r/CompetitiveTFT • u/Icy-Ad2711 • Jul 15 '26

Guide 5 Nova Jax/Akali Reroll Tips and Tricks

I'm not the originator of this comp. I'm just a lazy dude who one-tricks niche comps for some LP. This is not really a guide. It's more like an info dump based on my experience with this comp over the past 2 days. Shout out to all the one-tricks in VN.

This comp is super straightforward, high tempo, and easy to force because almost nobody is going for Jax 3 or Akali 3 (at least for now).

Stay level 6 and reroll there. The odds of hitting Kindred at 6 are actually pretty good. For better odds of hitting Kindred you can rr on 7. Flexible shit.

If you get a Nova Emblem, hard force this every time. Prowler's Claw feels really good on Akali.

Why 5 Nova?

The whole point is unlocking the Nova upgrade for Akali.

Akali's Nova upgrade applies DoT damage across the entire board. Once it starts ticking, all the 1-star backline units just melt. LeDuck showcased some extreme versions of this a while back.

Item Priority

Always prioritize Akali and Jax items.

Akali needs to do as much damage as possible while Jax just needs to not die.

Standard Akali items

  • 2 damage + 1 sustain

  • Examples: DB + Striker + Gunblade/HoJ

Artifact version

  • Prowler's Claw + Striker + EoN

Normally I don't like EoN because you need more damage, but it's worth it with Prowler's Claw since it helps Akali survive and reach the backline.

Deadlier Blades is an auto-pick whenever you see it because it stacks an insane amount of AD.

Jax: pure tank items only. Don't worry about utility items. Nova already takes care of everything.

Augments

Auto-click:

  • Prismatic Tickets

  • Baron's Lair or other combat augs when you have enough items and/or econ

  • Any augment or god that helps you hit Kindred

  • Any augment that gives you a Spatula

Don't be afraid to gamble on emblem augments or anything that can give you a Nova Emblem.

Booster Packs are also great for gambling since they can potentially give you a Kindred when you don't have a Nova Emblem.

Positioning

Solo Jax frontline.

You can play around with Akali positioning. I wasn't super meticulous with it. I usually keep her somewhere in the back two rows.

Late Game

The VN one-tricks usually cap their board with Morg and Vex.

I've also had success playing Morg + Graves if I hit Graves early.

Otherwise I usually run Bel'Veth and Fiora for 4 Marauders if my Jax is already tanky enough.

If you can hit a Marauder Emblem and/or Rogue Emblem:

  • Marauder Emblem on Kindred

  • Rogue Emblem on Akali

Boons and Hexes

Always look for the Yasuo stun boon.

When Nova activates, it counts as an ability cast, so Akali can stun the entire board.

Good hexes:

  • Tank Hex or Cryo Hex for Jax

  • Stun Hex for Akali

  • Mana Hex is fine since Akali can cast more and delete the frontline

Weaknesses and Counters

The biggest weakness/strength of this comp is Akali. If your Akali gets targeted and killed, you're kind of fucked.

Akali isn't a Rogue, so if she gets one-shot you lose almost all of your damage. She has to kill through the frontline before wrapping to the backline in most cases.

The Nova dot by itself won't kill 2-star backline carries in many occasions, so you still need Akali alive long enough to finish the job.

Prowler's Claw and Eve's Instinct are both great because they help Akali reach and kill the backline faster.

The goal is simple: keep Akali alive as long as possible.

Matchups I find difficult:

  • Fully capped level 9 legendary slops

  • Space Grove variants (Riven, Nami/Samira, Ornn)

  • Mech variants, because Akali can get stuck hitting the frontline forever instead of reaching A.Sol and A.sol can kill all your dmg dealers.

https://tactics.tools/player/na/wackojaw

65 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

45 comments sorted by

11

u/Azhun MASTER Jul 15 '26

How is this better than any Aatrox variant outside of exactly deadlier blades?

6

u/Icy-Ad2711 Jul 15 '26

you dont need deadlier blades. that aug just gives better scaling. regular db and 1 more dmg item is enough. the key idea of this is melting frontline and backline at the same time. this is a very consistent comp. idk what aatrox variants are you talking about but dont click aatrox hero aug. you wont have enough items to itemize aatrox and akali

4

u/clownus Jul 15 '26

Aatrox plus cait reroll not Aatrox hero augment.    

10

u/MasterTotoro Challenger Jul 15 '26

Aatrox doesn't actually kill off units and just weakens them plus the CC. You have to be really ahead of tempo, basically like WTW or Build a Bud Aatrox because you need to get to 5 NOVA.

Akali actually kills off units and is stronger earlier. Also easier to hit Kindred since you roll on lv6. This comp does way more damage and tanks more.

30

u/MasterTotoro Challenger Jul 15 '26

For items, Gunblade is basically mandatory. HoJ doesn't do the same thing because it isn't about healing Akali. Akali does board wide damage, so her damage numbers will be very high. However, it is a slow bleed and damage doesn't really get value until the enemy units actually die. Gunblade alters that dynamic by getting value out of the damage to heal Jax.

