How Rallies Work
A rally is a team attack with one leader and many joiners. But not every joiner's skills count — knowing the limits keeps you from wasting your spot.
Only four joiners’ skills count — the four with the highest skill level — and only one skill each.
The leader picks 3 heroes
Whoever starts the rally uses a full three-hero formation — one of each troop type.
Joiners add their troops
Other players send troops until the leader's rally capacity is full, making one big combined army.
Only 4 joiners’ skills work: the highest-level ones
The game looks at the first War skill of each joiner’s first hero and uses the four with the highest skill level. If levels are tied, the joiner earlier in the battle order wins, and “First in Battle” can move you up. Every other joiner adds troops only — no skills.
So max your lead hero’s first War skill
A maxed first War skill is what gets you in; joining early only helps when skill levels are tied. On an attack, put an attack-focused hero in your lead slot — a defensive hero's skill won't help much in an attack. Also pick a hero the leader isn’t already using, since the leader already has that hero’s skills. Briefing 09 lists exactly who to bring.
Two joiners with the same skill
The first keeps 100% of its effect, and every copy after it keeps 66% for the whole battle (the report shows the cut in red). Two different +25% boosts are worth more than the same boost twice.
Formations & Lineups
A formation is three heroes — one Shieldbearer, one Bomber, one Shooter — each boosting its own troop type. Heroes take turns from left to right, so put the hero whose buffs you want first on the left. Here's what to use for each job.
One Shieldbearer, one Bomber, one Shooter — all three built for the same mode.
Solo Attack / Tiles
50% Shield · 5% Bomber · 45% ShooterEdwin's Tactical DMG gets most of the kills, and Koschevoi helps Edwin attack more often in longer fights. Against a target you don’t know, use Alph instead: his ATK boost always works and never depends on luck. Worrell’s big boost only works when the game’s pre-fight simulation says you’re stronger, so it fails exactly when you attack someone stronger than you.
Base / Rally Defense
60% Shield · 10% Bomber · 30% ShooterOtto protects one troop type every round and was the game’s toughest Shieldbearer until Fran & Pike arrived in Season 7. Kate is the safe, tough Shooter; use Drake instead for more damage, but he goes down faster.
Rally Attack (as leader)
50% Shield · 10% Bomber · 40% ShooterLead with heroes whose EE says "during rally attacks." Tyronn's rally ATK EE makes him the best Shieldbearer here; use Phoenix until you have Tyronn.
Best hero for each defensive slot
When you own several heroes for the same slot, the newer generation usually wins because of higher stats and troop bonus. Current best picks:
Best offense joiners
Joining an attack rally? Your lead hero's top War skill should boost your own troops or weaken the enemy. Skip any hero the rally leader is already using.
| Hero | Top skill effect |
|---|---|
| Ada | −10% enemy DEF & −15% enemy HP only 2 per rally count |
| Caesar | Revives lost soldiers attackers get no hospital protection, so every revive counts |
| Koschevoi | +25% all troops' damage |
| Phoenix | +25% allied damage |
| Lunarl | +25% allied damage |
| Kate | +25% allied ATK |
| Lofili / Vivian | +25% allied ATK |
| Boogie | +25% basic-attack damage Season 7 · based on skill text, not tested yet |
| Tyronn | Enemy troops take +25% damage |
| Whisper | −20% enemy Defense one is enough — 20% is the limit |
| Sawyer | −20% enemy HP one is enough — 20% is the limit |
| Rin | Enemies take +25% more from Shooters Season 7 · based on skill text, not tested yet |
| Rex | +25% Shooter damage Season 7 · based on skill text, not tested yet |
| Xuanming | +25% allied Lethality |
| Devilian / Ekko | +25% allied Lethality |
| Worrell | +25% basic-attack damage |
| Ryuichi | +25% team critical-hit chance (basic attacks only) |
| Samir | +14% ATK / +12% Lethality |
| Veronica | 50% chance: enemy takes +50% damage |
| Lee | Enemy takes +50% Tactical damage for a round |
| Drake | Every 3rd round: extra Shooter attack, +110% Tactical |
| Wukong | Every 3 rounds: Bombers deal 150% ATK as Tactical |
| Flameborne | +30% vs Wild Monsters — only works on monsters (PvE), not players |
Best defense joiners
Sending troops to help defend against a rally? Your lead hero's top skill should reduce incoming damage or keep troops alive. Skip any hero the defender is already using.
