How to Play Fast 9 in TFT
In the TFT community, you may have heard of something called the “Jeff Bezos,” “Bill Gates,” or “Peeba” comp. These all refer to the same thing, a team comp that utilizes the strongest 5-cost units in the game to win just about any lobby. This is achieved by amassing a lot of Gold and going for level 9 to find these high-cost units.
I briefly cover this topic in my overall Leveling Guide, but I will go into further detail in this guide.
Origin of the Peeba Comp
The Peeba name originates from the player who popularized this playstyle all the way back in Set 2. As time passed, people started to call it the Jeff Bezos or Bill Gates comp, referring to the large amount of money needed to pull of this comp.
With player skill getting better and better, players have started to consistently form this comp, making it one of the best ways to win TFT games.
However, this playstyle also comes with the drawback of being very risky. If you risk your HP in order to build up gold, any mistake can lead to an 8th place finish rather than a 1st.
In this guide, I’ll cover what you need to learn to pull of this comp/playstyle. I’ll go over when to go for this comp, when to avoid it, basic strategy, tips for success, and more.
When to Avoid Fast 9
While the Fast 9 playstyle is technically something you can play every game, there are situations where you should avoid it. These are situations where the tempo of the lobby is fast. This means that other players will become strong quickly, resulting in losing HP faster, and dying before you can reach level 9 to stabilize.
Here are some examples of situations where Fast 9 is riskier:
Prismatic Augments
If the 1st augment of the game is Prismatic, the strength of the lobby will be high. One player might take Cruel Pact, another might Starter Kit, etc. You’re more likely to lose more HP in these situations, making Fast 9 riskier.
This is especially true if the Portal is “All Augments this game are Prismatic.” These games are very high tempo, and lose streaking may be signing yourself up for a Fast 8th.
However, you may be able to counteract this with a strong Augment of your own. More on that later.
Portal Effects
I already talked about the Portal that makes all Augments Prismatic, but there are other Portals that deter Fast 9. Here’s some quick examples:
- All Prismatic Augments: All augments this game will be prismatic tier.
- Player Health Decrease: Start with 85 player health.
- Multi-Talented: Headliners grant +1 to another one of their traits.
These are a few examples of Portals that deter Fast 9. There may be others, or new Portals added, just keep them in mind when deciding what to do.
When to go for Fast 9
We covered when to avoid Fast 9, let’s also quickly cover when to go Fast 9. It’s mostly the same as when to avoid it, just opposite.
- Player Health Increase: All players start with 115 health instead of 100.
- All Silver Augments: All augments this game will be Silver tier.
Furthermore, having something Economy based in your Augments or Portals will greatly benefit the Fast 9 playstyle.
Economy Boosting Augments/Portals
For Fast 9, economy can refer to both Gold and XP. You want to spend Gold in the late game to level up, but you can also build up XP through Augments while also saving up Gold. In this situation, 1 XP is loosely equivalent to 1 Gold.
Both Portals and Augments can grant you extra Gold/XP, so having these can help you reach level 9 easier or with more life. Here’s a few examples
- Rich get Richer: Gain 10 gold. Your maximum interest is increased to 7.
- Final Reserves: The first time you would be eliminated or reduced to 1 Health, instead remain alive. After this effect triggers, Gain 60 XP and 66 Gold.
- Cluttered Mind: Gain 4 random 1-cost champions. If your bench is full at the end of a round, gain 4 experience points.
- Level Up!: When you buy experience points, gain an additional 3 experience points. You can now reach level 10.
This list can go on further, but the general idea is there. Anything that helps you accelerate your Gold or XP will be valuable.
Fast 9 Basic Strategy
In this section, I’ll outline the general game plan when going for Fast 9. Your circumstances each game will differ, but this is the general idea.
In general, the whole idea is to build up as much Gold as possible while saving as much HP as possible.
Stage 2
The beginning of the game is all about building your economy. This will be done either by win streaking or by lose streaking. Depending on your early shops, you can decide whether to invest for a win streak or sell your board to lose streak.
In an ideal world, you are able to hit a 5-streak by winning or losing. Losing rounds is easier, but you’ll be sacrificing some HP to build your streak. Win streaking is ideal, but if your streak is broken, it will be difficult to build up a strong economy for late game.
Furthermore, you should ideally have an Augment that helps facilitate Fast 9. If you pick a combat augment as your first Augment, it may be better off to play a “normal” leveling style.
Stage 3
At 3-2, you will be given your second Augment choice. You can pick another economy Augment to Fast 9 easier, or pick a combat Augment to save some HP.
