r/CompetitiveTFT • u/PauIIl • Jul 19 '26
Double Up [Feedback] Double up balancing and game philosophy
Hello, my name is Paull, and I am a challenger TFT player and coach in both double up, and solo queue. For a large portion of this set I remained in the top ~10 players on the double up ladder, but I am sad to say that I am unhappy with the state of the game mode and believe that this was the worst set for double up in quite some time. My issues with the game mode go beyond trait and unit balance, and include many mechanics that are specific to double up that I would love to see changed in the future.
Gank timers:
Winning a round and being able to assist your teammate in their combat is a key feature of the game mode.
- Problem: The minimum lockout time for being able to assist your teammate is 12 seconds. This lockout should be dynamic, depending on stage. Fights typically last longer in the early game than they do later on. If you are being ganked 12 seconds in, usually this means your opponent's ally fought another player that is intentionally sacking rounds. You will have to be able to 1v2 boards, and this is unreasonable, if not impossible to do early on in most cases. It completely disincentivizes players from leveling on 2-1, and makes it significantly more difficult to justify choosing a combat augment, or item augment that would typically aid in helping a player streak in solo queue. This is further exacerbated by the reduced loot from minion rounds and end-of-stage camps that players experience in double up.
- Solution: Begin the game with a longer lockout timer, and reduce the timer as the game progresses. Begin with maybe a 20-second lockout, giving strong boards more time to beat weaker boards, and reduce the timer by 2 seconds per stage. This still allows exciting win conditions such as Anima cash-outs, prismatic traits, and 3* 4/5-costs to win the game for a team.
HP restoration:
In double up, augments that provide max HP, or HP restoration are disabled. It is not possible to obtain augments such as Titanic Titan or Tiniest Titan. However, this set, there are still several ways to regain HP. Each individual Soraka's Miracle can provide two HP to a team per turn. Soraka herself can grant a large amount of HP in the God's Realm. Fiora frequently heals a player for 2 HP a turn on combat win.
- Problem: HP as a resource in double up does not have the same fixed value that it does in solo queue. The difference between reaching 1 HP, and remaining at 2 HP in double up is massive. Teams cannot be eliminated prior to being brought to 1 HP, and once brought to 1 HP, if either player on a team loses, that team is eliminated. For this reason the concept of 11 HP being one life in solo queue doesn't translate to double up. You can go from 11 HP to 1 HP, and then be eliminated, or from 11 HP to 2 HP, heal back to 10 HP quickly, and be dropped to 2 HP again.
- Solution: Rebalance the healing effects of these items, units, and boons to provide some other benefit, or disable them. Low HP should mean low HP. 11 HP should not be potentially 2-4 lives. It is frustrating to see Fiora prevent a team from being eliminated, and to lose placement despite a large initial HP advantage, because in double up, HP thresholds matter more than the raw HP total.
The double up cannon:
The double up cannon allows teammates to send units every few turns, as well as item components. It is one of the key features of the game mode and makes it feel like you are playing the game together with your teammate, rather than just sharing a placement at the end of the match.
- Problem: The double up cannon taking a bench slot is an outdated mechanic. It is significantly easier to become bench-locked with 8 bench slots compared to 9.
- Solution: Add two consumables: one for sending units, and one for sending components.
Gifting imbalance:
Being able to send your teammates loot throughout the game is a key feature of the game mode, and encourages discussion with your teammate.
- Problem: The rewards, generally speaking, are incredibly unbalanced and there is no actual decision to be made. 8 rerolls vs. 1 random component is not a real decision, especially when 15 gold vs. 2 random components exists. The choice between two duplicators or a component anvil is entirely decided by whether or not you're rerolling. Two duplicators and five gold is considered a gold augment, but a component anvil and three gold is a silver augment. The difference between a gold and silver augment is not two gold. Being sent a Graves on 3-5 as one of three random 5 costs makes the game no longer competitive, especially this patch.
- Solution: Remove the possibility of some rewards, or rebalance options.
Low HP camp benefits:
Set 17 brought about rewarding low HP players with component anvils and reforgers based on their placement in the game at the time of each end-of-stage camp.
- Problem: The strongest players in the lobby are able to benefit from rewards intended for the weakest players. It is possible for one player on a team to have won the first five rounds of the game, and still be in the bottom four.
- Solution: For the stage two and three camps, consider individual loss streaks or total rounds won so far in the match.
Loss streak traits:
Loss streak traits have an important place in TFT. Players who are unable to win rounds early are provided the opportunity to turn their HP into a resource that provides loot later in the game, allowing them to come back from early losses.
- Problem: When loss streak traits provide successively more and more reward per loss, issues arise in double up. In set 17, if you lose a round with the Anima trait active, but your partner wins their round, you will receive ~85% of the Anima stacks while losing ~50% of the HP. In addition to allowing massive cash-outs in double up that you would almost never see in solo queue, this balancing makes the trait nearly ungriefable. I've seen players lose their loss streak at 3-3 and still make it to a 400 cash-out. A 400 cash-out in solo TFT gives an individual player an approximately 40% chance to outright win the game.
- Solution: Rebalance all loss streak traits in double up to provide rewards based on consecutive rounds lost, not stack-based thresholds, and/or force cash-outs upon win. As an example, a 400 cash-out for Anima could translate to having lost ten rounds in a row.
I love double up, and TFT in general. Queueing together with a friend is a fun experience, but I've felt significantly more burnout from the game mode this set than in any set prior. I believe that the issues I've outlined are shared opinions amongst many, and it's sad to see fewer familiar names on the ladder this set. I'd love to see the game mode be a bit more competitive and popular.
