Drain Teams
Written by Reika
Contents
Overview
Drain Teams are built around Rama's Drain Pierce passive. The team typically runs demons with high Drain resistances, and is sometimes combined with other archetypes like Intimidating Stance Teams.
Concept
- Rama's Drain Pierce passive prevents Piercing skills from working on Drain resistances.
- Pierce is very widespread in PVP, especially Physical Pierce.
- Running Evasive Rama + 3 Drain Phys demons essentially provides you immunity to Physical damage.
- Rama is one of three demons who can provide Anti-Pierce, and the only one which targets Drain.
- Drain Pierce protects your team from being swept by Pierce. Enemies will either attack into it and lose Press Turns, or be forced to choose a different action such as passing. Both work to your advantage.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Rama is a very flexible unit, capable of acting as a powerful Mage with his signature Brahmastra or a support with discounted Luster Candy.
- Many demons have Drain resistances, giving you a high degree of control over your team composition.
- As the minimum requirement is having Rama plus one other Drain demon, you can form Hybrid teams by combining with other archetypes such as Intimidating Stance Teams.
- Not too reliant on battle speed, allows you to ignore the speed war.
Cons:
- High entry cost - Rama himself is a gacha exclusive, and most of the good Drain demons are banner exclusives.
- Does nothing against Almighty damage
Team
Now lets go in-depth as to how to build this Team.
Core Demons
The only core demon is Rama, the titular carrier of Drain Pierce.
Rama
- A very flexible unit, and the cornerstone of this team strat.
- He can be built as a Support or Mage, depending on your team. Support build is the most popular.
- For Support build: Yellow is a popular archetype, as it gives him access to discounted Luster Candy, the strongest non-unique buff in the game. Running him as a support also allows you to focus on survivability, which is important to ensure Drain Pierce is remains active as long as possible.
- For Mage build: Purple provides him Ice Pierce. Combined with his innate Mabufudyne and decent MAG stat, this lets him act as a powerful Pierce sweeper. This also lets him capitalize on his other unique skill Brahmastra, a devastating Almighty spell that breaks Endures and can be spammed near indefinitely thanks to it's MP refund at max level.
- His panels are amazing and definitely worth unlocking:
- Panel 1 gives him raw HP (which support builds appreciate) and extra damage on both his spells (benefiting Mage builds).
- Panel 2 gives him increased Evasion and raw MATK.
- Panel 3 gives him reduced MP cost for all AOE spells. This includes both his attacking spells (6 MP) as well as Luster Candy (5 MP is maxed).
Skills and Brands
- For Support build, the skills can be:
- Evade stacks with his Panel 2 Boost and protects him from Physical skills, most notably Masakado's Occult Flash.
- Enduring Soul gives him an extra layer of protection to keep Drain Pierce active.
- Auto-Tarunda and Auto-Rakuka are useful spells for initial buff control.
- For Mage build: Butcher increases the damage for both his spells.
- Either Life or Divine Brands work well on him:
- Divine Brands allow him to spam his spells repeatedly, especially if you have Panel 3 unlocked. It also allows you to cast Luster Candy turn 1 going first.
- Life Brands increases his overall survivability.
- Dodge Brands are the recommended sub-set to abuse Evasion. You can also go all-in the evade strategy by equipping two sets of Dodge brands.
Drain Phys Demons
Due to widespread Phys Pierce in PVP, demons with Drain Phys are popular with this strat. It is recommended you run at least one Drain Phys demon to avoid getting sweeped by Phys Pierce. Running three Drain Phys demons with Evasive Rama is a popular strat to wall off Physical teams.
Masakado
- The OG PVP Nightmare, Masakado is a physical powerhouse who gains Drain Phys in Teal.
- Still one of the most powerful demons in the game. Not only does he posses innate Intimidating Stance and Pierce, his signature Occult Flash is a high-damage, high-critical single target Physical skill that inflicts Mortal (instant Death).
