NOTE: I will refer to a lot of button inputs, particularly in the team setup menus. I personally find it easier to memorize inputs rather than specific directions, especially in the more complicated menus.
Also, the game will put the camera in a random position at the start of a battle. When you target a monster, the camera has to pan to the target's team and back to its old position before any attack will be executed. If the camera is behind the target team, this is noticeably slow. When the camera starts behind the enemy, move it left/right once with the d-pad to where it's to the side, i.e. not behind either team. If you have to press twice to move the camera to the side and you're one attack away, just move it once. REMEMBER, you do not have to wait for the camera change to finish before attacking. You can press the d-pad and immediately choose to attack.
I'm on Twitch/Twitter/just about everywhere @ cardsoftheheart. Send me a message with any errors or inconsistencies or questions.
--MISSION 1: WAR CAMPAIGN
PREPARATIONS
Select Yugi
Move right, remove (X) Kuriboh
Return, move down, mark Fizdis, select Fizdis
Move left, replace Horn Imp with Kuriboh (Press R, left, down)
Return, move up, select Yugi
Replace Celtic Guardian with Horn Imp (Press R)
Move right, replace empty slot with Celtic Guardian (Press right, up)
<These are the strongest monsters available to you. The strats for each mission involve one team doing all of the damage and, naturally, we would give them all to Yugi. Horn Imp is in the center because he is among the class of monsters who move the fastest on the map.>
MISSION START
Team Command move Yugi (mash A) to just above forest--or just inside the top edge if you're daring.
<Silver Fang, a base 1200 ATK monster, is in the forest directly between Jakhud and Makhad. He's weaker than any monster on our team so there's no point in recruiting him.>
Exit to the map and press Z. <I shall refer to this as "Z Mode" from now on.>
Press down to select Fizdis.
Press up to move her to Ruthum.
When Yugi is near the forest, Z Mode and mash A to move him to Makhad. <Ideally this happens before Fizdis reaches Ruthum.>
<When Fizdis takes Ruthum, one of the enemy teams will move out of the main enemy base to take it back. This will leave the boss, Etos, completely vulnerable to Yugi's attack. Reducing the number of battles you fight via this form of manipulation is one of the main techniques you will use, especially in the early game when you will need multiple battles to take out each foe.>
First battle with Etos:
Attack the Swordsman from a Foreign Land (X) until he dies, then Basic Insect (Y), then Blackland Fire Dragon (A). DO NOT attack anyone that is guarding. Just attack the next monster.
<One of the primary strats in this run is to first take out the monsters with the most Action Points. It reduces the damage you take and, more importantly, the number of attack animations you have to sit through. You barely have enough attack to win this fight in two battles so trying to break through anyone's guard is pointless. You also barely have enough points to win this battle if you don't miss so trying to wait will only serve to give you an extra five-second timeout after battle.>
Second battle with Etos:
DO NOT attack anyone that is guarding. WAIT if you have to.
<This usually takes three battles, but two is possible if you get a meaningful critical hit or never miss.>
--MISSION 2: FURY OF THE EMPIRE
PREPARATIONS
Select Yugi.
Give Horn Imp a Blue Medicine.
Give Feral Imp a Blue Medicine.
Give Celtic Guardian the Monster Reborn.
<This is admittedly interchangable. In my experience, Feral Imp died too much when he had the Monster Reborn. There is potential manipulation to be tested related to the Monster Reborn. And yes, you will likely need these items in the next mission.>
MISSION START
Z Mode - Mash A to move Yugi to Ashton.
First battle with Sebeckal:
Attack Mountain Warrior (X). <Yes, Axe Raider has a Legendary Sword. Yes, he hits like a truck. No, there's not much you can do about it. The thing is, Mountain Warrior still has 3 Action Points. You will probably knock him out before he gets in two turns. It's still safer than going after Axe Raider. You're not knocking out Axe Raider before he gets in his two turns without multiple critical hits, anyway.>
Then attack Axe Raider (A), followed by Armored Lizard (Y).
HEAL before the next battle. (Press Y with the cursor on your team to access your items.) <You don't have the turns to waste healing in battle.>
Continue until all are defeated. <This SHOULD take two battles, but you may end up one attack short for some reason.>
--MISSION 3: STRATEGY
MISSION START
Z Mode - Mash A to send Yugi to Telenoes. Send someone to Phagttuon.
STOP YUGI BEFORE HE REACHES TELENOES.
