5/23/14 Guide Published

5/24/14 Did some proofreading of sections.. Added a Few lane Matchups and added some icons. In the process of figuring out how to add videos and other things to make the guide more visual for you guys so be looking out for that.. And help with video adding would be amazing if you dont mind posting in the comments.

5/25/14 Added More matchups to the list. Added More to the 'Playing TF with your team' section. Added a Summoner spells Section.


5/26/14 Finished the Matchups section.

5/27/14 Added Videos To the 'use of destiny' section. And added a video section in the end of the guide for highlights.

9/11/2014 Updated for New Builds and masteries. And added runes and masteries section..

Hello everyone I am Vualk I've been playing TF since The very early stages of the game and have mained him since way back in beta..

I have played him 1442 times in ranked alone (cant even begin to count the number of times in preseason 1) So i feel i have quite a big knowledge base to share with you.

I was almost diamond in season 3 Playing This champion almost exclusively. And have every intention of making it there this season.

PROS:

* Huge potential to snowball teams in the middle stages of the game with Destiny
* Very high wave clear and split pushing capabilities with Wild Cards and Destiny
* Great utility with proper usage of Pick A Card



CONS:

* Very susceptible to Crowd control abilities in team fights
* No reliable escape/mobility spells
* Easy to overdo pushing in lane and make yourself vulnerable to jungle ganks.
* Short Auto attack range makes positioning sometimes tricky

OPTIMAL

Flash This one is static. I will NEVER pick anything other than flash on TF. Its Great for escapes or clutch engages on primary targets. ALWAYS take this.

Ignite Generally I will take this. It helps to secure kills for your team and yourself and with the increasing popularity of Heal this will negate most of its positive effects.

Barrier This is Good in hard match ups like and other really bursty mid laners.

Teleport Think you are going to do the evil that is split push This spell combined with Destiny will allow you to be everywhere all the time.

Cleanse Tons of cc on the enemy team.. This may be your golden pig.

Ghost I have been running this in combination with flash lately the added kiting is amazing on tf as he has no innate escape.. I would still reccomend ignite for lower elos but once you move on up the mobility from ghost is nessesarry

Runes There are many viable options for tf runes i run several pages on him that i will list here and why.

My standard page for most ap matchups.
Red: Flat Mpen
Yellow: Flat hp/hp level
Blue: Ap/lvl Or Mr
Quints: movespeed


Vs Heavy ad teams i would replace the yellows for armor..
And vs Heavy ap i would replace the blues for magic resist per level or flat.
Also if you do alot of auto attacking hybrid pen reds are still very viable but with the current meta tf build being focused on waveclear as opposed to assassination i prefer the magic pen reds myself..

Masteries are standard 21/0/9 build

Dangerous game is an optional but so good in teamfights that i pick it up now.

My current masteries are
4 Sorcery 3 Fleet of foot
1 Butcher 1 meditation
3 mental force 3 summoners insight
1 arcane mastery 1 alchemist
3 executioner 1 runic affinity
1 dangerous game
3 archmage
3 devastating strikes
1 arcane blade
1 havoc

TF is EXCEPTIONAL at setting up kills for a team with use of Destiny and Pick A Card.. His ganks can come from anywhere at anytime. Any good TF player is ALWAYS looking at his map for opportunities to make plays with Destiny.

A successful gank bottom can transition easily into a 4 man on dragon.. When combined with jungles like or the enemy team will literally cry and cry about the amount of pain you can bring them.

Just always be sure and communicate with your team prior to any ganks so you dont end up looking like an idiot when they don't assist you..

Team Fights

Team fighting with Twisted fate is a tricky thing. Sometimes you will be the initiator with Flash and Pick A Card. This works very well later in the game when you have enough damage to make a carry really feel the pain.

Often times you will be the poker from the back line with Wild Cards

And other times you will be the guy keeping the bruisers off of your adc

Twisted fates versatility allows him to fill many roles within team fights. What seperates the good TF players from the Best TF players is the ability to recognize what role they need to fill in team fights on the fly.

This is probably the hardest part of TF to master for any player..

I cant begin to tell you how many times I've seen someone gate and been like "OMFG THAT TF JUST GATED INTO 4 PEOPLE with NO ONE around to assist him."

So Don't be that guy..

You have a short window to assess your situation when ganking and still keep the element of surprise..

Is the enemy jungler around?
does the opponent have flash? heal?
Are your teammates in a position to assist you? is there a big creep wave on their tower?