| Hero | Top skill effect |
|---|---|
| Zoltan | Every 4th round: 80% less damage taken |
| Marcus | Every 2nd round: 50% less basic-attack damage taken |
| Otto | Shieldbearers take 60% less Tactical or 40% less basic damage, switching each round |
| Edwin | Shieldbearers take 20% less damage, Shooters 30% less |
| Fran & Pike | +30% Shieldbearer HP Season 7 · based on skill text, not tested yet |
| Platos | −20% allied damage taken |
| Vesaryon | −20% enemy damage one is enough — 20% is the limit |
| Alph | −20% enemy Lethality one is enough — 20% is the limit |
| Mireya | −20% enemy ATK one is enough — 20% is the limit |
| Caesar | Revives lost soldiers (good anywhere) |
| Tormund / Gerd | +25% allied Defense |
| Inata / Gimes | +25% allied HP |
| Sumo Tyrant | +14% Defense / +12% HP |
| Lanchester | If the enemy is stronger: +25% HP. If not: +30% Lethality |
Useless as joiners: Flora, Mia and all R heroes (Durga, Pasino, Aiksen, Harton) — their top skill does nothing in battle, so they add troops and nothing else. In the Cage, also skip Tyronn and any hero that weakens “enemy troops” (Ada, Whisper, Mireya) — the boss is a single creature, so there are no enemy troops to weaken.
Picking joiners — three rules
- Don’t repeat the leader’s heroes. A joiner only adds its top War skill, and the leader already has that skill. If the leader brings Tyronn, Whisper and Ada, join with someone else — Caesar, Drake, Kate, Phoenix or Koschevoi.
- Don’t add more of the same weakening skill past 20%. Skills that weaken the enemy max out at 20% per stat. Ada’s skill (−10% Defense, −15% HP) maxes out with two Adas in one rally, counting a leading Ada. One Whisper maxes out the Defense cut, one Sawyer the HP cut, and one Mireya the Attack cut.
- Don’t bring the same boost twice. When two joiners bring the same skill, the first keeps 100% of its effect and every copy after it keeps only 66%. Two different +25% boosts are worth more than one boost twice.
- Fill the other spots with something different: Caesar’s revives, Drake’s extra Tactical hits, or a +25% attack or damage boost. Boosts to your own troops have no 20% limit, but a repeated one counts at 66%.
Dream Teams — Full Roster, Through Season 7
If you owned and maxed every hero, these are the best teams of three to work toward — one Shieldbearer, one Bomber and one Shooter, using each mode’s ratio. Each hero’s EE only works in its own mode, so all three heroes in a team share the same mode. Generation 1 heroes are left out: their ~210% troop bonus can’t compete with Gen 5–7’s 466–683%.
Rally — dream team
50% Shield · 10% Bomber · 40% ShooterJoiners: up to two Ada joiners — her Sweet Smile (lowers enemy DEF and HP) maxes out at two, so a third does nothing — plus Caesar to bring back lost troops (attackers get no hospital protection), then Drake or any +25% attack or damage joiner. Skip Tyronn, Wukong and Rin: the leader is already using them.
All three EEs work, and the buffs add up: Tyronn and Rin both make enemies take more damage, and Wukong makes everyone hit harder. Rin’s Flaw Detection boosts your Shooters — 40% of your army — and Lethal Flywheel adds Tactical DMG on top.
No Rin? Use Ada, then Sawyer, then Mireya — if Ada leads, bring no Ada joiners. No Tyronn? No other Shieldbearer has a rally EE — use Phoenix or Otto instead. No Wukong? Use Whisper, then Ryuichi.
