Introduction
Hello Explorers! It’s time for your semi-weekly advantage tourney article from local scrub Prominence!
This weekend we have a common, rare, and epic rarity advantage tournament that allows hybrids. It’s a double alliance point tournament with Tenontosaurus DNA as our reward! Those double alliance points will be especially useful for those of us working on building the powerful Tenontorex, or even using the DNA for other projects. Dilophosaurus gen 2 goes towards the unique Spinoconstrictor, and T Rex gen 2 helps build the powerful Indominus Rex gen 2 and Indoraptor gen 2 hybrids. It’s a good month to place high on the alliance leaderboards, so let’s get this analysis underway!
Disclaimer
Throughout this article, I will be mentioning our glorious sim results to help identify the strengths and weaknesses of different creatures. It’s important for me to mention that I am using sim results from version 1.13 of the game.
A lot has changed in version 1.14, including new creatures, ability changes, etc. I will do my best to recognize where the sim results I’m using may be deficient, but they will certainly be useful to analyze matchups that haven’t changed much.
Threats
Let’s analyze our major threats to watch out for this tournament by looking at a condensed version of our 1.13 tier list. I had our amazing artist OrangeRex whip up this image by filtering our tier list to only creatures that are able to enter this tournament, and who are low apex tier or higher. We have also included the new creatures in patch 1.14 in an “Unknown” tier at the bottom of the image. We’re not sure where these creatures are going to end up yet, but they may be worth considering for your tournament team if you can swing the genetic material.
Looking at this tier list gives us an idea of what creatures players will already have leveled and boosted for their arena teams that could be a major threat this tournament. I would like to focus the majority of our discussion on the Big Three threats:
- Indominus Rex gen 2
- Procerathomimus
- Sarcorixis
These three creatures place the highest on our condensed tier list, and are most likely to already exist as 30/30 creatures on arena teams. Let’s look at our simulation results to find out which creatures in this format can counter the big three:
Indominus G2:
- Procerathomimus wins 100% of the time
- Ouranosaurus wins 45% of the time
- Erlikogamma wins 37.5% of the time
- Gorgosuchus wins 32.5% of the time
These aren’t great results for us. It seems the only sure-fire counter to this powerful cloaked chomper is the nullifying strike of Procerathomimus. If you’re lacking a high-level Yoshi, you’ll likely need a couple of creatures to help pick away at it. This could be easier with swap in damage from Stegoceratops or the Dracorex Sisters.
Procerathomimus:
- Carbonemys wins 92.5% of the time
- Meiolania wins 87.5% of the time
- Entelodon wins 82.5% of the time
- Brontolasmus wins 72.5% of the time
Just as a reminder, these sim results are from 1.13, when Brontolasmus had definite rampage as an ability and not definite impact. It’s possible the move change has affected these results, but having a definite anything will help punch through Yoshi’s evasive stance.
Other than Lasmus, it looks like our best bet to overpower Procerathomimus is our heroes in a half shell. Meiolania and Carbonemys both rock high armor that Procerathomimus can’t punch through, as well as the ability to cleanse distraction with superior vulnerability.
Through some exceedingly sneaky espionage tactics (a.k.a. getting my allies to send me screenshots of Yoshis they fight), I have found some intel into how high-level Yoshis are boosted. We can use this to our advantage when designing counters to it!
- Health: Of the few screenshots I’ve seen. The health stat of high ranking Yoshis ranges from 4375-5469, Averaging just under 5000.
- Damage: Ranges from 2166 to 2637, averaging around 2400 overall.
- Speed: Between 151 and 161, averaging 156.
For the turtles: You’ll want to survive nullifying strike > distracting rampage > nullifying strike in order to get your devastation off. For Carbonemys this means you need between 3466 and 4220 health, with the average Yoshi requiring 3840 health to survive three attacks. Meiolania requires between 4332 and 5274 health, averaging 4800 to survive. After that, you’ll want an average of 1000-1250 attack to deal enough damage with your devastation and superior vulnerability to win against these high-level Proceras.
For speedsters: If you can get your speed above 161 then you’ll be faster than the vast majority of Proceras. If you’re bringing something like Erlikogamma that can speed itself up 10% then 146 base speed will get you to 161 after a speedup strike or mutual fury on Entelochops.
Procerathomimus, Indominus gen 2, and 1.13 Brontolasmus lead the simulations against Sarcorixis with 100% win rates. Ankylocodon and Ornithomimus bring up the rear with 87.5% and 62.5% win rates respectively. Being immune to Rixis’ stun and having some way to mitigate the damage from its ferocious impact will be key to defeating this very angry alligator.
