Meta Teams and Archetypes

This guide has been created by awesome21snake. If you have any feedback about the guide, catch him on our Discord!

In Arena, attackers are insanely favored to win. If both the attacker and defender are within CP range of each other, have all relevant Nikkes available, and have investments on all the important PvP Nikkes, if the attacker loses the matchup, it is 100% due to lack of sufficient knowledge about countering PvP teams (except in rare cases of rocket whiffing or known bugs). Even if you have one very strong team, attackers can make 2 attack teams instead of 3 and skip 1 of your defense teams to win easily, since that one strong team probably used up a lot of the Meta Nikkes. The following Team Archetypes can usually beat almost all of the existing defense setups:

• Scarlet + Jackal
• Biscuit + Anis:SS (or Biscuit + Alice)

These teams are so insanely strong that we, as of Tia Recruitment Banner, do not have the units available to build 3 defense setups countering any of these 2 types of teams completely.

There are also additional attacking setups that are important to point out. These possible alternatives (or used in conjunction) to the already listed 2 mega teams include:

• Use of Privaty's stun in: Privaty + Anis:SS or Privaty + Clip SG.
• Use of Rosanna to counter Jackal-link or 2B.
• 2B or Maiden nuke setups to save Scarlet for another round.
• Use of Makima to counter SG teams or Alice.
• Use of fast Power setups to nuke relatively slow, non revive, solo B3 comps.
• Use of Emma to counter Machine Guns.

Key Attacking Strategy if possible without CP deficit:

If there is no Nikke on P2, the burst gen of the defending team’s RL is 2× instead of 4×, and hence the defending team’s burst gen is greatly reduced. Therefore, on the premise of there being no CP penalty, you can use this method of not having a p2 Nikke, running a 4v5, and win against high-speed teams with multiple RL. If there is a CP Penalty, this strategy is strongly discouraged.

As explained in SP Attack In A Nutshell, if you wanted to take someone's spot, the easiest way usually is to do so is by using the following two teams:

• Scarlet Jackal one of their team setups,
• Biscuit SAnis or Biscuit Alice one of the other ones.

In other words, the two most threatening teams to a defense setup are Scarlet Jackal and Biscuit SAnis. However, it will quickly become apparent that Scarlet Jackal is basically impossible to account for. Scarlet Jackal simply has far too many permutations to ever dream of countering on just one team, let alone three! Therefore, you should never try to counter Scarlet Jackal specifically. It is far more fruitful to try and counter Biscuit SAnis on three different teams instead.

Fortunately, if you manage to counter Biscuit SAnis, you'll counter the large majority of alternative teams in the process.

This is the basis on which the meta defense, as of Tia Recruitment Banner, is based on. We will now move on to discuss the current Meta Team Archetypes, listing teams, how they work against opponents, and how they may be countered.

• SG = Clip SG ideally.
• B2/B3/Flex = B2/B3 or Any Burst type unit with Good/High Burst Gen ideally.
• B1 = B1s listed in ‘“Not” a Tier List’ ideally.
• xAnne, xRupee = Anne: Miracle Fairy, Rupee:Winter Shopper.
• SMary, SAnis = Mary: Bay Goddess, Anis: Sparkling Summer
• Specialist usage is only for the teams they are mentioned in ideally.

Thanks again to cleancascade for his insane contributions in this article

To have a general idea on how to counter meta teams, check out Keripo's PvP Meta Countering video:

2RL Scarlet Jackal

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Or

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Flex

SG

The fastest Scarlet team in the meta. Standard teams are 3RL, so this team can nuke the vast majority of teams before they access their B1. The first variant with XAnne is most common. The clip SG versions are particularly weak to Jackal comps, but free up many valuable units while still demanding Jackal to counter it. Putting Jackal in P1 is ideal since it means the opponent might whiff when they fight it.

