Monster Hunter Collab REM Review and Analysis – October 2019

Introduction

The Monster Hunter Collab will be returning to North America for the third time in 2019 on Monday, October 7. This may feel like a bit of an overload, but it is one of the single best events to roll in for the vast majority of players.

This is because it is home to some of the most valuable Weapon Assists in the game along with tremendous value at the 5-star rarity. This helps lessen the pain of rolling a Gold Egg as some are chase cards due to their Weapon Assists and 60% resistance to Blind Blind Resist, Jammer Jammer Resist, or Poison Poison resist mechanics.

On the other hand, more veteran players may have less desire to roll as they may have already acquired most/all the 5-stars along with numerous dupes. This can make it challenging to continue rolling if already saturated.

The following article will highlight the strengths and weaknesses of all the featured REM cards to give players a better understanding of whether or not Magic Stones should be spent. With that being said, if you have rolled little or none at all thus far, it will almost always be a good idea to do so now.

Video commentary

—Video coming soon—

Fast Overview


Overview

Monster Hunter Pros & Cons – October 3, 2019
Pros
Cons
  • Some of the best Weapon Assists in the game
  • Huge value at the 5-star rarity
    • Roll for the Resists
  • Dupes are usually welcomed
  • All cards can be Limit Broken/SA
    • Massive weighted stats
  • Puts the Dragons in Puzzle and Dragons
  • One of the prettier Orb Skins
  • All rolls cost 10 Magic Stones
    • High Monster Exchange cost
  • Large rolling pool
    • Harder to roll a specific card
  • Has come many times before
    • May already own the older cards so less motivation to roll
  • No cards have Voice Awakening
    • GH missed out on ROARS
Monster Hunter Collab REM
7 Star base     
6 Star base      
5 Star base   
Monster Hunter REM Rankings – October 3, 2019
S
A  
B  
C
D

Order within each tier is random and not reflective of ranking

All icons show non-Weapon Assist form

Regardless of card’s ranking, you should always keep it if it is your very first time acquiring them.

Limit Breaking

Limit Breaking is the process of leveling a card beyond level 99. This will unlock more weighted stats along with the potential to receive Super Awakenings. These additional awakenings can add significant power, but only function in solo mode.

Any card that can qualify for Limit Breaking will have their level displayed in blue and feeding a Super Snow Globe will push them beyond the level 99 cap.

You can read more about Super Awakenings HERE.

Monster Exchange

The Monster Exchange System has mostly eliminated the need to roll in most events as players can simply trade in for a card of their choice. This is often done during lackluster events to avoid spending Stones on poor bottom rarity cards or to snipe a specific card if luck is not on your side.

Weapon Assists

Weapon Assists are a special evolution for select cards that will be used exclusively as inherits. This form retains the same base stats as the original form, but will also transfer over all awakenings on the Weapon Assist card and this occurs if the Awoken Assist  is present.

My approach to Collab rolling

Rolling any Rare Egg Machine is a gamble and it becomes a matter of maximizing your rate of returns in an event.

This translates into rolling when the bottom rarity has high value as those will be the most common cards. Furthermore, I may utilize the Monster Exchange system to acquire the higher rarity cards if they will significantly advance my progress. As such, I tend to look most closely at the 5-star pool to determine if it is worth rolling in.

This is just my own personal approach and everyone has different goals/motivations so take this section with a grain of salt.

7 Star base

All 7* base cards can be used in the Monster Exchange for other 7* cards from the Monster Hunter Collab or rare Seasonal cards/7* GFE. Each trade will cost a total of 5 fodder making it quite expensive.

Velkhana (New) – S

Active: Water attribute ATK x2.5 for 3 turns. Increase skyfall chance of Water orbs by 25% for 3 turns (14 turn CD)

Leader Skill: Water attribute cards HP x2. ATK x8 at 4 combos. ATK x2 for each additional combo, up to ATK x20 at 10 combos. 35% all damage reduction when recovering 100000 HP with heal orbs [4/400/1/57.75%]

Awakenings: Bind Immune Bind Immune Skill Boost Skill Boost Skill Lock Resist Time Extend 45 45
Super Awakenings: 45
Typing:
Dragon / Attacker
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1250 (1563)
HP 4350 (5438) / ATK 3160 (3950) / RCV 550 (688)
Weapon Assist: +heart Imp ATK

Pros
Cons
  • Strong overall multipliers
    • 4x HP / 400x ATK / conditional Damage Reduction
      • Scaling ATK
      • 196x ATK with 7 combos
  • Triple 7c 45 + VDP
    • Has nearly 4k base ATK
  • Burst active paired with skyfall buff
  • Can self pair or use BJ
  • Inherit grants bonus healing +heart + Cloud
    • Inherit over another healing stick
    • Longer cooldown to play around
  • Valuable as Leader, Sub, or Inherit
  • Lacks an ideal pairing for LS
    • JP has more options due to exclusive Collabs
  • May be challenging to hit 100,000 healing
    • Lose out on Damage Reduction

Velkhana is the first new card to be released in the Monster Hunter Collab and comes with a powerful kit to function as either a Leader, Sub, or Inherit.