Lets briefly touch on the creatures that lie in mid-apex tier in case they make an appearance this tourney,
Brontolasmus:
Countered by Purutaurus, Indominus 2, Marsupial Lion, Suchotator, Allosaurus gen 2, and Woolly Rhino
Suchotator:
Countered by Carbonemys, Indominus 2, Meiolania, Procerathomimus, and Ankylocodon
Thylacotator:
Countered by Indominus 2, Procerathomimus, Ornithomimus, and Postimetrodon.
Local specialties
With an excessively long threat analysis out of the way, let’s take a look at what our Giga Scents can snag for us to use in this tournament.
Global
Well, would you look at that. Procerathomimus is fused from the global Ornithomimus and exclusive Proceratosaurus, Sarcorixis is fused from two global commons and a park spawn, and Indominus gen 2 is dartable globally. The big three are available in some amount everywhere, so everyone should have access to at least a little of them.
Procerathomimus
has high speed and damage, with nullifying strike to wipe out buffs like ferocious on Sarcorixis and Cloak on Indominus 2. Distracting rampage deals a ton of damage, and works well with evasive stance and instant distraction to increase her survivability.
Boosts: Split Speed and Damage
Indominus Rex Gen 2
is a high utility chomper. Definite strike smashes through any shield, armor, and dodge capabilities of her opponents. Armor Piercing Rampage can be stopped by dodge and shields, but after being powered up with mutual fury and/or cloak those shouldn’t matter as much. The ability to boost her damage output and hit through any defense makes Indom 2 a terrifying opponent.
Boosts: Focus Damage
Sarcorixis
is a powerful mix of global Einiasaurus and Nundasuchus with park common Sarcosuchus. Ferocious impact pumps out the damage while immobilize and stunning strike can wait out your opponent’s ferocious boost. Armor piercing strike makes turtle soup out of Carbonemys and Meiolania while Sarcorixis’ own 25% armor makes her high health last even longer.
Boosts: Focus Damage
Suchotator
is another strong candidate for this tournament. The highest tiered rare fused from two global commons, it should be easy to get her to a high level. Sucho’s Lethal Wound will slowly drain non-immune opponents like Diplodocus and Brontolasmus while Superiority strike keeps Suchotator faster than opponents like Erlikogamma. Nullifying Impact can wipe out the Ferocious buff on Sarcorixis as well, severely hampering her damage output.
Boosts: Focus Health
Countering the Big 3 with global specialties:
Procera: Meiolania, Entelodon, Carbonemys
Indom2: Procerathomimus
Sarcorixis: Procerathomimus, Indominus Rex gen 2, Ankylocodon, Ornithomimus
A global only team:
Procerathomimus, Indominus gen 2, Sarcorixis, Brontolasmus, Suchotator, Thylacotator, Entelochops, and Edmontoguanadon are all creatures that are viable in this tournament format that are available globally. If you find yourself moving all over the place and not able to farm any one locale, you could do well in the tournament with just these eight.
Local 1
Indominus Rex 2
Local 1 offers the Echo to really beef up your Indominus Rex gen 2. One of the big three and the highest tiered overall this tourney. Pouring your resources into this beastly chomper will serve you well.
Boosts: Focus Damage
Majundaboa
is a creature new to 1.14 whose sole purpose seems to be munching Procerathomimus face. A fusion of Majundasuchus and Titanoboa gen 2, this noodle has shields to block distracting rampage and is immune to the distraction that follows. Precise impact will hit Yoshi right through her evasive stance as well, and raking counter will punish any nullifying strike they throw at you. Her only downside seems to be her mediocre speed.
Boosts: Focus damage, some health
Stegoceratops
Being able to dart Stegoceratops is helpful if you can’t get out on Sunday to find triceratops globally. This epic hybrid offers swap in stunning strike to snipe a few kills with the ability to control speed with decelerating impact. It’s a perfectly viable strategy to swap in, use dig-in to cleanse the no escape, and then swap out to save her skin.
Boosts: Focus Damage
Postosuchus
Another dart special, Postosuchus rocks 126 base speed and the extremely powerful Ferocious Impact. At level 26 unboosted, ferocious impact deals 3,263 damage. If you want to get really crazy, at level 30 with 20 attack boosts, it deals 5,947 damage. That would one shot a level 30 Procera with 14 health boosts. In the sims, Postosuchus beats Postimetrodon, Woolly Mammoth, and Allosaurus gen 2. Its speed also allows it to finish of Sarcorixis or Thylacotator on a revenge kill.
Boosts: Focus damage, some speed
Possible Team
A possible team of Local 1 specialties includes Procerathomimus, Indominus Rex Gen 2, Sarcorixis, Majundaboa, Stegoceratops, Postosuchus, Entelochops, and Suchotator.
