Your one-stop guide to investing in the best characters for Counter:side Global
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Updated on December 11th, 2024 - Version: 7.70
Counter: Side is a futuristic sci-fi gacha RPG with gameplay that can be categorized as 2D side-scrolling tower defense mixed with elements of Clash Royale. You assemble a deck of 8 units, each assigned with a deployment cost, and march into the battlefield. To address the dilemma of picking the right characters, we have decided to create a Counter: Side tier list.
The main distinction that Counter: Side is known for is the introduction of a ban system to its PvP mode to keep the game’s PvP balance healthy (This system earned it an award for Best Competitive 2021 on Google Play). For fans of story-centric RPGs, fret not as Counter: Side has an enticing plot with dark undertones with its colourful cast of characters with fleshed-out personalities.
It is no coincidence that Counter: Side’s name sounds too similar to the hit FPS Counter-Strike. Unlike other gacha RPGs whose cast of characters is made up of humans, a unique highlight in Counter:Side is the inclusion of infantry units as well as war vehicles (including Titanfall-esque robots) as playable characters. They are not limited to a small number, but a whole faction exists. For fans of mobile gacha games or military enthusiasts, this will be a breath of fresh air when the genre mostly offers waifus or husbandos. There’s more to the characters themselves as a majority of them have a niche and are bound to be useful in some way (barring a few really bad apples, like PZH Mobile Gun.)
With that out of the way. In anticipation of the official Global version release, we have created a tier list that ranks each character. This tier list will factor in the benefit-cost ratio of each character, along with a short justification of why we think they deserve the ranking. We will also group the tier list into PvP and PvE as we observed some characters are absolutely stellar in PvE and vice versa Close, Ra. We will also only take the dastardly hard endgame content into consideration, including Guild co-op, Delic Dungeons, Shadow Hall, and Raids. This tier list will be maintained on a regular basis with new character releases or balance patches.
Original article by Anderson Han, updated by Mihail Katsoris.
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1
Mech Tier List (PvE)
Mech faction primarily relies on their high bulk or high firepower to compensate for their lack of ultimate skills or special skills. Currently, mech faction is at its lowest low
S tier
Class
Name
Analysis
Tower
Sigma
Her passive skill : Sigma Protocol is her shining forte - greatly supports the team by negating their type weakness affinity, for instance, your Defender will take reduced damage from a Ranger despite the supereffective type advantage. In the meantime, your Defender units will deal 60% more damage against the unit class that naturally resists it. Among her arsenal, her special skill is also noteworthy as it set her up as a battery, capable of regenerating deployment cost to allow you to deploy units at a much faster rate. Last but not least, her ultimate skill of dropping a powerful defender unit called : Machine God Daddy with amazing knockback capabilities serve as a great meat shield against enemy waves.
Striker
Ifrit
-
Striker
Awakened Horizon
-
Striker
Triana Titan
-
Ranger
Tarrasque
-
Striker
Coldcase Horizon
-
A tier
Class
Name
Analysis
Striker
Woodpecker
Great in Shadow Palace and Challenge modes, generally versatile as it is moderately bulky for a 2 cost unit that can be easily redeployed. Hidden potential to be used to counter-rush Sigma or any other Tower units as it acts as a siege unit that goes to enemy base when no enemy ground units are present
Mech faction primarily relies on their high bulk or high firepower to compensate for their lack of ultimate skills or special skills. Currently mech faction is at its lowest low
S tier
Class
Name
Analysis
Tower
Sigma
Her passive skill : Sigma Protocol is highly valued for the same reasons stated in the PvE section above. Among her arsenal, her special skill is also noteworthy as it set her up as a battery, capable of regenerating deployment cost to allow you to deploy units at a much faster rate. Last but not least, her ultimate skill of dropping a powerful defender unit called : Machine God Daddy with amazing knockback capabilities (though easily shred by strong ranger units) make her the best support any PvP team will welcome as an addition.
Striker
Ifrit
-
Striker
Awakened Horizon
-
Striker
Triana Titan
-
Defender
Horizon
-
Sniper
Grendel
-
Defender
Evolved One
-
Striker
Coldcase Horizon
-
A tier
Class
Name
Analysis
Striker
Woodpecker
Moderately bulky air unit with a cheap cost. Can be constantly redeployed and is a good check against teams emphasizing on rush. Fun fact, we also discovered its amazing potent in bugging tower units stationed far behind in the enemies' base
Soldier faction primarily operate by the motto of "strength in power", while frail as an individual unit, they swarm enemies with high firepower and capable of cushioning hit counts
S tier
Class
Name
Analysis
Striker
Eve Meitner
Currently the best in the game. Not really a lot to talk about. a
Ranger
Admin. Rifleman
You'll need him absolutely everywhere. Has one of the highest damage output and can pretty much melt anything at a cheap cost of 2, crucial counter against many bulky defenders such as the upcoming Awakened Hilde
Striker
Admin. Sword Fighter
Very viable across all content. Can land a lot of critical hits while having high evasion, her passive skill Survival Instinct fully heals the other when the first one perished but negated if both are killed simultaneously by an AoE attack.