All of these things and more are things you should look at before you gank.. I have more than a few times gated into a lane expecting my teammates to respond only to have them call me terrible when i gate in and they continue farming creeps lol..

So always be sure to communicate with your team what your intentions are before you gate into their lane via the im coming ping..

Generally It is smartest to cast your gate Right behind or in front of the enemy. If you cast it too far away from them. The enemy team will most likely just walk out of range of you in the other direction. (sometimes this is okay if they walk right back into your team)
Really its a judgement thing. If you are casting in a retreat path you force them into a bad decision. Try and cast gates where the only decision is a bad one.



USING Destiny PAST THE LANING PHASE..

We've all seen the misaya videos..

Hourglass is AMAZING at engaging teamfights if your teammates follow up on them. If unsuccessful you will just look like an idiot and probly cost your team a dragon baron or otherwise..

TF is also great at picking off escapees or someone farming where they shouldn't be

A fed tf with a proper rotation can kill an adc almost instantly..

THE HOURGLASS BAIT
Play Video Play Video
This Next Video is a little different because he still uses the hourglass to bait but instead of actually going through with the gate he cancels the ult before it casts forcing the enemy team off of baron and onto his gate circle. They end up wasted several key abilities on the spot where he WOULD have been if he hadn't canceled. Allowing his team to get into position to clean them up now that they have no cooldowns
Play Video

Okay there is a proper and improper way of using the Lich Bane on twisted fate that will cost you ALOT of damage if done incorrectly.

You should always try to gate with three stacks of your Stacked Deck so it procs on the first auto..

You gate with your Stacked Deck up and gold card. STUN the opponent, Auto attack once. You need at least 2 seconds to pass before you throw your wildcards so you get that second rotation of your Lich Bane on your opponent. So you should be throwing your cards at exactly the same moment that your stun runs out. It will still be possible to hit them with it..

WHEN YOU HAVE A Deathfire Grasp ..

You should cast this as SOON as you come out of gate. Generally right after your auto attack is in the air but before it hits the opponent.. So you will still get the added damage on your Pick A Card as well.

TF has NO problem farming..

At around level 9 with a small amount of ap and a blue buff you should have no problem constantly pushing the waves in your lane..

When the creeps are still in a line you lock a red card. Hit the middle melee creep with it..
Then toss your wildcards down the line.. This should one shot the entire wave unless it has a cannon minion or super minion in the wave.

I'm not sure the exact amount of ap it will take at what stages into the game as the creeps mr scales as the game progresses..

Farming should NEVER be a problem as TF with the sustain from your blue cards on your mana and the range of your wildcards.

Post 6 She can be a NIGHTMARE for TF.. You need to stay well away from her because at anytime she can dive you with her ultimate.. I recommend picking up an early Negatron Cloak and Mercury's Treads in this lane. Consider taking Cleanse or Barrier in this lane to negate some of her front end burst. She generally cant kill you unless shes really fed or she lands a charm first.

Another post 6 nightmare.. Without MR he can and will one shot you with a combo that only gets worse as the game progresses. You ABSOLUTELY MUST build Mercury's Treads in this lane.. And i recommend a Banshee's Veil around the mid game as well. Otherwise harass him as you can early game before he gets his ultimate and try your best to zone him from creep kills with Pick A Card and Wild Cards. His early game is his weakest stage and during team fights he is very open to hard engages. Communicate with your teammates that he is a prime target for engages.

her burst damage and silence is absolutely insane and you have no way of trading back as she will just w back to where she came from. Farm as SAFE as you can.. Your goal should be to push the lane as hard as you can and roam.. Leblanc is TERRIBLE at farming under towers. And relies almost 100 percent on early kills in order to win games. DO NOT DIE TO LEBLANC. Consider picking up an early Banshee's Veil as it will negate most of her kill potential. Barrier is another good choice in this lane.

Zed isn't as hard as you would think.. You need to rush a Zhonya's Hourglass in this lane. It will negate most of his burst damage.. Harass him with blue cards when he comes in to last hit.. A few of these and he will find himself low in the early stages of the game. He will either start missing cs or get low enough where you can eventually kill him. Ward both sides of your lane and do not allow him to roam. If he picks up kills on your side lanes he will brutalize you with the lead he gets.