<There's a soldier in Telenoes along with the boss, Granus. If Phagttuon has been taken, the soldier will move out to take it back. This saves over five minutes over having to fight unnecessary battles. Yes, that does factor in the 3 1/2 minutes you'll be sitting and waiting.>
If you're bold, you can move Yugi towards Telenoes so that Yugi touches the base at 9:00PM. <This plays the cutscene for the fire and immediately puts you into battle afterwards with the soldier outside the castle. It's not a hard window to hit by any means, but losing 20-30 seconds if you're early to try and save two seconds would probably make you very salty.>
First battle with Granus:
Attack Zanki (A) until he is near 50% health, then attack Lava Battleguard (X) until he is near 50%, then WAIT until Zanki has taken all of his turns and finish him off. Use any remaining attacks on Lava Battleguard.
<Zanki and Lava Battleguard each have a Blue Medicine. Enemies in this game with Life Point-healing items will use those items on their turn if a monster on the team is below 50% health. Working around this becomes critical in later missions. Lava Battleguard gets attacked afterwards for the chance to take him out in the next battle. Wait too much, however, and you might lose too many points.>
"SAFE" strat: Start the battle by waiting until Zanki & Lava Battleguard take all of their turns. <You can't lose points if you don't have any.>
HEAL before the next battle.
Second battle with Granus:
Take out Lava Battleguard if he is below 50%; otherwise attack Kanan the Swordsmistress (Y) until she is at 50% and WAIT until Lava Battleguard takes his turns before taking him out.
--MISSION 4: BATTLE FOR TSUGHUT
MISSION START
Z Mode - Send Fizdis to Tsughut. Send Yugi to Tsughut.
<Tsughut has Anti-Air and Anti-Ground Cannons to damage any team that gets in range. Fizdis will trigger the cannon and Yugi will move in during the cannon's cooldown (which lasts several minutes).>
Team Command move Tristan to inside your main base to put him to the front.
Build Barricade and Healer.
<New to this battle, enemy teams will immediately charge towards your home base. Tristan's team can take more punishment, especially with the boost from Barricade and extra healing.>
ESCAPE each battle at your base.
<Yes, this works, and it's one of your main tactics for most of the game. Your main team at base will usually be too weak to fight back quickly. It's over two minutes slower to build an Anti-Ground Cannon and run away until it activates before taking out the weakened team. Fighting these battles straight-up is even slower than that.>
AFTER BOTH TEAMS FIGHT YOU CONSECUTIVELY, Z Mode and focus (R) on Fizdis. Move her out of Yugi's way, but still so that she runs into the cannon first. You don't have too much time to get the movement right before the next battle so act quickly. <You can try to move Fizdis so that you can get into another battle at base and focus back on her as she hits the cannon. The camera will pan to her as she hits the cannon, then pan back to its previous position before starting the Bakura dialogue. Focusing on Fizdis as she hits the cannon will minimize this.>
Battles with Kepulia:
Attack and defeat Mountain Warrior (X), then Battle Ox (A), then Axe Raider (Y). <Same principle as the FURY OF THE EMPIRE strat.>
HEAL in between battles as much as you can. <This should take three battles. You will probably lose the first one.>
--MISSION 5: TURBULENT WATERS
PREPARATIONS
Press down and right to select Bakura.
Press Z, down, A, down, A to give Ansatsu the Red Medicine. Return and remove (X) from Bakura's team.
Select Yugi.
Replace Feral Imp with Ansatsu. (Press R in the monster list to highlight Ansatsu.)
<Ansatsu has the highest base ATK of any monster you have AND comes equipped with a Legendary Sword. He is a powerhouse that will pull his weight for the rest of the run. I only give Ansatsu the Red Medicine to provide emergency healing when it is really needed later on. Ansatsu is part of the final party and the other two don't really have time to heal in a tough spot.>
MISSION START
Z Mode
Send Yugi to Thor-Mount (down twice).
Send Fizdis to Van-Lova (up twice).
As soon as Yugi leaves the screen, redirect Yugi to Gigan-Syip (down).
