TFT Set 18 The Final Forest Comp Guide: How to Play the Fast 9 Elderwood Build (Patch 18.1)

TFT Set 18 The Final Forest Comp Guide: How to Play the Fast 9 Elderwood Build (Patch 18.1)

The Final Forest stands as the premier late-game juggernaut in TFT Set 18. Rated Hard by Mobalytics and curated by top Challenger players for Patch 18.1, this Fast 9 powerhouse revolves around the scaling power of the Elderwood trait combined with an impenetrable wall of legendary five-cost units. With Ezreal, Maokai, Kennen, and Draven serving as your primary carries, this build demands strong openers, clean win streaking, and disciplined economy management. It is certainly not a beginner-friendly setup, but if you navigate the mid game with plenty of health to spare, almost nothing can topple a fully capped Elderwood board.

Final Board and Core Champions

Your finished level 9 endgame board consists of Draven, Maokai, Ezreal, Kennen, Gnar, Ivern, Taric, Amumu, and Alistar. Offensively, your core damage threats are Ezreal, Maokai, Kennen, and Draven, while Maokai and Taric anchor the frontline defenses. The entire composition thrives on Elderwood scaling alongside a high-value roster of five-cost units, and if you manage to push to level 10, you can slot in an Elderwood Lux to definitively cap out your board.

Leveling Plan: How the Fast 9 Route Works

Hitting your leveling and gold milestones on schedule is essential to pulling off this Fast 9 game plan. Look to hit level 4 at stage 2-1 with 5 or more gold, followed by level 5 at stage 2-5 holding at least 10 gold. Push to level 6 at stage 3-2 with 30 or more gold, and reach level 7 at stage 4-1 while maintaining 50 or more gold. Next, make your push to level 8 at stage 4-2 with 30 or more gold to stabilize your lineup. The ultimate goal is hitting level 9 at stage 5-2 with 20 or more gold banked, giving you the economy needed to roll down and lock in your five-cost units.

In the early game, play around a strong opener — Elderwood is fantastic here — by activating Elderwood 3 and Rapidfire 2 with Xayah, Alistar, Ornn, and Varus. Level to 4 on stage 2-1 to establish an early win streak, and feel free to aggressively push level 5 during stage 2 to maintain your tempo. Transitioning into the mid game, level up to 6 on stage 3-2 and field your strongest board featuring Inferno 3 and Elderwood 3, utilizing Xayah, Shen, Alistar, Akali, Ornn, and Varus. If you have pairs sitting on your bench, you can make slight rolls to protect your streak, but if you are bleeding too much HP, commit to a roll down at level 8 to properly stabilize.

Best Items for Every Carry

Item distribution should focus on creating an unkillable frontline alongside dual physical carries. Maokai acts as your main tank and requires Warmog's Armor, Bramble Vest, and Dragon's Claw. For backline firepower, load up Ezreal with Last Whisper, Deathblade, and Spear of Shojin. Draven steps in as your secondary AD carry, performing best with Deathblade, Guinsoo's Rageblade, and Kraken's Fury. Kennen rounds out the carry core with Thief's Gloves, while any leftover items can be placed onto Gnar.

Recommended Augments

To ensure consistent success, commit to this build only when specific criteria align. You want to see a strong early opener to win streak, an economy augment or encounter to accelerate your gold income, and an Executioner Emblem ready to place on Draven.

Key Tips to Pilot the Comp

Mastering six key details will help you pilot this composition cleanly. First, you can angle into this build early if you hit an early Maokai or Ivern, as both act as premier scaling units. Second, make Taric your primary tank if Maokai is heavily contested, and pair Taric with Maokai whenever you hit both. Third, you do not need to build anti-heal items because the Inferno trait provides built-in anti-heal. Fourth, always funnel your leftover items onto Gnar. Fifth, if you manage to push all the way to level 10, field Elderwood Lux to reach your maximum late-game cap. Finally, resist the urge to panic-roll during the mid game. Keep your economy intact, stabilize at level 8, push to level 9 at stage 5-2, and let your Elderwood scaling and five-cost power take over the lobby.