This lane is relatively easy before level 6. After level 6 it becomes hell. In the early game you need to try and get the biggest possible lead before she gets her gap closer harass with Pick A Card and Wild Cards and if you get a chance to kill her with Stacked Deck Pick A Card Wild Cards Ignite before level 6 then you should be fine.. Try and set up a gank with your jungler at level 6 as she will most likely try and all in you. Post level 6 push your lane to keep her from roaming and try to snowball with your own.. I reccomend building a Rabadon's Deathcap as your first major item in this lane so you can push the creep wave without worrying much about akali all inning you. consider a Barrier or Heal in this lane to give a little added protection from her all inning you.

You should start this lane with Boots and 4 potions. I would definitely pick up an early Negatron Cloak to keep her from bursting you. Otherwise just farm and dont let her combo you because at level 6 she can and will try to kill you.. She is very easy to gank in the early stages of the game. Take advantage of this. consider taking a Barrier or a Heal in this lane to prevent her from snowballing you.

This lane is fairly easy if you keep enough range than he cannot combo you.. rush a Zhonya's Hourglass in this lane and consider a Barrier. Otherwise just harass with Pick A Card when he comes in to last hit but care not to get hit with his Rake. at level 6 ward both sides of your lane and push to keep him from roaming.. If he does roam you need to push your lane HARD or follow if you can.

This lane is REALLY easy pre 6. Anivia is EXTREMELY squishy and you can zone her from a lot of cs and possibly kill her. Dont allow her to bait you into diving her when when her passive is up. Or trade a kill for her egg. If you dont manage to kill her early you will still outroam her. Build a Deathcap early in this lane so you can out push her and roam.

This lane is relatively easy. Dont take too much harass. Be careful when her stun is up as she may try to set up a jungle gank. If you catch her holding a stun. Push the wave with your Wild Cards it will force her to miss cs under tower or use the stun to farm. Be very careful at level 6 as she will engage on you with Flash Summon: Tibbers. ward both sides of the lane and push so she cant roam.

Start this lane with Boots and 4x hp pots. The boots will make it easier to dodge his skill shots in the early stages of the game. Other than that this lane is extremely simple. Push and roam.

This is a pretty tough lane. Start with boots and 4x hp potions. If she hits you with her q she is going to bring some major pain if she is in range to follow up. And at level 6 at any time you think you can stun her she may all in you.. I would build wave clear in this lane and play safe getting as much farm as you can while looking for opportunities to roam. Consider an early Negatron Cloak in this lane. and possibly a Heal or Cleanse

The chances of you getting a kill on diana without a jungle gank are slim to none. So i wouldnt waste much time trying to kill her. She will present herself early pretty often for some free harass. Post level 6 dont get hit with her q or she will put some HEAVY damage on you.. I would suggest pushing and roaming in this lane.. But care because diana loves to roam. Ward both sides of your lane and keep constant pressure on the mid lane tower.

This is another really tough lane opponent. His troll poll allows him to dodge your Pick A Card and he can kill you at level 6 no problem. The early stages of the game however he is extremely weak. Levels 1 to 4 you can harass him.. And if you do it enough you can zone him from creeps which will set his mid game behind. The longer you set his roaming behind the harder it will be for fizz to win the game. Apply constant pressure to mid tower post 6 while looking to roam and snowball your other lanes. Keep both sides of your lane warded to be safe from jungle ganks and fizz roaming himself. i would build an early Negatron Cloak in this lane and turn it into a banshee's around the mid game.

This becomes a farm lane for the most part. But if Karthus makes a mistake you can kill him. He is extremely easy to gank with the help of a jungler. His main goal is to farm. Make him miss as much as possible and delay his late game as long as you can. While you have to physically travel to a lane to gank a karthus can just push r and be there. Be very careful that you don't bait your own teammates into getting into karthus' kill range. a Zhonya's Hourglass will negate his ultimate if you build one.

The latest rework to this champion makes it possible for TF to lane against him. Don't try and trade with him in the early stages of the game unless his Q is on cool down as it will negate all the damage. he is really easy to gank before level 6 so try and make him a juicy target for your jungler. If this guy starts to snowball god help you. Make sure that doesn't happen.

This lane starts to get a little difficult at level 3 or 4 when she takes Shunpo If she hits you with a q be sure that you are out of range of her to jump on top of you. As a combo from kat hurts quite alot. Past level 6 do NOT use your Pick A Card to farm as it is your only line of defense vs a katarina ult. Ward both sides of your lane and apply constant pressure to stop her from roaming while giving yourself free reign to do so. If she leaves your lane make sure you let your team know.. In team fights save your gold card for when she jumps in and she will most likely die before she can cause too much pain.

