TFT Set 16.1 (Lore & Legends) introduces the largest roster in Teamfight Tactics history — 100 champions, including 40 unlockable champions hidden behind special in-game conditions. These champions don’t appear in your shop by default… but once unlocked, they open up entirely new comps, power spikes, and late-game strategies.

This guide breaks down EVERY unlockable champion, their conditions, difficulty, best comps, and the meta-driven strategies high-elo players are already using. Whether you're climbing ranked or playing casually, this is your definitive reference.

⭐ FAST FAQ: Unlockable Champions (Read Before You Start)

Q: What are unlockable champions?
Special champions that only appear in your shop after you fulfill a unique in-game condition.

Q: Do unlockables carry over between games?
No. They reset every match.

Q: Can multiple players unlock the same champion?
Yes, but they share the same pool and can be contested.

Q: Do ignored unlockables appear less often?
Yes — their shop odds drop to 20% if ignored.

Q: Are unlockables stronger than base champions?
Generally yes — they offer higher ceilings and unique traits.

⭐ What Are Unlockable Champions in Set 16.1?

Set 16.1’s Lore & Legends mechanic introduces a split roster:

60 Base Champions → always available
40 Unlockable Champions → only appear after meeting a requirement

The goal is simple:

reduce endgame repetition
give players new paths during each match
allow controlled access to 4–7 cost power spikes
encourage flexible gameplay

With this system, every match becomes a puzzle:
Which champion will YOU unlock, and when should you chase them?

⭐ How Unlockables Work

Here’s the exact mechanic, broken down clearly:

🟦 1. Unlock Location

Once unlocked, the champion appears in the far-right shop slot on your next shop roll.

🟦 2. Shared Champion Pool

Unlockable champions are shared across all players, just like normal units.

🟦 3. “Ignored Penalty” System

If you skip buying an unlocked champion:

their future appearance rate drops
minimum odds fall as low as 20%

🟦 4. 4-Cost and 5-Cost Adjustments

If only a few players have certain unlockables available, the game adjusts shop odds so they still appear.

🟦 5. No Progress Carryover

Unlocks are game-specific. Every match starts fresh.

🟦 6. Multiple Unlocks

You can unlock more than one champion in a single game.

These rules heavily impact your strategy — especially reroll vs. fast 8 playstyles.

⭐ Strategy Breakdown – How Unlockables Affect the Meta

🔶 1. Natural Unlocks vs. Forced Unlocks

Some unlocks happen organically during normal play:

Orianna (3 Piltover)
Tryndamere (Ashe with 2 items)
Bard (4 early rolls)
Rift Herald (Void active for 8 combats)

Others require heavy commitment:

Veigar (double Deathcap)
Nidalee (two 2-star Neekos)
Kalista (70 Souls)
Thresh (175 Souls)

The highest-ranked players lean toward natural unlocks, as they cost no tempo.

🔶 2. When You SHOULD Go for Unlockables

✔ When the condition aligns with your board
✔ When you already plan the trait (Piltover, Yordle, Demacia)
✔ When you have item excess (spares to craft unlock items)
✔ When you’re healthy (70–100 HP)
✔ When the lobby is uncontested

🔶 3. When You Should AVOID Unlockables

❌ Low HP early game (below ~70)
❌ Unlock requires griefing your optimal items
❌ You’re already holding a strong stabilized board
❌ The lobby has 2–3 players chasing the same trait
❌ Unlock requires greedy leveling (e.g., L7 early for Fizz)

🔶 4. Synergy With NPC Rounds, Rogue Mods, and Augments

Best augments for unlocking:

Item Generator Augments → perfect for Veigar, Nidalee
Shop Refresh Augments → faster unlock cycles (Bard/Graves)
Trait Injection Augments → easier access to Piltover/Yordle
Combat Loot Augments → easier Sunshard/Soul farming

Best NPC timing moments:

Wolves & Raptors → great for item-required unlocks
PvE rounds → drop Sunshards (helping Brock/Aurelion Sol unlock)

⭐ Unlockable Champions – Difficulty Tiers

🟢 Easy Unlocks (happen naturally, minimal risk)

Orianna, Bard, Tryndamere, Poppy, Rift Herald, Kennen, Graves

🟡 Medium Unlocks (requires mild setup)

Fizz, LeBlanc, Diana, Darius, Gwen, Kai’Sa, Singed, Skarner

🔴 Hard Unlocks (usually NOT worth chasing unless ahead)