How to beat: If you're fighting the XAnne variant, mirror it with Noah or Blanc (with quantum cubes) as your main B2. Double clip SG version should die to most Scarlet Jackal comps. Another answer that saves your Scarlet is a 2.5RL speed full RL team with Noise (e.g. Noise Power/Laplace/Harran Noah Centi Jackal). This team should be able to block 2RL speed Nukes with Noise followed by shielding up with Noah, and then you win from there. 2RL Alice comps which block the Scarlet nuke Noah, or indom your Alice with Blanc, also win easily against this comp. There are some counters involving SAnis which can win against low level Scarlet S2s, which may involve the use of Blanc (SAnis Blanc Centi Anis Jackal).

2.5RL Scarlet Blanc Jackal

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Burst 1

Fast team that aims to get indom onto Scarlet ASAP, then Scarlet drops a boosted nuke on the opponent. Even if Scarlet is blocked / the opponent nukes you back, Blanc's indom will keep Scarlet in the fight. You can think of this team as a less glass-cannon version of 2RL Scarlet nuke. This team can still reach 2RL through Jackal feed or quantum cube. Anis goes into P3 so that she's least likely to steal indom from Scarlet. This is a lot more threatening than XAnne 2RL.

How to beat: Any stall-heavy 3RL Noise Noah Jackal comp should be able to beat this fine. RLs are good options since they don't feed and won't get evaporated by Scarlet S2. 2RL Noah Scar Jackal might also work if it blocks Scarlet. The 2RL version of this comp (due to quantum cube) can be beaten by using 2RL Noah Alice, since Noah blocks Scarlet, and Alice starts killing opponents from P5. Defending Scarlet is P1 or P2 because you need Indom on scarlet. Since Scarlet has indomitability and not invincibility, the Jackal linked Nikkes will suffer at the hands of Alice.

2.5RL Scarlet Pepper Jackal

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Although this is a 2.5RL team, it essentially functions as a 2RL team unless the opponent uses all RL/SR against it. This is another fast nuke comp that's a bit cheaper. Pepper also buffs Scarlet, which is nice. If you're able to link XAnne instead of Pepper, this team becomes significantly stronger.

How to beat: This has more weaknesses than the 2RL comp--both 2RL and some 3RL Scarlet Jackal comps can beat this setup since Pepper will trigger many Scarlet S2 procs along with Jackal S1 procs.

3RL Scarlet Jackal

You can fit many things into this setup, so I won't bother covering them all. These teams are not as imposing as the 2-2.5RL setups, but they are still difficult to fight without using Jackal. Use if you want more freedom for your other two teams to trick the opponent.

Burst 1

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B1

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AKA classic comp. Broken in rookie, nothing changes in SP. Issue is your other two teams will suffer hard if you use this. Can substitute SMary/Frima for a ghetto version of classic comp, but it won't be nearly as strong.

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A weaker version of classic comp. This is basically a 2.5RL comp if Jackal is fed, so this team is quite fast and can fight many Scarlet Jackal setups.

How to beat: The highest success rate against these comps is by using Rosanna’s specialist ability to remove Jackal link, which will come in clutch against this team. Noise Rosanna SAnis Biscuit Jackal, where Noise and SAnis are linked to Jackal should win 9 times out of 10 against this team. Remember to upgrade Rosanna’s S1 to lvl 4 to dispel opponent’s Jackal link. Another way to beat this might involve some RNG, but it does work effectively. Blanc/Noah Biscuit Rapunzel Alice Maxwell/Flex or Blanc Alice Rapunzel Biscuit Flex is a 3.5-4RL team that works on the basis of Rapunzel surviving Scarlet’s slash and Blanc/Noah getting Immunity because of Biscuit. Maxwell also needs to survive if you’re running her. Usually, an invested Rapunzel will survive unless she gets crit-ed by Scarlet’s burst. Alice dies to Scarlet slash but is revived by Rapunzel, who will start blasting and kill everyone in the opponent team. These teams are known as Super-Alice teams.

