Welcome to our special Twisted Fate (short: TF) guide, which was created with the help of long time mid laner
Sun-ho "SuNo" Ahn! It is based on the way he prefers to play the champion in his matches.

A short look at Twisted Fate's basic information:
With that said, let's take a quick glance at his abilities, before we discuss tactics, shall we?
Abilities
Passive: Loaded Dice
There is not much to add about this one, it is pretty self-explaining after all. However, the average gold bonus throughout the game is 4 gold per kill.
Q – Wild Cards
This is TF's go to ability in terms of wave clear and poke. The raw damage is quite nice, given that the cooldown is only 6 seconds, especially with a respectable range of 1450.
W - Pick a Card
Pick a Card is hands down THE Twisted Fate ability. You shuffle through cards for some seconds and can lock one in. After several nerfs, Pick a Card seems rather hard to master for new players. But it is all about getting a feeling for it coupled with a good timing. All cards have their place and are used in many different situations, for example a red card makes wave clearing extremely easy, therefore you will have to learn how to handle it.
E – Stacked Deck
Again not much to add, as the attack speed part seems rather irrelevant. Although the Magic damage part seems nice, it is not too noticeable. It can be used for some extra burst when going for a Pick a Card trade.
R – Destiny
Destiny is a very strong ultimate during the laning phase. The sheer pressure your sidelanes get when you disappear from your enemies' minimap for just a couple of seconds is insane. Getting your team a double kill on bot lane or simply counter ganking for your top lane teammate – Destiny has it all.
Masteries and Summoner spells

The masteries are pretty much the same as most mage mid champions chose. A standard 12 / 18 / 0 works best.
In terms of Summoner spells, it firstly comes down to your playstyle and confidence. If your matchup isn't too bad, you'll have to decide between teleport or ignite. Confident players tend to take ignite, as they count in solo kills or gank turnarounds. However, if the enemy champion can give you a hard time, cleanse (against cc on the jungler or opposing mid champion) or heal / barrier could be good alternatives. Some players tend to simply take TP, as it can be used offensively or defensively. The choice is yours.
Runes

Unlike most mid lane mages, TF does not go with the CDR rune trend. Take 9 Magic pen runes (red), 9 Scaling health runes (yellow), 3 Movement speed quintessences and 9 Scaling ability power runes (blue). If you have a hard match up and need the Magic resistance, swap out those blue runes for flat MR.
Spell order
Start with the first point in Pick a Card (W). Get Wild Cards (Q) at level 2 and Stacked Deck (E) at level 3. Max out your Q for the highest damage and pushing power first. Put points into Destiny whenever you can though. After Q is fully skilled, go for W and if there is nothing left, E.
When to pick TF, fitting team comps
Surviving the lane, Leblanc and getting ahead
Now that you roughly know what everything does, let's get to the most important thing: How and when to use it correctly. SuNo described what he usually does while laning in order to grab an advantage. On level 1 you should try to push the minions by AoE damaging them with red card. This will give you lane control and an early level advantage in most cases. Try to hit the enemy champion with your splash effect, when you go for the red card on the caster minions. Occasionally, your can get a blue card out for mana, especially on the enemy champion when he is trying to grab some CS.
When you hit level 2, continue to push the lane. Your Q will help you a lot, other than that, you should still try to get off red cards on the enemy champion and ranged minions. Push the first 2 waves into the enemies turret, but stop pushing after that. The next wave includes the canon minion and helps you reset the waves. This is usually also the moment the junglers get gank-active, don't get yourself into bad positions and put those wards down.
SuNo on the laning phase:
However, if the enemy lineup seems like a weak gank setup (for example: pre 6 Diana coupled with a Nunu), keep pushing the third wave. If you are not sure about the strength of the ganks, simply play it out safe. After a couple of matches, it will get way easier to predict your damage. It helps giving you small advantages, which usually sums up into a great one.
SuNo on playing out the mid game:
Basically, you should use TF's strong kit in a split push. If you get your enemies to react to your play, you can draw a good teamfight out of it. If you did not get the turret early on, but are already level 6, you have to keep an eye out for your sidelanes. No question, this is easily one of TF's best ways to get rolling. If an enemy lane plays overly aggressive / pushes, punish them with a well placed ultimate. Needless to say, try to time your gold card right when using Destiny's Gate.
Another potential advantage can be gained if your jungler has the upper hand and plays aggressive. Is he invading a lot? Then help him out, your ultimate is very strong here. You can basically wait until the fight erupts, pushing the lane. If there is no fight and your jungler got away somehow, the enemy mid lane champion may have lost a minion or two. Don't forget, these small advantages add up. Make 'em count.
Special match up – LeBlanc:
Now, many players struggle against the midlane nightmare LeBlanc (Short: LB). SuNo has played this specific matchup quite often and explains how to overcome and/or even beat her. Your worst enemy in that scenario are ganks. In a straight up 1v1, a TF usually has the upper hand. Practice your movement against her chains, as these are the deadliest tool in a trade. If you manage to dodge her chains, you easily outdamage her in a trade. Your minions usually help you avoiding the chains, make use of it.
Again, if you feel save, keep pushing until the 3rd wave. Be especially careful while said wave is fighting, due to the jungler hovering next to your lane. A good LB may flash W and then chain you, which basically is a guaranteed kill with a jungler, don't feel to bad about yourself when this happens. Generally, try to stun her when she goes in for a trade, throw out your wild cards and move away. Also, make sure to get some MR in your runes for this one.
Building it right
The items you use also depend on your matchup. Usually, you start with a Doran's Ring and build up a Lich Bane. After that, Zhonya's Hourglass is a must buy, followed by the Deathcap and Voidstaff. Throw in some boots, either Ionians (CDR) or Swiftness (flat runspeed). The CDR are pretty strong in terms of offensive stats. Get the boots before or after Lich Bane.
Now, the items change with a harder match up. Although you have to go for a defensive runepage, you might still want to pick up a second Doran's Ring. Before you get your shiny Lich Bane, you want some MR, so rush the Abyssal Scepter. The CDR boots might be your first choice here too, other then that, build like in any other game (Lich Bane > Zhonya's > Deathcap > Voidstaff).
Did you enjoy this guide? If you did, keep an eye out for our next one, as we will show you how to LeBlanc!


