Intro:
This is PART 1 of the complete guide to all the Tank Heroes in the game. As the “Tank” category would suggest, these characters specialize in absorbing large amounts of damage, protecting the team so that everyone continues to survive. They generally have high Tenacity growth, which helps them deal with disables and keep on going. Each of them has a place in the game, so this guide will provide insight to each Tank hero’s value.
Disclaimer: This Guide will always be under construction, either through updating information or adding more content as more new heroes are released in the game. I will be doing updates accordingly for as long as I continue to play the game.
Baymax
Overview
Strengths:
+Reliable defenses
+Strong against Normal damage
+Good utilities
+Basic attacks pierce enemies
Weaknesses:
-Below-average Reality growth
-Low damage potential
-Lacks offensive pressure.
Gameplay:
Baymax has always been one of the more reliable Tanks ever since he made his superhero landing in the game. With shields and more shields at his disposal, Baymax offers the most direct form of protection for his team. “Healthcare Companion”, “Blast Off”, and “Optimized Armor” are all wonderful defensive skills, keeping Baymax useful and reliable in almost any situation. His Scan is the only non-shielding skill he has, and he uses it to study the target with the highest Armor, making it easier for his team to use Normal Damage. He is through and through a defensive behemoth, so you can’t always rely on him for more hyper-offensive compositions. Still, the protection he provides is useful in practically any game mode.
Friendship Disks:
Baymax’s friendships with WALL-E and Olaf offers extremely different enhancements for Baymax’s skill set. WALL-E’s disk is simple and effective; it directly affects Baymax’s shields, making them more durable (as they now provide Armor) as well as making them last longer. This disk is useful in every situation, so you can’t really go wrong with this. Olaf’s disk is arguably more situational but also changes Baymax’s combat-flow in a more impactful way. “Blast Off” now freezes enemies for a very short time, which can disrupt the enemy team’s flow of combat over the long run. This new freezing effect allows for Baymax to fit in teams that specifically need a tangible head start, giving certain strategies and team comps a more distinct advantage. WALL-E’s disk is easily more flexible, but Olaf’s disk can be used to help enable certain comps that rely on that freeze disruption.
Team Options:
The most obvious team for Baymax to fit in is one that abuses shields. Teaming him with Violet, Calhoun(Vi), and Goofy(Mi) will result in layers upon layers of powerful shields that’s very tough to break through. This is more of a fun, defensively inclined team that’s especially good at time-stalling in Coliseum and Guild Wars. Be sure to equip WALL-E’s disk for maximum defenses. Then of course, Baymax fits very well in a Merlin-study comp, specifically when its core contains Merlin, Aladdin, and Barbossa(Ti). This is where Olaf’s disk really shines! Because Baymax enters battle by freezing the enemy team, it makes Aladdin’s “Magic Carpet Ride” land hits more consistently and safely. The freeze is absolutely key here because it all but guarantees Aladdin’s barrage is executed without interruption, which allows for Merlin to almost instantly fire off a “Teacher’s Pet” spell. And of course, Baymax further contributes by using Scan on a target, which provides more opportunities to land critical hits. Obviously, this strategy has been almost completely dismantled by the arrival of Timon & Pumbaa, but the freeze still has its uses. The freeze is also useful for delaying instances of high burst damage (like against Jafar(Sc) and Ducky & Bunny), or when Baymax is teamed with Woody(Je) so that he can lasso in a target without any retaliation. With the advent of Red Skills becoming a meaningful aspect of the game, Baymax has found a renewed partnership with Elsa. With Baymax being able to freeze everything with Olaf’s disk, Elsa immediately gains a high burst of Energy right at the beginning of battle!
Counters:
Baymax struggles protecting the team when faced with shield breakers. Rex, Dash(Vi), and Darkwing Duck(Ni) are key threats that can quickly exploit Baymax’s cracked defenses. Rapunzel(Ja) weakens shielded enemies with Jasmine’s disk, which makes Baymax’s presence more of a detriment. Baymax is also a slow attacker, so it’s very hard for him to provide his shields on time if he is being plagued with slow effects. So watch out for Finnick and Mad Hatter. While Baymax is very competent with dealing against Normal Damage, the same same cannot be said for Fantastic Damage. Baymax himself is weak to many levels of Fantastic Damage potency, so key threats include Jack Skellington, Sally, Elsa, Elastigirl, and especially Ducky & Bunny, Anger, and Jafar(Sc).
