Twisted Fate Build Guide by JAYZORZ

Introduction

This guide will feature the tips and tricks I use when playing Twisted Fate in ranked. Twisted Fate is arguably my best champion, and overall my favourite.

When played as AP he has significant burst damage, but he also has a lot of AoE damage and quite low cooldowns, which makes him excel in teamfights if he can stay safe.

When played as AD he gains a lot of passive attack speed, and has some nice stuns and decent autoattack range.

Below is a random picture I did a while ago :):

Pros / Cons

Pros +Amazing burst +Great AoE damage +Long Range +Free gold from passive +Spammable Stun +Free Stealth Detection +Global ultimate

Cons -Squishy -Very vulnerable to CC -Relies heavily on positioning -Likely focused -Bad use of Destiny can kill you . .

Summoner Spells

• is, IMO, the best summoner spell. It can help you to catch people and escape from bad situations.
• is a very nice spell for AP, and adds to your burst enormously. It is only useful for first blood on AD Twisted Fate or to reduce healing effectiveness, however.
• is the normal secondary spell for ADC curently. It is useful for baiting and also your main task is to survive and deal damage, this spell helps you to achieve this.
• is better on AD Twisted Fate, as you will be in shorter range with AD.
• great for returning to lane, particularly after using your Destiny to gank another lane. Can also be useful for backdooring. A valid choice, but does cut down your burst.
• is decent, and useful for catching people or escaping, but I prefer flash, as Twisted Fate is very suseptible to CC effects.

Runes (AP)

Magic Penetration through Greater Mark of Magic Penetration allow your abilities to do more damage, particularly early game.

I don't take Greater Seal of Replenishment because Twisted Fate is able to sustain mana from blue Pick A Card.

As such, I take Greater Seal of Armor to reduce basic attack damage.

Magic resist from Greater Glyph of Magic Resist reduce early game magic damage and allow you to lane easier, as Twisted Fate is very squishy, particularly early.

Ability power from Greater Quintessence of Ability Power gives very strong damage to your abilities, especially early game.

Runes (AD)

On AD Twisted Fate I grab Greater Mark of Attack Damage to increase my damage, making last hitting easier and my harass stronger.

I take Greater Seal of Armor to lower my opponents damage.

I also take Greater Glyph of Magic Resist to give me some added magic resistance.

For Quints, I use Greater Quintessence of Attack Damage for the same reason as the marks.

Masteries (AP)

AP Twisted Fate: I take 21/3/6 on AP.

I take Summoner's Wrath for the improved Ignite. An extra 5 AD and AP whilst it is on cooldown is very strong, especially given that you will Ignite when going for a kill.

From here, you need 3 points in the lowest tier to advance, some people choose Brute Force to increase their damage and make last hitting easier, but I find that Twisted Fate has a nice autoattack animation, enabling easy last hits without it. Thusly, I choose to take 3 points in Mental Force .

Sorcery for the CDR, but more importantly to enable Arcane Knowledge .

I take Havoc , Blast , Archmage and Executioner to maximise my AP.

I also take Resistance , as Twisted Fate is very squishy in lane and this can help enormously, but you do miss out on Runic Affinity as a result.

I take Summoner's Insight for improved Flash.

I then take Expanded Mind for the extra mana pool, and finish with my last 2 points into Meditation .

Masteries (AD)

AD Twisted Fate: I take 21/9/0 on AD.

I take Brute Force for increased autoattack damage, and a point in Butcher as I have no spell benefitted from Summoner's Wrath .

Alacrity is nice, and synergises with Stacked Deck, but I mainly take this to get Weapon Expertise .

Deadliness and Havoc maximise my damage and I take Lethality as I build Twisted Fate as an Infinity Edge AD.

I take Sunder for some flat armour penetration, and Executioner for strong damage and to finish off the tree.

From the defensive tree, I grab Summoner's Resolve for improved heal, as well as Hardiness for armour and Veteran's Scars for health.

Ability Explanation

Skill Sequence (AP)

I always start with Pick A Card for the utility. It can be used to CC, make your damage AoE, or sustain your mana, and is a great spell to get first for these reasons.

