just as they use their spell shield to expend it, allowing for a surprise stun.
Combo #9: Back Door
->->AA x2 ->->AA x2 ->->AA x2
When attempting a back door, it is really important that you don't start Pick A Card's cycle before you have completed your teleport and have used one Lich Bane auto attack from Destiny already. If you start them both while scoping out your teleport, you've already lost one Lich Bane proc on the nexus. Then space out your basic abilities to maximize your damage.
In lane, just remember this: if you stand to the side of your minions, you are susceptible to a Charm combo, but if you stand behind your minions, you can get hit with Essence Theft while the enemy Ahri is clearing. The idea is that Ahri often has to choose between trading and clearing, and knowing your opponent's intents is everything to this match-up. In teamfights, wait for her to overextend with her first use of Spirit Rush and answer with aGold Card.
Even
Akali can be annoying because of her insane mobility and quick trades. Never trade in quick successions because of Five Point Strike and Assassin's Mark. The saving grace of this match-up is that Destiny’s global reveal makes Akali almost useless in teamfights, but you have save it for teamfights instead of roams/splitting. The longer the game goes, the better this match-up becomes.
Minor
Twisted Fate simply fares well against traditional mages so this match-up isn’t much of a threat, but never go for kills during lane (except when your jungler ganks) because of Rebirth. Anivia’s passive is worth Ignite, but not Flash. Note that once Anivia hits 6, she will permashove with Glacial Storm.
Even
Annie deals tons of damage, but has low range and mobility. Avoid trades because of Disintegrate’s consistent damage and be weary of her Flash + Pyromania stun. Annie’s burst is far greater than Twisted Fate’s, so you win this match-up by making initiative plays everywhere but mid.
Even
From the very beginning, Aurelion Sol will hard push. Trades become unfavorable after like 3 milliseconds because of his high DPS with Astral Flight. Instead, put 99% of your energy into matching his push and damaging the minions. Otherwise, you will sit under your turret all day while Aurelion Sol roams with Singularity – pretty much stealing Twisted Fate’s entire game plan.
Major
Emperor Azir wages a relentless war of attrition in this match-up. Whenever he pokes you with Conquering Sands you pretty much have to respect it and back off. He will likely push constantly, so coordinate with your jungler early to punish him. Some Azir’s will go for an Insec style Shifting Sands + Emperor's Divide when their jungler is coming, so keep your distance with Flash down.
Even
Trades in this matchup are risky – if you take a moment too long Cassiopeia will Twin Fang all your HP away. However, as long as you face Twisted Fate away from Cassiopeia except when casting abilities, this match-up is fine. Note that when going for a roam, Cassiopeia can cancel Destiny’s channel with Miasma.
Extreme
Diana is absolutely insane since they made her gap closer a basic ability and gave her a powerful ultimate. I regularly fed her even before the rework. She’s not even weak early anymore and can do massive AOE damage in teamfights. Just ban her.
Minor
They key to this match-up is avoiding Z-Drive Resonance’s third hit during trades. Always have Pick A Card up so that you can stun Ekko after he engages with Phase Dive and Timewinder to prevent him from getting a third hit. My favorite part about this match-up is that in teamfights you justGold Card him – he either uses Chronobreak or dies.
F-M
Major
"You're picking Twisted Fate into Fizz?? It's gg." Yup, this is the classic counter match-up in LoL. His Playful / Trickster makes Twisted Fate'sGold Card difficult to use, and Fizz simply outdamages Twisted Fate. Avoid fighting him as much as you can, and try to hit level 6 before him and get outta there.
Minor
This is pretty much just a farm lane. I tend to target Heimerdinger’s H-28G Evolution Turrets first to prevent his shove potential and collect an extra bonus from Loaded Dice. Make sure to stand behind minions to avoid his Hextech Micro-Rockets and he won’t give you too much trouble.
Extreme
The problem with this match-up is that while Kassadin is even weaker than Twisted Fate in the early game, he has access to a way stronger late game and Twisted Fate isn't strong enough to shut him down early. Before going for a Destiny roam, make sure he can't simply Riftwalk and Null Sphere to cancel your channel. Also, never target him with Pick A Card while Null Sphere is up. Because Pick A Card converts your base auto-attack into magic damage, this actually does less damage than a simple auto attack. Instead bait out the ability and go for a combo afterwards.