The basic strategy with this team would be to lead with Indominus gen 2, Sarcorixis, or Suchotator. If you lose the first head to head, bring in Procerathomimus or Entelochops for a revenge kill. When it comes to facing the big three: counter Procerathomimus with Majundaboa, counter Sarcorixis with Procera or Indom2, and counter Indominus Gen 2 with Procerathomimus. Stegoceratops’ swap in stunning strike will allow you to snipe some kills when your opponent is at low health, and Postosuchus can give you a big burst of damage with good speed to turn the tide of the entire match. Suchotator can be used early game by leading with its large health pool, mid-game by nullifying ferocious and cloak, or to bleed a non-immune creature for the late-game win.
Local 2
Erlikogamma
is a speedy epic hybrid made entirely from rares found in local 2. Having a base 130 speed, gamma is one of the fastest creatures in this tournament. Having double rampages in Precise Pounce and Rampage and Run make full use of her 1300 base attack. And any non-immune creature will suffer heavily from Debilitating Distraction, which lowers your opponent’s base damage by 75%. Gamma is one of the options to help deal with Procerathomimus, since minimal speedup strike allows a tier 8 speed gamma to speed up to 161 speed, bypassing some of the fastest Procerathomimus. At level 30, 11 tiers of attack means her Pounce and Rampage and Run will deal over 4000 damage each. The sims suggest that Erlikogamma beats Postimetrodon, Allosaurus gen 2, Purutaurus, and Woolly Mammoth. It’s also capable of finishing off Suchotator and Thylacotator with its high speed rampages. Finally, Erlikogamma also has immunity to swap prevention, so Sarcorixis won’t be able to lock it down with immobilize or No Escape. Rampage and Run to your heart’s content.
Boosts: Speed and Damage
Amargocephalus
is fused from the local common Euoplocephalus and the global rare Amargasaurus. 40% armor, the ability to cleanse distraction, and instant invincibility give her some tools to help handle Procerathomimus. The sims say that Amargo is best used against Erlikogamma and Diplodocus, but is able to finish off a weakened Procerathomimus.
Boosts: Focus Health
Gorgosuchus
is a powerful revenge killer fusion of Local rare Gorgosaurus and Global nightly rare Kaprosuchus. A powerful 1440 base attack paired with Ferocious Strike and Defense Shattering Rampage allow Gorgo to set up on a revenge kill and easily take out two of your opponents dinosaurs. The ability to cleanse status effects with cleansing impact allow Gorgosuchus to handle bleeders as well. The simulation results say to use Gorgosuchus against Suchotator, Carbonemys, Woolly Mammoth, Allosaurus gen 2, and Purutaurus. But really, anything slower than Gorgosuchus with low enough HP to be taken out by Ferocious Strike will set up for a powerful rampage on the incoming dino.
Boosts: Focus speed and damage
Dracorex and Dracorex gen 2
are powerful swap-in damage dealers that are both available in local 2 as well. Gen 2 has swap in savagery to always deal 40% of your opponents max HP on swap-in regardless of her base attack. This swap-in attack does not penetrate shields and armor however. Dracorex has the powerful swap in definite strike however. Definite strike is tied to Dracorex’ base damage, but it will punch straight through every defense there is. A high boosted attack on Dracorex can deal a ton of damage through armor, shield, and cloak.
Boosts: Health on gen 2, attack on gen 1
Possible Team:
Erlikogamma, Amargocephalus, Gorgosuchus, Dracorex, Dracorex gen 2, Procerathomimus, and Sarcorixis make up a powerful team focusing around the specialties local 2 has to offer.
The basic strategy with this team is to lead with either Procerathomimus, Sarcorixis, or Amargocephalus. If things are going poorly, swap to either Dracorex to finish off your opponent. This is especially useful if you can use Amargocephalus’ superior vulnerability and swap into Dracorex, whose definite strike will be boosted by 1.5x. After this swap, it is possible that Dracorex falls after dealing a little bit of damage. This is your opportunity to finish off your opponent with minimal speedup strike from Erlikogamma or Ferocious Strike from Gorgosuchus. This boost carries over into the next creature, giving you an advantage. For the big three threats, counter Procerathomimus with a combination of Amargocephalus and Erlikogamma with a swap in Dracorex if needed. For Indominus gen 2, counter with Procerathomimus and finish him off with a ferocious strike from Gorgosuchus or a swap in Dracorex. Rixis is countered by Procerathomimus, but also struggles with the distractions from Erlikogamma who can freely swap to Dracorex with her immunity to swap prevention
Local 3
Edmontosaurus
Local 3 offers the Edmontosaurus to fuse a high leveled Edmontoguanadon. With high HP and great utility in her move set, Edmontoguanadon can swap in stun, nullify your opponent’s buffs like Ferocious and Mutual Fury, then regen and run to escape. Superiority Strike allows you to maintain speed advantage against non-immune speedsters like Erlikogamma. Simulation results suggest that Edmontoguanadon wins against Erlikogamma, Diplodocus, Purutaurus, Megalogaia, and Allosaurus gen 2. Sarcorixis is a hard counter against Edmontoguanadon however, since No Escape prevents her from Regen and Running away.
