When starting a TFT: Teamfight Tactics game, it’s hard not to gun it for your favorite item for your favorite carry, forcing a build all the way to first place (or last). Ultimately, over time you have to learn to be a little more flexible to the options the game gives you. However, there are a few tips and tricks you can use to try to prepare yourself for any build and any carry character you invest in. So to start, what first items will give you your best shot?
BF Sword
AD carries normally rely on two things: attack speed and increased damage. Swords are a vital part of turning your Draven into a life-stealing, Bloodthirster powerhouse. Though they are more specialized than some of the other options here, no physical damage champions will ever complain about getting a blade to boost their hit power — and some AD carries will feel absolutely useless without one.
Chain Vest
Most people prefer to pick damage items in the first carousel, but Chain Vest is a dark horse that can help not only keep your carries alive, but that can also give you an edge early on. After all, players can get really stuck in their own heads sometimes while trying to create the perfect carry. If you use Chain Vest to have a strong front line, you have a much better early game survival rate, which can help you save and buy those higher-cost carries. Also, Chain Vest does build into the best front-line items in the game, like Sunfire Cape, Gargoyle’s Stoneplate, and Bramble Vest.
Needlessly Large Rod
AP carries fade in and out of popularity, but rods have always been more useful than that. After all, even if Archangel’s Staff is out of fashion, you can still build a Guinsoo’s Rageblade or a Hextech Gunblade out of it, both items that benefit carries with all sorts of damage types. However, when mages are popular, these rods will turn one little Vel’Koz from a nuisance to a serious threat. Grabbing one early will always help you build something useful.
Recurve Bow
The Recursive Bow has been a basic staple of most popular builds since Set 1. It can build into AD classics like Rapidfire Cannon or Runan’s Hurricane, turning ranged carries into machine guns. If you get an early bow, it can get you started on putting together great items for any build that prefers quick attackers. This can benefit AD carries like Kayle or Vayne, but also AP ones too, like the Forgotten Miss Fortune or Draconic Heimerdinger.
Sparring Gloves
The versatility of these gloves is something TFT fans should never underestimate. They can turn into the Infinity Edge that lets your Lucian critically strike the enemy Gwen, the Shroud of Stillness that throws off all the enemy ultimate moves, or a Thieves Glove that makes your early Gold Star Aatrox a force to be reckoned with. An early glove can give you a lot of options moving forward without pigeon-holing you into any certain build direction.