- His high Synergy with Rama is one of the reason double Intimidating Stance is so often run alongside Drain Teams.
- Masakado is the closest you'll get to a second core demon for this strat. There is little reason not to use him if you do have him.
Skills and Brands:
- Phys Amp and Epitome of Carnage are good options to boost his damage.
- Great Aim and Epitome of Aggression can be used to patch up his shaky accuracy.
- Auto skills allow him to further support his team. Players who run this build typically use him purely for inflicting Mortal via Occult Flash.
- Usually runs Life brands to compensate for his rather low HP. Aim brands are the recommended sub-set.
Susano-o A
- Susano-o A is a defense-team oriented Physical Nuker that gains Drain Phys in Teal.
- He also naturally Drains Force, allowing him to counter Force sweepers like Baal, Garuda A and Cu Chulainn A.
- His unique passive, Heavenly Valor punishes the enemy for Passing. As such, he is usually used as a dedicated Defense Team demon.
- Violent Slash is a hard-hitting single target Physical attack that grows in power the more it is cast.
- Don't let that description fool you tho: The skill has 150 Base Power initially (equal to Dragon Blade's initial strike), and can be cast T1 even without Divine Brands. This makes him a surprisingly good T1 attacker.
- On the downside, his AGI is on the high side, making him a less suitable partner if you wish to run Intimidating Stance together.
- The best combo demon for Defense Teams. If you run Drain Teams on Defense, definitely try to slot him in!
Skills and Brands:
- Phys Amp and Phys Boost can be used to increase his damage.
- Great Aim and Epitome of Aggression can be used to patch up his shaky accuracy.
- War Brands are usually used to maximize his damage potential. Aim brands are the recommended sub-set.
Asura Lord
- Asura Lord is a single-target Nuker that carries a valuable aura and gains Drain Phys in Teal.
- His unique aura Endless War buffs the critical rate and damage of all your teammates.
- Slaughter All is a fully unblockable Single Target attack that deal ridiculous damage, can crit, bypasses Endures and can be casted T1, either through Divine Brands or Panels.
- It is also of the Almighty-element. This gives you the upperhand in mirror matches, as it lets you freely clap Demons with Drain Phys.
- This also makes it hard to boost his damage further, as Almighty does not have dedicated Boosts and Amp skills. Master Assassin is the best choice.
- On the downside, his AGI is on the high side, making him a less suitable partner if you wish to run Intimidating Stance together.
- Asura Lord is a solid choice if you plan to run three Physical Demons alongside Rama. Not only does he provide Drain Phys to round up a triple Drain Phys party, his aura also greatly benefits your other sweepers.
Skills and Brands:
- Divine, Life and War brands are all acceptable choices for him. Aim brands are the recommended sub-set.
- Divine Brands are mandatory if you wish to cast Slaughter All turn 1 without Panels.
Guan Yu
- Guan Yu is a bulky physical sweeper that gains gains Drain Phys in Teal (notice a pattern here?).
- His signature Dragon Blade does heavy damage to a single target, and chains into an AOE physical sweep.
- His unique passive Loyal God of War heals him and refunds MP upon killing an enemy.
- Paired with his excellent STR, HP and VIT stats, he can quickly snowball off kills and extra Press Turns generated from crits. Not only does Loyal God of War keep him healthy through healing, it allows him to repeatedly spam Dragon Blade from the MP refund.
- His low AGI makes him a suitable candidate for Intimidating Stance. On the flip side, this also gives him accuracy issues.
- Running him in Teal means he loses access to the excellent Null Mortal in purple. This makes him weak to Alice, who can snipe him with Die for Me!
- Guan Yu is an excellent choice for slower Drain Teams, as well as defense teams.
Skills and Brands:
- Phys Amp and Epitome of Carnage can be used to increase his damage.
- Great Aim and Epitome of Aggression can be used to patch up his shaky accuracy.
