TFT Levelling and Rolling: Timings, Roll-downs and Slow Rolls

How XP and shop odds work

You gain 2 XP automatically every round and can buy 4 XP for 4 gold at any time. A reroll of the shop costs 2 gold. The early levels are cheap: going to level 4 takes 6 XP, level 5 takes 10, level 6 takes 20 and level 7 takes 36. The steps to level 8 and level 9 are much larger, which is why those levels are planned events rather than casual purchases.

Every level changes the shop odds. Low levels show mostly 1- and 2-cost champions; each level shifts weight toward more expensive units. In practice, each cost tier has a level where rolling for it is most efficient: level 6 for 2-costs, level 7 for 3-costs, level 8 for 4-costs and level 9 when you want 5-costs. Rolling for a 4-cost carry at level 6 is not impossible, it is just very expensive per copy.

The other half of the odds is the pool. Every champion has a limited number of copies shared by all eight players. If two other players hold your carry, your real chance of finding it drops sharply, no matter what level you are. Before a big roll, scout the lobby: count how many copies of your key units are on other boards and benches.

The standard level curve

Most of our fast 8 comps use the same curve, and it is a good default when you do not know yet what you are playing: level 4 at 2-1, level 5 at 2-5, level 6 at 3-2, level 7 at 4-1 and level 8 at 4-2, then level 9 around 5-5 if the board is stable. Hunter Sivir and Nidalee, Invoker Ahri and Morgana and Spellweaver Ahri and Zyra all follow this line.

These timings are not random. 2-1, 3-2 and 4-2 are augment rounds, so levelling right before you fight there means your new unit plays with the new augment immediately. 4-1 follows the carousel, so you level 7 with an extra item. And each level lands just before the stage where opponents spike, so you are never the player fielding one unit fewer.

Deviate when the game tells you to. A strong win streak with an econ augment lets you hit level 7 before 3-3 and keep winning. A weak start pushes you to save, take the loss streak and level later with more gold. The curve is a baseline, not an obligation.

Roll-down timings: 3-2, 4-1, 4-2 and 4-5

3-2 is the first real roll point. You level to 6, get your second augment and decide whether you need to stabilise. If your HP is dropping fast and you have pairs of 2- and 3-cost units, a partial roll here can save the game. Reroll comps of 1-cost units also use this moment: our Veigar and Ornn plan goes to level 5 at 3-2 and rolls everything if you already hold seven or more copies of the two carries.

4-1 is the emergency roll. If you are under heavy pressure, roll at level 7 for 2-star 3-costs and hold your HP until 4-2. You will arrive at level 8 with less gold, but alive and with a playable board. 4-2 is the main event for fast 8: level to 8, take the augment and roll down for your 4-cost carry and tank.

4-5 is the patient version. If you are healthy at 4-2, level to 8 but keep your gold, collect two or three more rounds of interest and roll at 4-5 with a bigger bank. This works when your board already wins some fights and when nobody else is rolling for your units, and it gives you more total rolls at level 8 than rolling at 4-2.

Slow rolling for reroll comps

Reroll comps aim for 3-star cheap units instead of high levels. The tool is the slow roll: stay at the level with the best odds for your cost tier, keep 50 gold and roll only with the gold above 50. Interest keeps paying while you search, and you never end up broke if the copies refuse to show.

Our level plans show the shape for each cost tier. For 1-cost carries, Veigar and Ornn slow roll at level 6 from 3-7 after the initial roll at 3-2. For 2-costs, Eclipse Kayle reaches level 6 at 3-2 and slow rolls there, only levelling to 7 around 4-7. For 3-costs, Azir and Rammus go to level 6 at 3-2 and slow roll at 7 from 3-7, levelling to 8 only around 5-5.

Two rules make slow rolling work. First, commit only when you have the start for it: several copies or 2-star units of your carries early. Second, stop rolling as soon as the key 3-stars are done and switch to levelling. A reroll board that keeps rolling at level 6 in stage 5 will lose to boards with three extra units.

Fast 8: playing for 4-costs

A fast 8 game is won or lost at 4-2. Arrive there with as much gold as your HP allowed you to keep, level to 8 and roll for your carry and main tank. In our Hunter Sivir and Nidalee comp that means rolling for Sivir, Nidalee and Malphite; if Malphite is held by someone else, take Sentinel or Krug as the tank instead of rolling for a contested copy.

Know when to stop. Once your carry is 2-star and your front line holds, keep 20 to 30 gold, rebuild interest and level to 9 when the board is stable. Rolling to zero for a third upgrade usually leaves you unable to level, and a missing ninth slot costs more than a single 2-star.

Fast 9: playing for 5-costs

Fast 9 delays the roll until level 9, where 5-cost units appear often enough to build around. Elderwood Draven and Draven and Elder Dragon both level to 8 at 4-2, play stage 4 on their 4-costs and go to level 9 by 5-2 to roll everything for Draven, Maokai, Ivern or Elder Dragon. The Alune and Morgana version rolls a little at level 8 to stabilise, then rebuilds gold to about 70 before going 9.

This plan needs HP. Going to 9 means you will lose some rounds in stage 4 on purpose. If you are below roughly half HP at 4-2, a fast 9 plan becomes a fast 8 plan: roll at 8, stabilise with 4-costs and keep level 9 as a bonus. Level 10, when the game goes long, is where most fast 9 boards add their final 5-cost such as Lux.

XP augments and wisps

Some augments make levelling cheaper or free and change the whole plan. Level Up! gives 2 extra XP whenever you buy XP, Upward Mobility makes buying XP cost 1 gold less and Explosive Growth gives XP for several rounds. With any of them, lean toward the fast 8 or fast 9 line even if your opener was average.

In Set 18, XP wisps such as Bronze Spoon or Grow Up do the same on a smaller scale. A free 4 or 10 XP right before 3-2 or 4-1 can let you level a round early without breaking an interest breakpoint. Treat them as gold saved and plan the next level around them.

Checklist before every big roll

• Am I at the right level for the cost of the unit I need?
• How many copies of my carry and tank are on other boards and benches?
• How much gold do I need to keep for the next level or interest step?
• Is my HP low enough that I must roll now, or can I wait for a better level?
• Do I know which units I will buy, and which I will ignore, before I press reroll?
• When will I stop rolling – what board is good enough?

The last question matters most. Decide your stopping point before the roll-down starts. Players who stop at a stable board and level again almost always finish higher than players who roll until they hit everything.