Major
This is one of those match-ups that feels fine until it suddenly slips away. Twisted Fate can poke Katarina pretty effectively in the first two levels, but once she has all her basic abilities and especially after she hits 6 you should steer clear. In teamfights you must hit her with aGold Card, or you simply cannot win.
Even
This match-up is very easy in lane, but similar to the Kassadin match-up, Kayle scales very well and Twisted Fate can’t shut her down. It’s best to push your mid game strength hard with constant roams to get your team ahead and end early, or coordinate constant ganks mid with your jungler. The bright side is that if youGold Card a Kayle in a teamfight, she pretty much always has to use Divine Judgment preemptively.
Major
LeBlanc’s high mobility, burst, and disengage makes it hard to trade back with her or keep your health up. Only step close when her Sigil of Malice is on cooldown, and in intense 1v1’s, stand between your minions so that they shield her Ethereal Chains. If LeBlanc is getting low enough to kill, always Ignite before Mirror Image procs – the real one will still be ignited.
Minor
Always stand behind at least two minions and you will never get hit with Light Binding. With no mobility or guaranteed peel, Lux is very susceptible to ganks so I call for them often. You should always strive to outfarm your opponent in these better match-ups and make your impact on other lanes even greater.
Tiny
I personally love this match-up. Loaded Dice applies on Malzahar’s Void Swarm and all die instantly to oneRed Card. Malefic Visions gives him very little control of the wave, and he has no real way to follow your roam. A nice bonus is that if Twisted Fate and Malzahar walk up andGold Card and Nether Grasp each other at the same time, respectively, the stun hits right after the channel starts, allowing Twisted Fate to effectively release himself from the suppression.
Even
The shame here is that Black Shield prevents you from landing anyGold Card you throw at Morgana, let alone deal any magic damage. Because of this, never initiate trades and always stand behind minions to avoid Dark Binding and this is an otherwise uneventful lane.
N-T
Major
This lane is kinda rough - Nocturne heals for more damage than you deal, and his Shroud of Darkness counters Twisted Fate’sGold Card. Worst of all, Destiny’s reveal is useless during Paranoia. Luckily, Nocturne doesn’t have much kill pressure in lane unless you step up to him, so the best tactic is to farm up and only roam if his ultimate is down or he is not in range to follow, since Paranoia’s range is much shorter thanGate’s with a single point in it.
Even
Orianna’s Clockwork Windup and Command: Attack give her strong poking tools from the very beginning. In order to trade well in lane, you have to dodge her ball. You can do this by predicting when she will use Command: Attack by getting a feel for the cooldown, but also by walking back and forth across the width of the lane: this will force the ball to travel a long distance before reaching since it remains in its last position unless Orianna walks very far away. But if she catches on to your tactic, she might steer you into walking towards her jungler waiting in the brush – so be cautious.
Even
Pyke’s Phantom Undertow makes him slippery, and Twisted Fate pretty much has to Flash if he is targeted with Bone Skewer during an enemy gank. It’s best to poke him down as much as possible in early levels to deny farm and get him low. As a teamfight is starting, you can often catch an unprepared, invisible Pyke with Destiny followed by aGold Card.
Major
This match-up is quite difficult. Qiyana can get in Twisted Fate’s face quickly and just do tons of damage. Most Qiyanas get Mobility Boots very quickly and roam bot constantly after pushing, so remember to ping missing. Never stand close to a wall when against Qiyana, and picking fights in the jungle where there is lots of terrain is not recommended due to her Supreme Display of Talent. Seeker's Armguard helps a lot in this match-up.
Even
Rumble mid is becoming increasingly popular. For this match-up, keep trades brief since Rumble has ridiculous DPS with Flamespitter and The Equalizer. The good news is that if youGold Card him and retreat, he doesn’t have a whole lot to chase you down.
Even
With short cooldowns and respectable damage, it’s really hard to trade with a seasoned Ryze. He also deals tons of damage late game. The good news is that Realm Warp’s range is too small to effectively follow a Destiny roam. He also doesn’t have much mobility, making him an easy target for your team to lock down after you hit him with aGold Card.
