Heartsteel had a slow start to Set 10, with many players trying to make it work but failing to find consistent success. The trait itself is not bad by any means, but on the release of the set, it struggled against the high power level of other traits. However, now that the set has seen a few patches, Heartsteel is starting to rise in popularity and success. One way of playing it has become quite powerful and we’ll break it down below in our TFT Heartsteel comp guide.
Heartsteel is part of the best comps in TFT set 10. It is the economy trait and can be very powerful in the right conditions. Generally, the game plan is to utilize the cashouts (which are received every four rounds) to grow your economy and quickly level up to secure powerful champions.
The main carry for this Heartsteel comp is Ezreal and you can use Aphelios or Senna as an early item holder. This comp also runs Jhin and Kayn in the late game, which can be powerful options if you have extra items and alternatively, you can also look to 3-star Ezreal.
You want to reach 7 Heartsteel with this comp, so ideally you want to find Ezreal Headliner with Heartsteel, although any Champion will do if you can’t find Ezreal. Additionally, the Heartsteel Emblem can solve issues with Headliner traits.
Starting with 3 Heartsteel is the ideal gameplan, with K’Sante being a strong early game Headliner. You should look to pair him with another Sentinel for the trait bonus and otherwise pick up Headliners and supporting units, such as Aphelios and Senna for Rapidfire.
You’ll want to sell K’Sante later on when looking for Ezreal, so make sure to pick up a spare 2-star. Don’t overcommit your gold though, the overall goal is to reach the late game with a strong economy.
Remember, you gain Hearts based on units killed and losing rounds, so make sure to scout around and balance your board around killing units while still losing.
In the mid game the goal is to reach 5 Heartsteel and continue growing your economy. This generally means just adding Yone and Sett while continuing to level up.
At this point you should have a strong frontline, as well as Aphelios and Senna (hopefully with some items!) providing damage. Again, losing is still beneficial, however, if you find yourself dropping too much health, feel free to invest some gold to 2-star some units.
The late game is where this comp shines. With 7 Heartsteel you’ll start generating a ton of Hearts every round and receiving much more powerful rewards! This is also where your main carry, Ezreal, comes into play and the damage really ramps up.
Ezreal should be your Headliner, preferably with the Heartsteel trait. If you can’t find Ezreal with Heartsteel, any other Heartsteel unit will do fine. Alternatively, if you find a Heartsteel Emblem, you can put it on Miss Fortune and then look for Headliner Ezreal with Big Shot.
Alongside Ezreal, you can make use of Jhin, Kayn, and Illaoi to both add more damage and create an even tougher frontline. If you have the economy, you can even go for level 9 and put in another strong 5-cost like Sona or Yorick.
Heartsteel is fairly easy to itemize for. Ezreal is the AD carry and takes AD items, Kayn takes AP items, and Sett & Illaoi can take tank items. Jhin can also be used to take leftover AD items. You should always prioritize Ezreal items first, then look at the rest.
Here are the best items for each Champion:
Ezreal: Infinity Edge, Last Whisper, Giant Slayer
Kayn: Jeweled Gauntlet, Hand of Justice, Quicksilver (or extra AP)
Illaoi: Bramble Vest, Dragon’s Claw, Warmog’s Armor
Sett: Any Tank items (after Illaoi has three items)
Jhin: Any AD items (after Ezreal has three items)
Considering these items, the priority order for the carousel is: Sparring Gloves, B.F. Sword, Recurve Bow. Although, you should look at the items you already have - if you have three Sparring Gloves already, a B.F. Sword or Recurve Bow is the way to go.
Augments are always a tough choice and with so many possibilities, it’s hard to know what’s best for any comp. When it comes to Heartsteel, there are a few core guidelines - extra health, items, and units are best, and you generally want to skip combat augments as you’ll be lose streaking most of the game.
Some of the best Heartsteel Augments include:
Tiny Titans
Heartthrobs
Pandora’s Items
You Have My Sword
Prismatic Ticket
You Have My Bow
Teaming Up
Of course, there are many to choose from and you’ll have some games where you don’t see any of the above. Just make sure to look for Augments that help you stay alive while maintaining a loss streak for as long as possible. If you need help, do not hesitate to check our Set 10 Augment Tier List!
That’s all for our TFT Heartsteel comp guide. With this, you should be able to take on even the strongest comps of the meta (with a little luck!) by utilizing the cashouts to secure a strong economy. Best of luck in the game - hopefully you’re able to get some decent rewards for all the Hearts you collect!
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