Teamfight Tactics Releases Patch 17.6, Ends 2GB/3GB Mobile Support on July 22

Q: With the dominant Gnar strategy nerfed, which sleeper composition is now poised to conquer the patch 17.6 competitive ladder?

The clearest sleeper pick for TFT patch 17.6 is **Shepherd flex, especially Shepherd (7) built around buffed AP carries like Karma or LeBlanc**. That case is strongest because Riot directly hit the patch’s most stable ladder bully, Gnar reroll, by cutting Meeple (7) gold generation and trimming Gnar’s base AD. At the same time, Shepherd received meaningful trait buffs to its summon’s damage and health scaling, with the biggest lift at Shepherd (7). Those changes matter over a long three-week patch, where consistency and scaling usually decide the ladder. The supporting unit buffs also line up well. Karma and LeBlanc both gained damage, giving Shepherd stronger backline options and making AP flex versions more realistic rather than niche. That creates a natural opening for players who want a comp that can cap higher than reroll boards once Gnar is less oppressive. The other serious challengers are **N.O.V.A. carry lines** and **Arbiter boards**. Riot explicitly buffed underused N.O.V.A. carries such as Caitlyn, Akali and Kindred, signaling an effort to open new carry trees. Arbiter also got broad systemic buffs to attack speed, defenses, shielding and economy, which could revive Arbiter-Vanguard variants. Still, if the question is which under-the-radar composition is best positioned to take over after the Gnar nerf, **Shepherd is the strongest answer** because it received both direct trait power and matching carry buffs, giving it the cleanest path from sleeper to meta staple.

2 articles · Updated · teamfighttactics.leagueoflegends.com · Jun 23

Patch 17.6 lands as a three-week update, with TFT saying the set is already in a good balance spot and needs only targeted buffs, nerfs and a broad Augment pass before regional tournaments.
July 22 marks the cutoff for 2GB and 3GB mobile devices, requiring affected players to upgrade to keep playing TFT on mobile as Riot raises minimum system requirements.
Key gameplay changes hit dominant and weak comps alike: Meeple (7) gold generation drops to 3 from 5, Gnar loses 2 base AD, while Anima, Arbiter, N.O.V.A. and Shepherd lines receive buffs.
Augments get the heaviest overhaul, with nerfs to Birthday Reunion, Expedition, Restart Mission and Self-Destruct, Critical Success disabled, and multiple general-use options reworked to fit more board types.
Patch 17.7 is scheduled for July 15, one week later than usual, giving Riot staff a weeklong break while Pengu’s Party also receives separate balance tweaks and bug fixes.