<There's a base in between your base and Gigan-Syip that is not needed and messes up the enemy movement, if taken, so move Yugi to the side before sending him along. Fizdis has business in Van-Lova in addition to redirecting the enemy teams. Issuing the command to her serves as a good setup for Yugi's movement around the base in between the main bases.>
At Van-Lova, build a Trade Union and buy the following:
1 Beast Fangs 10 Silver Bow and Arrow 1 Electro-Whip
<Yes, 10. One is going to Ansatsu. The other 9 will end up on a "B-Team" that will be used on three missions later on. Electro-Whip is a Harpie Lady exclusive so, SPOILERS, Harpie Lady will be used. Electro-Whip shortens SO MANY fights in this run to the point where you will lose about 15 minutes if you don't use it. Beast Fangs is a Harpie Lady powerup. OPTION: Forgo buying Healer in the previous mission to get one more Bow for Ansatsu to use after the next mission for extra YOLO. ANOTHER OPTION: Forgo Barricade in the previous mission to get another Beast Fangs for Harpie Lady for extra YOLO.>
Battles with Secmayton:
GENERAL: Attack Fiend Kraken (X) until he's at 50%, then attack Sea King Dragon (A) until 50%, then Giant Red Seasnake (Y). Make sure you keep enough turns (WAIT if necessary) to take out Fiend Kraken after he uses all of his turns. <Yes, Fiend Kraken has a Blue Medicine.>
SPECIFIC: Ansatsu attack Sea King Dragon. If Sea King Dragon is guarding, attack Giant Red Seasnake. <Trying to avoid the potential critical hit on Fiend Kraken followed by an immediate heal. It's still possible with a critical hit on Seasnake, but it's not likely enough to be considered.>
Celtic Guardian & Horn Imp attack Fiend Kraken.
If Fiend Kraken has a turn left, Ansatsu attack Sea King Dragon. Otherwise, finish off Fiend Kraken.
<When in doubt, follow this progression: Fiend Kraken, Sea King Dragon, Giant Red Seasnake. If an attack will put one below 50%, go to the next. If one is guarding, go to the next.
HEAL in between battles.
--MISSION 6: BADLANDS
PREPARATIONS
Select Yugi.
Press right, Z, down, A, down, A, down, A, A to give Celtic Guardian 2 Silver Bow and Arrow.
Press B, right, Z, A, A to give Ansatsu a Silver Bow and Arrow.
<I would equip more, but it causes problems with the next boss fight.>
MISSION START
Z Mode
Send Yugi to Tower-Sirius (up three).
Eight seconds after Yugi leaves the screen, send Fizdis to Tower-Sirius. <I do "ONE MISSISSIPPI, TWO MISSISSIPPI, etc... EIGHT MISSISSIPPI, GO" and select Tower-Sirius on GO. Feel free to wait a little later if needed, but not too long.>
Focus on Yugi.
Get ready to send Yugi to Air-Shrine. Look at your base in the back. As soon as the white from the base wall (NOT THE TOWER) starts to disappear, select Air-Shrine to send Yugi there.
<Yugi's movement dodges the monster battles on this mission. Up the middle is The Illusory Gentleman. The base you barely miss (Tower-Pegasi) holds Summoned Skull. Avoiding Gentleman through the North side takes you too far out of the way.>
After Fizdis takes Tower-Sirius, build a Trade Union and buy three Multiply. <Yes, we are using Kuriboh in this run. Kuriboh will start with 3300 ATK and have an "attack-all" move. His single-targeting normal attack also does INSANE damage.>
<Fizdis's movement makes it so that all of the enemy teams are redirected while making sure Yugi doesn't run into them. Sending Fizdis out so late makes sure that the enemy teams do not capture Tower-Sirius after the boss fight, which would waste about a second.>
Battle with Darkness:
-Round 1
Ansatsu attack Reaper of the Cards (Y). If Reaper is guarding, WAIT. Have Celtic Guardian WAIT, as well.
Horn Imp:
If both Dark King of the Abyss (X) and King of Yamimakai (A) take their turns before you, attack Reaper of the Cards. Otherwise, attack King of Yamimakai. If he is guarding, WAIT.
Celtic Guardian:
If both Dark King of the Abyss (X) and King of Yamimakai (A) take their turns before you, attack Reaper of the Cards. Otherwise, attack Dark King of the Abyss.
Fringe case: If Ansatsu attacks Reaper and both Dark King and Yamimakai guard, then if Celtic Guardian attacks first, attack Dark King. If Horn Imp attacks first, WAIT with both.
<This fight stinks. Yamimakai has a Blue Medicine, Dark King has a Red Medicine (FULL LP HEAL), and Reaper has a Monster Reborn. So not only do you have to keep the entire enemy team from getting below 50% health too quickly, you also have to make sure Reaper is the first one to die. Premature critical hits are actually really bad here.>
-Round 2
Finish off Reaper of the Cards, if needed. Put your last attack on King of Yamimakai. If Reaper is dead, Ansatsu and Horn Imp attack King of Yamimakai and Celtic Guardian attack Dark King.
-Round 3
Finish off Dark King, then finish off Yamimakai. <Even if a Blue Medicine is triggered, you should still have enough damage. A critical hit on Yamimakai at the end saves so much time that there's little reason not to go for it.>
--MISSION 7: CRUCIAL BATTLE
PREPARATIONS
Select Yugi.