I max Wild Cards as it is your strongest nuke and is very useful for farming and harassing.

I then max Pick A Card second. It scales well with both, and adds enormous utility, granting very long and spammable stuns and slows, even though Stacked Deck offers free CDR.

I also take Destiny when possible.

Skill Sequence (AD)

I always start with Pick A Card for the utility. It can be used to CC, make your damage AoE, or sustain your mana, and is a great spell to get first for these reasons.

I max Stacked Deck first on AD Twisted Fate as it gives me free CDR to use my Pick A Card, gives me extra attack speed and free magic damage whilst I autoattack.

I then max Pick A Card. It scales with both AD and AP, and gives very nice utility.

Wild Cards is weak on AD Twisted Fate, but one early point, when noone has AP anyway, can be quite strong in lane at around level 4.

I also take Destiny when possible.

Items (AP)

I start with Boots of Speed and 3 Health Potions to juke skillshots and for added mobility.

I grab a Doran's Ring if needed and then build a Kage's Lucky Pick and finish Sorcerer's Shoes. If I need more burst, I'll grab an early Sheen, else I'll grab a Needlessly Large Rod and grab a Rabadon's Deathcap.

I'll then finish off AP Twisted Fate's second core item: Lich Bane.

After this, I'll grab a Fiendish Codex and create a Morello's Evil Tome.

I'll then grab a Void Staff and consequently switch boots to Mercury's Treads.

After this point, I'm very strong but quite targettable, so I look to round off my build with a Guardian Angel and finally elixirs.

Items (AD)

I also start with Boots of Speed and 3 Health Potions for added mobility and sustain.

I then grab double Doran's Blade for strong damage, some good lifesteal and some added health. I then grab a Vampiric Scepter for the sustain, and then transition into some damage.

I then upgrade to Berserker's Greaves and I grab B. F. Sword and Pickaxe on my way to get an Infinity Edge, and get some more crit chance and speed through a Zeal into a Phantom Dancer.

I turn my earlier Vampiric Scepter into a The Bloodthirster, grab a Pickaxe on my way to Last Whisper and round off my build again with a Guardian Angel and elixirs.

Other Items + Item reasons (AP)

Abyssal Mask: This item is a very nice defensive item, and it synergises with Sorcerer's Shoes too. It adds nice AP, and thusly damage as well as makes you tankier vsing magic damage, which is the damage you are most likely to recieve. It's passive also further increases your damage and helps your team. The passive isn't that great though as you probably won't be in range to apply the passive to everyone.

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Archangel's Staff: I would suggest against this as an interchangable item to the build above. You don't need a large mana pool as Twisted Fate and it isn't very cost effective. It also takes a while to be useful, and Twisted Fate excels in the mid-game, then carries over to the late game.

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Athene's Unholy Grail: This item is decent as it is no longer a wasted slot like Chalice of Harmony (arguably) was. Not to mention whilst one passive is great for lane phase, the other is excellent in team fight situations, but Twisted Fate isn't very mana hungry, so it isn't that neccessary.

I would suggest against this

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Banshee's Veil: A defensive item that you could get if you think you need some more magic resistance. You have a lot of range, so it may be unneccessary and will set your damage behind, but can save you at the same time.

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Deathfire Grasp: This item increases your burst alot, and you do take an early Kage's Lucky Pick to later make into Morello's Evil Tome. This is an alternative and is very legit on Twisted Fate, but I just don't really like it on him as you deal enough prolonged damage and the range is quite short. It is better if you are looking to Destiny and catch someone offguard and out of position.

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Guardian Angel: A nice item. A more all-round defensive equivelant of Zhonya's Hourglass. For Twisted Fate, I see this fitting better, as you can be bursted down quickly and this can save you.

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Haunting Guise: This is a serially underrated item, it adds some decent health and ability power, and has a nice passive early game, and it is quite cheap. I think it isn't often used because it is of a low tier and needs to be sold, though if you are behind or are trying to snowball, this item might be a decent choice.