Solo attack — dream team
50% Shield · 5% Bomber · 45% ShooterPhoenix is the only Shieldbearer with a solo EE. Alph’s three war skills help your whole army and work every round with no luck involved — that matters more than Worrell’s Bomber-only skills when Bombers are just 5% of your army. Also, Worrell’s biggest skill only works when the game’s pre-fight simulation says you’d win, so against an equal or stronger target it does nothing at all. Use Worrell to beat weaker players, and use Alph when the target is stronger than you or you don’t know how strong they are.
Rex has the biggest troop bonus in the game, and he powers your Shooters — 45% of your army. He also has a solo Lethality EE (the same stat as Veronica’s Scarlet Pursuit, but with more than double her troop bonus) and deals Tactical DMG every 4th round. Edwin’s +15% Lethality passive still works even when he isn’t deployed, so you get it on top of Rex, not instead of him.
No Rex? Use Edwin (proven in real battles), then Veronica. No Alph? Use Worrell, then Koschevoi.
Defense A — the fortress
60% Shield · 10% Bomber · 30% ShooterStrong Season 7 stats that don’t depend on combos. Fran & Pike cuts damage taken by your whole army by 20% — always on, since with 60% Shieldbearers at least one is always alive — and also adds +30% Shieldbearer HP, brings back lost Shieldbearers, and has an HP EE. Boogie hits back with +25% basic-attack damage for the whole army.
No Fran & Pike? Use Build B. No Boogie? Use Lee, then Lanchester. No Kate? Use Rin (his EE is made for rallies, not defense), then Drake.
Defense B — the Tactical DMG combo
60% Shield · 10% Bomber · 30% ShooterOtto’s +75% to all allied Tactical DMG is the biggest Tactical boost in the game; Lee deals the Tactical DMG that Otto boosts. Hits harder than Build A, but it only works if you have both of them.
Joiners (either build): Zoltan (−80% DMG every 4th round) + Marcus (−50% basic DMG every 2nd round) + Edwin (less damage taken) + Caesar (revives troops).
On defense, most of your losses are only wounded, so winning means beating the attacker. Build A survives and wears them down; Build B kills faster.
These are starting points, not proven results. The Season 7 picks are based on stats and skill text. Rin as rally leader and the Fran & Pike build have not been tested in real battles against the proven Ada lead and the Otto + Lee combo. Test one change at a time before switching over. The Season 7 EE effects come from the equipment description and haven’t been seen at level 10 yet.
Every slot ranked, best to worst
Best to worst for each slot, based on the EE made for that mode. Season 7 heroes are highlighted. Any hero can fill any slot using just their base skills — you only lose the EE bonus.
| Mode | Shieldbearer | Bomber | Shooter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rally | Tyronn | Wukong › Whisper › Ryuichi | Rin › Ada › Sawyer › Mireya |
| Defense | Fran & Pike › Otto › Marcus › Zoltan › Xuanming › Caesar | Boogie › Lee › Lanchester | Kate › Drake |
| Solo | Phoenix | Alph › Koschevoi › Worrell | Rex › Edwin › Veronica |
Running more than one lineup at once
For running several rallies at once, defending more than one base, or doing many solo attacks. Within one mode, Formations 1–3 (F1–F3) can’t share heroes — a hero used in F1 can’t be used in F2. In different modes you can reuse heroes, since you never defend and solo attack at the same moment.
Solo — 50% Shield · 5% Bomber · 45% Shooter
| # | Shield | Bomber | Shooter | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | Phoenix | Alph | Rex | Strongest team — send this one first. |
| F2 | Otto | Koschevoi | Edwin | The Tactical DMG combo. Otto boosts Tactical DMG, Koschevoi and Edwin both deal it, and Edwin’s Command Shooting can trigger on every Tactical hit. |
| F3 | Tyronn | Worrell | Veronica | Backup attack team. Tyronn’s enemy-weakening skill works in solo attacks, Worrell’s ATK EE works on its own, and nothing is wasted. |
Rally — 50% Shield · 10% Bomber · 40% Shooter
| # | Shield | Bomber | Shooter | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | Tyronn | Wukong | Rin | Best leader team — all three rally EEs work, and two heroes deal Tactical DMG. |
| F2 | Phoenix | Whisper | Ada | The proven Ada-led team; Phoenix’s buffs work in every mode. |
| F3 | Otto | Ryuichi | Sawyer | Third leader team. Otto’s Tactical boost only helps if another hero deals Tactical damage. |
Joiners are separate from the leader’s three heroes. Skip any hero that rally’s leader already uses — for F2, that means no Phoenix, Whisper or Ada joiners. Keep Ada to two per rally, and fill the rest with Caesar, Drake and +25% attack or damage joiners.
