Finding 5-Cost Champions

Acquire powerful 5-cost champions in Teamfight Tactics. Learn when and how to effectively roll for these game-altering units to build a dominant board.

In Teamfight Tactics, 5-cost champions are the pinnacle of unit power, often possessing game-altering abilities and unique traits that can single-handedly swing the tide of battle. Acquiring these legendary units is a crucial late-game strategy for many compositions, transforming a good board into a truly dominant one. Understanding when and how to effectively roll for them is key to climbing the ladder.

When to Roll for 5-Costs: The Level Advantage

The probability of finding 5-cost champions in your shop dramatically increases at higher levels. Here's a breakdown of the optimal levels:

• Level 7: While technically possible (1% chance), rolling for 5-costs at Level 7 is generally inefficient and not recommended unless you are extremely rich and desperate for a specific unit to stabilize.
• Level 8: This is often the first significant power spike for finding 5-costs, offering a 5% chance per shop. Many players will "all-in" their gold at Level 8 to find key 4-cost and 5-cost units to complete their board.
• Level 9: The prime level for 5-cost hunting, boasting a substantial 16% chance per shop. If your economy allows, reaching Level 9 provides the highest probability for securing multiple 5-cost units or 2-starring a crucial one.
• Level 10: With a 25% chance, Level 10 is the ultimate destination for those seeking to maximize their 5-cost potential. However, reaching this level requires an exceptionally strong economy and often happens only in longer games or with specific augments.

The Gold Commitment: Rolling Down

Rolling for 5-cost champions is a significant investment. Each shop refresh costs 2 gold. When you decide to "roll down," you are committing a substantial portion, if not all, of your accumulated gold to refresh your shop repeatedly until you find the desired units. This can easily amount to 40-80+ gold spent in a single turn, especially at Level 8 or 9. It's a high-risk, high-reward strategy that requires careful consideration of your current gold reserves, health total, and the strength of your opponents' boards.

Key Considerations for Rolling Down:

• Economy: Ensure you have a healthy gold reserve (typically 40+ gold) before committing to a roll-down, especially at Level 8.
• Health: If you are low on health, a successful roll-down is critical for survival. If you're healthy, you might be able to slow-roll or save for Level 9.
• Itemization: Have appropriate items ready for the 5-cost champions you are looking for.
• Scouting: Observe what 5-costs your opponents are playing. If a key 5-cost is heavily contested, it might be harder to find or 2-star.

Strategic Acquisition: Fitting 5-Costs into Your Comp

When searching for 5-costs, consider two main approaches:

1. Core Component 5-Costs

Some 5-cost champions are integral to specific meta compositions, often serving as the primary carry or a crucial enabler for a trait synergy. Examples include:

• Primary Carry: Units like Jhin (Deadeye), Sett (Freljord/Invoker), or Ahri (Spellweaver) might be the designated damage dealer around whom your entire composition is built. Finding and 2-starring these units is paramount.
• Trait Enabler: Champions such as Heimerdinger (Tech/T-Hex) or Sion (Bruiser/Undead) might complete a powerful trait breakpoint (e.g., 9 Bruiser, 7 Spellweaver) or provide unique utility that synergizes perfectly with your existing units.

For these types of 5-costs, you will often be aggressively rolling at Level 8 or 9 to secure them, as they are non-negotiable for your board's success.

2. Splashing 5-Costs: The Flexible Power Play

Even if a 5-cost champion doesn't perfectly fit your main trait synergies, many can be "splashed" into almost any composition due to their sheer individual power or unique utility. This means adding them to your board for their ability alone, without necessarily activating their traits or only activating a minor trait breakpoint.

Benefits of Splashing:

• Solo Impact: Many 5-costs have abilities so strong they don't need trait synergy to be effective. Think of a unit like Fiora (Duelist/Challenger) providing a strong frontline and single-target damage, or a Zilean (Chrono/Mystic) offering crucial crowd control and team-wide buffs.
• Utility: Some 5-costs bring invaluable utility like crowd control (e.g., Lissandra's stun, Azir's knock-up), healing (e.g., Soraka), or tankiness (e.g., Ornn's item forging).
• Trait Activation: Even a single copy of a 5-cost can sometimes activate a minor, but useful, trait breakpoint (e.g., adding a single Legend unit for its unique effect).
• Flexibility: Splashing allows you to adapt to the units you find, rather than being rigidly tied to a specific plan. If you hit an early 5-cost that doesn't fit your main plan but is incredibly strong, you can often pivot to include it.

Example of Splashing: If you are running a strong Challenger composition but find a 2-star Sett, you might consider adding him to your frontline for his immense tankiness and damage, even if you don't have other Freljord or Invoker units. His individual power can easily outweigh the lack of trait synergy.