Ranked Gameplay Guide
These strategies are based on high-level ranked play. They can also work in lower tiers, although lower-tier games may make more in-battle scaling strategies viable.
These tips apply to Ranked. Extended and Casual modes are not considered.
Early Game
The early game is primarily about choosing between tempo and scaling.
Tempo vs. Scaling
Tempo mons are picked to win rounds immediately but may be less useful later. Stingarde is an example of a tempo mon.
Scaling mons are picked early less for winning rounds and more for developing into stronger units later. Scorchimp is an example of a scaling mon, as the goal is to reach Level 3 and scale.
A mon’s role can change depending on your trainer. For example, Mosslug is normally a tempo mon, but with Swim Coach it becomes more of a scaling mon, and you want to reach Level 3 as quickly as possible.
Early Item Decisions
If you get a good item early, consider going for an early Day 1 win. A Day 1 victory can snowball into a Day 2 win.
Examples of good early items include:
- Evolve Stone
- Coupon
- Voucher
If you do not have a good item, it can often be better to either roll for scaling mons depending on your trainer or save most of your money.
Days 1 and 2 are fairly similar. You can choose either the scaling or tempo route, depending on your trainer and what the game provides.
Common Early Game Mons
| Mon | Rating | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Venopuff | Decent | Tempo |
| Velosect | Good | Tempo/Scaling |
| Stingarde | Decent | Tempo |
| Bumblebolt | Decent | Tempo/Scaling |
| Dribblet | Bad | Scaling |
| Guardiant | Special | Scaling |
| Joltail | Decent | Tempo |
| Magmite | Decent | Scaling |
| Mosslug | Good | Tempo |
| Panbud | Bad | Scaling |
| Pebbler | Bad | Tempo |
| Scorchimp | Good | Scaling |
| Spinarai | Bad | Tempo |
Guardiant has a Special rating because he is usually only good in one specific strategy, although that strategy is quite strong.
A mon rated Bad or rated lower than another mon is not necessarily unusable. Items and trainers can significantly affect the value of a mon, so always factor them into the decision.
Trainer-Specific Early Game Priorities
| Trainer | Early Game Approach |
|---|---|
| Monster Ranger | Go for tempo and early wins because you have an advantage with an Uncommon. |
| Bug Catcher | Can often go tempo with the free bug, but can also go scaling with Guardiant. |
| Chef | Go for scaling with Monkey. With the passive, you can also play tempo while doing this if you get Magmites. |
| Chemist | It is acceptable to take early losses because the passive scales strongly. |
| Egg Breeder | The recommendation is uncertain. The suggested approach is tempo because she gets a Super Rare early. |
| Gamer | The recommendation is uncertain. The suggested approach is tempo to try to survive until Day 9. |
| Rich Lady | Depends heavily on what you see. Decide between tempo and scaling on the spot. |
| Lucky Girl | No firm recommendation. |
| Scientist | Use tempo to survive until Day 7, or go scaling in the mid game for Shoga/Cinder. This is always a gamble. |
| Masked Man | The suggested approach is tempo. |
| Musician | Go tempo. |
| Redhead | The recommendation is uncertain. The suggested approach is scaling with Monkeys and Magmites. You may lose Days 1 and 2, but mid-game Fire can become strong. |
| Swim Coach | Go scaling and look for Mosslugs. Dribblets are not necessary unless an item influences the decision. |
| Trinket Hunter | Typically go scaling with Scorchimp, although tempo is also possible. |
| Youngster | Use rerolls to find a good item for tempo. Scaling has not been tested much. |
Events
Events happen on Days 3, 6, and 9, or, alternatively, at the end of Days 2, 5, and 8.
The Day 3 event can be Dragon’s Nest, Bug Collector, or Rainbow Berry.
Dragon’s Nest
Dragon’s Nest offers:
- Dragon Egg
- Hero Sword for +12 damage
- $20
At a high level, taking the Dragon Egg slows you down immediately because you miss the opportunity to take one of the other options. It is usually not worth taking the gamble on the egg.
