The Ionia trait in TFT Set 9.5, explained

One of the most common regional traits in Teamfight Tactics Set 9.5, Ionia, has its own unique buff for its units, scaling very well in the early game. From Irelia to Xayah, these units gain enlightenment based on how many Ionians are on your board, gaining a second version of themselves to help whittle your enemies down.

Here’s how the Ionia trait works in TFT Set 9.5, along with all the units of the trait in the set.

How the Ionia trait works in TFT Set 9.5

Putting it simply, the Ionia trait is a buff trait, giving its units both extra mana and bonus stats when active. That’s all, but with how strong some of the Ionia units are, these buffs make specific carry units very hard to get around.

Ionia scales three times, starting at three Ionia. That gives the Ionian units 100 percent of a buff that occurs every four seconds. That buff gives enlightenment to a number of Ionian units, starting with only one at three Ionia. The enlightened Ionian gets 20 mana and their stat bonuses are doubled for four seconds. Players can tell which units get enlightened easily, as there will be a blue ghost duplicate beside them.

At six Ionia, that buff is now increased to 200 percent, and two units will get enlightened every four seconds. At nine Ionia, the buff is at 380 percent, and four units get enlightened. Getting to nine Ionia is tough, and not the viable choice for the trait early on in Set 9.5—but it’s not impossible.

All Ionia units in TFT Set 9.5

• Irelia (Ionia/Challenger)
• Jhin (Ionia/Vanquisher)
• Sett (Ionia/Juggernaut)
• Karma (Ionia/Invoker)
• Shen (Ionia/Bastion/Invoker)
• Xayah (Ionia/Vanquisher)
• Ahri (Ionia/Sorcerer)

There are a total of seven base Ionia units in TFT Set 9.5, meaning that getting to nine Ionia requires two things. Either you need to get an Ionia Emblem and equip it on a non-Ionian unit or you need to get an Augment that offers an extra Ionian slot for your team.

When it comes to viability, Ionia is both easy to find and easy to fit into other compositions. For example, one of the most common Invoker comps has two Ionians in it, with Karma and Shen. Vanquisher also has that similarity, using Jhin, Shen, and Xayah for their most viable composition. 

Building purely Ionia is also an option but is usually only strong if you can get units like Xayah or Shen early on, allowing that power spike in the late game.