A short look at Twisted Fate's basic information:
Price: TF currently costs 1350 Influence Points or 585 Riot Points. The champion's release date goes way back to the 21th February of 2009.
Which roles fit Twisted Fate best?
Although Riot decided to put TF in the “mage” category, he has occasionally seen play with attack damage or attack speed builds. These builds never lasted too long, but there has always been a frequently played one: The ability power based mid lane mage.
What makes Twisted Fate unique?
On paper, TF has almost everything a mid lane player wishes for. Stuns, slows, good damage spikes and some exceptional wave clear / poke. Combined with his roaming ultimate, he is a very deadly champion in the right hands. His unique pick a card mechanic makes him hard to master though, so he is by no means an easy elo booster.
Which roles fit Twisted Fate best?
Although Riot decided to put TF in the “mage” category, he has occasionally seen play with attack damage or attack speed builds. These builds never lasted too long, but there has always been a frequently played one: The ability power based mid lane mage.
What makes Twisted Fate unique?
On paper, TF has almost everything a mid lane player wishes for. Stuns, slows, good damage spikes and some exceptional wave clear / poke. Combined with his roaming ultimate, he is a very deadly champion in the right hands. His unique pick a card mechanic makes him hard to master though, so he is by no means an easy elo booster.
With that said, let's take a quick glance at his abilities, before we discuss tactics, shall we?
Abilities
Passive: Loaded Dice
Twisted Fate rolls his dice every time he kills an enemy, randomly gaining 1 to 6 gold. Naturally, he has a higher chance to receive a large bonus.
There is not much to add about this one, it is pretty self-explaining after all. However, the average gold bonus throughout the game is 4 gold per kill.
Q – Wild Cards
Active: Twisted Fate fires 3 cards forward in a cone, passing through targets and dealing magic damage to enemy units in their way.
Range: 1450
Cooldown: 6 seconds
Cost: 60 / 70 / 80 / 90 / 100 mana
Magic Damage: 60 / 110 / 160 / 210 / 260 (+0,65 max. Ability Power)
Range: 1450
Cooldown: 6 seconds
Cost: 60 / 70 / 80 / 90 / 100 mana
Magic Damage: 60 / 110 / 160 / 210 / 260 (+0,65 max. Ability Power)
This is TF's go to ability in terms of wave clear and poke. The raw damage is quite nice, given that the cooldown is only 6 seconds, especially with a respectable range of 1450.
W - Pick a Card
Active: Cards flash over Twisted Fate's head in the following order: blue, then red, then gold, then blue again, starting randomly with any of the three and then continuing this pattern. When he uses the ability again, he picks the current card over his head, and the card picked adds a special effect to his next attack. This attack cannot miss or be dodged.
Range: 525
Cooldown: 6 seconds after the card is thrown
Cost: 40 / 55 / 70 / 85 / 100 mana
Blue Card – Active: His next attack will deal magic damage and restore mana.
Magic Damage: 40 / 60 / 80 / 100 / 120 (+1 max. Attack Damage) (+0,5 max. Ability Power)
Mana Restored: 50 / 75 / 100 / 125 / 150
Red Card – Active: His next attack will deal magic damage and will damage all enemies around the main target f or the same amount as the target. All enemies hit will also be slowed for 2.5 seconds. (AoE Radius: 200)