As a leader, they boast amazingly strong multipliers along with enough natural HP to tank any preemptive in the game. Furthermore, if players are able to heal enough, they can also tap into a 35% Damage Reduction shield from one leader. This creates one of the most durable teams in PAD but the main caveat is healing 100,000 HP from Heart orbs.

This is quite a tall task to accomplish with 1x RCV but is possible if players stack any combination of high RCV cards, Team RCV , and Enhanced Heal Orbs +heart. With that being said, players may find some merit in pairing with Beach Barbara & Julie to gain a 2x RCV multiplier while still having similar activation requirements along with HP. Furthermore, including subs such as Mel or the Monster Hunter Mizutsune can further ease the healing requirement. Mizutsune is often a staple sub due to the fact that they can provide 3x RCV through their active for 6 turns on an 8 turn cooldown.

While it may be tempting to always try to heal to tap into the Damage Reduction, it is not mandatory as you should have enough HP to tank any preemptive in the game. This layer of safety is invaluable and gives more flexibility when playing through challenging content.

While Valkhana is a potent leader, they also have strong merits as a sub due to their fantastic spread of awakenings which includes Triple 7 Combo 45 and VDP  on top of 3,950 ATK before Plus Eggs. This translates into spectacular damage from both regular combos and when forming the 3×3 Box.

Weapon Assist: +heart Imp ATK

Velkhana’s Weapon Assist is incredibly powerful as it provides a valuable Cloud Resist along with a single Enhanced Heart Orb +heart. This may not seem like much, but is a fantastic way to augment the healing potential of an Enhanced Heal Orb sub along with providing protection against Clouds.

For example, Eir is one of the best farmables and healing solutions for Dark teams as she comes with naturally high RCV, Tape Resist . By inheriting Velkhana’s Weapon Assist on her, you greatly improve her healing output along with providing Cloud Resist. This basically transforms Eir into an amazing utility card and this logic can apply to any healing stick.


Alatreon (New) – S

Active:  Removes lock status on orbs. Change Light orbs to Fire orbs, Dark orbs to Water orbs. (6 turn CD)

Leader Skill: Fire attribute cards HP x2. Water attribute cards RCV x2. ATK x8 when simultaneously clearing 4 connected Fire or Water orbs. ATK x2 for each additional orb, up to ATK x18 at 9 connected orb. [4/324/4]

Awakenings: Bind Immune Bind Immune Skill Boost Skill Lock Resist Time Extend God Killer Devil killer
Super Awakenings: God Killer Devil killer
Typing:
Dragon / Balanced
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1250 (1563)
HP 5410 (6763) / ATK 2848 (3560) / RCV 418 (523)
Weapon Assist: Poison resist Poison resist Poison resist Poison resist Enhnaced Fire Orb Enhnaced Fire Orb Imp ATK

Pros
Cons
  • Amazing VDP potential
    • Triple VDP + 2 valuable Killers
    • God & Devil are important in end game
  • Fast charging active
  • Valuable Weapon Assist
    • 80% Poison Poison resist + Enhanced Fire Enhnaced Fire Orb
  • Reasonable leadership potential
  • Fire is lacking an ideal leader
    • Should change in time
    • Raoh Raoh was buffed in JP

Alatreon is the second and final new 7* card to be added into the Monster Hunter Collab and like Velkhana, comes with an amazing overall kit.

While his leadership potential is not as high, he is still able to form a reasonable blob-style team but his main value will be as a sub or inherit.

As a sub, he will be able to function as one of the strongest VDP cards due to his triple VDP along with God God Killer and Devil Killer Devil killer. This translates into 46.9x personal damage if the enemy is one of these spawns and an incredible 140.6x if both God and Devil. Furthermore, the most notable spawns in end game content tend to be these typings. Unfortunately, Fire lacks a truly strong leader to use Alatreon on but this is bound to change at some point in the future (Raoh Raoh should return as he was recently buffed in JP).

With that being said, Alatreon can be used on Beach Barbara & Julie teams as they can utilize his VDP potential quite well while also enjoying his synergistic, fast charging active.

Weapon Assist: Poison resist Poison resist Poison resist Poison resist Enhnaced Fire Orb Enhnaced Fire Orb Imp ATK

Alatreon’s Weapon Assist features an amazing 80% Poison Resist Poison resist which can almost single-highhandedly counter this mechanic. Furthermore, it also comes with two Enhanced Fire Orbs Enhnaced Fire Orb which will add passive damage throughout the dungeon.