Remove Horn Imp.
Press up twice to go to Fizdis.
Equip Kuriboh with the three Multiply.
Replace with Horn Imp. (Press L, left, down.)
Press down twice to go back to Yugi.
Move left and replace Ansatsu with Kuriboh. (Press right.)
Replace empty slot with Ansatsu. (Press L, up, up.)
MISSION START
Team Command Fizdis to move above the neighboring city across the river. If you're familiar with the cannon range, then keep Fizdis above the range of the cannons.
PRESS B TO SEND FIZIDS OUT, THEN TEAM COMMAND YUGI TO MOVE TO THE SAME LOCATION--DO NOT LEAVE THE MENU.
As soon as Fizdis reaches the edge of the river, Z Mode - Send Fizdis then Yugi to Enno.
<Seriously, you'll waste time by leaving the menu only to have to go back into it. This not only avoids entering the neighboring city and triggering a battle, but it also avoids the Millenium Golem team heading for your base.>
Team Command move a team on the bridge next to the neighboring city. <This will keep Millenium Golem from exiting the city after he enters it and prevents an unnecessary battle. This seriously works, but it can only be used in this mission and one more later on.>
Focus on Fizdis.
Move Fizdis when she hits the cannon.
<When a team hits a cannon, the camera has to pan to that team, play a cutscene, and then move back to its previous position before proceeding.
Haysheen Battle
Round 1:
If Ansatsu or Celtic Guardian goes first, attack Axe Raider. If Axe Raider is guarding, attack Mystical Elf. If Kuriboh goes next, attack Axe Raider. Otherwise, Multiply with Kuriboh. (Z - Special attack)
If Zanki is below 50% health after the Multiply and Axe Raider has not moved, Ansatsu attack Zanki. If Axe Raider has moved and did not guard, attack Axe Raider until dead.
<Axe Raider has a Red Medicine. Ansatsu and Kuriboh's attacks can inflict more than 50% to Zanki on high damage rolls. If it happens with Kuriboh, pray that Ansatsu gets the damage roll on Zanki. If not and/or Axe Raider heals, there's not much you can do. Kuriboh's normal attack does more than half to everyone on a low damage roll.>
Round 2:
Kuriboh attack Zanki or Axe Raider, whoever is not yet dead. The others finish off Mystical Elf.
--MISSION 8: REFUGEES
<Depending on who you ask, this is either the easiest mission in the game or the hardest. If you do not follow these instructions, either you will get into extra battles and lose minutes--or you'll game over. You have been warned.>
MISSION START
-
IMMEDIATELY move Tea straight up as far as you can.
-
Get in Z Mode to move Tea to Craw-Valley. Time your move at FIVE ticks (five seconds) after the quarter-hour on the mission timer. (8:15 AM)
-
???
-
Profit!
<The other goal of this stage is to overtake the city to the East. That takes too long. You don't need the experience. That leaves escaping Tea's pursuers and getting her into your base.
There are enemy teams surrounding you all over. Your only option of escape is moving north between the two teams of Berfomet. They will actually slow each other down in their pursuit. When they break free of each other, you're supposed to move Tea to the base in a way to make the Berfomet teams slow each other down again so you can escape.
This used to be a visual cue for me, but with menus in the way, you had to position the cursor in order to still see the enemy. Apparently I was just lucky in my initial testing because I had consecutive runs where I moved Tea late and ran into battles. Thanks to VyseOfLegends9002 suggesting I use the game timer to find the timing, I was able to pick up on this easy-to-remember "sweet-spot." Too early, get into a battle. Too late, get into a battle.>
--MISSION 9: BREAK FREE
PREPARATIONS
Select Yugi.
Remove the Silver Bow and Arrows from Celtic Guardian.
Remove Celtic Guardian.
Press B, up, up, left to select Tea.
Move right and equip Dark Witch with three Silver Bow and Arrow. Remove from the team.
Move right and equip Gyakutenno Megami with three Silver Bow and Arrow. Remove from the team.
Move right and equip Dancing Elf with three Silver Bow and Arrow. Replace with Blackland Fire Dragon. (Down two.) <The monster is not important, but the position is.>
Return and MARK & select Mai. <We'll use her a little later on.>
Equip Harpie Lady with Electro-Whip, Beast Fangs, and Monster Reborn. <Monster Reborn is the safety option.>
Return, replace with Dancing Elf. (Press R.)
Move left and replace Harpie's Pet Dragon with Gyakutenno Megami. (Press R, left.)
Move left and replace Curse of Dragon with Dark Witch. (Press left.)