Defense — 60% Shield · 10% Bomber · 30% Shooter
| # | Shield | Bomber | Shooter | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | Fran & Pike | Boogie | Kate | Build A — the tough fortress. |
| F2 | Otto | Lee | Drake | Build B — the Tactical DMG combo. |
| F3 | Marcus | Lanchester | Veronica | A wall that cuts the damage you take. |
You usually defend just one base, so F1 is the main answer. F2 and F3 matter for extra cities and prison slots, or for testing the two builds side by side.
Ratio note: 60% Shieldbearers, 10% Bombers and 30% Shooters is the safe default. If you keep getting hit by Shooter-heavy rallies, try fewer Shieldbearers and more Bombers (about 38–40% Shieldbearers, 15–18% Bombers and 42–45% Shooters), and scout the attacker’s troops when you can.
Season 7 — What Changed
Four new heroes and the biggest troop-bonus increase yet. Season 7 upgrades exactly four slots and leaves the rest of your lineup the same. Here’s which ones — and why two of them aren’t the roles their skill text suggests.
Four new heroes. They upgrade your defense Shieldbearer and Bomber, the rally Shooter and the solo Shooter — nothing else.
| Hero | Type | Role | EE war skill | What it really is |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fran & Pike | Shieldbearer | Defending | +16% HP while defending | The toughest Shieldbearer in the game |
| Boogie | Bomber | Defending | +16% ATK while defending | A defense Bomber that wins by dealing damage |
| Rin | Shooter | Rally | +16% ATK during rally | A Shooter made for rallies |
| Rex | Shooter | Solo attack | +16% Lethality during solo | The main Shooter for solo attacks — plus a free +15% HP for your whole army |
+683.05%
The ATK/DEF boost every Generation 7 hero shares — 20.5% higher than Gen 6’s +567%, and the largest in the game.
213,753 HP
Fran & Pike, higher than Otto’s 177,866. Season 7 also breaks the old pattern where every hero in a generation had the same DEF — Boogie has 14,252, while the other three have 14,242.
Rin = Rex
Both Shooters have the exact same stats: 17,288 ATK / 14,242 DEF / 106,878 HP. Only the EE is different: Rin is for rallies, Rex is for solo attacks. This shows that the EE, not the base stats, decides a hero’s role.
What it actually upgrades
Season 7 leans toward defense: two Defending heroes, one Rally and one Solo. There is no rally or solo Shieldbearer, and no rally or solo Bomber in this generation — so it only improves your defense Shieldbearer and Bomber, plus one rally Shooter and one solo Shooter.
Two heroes whose skill text is misleading
A hero’s EE tells you the job it’s made for — “while defending,” “during rally attacks,” “during solo combats.” For two of the four new heroes, the base skills suggest a completely different job.
+25% basic-attack damage for the army and bursts on certain rounds make Boogie look like a rally Bomber. But a defender’s damage already hits at full strength, so adding ATK helps your base troops knock attackers down faster, until the attacking army is knocked out. It does Lanchester’s job in a different way.
Rex has the same stats as Rin, and their skills don’t make the difference clear. The EE does: Rin gets rally ATK, Rex gets solo Lethality — the stat you want most when attacking. Veronica’s Scarlet Pursuit boosts the same stat, but her Generation 3 troop bonus is less than half of Rex’s. Edwin’s solo EE gives HP instead.
Full stat lines, war skills and PvE skills for all four are in the , under Generation 7.