At this point in time, I would keep Alatreon in his base form in order to captialize on the VDP potential as the Weapon Assist will be underutilized due to no premier Fire leader.

Amatsu – S

Active: Unlock all orbs; Change Dark orbs to Water orbs; Change Wood orbs to Heal orbs (7 turn CD)

Leader Skill: 2x ATK & RCV for Physical, Dragon type; 5x ATK when matching 2 Water combos, up to 7x at 3 Water combos [1/196/4]

Awakenings: Bind Immune Bind Immune Skill Boost Skill Lock Resist Time Extend 45 45 Bind Clear awakening
Super Awakenings: 45
Typing:
Dragon / Physical
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1249 (1561)
HP 9046 (11308) / ATK 1622 (2028) / RCV 62 (78)
Weapon Assist:  Imp ATK

Pros
Cons
  • Gigantic HP
  • Powerful awakenings
    • High damage output
    • Brings utility
  • Active unlocks orbs
    • Creates Water & Hearts
  • Active is on a 7-turn cooldown
  • Too orb hungry as a leader
    • Primarily a super sub
  • Average Weapon Assist
  • Tiny RCV

Amatsu is still an incredible HP-stick for virtually any team along with bringing valuable utility and damage. With 12,298 HP at level 110 (with Plus Eggs), Amatsu can greatly augment the survivability of any team he is present on. Thankfully, he can be used across a reasonably wide array of teams and including him is almost always beneficial.

In addition to his massive bulk, Amatsu fulfills the role of a damage stick, FUA and soft Bind Clear Bind Clear awakening. Furthermore, his active skill provides an Orb Unlock and Water/Heart generation while also being on a fast 7-turn cooldown.

Taking all of these points into consideration, it is hard to not use Amatsu on a team where his typing/colours are accepted.

Weapon Assist  Imp ATK

Amatsu’s Weapon Assist is able to provide 2 Team HP awakenings which can add a significant amount of HP. While this can be reasonable, I am more inclined to use Resists (Blind Resist Jammer Resist Poison resist) for challenging content as those often directly save active skills. With that being said, the extra HP may be vital for surviving giant preemptives without a shield while the L can be used to overcome Locked Orbs/Skyalls.

In summary, I would only make this Weapon Assist if I had multiple Amatsus to spare.


Diablos – A

Active: Enhance all orbs; Deal damage equal to 25% of enemies’ max HP (24 turn CD)

Leader Skill: [Board becomes 7×6]; 9x ATK and reduce damage taken by 25% when 8 or more combos; Increase combo by 2 when matching 6 or more colors (5+heal) [1/81/1/43.75%]

Awakenings: Skill Lock Resist Time Extend Time Extend Skill Boost Skill Boost 45 Bind Immune Bind Immune
Super Awakenings: 45 Skill Boost
Typing:
Dragon / Devil
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1250 (1625)
HP 4800 (6000) / ATK 3212 (4015) / RCV 533 (666)
Weapon Assist: TPA Dark Reduction Enhanced Wood Orb Dark Orb Enhance Imp ATK

Pros
Cons
  • Flexible 7×6 leader
    • Provides 9x ATK & Damage Reduction
    • +2 combos with 6 element match
  • Massive weighted stats
  • Do not have to own to pair with
  • Long base cooldown
    • Harder to inherit over
    • Low viability
  • Terrible Weapon Assist
  • +2 combos is only good for Rainbow
  • Diablos is no longer the only premier 7×6 leader
  • Tifa is the best 7×6 due to RCV

Diablos was the undisputed king of 7×6 leaders upon his debut as he carried a significant multiplier along with Damage Reduction. Furthermore, quite a few leaders could benefit from the larger board so he was a common sight on friend’s lists.

Unfortunately GungHo has not been kind to Diablos as they failed to buff his Leader Skill in a truly meaningful way as stronger options are now emerging who do not carry the weight of a 24 turn dead cooldown.

9x ATK / 25% Damage Reduction when matching 8 combos (+2 combos with full Rainbow) is still strong, but pales in comparison to Tifa . Tifa boasts 1.5x HP / 12 x ATK / 6x RCV when matching 5 or more connected Fire or Light orbs which has beautiful synergy with Dark Karin who also uses the match 5-clause. This pairing yields 2.25x HP / 192x ATK / 12x RCV with further damage augmentation via Light Rows Light Row and 2 seconds of bonus orb movement time. Essentially, Diablos does not provide enough to justify the loss in Leader Skill multipliers with his larger board and his 24 turn active.