Defender
Admin. Shieldman
Good in Guild Coop, Shadow Palace and Danger Close. Very bulky and comes in a pair at a low cost of 2. Provides excellent protection as his passive skill Local Phase-locking Device can taunt enemies
Striker
Ciel Marronier
-
Striker
Felix :Red Witch
-
Sniper
Curian
-
A tier
Class
Name
Analysis
Striker
Terminator
Good in Raids, Guild Coop and Danger Close, While he's no Arnold Schwarzenegger, but his Armor-Piercing Buckshot can weaken enemies by debuffing their DEF stats while in return, deal high damage, held back by a deploy cost of 4
Ranger
Eddie Fisher
Good in Guild Coop, Shadow Palace and Danger Close. Absolutely crucial in hybrid Counter/Soldier decks as his myriad of buffs, his passives Experienced Veteran can buff the defense of Counters and Pro Mercenary can buff fellow soldiers' attack
Supporter
Ironside
ONLY GOOD IN A PURE MECH TEAM as he provide good healing coverage, otherwise he's easily a N tier unit. Also quite memeable thanks to Juan
Ranger
Investigator Kang
-
Striker
Veronica
-
Supporter
Lone Lee
-
Sniper
Warden
-
Supporter
Revenant
-
Sniper
Dorothy
-
Sniper
Karin Wong, Awakened Karin Wong
-
B tier
Class
Name
Analysis
Defender
Overflow, Stronghold
Ranger
John Mason, Assault Trooper, Rivet, Special Forces Sorim, Nicole
Soldier faction primarily operate by the motto of "strength in power", while frail as an individual unit, they swarm enemies with high firepower and capable of cushioning hit counts
S tier
Class
Name
Analysis
Ranger
Admin. Rifleman
Absolutely monstrous damage out for a cheap cost of 2, keep him safe in the backline and watch him slice through enemy's defense like a hot knife in a butter
Ranger
Kang Soyoung
Players are recommended to acquire her from Side Story. The perfect checkmate to all squishy backline sniper/ranger units, credits to her passive skill Where's the location that can absolutely wreck havoc to most sniper units (except Hayami Sanae who's bulky enough to survive a crash), In addition, her second passive skill Special Service Commander can provide a nice buff to ally soldiers within her vicinity
Striker
Jane Doe
Great evasion, Great attack stats plus high tendency to land critical hits make her a crucial element in striker rush team composition that shines when used with Matador
Striker
Ciel Marronier
Ciel Marronier was released on patch 1.28.274379 and from what we've seen so far, she's pretty over-tuned when it comes to PvP arena. She's definitely a striker that you want to have on your team.
Ranger
Investigator Kang
-
Striker
Eve Meitner
-
Sniper
Curian
-
Sniper
Warden
-
A tier
Class
Name
Analysis
Ranger
Assault Trooper
Cheap backdoor unit that comes in three, can pull of surprise attacks on unsuspecting backline, chip away the ship's health and cause distraction.
Defender
Admin. Shieldman
Cheap defender that can redirect enemies attack to him with passive skill Local Phase-locking Device, can also absorb a lot of valid hits
Sniper
Adamant Sniper
The diamond in the rough, she can bring a lot to the field for a low rarity unit. She remains in the backline away from harm's way while being able to deal decent damage
Supporter
Ironside
Exceptional and spammable healer thanks to cheap cost and great heal percentage. Easily an N tier when used in other teams. But as the meta progress in the future his niche of healing mechs get reduced
Striker
Admin. Sword Fighter
A great asset to the team ass she can deal continuously high damage against enemy, her passive skill survival instinct fully heals the other when the first one perished hence adding to her survivability. However, there are nowadays a lot of AoE damage dealer that took advantage the weakness of her passive
Ranger
Eddie Fisher
Same role in PvP as a significant buffer to hybrid Counter/Soldier teams. He function as a top tier buffer but his stats is average
Counter faction (titular) are superhumans who gained a myriad of special and ultimate skills to fight against threat of humanity - Corrupted objects. The most versatile and dominant group of the trio
S tier
Class
Name
Analysis
Ranger
Gaeun
A must have for all content and easily acquired in the start from rerolling the beginner banner. One of the top tier ranger with formidable attack damage, range and utilities. Her special skill Double Flat can stun multiple enemies. Her Quarter Note can hamper enemies by reducing their attack speed. Lastly, her ultimate skill Prestissimo is highly impressive for dealing massive damage capable of hitting far distances. Overall, you're gimping yourself if you don't use her
Supporter
Swan Claire
Swan Claire significantly boosts team damage by applying potent debuffs, achieving up to 90% DEF reduction. This enhancement enables unprecedented burst damage potential
Ranger
Nanahara Chifuyu
3 cost unit with impressive bulk for her class, her Cherry Blossom Slash can weaken enemies' defense and debuff with stun, all the while dealing great AoE damage. Great across all content
Supporter
Evelyn Keller
A healer/attacker hybrid provides continuous heal with Heka's Tonic and Hermes Trismegistus, with the latter skill being able to inflict decent damage. A must have for every content and used in conjunction with Claudia Nelson
Supporter
Claudia Nelson
A healer focusing on burst heal, upon deployment her Kind Faith nurses allies' health by a good chunk. Can make your team immortal in many PvE mode. Used in conjunction with Evelyn Keller
Ranger
Kyle Wong
His main utility : Strategy bulwark can drop two barricades as good defensive support. Imperative in modes such as Danger Close or Shadow Palace.