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Ionian Boots of Lucidity: Sorcerer's Shoes are stronger early, and if you already get cooldown reduction these aren't useful, but they are a decent alternative and might be useful lategame, if you don't max CDR with blue. That said, I prefer the other two boot choices offered.

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Lich Bane: Core for Twisted Fate. Makes your Pick A Card so strong, and if you get fed, you can almost one hit

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Mejai's Soulstealer: If you are facerolling so hard and the cost won't put you behind, you could purchase this. I wouldn't really suggest this for ranked games, as it is only useful early and if you are so fed and you can easily lose all of the benefits it offers and just waste cash, especially given how squishy you are.

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Mercury's Treads: The tenacity offered by these is great, especially in teamfights or against hard CC lanes. These can be obtained early, offering magic resistance and reducing CC but offering less damage than Sorcerer's Shoes. If you are having a hard time in lane, I would suggest getting these, else going for Sorcerer's Shoes. Lategame, these are more effective in my opinion however, and I would sell Sorcerer's Shoes for Mercury's Treads after Void Staff.

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Moonflair Spellblade: The tenacity is all this is useful for, other than that it is expensive for the stats and doesn't offer great stats for the slot used, but if you REALLY need tenacity, this is an option. That been said, I think Mercury's Treads are a far better method of aquiring tenacity.

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Morello's Evil Tome: This is the main item to turn your Kage's Lucky Pick into.
It has a nice new active ability which halves healing, which is powerful especially if you don't have Ignite as you took Teleport or another spell.

It also offers some nice AP and a lot of cooldown reduction, allowing you to spam Wild Cards.

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Ninja Tabi: Definently an option, especially if the enemy team is heavily stacked with AD, get these depending on the opposing team.

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Void Staff: If the opposing team has significant amounts of magic resist, and the runes/masteries are not sufficient with Sorcerer's Shoes and I don't think that Abyssal Mask offers enough magic resist reduction, I aim to get this as the percentage magic penetration is very powerful.

Though after getting this 40% magic penetration and the 10% from runes and masteries, Sorcerer's Shoes lose their effectiveness as the flat is subtracted before the percentage, which means that the Sorceror's shoes are only half as effective as without a Void Staff.

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Quicksilver Sash: Obtain this if you really need to escape from supresses (ie. if they are focusing on you) with Nether Grasp, Infinite Duress or Impale.

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Rylai's Crystal Scepter: Decent defensive item, adds some bonus CC and some damage and health, but it is quite expensive for the stats. It is a good item, and is legit, but I normally wouldn't get it.

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Rod of Ages: Decent, makes you tank up and a bit stronger, but I don't think it is that neccessary. Especially when you have very long range, which means you shouldn't have to tank at all if you position yourself right.

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Sorcerer's Shoes: These are standard boots to acquire on a caster, early they will render your opponent almost defenseless and allow you to deal severe damage, though due to the fact it is a flat reduction, if you acquire a Void Staff and not an Abyssal Mask, late game they aren't as effective, and you may wish to switch boots.

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Will of the Ancients: A nice item. Gives you a lot of spellvamp, and is great if you have a double AP too. It is good, but I would still suggest against it, as if you position yourself right, you shouldn't be losing health of which you need to regain.

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Zhonya's Hourglass: A fair choice. You don't have any damage that will cast through the stasis such as Ravenous Flock, Crowstorm or Soul Shackles. Thankfully, you do have low cooldowns, so it could bide time for these to come back up, but it isn't likely to deter enemies from you unless they rush straight for you. I prefer Guardian Angel on Twisted Fate.

Abyssal Scepter vs Void Staff

BEWARE: THIS SECTION CONTAINS MATHEMATICS! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!

Alright, I have noticed that although a lot of people do know about when to get what, some people aren't sure, hence I have included this section.

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Firstly, the equation for magic damage dealt/recieved:

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This means that, if you take the Greater Mark of Magic Penetration as suggested, you will ignore 8.55 Magic Resist, right from the start. After obtaining Sorcerer's Shoes, you will then ignore 28.55 Magic Resist.

