Description
Subtracts a fixed amount from each instance of incoming damage. In the documented case (per the LoL Wiki's one explicit ordering statement) the flat amount comes off after Armor / Magic Resist, so it is compared to the already-resisted number, not the raw hit; whether every Set 17 source follows this exact ordering isn't stated as a single generalized rule. Because the reduction is flat rather than percent-based, an attack whose post-resist damage is below the threshold deals zero — distinct from Durability, which always lets some damage through. Set 17 sources are Jax's Counter Star-ike and Rammus's Astronaut Meep Bonus.
What enables Flat Damage Reduction (2)
Champions (2)
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Counter Star-ike Enter a defensive stance for 3 seconds, reducing incoming damage by 20 / 25 / 30 and gaining 400 / 450 / 500 Shield. When the stance ends, strike all nearby enemies, dealing magic damage and Stunning them for 1 / 1.25 / 1.5 second(s). -
Gravitational Spin Gain 675 / 825 / 2000 shield for 4 seconds. Then, strike enemies in a three hex line, dealing 50.5 / 75.75 / 711 magic damage. Meep Bonus: Reduce the damage of incoming attacks by ? . After being attacked 20 times, deal magic damage in a two hex radius.
What scales with Flat Damage Reduction (2)
Champions (2)
Refine champions…
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Counter Star-ike Enter a defensive stance for 3 seconds, reducing incoming damage by 20 / 25 / 30 and gaining 400 / 450 / 500 Shield. When the stance ends, strike all nearby enemies, dealing magic damage and Stunning them for 1 / 1.25 / 1.5 second(s). -
Gravitational Spin Gain 675 / 825 / 2000 shield for 4 seconds. Then, strike enemies in a three hex line, dealing 50.5 / 75.75 / 711 magic damage. Meep Bonus: Reduce the damage of incoming attacks by ? . After being attacked 20 times, deal magic damage in a two hex radius.
Frequently asked questions
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What is flat damage reduction in TFT, and how is it different from Durability?
Flat damage reduction subtracts a fixed amount from each incoming hit, while Durability is a percent multiplier on incoming damage. The TFT wiki describes the flat shape as units who "block a flat amount of damage from all sources." Durability scales with hit size — a percent source saves the same fraction of a small or large hit — while flat reduction saves the same absolute number regardless. That makes flat reduction disproportionately strong against many small hits and weaker against a few large ones. Multiple Durability sources stack multiplicatively.
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Can flat damage reduction actually reduce an attack to zero damage?
Yes. The TFT wiki confirms that when a hit is fully blocked, "no damage was dealt" is a real outcome — blocked damage "will generate mana, even if no damage was dealt." The catch: flat reduction in the documented case applies after Armor and Magic Resist, so the flat amount is compared to the already-mitigated number, not the raw hit. A small post-resist tick can land at 0; a large post-resist spike will only be shaved. No general minimum-1-damage floor on unit-vs-unit combat damage is documented in TFT.
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Does flat damage reduction apply before or after Armor and Magic Resist?
The TFT wiki's one explicit ordering statement says the flat block "is applied after the damage has been reduced by armor and magic resistance" — resistances mitigate the raw hit first, then the flat subtraction comes off the remainder. This makes flat reduction disproportionately effective when paired with high resistances against many small hits, and nearly invisible against a single very large hit. Whether every flat-DR source in TFT follows this exact ordering isn't stated as a single generalized wiki rule, so treat post-resistance ordering as the documented case.
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Does flat damage reduction reduce true damage or percent-max-Health Burn ticks?
No. The TFT wiki states bluntly that "True damage ignores resistances (armor and magic resistance), damage reduction, and damage amplification" — the "damage reduction" clause covers both percent-multiplier and flat-block effects. Burn in TFT is defined on the wiki as true damage based on a percentage of the target's maximum Health per second, so flat reduction doesn't shave anything off a Burn tick either. That makes true-damage and percent-max-Health Burn sources the standard answer to a stacked flat-DR or high-resistance frontline.
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Do multiple sources of flat damage reduction stack additively?
In principle, flat reductions sum — two "−5" sources behave as "−10" on each incoming hit. This contrasts with percent-based Durability, which stacks multiplicatively (two 50% layers cap near 75% total, not 100%). In practice, the question is mostly hypothetical: stacking two distinct flat-reduction sources on the same unit is rare in current TFT, since trait-, ability-, and item-based flat layers usually don't co-occur on one carrier. Treat additive stacking as the mental model, not as a routinely realized state.
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Does a unit still generate Mana on an attack that flat damage reduction fully blocks?
Yes — both sides. The TFT Mana page notes that basic attacks "generate mana on-attack, even if the triggering attack misses or is parried," so the attacker still banks role-based mana (10 for Assassins/Marksmen/Fighters, 7 for Casters, 5 for Tanks) whether the hit lands or not. On the defender side, the documented flat-block trait specifies that "all damage that is blocked will generate mana, even if no damage was dealt." Tank damage-taken mana is percentage-based and scales with the post-mitigation damage that did land.
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Is flat damage reduction stronger against many small hits or against single big hits?
Many small hits, by the math. A fixed subtraction is a larger fraction of a small hit than of a large one — a −5 layer is half of a 10-damage auto but a sliver of a 500-damage burst. This isn't a Riot-stated rule, just a property of subtractive vs. percent-multiplier defenses: flat reduction shines against fast multi-hit or chip-style damage, while percent-based Durability holds up better against single burst spikes. Pair both layers if you want a unit durable across damage profiles.
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Does flat damage reduction affect spell and ability damage, or only auto-attacks?
It depends on the tooltip's exact wording. A flat layer described as covering "damage from all sources" applies to autos, abilities, item ticks — everything. A flat layer worded "reduce the damage of incoming attacks" applies only to basic attacks, since TFT tooltip convention reserves "attack" for basic / auto-attacks while ability hits get called spell or ability damage. Always read the tooltip — the scope difference can shift a flat-DR unit from a broad mitigator to one that only blunts auto chip.