NEW Patch 13.4 Rundown

Patch 13.4 is much more balanced and diverse than the previous patch but many things still remain the same such as Samira and Belveth’s dominance in the meta, despite the slight nerfs to their power levels.

Item Openers

Unlike last patch there are many viable ways to play the game and every opener is viable except cloak and (arguably) sword. Here is a general recommendation of what to look out for in each starting item:

Bow: This is the premier AD opening item. You should always look to default toward Samira or Belveth unless you are given reason not to. The item priority is always Last Whisper, a healing item and then frontline items for the comp. 4 Recons is another great option from Bow opener; Duelists, Draven, Jax, and some Anima Squad lines are also playable.
Rod: Rod is the most AP heavy opener but it is much harder to play than bow as you need to know when you have the spots for each comp. Default toward Taliyah and Viego depending on your opener and items but keep other comps like ADMIN (if the Admin is very good), Yuumi/Nilah Supers, Gadgeteens, and Recons in mind. Anima Squad is also great, but you need a +1, strong 2-star opener, or a strong carry augment to effectively play it.
Tear: Tear seems like a component that would force you into only AP but thats actually far from the truth. Yes, you should default to Taliyah, Yuumi, and Soraka; but now that Hand of Justice and Protector’s Vow are buffed, tears can be flexed into AD comps quite easily. Anima Squad and Kaisa play very well from tear as well but you need the set up for both to be worth playing. Finally be on the lookout for +1 Gadgeteen as this comp with tear opener is insanely strong; otherwise you should use it as tempo to pivot into a stronger board.
Chain: Chain is a flexible defensive component which you can play any comp from. Bramble Vest, Gargoyle’s Stoneplate, Protector’s Vow, and Sunfire Cape are amazing items that work in every comp. Compared to belt this leans you more into Zed carry in Duelists or LaserCorps the most out of every item; as Edge of Night and Locket of the Iron Solari are very important. Be on the lookout for good tempo spots to play Zed from; otherwise, default toward the strongest comps like Samira, Belveth, Taliyah, and Recons.
Belt: Belt is the most flexible item; much like chain you can play every comp except Viego and make good defensive items early like Sunfire Cape, Warmog’s Armor and Redemption. Just default to the strongest comps in the meta and what you are most comfortable with.
Glove: Glove is the most flexible offensive component, as it allows you to play AD flex very easily being half of Last Whisper, while also building two of Taliyah’s and MF’s best items: Jeweled Gauntlet, and Guardbreaker. Thief’s Gloves is very strong in the current meta as well in AD flex and 5 Gadgeteen boards while Infinity Edge and Quicksilver are still decent AD options as well.
Sword: Sword is the weakest of the three AD items but it does have its benefits. It still plays decently well into Belveth and Samira with items like Hextech Gunblade, Bloodthirster, Deathblade, Infinity Edge, and Giant Slayer, but it also plays the best out of any item into Draven reroll with either hero augment (preferably carry) and Spread Shot Vayne, which are two incredibly strong comps in the meta at the moment.

Comp Tierlist and Overview

Belveth/Samira: These are the most spammable carries in the meta; you can flex your frontline between Sejuani, Aegis units, Threats, and Mecha Sett/Leona. Prioritize Last Whisper and a healing item.
Spellslinger Taliyah: The easiest comp to default to from AP lines; stabilizes incredibly hard off of Taliyah 2 + Ekko, while Janna and Syndra allow the comp to cap extremely high. Jeweled Gauntlet and either Stattik Shiv or Ionic Spark are the requirements to play this comp.
Anima Squad: This comp’s power comes from the strength of the emblem which gives a ton of stats to strong units like Ekko, Urgot, and Nunu among many others, and the strength of the 4 main carry hero augments: Spread Shot, Bunny Mercenary, Reverberation, and Get Excited. However, this comp is not forceable so you should only play it with the proper opener, hero augment, or spatula.
4 Recon: 4 Recon remains strong as it can win games with a bunch of 3-star 3-costs while top 4-ing with the 2-star board from a good setup. Multishot and Spread Shot are two of the best 3-cost hero augments in the game. Like Anima Squad you cannot force this and should only play it with good items and augments.
Yuumi/Nilah Supers: This is usually a 1st or 8th comp that is incredibly strong if you hit 3-stars – especially Nilah and have good augments like Battlemage, Preparation, Jubilant Veil, Channeled Ferromancy, or Predatory Precision amongst others. Prioritize Redemption, then Ionic Spark, then the final Nilah item and Yuumi items last.
Viego: Viego requires legendary units to perform well and needs 2-star Ox Force units in the mid-game to stabilize. Without the proper board and good items like Ionic Spark, Titan’s Resolve and either Hextech Gunblade or Hand of Justice, this comp struggles quite hard. Your mid-game is also quite bad as the Renegade opener is both weak and awkward to play in stage 2 and 3.
Admin Soraka/Leblanc: This comp is very strong, especially with Admin +1 so you can drop Blitzcrank or Camille. The best are ADMIN effects are mana on kill (Leblanc carry), AP or mana on death for ADMINS, AP on cast for Admins, and AD on kill (Zed carry). You can check out the rest of the best ADMIN effects here: https://tftguides.com/what-are-the-best-admins-and-what-do-with-them/
Duelist Zed/Vayne: This is a tempo comp; you need to hit 6 duelists as fast as possible to powerspike in the midgame (preferably on 3-2). Build Lockets on Nilah for your frontline, and itemize both Zed and Vayne as your carries. Both Vayne and Zed hero augments are very good for the comp.
Gadgeteens: 5 Gadgeteen is S tier by itself in the meta, but you either need a +1 or to hit Nunu, which is unrealistic to play for in most games. If you don’t manage to get a +1, Lulu or Poppy reroll with their carry augments makes it more worth it to play the 1-cost Gadgeteen units, which makes this board stronger; otherwise, just use Lulu 2 and Zoe in the early and midgame to tempo into something else
LaserCorps: Lasers remain the same as before: if you have a +1 this comp is very good, allowing you to hit 7 without Mordekaiser and to drop Ashe once you do; otherwise you should avoid it. Prioritize Statikk Shiv or Ionic Spark for MR shred, then focus on Zed and Sejuani items.
Draven: Draven reroll is incredibly strong right now with his hero augments – especially League of Draven, but I would avoid the comp without them. You either reroll him at level 6 with supers or defenders depending on your augments and the lobby. His best items are Last Whisper, Infinity Edge and any of the three healing items, preferably Bloodthirster or Hand of Justice.
Brawler Jax: Jax is a good top 4 option in the meta but he requires very specific spots and perfect itemization to do well. The comp is super tempo oriented so you need to hit Jax 2 early with 6 Brawlers to start streaking. His items want to be Rapid Firecannon +2, usually Rageblade, Hextech Gunblade, Quicksilver, and Titan’s Resolve, so realistically you can really only play him with multiple bows.

Hero Augment Specific Rerolls

There are also multiple hero augment specific rerolls not previously mentioned that are good in the meta at the moment. Here is a general ranking:

S Tier: Adaptive Defenses Camille, Reign of Anger Renekton, Unrelenting Force Vi

A Tier: Justice Punch Galio, Edgelord Talon, Illuminating Singularity Lux, Growth Spurt Lulu, Bigger, Better, Buckler Poppy, Rising Spell Force Ezreal

B Tier: Kingslayer Sylas, Divine Ascent Kayle, Stacks on Stacks Nasus, Flaming Ricochet Gangplank, Laser Focus Ashe

Good luck on your climb!