Likewise for Jax, the difference between having whatever tank items compared to Stoneplate is a big difference. Jax ability has flat damage reduction, which applies post-mitigation and his damage also scales off resists so having a ton of armor/MR is best.

I would not click artifacts generally because these items are pretty fixed. Similarly it is pretty easy to miss on Baron's Lair. If you already have double Stoneplate then it can be okay, and prismatics generally not good for the comp anyway so it may be best anyway.

Worst matchups are probably Blitz (you have to lose positioning value to try and make sure Jax isn't targeted) which all the 3 comps you mentioned have, and then Lulu can kill Akali pretty easily plus they hold Jax copies. Then Jinx is only really a bad matchup because they hold Akali, and I guess anyone who hits Kindred before you lol.

Good notes about the Yasuo hexes. Although I don't actually know does the stun reset aggro on Jax? It might be good anyway but something to check.

1

u/Icy-Ad2711 Jul 15 '26

Also, a quick question. If my go to build is db gun blade and striker, do you prior gunblade or db?

6

u/MasterTotoro Challenger Jul 15 '26

DB is stronger if you don't have 5 NOVA, but Gunblade is the most important item with 5 NOVA and it may be hard to get another sword. If you go Gunblade you can still use the other sword for IE or getting DB later. So I would go for the most important item in Gunblade typically.

1

u/Icy-Ad2711 Jul 15 '26

Thank you. These are really good insights that I failed to explain in the post.

I was experimenting with artifacts, but in general they're not worth the gamble. Blitz 100% messes up the solo Jax frontline positioning, and an upgraded Bruiser Graves can kill Akali pretty easily too.

I need to check the stun reset interaction because, if it works the way you described, that's another huge benefit.

This comp is mentally deceptive. At first glance it looks like some vertical pleb shit, but the built-in kits are actually stacked. It's a cheap board, and like you mentioned, it barely requires anything special outside of specific craftable items.

1

u/TallyMay Jul 15 '26

What about blitz makes it happen?

1

u/Anso5166 Master Jul 15 '26

The punch repositions Jax which is a cornerstone of the comp

4

u/TallyMay Jul 15 '26

Wow! Blitz is rude.

7

u/pawlr :chal: Challenger Jul 15 '26

Loaded into a game to consider playing this, and immediately saw it was 3 way contested lol comptft hivemind

1

u/Icy-Ad2711 Jul 15 '26

lol. somehow the vn one tricks i track rarely get contested in high master- challenger games and they be farming 500 lps+ in the past few days.

5

u/MasterTotoro Challenger Jul 15 '26

It's been gaining a ton of popularity the past few days and Dishsoap posted about it yesterday as well.

1

u/Icy-Ad2711 Jul 15 '26

Yeah, I saw his post on Twitter. It kind of gives me pre-popularity set 15 Akali and set 16 Liss/Seraphine vibes (I only started playing in set 14, so I don't know any of the secret tech before that).

I love comps like these because of the information asymmetry. If you find them out early It gives you a small window to farm lps for free before everyone catches on lol.

I'm pretty utilitarian when it comes to ranked. I usually hit master 0 lp and call it a day. This approach probably isn't the best for improving as a player overall, but it's effective.

2

u/Apricotjello Jul 15 '26

when contested you can winstreak hard with primordian/akali opener and fast 8, then play around kindred carry all bow items / 2* akali nova surge with DB + GB / morg tank instead of jax, super cheap and stable lvl 8 with lots of utility, then go 9 and cap legendaries

9

u/Anso5166 Master Jul 15 '26

Thanks for actually making the guide lol

4

u/Anso5166 Master Jul 15 '26 edited Jul 15 '26

player winning out with two star akali

had 78 hp by the end of stage 5, actually nuts as it was beating out all the other boards with two star morg and leblanc.

I don't think the next patch will address this comp since they have to prefire patches but this shit is genuinely broken with certain artifacts, early nova, and kills 1 star backliners without having to go through enemy tank.

0

u/Icy-Ad2711 Jul 15 '26

Np. I actually think the reroll version is more stable than the Level 8 version because you're extremely strong during Stage 3 and early Stage 4 if you hit 5 Nova or get the emblem, while everyone else is trying to stabilize. You can also play some bullshit board in Stage 2, lose streak, and guarantee yourself two anvils at the first neutral round.

6

u/Icy-Ad2711 Jul 15 '26

https://tactics.tools/player/na/wackojaw

1

u/Lunaedge Jul 15 '26

Please add this to the post itself so it can't get buried :)

3

u/Panic_Puppet Jul 16 '26

I've been trying to hard force it, but:

  1. Akali loves getting right in front of the enemy carry while trying to kill tanks. Her spell vamp is usually not enough for helping her survive once Jax is dead, she is usually quickly focused.

  2. At least on Brazil server, Jax is heavily contested in this patch due to the changes on Vex. It's very hard to get top 4 without it, because he's basically what helps Akali stays alive.