The Hero Sword is a good tempo option if you have multi-hits and fast attackers.
The $20 is primarily a scaling option that can be used to buy mons you need.
Bug Collector
Bug Collector offers:
- Level 2 Guardiant
- Gildshell
- Brawlmantis
Level 2 Guardiant has $23 of sell value and can also be used in the strong Hyperbug strategy.
If you need immediate cash, such as for Level 3 Mosslug or Level 3 Sunsage, Guardiant can be a useful choice.
Gildshell provides delayed cash. It gives $30 after 1 day, or more if you wait longer. This is the option taken most often.
Brawlmantis is the tempo option for closing out the early game. It is also useful for Scientist when pursuing a multicast Legendary.
Rainbow Berry
Rainbow Berry offers:
- Make a mon shiny
- Take the berry
- $20
When considering the shiny option, think about how useful the shiny mon will be.
Good shiny options include:
- Velosect
- Shogapede
- Frizzly
- Stingarde
Stingarde is primarily a tempo pick.
If you do not have a good mon to make shiny, do not choose this option.
The berry typically provides 12+ damage, making it a tempo option.
The $20 is primarily a scaling option for getting the mons you need.
Mid Game
The mid game is where you reach Uncommons and Rares and is one of the most important parts of the game.
If you were scaling during the early game, this is when you should start trying to turn that scaling into wins. If you were playing tempo, try to maintain your wins.
This is also where many build paths become available. You should develop a solid build based on the options presented to you.
In the mid game, there is an additional category of mons: utility mons. They can help boost your other mons or help you obtain the mons you need.
Uncommon Mon Evaluations
| Mon | Rating | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Electranade | Good | Tempo |
| Frizzly | Decent | Tempo |
| Gildshell | Good | Utility |
| Noxnimbus | Bad | Tempo |
| Plunderbird | Bad | Utility |
| Puffloon | Good | Utility/Tempo |
| Pyronade | Decent | Tempo |
| Shogapede | Good | Scaling |
| Toretress | Decent | Tempo |
| Craghorn | Good | Scaling |
| Cinderfly | Good | Scaling |
| Brawlmantis | Bad | Tempo |
| Berroon | Good | Utility |
| Boomagon | Bad/Decent | Scaling |
Boomagon is usually bad unless you are using it with Craghorn. Craghorn can reliably set up a shield and has a low base cooldown, allowing it to benefit greatly from Boomagon.
Boomagon may be more useful in lower-tier games, but at higher tiers you cannot reliably rely on in-battle scaling.
Puffloon is classified as Utility/Tempo because it needs to be paired with something else and primarily boosts the attacks of other mons.
Uncommon Strategies
Craghorn
Craghorn’s scaling is strong when supported by Berroons.
Ways to improve Craghorn include:
- Berroons for support
- Boomagon to reduce its cooldown
- Dracana to charge it
- Dryadell to retrigger it
Berroon
Berroon is a strong utility mon even when it is not paired with Craghorn.
It can provide additional resources and opportunities through:
- Gambling chips for extra income
- Battery packs
- Chilis for battle boosts
- Focus pills
- Free rerolls from the trinket
- Tickets that provide more chances to see a desired mon
Hyperbug
Hyperbug uses Shogapede, Cinderfly, or both.
The strategy is particularly effective with:
- Chemist
- Bug Catcher
- Monster Ranger
Do not try Hyperbug for the first time in Ranked. Try it in Casual first to learn how the strategy plays.
On Monster Ranger, if you get a good Uncommon roll, there is no need to use Hyperbug. If you do not get a good Uncommon, you can use the Uncommon as early tempo and sell it later to generate income for the strategy.
Hyperbug Core
The basic strategy is to buy Shogapede and/or Cinderfly, along with $10 bugs such as:
- Spinarai
- Bumblebolt
- Stingarde
These bugs are used to lower the cooldowns of Shogapede and Cinderfly.