Return and press down, left to select Yugi.
Replace empty spot with Harpie Lady. (Press left, down, down.)
<The final teams are set. Yes, teams. Mai is required to beat Mission 13, anyway, so you might as well give her a team to beat Joey with. No, her team is really there to make Missions 18 & 19 faster by beating the teams assaulting your base so you don't have to run away from so many battles. Tea's team fits this bill so well as they can all be boosted by the easy-to-get Silver Bow and Arrow. I'd rather not use Dancing Elf since she's so weak, but I do need her speed for Mission 13 and no one else in her speed class can get near the damage output that she can.>
MISSION START
Z Mode - Send Yugi to Ce-Reizo (up one). Prepare to move Yugi to Chelyumn.
When Ansatsu disappears from the screen, wait three seconds and confirm the order to move to Chelyumn. Feel free to wait longer if you're not sure.
<You really do have to swing out this wide in order to avoid the oncoming teams. There's a Harpie's Pet Dragon you will run into if you don't.>
Atensa Battle
<Yes, he is as much of a joke as the game would lead you to believe.>
Take them out in this order: Launcher Spider (A), then Giant Mech-Soldier (Y), then Cyber Soldier (X).
--MISSION 10: COUNTERATTACK
MISSION START
Z Mode - Send Mai (up three) to Seirauna (up twice).
Two seconds after Dancing Elf leaves the screen, build Barricade and Healer.
Z Mode - Send Mai to Maryah-Denn.
<The Barricade and Healer serve as a buffer to let Mai get wide enough to dodge the enemies coming up the middle.>Send Yugi to the front.
Officer Battle:
Round 1:
Ansatsu attack Parrot Dragon (Y). Kuriboh Multiply. If Parrot Dragon has not moved, Harpie Lady attack Parrot Dragon. Otherwise, attack Kaiser Dragon (A). <Kaiser Dragon is the slowest and Parrot Dragon has more turns, but is faster. Either one is fine to take out first.>
Run away from the Labyrinth Tank battle.
<Remember, Yugi does not have to be the one to traverse the map on this mission. It's faster to keep him at home and deal with the Kaiser Dragon team than to run away from everything--usually 15-20 seconds faster.>
emulator tests (-:08 per extra attack trying to run) (+:02 per battle to adjust for emulator loads) Mai fighting first team: 3:45-3:53 (-:00) (+:04) 3:49 Mai running with first team 4:13 (-:48) (+:12) 3:47 Tristan with Feral Imp running 3:38 (-:16) (+:12) 3:34 Bakura default team running 3:46 (-:24) (+:12) 3:34 Yugi fighting first team: 3:17-3:30 (-:00) (+:04) 3:21 Yugi running: 3:29 (-:08) (+:12) 3:33
--MISSION 11: SPELLCASTER
MISSION START
Z Mode - Send Yugi to Tower-Pegasi (down twice), then send him to Air-Shrine.
Send Mai to the front and run from every battle.
Tea Battle
Take out in this order: Dark Elf (A), then Embodiment of Apophis (Y), then Garoozis (X).
--MISSION 12: PHANTOM BLAST
MISSION START
Z Mode - Send Shimon to Enno. Focus on Yugi.
Stop Shimon. Team Command Move Yugi up.
Z Mode - Send Yugi to Enno. <It's faster but harder to stop Shimon after moving Yugi towards Enno.>
<Trigger one of the cannons early so that the Kaiba cutscene plays to get rid of all of the cannons. This allows Yugi to go to Enno without needing someone else to go in front of him.>Soldier Battle with Mai:
Take out in this order: Beaver Warrior (Y), then Zanki (A), then Kanan the Swordmistress (X).
<It's up to 30 seconds faster to fight this battle with Mai considering how often you would have to run away otherwise.>
Joey Battle:
Take out in this order: Panther Warrior (Y), then Ryu-Kishin Powered (X), then Red-Eyes (A).
<You may want to paralyze foes that have not attacked in a turn in order to minimize the damage since everyone here hits pretty hard.>emulator tests to Joey Mai running 3:53 (-:24) (+:14) 3:43 Mai fighting 3:14 (+:02) 3:16
--MISSION 13: FOR THAT SOMEONE SPECIAL
MISSION START
Team Command move Mai southeast to the river.
Z Mode - Send Yugi to Vrauson. As soon as the Dancing Elf model touches the river, send Mai to Vrauson and redirect Yugi to Beyzon.