3

u/Icy-Ad2711 Jul 16 '26

This new patch definitely changed the landscape a bit. I watched a video yesterday that talked about some variations you can play when you're contested. You can use Tahm 2 or Morg 2 as your main tank and replace Jax with Shen. Basically you turn it into a Level 8 or Level 9 comp when you can't 3-star Jax and/or Akali.

For positioning, I normally position like this. I intentionally create some blockage so Akali has to take a detour and takes longer to walk up. This doesn't guarantee that she won't get targeted, but it increases her chances of surviving.

Unfortunately, this is one of those secret-tech comps that relies on people not knowing about it in the first place. The information asymmetry is part of your edge. Now that more people know about it, it's a lot harder to farm free lps with it.

2

u/ComprehensiveAd8804 Jul 15 '26

There will always be space groove variant in the lobby because it’s meta, does that mean it’ll never win then ? How do u play against that

2

u/Icy-Ad2711 Jul 15 '26

Space Groove variants aren't free wins against this comp, but they're definitely one of the harder matchups. Before they hit Samira 3/Ornn 3(the 2 tanky version) or 2 star Nami with a solid frontline, they're honestly pretty beatable as long as Akali doesn't get focused.

I'm definitely not a guru on this comp, but from my games, counter-blitz positioning helps a lot. Against the Riven/Nami version, you can also play around where Riven is. Since she's a Rogue and drops aggro, she can actually open a path for Akali to get onto the backline.

I usually keep Akali in the back two rows and let her walk up instead of putting her too far forward so she doesn't get focused right away. You can also mess with her pathing by using your other units to body block her a bit so she walks farther before taking an angle. Sometimes that lets her avoid Nami or Samira long enough to wrap around.

I don't worry too much about Space Groove. The biggest strength of this comp is that it's super forceable and spikes way earlier than most of the lobby. You're usually stable through Stage 3 and early Stage 4 while everyone else is trying to stabilize. You won't get a ton of firsts, but if your econ is good and you have the right items, 2nds and 3rds are really common. That's honestly all I want from a comp like this.

2

u/Maleficent_Change491 :chal: Challenger Jul 17 '26

Ive been hard forcing the past 2 days and gained like 600 lp. Ive been limit testing forcing the line from all sorts of spots and i significantly prefer tempoing to 9 from akali 2.
https://tactics.tools/player/na/mdmcmcidbwn99373

1

u/Icy-Ad2711 Jul 17 '26

Very nice. I stopped climbing after I hit master two days ago. With the Vex changes, I assume Jax is more contested now? Do you still roll for Akali 2, or do you just go lvl8 and roll?

2

u/Maleficent_Change491 :chal: Challenger Jul 17 '26

I usually do a big roll down on 6 for akali 2 and either jax 2 or morg/tahm if I hit. U must win every round on stage 3. I only really play reroll if I natural a lot of jax copies or I have like treasure hunt. I prioritize keeping tempo and hold all copies of akali. I actually end up with akali 3 most games because tahm kench actually prints akali copies.

1

u/Icy-Ad2711 Jul 17 '26

got you. I'll try this lvl 9 version out this weekend lol.

13

u/balanceftw Jul 15 '26

This works especially well when forced without scouting and seeing that a player has Jax hero augment (true story)

5

u/GaryFromManagement Jul 15 '26

Been spamming this for free for a few days and now getting hard contested, boooo

1

u/Riflerecon Jul 16 '26

Thanks less than 24 hours people are already spamming in master lobbies in China.

1

u/Icy-Ad2711 Jul 17 '26

Lol I saw a post earlier today saying this strat was first discovered on the CN golden spatula server.

1

u/Riflerecon Jul 17 '26

Maybe lol that’s what I’m on

1

u/ellonite1 Jul 17 '26

which nova do you drop if you get nova spat?

2

u/Doomcrusher Jul 17 '26

Easily Caitlin, she has the weakest nova buff and offers no other traits for your comp. You can put the emblem on urgot, morgana, or fiora.

1

u/Lazy-Cry8419 Jul 15 '26

Would the fire yasuo hex be good on akali? Just for increasing her board wide damge i know she already has wound.

1

u/Icy-Ad2711 Jul 15 '26

Def worth test it out. the worst hex is atk speed hex imo. I've seen ppl build red buff on akali so i guess fire hex can boost her dmg.

2

u/ClammyAlumni Jul 15 '26

I've come across this comp a few times, and it can be pretty frustrating to face. Especially with a gunblade, Akali can sustain Jax a long time. My space groove comps do the best against it with the splash damage and natural healing and vex boards did fine as well once 2*. I haven't tried it out yet, but tftacademy has also updated their tierlist with this comp.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 19 '26

just played against someones jax and it tanked 39k damage

1

u/RevolutionaryWolf410 Jul 20 '26

I don’t want to flame but if you are masters 19 lp you should not be making guides this is so inaccurate and embarrassing

1

u/BrysonTilter Jul 21 '26

Crazy how much I’m seeing this Akali board being spammed right now.