Bo Peep
Overview
Strengths:
+Very beefy stats
+Best projectile counter
+Absurd destructive potential
+Mixed attacker
+Great synergy
Weaknesses:
-No Tenacity
-Below-average Reality growth
-Vulnerable to physical attackers
Gameplay:
She may be made of porcelain, but she’s no brittle maiden. Bo Peep has one of the absolute greatest damage potential in the game, with all her skills making great use of every ounce of her incredible stats. With Billy, Goat, and Gruff at her beck and call, she even has access to a powerful Fantastic Damage-type attack, so there’s really nothing she can’t hurt effectively. Bo Peep’s specialties are knock backs and projectile nullification. “Projectile Wrangler” allows her to passively block incoming projectile attacks, which is her main way of protecting her team. Her most powerful skill, however, is of course “Deflection Spin”. It is one of the absolute best White Skills in the game currently and is used to mow down everything in her path. “Deflection Spin” blocks ALL incoming projectiles including opposing White skills. This means she can also completely deny Jack Sparrow and Merida from the full value of their skills. The other obvious effect of Deflection Spin is its knock back. It’s actually not as damaging as it seems mid-screen, but is absolutely devastating if she successfully drives everything into a corner. This tremendous power she wields makes her team Blue’s best Bot slayer. Of course, her strength is always appreciated in any game mode too.
Not Toying Around:
Bo’s Red Skill is one of the easiest Red Skills to invest on. She gains a slight boost to her HP and the damage done by Billy, Goat, & Gruff as well as more generous boost to her Skill Power. The Skill Power boost in particular is is a nice boon to the damage she can do with her Deflection Spin. The actual main effect of this Skill is relatively situational. Bo Peep will gain more Armor and more Reality every time an ally of hers is KO’d. These defensive bonuses actually stack for every downed teammate, thus giving her rising endurance levels. Again, these bonuses are only granted when an ally is KO’d. So while the nature of this Skill is situational most of the time, it is one of the few Red Skills to have absolutely no penalty for being under-leveled.
Friendship Disk:
Bo is one of the handful of characters who’s disks provide no direct improvements to her base stats (not that she really needs it). However, both disks add improved utilities, especially for her Deflection Spin. Joy’s disk heals Bo whenever she blocks projectiles, giving her a more defensive approach to battle. Arguably the most useful aspect of this disk is that it bestows improved healing for the team. Woody’s disk is the much more aggressive option. This disk gives Deflection Spin some Armor-shredding properties. The Armor shred is especially potent on higher levels, which devastates everything in its wake. This disk is especially effective for slaying Bots. Both disks are good, though Woody’s disk is arguably more applicable in more situations.
Team Options:
Bo is an all-around superstar, so she’s a great fit for any team. She’s particularly menacing against most long-range heroes, especially powerful ones like Merida and Robin Hood. She excels even further when she has key Support heroes behind her back. The most obvious one is Megara, who helps Bo stay in the fight. Their partnership is especially effective for taking on melee heroes that Bo would otherwise struggle against. Timon & Pumbaa are another good team-up. Hakuna Matata helps Bo deal with Merlin more consistently while also giving her great survivability. And lastly, Kevin could be a pivotal teammate. Bo lacks Tenacity, so Kevin is important for keeping Bo safe from Disables. Bo also generally works well with fellow tanks, especially Hercules(Ma) who can give her moments of invincibility.
Counters:
Merlin is one of her most consistent counters. Her ridiculous stats cause her to be a high-priority target for “Teacher’s Pet”, which is also why Timon & Pumbaa are such important partners for her. Bo just struggles with Disables in general. Even with her Evasion stat, she can’t really rely on it to avoid CC. Should she be afflicted with any status effects, she will suffer the full extent of it. Maleficent is problematic, and Gaston even more so when he jumps on her. While it’s true that Bo is a potent melee fighter, she sometimes have bad match-ups against certain other melee heroes. The Beast often out-muscles her when he goes into a rage. Quorra is also a tough match, especially if she heals herself with Eve’s disk. Scar is just as problematic. Not only would he have the initial advantage, he could also silence her, denying Bo from using her team-wiping spin while giving Scar’s team more time to burst her down. Miss Piggy(QH) is an absolute menace who can block Bo’s attempts of using knock back skills, quickly gaining energy to devastate Bo with a barrage of hits. Heroes that can force her to turn around are also frustrating to deal with; Aladdin is quite effective at this, and if Bo turns her back, her Deflection Spin will be directed away from the enemy team, leaving her allies extremely vulnerable.