Diablos’s active skill provides a 25% True Gravity which is near pointless in end game content as it will deal exactly 25% of a spawn’s maximum HP which will be negated via Void or Absorption mechanics. As such, it becomes as useful as a blunt pencil: pointless outside of cheesing scenarios.

With all that being said, Diablos is not a bad leader, he is just no longer elite but being able to function as arguably the best general 7×6 leader has merits in itself. Furthermore, players do not have to own in order to actually take advantage of.

Weapon Assist TPA Dark Reduction Enhanced Wood Orb Dark Orb Enhance Imp ATK

While Diablos has strong Leadership potential, his Weapon Assist form is almost laughable due to it only providing a single TPA which can be done via many other equips. As such, this form should only be considered if many dupes are owned but dupe Diablos may just be better off as Trade Fodder.


Nergigante – A

Active: Change far left column to Dark orbs and change far right column to Heal orbs; For 4 turns, Dark orbs are more likely to appear by 15% (10 turn CD)

Leader Skill: 4x ATK and reduce damage taken by 35% when above 50% HP; 4x ATK for matched Att. when matching 5 Orbs with 1+ enhanced [1/256/1/57.75%]

Awakenings: Bind Immune Bind Immune Skill Lock Resist Dark Orb Enhance Dark Orb Enhance Dark Orb Enhance 
Super Awakenings: 45
Typing:
Dragon/Devil
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1250 (1562)
HP 5302 (6628) / ATK 2597 (3246) / RCV 602 (752)
Weapon Assist Skill Boost Dark Orb Enhance Imp ATK

Pros
Cons
  • Valuable active for Dark teams
  • Adds a sizable amount of passive damage via 3 Enhanced Dark Orbs Dark Orb Enhance
  • Skill Boost Skill Boost Weapon Assist
  • 5o1e Leader
    • Inconsistent/risky
    • Match-5 leaders are superior
    • Mostly a sub
  • Many Skill Boost Weapons exist

Nergigante is a powerful Dark sub in today’s meta where being able to add passive damage to your other cards can be in valuable. As such, Nergigante’s 3 Enhanced Dark Orbs Dark Orb Enhance add sizable damage to all cards with special emphasis being on those who carry VDP .

VDP cards are often tasked with one-shotting a Void spawn as the other cards may not be contributing anything. As such, being able to passively grant additional damage to your key card can be invaluable.

One solid place to utilize Nergigante is on Phenom  + Ina teams as the passive damage can help ensure a single 6-row of Dark can sweep a given spawn along with Nergigante providing solid stats and active.

Being able to instantly generate a column of Dark and Hearts is less valuable for teams with built in Follow Up Damage, but can still be valuable as it will provide on demand healing along with up to 5 additional Dark orbs. This is already reasonably strong but throwing in a 4-turn 15% Dark skyfall buff can potentially add significant amounts of damage.

While Nergigante does not bring a unique colour (Eir is essentially a staple) to Phenom + Ina teams, he can still be utilized as they can bring two cards who do not provide colours.

Weapon Assist Skill Boost Dark Orb Enhance Imp ATK

Nergigante’s Weapon Assist provides a single Skill Boost Skill Boost which can be invaluable for certain content and farming as it allows actives to be used one turn earlier. As such, players can modify their teams accordingly or utilize different compositions that would not have been possible. Unfortunately, the Skill Boost tends to have less merit in longer content as the bonus only applies at the beginning of the dungeon. Furthermore, quite a few other Weapon Assists provide Skill Boost including the 750,000 MP Amen which makes Nergigante less unique.


Zinogre – A

Active: For 1 turn, bypass damage absorb shield effects; Change all orbs to Fire, Water, Wood, Light, and Dark orbs (24 turn CD)

Leader Skill: 7x ATK and reduce damage taken by 25% when matching 5 or more colors; 3x ATK and reduce damage taken by 25% when 7 or more combos [1/441/1/68.36%]

Awakenings: Bind Immune Bind Immune Time Extend Time Extend 45 Skill Lock Resist
Super Awakenings: 45
Typing:
Dragon / Physical
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1349 (1686)
HP 6507 (8134) / ATK 3155 (3944) / RCV 204 (255)
Weapon Assist: Time Extend Skill Lock Resist Poison resist Poison resist Imp ATK

Pros
Cons
  • Potent leadership potential
  • Powerful Weapon Assist
  • Fujin -style active
    • CD offset by Skill Charge
  • Rainbow activation clause
    • Can be inconsistent
    • No damage without all 5 colours
    • Can make VDP challenging
    • Limits orb changers
  • Faster charging Fujin inherits exist
    • Cannot utilize Skill Charge
    • Rainbow board may not be helpful

Zinogre has not received any buffs since the last Monster Hunter event and while he is still a powerful card, he is no longer as potent as before. This is because the meta has still not shifted towards Rainbow with mono colours in either combo or blob reigning supreme.

