Hi everyone! So with the recent surprise news of GBT12 containing new support for Oracle Think Tank, I’ve seen a fair number of people who want to pick up or learn more about the two confirmed decks getting support: Oracle and Battle Sisters. Since I know a lot about both decks, I figured that it would be helpful for me to write a guide to help answer FAQs. So without further ado, here’s my guide to Battle Sisters!

FYI, I’m only going to talk about the cards that I think are relevant to Battle Sisters now, or could be in the future. I’ll skip the unnecessary cards, which are: Candy, Cream, Cocoa, Lemonade, Lollipop, Maple, Omelet, Vanilla, Caramel, Glace, Macaron, Mocha, Cookie, Fromage, Monaka, and Souffle. It’s not that these cards are bad, it’s just that some of them function better in non-Battle Sister decks, or they’ve simply fallen out of favour with G-Battle Sisters.

Grade 0:

Forerunners:

Eclair, Waffle, or Compote?

The choice is simple. It will always be you, Waffle.

Waffle is known for being a pseudo-Gold Paladin starter in Oracle Think Tank. And yes, that’s pretty much what she is. She’s really good in the early game or late game when you really just want a unit to attack with. The +2k isn’t bad either. However, the main reason why Waffle should be your main bae, is that your other options are… questionable.

Sure, you can play Eclair, and she may help you find a grade 3 when you need it, but the simple fact that her skill can whiff leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

On the surface Compote is a happy middle ground between Waffle and Eclair. You can use her to add an attacker, or add a grade 3 to hand, or even a PG. But the main question here is: Is Compote better than Waffle? I’d argue the answer is still no. Compote is more flexible and Waffle’s +2k doesn’t always make magic numbers happen, but the fact is that Compote has a higher chance to whiff. She expects you to be playing pure Battle Sisters, when Battle Sisters just don’t have the needed support to play pure yet. Compote may improve with time, but for now, it’s Waffle all the way. I’d say that it’s worth investing in a copy now, just in case she finds utility in the future.

Triggers:

The typical trigger line-up in most OTT decks is usually 12 crit. However, in recent times 12 crit hasn’t been doing OTT any favours, so it’s worth testing out other trigger line-ups to see what works for you. Some options that actually work include:

4 Crit, 4 Stand, 4 Draw, 4 Heal

8 Crit, 4 Stand, 4 Heal

8 Crit, 4 Draw, 4 Heal

Since Battle Sisters rely a lot on especial counterblasts, it’s worth playing mainly BaS triggers. Your options here are:

Muffin and Chai should be auto-includes at 4 each, the rest can be versatile. Just make sure to switch up your playstyle to reflect your trigger line-up.

Non-Battle Sister Triggers:

Though you should play a good number of BaS triggers, you can also choose the non-BaS route for utility purposes. In this case here are your main non-BaS triggers you may want to include:

NoNo is good for maintaining field presence without losing hand, but she competes for soul, and as such, I wouldn’t recommend her for BaS.

Ouka synergizes with Miroir to make one of your units a Silent Tom for the turn. However, Ouka’s inherent -1 hurts a lot, so I wouldn’t recommend her either.

Lozenge Magus Fine is perfectly fine to use if you want the added ability to drop and draw. It’s not too shabby in this deck, as Battle Sisters don’t deck out as quickly as other OTT decks.

Psychic Bird builds soul and digs through you deck if you need it. However I would caution against over-using this ability. The soul is nice, but Psychic Bird doesn’t add any pressure to the deck and over-using him, especially in the early game, will severely hinder your ability to guard your precious rears.

Kusanagi essentially serves the same purpose as Psychic Bird, though it is a bit harder to use, it does add pressure. Kusanagi’s effect is best used on first stride (if striding into the RRR Kamususanoo) or on a later turn (when striding into GR Kamususanoo). Either way, it builds soul, fills fields (when placed as a boost in the early game), and adds pressure without losing hand.

Don’t forget though that with every non-BaS you include in the deck, the consistency goes down.

