Set 17, K.O. Coliseum, has settled into a clear shape after the B-patch shakeup. Dark Star verticals dominate the top of the board, Stargazer Xayah climbed into contention following its A-patch buff, and almost every line now lives or dies based on the conditions you draw early. The result is a meta where checking your setup matters as much as the comp’s headline ranking.
Quick answer: In Patch 17.2b, Dark Star Snipers (Jhin/Kai’Sa) and Dark Star Flex (Jhin/Riven) are the two strongest, most pickable comps. Below Diamond, force Primordian Reroll or Twisted Fate Reroll for the cleanest LP.
Check three conditions before you lock a comp
Set 17 is heavily condition-based, and a “default” play no longer exists. The same comp can sit in different tiers depending on what you draw. Every game, run through three checks before committing.
- Stargazer constellation on 2-1. All constellations are playable in Patch 17.2 except The Medallion. The Mountain is the best on 2-1, The Huntress is the worst, and The Boar and The Serpent both look strong.
- Your Psionic item. This decides whether Bruiser Yi, NOVA Yi, and other Yi carries are playable. No Psionic item means no Yi line.
- Your Arbiter. The Arbiter mechanic sets specific comp ceilings for the patch.
Beyond those three, augments override base tier. A Trait Tree augment can make a B-tier vertical playable, and an Emblem augment can push a normally weak comp to S for that one game. Read the augment screen first, then lock the comp.
S-tier comps winning lobbies in Patch 17.2b
These lines consistently top Master+ ranked. The two Dark Star variants are the cleanest picks of the patch because the 6-piece Dark Star bonus grants the strongest Dark Star unit full trait effectiveness, which functions as roughly 85% free damage amp on your itemized carry.
| Comp | Tier | Carry | Why it’s strong |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Star Snipers | S+ | Jhin / Kai’Sa | Vertical Dark Star, Supermassive bonus crushes lobbies |
| Dark Star Flex | S+ | Jhin / Riven | 4 Dark Star plus flex frontline, most pickable comp |
| Stargazer Xayah | S | Xayah | Post A-patch buff, Meeple variant strongest |
| Bruiser Yi | S | Master Yi | Psionic carry, emblem flex specialist |
| Vex Fast 9 | S | Vex | Exodia comp with the highest late-game ceiling |
| Corki Riven | S | Corki / Riven | Dark Star Emblem dependent |
| Vanguard Karma LeBlanc | S | Karma | Vanguard frontline plus spell carry |
On the Dark Star lines, Jhin caps the board while Kai’Sa carries as the secondary. A common mistake is moving items off a two-star Kai’Sa onto a one-star Jhin. Jhin is weak without items already on him, so keep Kai’Sa holding the carry items.
Stargazer Xayah has two builds. The Meeple version pairs well with Bard and is currently the best performer, while the Vertical Stargazer version leans on The Boar or The Serpent. Bruiser Yi is the strongest one-trick if you draw Psionic on 1-2 and an AD item. Edge of Night is the key aggro-drop item because Yi melts if he is focused.
Vex Fast 9 is the boom-or-bust Exodia line. You are playing for first or eighth, with little in between. The level-9 Vex board dunks lobbies, but reaching it needs strong tempo, econ augments, and usually at least one combat augment to close out.
A-tier comps worth forcing
These sit just below the S+ picks and climb reliably with the right setup. NOVA Yi is often the better choice over base Bruiser Yi because the NOVA frontline scales harder into the late game while the Yi carry stays the same. Twin Blades is the most flexible Riven line, since she slots into multiple boards without losing her core items.
| Comp | Tier | Carry |
|---|---|---|
| NOVA Yi | A+ | Yi |
| Mountain Stargazer | A+ | Various |
| Twin Blades | A+ | Riven |
| Astral Meep | A | Meeple, Bard-buffed |
| Cards & Cartridges | A | TF / Caitlyn |
| Tentacles and Missiles | A | Cho’Gath |
| Feed the Stars | A | Cho’Gath 3 |
| Snipin & Vibin | A | Sniper carry |
| Crab Wave | A | Various |
| Protect The Teemo | A | Teemo |
| Swarm-Storm | A | Various |
| Hooked & Cooked | A | Pyke / Twitch |
| Capped & Loaded | A | Various |
| Stellar Combo | A | Various |
| Mirror Mayhem | A | Various |
Astral Meep returned to A-tier specifically because of the Bard interaction, which strengthens Meeple-aligned boards. Both Meeple Veigar and Meeple Xayah variants benefit from it.
B-tier comps that need specific conditions
Most B-tier lines are A-tier with the right emblem or augment and drop without it. Treat the augment selection screen as the deciding factor here.
| Comp | Tier | Comp | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shieldmaiden | B+ | Shepherd | B+ |
| Two Tanky Takeover | B+ | Space Opera | B+ |
| Anima Cashout | B | Rogue Diff | B |
| Conduit Reroll | B | Transformers | B |
| Slap & Zap | B | It’s Raining LP | B |
| The Big Bang | B | Turbo Doomer | B |
| Meeple Veigar | B | Stay Groovy | B |
| Contract Killer | B | Meepteors | B |
| Bonk! | B | Invader Zed | B |
C-tier lines such as Self Destruct, Heat Death, Redeemer, Termeepnal Velocity, and Reach For The Stars underperform or need very specific niche setups. Do not force them out of habit. There is no meaningful D-F tier in Set 17, since even weak comps top 4 occasionally when played well.