As a result, his potential is marred due to the longer cooldown on his active along with the Rainbow board being generated usually not being useful. This is one reason why Damage Absorb Void cards should either be on a very short cooldown (making them easier to inherit) or comes with a valuable secondary effect which will still be useful should the Damage Absorb spawn not appear.

For comparison’s sake, Light Cecil Weapon Assist has a 25 turn cooldown along with the Damage Absorb Void. While she does provide protection against Jammers instead of Poison, her board changer consists of only Light, Dark, and Heal. This can be taken advantage of by both Light and Dark teams and can result in potential VDP/FUA kill boards.

Of course it may still be possible to use Zinogre on mono Light teams, but his Skill Charge may not be fully utilized and is best achieved on Rainbow teams.

As a leader, Zinogre has strong multipliers but must always match all 5 colours which may not always be possible. While he can be paired with other Rainbow leaders, it does not solve the main crux of Rainbow teams: inconsistent activation along with a harder time performing VDP .

Weapon Assist: Time Extend Skill Lock Resist Poison resist Poison resist Imp ATK

Zinogre’s Weapon Assist has several key benefits: providing 40% Poison Resist Poison resist, Skill Bind Resist Skill Lock Resist, and Damage Absorption Void. The 40% Poison Resist synergizes well with other Resist Weapons and a Zinogre plus Raithian equals 100% resistance. Furthermore, the Damage Absorption Void is often a desired ability and the fact that it comes with useful awakenings makes it one of the best options for higher level content.

With that being said, we do have access to Light Cecil Crystal who provides what is usually a better board changer along with the Damage Absorb Void.


Fatalis – S

Active: Unlock all orbs; Create L shape of Dark orbs with center at top row and far right column; Create L shape of Dark orbs with center at bottom row and far left column (10 turn CD)

Leader Skill: 5x ATK and 2x HP for Dark Att.; Increase orb movement time by 2 seconds; 3x ATK and reduce damage taken by 25% when matching 5 Dark orbs in L shape [4/225/1/43.75%]

Awakenings: Bind Immune Bind Immune  Skill Lock Resist
Super Awakenings: Skill Boost
Typing:
Dragon / Attacker
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1250 (1562)
HP 4300 (5375) / ATK 4000 (5000) / RCV 60 (75)
Weapon Assist:  Poison resist Poison resist Jammer Resist Jammer Resist Imp ATK

Pros
Cons
  • Massive base ATK
    • High personal damage when L
  • Amazing Weapon Assist
  • Unique active
  • Potent Leader Skill
    • Flexible subs
    • High effective HP
  • Orb hungry
  • Combo count is stressed
  • Must match in an L
    • Damage tied to L’s
    • Less cards have this
  • Some issues with VDP

Fatalis is another powerful card from the Monster Hunter Collab and is a sizable powerhouse as both a Leader and Weapon Assist. As a leader, Fatalis is able to form a 4x HP / 225x ATK / 43.75% Damage Reduction team which gives him the same multipliers as Dark Metatron . Fatalis has no HP clause but is instead forced to match a Dark L to trigger activation.

Generally speaking, 5 Dark orbs is not always available from every given board so there will be some down time but thankfully, the 4x HP should make stalling doable. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to hit 7 combos and an L which may place some constraints on damage output as most cards feature 7 Combo 45 over L . With that being said, Fatalis will have huge personal output due to his massive ATK stat and triple L awakenings.

In terms of team building, Fatalis can use any Dark card which gives him a large degree of flexibility as he can customize his team to the dungeon/mechanics at hand. Furthermore, he can resist both Clouds and Tape with dual leaders and different Super Awakenings.

Unfortunately, Fatalis suffers from his own L-clause as he must match an L for activation and is not like other match-5 blob leaders who can match 5 or more orbs. This means players will require 14 Dark orbs to perform a VDP along with an awkward board that is further complicated should an FUA be required. If a Combo Shield is also involved, good luck.

This primary weakness is what holds him back from being top tier as the best leaders are able to deal with Void and Resolve spawns with much less difficulty. On the bright side, Fatalis has so much Effective HP that he can dance his way through virtually all content, it will just take longer.

Weapon Assist:  Poison resist Poison resist Jammer Resist Jammer Resist Imp ATK

Fatalis’s Weapon Assist is able to provide 40% coverage against Poison Poison resist and Jammer Jammer Resist orbs which can open up inheritance options as fewer Weapon Assists are needed to counter two popular mechanics. Furthermore, the L included can be invaluable as teams often wish to run a single L unlock to counter Locked orbs and Locked Skyfalls.