- Life Brands are usually used to make him tankier. Higher HP also improves Loyal God of War's heal efficiency, as the base heal amount depends on your max HP.
Cu Chulainn A
- Cu Chulainn A is a dual-element physical sweeper who gains Drain Phys in Teal (see a pattern now?).
- Barbed Spear is a piercing Force-element Physical attack that deals multiple hits on all enemies.
- This gives him access to Force-element sweeping, which improves your odds in a mirror match.
- On the other hand, Drain Teams running Susano-o A will completely wall him.
- Culann's Hound gives him an Auto-Charge at the end of the turn, threatening major damage if he is not taken out. This forces your opponent to deal with him and in turn alleviate pressure off your other sweepers.
- Cu Chulainn A is a high risk high return pick. Against teams without Force Anti-Pierce, he can deal massive amounts of damage while forcing the opponent to respond to him. Inversely, teams that do run Force Anti-Pierce will completely invalidate him.
Skills and Brands:
- Force Amp can be used to increase his damage.
- As Accuracy is very important for him (Barbed Spear has 12 chances to miss and lose Press Turns), Great Aim is recommended.
- Due to Barbed Spear's low MP cost, he can run War Brands for increased damage. Aim brands are the recommended sub-set.
Mother Harlot
- Mother Harlot is an Almighty Mage with Drain Phys in (you guessed it) Teal.
- She also drains Elec innately, providing your team additional coverage.
- She has a unique niche being the only relevant Drain Phys demon that relies on Magic.
- This improves your matchup versus the mirror, as you can simply ignore Drain Pierce and just spam Almighty magic.
- Babylon Goblet deals heavy AOE damage and drains 1 MP all enemies. This is very powerful in triple Drain Phys teams, as enemies out of Mana will simply try to auto-attack Rama and miss.
- The MP drain also allows her to spam the attack repeatedly, provided the opponent hasn't run out of MP.
- It also punishes greedy builds that run non-Divine brands, as it messes with their overall MP regeneration.
- Death Lust is a nice bonus when it manages to occasionally charm enemies. You should not build around this passive however, as Babylon Goblet is her main draw.
- Pick her if you feel like balancing out your team. Mother Harlot lets you add Almighty damage to your team's damage options. She is not as explosive as the other sweepers, preferring to slowly grind down her enemies via MP drains.
Skills and Brands:
- Butcher can be used to increase her damage.
- It is recommended to cover up her weakness with Resist Force, as Force is a popular attacking element.
- Life Brands are recommended to increase her overall longevity. This gives her more chances to spam Babylon Goblet.
Hecatoncheires
- Hecatoncheires is a tanky support with (wait for it) Drain Phys in Teal.
- His unique passive, Guards of Tartarus reduces all AOE damage your team receives by 15%. Combined with his good bulk, he is usually run as a support demon.
- This is especially good to soften up damage from Archangels and V☆ teams.
- Due to his high HP, he is usually left for last. As such, Recarmdra is a great skill for him as it will revive all his fallen teammates in exchange for his life.
- The AI is also smart enough to save MP for it. This makes him one of the better demons for Defense teams.
- Unfortunately, he is weak to two very common attacking elements, Light and Force. Consider covering at least one of them.
- Consider him if you prefer a more defensive approach to PVP. Hecatoncheires is one of the most accessible Drain Phys demons and a very good support.
Skills and Brands:
- Enduring Soul can provide him a layer of insurance, helping to ensure he gets to cast Recarmdra. It will also prevent Recarmdra's feedback damage from killing him.
- Auto skills let him further support his team.
- Epitome of Fortitude increases his HP and provides Critical Resistance.
- Wild Instinct provides him even more Critical Resistance, consider this if you constantly face Crit-pass teams like Hero Masakado T1.
- Life Brands are recommended to boost his bulk further. Shield brands can shore up his magic resistance, making him even tankier.
