TFT Set 13: How to Play Academy

Set 13 Into the Arcane is here! And of course, this set had to introduce the Academy which Jayce and Heimerdinger are a part of and where they carry out their research. Their research created 3 unique items which they and their allies can use with this trait active. Let’s take a closer look at this trait and the other units that make up the Academy.

Explore all of the TFT Set 13 Blog here!

1. Academy Trait Bonus

Champions: Lux 1g / Leona 2g / Ezreal 3g / Heimerdinger 4g / Jayce 5g

The Academy sponsors 3 items each game. Copies of sponsored items grant bonus max Health and Damage Amp. Academy units holding sponsored items gain double the amount, plus an additional 5% Health and Damage Amp.

(3) 2% Health DA; gain 1 sponsored item. (4) 3% Health DA; gain 1 sponsored item. (5) 4% Health DA; gain 1 sponsored item. (6) 8% Health DA

First Impressions:

Academy is another trait focused on items, which the game has seen time and time again. There’s a new twist this time with “sponsored” items, and it’s a fairly fresh take on the system. It appears that sponsored items are simply copies of regular items that grant a small additional bonus.

You won’t get all three sponsored items unless you play all 5 units, which can be taxing for your board. Overall, there’s a solid amount of power in this trait, and it reduces the variance of your item drops by giving you the sponsored ones.

2. Academy Synergy

Here are the additional traits of the Academy champions that give the opportunity to create trait webs:

• Lux (1G) – Sorcerer
• Leona (2G) – Sentinel
• Ezreal (3G) – Rebel, Artillerist
• Heimerdinger (4G) – Visionary
• Jayce (5G) – Form Swapper

The Academy trait has 5 units which means that 6 Academy requires a spatula to achieve. Although, you don’t get an extra item for 6 Academy so 5 will often do. Heimerdinger is a go to carry in Academy as he launches missiles at random enemies which gives him the potential to kill an opponent’s carries. It is also very easy to splash in his secondary trait, Visionary onto the board.

1. Lux (1G) – Academy + Sorcerer

Lux grants an AP Shield to the lowest current Health ally. Lux’s next attack deals bonus (AP) bonus magic damage. This makes her a solid utility unit especially in the early game as she allows teams to stall with the shield allowing the damage dealers some extra time to get their attacks in.

2. Leona (2G) – Academy + Sentinel

Leona gains modified durability (AP) for 3 seconds. Afterwards, she deals magic damage to adjacent enemies. With the sentinel trait she gets additional tank stats making her a tank for Academy to easily tie in the Sentinel trait to the comp as well.

3. Ezreal (3G) – Academy + Rebel + Artillerist

Ezreal fires a shot towards his current target that deals (AD) physical damage to all enemies within 1 hex. Then, he deals (AD) physical damage to the unit in the center of the blast. If not carrying Heimerdinger, then reroll ezreal is possibly another carry of the Academy comp.

4. Heimerdinger (4G) – Academy + Visionary

Fires 5/5/7 missiles at random enemies that deal (AP) magic damage. Each cast fires 1 more missile than the last. This makes him a ramping carry of the comp and delay more powerful as he is able to ramp up casing more missiles each cast. He also hits random enemies so he has the option of sniping key carries on the opponent’s board. This makes Heimerdinger a strong 4 cost carry option for this comp and likely the set.

5. Jayce (5G) – Academy + Form Swapper

Jayce is a Form Swapper which means he has two abilities which depend on if he is placed in the first 2 rows or back two rows. Jayce has a passive which he summons a placeable Hextech Forge. On cast, the 3 allies closest to it gain an (AP) Shield for 4 seconds. If it’s dead, revive it with 1% Health.

His active is: Summon 2 Hexgates and knock a target into one of them, dealing (AD) physical damage and sending them flying back to their original position. While flying, they deal (AD) physical damage to all other enemies in the path.

This gives Jayce two options. He can be used as a stall unit which will likely be seen in Heimerdinger carry comps as the gates shield champions and help stall. While his active allows him to become a carry himself if you decide to carry Jayce.

In general, Augments like Crest and Crown will always be good, but there are definitely more notable ones to explore and discover. As we make our way to the PBE, we’ll be sure to test a variety of combinations and update this article with what we find.

The set has yet to even come out on PBE yet, and unfortunately, our team was unable to playtest the Set this time around. While we can’t recommend team comps at the moment, we’ll be sure to come back and update this article once we have a good feel for things.

The Academy trait in TFT Set 13 brings a unique strategic layer, allowing players to leverage items for powerful scaling bonuses. Each game, the Academy sponsors three items, which grant bonus max Health and Damage Amplification to any unit holding copies of these items. Academy units, however, benefit even more, gaining double the bonus from sponsored items plus an additional 5% Health and Damage Amplification, making them formidable with the right setup.

At (3) Academy, units gain 2% Health and Damage Amplification along with one sponsored item, providing an early boost that improves survivability and offensive output. At (4) Academy, this increases to 3% amplification and an additional sponsored item, creating a strong mid-game advantage. At (5), units gain a 4% boost and another sponsored item, adding further versatility in adapting the team’s items to the sponsored lineup. Finally, at (6) Academy, the amplification jumps to 8%, pushing Academy units into true powerhouse territory with enhanced durability and damage potential.

The Academy trait is particularly rewarding for players who enjoy maximizing item value and adapting their builds around specific champions. With Academy, players can strategically equip sponsored items to enhance key champions, creating a durable and high-damage team that scales well into the late game. Overall, Academy is an ideal trait for those who want to build a flexible, item-based team that can thrive through adaptive and resourceful item management in TFT Set 13.

Thanks for Reading! If you want to gain more in-depth knowledge about TFT, check out many helpful articles here!

Good luck to you! – Cheng