If you’ve barely caught your breath after the first tournament in Jurassic World Alive, we’re with you. But it appears Ludia has plans, and they aren’t slowing down.

I certainly am thankful for it. It’ll be nice to have a tournament where cheaters are banned from the get-go. But that’s not what we’re here to talk about today. Instead, I’m here to tell you what type of team you’ll probably need to get above 4250 trophies.

(If you missed it, click here for our coverage on Tournament Season Two)

Breaking The 4,250 Trophy Mark

There are a few dinosaurs that will change the game for you as you pass from arena to arena. Many players of the game will see this as they progress. There’s the moment you realized you needed a Stegoceratops if you wanted to continue to rise in arena ranks. There was definitely a moment when you realized that if you didn’t have an Indominus Rex, you definitely needed at least something with a shield to beat it.

And it is true, at each arena level, there are these benchmark dinosaurs — the dinosaurs that seem to be make-or-break for your progress.

So breaking the 4,250 trophy mark and getting yourself into the reward tiers for Tournament Season 2 may seem like an insurmountable task, but there’s definitely a way to do it. And don’t feel like it needs to happen today. You’ve got until October 22nd, so let’s talk about how to make the most of your time.

Focal Points

Before I get into the list of dinosaurs you should be aiming to unlock to make the cut, I want to remind you of a few things.

Good strategy goes a lot farther than high level dinosaurs.

Balanced teams go a lot farther than high level dinosaurs.

Be contrarian. If you see a vast majority of players using one thing, or you see yourself constantly losing to one thing, build your team around that weakness.

When all else fails, aim for a high average level of dinosaurs on your team for the most damage output and the strongest showing you can manage.

If you want to make it into the top 50, you’re probably going to need an average dinosaur level of around 25 to do it. Most of the players up in that range will have a few key dinosuars close to level capped or level capped.

If you want to break the top 500, you’ll probably want to aim to have an average dinosaur level of around 20.

For the 4,250 mark, I’d aim for an average level of 18 at worst. Bring your level 20’s and your level 16’s, but make sure you even out around that 18ish mark at least. Even better if you’re higher.

Benchmark Dinosaurs

You’re not going to need every one of these on your team, but having these dinosaurs is going to make you a contender and get you cruising up through the ranks.

With all the tanks around these days, you’re going to want this bad boy on your squad to lay the hurting on those pesky Stegodeus, Tragodistis, and Stegoceratops. Having something that breaks shields and gets a free turn of priority due to the newly buffed Instant Charge is going to help you out of a lot of holes.

Speaking of big-bad-and-mean, Stegodeus gives your team a lot of beef and a lot of teeth. Not only will this monster help you with those pesky Velociraptors and Utahraptors and Pyroraptors, but it’ll give your team survivability against the big bad wolves of Indominus Rex, Gorgosuchus, and the like. Oh, and as far as legendary dino’s go, it’s about the easiest one to make and level up.

Speaking of nasty cloaking monsters, having something on your team that can cloak is going to make or break your team. Better to have something like this at a higher level (thinking 19+) but even at 16, 17, or 18, this beast can make or break your games. Even when facing some of the best counters, Indominus Rex can still leave a lasting impact on the opponent.

This one might be a tough ask, but having a Monomimus on your squad means you will likely outspeed your opponents, have the benefit of Evasive Stance, and be able to nullify Indoraptor and Indominus Rex when they use Cloak or Evasive Stance. Monomimus isn’t exactly the dinosaur to lead a team to victory, but this nimble fighter will often save your bacon near the end of a battle.

The skeletal reaper, as I like to call ’em, is another real asset on any team aiming for the top. The combination of Ready to Crush and Defense Shattering Rampage can be hard to pull off, but it can decimate a team. Just remember the golden rule. Only use Ready to Crush when you’re faster. Use Ferocious Strike + Defense Shattering Rampage when you’re slower, and you’ll do plenty of damage.

Spend any time in Sorna Marshes and you’ll see your fair share of Indoraptors. The hard truth is, Indoraptor is a gatekeeper dino. She’s often the first unique to be unlocked, and the easiest to obtain (easy being a relative term with unique dinosaurs), and frankly you’re going to struggle if you don’t have her on your team. She just does a heck of a lot of damage and she’s wicked fast.

Honorable Mentions

Diloranosaurus, even post update, is a favorite around Metahub. Her kit is just too good and her speed makes for some rough matchups.

Tragodistis is still a great tank. That instant invincibility can be a lifesaver against things that can’t break a shield, and Tragod can sure take a beating.

Stegoceratops still has a place on a lot of arena teams, even with the recent nerf. Her kit is such that you’re already going to use Slowing Impact on pretty much anything you fight anyways, so being a little slower didn’t do too much to her.

Monostegotops can save your bacon here and there as well. Often she needs a critical hit at the same level as some of the tougher dinos like Indominus Rex and Indoraptor in order to win a match, but you get those 20% of the time with Monostego so you might luck out.

Pyrritator is another real pain, and the speed makes her extra dangerous. In the right matchups (anything without superiority strike) she’ll prove lethal. Especially when you can combine Ready to Crush with either of her rampages.

Paramoloch has a lot more utility now too with those double stun moves. She’s got the highest chance to string stuns together in the game, so she’s certainly worthy of consideration on a 4,250 team.

Spinotasuchus is another great dino, especially when leveled a bit. It can really annoy an Indoraptor user that has already used Cleansing Impact, by causing them to die in a few turns and forcing a swap.

In Conclusion

Work with what you’re given. Don’t pile up a bunch of legendary dinosaurs just because they’re legendary. I used Einiasuchus until it hit level 23 because it was a damage machine for quite a while. If you’ve got a rare or epic or even a common dinosaur that’s been overleveled, adding it to your team isn’t a bad idea. I’ve seen people with Allosaurus at level 26 or 27 in top 100 teams just because they desperately needed an armor piercing shield breaker at a high enough level to deal with Stegodeus and Tragodistis and they hadn’t yet unlocked some of the really incredible counters like Magnapyritor or Trykosaurus.

Point being, focus on what works for you. If you’re losing matches to the same dinosaurs, try to figure out what niche role that dinosaur fits and why it keeps crushing your teams. Then build your team around that. Sometimes a team with a slightly lower average level but more balance can really do much better in the arena.

Now get out there and do some battle! Good luck to you all! I’ll be in the trenches with you.

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