Ranger
Mavka
Kostroma Mavka is a new Awakening unit in CounterSide that deals ranged physical damage. Her passive skill allows her to continuously attack with her basic attack, making her an excellent DPS unit for PVE content, especially against Defender bosses
Supporter
Yang Harim
Players are recommended to reroll and get her at all costs. Good for both PvE and PvP thanks to the myriad of utilities she can provide to allies, notably the barrier skill and the high 40% skill haste to enable a lot of units (and awakened units in the future) to quickly unleash their devastating ultimate. Her ultimate skill is the bomb as it not only damage enemies and debuff them. She also buffs allies with an attack up
Ranger
Rosaria le Freide
Universally excellent in virtually all the hard PvE content. Powerhouse that excels at dealing crazy damage at a large swathe of area with her special and ultimate skill. Nice bonus is her grace period of 4 seconds upon deployment.
Defender
[*] Awakened Hilde
The first awakened unit, her main function is being an absolutely tanky wall and she excels at it (thanks to many mechanics), players can always depend on her to endure punishing attacks by tough foes in Shadow Palace, Dive and Danger Close. However, she is susceptible of going into the wrong direction by an unsuspecting enemy that appeared behind
Striker
Eins & Zwei
Their role plays out pretty much the same even in PvE, extremely cheap (2 cost) while being able to deal devastating damage and sports high bulk. Excellent across all sorts of PvE content
Sniper
Kestrel Xiao Lin
-
Striker
Abyssal Ravage Orca
-
Supporter
Awakened Shin Jia
-
Supporter
Sky Layfield
-
Striker
Near Astraea Esterosa
-
Sniper
Replacer Queen
-
Striker
Awakened Joo Shiyoon
-
Supporter
Carmen
-
Ranger
Awakened Lee Sooyeon
-
Ranger
Awakened Seo Yoon
-
Supporter
Rita Arsenico
-
Striker
Awakened Yuna Springfield
-
Ranger
Rosaria le Friede
-
Defender
Serapel
-
Defender
Awakened Jake
-
Sniper
Lyudmila
-
Defender
Breakbeat Alex
-
Defender
Hero Blossom Kaci
-
Sniper
Avenger Mordred
-
A tier
Class
Name
Ranger
Seo Yoon, Shin Jia, Frederick Doma, Christina Brecht, Lucrecia, Kim Sobin, Yamata no Orochi, Ace of Wings Lee Sooyeon, Altergressive Seo Yoon
Striker
Roy Burnett, Lin Xien, Orca, Spira, Arhat Joo Shiyoon, Solar Codex Yuna
Sniper
Karin Wong, Edel Meitner, Dash
Defender
Lee Yumi, Replacer King, Kaci Bins, Kim Hana, Levia, Type:Siegfried Hilde, Jake Stormbringer
Nayuka Minato, Plaga, Joo Shiyoon, Ministra, Awakened Maria, Blue Blood Elizabeth, Biblide, Kim Hana
Striker
Esterosa de Chevalier, Cindy Looper, Hilde, Joo Shiyoung, Awakened Yoo Mina, Ella, Clareth, Alex, Liona, Yen Xing Lanchester, Serina Crew, Fenrir Yoo Mina
Sniper
Xiao Lin, Hayami Sanae, Sylvia Lena Cooper, Amy Firstwing, Lucid, Arti Lana, Awakened Amy
Defender
Dominic King Reginald, Mone, Carlota, Awakened Na Yubin, Six Wings Na Yubin
Extra
Lee Jisoo, Regina MacCready, Purple Mist Laura, Nest Keeper Xiao Linc, Machine Collector, Six Wings Lee Jisoo
C tier
Class
Name
Ranger
Cathy Wade, Elizabeth Pendragon, Na Yubin (young), Lee Yuri, Expert Merc Yoo Mina
Striker
Jake Walker, Lee Sooyeon, Ingrid Johanna, Replacer Bishop, Dracasia
Sniper
Best Streamer Miya, Agent Eujin, Lycoris
Defender
Ryan Ferrier, Irie Alford, Fione Lowell, Best Mascot Irie
Extra
Gabriel, Lumi, [*] Awakened Lee Jisoo, Lulu, Dark Seven Sylvia, Raphaela Juri, Lara Jaeger
N tier
Class
Name
Ranger
Yang Hansol, Yoo Mina, Yuna Springfield, Thaddeus Morgan, Bomi, Cho Hojin
Striker
Nina Anderson, Zena Bird, Park Hyunsoo, Oh Saerom, Ingrid Johana, Liv Allen, Eujin, Amy Strickland, Frederick Yuma, Naielle Bluesteel
Sniper
