Image Credit: Riot Games
I've been playing video games pretty much nonstop ever since I got my first Xbox 360.
Reviewed by Benjamin Barr
Each TFT set has something that sets it apart and makes it feel unique, and Set 17’s unique “something” is the Gods and their boons. There are a total of 9 Gods, each with their own unique boon. The boons are the main bonus granted by each God after you’ve acquired your three offerings (depending on which you took the majority from). In this article I’ll rank all 9 boons from worst to best!
9. Soraka
Boon Description: Your team gains 2 Health for each missing player health. At the start of each player combat combat, gain an additional 1 player health.
Soraka’s boon is easily the worst one, and there’s little argument to be made otherwise in my opinion. Let’s start with the first half of her boon. The maximum bonus you’ll get is 198 bonus Health for your whole team, which isn’t that great since it requires you to be at 1 player health. Gaining Health for your team is a solid bonus, but it’s not a game changing amount. And the low player health requirement is just laughable. Then the second half. At the start of each player combat, you’ll gain 1 player health. This is almost entirely irrelevant except for surviving maybe one extra loss. It just doesn’t matter. Nothing that this boon offers does anything worthwhile, and her offerings aren’t good enough to make up for it overall.
8. Aurelion Sol
Boon Description: Choose 1 of 3 quests to prove yourself to Aurelion Sol.
Aurelion Sol’s boon is better than Soraka’s, but only because hers is awful. Each TFT set has at least one “goofy” trait or playstyle that leads players down a rabbit hole they’ll almost certain lose because of. From Ixtal Quests last set to the Golden Egg trait that I love to take and lose because of, they’re always present. Aurelion Sol is that for Set 17. His quests aren’t that difficult to complete compared to some other forms of this that I’ve mentioned, but they’re still a needless distraction. And the rewards are nowhere near good enough to warrant the nonsense.
7. Evelynn
Boon Description: Your team gains 10% Durability. Lose an additional 1 Tactician Health when you lose combat.
Evelynn’s boon is the first one that I like. Durability is essentially damage resistance, so it makes your team more tanky. This is good for almost every comp, especially ones that have a heavy frontline. I like Evelynn’s boon with comps that utilize the Shepherd trait or any comp that wants to get to levels 9 or 10. This lets you maximize your frontline with extra troops and keep your damage-dealers alive for much longer. The only downside is the 1 player health you lose after every combat, whether you win or lose it. But this isn’t hard to account for, and as long as you’re not already on death’s door you should be fine.
6. Kayle
Boon Description: For each unique completed item on your team, your team gains 15 Health, 1% Attack Damage, and 1% Ability Power.
Personally, I think Kayle’s boon is a bit underrated. While the 15 Health per completed item isn’t a ton (although it is still definitely possible to get close to the same bonus that Ahri gives while not having to lose a ton of health), it’s still worth noting. The best part of her boon, by far, is the Attack Damage and Ability Power boost. An average comp with Kayle’s offerings to help will probably end up with 10-ish items. In that scenario, you’d be gaining 10% AD and AP, which is fantastic. And if you’re able to push for more items, then it’s even better. Then add on the extra Health and it’s just a fantastic boon that more people should be utilizing.
5. Thresh
Boon Description: Each round, roll a die. Get a bonus based on that roll.
Thresh’s boon is pretty easy to break down. It’s all about rolling dice and random chance. Historically, I find that most of the random chance augments and traits in TFT are worth taking, as the rewards are good enough to make up for potential bad luck. If you get high rolls consistently, then you’ll have a major advantage over anyone in your lobby that didn’t go with Thresh. But of course, on the other hand you could end up with horrible luck and nothing to show for your pick. Thresh is a gamble, but it’s a gamble I’m often willing to take.
4. Yasuo
Boon Description: Increase the power of Yasuo’s hexes by 50%. If you only have 2 hexes, gain 8 gold.
Yasuo’s offerings are unique in that they give “paint brushes” which you can use to “paint” hexes on the battlefield with combat bonuses. The unit that starts on that hex gets the bonus. Simple stuff overall. His boon then amplifies his hex benefits. Yasuo is great if you’re able to get hex bonuses that give extra Attack Damage, Ability Power, or Attack Speed. There are also some that give unique effects other than just stats. I also recommend only taking two of his offerings so you can get the 8 gold bonus from the boon, but if you get three really good hexes that can be better in some cases.
3. Ekko
Boon Description: Gain the Anomaly, an item which grants units a powerful evolution depending on their role. Gain 2 Magnetic Removers.
Ekko’s boon is unique in that all it does is give you an item (well, 3 items if you include the 2 magnetic removers). The Anomaly item gives its user massive bonuses depending on their type (marksman, tanks, etc.). The Anomaly is typically best on either Marksmen or Tanks, but it’s good on any. For Marksmen, it gives them an extra 75% Attack Speed and lets them knock their targets back. For Tanks, they gain a massive 1100 Health and get bigger. It’s impossible to go wrong with Ekko.
2. Ahri
Boon Description: Your team gains 2% Attack Damage and Ability Power per level. Gain 2 XP each round for the rest of the game.
Ahri’s boon is incredible for any comp that wants to get to levels 9 or 10. Since this is a large amount of the best comps right now, it’s not hard to see why Ahri’s boon is so popular. At level 9, it gives 18% AD and AP overall, which is an incredible bonus. Then you also gain 2 XP each round, which helps push for level 10. I would say that Ahri is an essential pick for anyone going for level 10, as there’s no other boon which gives anywhere near this level of value for late game comps.
1. Varus
Boon Description: Your team gains 18 health for each total star level in your army, and your 5-cost odds increase by 2%.
Varus has the best boon in TFT. The 18 Health for each total star level in your army is pretty solid, as it’s a nice HP boost for your whole team. This is even more true if you have a team with lots of 3-star units, as you should if you’re going with Varus. This makes him great for comps that roll on levels 5 or 6, as they can ensure the most 3-stars. But the real reason Varus is the best is his ability to increase your 5-cost odds. The 2% boost is very significant, and it enables hyper roll combs to have access to 5-costs they might not have since they can’t get to levels 8 or 9 as fast. If you don’t go with Varus you’ll have basically no chance of getting leveled-up 5-cost champions, as the Varus players will get them first.
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