<Remember, Mai has to land the killing blow on Joey to clear the mission. Otherwise, it's game over.>
Stop Yugi before he reaches Beyzon. <If you've moved Yugi quickly enough, you can block the enemy teams from leaving Beyzon, avoiding an unnecessary battle.>
Joey Battle:
Take out in this order: Panther Warrior (A), then Tiger Axe (X), then Ryu-Kishin Powered (Y).
emulator tests Mai with her team 4:02 Mai with Yugi's team 3:42 <The time savings is about how long it takes to switch Yugi's monsters with Mai's. ONCE. Then you'd have to switch them back for the next mission.>
--MISSION 14: SCORCHED
MISSION START
Z Mode - Send Fizdis (up twice) to Y-Su-Wak (up twice). Wait a little bit, then send Yugi to Telenoes.
<The old take-a-base-to-redirect-the-enemies strat is back. This one may be cut a little close.>Strings Battle(s)
Take out in this order: Labyrinth Tank (A), then Slot Machine (X), then Curse of Dragon (Y).
--MISSION 15: BETRAYED
MISSION START
Z Mode - Send Yugi to Jakhud. (Down one.) Near Jakhud, move Yugi to intercept Yami Bakura.
Yami Bakura Battle:
Take out in this order: The Snake Hair (X), then Pumpking (A), then Reaper (Y).
SPECIFIC:
Round 1: Kuriboh Multiply, the rest attack Snake Hair.
Round 2:
If Snake Hair is dead, Kuriboh attack (should kill) Reaper. The rest finish off Pumpking.
Otherwise: Kuriboh Multiply. Ansatsu finish off Reaper. Harpie paralyze Pumpking.
<SAFER OPTION>Round 1: All attack Snake Hair. <to take her out without as much risk of getting paralyzed>
Round 2: Ansatsu and Kuriboh attack Reaper. Harpie Lady attack Pumpking.
<The Snake Hair's normal attack can/will paralyze.>
emulator tests of Bakura battle (from fade-out of versus screen to fade-out of battle screen): Multiply 1:18 with Snake Hair critical hit, also with Reaper critical hit on second Multiply Multiply 1:20 with Reaper critical hit & guard Multiply 1:25 with Pumpking critical hit on 1st Multiply OR Reaper critical hit on 2nd and Snake Hair miss on 2nd Multiply 1:28 with Pumpking guard on 2nd Multiply Multiply 1:30-1:40 with Reaper and Pumpking guards Multiply 1:39 with Snake Hair critical hit and Harpie Lady missing Pumpking all out Snake Hair 1:36 all out Snake Hair 1:27 with Pumpking guard and Reaper critical hit all out Snake Hair 1:45 with Pumpking guard and no paralysis on Harpie hit all out Snake Hair 1:46 with Reaper guard
--MISSION 16: A LOST CAUSE
<Very, VERY fitting name. You'll see why.>
MISSION START
Z Mode
<RELIABLE SAFETY> Send Mai (up three times) to Anker-Hill.
Send Yugi to Anker-Hill.
Send Fizdis (up twice) to Twin-Rivers (down).
<Another simple redirect strat.>Arkana Battles
<Lv99 Dark Magician. With 3 Raigeki, each capable of over 1000 damage to all enemies. Yeah. Needless to say, sending Yugi into this fight straight away is near-suicide. Yugi's team CAN kill Dark Magician before he uses Raigeki, but Harpie Lady needs to move first and the paralysis needs to stick. That is nowhere near a guarantee. My success rate has been about 10%.
You will likely need Dark Magician to use at least one Raigeki before Yugi gets to him. You probably need Dark Magician to use two. One Raigeki can be dealt with; two is almost impossible. Mai is the best-equipped to draw out two Raigeki and cripple Dark Magiican.>
Have Mai's monsters attack Dark Magician, but DO NOT KILL IT. Attack the Invitation to a Dark Sleep, if you want. DON'T KILL THEM, EITHER. <Yugi's team needs all the help they can get.>
In Yugi's battle, go all out against Dark Magician. Do not bother Multiplying unless it will kill.
<It's still possible for Dark Magician to go first and use Raigeki. If that happens, reach for the reset button.>
emulator tests with safety strats 4:40 (+:02) 4:42 without 1:32 to Arkana, 3:31 total
--MISSION 17: SECRET POWER
MISSION START
Z Mode - Send Yugi to Myilluno. (Mash A)
Shadi battle
Take out in this order: Armored Zombie (Y), then Dragon Zombie (X), then Pumpking (A).
--MISSION 18: FACE OFF
MISSION START
Build Anti-Ground Cannon. QUICKLY.
Z Mode - Send Yugi to Shyi-Hagou. (up three)
Build Barricade.