Chief Bogo
Overview
Strengths:
+High survivability
+Strong early game
+Mixed attacker
+Useful Friendship disks
Weaknesses:
-Low damage contribution
-Vulnerable to knock backs
-Ineffective against AOE
Gameplay:
Bogo is perhaps one of the most self-sufficient heroes in the game. He starts the battle charging in and stunning the front-most enemy, giving his team an early-game advantage. He will only use “Criminal Charge” once at the beginning of the fight, but he does provide continual minor CC with “Blinding Justice” which is on a modest cooldown. Fortunately, he also sets the cooldown of this skill to zero seconds whenever he uses “Serve and Protect”. Speaking of which, much like the buffalo that he is, Bogo is absolutely stubborn and very difficult to take down. His self-shielding/self-healing makes him particularly hard to get past, which is his main way of protecting his team from damage. It is very simple and straight forward, and this strength of endurance makes him one of the absolute best choices among team Yellow’s Tanks. Bogo almost effortlessly absorbs large amounts of damage from bots, keeping their attention at him while leaving his team free to wreak havoc. Bogo works well in most game modes, especially for time-stalling in Guild Wars and Coliseum.
Friendship Disks:
Bogo’s disks are vastly different from one another but both are extremely useful. Mr. Incredible’s disk is the more flexible one as it is useful in all situations. “Vigilante Justice”, when fully maxed out ridiculously fortifies Bogo’s shield. Not only is the shield stronger in general, the healing conversion he gets out of it is absurd. Unlocking the full potential of this disk turns Bogo into a one-buffalo fortress. Do not underestimate Calhoun’s disk though. While arguably more situational, it has since gained more popularity as an anti-meta weapon. “Chief Inspector” improves the effects of Criminal Charge, allowing Bogo to do more damage, stun, and push back multiple enemies! This is especially useful when facing against popular meta heroes like Ducky & Bunny or Captain Hook. The stun gives Bogo’s team the chance to burst down these popular heroes. Switch his disks around depending on the circumstances at hand.
Team Options:
Amazingly, but also unsurprisingly, Bogo works well with his fellow Zootopia castmates. The five of them together can competently carry team Yellow through breaker quests in Invasion. If Bogo finds himself taking too much damage, then he’s no longer contributing to inflicting damage since he’ll be stuck constantly shielding himself. He will need teammates that have greater damage potential such as Alice, Ducky & Bunny, Merida, and other similar heroes. Heroes that can give him bursts of energy so that he can get his shield up more quickly are also excellent teammates. Mickey, Miguel, and WALL-E are very good for this.
Counters:
Despite Bogo’s impressive durability and high Tenacity growth, Bogo will have a very hard time with CC. Stuns are of course very troublesome for him, but silencing him is just as effective. Gaston, Maleficent, Tia, and Scar are key threats to watch out for. Without his shield and healing, Bogo can also be overwhelmed by high instances of burst damage, So Merida(El), Anger, and Ducky & Bunny are certainly threats to watch out for. Ducky and Bunny must be careful of Bogo’s Criminal Charge though. Bogo’s self-sufficiency can also be turned against him. Bogo doesn’t actually offer his team any direct form of protection, so mobile heroes like Aladdin, Moana, and Darkwing Duck can slip past him and start wreaking havoc behind him. And lastly, Ursula is one of Bogo’s definitive counters. Ursula can also push back Bogo, mitigating his head start with Criminal Charge. She can deplete energy so that it’s harder for him to get his shield, and her Hex can deny Bogo from ever getting it reliably. The stun he suffers from Ursula’s Hex leaves him helpless and he becomes an easy target for burst damage. Similarly, Captain Hook and Flynn can sap Bogo to make it much harder for him to earn his shield. They do have to also be wary of Criminal Charge as well.
Eeyore
Overview
Coming Soon
More in Part 2 (CLICK HERE)