Tiny
I used to hate facing Sylas, but after all his nerfs, I like the match-up a lot. If you manage to dodge his Abscond / Abduct, you are guaranteed to win any trade, and it’s not even that bad if he lands it anymore. Sylas is also very weak to poke since he is melee so laning is a breeze. The only issue is when an opposing Sylas steals Destiny, so make sure you ping bot when a roam is coming.
Major
Syndra is actually quite tough in lane. For this match-up I recommend rushing Mercury's Treads because it counters her magic damage, high CC, and makes it so much easier to dodge her Dark Sphere, which is almost all of her poke damage.
Extreme
Talon can delete you, even in the early game, if you're not careful. In combination with that, he can potentialy outroam you with Assassin's Path and Mobility Boots. In cases where he leaves lane, never follow him into the jungle. Just clear the wave, and roam when you have Destiny available.
U-Z
Tiny
Never stand behind a low health friendly minion so that Veigar has to choose between poking and gaining permanent AP with Baleful Strike. If he surrounds you with Event Horizon it is never worth it to let it stun you – dance around within the circle if you must and you’ll never get hit with Dark Matter. Overall this is a nice lane for Twisted Fate.
Minor
This match-up is only a bit annoying because of Vel'Koz’s practically nonexistent mana costs and consistent push as a result. Always retreat after he lands two consecutive abilities to avoid the true damage of Organic Deconstruction. Unless you are far ahead, or his Tectonic Disruption and Life Form Disintegration Ray are down, it’s best not to challenge him and instead make this an uneventful lane.
Minor
Viktor has become a much more popular mid pick. Never stand with your minions so that he can’t poke you while clearing with Death Ray. Siphon Power makes it hard to trade well against him so it’s best to make this a calm farm lane and plan a Destiny roam.
Minor
Vladimir can’t really do anything in early levels. He also can’t really do much to follow or prevent Twisted Fate’s roam potential. Just make sure to pick up Morellonomicon somewhere along the way if he is becoming difficult.
Even
People often consider Xerath a counter to Twisted Fate because of his high range. The truth is I would rather face him every game than go against any of the strong assassins. The key to this match-up is getting Mercury's Treads quickly, which makes it so much harder for even a good Xerath to land his skillshots.
Extreme
I personally think that Yasuo is one of the hardest lanes for Twisted Fate. His Wind Wall literally invalidates Twisted Fate's entire kit, and his extreme mobility is just too much. In any difficult AD match-up, I build Seeker's Armguard before Everfrost because it has a lesser known stacking passive and makes laning less brutal, while only slightly setting you back. However, Everfrost is quite powerful in peeling Yasuo because his Wind Wall does not block its Glaciate active.
Major
Hitting level 6 before Zed is the difference between an early death and a solid rotation. One thing to note is that Zed's Razor Shuriken does less damage to subsequent units hit, so make sure to always stand behind your wave. Also, always try to bait his Death Mark before throwing aGold Card. Once you have Stopwatch or Zhonya's Hourglass, you'll have a lot of the pressure taken off of you.
Tiny
Ziggs is a shadow of his former self. His abilities just don’t really do much damage and his AOE has gotten so much smaller over the years. Just make sure not to let him attack a turret freely, because Satchel Charge can execute it eventually.
Even
If you aren't running Unsealed Spellbook, take Cleanse in this match-up for Zoe’s Sleepy Trouble Bubble, but you have to wait until the actual stun starts before using Cleanse. Generally, position around friendly minions with Paddle Star’s second activation in mind to shield yourself. Trading is unwise here.
The main goal of laning phase is to survive laning phase. With low defenses and no built-in escapes, Twisted Fate is one of the most gank-susceptible mid-laners in the game. Additionally, Twisted Fate’s strong global presence after level 6 gives the enemy high incentive to shut him down early. Consider the enemy jungler’s perspective: if they gank top or bot or counter-jungle, they will have a teleporting Twisted Fate right on their tail. Therefore, the only champion they can safely gank is Twisted Fate himself, because he inherently can’t roam from mid to mid! This puts an even bigger target on his back that any summoner should be aware of.
Invade / Counter Invade
With a low-cooldown click-stun, Twisted Fate is one of the stronger mages for jungle invades. With a practically guaranteed stun, Twisted Fate has absolute authority in determining who your team will focus first. Hitting a champion with aGold Card while invading is like calling an airstrike on them. However, during an invade, don’t target based only on role or squishiness, but rather focus who is most separated from the rest of the team.