As soon as Yugi is out of the range of the cannon, Z Mode - Send Yugi to Nonnber. <This is another case of moving Yugi's team around a roaming monster encounter. In this case, Gaia the Fierce Knight has a team positioned directly between your base and Nonnber.>
Send Mai to the front.
Kaiser Dragon battle:
Take out Kaiser Dragon (A) first <really slow>, then take out the Giltias.
Insect Queen battle: <If you were fast enough with the cannon, it should have already triggered. If not, run.>
Dancing Elf attack Dungeon Worm. (Y) <Dungeon Worm may attack first and this attack may be a damage range.>
Gyakutenno Megami attack Hercules Beetle. (X)
Dark Witch attack Insect Queen. (A)
<It is faster to fight these battles with a sufficiently powerful team than to run away from a ton of battles while Yugi moves towards Kaiba.>Kaiba battle:
Multiply and focus on one at a time or, if you're feeling really bold, paralyze multiple monsters. <Beware that every Blue-Eyes has a Polymerization and any one of them below about 30% health (or on their last turn, but that SHOULDN'T be relevant for this run) will use it on their turn. If it is used, bend over and kiss your run goodbye.>
<This battle needs several things to go right in order to finish in one battle. if the Blue-Eyes get in the habit of ganging up on one of your monsters, do not be afraid to cut your losses, heal, and live to fight another battle.>
emulator tests to Kaiba ~6:38 8 bows Both cannons strats <Old route would only buy bows for empty slots on Tea's/Mai's team.> ~6:23 8 bows Air cannon strats ~5:30-5:33 8 bows Fight air - Ground cannon strats ~5:45 8 bows Fight air - run from ground
~4:28 10 bows Ground cannon first Fight air ~4:42 Kuriboh w/ Dancing Elf ~4:05-4:24 Kuriboh w/ Gyakutenno
total ~7:55 switch Kuriboh w/ Dancing Elf before the mission, fight air ground cannon ~8:42-8:45 switch Kuriboh w/ Gyakutenno (2 Kaiba battles) ~6:55-8:15 no switch
<It takes about 10 seconds to switch one monster between teams.>
MISSION 19: BANISHMENT
MISSION START
Z Mode - Send Fizdis to Sygh-Varths (down four). Send Yugi to Sygh-Varths.
<More cannons to trigger.>Build Anti-Ground Cannon and Barricade.
Illusionist Faceless Mage battle:
Take out Illusionist Faceless Mage (A) first. <He has Raimei to paralyze all of your party and Final Flame to inflict about 1000 damage to one monster.>
Next round, have Gyakutenno Megami attack one Saggi the Dark Clown by herself. <Potential damage range.>
Focus on Fizdis and move her out of the way once she triggers the cannons.
Scott battle
<Cosmo Queen regenerates some LP every turn, is immune to paralysis, and has a Red Medicine. Remember, if anyone is under 50% health, it will be used. Getting around this while still going fast can be complicated due to the apparent randomness in turn order. Pay close attention if you don't feel like crying over the heals.>
Round 1:
First turn - Attack Cosmo Queen. <Usually Ansatsu or Kuriboh will go first, but even if, by some chance, Harpie Lady goes first, this is still recommended. A critical hit here is always good. A crit on the Barrel Dragons will not be.>
If Kuriboh attacked first and got a critical hit, then attack and <you should be able to> kill Cosmo Queen with the others. <unless Harpie Lady misses >_> >
If Kuriboh inflicted less than 680 damage, then Ansatsu attack Cosmo Queen and Harpie Lady attack a Barrel Dragon. <This is the fastest strat I've found without getting a critical hit. Any scenario where you paralyze a Barrel Dragon and get Cosmo Queen into kill range next turn is a good one. These attacks will leave Cosmo Queen with anywhere from 925-1100 LP. Most of the time, her natural healing should push her above 50% before she moves.>
If Kuriboh missed, Ansatsu and Harpie Lady attack Cosmo Queen. <Ansatsu does not have quite enough to put Cosmo Queen into kill range unless you feel like going for three high damage rolls.>
Otherwise, Ansatsu attack a Barrel Dragon and Harpie Lady attack Cosmo Queen.
If Ansatsu attacked first and got a critical hit, then have the others split their attacks between the Barrel Dragons. <A critical hit from Ansatsu on Cosmo Queen should always be safe... unless you overleveled somehow.>
If Ansatsu inflicted less than 500 damage, then Kuriboh attack Cosmo Queen and Harpie Lady paralyze a Barrel Dragon.
Otherwise, Kuriboh attack a Barrel Dragon and Harpie Lady attack Cosmo Queen--unless Kuriboh gets a critical hit, in which case Harpie Lady needs to try to finish it off.