Guardiant can also be used, although he is usually too expensive without Bug Catcher or the Bug Collector event.
When setting up a team with Shogapede, Cinderfly, and/or Guardiant, use only 4 team slots for these mons. Keep the remaining slots available for merging.
When buying the cheap bugs, do not sell them immediately. Keep them for a level-up that can provide a trinket.
Early Hyperbug Economy
Early in the strategy, prioritize Shady Contracts to keep your shop rank low. This allows you to get income while also finding cheap bugs more easily.
Victory Cups provide additional income for buying bugs on following days.
If you do not have at least 3 team slots filled, try to keep the shop at a 25% uncommon chance.
You need to get Bug Net as soon as possible. This can be obtained through a Treasure Map into Uncommons or by upgrading your Shogapede/Cinderfly.
You also need to balance income from Victory Cups with team power from Fire Orbs and Toxic Orbs.
If your team is losing and lacks power, prioritize more Fire Orbs and Toxic Orbs.
One Fire Orb or Toxic Orb increases Hyperbug’s DPS by 50% from its base.
Transitioning to Damage
By approximately 7 or 8 wins, or around Day 10 or 11, you need to transition into damage.
At this point:
- Start taking Power Pouches instead of Victory Cups.
- After getting some Power Pouches, raise your shop rank enough to obtain Berroons.
- Try to keep the shop at the 25% uncommon chance.
- Start buying items that increase your team’s damage.
- Continue combining commons for additional Power Pouches or Victory Cups if needed, but keep damage in mind.
Hyperbug Trainer Variations
Chemist Hyperbug
Chemist has one of the easier Hyperbug variations.
The key setup is:
- 1 Level 2 Shogapede
- 1 Level 2 Puffloon
- 2 Level 1 Puffloons surrounding it
Guardiant is unnecessary for Chemist, although if you obtain him through the Bug Collector event, you can use him.
When leveling a mon to Level 2, keep it and only replace it if you run out of space. You may get lucky and merge it to Level 3, which can provide double passive value before being sold normally.
Chemist does not need to worry about getting Poison Orbs because her passive can handle the poison effect.
For trinkets, focus on getting a lot of money-generating options. By 7 wins, start taking Power Pouches for damage scaling.
A Level 3 Puffloon is not recommended. It provides less damage than keeping the Puffloons separate and is also more expensive.
You ideally want only one Shogapede to scale.
A Guardiant can be added, but it is not needed for Chemist.
If Shogapede reaches 0.1 seconds, additional multicast is wasted. This is another reason not to pursue a Level 3 Puffloon.
Bug Catcher Hyperbug
Warning: try this in Casual first.
The ideal setup is:
- 1 Guardiant
- 3 Cinderfly
If you get a Shogapede first, alternatives include:
- Guardiant + 3 Shogapede
- Guardiant + 2 Cinderfly + 1 Shogapede
Do not upgrade the core mons to Level 3. It is too expensive and reduces team power.
Puffloons are not needed for Bug Catcher Hyperbug because their base poison is too low.
Balance Orb investments with money generation. This balance requires experience with the strategy.
As with the other Hyperbug variations, transition to Power Pouches at around 7 wins or Day 10/11, then use Berroons to increase damage.
When to Force a Strategy and When to Pivot
Do not assume that every run will provide every piece required for a planned strategy.
When trying to force a strategy, take advantage of good options that the game provides.
For example, if you are playing Chemist and do not see Shogapede early, you can still take useful level-ups and poison options rather than immediately abandoning the strategy.
As Chef, you can usually try to force the Fire build. Its tempo can carry you to around 8 wins even without a strong build.
If you are playing a tempo-focused trainer and are not seeing tempo early, that is a problem, but there are still good options available.
For example, if you get a Day 2 Craghorn as Musician, it can still be worth taking even though it is a scaling mon.
Sometimes you will have to accept a loss, but you should still try to build something and mitigate the loss.