Farming
Farming well on Twisted Fate is an absolute must. Furthermore, Loaded Dice, which grants an average of about 4 gold per unit killed, is only as good as your CS allows it to be. In cases where the wave is out of your reach due to an unfavorable freeze, you can secure minions with Wild Cards. Sometimes it is just not worth the risk to secure a minion, so in these cases, it is important to at least stand close enough to earn the XP. Remember, if you hit 6 first, you can get out of there and get your team ahead. If the enemy mid hits 6 first, it often will help them to pressure you out of lane and set back your roaming potential. Taking a small CS deficit but maintaining strong levels is not the end of the world in tough match-ups. In cases where you are stuck under turret, Twisted Fate’s basic abilities help him farm excellently, but otherwise, follow the rule of turret shot + turret shot + auto for melee minions, and auto + turret shot + auto for caster minions.
Wave Control
While Twisted Fate has strong pushing ability with Wild Cards and Pick A Card'sRed Card, this always comes with a risk if the enemy jungler is aggressive. However, getting hyper-pushed by someone like Vel'Koz or Aurelion Sol is not ideal either because you lose lane priority and can no longer contest scuttle skirmishes if your jungler never punishes the enemy mid. A simple strategy to solve this issue is to employ “an auto for an auto”, or to match the enemy mid’s push to keep the wave in the center of the lane. This allows Twisted Fate to safely retreat from a gank, but also be present if a skirmish breaks out. However, if the enemy mid roams bot or top lane, it is almost never a good idea to follow them by foot because they will always get their first, and they (especially if they are an assassin) could easily ambush you from jungle brush. Instead, hard push the wave to deny them CS and hard ping enemy missing. If they don’t get a kill from their roam, and especially if you manage to take a turret plate (which is worth half a kill in gold) the roam is definitely not worth it for them.
Lane Positioning
In general, a mid-laner should hug the side of the lane opposite of where the enemy jungler is, or the same side of where your own jungler is. Playing on your own jungler’s side when possible is a mutual gain for both of you, because they can help you more easily if you are ganked, while you can often reach them before the enemy mid with aGold Card in hand if they are invaded by the enemy jungler. While the enemy’s position is not always known, you can often deduce where they might be. For example, in the very beginning of laning phase, you should always play on the side opposite red buff in case of a lvl 2 cheese gank, since you force the jungler to cross almost the entire width of the lane to reach you. In the brief time following this, you should swap back to the enemy red buff side as they are likely clearing their blue buff jungle. However, once I approach level 6, I tend to ward heavy on the bot side with my trinket or a Control Ward to provide a safe runway for a Destiny roam. On a side note, whenever you place a Control Ward in one of the bushes that separates the mid lane from the jungle, always put it as close as you can to your base. This forces the enemy to extend farther to clear it, so putting it in the center is a noobtrap. With other variables unknown, it makes sense to play the side of the lane that you have the most vision around.
Trading
Due to Twisted Fate’s weak early game, it is usually best to keep trading to a minimum. However, there are still opportune times to attempt one. A good time to for a trade is when one of your minions is about to die, because the enemy mid will have to either take damage to secure the creep or trade with you and potentially lose it. However, this also works the other way around when enemy minions are low, so a good tactic is to run up, then run back to bait out the opponent’s abilities, allowing you to safely secure the creep a moment later. Since recent buffs, Twisted Fate’s Stacked Deck is enormously powerful with a single point in it. The first point grants Twisted Fate 20% additional attack speed, while subsequent points only grant 5% each (along with bonus damage on every 4th hit). With a point in Pick A Card and Stacked Deck at level 2, stacking aBlue Card + a 4th hit adds up to tons of damage that can be dealt safely, quickly and with effectively no mana cost. However, you should always back off from the enemy while your Pick A Card is down, especially if the enemy jungler’s position is unknown. Against melee mid-laners, it goes without saying that spacing is incredibly important to winning trades.