Kayle starts strong and finishes even stronger. You probably wont kill her without help. and god help you if she gets a few kills before you do. She is very vulnerable the early stages of the game when her e is on cool down. And spamming it tends to push the wave so be sure you let your jungler know that she will be easy to gank pre level 6. You should always time her ulti cool downs so you know when it is off cool down and don't get baited into a tower dive. care that you dont stand low hp around your own towers when kayle's ult is off cool down as it is quite easy for her to dive you under your towers.

Try not to stand behind your creeps in this match up as her q splashes from them onto you and apply a slow allowing her to follow up for more damage. I would suggest building wave clear for this match up and trying to harass from afar. as in close range she can lock you down almost indefinitely.

Build wave clear in this match up and don't be baited into all inning her. She will poly you, ulti herself and slow you into oblivion. Her strength is in pushing a lane and harassing you out of it. Build to out push her and roam and you will win this match up.

This is a skill matchup. She is very vulnerable when her q is on cooldown. When she uses it punish her dearly with a combo of your own. her relying on all skill shots puts this lane slightly in your favor if you force her to use them to farm or miss them. don't underestimate the size of her shield when all inning her as it will oftentimes completely negate an ignite.

This guy will push and push and push and push. and at level 6 he will kill you. You don't have much chance of getting free gates in this lane and will most likely be using your ult to get back into lane. build to wave clear so you don't get forced to miss tons of cs under your tower. Consider a Cleanse or Quicksilver Sash in this lane. Otherwise just hold out as long as you can against his pushing and try for jungle ganks.

This lane is as easy as not getting hit by a spear. One spear will literally destroy you in the middle stages of the game. Be careful post 6 and push against her forcing her to farm in cat form. And punish her with your combo when she does so. Force her to use her mana to heal instead of throwing spears at you.

This is a skill matchup. Careful to stay out of range of the ball and farm as best as you can. Her auto attacks hurt so dont discount them and take too many. otherwise you out roam her pretty hard if you push her up to tower.


Ryze will machine gun the **** out of you if you let him. But his range is quite short so if he walks past his creep line after you toss a Wild Cards at him and after a few times he will most likely give up trying to harass you.. Build to wave clear to keep him from roaming while looking for roams yourself.

This lane isn't too hard early if you dodge the lazer. When he gets his ultimate he can kill you quite easily.. Be very careful of a jungler gank in this lane as his stun is quite potent. Do not use your Flash offensively.

His range makes him a monster in lane.. Rush AP in this lane so you can out push him. Start with boots to dodge his skill shots and then get a death cap to clear the creep waves and roam. His range allows him to remain extremely safe in lane so killing him will most likely be out of the question.


Keep his shield down with auto attacks and harass him when hes last hitting. Be careful not to stand close to creeps as he will dash through them and too you.. Your best bet in this lane is to freeze it close to your tower and hope for good jungler ganks. Be very wary that you don't let him knock you up into his ultimate. Pick up some early armor in the lane and don't trade with him.

Build to wave clear in this lane. His range and spammable spells makes it almost impossible to kill him. He has a slow a knock back and a long range ultimate. Your main goal in this lane is to farm more than he does and out roam him.

VIDEOS OF ME ON TWISTED FATE
Play Video Play Video Play Video Play Video



HIGHLIGHTS OF PRO PLAYERS AND ETC
In this first Video we see Xpeke making use of his ultimate to stop the escape of ezreal because he knows he has flash and arcane shift available. So he casts his ult BEFORE stunning his opponent so after ezreal moves away he can gate back on top of him to finish him off. Afterwards some pretty nice kiting with pick a card.
Play Video
In this next video we see TSM vs CLG.. Link makes some Exceptional plays With twisted fate during this game
Play Video
C9 Hai carrying a bronze game Vs Fizz In the mid lane.
Play Video
Fnatic Vs Gamnbit Highlights Xpeke Twisted Fate Play Video
Froggen pulls the Xpeke Backdoor on Xpeke and pulls off some nice kills along the way Play Video
And The xpeke Backdoor for the win Play Video

In closing Twisted fate is a HUGE threat in soloqueue at all stages of the game..

The potential to snowball entire teams makes him a great pick in just about any situation.. HE is highly versatile and can be played in just about any matchup.

He is high skill cap but the rewards from mastering him will be well worth it.