One example is a Chemist Shogapede run where no Shady Contracts appeared. Instead of abandoning the run, the strategy shifted toward increasing shop rank to look for Cobrex and Legendary trinkets to use with Shogapede and Puffloons. The result was weaker than regular Hyperbug but still worked.
Do not completely pivot just because you are not seeing exactly what you want. If you are already invested in a suboptimal Poison run and receive Galvanine from a loot box, for example, a complete pivot may not be worthwhile because too much has already been invested in the existing strategy.
Hyperbug Economy Timing
The typical time to start looking for Berroons is around 6 or 7 wins, or approximately Day 9 or 10.
Before buying Berroons, wait until you have at least 3 Power Pouches.
Items can usually be used immediately so that you have an extra team slot available for finding mons.
This applies to both Poison and Fire Hyperbug.
On Win 9, you can repeatedly buy and sell Berroons to use their items.
This can also be done on earlier wins if Berroon is taking too much merging space. Before Win 9, however, it is preferable to at least get the trinket from merging Berroon before selling it.
The reason for waiting until around Win 6 or 7 is primarily to protect your economy.
For example, on Win 5, taking a Victory Cup can provide $32 across the remaining 4 wins, at the cost of only $11 of bugs when using Bug Net.
Even on Win 6, it can still be worth taking the economic option for approximately $24 of value.
By Win 7, the remaining value is lower, so you should generally focus more on Power Pouches and Berroons.
If your team is weak, prioritize buffing it instead of greedily pursuing more economy. Determining whether the team is too weak requires experience with the strategy.
Duplicator Timing
If possible, try to keep a Duplicator until the end of Day 5 or Day 8.
This gives you a chance to duplicate valuable items such as:
- Gold Bar
- Gold-O-Matic
- Dryad Charm
Alternative Strategies
Treasure Hunter
Hyperbug is generally not the preferred strategy for Treasure Hunter.
A common alternative is a Monkey build using Berroon Chilis to increase burn, along with some early Fire Orbs.
For the later game:
- Level Rares for Super Rare trinkets.
- Aim for Echo Bell and Repeater Charm.
- Later, level Super Rares for Winged Crown or Legendary options when possible.
- If possible, use these to pursue Mythic trinkets.
Shock Bees
Another strategy is a standard Shock Bees Velosect build.
Use Berroon Battery Packs to increase Shock and pursue Echo Bells.
You can add Formiqueen during the mid game and Stellagon in the late game.
Choosing a Strategy
The strategy you pursue should generally be based on your trainer and what the game gives you.
Some trainer and strategy pairings mentioned as strong options are:
| Trainer | Suitable Strategy |
|---|---|
| Shopkeeper | Crag |
| Rich Lady | Crag |
| Bug Catcher | Hyperbug |
| Youngster | Ant |
| Swim Coach | Ant or Crag |
| Musician | Humboldt |
| Chef | Monkey into Humboldt |
| Monster Ranger | Can generally work with anything |
Monster Ranger is generally suitable for a wide range of strategies.
Trainer-specific preferences should not be treated as guarantees. The available mons and other options during the run still determine what strategy is practical.
Hyperbug After the New Patch
Hyperbug can still work after the new patch, but it is less consistent.
The strategy became less reliable because it no longer has Shady Contract.
Ant Build for Bug Catcher
For Bug Catcher, the Ant build is recommended as a more reliable alternative because Hyperbug no longer has Shady Contract.
The basic idea is similar to Hyperbug, but you need only approximately 1 Basic Bait or none.
The core approach is:
- Get a Level 3 Ant.
- Buy bugs to level them up.
- Sell the bugs to obtain economy trinkets.
- Reach the Rare tier.
- Buy Formiqueen, Cicadence, and other Rares for trinkets.
- Try to get Feathers for additional multi on Ant.
- Use Terrariums for damage.
- Use right-side boosts/watch options for cooldown reduction.
Be the first to comment