Backing for Early Items
Choosing the right time to back is crucial. The best early times to back are when you have 1375 gold or 1675 gold in buying power, because this allows Twisted Fate to pick up a Lost Chapter and a Control Ward, along with Boots if you can manage it. Finding a good time to pick up a Dark Seal along the way is also important and will more than pay for itself later in the game. In my experience, getting a Doran's Ring is usually not worth it, and only sets you back in building your core items. Unless you are running Teleport, the best time to back is right after clearing the wave before a siege wave. Before 20 minutes, a siege wave will spawn after 2 consecutive normal waves, so immediately after the second normal wave is the best time to back. This is because your siege minion will make your wave more difficult to clear, while their siege minion will tank tons of turret shots before the rest of the wave and allow you to easily get the cs from under turret. Once Twisted Fate has his early items, he becomes significantly harder to take down.
First Roam
Twisted Fate's first roam is arguably the most important. Destiny has an extremely long cooldown with only 1 point in it, so you want to make it count. Unless there is a really obvious play, I discourage teleporting top in favor of bot. I feel that even if you get a kill top, it is difficult to make much of it. However, if you manage to kill one or both enemy bot laners, you can secure a dragon or force the enemy into a disadvantaged fight if they contest it. When scouting a teleport play, always make sure to keep an eye on your champion's pathing. For mechanical specifics of pulling of a successful rotation, see Combo #3: Classic Roam. Especially in higher elo, a great roam from Twisted Fate often launches the mid game.
Twisted Fate works alone, and is a natural splitter. He does lots of damage to turrets with aBlue Card and Lich Bane. Additionally, he can easily get out when enemies converge on him or join a developing teamfight with Destiny. Generally, splitting puts so much more pressure on the enemy team than if you were just pushing mid lane with the rest of your team, and is the main way a Twisted Fate should spend his time in the mid game.
You've finished Lich Bane and laning phase is over
The enemy team lacks assassins
The “Splitpush" role is somewhat vacant on your team
You are not behind, so that anyone on their team can't just come and kill you
You want to draw the enemy team away from an objective that they would lose if they sent two or more after you
You have solid vision in the surrounding area
Why You Shouldn't Splitpush in Lower Elo
Personally, I think it’s better to just be with your team in sub-diamond Elo. This is because your team probably isn’t warding a lot so it's much riskier. Additionally, if the enemy sends lots of resources to successfully take you down, your team is supposed to secure baron or some kind of objective in the meantime, but in lower Elo teammates simply don’t know to do this. Your team might also start a 4v5 that you are too far away to join with Destiny when higher elo players know not to do this.
It’s important to notice when a teamfight is brewing so that you can be there when it starts. An indicator that a teamfight will start soon is when you have been splitpushing and the enemy team is attempting to use their 5v4 advantage while you are away. Additionally, You should always be present when a dragon is spawning soon, the enemy team groups for a siege, or if baron is spawning when it is very late in the game. These are cases where teamfights happen all the time, and the last thing you want to hear is a “Wait, where is TF?” after things go bad. Sometimes, it makes sense to continue to split while your team fights if you think they have the advantage, in which case you can take tons of free turrets, but you learn this with experience.
Initiation
If you are away from your team, you can prepare for a fight by teleporting safely to your team with Destiny or try to teleport behind the enemy team to flank them if it is favorable. The latter is generally riskier, but can really pay off if an enemy is low and retreating far behind their team. If you are already with your team when a fight is breaking out, look to see if an enemy is overextending, especially a carry. These are prime moments to use a Combo #1: Flash Engage to start a fight and potentially eliminate a strong opponent from the beginning. Always be weary that the enemy team is trying to catch you out while you try to do the same – so make sure not to be too confident.
During a Teamfight
Maintaining proper positioning in a teamfight on Twisted Fate is crucial, especially since he has no escapes. If your Flash is down and you don’t have Zhonya's Hourglass ready, getting caught means you will instantly be deleted. Unless your team clearly has an advantage, you should retreat after using aGold Card + Wild Cards. Sometimes Twisted Fates will stick around to throw in more auto-attacks, but he is very vulnerable during this time and it really doesn’t add that much damage. Instead, retreat and wait for your Pick A Card and Wild Cards to come up again and repeat throughout the fight.
Overall, Twisted Fate is a solid mid-laner when employed correctly. While viewing guides is great for learning a new way to play, there is no better teacher than experience. Eventually, a champion should feel like an extension of yourself, and Twisted Fate is no exception. Much of the BBCode used in this guide was modeled off of jhoijhoi's tutorial, so be sure to check it out if you are interested!
It Ain't Luck, it's Destiny - A Guide to AP Twisted Fate
Build Guide By Stinger7480
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