Other examples of 3RL Scarlet Jackal

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Stall comp that aims to make Scarlet unkillable for ~10s. Can also lose to 2RL nuke comps. Folk version loses to Biscuit Noah setups, but is a super cost-effective knowledge check otherwise. Blanc version is a bit harder to fight, but is more expensive.

Burst 3

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Cheap 3RL Scarlet XAnne nuke if you don't use Noise for protection. Limits feeding against Jackal, so it can outspeed many teams that do feed it. Still loses to 2RL Scarlet variants.

Team #1

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Popular stall comp that is often paired with 2RL Scarlet XAnne. The SAnis version is particularly nasty to fight. Even if you do kill Noise before she can burst, Rapunzel will just revive her. Same applies if you use Power to snipe the B3. This is one of the best teams to use if you CP gap the opponent, since this team becomes unbeatable if the opponent gets stat penaltied.

How to beat: Blanc SAnis stall runs over this team, especially the Alice version. Otherwise, a faster, strong Scarlet nuke that one shots Rapunzel will guarantee victory.

Team #2

Burst 2

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Burst 1

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Stall comp that has insane offensive capability. Blanc buffed SAnis is arguably the best stall-breaker that isn't Scarlet Blanc, so once this team gets to full burst, it probably will just win. Blanc will often indom Biscuit even if she does die and get revived, so your P3~P5 is basically untouchable without an AoE nuke. Nero/Makima won't pack as much firepower, but are viable alternatives if you want to save Blanc for another team. Privaty slows the team down which makes Noah less effective as a counter. Maiden speeds the team up and puts immense pressure on their P5, but requires Burst at level 9 for SAnis. Both versions are viable as a defense team.

How to beat: SAnis, Privaty, and Maiden are all hard countered by Scarlet Jackal, so that's the simplest way to beat this team. Scarlet Blanc will also beat SAnis, especially if she doesn’t get indom by Blanc.

Team #3

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Flex

Flex

The OG Biscuit comp. Flex spot can be anything from Noir to buff Alice, Maiden to take advantage of SAnis S1, Laplace for more splash damage, or Centi/Anis for more speed. This team becomes 3RL with Centi/Anis, but you'll need a Quantum cube if you're using Alice. SAnis variant is stronger if she's Burst 9.

How to beat: Alice's version loses to P1 Defender/Taunt with Biscuit, or the SAnis Blanc comp mentioned above. Scarlet nuke also wins if Rapunzel is killed before she can revive, or just generally to a faster Scarlet Jackal since SAnis can die to Scarlet S2.

Team #4

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A cost-effective Scarlet stall comp that doesn't use Jackal. This is a 3RL team with low feed, so it can actually fight 3RL Scarlet Jackal comps pretty well. This comp is strong both offensively and defensively, so it will beat the large majority of non-Jackal teams.

How to beat: 2RL Scarlet Jackal comps will win if Rapunzel is one shot. Fast SAnis Noah comps can also beat this team comfortably, since Scarlet will just get nuked by SAnis S2 as soon as Noah shield wears off.

Team #5

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Flex

Flex

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SG

This team abuses Biscuit's kit to the fullest. Biscuit's burst is a powerful ATK buff + life-steal hybrid for supporters, which synergizes perfectly with SAnis. SAnis will become pseudo invincible during burst due to how much damage she pumps out, while the B1 Defender protects the rest of the team via taunt. Ludmilla is the safest option due to her long and continuous taunt. XRupee synergizes heavily with SAnis, and can also allow for Pepper to burst if she's your SG of choice. The flex spot can be Anis/Centi if you want to make this team 3RL, which IMO is scarier to fight than the slower variants with Privaty. Maiden pairs well with SAnis too.