Nidalee, Veigar, Thresh, Kalista, Brock, Aurelion Sol

⭐ All Unlockable Champions in TFT 16.1

TFT Set 16.1 Unlockable Champions Table

Champion	Cost	Traits	Unlock Condition	Difficulty	Best Comps After Unlock
Bard	2	Caretaker	Reroll 4 times before Stage 2 Carousel	Easy	Piltover, Invoker Flex
Graves	2	Bilgewater, Gunslinger	Field Twisted Fate with 2 items	Easy	Bilgewater Reroll
Orianna	2	Piltover, Invoker	Field 3 unique Piltover units	Easy	Piltover Econ, Invoker Vertical
Poppy	2	Demacia, Yordle, Juggernaut	Field a Demacia/Yordle with 2 items	Easy	Yordle Reroll
Tryndamere	2	Freljord, Slayer	Field Ashe with 2 items	Easy	Freljord/Slayer Vertical
Yorick	2	Shadow Isles, Warden	Field 2-star Viego with 2 items	Medium	Shadow Isles Frontline
Darius	3	Noxus, Defender	Have Draven drop 1 gold	Easy	Noxus Bruiser
Gwen	3	Shadow Isles, Disruptor	Collect 20 Souls	Medium	Shadow Isles AP
Kennen	3	Ionia, Yordle, Defender	Have 8 star levels of Ionia/Yordle	Easy	Yordle or Ionia Flex
Kobuko & Yuumi	3	Yordle, Bruiser, Invoker	Be level 7 and field 6 star levels	Medium	Invoker Yordle
LeBlanc	3	Noxus, Invoker	Field Sion with 2 items	Medium	Noxus+Invoker
Diana	4	Targon	Be level 6 + field 2-star Leona w/3 items	Medium	Targon Vertical
Fizz	4	Bilgewater, Yordle	Be level 7 + 5 unique Yordles/Bilgewater	Medium	Yordle Bilge Hybrid
Kai’Sa	4	Void, Assimilator	Be level 8 + Longshot w/3 items	Hard	Void/Longshot Backline
Kalista	4	Shadow Isles, Vanquisher	Collect 70 Souls	Hard	Shadow Isles Vanquisher
Nidalee	4	Ixtal, Huntress	Field TWO 2-star Neekos	Very Hard	Ixtal Huntress
Rift Herald	4	Void, Bruiser	Have Void active for 8 combats	Easy	Void Bruiser
Singed	4	Zaun, Juggernaut	Field 4 Zaunites/Juggs + lose 35 HP	Hard	Zaun Juggernaut
Skarner	4	Ixtal	Field non-Tank w/ Gargoyle Stoneplate	Medium	Ixtal AP/Tank Flex
Veigar	4	Yordle, Arcanist	Field unit with TWO Deathcaps	Very Hard	Yordle Arcanist Reroll
Galio	5	Demacia, Heroic	Field 12 Demacia star-levels	Medium	Demacia Vertical
Thresh	5	Shadow Isles, Warden	Collect 175 Souls	Very Hard	Shadow Isles Frontline
Aurelion Sol	7	Targon, Star Forger	Field 5 Targon units	Hard	Targon 7 Vertical
Brock	7	Ixtal	Collect 500 Sunshards	Extremely Hard	Ixtal Legendary

⭐ Top 10 Unlockable Champions for Climbing Ranked

⭐ S-Tier Unlockables for Ranked

Orianna
Bard
Fizz
Tryndamere
Poppy
Rift Herald
Kai’Sa
Diana
LeBlanc
Skarner

These champions offer the best mix of accessibility + impact.

⭐ Unlockable Champion Checklists

Early Game Checklist

✔ Bard
✔ Poppy
✔ Tryndamere
✔ Orianna
✔ Graves

Mid Game Checklist

✔ Fizz
✔ LeBlanc
✔ Gwen
✔ Diana
✔ Rift Herald

Late Game Checklist

✔ Kai’Sa
✔ Aurelion Sol
✔ Brock
✔ Thresh
✔ Kalista

⭐ Patch Impact Predictions – Likely Buffs/Nerfs

Based on launch meta + community analysis:

🔻 Likely Nerfs

Fizz (too consistent for a 4-cost unlock)
Poppy (Yordle reroll spiking too early)
Orianna (Piltover power spike tempo)

🔼 Likely Buffs

Nidalee (unlock too difficult)
Kalista/Thresh (Soul requirements too high)
Brock (overly slow)

⭐ Final Tips – How to Unlock Champions Faster

Avoid econ griefing early
Use item generators to exploit item-based unlocks
Track Souls/Sunshards every round
Good scouting prevents contested unlock chasing
Only chase difficult unlocks when 80–100 HP early

⭐ Conclusion: The Ultimate Unlockable Champion Hub

TFT Set 16.1’s unlockable champion system is the most exciting mechanic the game has seen in years — and mastering these hidden units is the key to dominating ranked, discovering new compositions, and finding powerful late-game spikes.

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TFT Set 16.1 Unlockable Champions Guide – Full Conditions, Strategy, Tier List & Fast Unlock Tips (Lore & Legends)