// Set 18 · Game info

Itemized Roles 10 roles

Itemized Roles track which champions your completed items should go on, which items those should be, and where each champion should stand. Every champion in the set is reviewed for each role it can fill. The item and positioning recommendations in the Trait Explorer and the Board are based on them.

Build a comp in the Trait Explorer →

// Relation to the official roles

The game's official roles (Tank, Fighter, Caster, Marksman, and their variants) describe combat mechanics: how a champion gains mana, draws enemy attacks, or scales attack speed. Itemized Roles describe which champions make good use of completed items. The two systems are separate. A champion can have a strong official role and still be a poor item holder, and a typical comp only has the items to fully equip two or three champions.

// Role assignment

For a given comp, three roles are assigned in a fixed order:

Carry. The comp's highest-rated ranged damage dealer. Between equal ratings, the higher-cost champion is selected, and a champion whose traits are active in the comp ranks above one whose traits are inactive.
Main Tank. The comp's highest-rated tank, by the same tie-break rules.
Support. One dedicated support. Ranged supports are preferred, since they can be positioned safely next to the carry; a melee support is selected instead only when its rating is clearly higher. When the comp has no ranged support at all, the comp's second-best tank is assigned as a Support Tank and holds the debuff auras.

// Item priority

Comps shown in the Trait Explorer's results carry an "Item priority" label next to each assigned role. It is the recommended order for completing items before you have enough for every role. The order is determined by the comp's frontline:

Three or more melee units: the carry is itemized first, then the Main Tank, then the support.
Fewer than three melee units: the Main Tank is itemized first, then the carry, then the support.
A defensive trait active at gold tier: the carries are itemized first and the aura tank last, since the trait keeps the frontline alive without dedicated tank items.

// The roles

Role	Champions (Set 18)	Recommended items
Main Tank	Holds the tank items and soaks the enemy team's damage at the front of the board.	Warmog's ArmorGargoyle StoneplateSpirit Visage
Ranged AD Carry	Holds the attack-damage items and deals the comp's physical damage from a back corner.	Infinity EdgeGuinsoo's RagebladeStriker's Flail
Ranged AP Carry	Holds the ability-power items and deals the comp's magic damage from a back corner.	Spear of ShojinRabadon's DeathcapJeweled Gauntlet
Ranged AD Support	A ranged champion whose attacks or ability hit many enemies. Holds armor shred and burn items that increase the damage the enemy board takes.	Last WhisperRed BuffSpear of Shojin
Ranged AP Support	The magic counterpart of the Ranged AD Support: spreads magic-resist shred and healing reduction across the enemy board.	Void StaffRed BuffSpear of Shojin
Melee AD Support	A melee champion that fights inside the enemy board while spreading debuffs. Assigned when no ranged support fits the comp.	Last WhisperRed BuffSterak's Gage
Melee AP Support	The ability-power counterpart of the Melee AD Support: sustain items plus a magic-damage debuff aura.	Ionic SparkRed BuffHand of Justice
AD Support Tank	A second tank placed on the carry's side, holding armor-shred and burn auras that amplify an AD carry. Any champion rated as a Main Tank can fill this role, at the same rating.	EvenshroudSunfire CapeWarmog's Armor
AP Support Tank	A second tank holding magic-resist-shred and burn auras that amplify an AP carry. Any champion rated as a Main Tank can fill this role, at the same rating.	Ionic SparkSunfire CapeWarmog's Armor
Hybrid Support Tank	One tank holding all three auras, used when the comp runs both an AD and an AP carry. Any champion rated as a Main Tank can fill this role, at the same rating.	EvenshroudIonic SparkSunfire Cape

// Ratings

Every champion that can fill a role is rated for it on a three-step scale:

PrimarySolidSituational

Primary: a dedicated holder for the role; the standard pick.
Solid: holds the role's items well when no Primary champion is in the comp.
Situational: receives items only when no better holder is available.

A champion with no rating in any role is not recommended to itemize; such champions contribute through their ability and the traits they activate. Each champion's page lists its roles, ratings, recommended items, and the reasoning behind them.

// Positioning

Every comp also gets recommended starting positions on your side of the board. The Board's "Auto-position" button applies them to your current board:

The carry is placed in the bottom-left corner. Opposing players most often position their carries so that they end up on the right side of your board, so the left corner maximizes the distance to them.
Ranged units of the carry's damage type are placed in the same corner, so their shred and burn debuffs land on the targets the carry is attacking. Ranged units of the other damage type are placed in the opposite corner.
The front row is reserved for tanks. A Main Tank holding Gargoyle Stoneplate is placed alone at front-center; otherwise the tanks fill the front row toward the carry's side.
Support tanks are placed on the carry's side so that their auras cover the enemies the carry is attacking. Melee supports are placed on the right edge.
Melee units that are not tanks are placed in the third row, near the center. They enter the fight after the opening exchange instead of absorbing it.

// On TFTraits

Trait Explorer: every search result shows its assigned roles with recommended items, and the search form's "Itemized roles" section can require a minimum number of champions that can fill each role.
Board: the "Auto-position" button arranges your board into the recommended positions, and "Use recommended items" equips the recommended builds.