One LoL mage is so broken he’s taking over 3 roles—including AD carry

Get that ban button ready.

The DWG skins for Jhin, Leona, Nidalee, Twisted Fate, and Kennen from League of Legends
Image via Riot Games

Twisted Fate has ascended to lofty heights not seen in League of Legends for quite some time, with the cardsharp currently a standout power pick across three different roles in ranked queues and pro play.

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The Card Master has become so overtuned in Season 14 that he can be played in mid lane⁠—where he usually pops up⁠—as well as top or bot lane and still record a 52 percent win rate, according to League stat-tracking site Lolalytics. That’s on top of a rising pick rate across the same three Summoner’s Rift roles as more and more players realize how powerful “TF” can be.

Twisted Fate's base skin in League of Legends
Twisted Fate has emerged as the first clear king of Season 14’s metagame. Image via Riot Games

The main reason for the versatility is because Twisted Fate can very happily build into ability power or attack damage. This means he can fill multiple roles on any team, all while adding a point-and-click crowd-control ability in the form of his iconic Gold Card and pressuring the entire map with his lane-hopping Destiny ultimate.

He’s become so strong he’s even bleeding into pro play, with the Card Master already picked 64 times in 2024. That includes four appearances as an ADC and four more in the top lane, and a whopping 45 bans across nearly every League region⁠—though he hasn’t popped up in China or Korea’s top leagues.

League players are in an uproar over the mage’s reigning position in the Season 14 metagame too, with many demanding Riot Games “drop some nerfs on him” as soon as possible. While most agree Twisted Fate is “bonkers broken,” any big changes will have to wait a few more weeks; the League devs are already most of the way through Patch 14.4’s development cycle. That means any tentative tweaks would be tested for the next update, which will go live on March 6.

How Riot wants to balance Twisted Fate remains to be seen. When playing with an AP focus, the Card Master builds Rod of Ages and Lich Bane while maxing his Wild Cards ability. In bot lane, he prioritizes levelling up Stacked Deck and rushes to complete Statikk Shiv and Stormrazor.

In some small solace, TF hasn’t exerted his influence over the jungle or support just yet⁠—the mage has been played less than 4,000 times in those roles.

Author
Image of Isaac McIntyre
Isaac McIntyre
Isaac McIntyre is the Aussie Editor at Dot Esports. He previously worked in sports journalism at Fairfax Media in Mudgee and Newcastle for six years before falling in love with esports—an ever-evolving world he's been covering since 2018. Since joining Dot, he's twice been nominated for Best Gaming Journalist at the Australian IT Journalism Awards and continues to sink unholy hours into losing games as a barely-Platinum AD carry. When the League servers go down he'll sneak in a few quick hands of the One Piece card game. Got a tip for us? Email: isaac@dotesports.com.