Boosts: Focus Health
Maiasaura
is a powerful epic rarity creature that can be darted in L3. All you need from her kit is Instant Rampage, however Swap in Stun and Impact and Run add lots of utility to her kit. In the sims Maiasaura only beats Erlikogamma, but we’re not looking to use her in head to heads. Bring in Maiasaura to Instant Rampage to finish off your opponents and then Impact and Run away.
Boosts: Focus Damage
Secodontosaurus
is another non-hybrid epic that can be darted in L3. This totally immune powerhouse gives you access to Critical Impact and Defense Shattering Rampage for massive two turn damage output. Being immune lets Secodontosaurus stand up against Sarcorixis if she has the boosts to be faster.
Boosts: Speed and Damage
Possible team:
Edmontoguanadon, Maiasaura, Secodontosaurus, Spinotahraptor, Procerathomimus, Sarcorixis, Entelochops, and Suchotator construct a well balanced team of Local 3 specialties and globally available creatures.
The basic strategy with this team is to lead with Secodontosaurus, Sarcorixis, or Suchotator. Secodont and Sarco can put out big damage quickly and Suchotator can tank a few hits while bleeding your opponent. You can swap away from a bad matchup into Edmontoguanadon for a Swap-in Stun, nullify any boosts they have, stunning rampage, and then Regen and Run to a better matchup. Entelochops comes in after you lose a creature for powerful revenge attacks. Spinotahraptor is capable of distracting big hitters and bleeding non-immune opponents. And Maiasaura comes in to quickly finish an opponent with Instant Rampage before running to safety. For the big three, you want to counter Procerathomimus with Edmontoguanadon, or Maiasaura instant rampage when they’re weakened. For Indominus Gen 2, counter with Procerathomimus or also snipe with Maiasaura. Sarcorixis is countered by a well boosted Secodontosaurus, bleed and distract from Spinotahraptor, or nullifying Procerathomimus.
Local 4
Purutaurus
is powerful Rending Counter-attacker made from local 4 specialty Carnotaurus and exclusive Purussaurus. This leggy snake offers a powerful rending counter, no escape, long defense strike, and instant distraction for a very defend and counter-attack oriented build. When your opponent’s Indominus is trying to cloak on you, just whip out precise rampage to hit right through it.
Boosts: Focus health
Ouranosaurus
does surprisingly well against Indominus rex gen 2 in the sims, winning 45% of their matchups. This is actually the second best result against Indominus gen 2 of our available creatures. Since Ouranosaurus’ super hybrid Diloracheirus has fallen out of use lately, it is plenty worth it to over level this epic creature for advantage tourneys. Her high health paired with both a rampage and an impact can deal a ton of damage to your opponent while they try to whittle away at your high health pool.
Boosts: Split Health and Damage
Scaphotator
rounds out the utility of local 4 by offering swap in wound and swoop for a bleed-and-run play style. Distracting impact allows Scaph to survive an extra turn for the wound to chip away at your opponent, while nullifying strike can wipe out buffs like Ferocious Strike on Sarcorixis or Gorgosuchus.
Boosts: Focus Health
Possible Team:
Purutaurus, Spinotahraptor, Ouranosaurus, Scaphotator, Procerathomimus, Sarcorixis, Suchotator, and Entelochops will make a well-rounded team of Local 4 specialties and globally available creatures.
Of these creatures, I would lead with Suchotator, Sarcorixis, or Procerathomimus. These creatures should be able to deal with the majority of threats coming your way at the start of a match. Scaphotator and Purutaurus are able to swap in and turn the tide on bad matchups. Ouranosaurus can take care of speedy raptors, and Entelochops can use revenge moves to close out the game for you.
Closing Statements
Tournaments in this format can be mildly irritating for those of us who don’t run Indominus gen 2, Procerathomimus, or Sarcorixis on our arena teams. We have to make due with unboosted and underleveled creatures that we’re not used to using. The important thing to remember is that this is a game, and it’s about having fun.
This month’s alliance championship is for Tenontorex DNA. Many players are finished building their Tenrex, but it’s a chance for newer players to catch up. The DNA rewarded also works towards Spinoconstrictor and Indoraptor gen 2. And who’s to say Tenontosaurus doesn’t get a new hybrid in the upcoming update? Just because you’re not excited about Tenrex specifically is no reason to not play and enjoy these tournaments. Especially if they help your allies.
I look forward to facing you in the tourney. Best of luck in your climb to number 1. Good Luck, and Have fun.