Best beginner comps below Diamond
Below Diamond, the Master+ meta picks are not always optimal. Reroll lines with simpler execution win more LP because they forgive item and tempo mistakes.
| Comp | Tier | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Primordian Reroll | Beginner-S | Strong opener, forgiving level-6 reroll, clean late game |
| Twisted Fate Reroll | Beginner-S | Card-shuffle simplicity, cheap reroll units |
| Bruiser Yi | Beginner-A | Psionic carry, simple itemization |
| Stargazer Xayah (Meeple) | Beginner-A | Standard Fast 8, predictable line |
| Dark Star Flex | Beginner-A | Most pickable comp in the set |
Primordian Reroll is the line to learn first. You roll on level 6 with one and two-cost units, the opener is strong, and even rough item slams rarely tank your placement. Hold off on Vex Fast 9 and Exodia boards until at least Platinum, since they need advanced econ knowledge to execute.
Augment priority by comp
Augment priority shifts heavily depending on the line you commit to. Match your picks to the comp rather than chasing a single “best” augment.
| Comp | Priority order | Key augments/items |
|---|---|---|
| Dark Star Snipers / Flex | Trait Tree > Emblem > Combat > Econ | Living Forge, Pandora’s Bench, Dark Star emblem |
| Stargazer Xayah | Reroll > Item > Econ > Combat | Double Trouble, Tiny Team, Exalted Adventure |
| Bruiser Yi | Combat > Reroll > Item > Econ | Edge of Night (mandatory), Psionic/Bruiser trait augments |
| Vex Fast 9 | Econ > Combat > Reroll > Item | Econ to reach 9 on tempo, combat to seal the level-9 board |
| Beginner reroll (Primordian, TF) | Reroll > Item > Econ > Combat | Pandora’s Bench, reroll-specific augments |
Champion tier list for Set 17
Apex Primordian posts the highest win rate in the set by a wide margin, driven by its reroll payoff. Among standard carries and anchors, Jhin, Shen, Blitzcrank, Bard, Kindred, and Sona round out the top of the unit rankings.
| Tier | Champions |
|---|---|
| S | Bard, Blitzcrank, Jhin (plus Apex Primordian, Shen, Kindred, Sona in win-rate data) |
| A | Aatrox, Fiora, Karma, Kindred, Maokai, Meepsie, Nami, Nunu & Willump, Rammus, Rhaast, Shen, Sona, Tahm Kench, Vex |
| B | Akali, Bel’Veth, Corki, Graves, Gwen, Jax, Master Yi, Milio, Miss Fortune, Mordekaiser, Morgana, Nasus, Ornn, Pantheon, Riven, Samira, Teemo, The Mighty Mech, Urgot, Xayah |
| C | Aurelion Sol, Cho’Gath, Fizz, Gnar, Gragas, Illaoi, Kai’Sa, Lissandra, Lulu, Poppy, Zed |
| D | Aurora, Briar, Caitlyn, Diana, Ezreal, Jinx, LeBlanc, Leona, Pyke, Rek’Sai, Talon, Twisted Fate, Veigar, Viktor, Zoe |
Trait tier list for Set 17
Frontline and damage-amp traits anchor the strongest boards this set. Space Groove and the core defensive traits lead, while the individual Stargazer constellations all land in the middle since their value depends on which one you draw on 2-1.
| Tier | Traits |
|---|---|
| S | Bastion, Bulwark, Eradicator, Party Animal, Redeemer, Sniper, Space Groove |
| A | Brawler, Challenger, Commander, Conduit, Dark Lady, Dark Star, Divine Duelist, Doomer, Factory New, Fateweaver, Marauder, Meeple, N.O.V.A., Oracle, Psionic, Replicator, Rogue, Shepherd, Timebreaker, Vanguard, Voyager |
| B | Galaxy Hunter, Gun Goddess, Mecha, Stargazer constellations (The Altar, The Boar, The Fountain, The Huntress, The Medallion, The Mountain, The Serpent) |
| C | Arbiter, Primordian |
| D | Anima |
Comps to one-trick in 17.2b
If you want to commit to a single line and grind the patch, three options stand out for their flexibility and ceiling. Dark Stars are the safest because the multiple variants let you adapt to almost any board. Bruiser Yi offers a high ceiling once you practice the aggro-drop, and Stargazer Xayah gives a clean, repeatable Fast 8 path.
- Dark Stars — most flexible, multiple variants to pivot between.
- Bruiser Yi — high ceiling once you know the positioning and item timing.
- Stargazer Xayah — clean one-trick, Meeple variant currently leading.
The throughline for the whole patch is restraint. Picking a high-tier comp without first confirming your constellation, Psionic item, and Arbiter is the fastest route to a bottom four. Read your conditions, weight your augment screen toward the line you can actually build, and let the rankings guide the pivot rather than dictate it.