Grade 1:

Your grade 1 line-up is pretty simple, as there are simply some cards you should use and some you shouldn’t. Here’s the standard Grade 1 Battle Sisters you want to consider:

Rusk and Taffy can both serve as 10k attackers, which is very helpful in this deck. As such, you should normally max out on these two cards. Rusk’s resist isn’t too shabby either, considering BaS’ worse match-up is control. However, Rusk lacks the easy +3k that Taffy offers, making Taffy an overall more consistent Grade 1. Run 4 of each.

Chocolat is still the PG of choice for BaS. Though Ame-no-sagiri does provide the deck with counter charge, I’d argue that BaS don’t need that as much anymore. They get plenty of counter charge from Madeleine, so you shouldn’t really have to worry about that anymore. Run 4.

But Madeleine uses soul for her counter charge, so many people choose to run Syrup. However, I would say that you should avoid Syrup. Her soul charge is mandatory, and this deck doesn’t need THAT much soul. Run 0.

You might have been able to build a pure BaS deck up to this point, but this is where it gets tricky. The fact of the matter is that you don’t want to play too many Grade 3s, but you also don’t want to drop more than 1 card to stride if necessary. So until Battle Sisters get their own Stride Fodder, you’re stuck with this card. Run 4.

Grade 2:

As I always say, OTT lives and dies off of the Grade 2 line-up. So it’s easy to understand why you might lose frequently if your Grade 2s can’t carry the weight. The most important thing to remember is: OTT IS A REARGUARD BASED CLAN. You need your Grade 2 line-up to reflect this, as you need them to be able to do things on their own. Here’s a list of commonly seen Grade 2 Battle Sisters that should be avoided:

Repeat after me: This isn’t Kagero. It is not my rearguard’s job to counter charge.

I get it, Pudding is a Legion mate for Gelee, and people like Gelee because Legion prevents deck-out. However, Legion is no excuse to play a subpar Grade 2, which is exactly what Pudding is. On-hit pressure is great in Battle Sisters, but not like this. Run 0.

Numbers are good, yes. But this card has it’s place and it isn’t in a Stride/Madeleine build. If you want to play Grade 1 and 2 Battle Sister Rush, then yes, play 4 of this. If not, run 0.

So then if you shouldn’t play Berrymousse, Pudding, or Marshmallow, what should you play?

Both Cocotte and Pannacotta have something in common: they both offer on hit draw pressure on the vanguard or rearguard circle. This is good in BaS because you you need to pressure your opponent as soon as you can attack.

I get that Cocotte is good, but why Panacotta? This is OTT, why would I ever want to discard?

It’s all in the numbers, sweetie. Panacotta hits like a truck (well, an OTT truck anyway). She can hit 14k on her own, and makes 21k columns when boosted by a 7k. Considering the fact that this is all happening pre-GB, and includes a fabulous on-hit skill, that’s fantastic. This is also where draw triggers gain utility.

Step 1: Ride Panacotta while the opponent is on either grade 1 or 2.

Step 2: Attack, and drop Tiramisu.

Step 3: Watch them drop 2+ cards from hand, or no-guard.

Step 4: Either be happy that they dropped 2+ cards before hitting grade 3, or be happy that you could draw 2, and drop 1, allowing you to draw into important pieces and dropping stuff you don’t need, like maybe another Tiramisu. It’s a Win-Win.

In any case, Panacotta’s skill isn’t mandatory. Use it wisely, but never underestimate an extra 5k power.

Run 2-4 of each.

Crepe and Tarte are, in my opinion, a matter of a meta call. As the standard 10k vanilla, Tarte has the ability to slow down rush decks, and allow you to stay on grade 2 for a few extra turns if you need to stall. Crepe on the other hand is wonderful during your GB turns as she’s a constant 11k base, making her a pain for your opponent to deal with. She also offers an on-hit draw that can turn Miroir’s regular on-hit, counter blast 1 to draw 1 into an on-hit counter blast 2 to draw 2. That isn’t half-bad. However, right now I’d say that Tarte has more inherent value, as the non-GB turns are crucial at the moment. The ratios here are constantly changing.

Grade 3:

The fact of the matter is that there is only one grade 3 in the entire subclan that you want to ride right now.