Other Drain Demons
While not as widespread as Physical, Pierce in other elements are also often employed in PVP. The demons below are common Drain techs to counter those elements.
- Drain Fire counters Uriel and Quetzalcoatl A.
- Drain Force counters Baal, Garuda A and Cu Chulainn A.
- Drain Elec counters Nero☆ and Panel 2 Izanami.
- Drain Light counters Gabriel.
- While Dark Pierce sweepers are not common, Drain Dark makes a demon immune to Alice's Die for Me!.
- Drain Ice counters Purple Rama. This is currently the least important element to cover.
Surt
- Drains Fire innately.
- Ragnarok is a very hard-hitting spell that gives you Fire coverage. Versus the mirror, it gives you the option to snipe demons otherwise protected by Drain Pierce.
- Note that this spell does not Pierce! Rama nulls Fire, be careful when faced with the mirror match.
- Clear is the preferred color as it gives him Intimidating Stance. Paired with Masakado, it allows the team to also function as an Intimidating Stance Teams.
Shiva A
- Drains Fire and Elec innately, and Force in Teal.
- Third Eye is an Almighty spell that hits incredibly hard, while giving you another arsenal to bypass Drain Pierce.
Quetzalcoatl A
- Drains Fire innately.
- Ce Acatl provides him a second life and acts as a safety net to speedy T1 Masakado A teams.
Yama
- Drains Fire in Teal.
- Enma's Judgement provides team wide Null Mortal. This is especially useful to protect Rama from being sniped by Alice.
Siegfried
- Drains Phys innately.
- Requires a lot of investment as he only gains Phys Pierce on his second Panel.
- When properly built however, he hits like a truck. Arms Mastery is Great Aim + Phys Amp rolled into one, and it stacks with both of them!
Seraph
- Drains Fire and Light in Teal. This combination makes him a particularly powerful counter to Archangels, as these are their main attacking elements.
- He does not provide much outside of his Drain resistances however. Only use him when making targeted attacks against Archangels.
Finalized Team
To recap, your finalized team should contain Rama and Drain demons of your choice:
Triple Phys Drain Team
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The above team has three Drain Phys demons and Evasive Rama to wall off Physical threats. Susano-o A also doubles as Force Anti-Pierce. Rama is built as a support unit, providing Luster Candy to the party. As the team's main damage source are from physical attacks, Auto-Sukunda is transferred to increase accuracy.
Balanced Drain Team with Intimidating Stance
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A Balanced team consisting of both physical and magic damage, while having three different type of Drains. The team also includes Intimidating Stance as the demons are fairly slow. Combined with Luster Candy, the team is capable of covering all buffs and debuffs.
Checks and Counters
Drain Teams have very flexible builds, as such they can be difficult to fully counter. Some players even choose to tech non-Drain demons in their team that function as counter-counters.
Almighty
Shiva A
Asura Lord
Mother Harlot
Almighty is the only element that cannot be drained. With Almighty, you can ignore Rama and go straight for the main damage demons, completely countering the concept of Drain teams. Be sure to take note of Hecatoncheires though, who will soften AOE damage significantly.
Sniping
Indrajit
Asura Lord
Mahakala
In a similar vein, powerful single target attackers can soft-counter Drain Teams by targeting elements they are not immune to. Indrajit is a very notable check, as none of the Physical Sweepers Drain Elec and his Five Elements upon kill allows him to wall Mother Harlot indefinitely. Some players try to get around this by running double Defensive Autos and Life brands on all of their demons, greatly reducing the odds of being sniped.
Mortal
Alice
Masakado
Taking out Rama instantly makes the rest of the team vulnerable to Pierce. Alice is the best candidate for this as she ignores Endures and Rama's Evasion. Some teams tech Yama and Masakado A to protect themselves against Mortal, take note when you see these demons.
See also
- Tier List
- Skill List
- Brands
- PVP Team Guide for more Team guides