How to beat: It's SAnis, so Scarlet Jackal will eat this alive. You can also mirror this team using Noise instead of a flex/SG, and this allows you to beat this team at its own game since your SAnis will outheal the opponent. Privaty can make a special appearance here as well perhaps. SAnis won’t be able to self heal while she is stunned, so a Privaty+SAnis comp can possibly beat this comp as well.

Team #6

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A better version of the team described above. However, it crucially needs Quantum cubes for more speed. Base speed is 4RL. With 2 lvl3 quantum cubes on Noise/Biscuit and Anis, it becomes 3.5RL. With 3 lvl7 quantum cubes, it becomes a 3RL, and hence becomes extremely viable as a defense team. Noise blocks AoE, Ludmilla has a permanent long taunt and is invincible, Biscuit gives SAnis insane self heal capability and ATK buff, which Noise also benefits from.

How to beat: Again, it’s SAnis, so Scarlet Jackal will eat this alive. Quantum 7 is an extremely expensive requirement, so you might not even need Jackal. 2.5-3RL nukes will easily be able to beat this team since SAnis dies before Noise bursts.

Team #1

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Flex

Flex

SG

AKA Superalice. This team is basically a nuclear bomb waiting to happen. If Alice is killed and revived by Rapunzel, she will absolutely destroy the opposing team due to Blanc buff. The flex is often Noir, but just about anyone can work since this is basically a 4-man team. SAnis cannot replace Alice effectively in this team, since her higher base HP makes it harder for Blanc to indom her (notably an issue against Scarlet nuke).

How to beat: As usual, Alice can be countered by Defender P1+Biscuit comp. Rapunzel can also be sniped by Scarlet to guarantee a victory. SAnis Blanc stall will also win against this, since Alice will just be hunted down repeatedly.

Team #2

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B3

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B2

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Flex

Flex

Generalized team setup that usually will end up as 3RL. The idea is that you sell off your main DPS in P1, then revive them with Rapunzel. Blanc/XAnne/Folkwang/Poli then buffs them to create your win condition. Good B3 options include Scarlet, Maiden, or non-RL/SR to avoid target skipping. Blanc and XAnne create the most threat. Folkwang is a good knowledge-check. This comp is great in conjunction with a Scarlet Jackal team + a Biscuit setup.

How to beat: If the B3 is an AoE nuker, using Noah to block them will greatly increase your chances of winning. 3RL Noah Biscuit comps in general are good options against this setup. Scarlet Jackal setups will also blow this comp up, but you will want to bring some sort of defense against AoE nuke if Scarlet is the B3.

Team #3

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B3

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Flex

Flex

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This team uses Viper as a sacrifice, then revives her with XAnne while buffing your main B3. This team works best with AoE B3s like Maiden, Harran, or Scarlet. Great T3 option since it doesn't conflict with many T1/T2 setups, and is probably the strongest Maiden/Harran comp that doesn't use Jackal. Requires heavy B3 investment for best results.

How to beat: Scarlet Jackal runs it over, especially if you bring Maxwell/Alice as a flex to soften up Noise for a guaranteed one-shot. This team also banks on you killing Viper early, so slow Alice/SAnis teams that can survive the nuke will do well, especially if you manage to cut XAnne off to reduce their threat.

Team #4

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B3

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Requires Quantum Relic cube on Centi & Rapunzel. An expensive but stacked team that comfortably fights most non-Jackal comps. Noise acts as the main tank, while Blanc buffs the team and will indom whoever is catching the most heat (usually Noise or Scarlet). Rapunzel serves as backup and will revive Noise if she does die before burst. This is a nuke team with a nasty catch, and it will absolutely crush slow teams that challenge it. Faster SAnis/Alice comps generally have to sacrifice longevity for speed, which makes Blanc's indom even more problematic for them to deal with.

How to beat: Scarlet Jackal is the main solution. A stacked Jackal Alice comp with Noah will work if set up correctly. Blanc SAnis also stands a good chance of winning against this since no Jackal link.