For the most part, Blind Resist Blind Resist tends to be superior to Jammers and is the only main drawback to an otherwise stellar Weapon. With that being said, players can still creatively cover the Resists that are required and the 10-dark orbs that are generated can greatly aid mono Dark teams such as Phenom  + Ina .


Akantor – S

Active: Unlock all orbs; Change all orbs to Fire, Wood, Light, and Dark orbs (7 turn CD)

Leader Skill: 5x ATK and reduce damage taken by 25% when matching 6 or more connected Fire or Dark orbs; 5x ATK and increase combo by 1 when matching 4 or more colors [1/625/1/43.75%]

Awakenings: Bind Immune Bind Immune Skill Boost Skill Boost Time Extend Time Extend Skill Lock Resist 45 45
Super Awakenings: Skill Boost  
Typing:
Dragon / Attacker
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1250 (1562)
HP 5410 (6762) / ATK 3137 (3921) / RCV 245 (306)
Weapon Assist: Blind Resist Blind Resist Blind Resist Imp ATK

Pros
Cons
  • Weapon Assist provides 60% Blind Blind Resist + Team HP / RCV
    • 100% Blind achieved via Aerith
  • Potential future Raoh Raoh sub
  • Fast charging board changer
  • Weapon Assist is almost same as 5* MH card
    • Much more budget friendly
  • Requires Rows/blobs + Rainbow
    • Limits orb changers

Akantor has received sizable buffs to his Leader Skill as he is now able to cap out at 25x ATK with a single leader. Unfortunately, he still requires players to match 6 Fire or Dark along with 3 additional colours. While this could technically be a lackluster Phenom replacement for Ina , his primary benefit will be as a Weapon Assist.

With that being said, Akantor can potentially be a sub on future Raoh Raoh teams as he fulfills all the correct colours along with a fast charging active and beneficial awakenings.

On a slight tangent, I originally theorized that the plus combo aspect of Akantor’s Leader Skill could be paving the way for future cards, especially those who rely on blobs/rows to help them overcome combo shields. For the most part, this was not overdone (eg. Phemon) outside of Beach Veroah . Instead, GungHo is now pursuing the Follow Up Damage to completely ignore Resolve spawns which I have mixed feelings about.

Weapon Assist: Blind Resist Blind Resist Blind Resist Imp ATK

Akantor’s Weapon Assist is a significant upgrade to Nargacuga’s Weapon Assist as it provides Team HP/RCV. While this may seem like a small difference overall, it is actually quite profound when pushing through the hardest content available.

For example, I am currently using Nargacuga’s Weapon on my Phenom + Ina team and can run into issues against Goemon’s Preemptive on floor 2. As such, the extra 5% HP will give an even larger cushion whereas the 10% RCV  would be a sizable buff to my healing potential.

The main idea is that this is the best way to min/max your team but will most likely only have true relevance for players who are pushing through end game content.

As such, using the 5-star Nargacuga is a solid alternative for most players.


Yama Tsukami – B

Active: For 1 turn, no skyfall; Change all orbs to Wood, and Light orbs (11 turn CD)

Leader Skill: 4x ATK and increase combo by 2 when matching 6 or more connected Wood and Light orbs at once; 6x ATK and 2x HP for Wood Att. [4/576/1]

Awakenings: Bind Immune Bind Immune  Skill Lock Resist Wood Row Wood Row Wood Row
Super Awakenings:
Typing:
Dragon / Physical
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1250 (1562)
HP 8824 (11030) / ATK 1726 (2158) / RCV 68 (85)
Weapon Assist: Wood Row Wood Row Skill Boost Imp ATK

Pros
Cons
  • Features + Combo Leader Skill
    • Provides +2 per match
  • Low effective HP
  • Does not surpass current options
  • Requires 6 Wood AND Light

Yama Tsukami is the the final 7* card within the Monster Hunter Collab and features the +Combo Leader Skill. Sadly their +2 requires both 6 Wood AND 6 Light orbs. This is horribly orb hungry and relatively impractical for the most part.

One cannot blindly swipe board like Beach Veroah along with a smaller pool of orb/board changers that can be used. Mono colour blob teams have a significantly easier time in hoarding orbs as they can combo the rest of the board while leaving the key colour untouched. As such, Yama Tsukami will struggle to shine and could have been much more appealing if their Leader Skill had an easier activation requirement.

Weapon Assist: Wood Row Wood Row Skill Boost Imp ATK

Yama Tsukami’s Weapon Assist provides a single Skill Boost Skill Boost which can be invaluable for certain content and farming as it allows actives to be used one turn earlier. As such, players can modify their teams accordingly or utilize different compositions that would not have been possible.

Unfortunately, the Skill Boost tends to have less merit in longer content as the bonus only applies at the beginning of the dungeon. Furthermore, quite a few other Weapon Assists provide Skill Boost which makes Yama Tsukami’s less unique (there are two in Monster Hunter plus Amen for 750,000 MP).