Magic Damage: 30 / 45 / 60 / 75 / 90 (+1 max. Attack Damage) (+0,5 max. Ability Power)
Slow Amount: 30 / 35 / 40 / 45 / 50%
Gold Card – Active: His next attack will deal magic damage and stun the target.
Magic Damage: 15 / 22.5 / 30 / 37.5 / 45 (+1 max. Attack Damage) (+0,5 max. Ability Power)
Stun Duration: 1 / 1.25 / 1.5 / 1.75 / 2 second(s)
Range: 525
Cooldown: 6 seconds after the card is thrown
Cost: 40 / 55 / 70 / 85 / 100 mana
Blue Card – Active: His next attack will deal magic damage and restore mana.
Magic Damage: 40 / 60 / 80 / 100 / 120 (+1 max. Attack Damage) (+0,5 max. Ability Power)
Mana Restored: 50 / 75 / 100 / 125 / 150
Red Card – Active: His next attack will deal magic damage and will damage all enemies around the main target f or the same amount as the target. All enemies hit will also be slowed for 2.5 seconds. (AoE Radius: 200)
Magic Damage: 30 / 45 / 60 / 75 / 90 (+1 max. Attack Damage) (+0,5 max. Ability Power)
Slow Amount: 30 / 35 / 40 / 45 / 50%
Gold Card – Active: His next attack will deal magic damage and stun the target.
Magic Damage: 15 / 22.5 / 30 / 37.5 / 45 (+1 max. Attack Damage) (+0,5 max. Ability Power)
Stun Duration: 1 / 1.25 / 1.5 / 1.75 / 2 second(s)
Pick a Card is hands down THE Twisted Fate ability. You shuffle through cards for some seconds and can lock one in. After several nerfs, Pick a Card seems rather hard to master for new players. But it is all about getting a feeling for it coupled with a good timing. All cards have their place and are used in many different situations, for example a red card makes wave clearing extremely easy, therefore you will have to learn how to handle it.
E – Stacked Deck
Passive: Twisted Fate gains bonus attack speed. In addition, every fourth autoattack will deal bonus magic damage.
Bonus Magic Damage: 55 / 80 / 105 / 130 / 155 (+0,5 max. Ability Power)
Bonus Attack Speed: 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 / 30%
Bonus Magic Damage: 55 / 80 / 105 / 130 / 155 (+0,5 max. Ability Power)
Bonus Attack Speed: 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 / 30%
Again not much to add, as the attack speed part seems rather irrelevant. Although the Magic damage part seems nice, it is not too noticeable. It can be used for some extra burst when going for a Pick a Card trade.
R – Destiny
Active: Twisted Fate reveals all enemy champions, including stealthed champions, for a few seconds. While Destiny is active, Twisted Fate can use Gate once.
Gate – Active: After channeling for 2 seconds, Twisted Fate teleports to a target location, within a large radius.
Range: Global (Gate: 5500)
Cooldown: 180 / 150 / 120
Cost: 150 / 125 / 100 Mana
Gate – Active: After channeling for 2 seconds, Twisted Fate teleports to a target location, within a large radius.
Range: Global (Gate: 5500)
Cooldown: 180 / 150 / 120
Cost: 150 / 125 / 100 Mana
Destiny is a very strong ultimate during the laning phase. The sheer pressure your sidelanes get when you disappear from your enemies' minimap for just a couple of seconds is insane. Getting your team a double kill on bot lane or simply counter ganking for your top lane teammate – Destiny has it all.
Masteries and Summoner spells