It is important to note: Flat Magic Penetration can lower your opponent's magic resist into the negatives, meaning you will deal full (or slight bonus) damage.

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After the default start mentioned above, you must make a call. You can choose to get neither of the Abyssal Mask or Void Staff, but this would leave your damage lacking if they have more than 30 Magic Resist (which is the lowest basee magic resistance).

Check the magic resist of your opponents, if an additional 20 Magic Penetration, effectively offering you ~50 Flat Magic Penetration is sufficient, Abyssal Mask is likely to be the better choice. It costs more, but adds more damage if targetting people with low magic resist, and also offers some nice defensive stats.

However, if the opposing team does have significant Magic Resistance, you should get Void Staff instead of Abyssal Sceptre, then probably switch Sorcerer's Shoes to Mercury's Treads.

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Below, I will write some sample equations to demonstrate the difference:
(Assuming Greater Mark of Magic Penetration, Arcane Knowledge and Sorcerer's Shoes)

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50 MR champions:
Abyssal Mask
Dam = (MaxDam - [50 - 48.55]) * ([100-10]/100)

After the first part of the equation, they would have 1.45 magic resist left, which would then be times by .9, meaning that the result = 1.3 magic resist remaining.

Void Staff
Dam = (MaxDam - [50 - 28.55]) * ([100-50]/100)

After the first part of the equation, they would have 21.45 magic resist left, which would then be times by .5, meaning that the result = 10.7 magic resist.

Void Staff without Sorcerer's Shoes
Dam = (MaxDam - [50 - 8.55]) * ([100-50]/100)

After the first part of the equation, they would have 41.55 magic resist left, which would then be times by .5, meaning that the result = 20.7 magic resist.

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100 MR champions:
Abyssal Mask
Dam = (MaxDam - [100 - 48.55]) * ([100-10]/100)

After the first part of the equation, they would have 51.45 magic resist left, which would then be times by .9, meaning that the result = 46.3 magic resist remaining.

Void Staff
Dam = (MaxDam - [100 - 28.55]) * ([100-50]/100)

After the first part of the equation, they would have 71.45 magic resist left, which would then be times by .5, meaning that the result = 35.7 magic resist.

Void Staff without Sorcerer's Shoes
Dam = (MaxDam - [100 - 8.55]) * ([100-50]/100)

After the first part of the equation, they would have 91.45 magic resist left, which would then be times by .5, meaning that the result = 45.7 magic resist.

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200 MR champions:
Abyssal Mask
Dam = (MaxDam - [200 - 48.55]) * ([100-10]/100)

After the first part of the equation, they would have 151.45 magic resist left, which would then be times by .9, meaning that the result = 136.3 magic resist remaining.

Void Staff
Dam = (MaxDam - [200 - 28.55]) * ([100-50]/100)

After the first part of the equation, they would have 171.45 magic resist left, which would then be times by .5, meaning that the result = 85.7 magic resist.

Void Staff without Sorcerer's Shoes
Dam = (MaxDam - [100 - 8.55]) * ([100-50]/100)

After the first part of the equation, they would have 191.45 magic resist left, which would then be times by .5, meaning that the result = 95.7 magic resist.

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So, as seen above, Abyssal Mask is the clear winner for low magic resistance targets, but as magic resist increases, it becomes less effective than Void Staff.

Also note that upon purchasing Void Staff, the Sorcerer's Shoes act like they subtract 10, as the 20 that is subtracted is then halved anyway, meaning they are only 50% as effective upon purchasing Void Staff.

For this reason, I suggest swapping Sorcerer's Shoes for Mercury's Treads upon completing Void Staff. They also make up for some of the magic resistance that Abyssal Mask would of offered.

This above reasoning also applies to why you should not have a Haunting Guise or an Abyssal Mask with a Void Staff.

Laning

Early laning is arguably Twisted Fates hardest time. He has no real escapes and is very squishy and as such you should be careful, particularly of ganks.