6 star base

Rajang (New) – S

Active: Inflict Light damage equal to ATK x500 to 1 enemy. Affected by enemy element and defense. (25 turn CD)

Leader Skill: Change the board to 7×6 size. Increases time limit of orb movement by 2 seconds. ATK x2 at 6 combos. ATK x2 for each additional combo, up to ATK x18 at 14 combos. [1/324/1]

Awakenings: Bind Immune Bind Immune Skill Boost
Super Awakenings:
Typing: Dragon / Balance
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1148 (1436)
HP 5090 (6363) / ATK 3005 (3756) / RCV 115 (144)
Weapon Assist:    Imp ATK

Pros
Cons
  • 18x ATK with single 7×6 leader
  • 500x ATK button nuke
    • 25 turn cooldown
  • Double 10c
    • 25x personal damage
      • Big numbers
  • Few total awakenings
  • Harder to fit on a team
    • Only offers damage, no utility
      • Stopped by Voids
  • 25 turn cooldown impractical outside farming
    • Button does nothing in end game content
  • Leader Skill is only ATK & 7×6

Rajang is the only new 6-star card to be released within the Monster Hunter Collab and comes with an incredible active and Weapon Assist along with double 10 Combos .

Their active is the highest Button damage available at 500x and can ensure various spawns are instantly killed in a farming setting. With that being said, this type of farming is not for everyone and does rely on coop to truly shine. As such, if this has no merit for you, it will be a “dead” active due to the 25 turn cooldown. This makes it harder to justify using as a sub on a traditional team as well as marring his leadership potential.

As a leader, they offer a scaling 18x ATK at 14 combos while also providing a 7×6 board. While the 14 combos will not be achieved every turn, there is still plenty of damage coming through. Furthermore, Rajang also owns two 10 Combos which translates into 25x personal damage. This results in big numbers on his icon but that is all he truly offers as Rajang lacks other awakenings. In addition, this explosive damage will be cancelled out by any Void spawn.

Another issue is a lack of any defensive multiplier which may make it challenging to survive or stall through dangerous mechanics.

Weapon Assist:    Imp ATK

Rajang’s Weapon Assist features the new -HP  awakening which will subtract 5,000 HP from the base card. This seems counter productive but at the same time comes with three powerful other awakenings.

Combining Tape , <50% , and L  results in a pretty ridiculous Weapon Assist as it adds damage and defensive utility. As such, the -5,000 HP seems a bit more palatable. With that being said, do not equip if this will lower your team’s Effective HP to below any key thresholds.


Kirin – B

Active: For 1 turn, increase combo count by 1; Change top row to Light orbs (9 turn CD)

Leader Skill: [No Skyfall]; 2.5x ATK & RCV for Light Att.; 3x ATK when matching 6 or more connected Light orbs up to 4.5x at 9 orbs [1/126.25/6.25]

Awakenings: Bind Immune Bind Immune Light Row Skill Boost Time Extend Light Row Light Row Light Row
Super Awakenings: Light Row Skill Boost
Typing: Dragon / Balance
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1100 (1375)
HP 3520 (4400) / ATK 2650 (3312) / RCV 655 (819)
Weapon Assist: Light Row Light Row Light Row Blind Resist Poison resist Imp ATK

Pros
Cons
  • Weapon Assist provides 20% Resistance
    • Provides Light Rows Light Row
  • Modest Light, No Skyfall lead
  • Primarily a Weapon Assist

Kirin is one of the original Monster Hunter cards who I valued quite low the previous time this event came around. This is because their position as a modest Light, No Skyfall leader is mediocre overall.

With that being said, their Weapon Assist will have value on Tifa teams due to the passive bonus damage.

Weapon Assist: Light Row Light Row Light Row Blind Resist Poison resist Imp ATK

Kirin’s Weapon Assist will often feel like an inferior Trojan Horse as they only provide 20% Resistance against Blinds Blind Resist and Poison Poison resist whereas the “farmable” Trojan Horse also has 20% Jammers Jammer Resist.

For the most part, this holds true for many teams but can be powerful on Tifa teams who will be forming this pattern on a regular basis. This means their defensive assist will also be providing a modest increase in overall damage. As such, players who utilize Tifa teams may wish to use this inherit over the Trojan Horse.


