I'd like to also once more reiterate that teamfight tactics is incredibly addictive and can sometimes consume your life especially in search of that mystical first-place finish. I ended up finally ending on a high note allowing me to do other things, but it took some effort and an incredible amount of luck.
Basically, you start the game with 100 HP.
While I didn't try to lose, I also didn't try to win...so got a very very solid losing streak going. (Which to be fair, is a valid economic strategy especially with the carousel comeback mechanic where last place gets first pick.) Except once I did start to win...I still was losing. With one lucky carousel pickup which I only barely managed to get, and with the others not valuing spatulas when I knew that was the item I needed to get, and with just the right enough items to begin to get a fed team comp, and just the right rolls...
...At five HP, I started winning again.
And winning.
And winning.
I had 5 HP with 8 people alive, dead last place. I permanently got first pick on the carousel because nobody was lower than me in HP--except my team comp was ridiculously good. Runaan's on Aurelian Sol (not sure how effective that was), Phantom Dancer on Aurelian Sol (mostly an anti-assassin measure; not sure it did any good beyond that), and three items on Nidalee (bloodthirster, rageblade, and that yellow sword item which gives crits) and getting plenty of my units to T2 and a T3 Nidalee gave me a win where I took down players that had over 50 HP and plenty of time to change/perfect their team comp.
To be fair.
A bad RNG and I'd have been screwed. The game, even after all team comps are finalized and there's no minion waves to get items from and there's no carousel to be had for too long. Just from fight to fight. Relies on RNG a lot. You can fight the same person twice with neither of you changing a thing. No upgrades, no swaps, no changed positioning, nothing different at all. And get two different outcomes to the fight.
But fortunately I didn't get a bad RNG matchup and won every match, even though some were down to my last unit. Down to my last unit, where one hit from anything would kill me instantly.
I pulled it off and was like, "Well. Nothing's gonna top that today." And decided I'd better end it on a high note right then and there.