Team #1

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Flex

Flex

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B3

Flex

Flex

Burst 1

General team format. The first flex is often going to be a B2 who won't conflict. P2 is the most vulnerable spot in a Makima team, so that unit is the easiest to kill via RL splash. After that, you just need a threatening B3. SAnis fits the bill the most, but you may want to ensure the team is 3RL if you use her. Power and Pepper can also be used if you reorder the team or omit Noise.

How to beat: The usual counter to Makima is just Scarlet Jackal. Since these comps are using leftover units, specific unit counters apply. It just depends on who the B3 is (ex: Power will lose to revive, shotgun/Privaty can be Biscuit'd, etc).

Team #2

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Flex

Flex

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Flex

SG

Or

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Flex

SG

AKA Shotgun Privaty & an example of the above team format. Again, P2 is vulnerable, but it can be Anis for speed or just another SG (move Privaty to P2 if it's a B3 SG). The SGs will pressure the opponent's P5 at first, but the whole team will target P1 during stun in most cases. This can catch people who aren't well-versed in stun mechanics off-guard. Makima buys you time for you to set up Privaty stun for a win condition. The Jackal version puts far more pressure onto the opponent.

How to beat: There are a few easy answers to this. Generally top tier teams will win, such as Jackal comps. Defender X Biscuit X Defender is also strong if you can secure your win-condition before burst comes out. However, the best answer is just B3 X Biscuit X Blanc. Biscuit guards Blanc in your P5, while Blanc guards your P1 with indom. This gives full protection against the team as long as you Blanc burst before Privaty stun. Against the Jackal variant, this is a bit harder since speed is more of a factor.

Team #3

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Flex

Flex

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B3

Flex

SG

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Flex

Stall team that makes use of Noise/Noah if you're using Blanc Biscuit + 2RL Scarlet. You will absolutely want this to be a 3RL comp. SAnis works best as the B3, but Alice can work as well. Noir is a great flex option here. Pepper is used to ensure your burst goes through even if Noise dies. The order needs to change if you spend Anis/Centi here--usually Noah will end up in P1-P2. If you're running Noise + Pepper, you can opt for Scarlet here as well.

How to beat: Again, specific unit counters apply here since this is a general team setup. Noise can be rushed down by shotgun spam if she's unlucky. Generic strong teams like Alice/SAnis or Scarlet Jackal will likely win.

Team #4

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Flex

SG

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AKA Shotgun Alice. The concept behind this team is simple: Alice puts pressure on the opponent's P1, while the SGs put pressure on their P5. Noah buys time for the team to safely shoot at the opponent since it doesn't have a healer. Using XAnne instead gives you a higher threat, but makes the team far more vulnerable to Noah. The two optimal SGs for this are Noir + Drake, but Drake can be replaced by whoever your strongest SG is. The usual Alice counters are hard to use against this team because P1 is not the only position being focused down. The team is also capable of reaching 2-2.5RL depending on how much Jackal gets fed.

How to beat: Scarlet Jackal is the best way to combat this team, since it relies heavily on double SG to do its job. If you want to go the Biscuit route, you will likely need to use something like Blanc SAnis Biscuit X Defender--the idea being that Blanc indoms your P5 taunt defender so that they can survive long enough for SAnis to solo the opponent. Noah Alice Biscuit Jackal is also a good option, and can probably win without Jackal if tweaked properly.

Team #5

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B2

Flex

Flex

Flex

Flex

General team setup. Buffed 2B Burst to have as a 3rd team setup. Flex can be SGs to put pressure on the opponent to block both 2B AoE and SG onslaught from P5. Can be used in attack as well since 2B hits Jackal link very hard. Example: 2B Jackal SG SG Noah.

How to beat: 2B is hard countered by Rosanna, who removes 2B’s self ATK Buff which 2B gets from her skill 2. Also hard countered by Noah since 2B’s AoE is blocked. Also hard countered by Biscuit+Ludmilla/Nero, due to the nature of how distributed damage works. If distributed damage targets a Nikke while it is Invincible, it will do no damage.