Maya Hunt, Kim Chowon, Miya, Jaina Kropel, Shena
Defender
Choi Gangsan, Lee Dafoe, Kim Chulsoo, Hirose Aki, Benedict Constantine, Ogami Masaki, Fiona Lowell, Replacer Knight
Extra
Shin Somi, Lee Minseo, Laura Beatrix, Lee Jin, Mika ★ Star, Lily, Harab, Gremory, Edith Twins, Shim Somi, Gambler
6
Counter Tier List (PvP)
Counter faction (titular) are superhumans who gained a myriad of special and ultimate skills to fight against the threat of humanity - Corrupted objects. The most versatile and dominant group of the trio
S tier
Class
Name
Analysis
Ranger
Gaeun
A universal staple in any team and very dominant in PvP for the same reasons stated in PvE section. Even in KR and SEA players often opt to ban her
Ranger
Kyle Wong
Summon 2 barricades periodically to support allies defensively, his barricades can direct the enemies attack away from your frail backline units
Ranger
Nanahara Chifuyu
Absolutely stellar for the same reasons stated in PvE section. A good opener that can seriously debuff enemies with defense down to make your allies easier to take them down
Supporter
Evelyn Keller
A healer/attacker hybrid provides continuous heal with Heka's Tonic and Hermes Trismegistus, with the latter skill being able to inflict decent damage. A universal staple in any team and the go-to pick for a healer
Supporter
Claudia Nelson
Good burst healer that players can redeploy to take advantage of her heal upon entry gimmick. She's the secondary choice to be used whenever Evelyn is banned
Striker
Eins & Zwei
Twin trouble! First battle pass character introduced. Their ultimate skill renders them invincible while sucking up any unfortunate enemies into their scuffle, rendering them immobile. Being a 2 in 1 unit makes them very sturdy while being capable of dishing out area-wide damage. At an astonishingly cheap cost of 2, they can do so much with a functioning skill set and is a nightmarish opener
Defender
Awakened Hilde
At an exorbitant cost of 6, she has the highest bulk and excels at tanking literally everything! Right now she runs amok in ranked PvP. Use Administration riflemen to shut her down, backdoor units can similarly bait her into dashing toward the wrong direction with her special skill
Sniper
Avenger Mordred
Supporter
Yang Harim
Her team support skills are an overkill, with +40% Skill haste, ability to heal, ability to cast barrier while simultaneously crippling enemies with debuffs. A must have and all teams run her as the primary support unit
Supporter
Swan Claire
Swan Claire significantly boosts team damage by applying potent debuffs, achieving up to 90% DEF reduction. This enhancement enables unprecedented burst damage potential
Striker
Awakened Yoo Mina
Unlike in SEA, this version released her in a post-buff state. She deal extremely high damage upon entry (that can wipe out literally everything on the field if timed correctly). On the defensive side, her passive skill : Wolf Fangs grants her perfect evasion, which, makes her able to dodge incoming enemy hits. Comes with nice utilities of being able to inflict skill seal
Ranger
-
Seo Yoon, Awakened Lee Sooyeon, Awakened Seo Yoon, Rosaria le Friede, Lucrecia, Blue Blood Elizabeth, Lee Yuri, Altergressive Seo Yoon
Striker
-
Abyssal Ravage Orca, Near Astraea Esterosa, Awakened Joo Shiyoon, Awakened Yuna Springfield, Spira, Yen Xing Lanchester, Ingrid Johanna, Arhat Joo Shiyoon, Fenrir Yoo Mina
A globetrotter by calling who regards video games as an artful medium for creative storytelling. All aboard on my jubilant voyage as I set sail through this vast sea of video games. Also loves jamming to synthwave songs and anything related to retro futurism.