The choice will vary depending on your game state and what options you have. If you see a strong option like Final Reserves, you can all in for level 9. If you lost more HP than expected, you can pick a combat Augment to try and stabilize.
The rest of the stage will mimic Stage 2. Save HP while trying to build up a streak for Gold whether it’s by winning or losing. If you have enough Gold to reach level 7, you can do so to save HP. Only do so if you have 40 or 50 gold leftover after leveling.
Stage 4
At 4-1 or 4-2, you will ideally be able to hit level 8. Roll a bit to build a board that can compete, but also save enough Gold to save up for level 9.
For your Augment choice you can once again decide between economy or combat. Combat is generally recommended, as you will want to stabilize soon. Picking 3 economy Augments in a game is gambling that you hit all your upgrades at level 9.
Stage 5
Finally, at 5-1, level up to level 9 and roll down for 5-cost units. At this point, you can simply donkey roll each turn in order to strengthen your board.
If everything goes well, you will be able to upgrade your board during this stage and win the lobby.
Fast 9 Tips and Tricks
While I’ve covered the basics on how to Fast 9, there are a ton of minute details you can learn about through practice or watching others. Here are just a few tips I’ve compiled together.
Playing for Streak
Building Gold is absolutely imperative to Fast 9, but you always have to balance your HP as well. For the most part, you should look to take advantage of how the game progresses. For Stages 2 and 3, you should really try to maintain whatever streak you currently have.
For example, if you find upgraded units during Stage 1, you can look to level up to 4 to try and win streak. However, if you lose your streak at say 2-3 or 2-5, look to pivot into saving gold and building up your interest.
If you successfully win streaked through Stage 2, look to keep it going during Stage 3. Don’t all in and roll down to 0, but try to roll during level up turns to power up your board as efficiently as possible.
Efficient Units
In the early to mid game, try to use units that are gold efficient. This tip is more of a universal skill than something that’s only applicable to Fast 9.
As you play more and more, you’ll learn what units are strong in the early game. Try to prioritize these units to create a strong board with minimal investment.
To get better at this, it will be much faster to learn by watching top Challenger players. Look at what units they pick up and how they strengthen their board. These units can often change patch to patch, so this skill will need constant attention.
Knowing when to Let Go
Playing Fast 9 can be a risky strategy. Even if you make good choices throughout the game, sometimes luck may not go your way. In these situations, it can be fine to give up on Fast 9 and try to simply go for a 7th or 6th place finish.
Knowing what decision is correct will be tricky. It’s possible you can go to 1 HP and make a huge comeback and hit 1st. Other times, you may just die and it would have been better to roll down at 8 to try and go for 5th place.
Making the right call in this situation simply comes down to experience. Don’t be afraid to fail. Just try to learn every game and internalize what alternative decisions you could have made.
Be Fast
My last tip is to simply be fast. One big deterrent from playing Fast 9 is that you need to be able to stabilize quickly. If you reach level 9 at 5-1 and don’t roll fast enough, you may just go 8th right then and there.
By being fast at rolling and positioning units, you will be able to stabilize without worry. Even still, you may just go 8th because you didn’t roll any good units.
Fast 9 Team Comp
Lastly, I’ll quickly go over what the current Bill Gates team comp looks like. This comp will likely undergo changes as balance patches come. To keep track of what the best Fast 9 comp is, be sure to stay up to date on our Tier List.
This is what the current Fast 9 comp looks like. The core 5-cost units are Illaoi, Yorick, Qiyana, Ziggs, and Lucian. Depending on what Headliner you hit, you can also adjust things as well. This comp simply shows the Hyperpop Ziggs version as it doesn’t change any traits.
Here are some examples of adjustments you can make:
- Rapidfire Lucian: Drop Senna for a stronger unit like Thresh (Guardian 2) or another 5-cost.
- You can replace Senna with Jhin for Big Shot and another 5-cost carry.
- Mosher Yorick: You can drop Senna for Poppy (Mosher 4)
- Bruiser Illaoi: Can drop Senna for Zac (Bruiser 4)
Closing Words
That wraps up just about everything you need to know about Fast 9. It’s a risky win big or lose hard strategy that a lot of players enjoy.
The viability of this strategy changes a lot depending on the meta, but if you can stabilize, this strategy often results in a Top 2 or 1st.
To learn about the latest new TFT Set, head to our all-in-one Teamfight Tactics Set 10 reveal page that covers all champions, synergies, and more!
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