Team #6

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B1

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Powerful SAnis counter, mostly used in attack, can be used as 3rd team perhaps. Blanc will indom Noir while Biscuit protects 2B. B1 can be Noise to buff 2B, Pepper to nuke highest ATK, or just a Burst gen filler like Pascal.

How to beat: By using Rosanna, Noah or Biscuit+Ludmilla, as describe in the previous guide.

Team #7

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B3

Flex

SG

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P1 is safe due to immunity from Biscuit. B3 can be Maiden for nuke or Power to snipe someone. Pepper helps Power to snipe Highest ATK Nikke.

How to beat: SAnis should be able to beat this with ease. Power can be countered by using Rapunzel or xAnne to revive the B3 after it dies. Makima can block P5 against this team to block Poli, Pepper and other SGs.

SG Comps

Shotgun teams were used a lot in old meta, but are quite restricted to use in the new meta. However, they are still an excellent choice for 3rd teams that anyone can use. How to beat: Usually, Makima is enough to keep them in place, but Jackal comps are also highly effective due to the high amounts of feed that SGs give.

Examples:

Team #1

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Flex

SG

Burst 1

Very basic fast Maiden nuke. Blanc is protected by Biscuit, and buffs Maiden’s burst. Meanwhile since it is an SG comp, it pressures P5 as well.

Team #2

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Burst 1

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B2

Flex

SG

Flex

SG

Or

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Flex

SG

Burst 2

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Flex

Flex

Simple old Privaty Revive strat stun setups. Can allow SGs to target skip from Makima blocking them in P5, but is heavily RNG based. Regardless, it counters the general non meta teams extremely well.

Team #3

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B2

Flex

SG

Flex

SG

Flex

SG

Noise blocks the AoE, and then the SGs unload everything into the enemy team. Nothing else to really say about this.

Team #4

Burst 2

Burst 2

B2

Burst 3

SG

Flex

SG

Burst 1

Makima saves P1 while Privaty or SG charge Burst Gen. Privaty can stun, otherwise use of Maiden for nuke.

Team #5

Burst 2

Flex

SG

Flex

SG

Burst 1

Burst 2

Very strong team 3 for both defense and attack. Alice focuses P1/P5 and SGs target P5/P1 depending on whether you are defending or attacking respectively. Puts pressure on the opponent to block both P5 and P1 positions, along with Noah blocking AoE, hence giving survivability. Probably the strongest SG team setup.

I hope this article gave you something to think about, or helped you win your attacks against or successfully defend against your opponents in your PvP bracket. I thank cleancascade again for his hard work in helping me put out this insane How-to-Meta in PvP guide. As you must have realized by now, Scarlet Jackal is probably countering everything and anything that came in front of it. It is insanely strong and we think it is best to just not think about countering very fast Scarlet comps. Instead, we believe it is more fruitful if we try to counter other existing comps, such as Biscuit+SAnis/Alice, relatively slower Scarlet comps, 2B’s AoE, Power’s single target nuke etc. The most important of which is Biscuit+SAnis, which was kept in mind when we worked towards the ‘current meta’.

We currently believe that there just aren’t enough “PvP Nikkes” as of Tia Recruitment Banner to make PvP an extremely tough section. Attackers just have too big of an advantage over Defenders, and the only way to make it interesting at this point is if the Attacker lacks critical meta Nikkes. The best defense for now is simply if you manage to CP Gap your opponents. However, it never hurts to try finding the perfect defense. I hope this guide helped you to understand what to look out for in PvP team building. Join us in the Nikke Community Discord or Prydwen’s Discord Server if you would like to discuss PvP directly with us!

It has been a long journey since I started making these guides, but I believe this is all. This is awesome21snake, signing out!