The masteries are pretty much the same as most mage mid champions chose. A standard 12 / 18 / 0 works best.
In terms of Summoner spells, it firstly comes down to your playstyle and confidence. If your matchup isn't too bad, you'll have to decide between teleport or ignite. Confident players tend to take ignite, as they count in solo kills or gank turnarounds. However, if the enemy champion can give you a hard time, cleanse (against cc on the jungler or opposing mid champion) or heal / barrier could be good alternatives. Some players tend to simply take TP, as it can be used offensively or defensively. The choice is yours.
Runes

Unlike most mid lane mages, TF does not go with the CDR rune trend. Take 9 Magic pen runes (red), 9 Scaling health runes (yellow), 3 Movement speed quintessences and 9 Scaling ability power runes (blue). If you have a hard match up and need the Magic resistance, swap out those blue runes for flat MR.
Spell order
Start with the first point in Pick a Card (W). Get Wild Cards (Q) at level 2 and Stacked Deck (E) at level 3. Max out your Q for the highest damage and pushing power first. Put points into Destiny whenever you can though. After Q is fully skilled, go for W and if there is nothing left, E.
When to pick TF, fitting team comps
"TF is always good in solo queue, but if the skill difference between the teams’ junglers is too big, it can be really hard to play him. His DPS is generally lower compared to other mid lane champions so if your other lanes lack damage, he might not be the most optimal pick.'"
Surviving the lane, Leblanc and getting ahead
Now that you roughly know what everything does, let's get to the most important thing: How and when to use it correctly. SuNo described what he usually does while laning in order to grab an advantage. On level 1 you should try to push the minions by AoE damaging them with red card. This will give you lane control and an early level advantage in most cases. Try to hit the enemy champion with your splash effect, when you go for the red card on the caster minions. Occasionally, your can get a blue card out for mana, especially on the enemy champion when he is trying to grab some CS.
When you hit level 2, continue to push the lane. Your Q will help you a lot, other than that, you should still try to get off red cards on the enemy champion and ranged minions. Push the first 2 waves into the enemies turret, but stop pushing after that. The next wave includes the canon minion and helps you reset the waves. This is usually also the moment the junglers get gank-active, don't get yourself into bad positions and put those wards down.
SuNo on the laning phase:
"It is important in laning phase to not lose trades hard, so if the enemy has a lot of damage avoid trading with them. If the wave is close to the enemy tower you need to push it all the way into the tower because farming past the middle of the lane is dangerous."
However, if the enemy lineup seems like a weak gank setup (for example: pre 6 Diana coupled with a Nunu), keep pushing the third wave. If you are not sure about the strength of the ganks, simply play it out safe. After a couple of matches, it will get way easier to predict your damage. It helps giving you small advantages, which usually sums up into a great one.
SuNo on playing out the mid game:
"When the first tower mid falls swap your botlane mid and go split bot instead and look to punish enemies with your ultimate for overextending mid. If an enemy comes bot then just ulty mid to get a 5v4 fight. "
Basically, you should use TF's strong kit in a split push. If you get your enemies to react to your play, you can draw a good teamfight out of it. If you did not get the turret early on, but are already level 6, you have to keep an eye out for your sidelanes. No question, this is easily one of TF's best ways to get rolling. If an enemy lane plays overly aggressive / pushes, punish them with a well placed ultimate. Needless to say, try to time your gold card right when using Destiny's Gate.
Another potential advantage can be gained if your jungler has the upper hand and plays aggressive. Is he invading a lot? Then help him out, your ultimate is very strong here. You can basically wait until the fight erupts, pushing the lane. If there is no fight and your jungler got away somehow, the enemy mid lane champion may have lost a minion or two. Don't forget, these small advantages add up. Make 'em count.
Special match up – LeBlanc:
Now, many players struggle against the midlane nightmare LeBlanc (Short: LB). SuNo has played this specific matchup quite often and explains how to overcome and/or even beat her. Your worst enemy in that scenario are ganks. In a straight up 1v1, a TF usually has the upper hand. Practice your movement against her chains, as these are the deadliest tool in a trade. If you manage to dodge her chains, you easily outdamage her in a trade. Your minions usually help you avoiding the chains, make use of it.
Again, if you feel save, keep pushing until the 3rd wave. Be especially careful while said wave is fighting, due to the jungler hovering next to your lane. A good LB may flash W and then chain you, which basically is a guaranteed kill with a jungler, don't feel to bad about yourself when this happens. Generally, try to stun her when she goes in for a trade, throw out your wild cards and move away. Also, make sure to get some MR in your runes for this one.
Building it right
The items you use also depend on your matchup. Usually, you start with a Doran's Ring and build up a Lich Bane. After that, Zhonya's Hourglass is a must buy, followed by the Deathcap and Voidstaff. Throw in some boots, either Ionians (CDR) or Swiftness (flat runspeed). The CDR are pretty strong in terms of offensive stats. Get the boots before or after Lich Bane.
Now, the items change with a harder match up. Although you have to go for a defensive runepage, you might still want to pick up a second Doran's Ring. Before you get your shiny Lich Bane, you want some MR, so rush the Abyssal Scepter. The CDR boots might be your first choice here too, other then that, build like in any other game (Lich Bane > Zhonya's > Deathcap > Voidstaff).
Did you enjoy this guide? If you did, keep an eye out for our next one, as we will show you how to LeBlanc!

Michael Ardelean
Got into eSports through CS and joined the SK LoL editorial staff in early 2013. His love for competitive League has only grown since then.


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