Sight Wards are always a good idea, and farming is your highest priority. You do have a spammable stun in gold Pick A Card which makes ganks on your opponent quite strong, especially with a CC jungler like Nautilus.

Try to farm so that your opponent can't attack you, and if you can do so safely, poke them with a Pick A Card and Wild Cards combo, especially if you have Stacked Deck ready to proc. Even without items, you have decent burst, but mid-game is your strongest part. and you can easily gank other lanes.

As you become stronger, you can very easily take out the wraith camp. You should prioritise the enemy wraiths, but if your jungler is preoccupied, you can take your wraiths. Using a red Pick A Card and Wild Cards will eliminate the small wraiths and deal significant damage to the large one. Autoattack until Stacked Deck procs and it falls very quickly, giving you free gold from the camp, and an extra 8 gold thanks to Loaded Dice.

Ganking

When laning in mid, you get level 6 fast and have the opportunity to gank either top or bottom. Head so when you use Destiny you will be in range to teleport to where you want, also ready a gold Pick A Card for the stun, and have Stacked Deck ready to proc.

While they are stunned, hit your Wild Cards and Ignite if neccessary.

If you have Teleport, you will be able to return quickly to lane, but if you do not, you should shove your lane to their turret so that you don't lose too much CS and your turret doesnt take too much damage, but wait for your cooldowns before using Destiny.

Ranked Play

Twisted Fate is very suitable for ranked play, and occasionally banned out because he is perceived (and rightly so) as a massive threat. He has global pressure, a lot of CC and very strong team fight presence.

Below are my ranked stats with Twisted Fate (of both AP and AD)



Unfortuantly, my last game with Twisted Fate was bad by my whole team (best score was around 1-4...) but as you can see, there are a lot of assists as well as kills, due to your global pressure, and he possesses a very high win rate, and I was also able to achieve a Pentakill and a Quadrakill, proving that Twisted Fate is a force to be reckoned with.

Team Work

Look to help lanes with your Destiny, and help your jungler gank.

Twisted Fate and Nocturne synergise well, with Destiny giving vision for Nocturne to cast Paranoia, and Paranoia can also mask where you are casting Destiny, making the opponent unsuspectingly walk straight to you.

In team fights, stay at the back whilst dealing a lot of damage to everyone with Wild Cards and red Pick A Card, as this is stronger in an area and still slows everyone. (This is ofcourse situational, but as a general guide you should use red if many enemies are together)

With AD, play safe at a distance, always trying to use your Pick A Card to slow/stun enemies while dealing a lot of physical damage to the appropriate target. Allowing your team to engage, then teleporting to an ideal location with Destiny is advisable.

Buffs

Blue buff isn't as neccessary for Twisted Fate as it is on some other champions, but the ability to permanantly poke from a distance with Wild Cards and spam your Pick A Card more often is very strong.

Baron buff makes you extremely strong, gaining 40 free AD and AP. Upon recieving baron buff, I like to grab an Elixir of Brilliance if I'm AP, as this effectively doubles baron's effectiveness and makes you have a huge lead.

Advanced Tips

Destiny has some great utility that a lot of people don't know about:

If an opponent acquires a Banshee's Veil, this will cut down your burst significantly... or will it? Walk up to them and ready your assault, but before using a spell on them, activate Destiny. It will actually NOT give you vision of them but it WILL remove the passive of Banshee's Veil, allowing you to deal full damage.

Twisted Fate is a good champion to pick if the enemy team posess a champion like Yorick or Teemo. Loaded Dice makes Yorick's ghouls and Teemo's Noxious Trap (normally bountyless) give the 2 gold each from the aura, thus allowing for some extra free gold, especially given how often he spams them.

Summary

Twisted Fate is a very strong champion with very strong global pressure. He can farm very well, and burst people down whilst doing immense area damage and staying safe.

Even if you don't use your Destiny, peopel may still play safer and miss some last hits, just to ensure you aren't able to suddenly combo them down, meaning that Twisted Fate is a psych champion like Nocturne.

Have fun, stay back, farm and reap the rewards with the card master-- Twisted Fate.

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