Yeah, her GB2 skill is pretty trash, but that stride-on skill really helps the deck manage much needed resources. As is the case with OTT, the boss should facilitate the rears, so what do the rears need? A Battle Sister name, and counter charge. Check and check. Run 4 always.

The question though remains as to what you should play as back-up, if you should play anything at all. Considering the fact that this deck doesn’t want to ride anything else, you could cut your grade 3s down to 4 and rely more heavily on your grade 2 game to end it. However, that is very risky, because you may never find Madeleine at all when you need her. As such, I recommend playing anywhere between 5-7 grade 3s. Here’s the list of Grade 3s that I see frequently as being considered for back-up:

Gelee is the Promo legion and though the skill isn’t terrible, it directly conflicts with the grade 2s that need to counter blast. Gelee also doesn’t provide a counter charge skill. As such, a deck using Gelee would need to include more ways to counter charge through using cards like Lemonade, Pudding, and Marshmallow. However, you shouldn’t be using Gelee’s skill at all, as you should prioritize stride. As such, Gelee’s utility begins and ends with the fact that she is a Legion. But really, you shouldn’t need to run options to prevent deck-out because the best way to effectively prevent deck-out isn’t Legion, it’s getting your opponent to six damage. Gelee doesn’t even offer you early game options as the limitations for Legion are the same as Stride, so if you can Stride, then why don’t you? Run 0.

Mille-Feuille on the other hand is Kumi’s avatar. But let’s be real, Kumi’s winning the contest for worst avatar ever. Run 0, I mean it.

Oh hey, would you look at that? A Grade 3 Battle Sister that actually does something useful in the early game and doesn’t directly conflict with Madeleine. You should be taking early game hits anyways with this deck (because you need the CB), so it’s not unheard of to be at 4 damage early. In which case Parfait becomes a free, no-restrictions version of Cocotte. Not too shabby. You can even use the second skill to CB 2 and draw if you need it. Just re-ride Madeleine later and refund yourself the counterblasts. Parfait is also really great if you find yourself facing a rush deck like Grade 1 7Cs. Run 1-3. Of course, Parfait might be replaced with a new Grade 3 Battle Sister in GBT12. Keep your fingers crossed!

Grade 4:

Currently there are only two Battle Sister Grade 4s, and as such, only two Strides that can proc Madeleine’s stride-on skill. The choice here is clear. Gelato is nothing but a sub-par Japanese promo that was imported due to hype, not demand. As such, Gelato is nothing more than a waste of space. Gelato is a first stride, yes, but Miroir is a better first stride for the on-hit pressure anyways. You don’t need Gelato’s +1. Ever. And the fact is that it conflicts directly with Madeleine’s stride-on skill. Your soul blasts are meant for counter charge, not +1s, and especially not +1s that can essentially turn into “Soul Blast 1, look at the top 1 card of the deck, and search for 1 card and add it to your hand”. Run 0. In fact, just run away.

Miroir on the other hand is a different story. You can easily make a Miroir spam deck that strides into Miroir until it reaches GB8, and it wouldn’t be a half-bad deck. Run 2-4 and don’t look back.

Suggested Deck List:

Grade 0: 17

Battle Sister, Waffle x1 (SVG)

Battle Sister, Chai x4

Battle Sister, Muffin x4

Battle Sister, Ginger x4

Battle Sister, Tiramisu x4

Grade 1: 16

Divine Sword, Ame-no-murakumo x4

Battle Sister, Chocolat x4

Battle Sister, Rusk x4

Battle Sister, Taffy x4

Grade 2: 11

Battle Sister, Tarte x3

Battle Sister, Cocotte x3

Battle Sister, Panacotta x3

Battle Sister, Crepe x2

Grade 3: 6

Battle Sister, Madeleine x4

Battle Sister, Parfait x2

Grade 4: 16

Excite Battle Sister, Miroir x2

Dragon Destroyer Battle Deity, Kamususanoo x2

State Affair Subjugation Deity, Kamususanoo x2

Sword Deity of the Thunder Break, Takemikazuchi x2

Chief Deity of the Heavens, Amaterasu x2

Sunrise-on-high Godhawk, Ichibyoshi x2

Preserving One, Lozenge Magus Apex x2

Sun of Eternity, Amaterasu x2