In the unlikely event Harpie Lady goes first, if she misses, Kuriboh needs to hit Cosmo Queen. Otherwise, Ansatsu needs to.
Round 2:
Top priority is killing Cosmo Queen. If Ansatsu and Kuriboh can do it by themselves (which is pretty much <1200 HP), then Harpie can paralyze a Barrel Dragon whenever she wants.
<The other annoyance in this battle is that the Barrel Dragons don't stay paralyzed very often. Better hope Scott doesn't focus his attacks on one monster.>
emulator tests to Scott Mai running 6:01 (-:32) (+:24) 5:53 Mai fighting first team, running from 2nd 5:03 (-:00) (+:12) 5:15 (1 critical hit) Mai fighting both teams, no cannon 6:02 (+:04) 6:06 Mai fighting both teams, Fizdis then cannon, then Yugi 5:04 (+:06) 5:10 Mai fighting both teams, Fizdis then Yugi then cannon 5:14 (+:06) 5:20 (1 critical hit, 1 damage range in first battle, missed two damage ranges in 2nd)
Scott fight (from first Scott textbox to fade out of mission results screen) Ansatsu + Kuriboh > Cosmo Queen first and second rounds 2:30-2:37 1:56 with Ansatsu 1st round critical hit 2:02-2:19 with Kuriboh 1st round critical hit 1:48 with Kuriboh 1st crit and first two Barrel Dragon turns wait Multiply, Ansatsu > Cosmo Queen, Harpie wait, all take out Cosmo Queen second round 2:04-2:10
--MISSION 20: HALLOWED LAND OF ISHTAR
MISSION START
Z Mode - Send Yugi to Ishtar Gate. (down one) After entering the gate, send Yugi to Ishtar.
<For some reason, this is faster than just avoiding the enemy teams heading toward the base and moving to Ishtar directly. I can't confirm, but this probably has to do with Ansatsu's "Road Adept" ability, which gives him a stat boost in battles on road terrain. Apparently it also boosts his movement speed in the map on roads.>
Odion battle
Ansatsu and Kuriboh take out one Embodiment. (X/Y) <Probably a damage range.> Harpie Lady paralyze the Mystical Beast Serket (A) if the Embodiment is dead.
Repeat for the next round on the other Embodiment.
<Both of the Embodiments have a Red Medicine so they need to be taken out ASAP. Like last mission, Kuriboh's Multiply is too risky for this fight.>
emulator tests Odion fight (from first Odion textbox to fade out of mission results screen) focus on one Embodiment first 1:32-1:42, 1:22-1:23 with a bunch of critical hits Multiply and get the damage ranges on an Embodiment 1:31-1:32
--MISSION 21: DREAM WORLD
MISSION START
Z Mode - Send Yugi to Memory-Bank-A2. (down two)
Battles with two Computers - minimal threat.
Z Mode - Send Yugi to Terminal-Bus. Navigate accordingly. Heal along the way.
Computer battle with... Gate Guardian?!
Multiply and focus on Sanga of the Thunder (A) first.
<They all have Polymerization. Sanga is the least likely to get into Polymerization range if attacked by everyone.>Next round, Ansatsu and Kuriboh hopefully can take out Suijin (X). Harpie Lady can then paralyze the remaining Kazejin (Y)--unless she goes first. If that happens, just make sure you take out either Suijin or Kazejin.
--MISSION 22: DARK SPIRIT
Z Mode - Send Yugi to CPU.
Scott battle
Take out the Serpent Night Dragons. HEAL before finishing off Skull Knight.
<The next battle is almost immediate. You can mash fast enough to stop Yugi, however.>
Obelisk the Tormentor battles <Yes, battles--well, you rely on a lot of paralysis to keep it at one battle.>
So here's how this fight works. All of your monsters get their turn, followed by the Egyptian God's turn. This means that at any time, you can take turns with your first two monsters, then run away on the third. Running away in this battle is guaranteed. It's an easy way to cheese this fight, but it's slow. Just something to keep in mind.
Obelisk has two attacks: a single targeting Destruction Flash that will inflict about 800 damage on average and an all-targeting Omni Hand Crusher that will inflict about 1000 damage. He mostly spams Destruction Flash.
If Obelisk ever defends, try to paralyze, but otherwise WAIT. You can't break through his guard.
If you're in danger of getting wiped, run and heal.
-SAFETY- If you get really unlucky, go back to base and build a Supply Unit to refill your medicine inventory.
...What? It's a real-time strategy RPG. Did you expect shorter notes? Kappa
