by The Great Lakes

Hi All,

It’s The Great Lakes, your favorite 1-tricking Challenger assistant principal.

Each patch I pick a comp to 1-trick to Challenger. For patches 10.10 and 10.11 I played only Void Brawlers to Challenger.

Other guides have been published on Void Brawlers, but I want to give some key insights on how to ensure consistent top finishes, especially when in contested lobbies.

Let’s get to it.

1. Ideal Positioning and Level 8 Comp:

Level 8 Comp and Default Position

This is what the dream looks like, boys. (We’ll talk about Fizz later) Listen closely because there are a few key reasons why I’ve found a lot of success with running this positioning.

• The decision making for positioning each round is reduced to two choices if there are no shrouds or zephyrs:
  • Kha’zix: Kha’zix needs to be in a good spot to reach carries without aggroing too many other champs.
  • Blitz: You need to decide which side you would like blitz to pull from by moving him left or right by 1 or 2 tiles.
  • With positioning taking very little of your cognitive capacity you can devote more time to shooting the shit in chat which is very key if you want an entertaining TFT experience.
• Kha should typically be jumping to the same side Blitz is pulling from. Blitz removes the unit protecting the carry while Kha gets a better opportunity to get on the carry.
• This positioning protects yourself from other infiltrator players by having everything lined up in the backline.
• I’ve been running this positioning with Malph in the 2nd row since the beginning of patch 10.10 as it’s ideal to have enemy champions get stuck on Malphite (especially mana reavers) and draw the aggro of midline champions slightly quicker, so they don’t turn around on your infiltrators. This seems to be even more vital with the new infiltrator changes.

2. Early Game/Stage 2:

Your Strongest Econ Efficient Early Game Board

Ahri would work as an item holder instead of Kai’sa, but she currently has a bug that delays her from casting at full mana half the time and it’s been incredibly frustrating to watch, so i opt for Kai’sa as of now.

Throughout stage 2, you are not rolling or leveling at all. Your job is to make a team that prevents you from bleeding out too much health, while still giving you the opportunity to hit important econ targets.

Ideally, at Krugs, you should have 40 gold and at least 80 HP if the round went alright. You are going to lose from HP in the early game, this is alright, but it will become a factor in your next decision.

3. Hyper Roll vs Slow Roll.

Forgive me Socks, for I have sinned. I have forsaken your teachings and hyperrolled… sometimes.

Aight boys, listen closely because each strategy has its place and use. There is a decision you need to make at Krugs.

Slow Roll: This is my go to strategy. Hit 50 gold after Krugs and roll down to 50 gold each round saving TF’s, Malphites, and Kha. Level to 6 after 3-starring Kha’Zix. I roll with this strategy if after Krugs I’m chilling with at least 50 gold and 80 HP.

Hyper Roll: This is the emergency plan. If at the conclusion of Krugs you have 65 HP or roughly 30 gold, this is when things need to change or you’re going to take a fast 8th. Roll like your life depends on it, because it does. You need a power spike immediately or you will be out of the game. Or, your econ is so far from being able to slow roll, that you can’t begin to slow roll until after carousel, you need to give up on that strategy and just roll now on 3-1.

This is also the high roll plan. If Krugs roll around and you find yourself with 6 or 7 Kha’Zix, you go for that brother. This is going to save you a lot of HP in the end and hopefully you will only need to hyper roll down to 20-30 gold, which allows you to start econning again fast.

4. When To Give Up on Kha:

Something I see often from contesting players, is they don’t give up on 3-starring Kha’Zix. Brother let me tell you something, Kha’Zix is not your most important unit in this comp. It is perfectly acceptable to move on and start leveling without 3-starring Kha’Zix.

At the beginning of 4-1, If I have 7 or 8 Kha, I’ll roll to 40 or 50 one last time to hit 3-star Kha’Zix. At 4-2, I level to 6 no matter what and gun for level 7 by the end of carousel. If you spend too much time and too much gold after 4-1 going for Kha, you’re essentially sealing your fate. Many players in the lobby are going to be level 8 immediately after carousel and you will have no chance in those fights, costing you the remainder of your HP.

As a 1-trick, I sometimes find myself in a lobby with 2 or more players pulling from the Kha’Zix pool. If there is more than 1 player contesting you, give up on 3-starring Kha’Zix immediately and focus on leveling. Continue to save your 1-costs obviously, but let them spend their resources on trying to out 3-star each other. It will pay off in the long run if you do.

5. Vel’Koz is Your Most Important Unit.

While a 3-star Kha’Zix can carry you through the mid game, the real hero on your team is Vel’Koz. He will be your highest damage dealer in every round if itemized. Giving up on 3-stars in alright because this homie will be the one to carry you across the finish line.

6. Carousel

On the first carousel, I go for a BF sword, Bow, or Glove just like any other chump. Slamming an item on Kha’Zix early will help you in the early and mid game.

However, after that initial carousel, it’s Vel’koz time. You will notice in my match history that my Vel’Koz almost always has perfect items, but my Kha’Zix gets scraps. Especially after the Infiltrator and Kha’Zix nerfs, prioritizing Kha’Zix and his items is something I would not recommend.

7. Double Seraph’s vs. QSS:

If you can get it, go for the double Seraph’s. You will notice many of my games with my Vel’Koz holding a QSS, this is not by choice, but because I had to give up on obtaining 4 tears. The majority of my first place finishes with Void Brawlers has been when Vel’Koz has a double Seraph’s.

QSS is good, don’t get me wrong, but fights shift dramatically in your favor when Vel’Koz gets to ult within the first 2 seconds of the fight. Applying Morellos and removing multiple enemy champions at the very start of the fight has paid off more than the protective quality of QSS.

8. Fizz vs Second Cho’gath:

Like most other players I will put a Fizz in at level 8. However, if at any point I come across a second 2-star Cho’gath. That big boy is going in and Fizz is coming out. I personally find Fizz to be an underwhelming champion and I do not prioritize Kha’Zix, which is the only champion who benefits from the Infiltrator trait. However, Cho was recently buffed and benefits from both true damage and max brawler. If your Fizz is still 1-starred, it may be worthwhile to replace the 1-star Fizz with a 1-star Cho at this point.

9. 3-Starring 4-Costs or Level 9?:

Since I am already trying to collect 6 Cho, I personally opt for attempting to 3-star my 4-cost void champions. After hitting level 8, I’ll try to roll down to 20-30 gold. If at any point I hit 7 or 8 of Cho or Vel, I will roll all the way down. 3-starring either of these champions is a solid win condition. The only time I go for 9 is if I know there have been too many Cho or Vel taken from the pool to be worth attempting.

10. Counters:

Obviously being contested will weaken you overall. However, these are things that can easily be overcome by pushing levels at obtaining a 2-star Vel’Koz.

Old shredder has given me issues in the past, but since the nerf, no specific comp has been a significant obstacle. However, nothing quite ruins my day like a well placed Shroud. Be sure to scout for Zephyr’s and Shrouds, but sometimes a cheese shroud or Zephyr at the beginning of the round is unavoidable. This comp only has two significant damage dealers, so these items can have a large impact on you.