Rathalos – C

Active: Create 6 Fire orbs; Enhance all Fire orbs (7 turn CD)

Leader Skill: 2.5x ATK and reduce damage taken by 25% when matching 2+ Fire combos; 6x ATK for matched Att. when matching 5 Orbs with 1+ enhanced [1/225/1/43.75%]

Awakenings: Skill Lock Resist Time Extend Time Extend Skill Boost 45  Enhnaced Fire Orb Enhnaced Fire Orb 45
Super Awakenings: 45
Typing: Dragon / Attacker
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1201 (1501)
HP 4853 (6068) / ATK 2908 (3635) / RCV 403 (504)
Weapon Assist:  Enhnaced Fire Orb Enhnaced Fire Orb Enhnaced Fire Orb Enhnaced Fire Orb  Imp ATK

Pros
Cons
  • Becomes a triple 7c 45 card via SA
  • Also provides Team HP
  • Merits on mono-Fire teams
  • Weapon Assists adds bulk & Damage for mono Fire
  • Provides little utility
    • Mostly a damage stick
  • No Bind Immunity unless SA
    • Cannot gain triple 7c or more Team HP

Rathalos is a high-stat Fire card who is able to provide modest amounts of bulk via Team HP along with sizable passive damage due to Orb Enhances Enhnaced Fire Orb.

I feel it is hard to theorize how strong they can be since Fire lacks a truly exceptional leader. With that being said, Rathalos may have merits as a sub or inherit.

Weapon Assist:  Enhnaced Fire Orb Enhnaced Fire Orb Enhnaced Fire Orb Enhnaced Fire Orb  Imp ATK

Rathalos’s Weapon Assist is able to provide Enhanced Fire Orbs Enhnaced Fire Orb which provides a significant amount of additional damage for mono-Fire teams as 80% of those orbs fall down enhanced. Furthermore, the inclusion of a single Team HP may help a mono Fire team gain enough Effective Health to function.

Of course, a team has to be able to have a vacant inherit slot which will have to be achieve by either natural Resists or forgoing certain protections.


Glavenus – B

Active: For 1 turn, 2x ATK for Dragon, Attacker types; Change 2nd column from right to Fire orbs (9 turn CD)

Leader Skill: 2x ATK & RCV for Dragon, Attacker type; 3x ATK for each cross of 5 Fire, Dark orbs [1/2916/4]

Awakenings: Time Extend Time Extend Skill Boost Skill Lock Resist Time Extend Skill Boost
Super Awakenings: 45
Typing: Dragon / Attacker
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1201 (1501)
HP 4853 (6068) / ATK 2908 (3635) / RCV 403 (504)
Weapon Assist: 42 42 Imp ATK

Pros
Cons
  • Powerful Weapon Assist
    • Tape Resist
    • Double Enhance Material Killer 42
  • Almost exclusively a Weapon Assist

Glavenus has little merit outside of a Weapon Assist unless Colour crosses are you jam but even at that, there are better options.

Weapon Assist: 42 42 Imp ATK

Glavenus’s Weapon Assist is quite niche, but wonderfully effective at what it provides. Firstly, the Tape Resist can make life significantly easier, especially since it will still function in Coop unlike Super Awakenings. Generally speaking, this type of awakening is not always needed but pays dividends when it works. On the other hand, the double Enhance Material Killer 42 awakenings help trivialize these rare but sometimes troublesome spawns.

Glavenus’s Weapon Assist will not always be used, but is a great card to own under the right circumstances.


Mizutsune – A

Active: For 6 turns, 3x RCV; For 6 turns, Heal orbs are more likely to appear by 15% (8 turn CD)

Leader Skill: 2x HP & ATK for Dragon type; 3x ATK when matching 2+ Water combos [4/36/1]

Awakenings: Time Extend Skill Lock Resist Skill Boost Skill Boost Multiplayer Bonus
Super Awakenings:
Typing: Dragon / Healer
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1099 (1374)
HP 3598 (4498) / ATK 2032 (2540) / RCV 1000 (1250)
Weapon Assist: +heart  Imp ATK

Pros
Cons
  • Functions as a Healing stick in both forms
    • 1,250 RCV
    • Team RCV
    • Grants Enhanced Heal Orb +heart
    • 3x RCV from active
  • Nearly essential Velkhana sub
  • Numerous other healing options available
    • Mel
    • Kuroyuri system

Mizutsune can be best thought of as a Healing-stick on various teams due to their 1,250 RCV, Team RCV , active, and Weapon Assist form.

When used as a sub, their massive RCV in conjunction with Team RCV can help most teams fully replenish their health and is further boosted in multiplayer where their Coop Boost Multiplayer Bonus takes effect. Furthermore, their active has nearly 100% up-time on its own and provides a massive 3x RCV and a higher chance for Heal orbs to appear. This can be used to offset teams with 1x RCV and inheriting a Resist Weapon on Mizutsune can add further utility. On important aspect of this is being able to overwrite enemy RCV debuffs. This means players can inherit something useful over top and then later on use the base skill to provide a massive healing boost.

With that being said, Mizutsune faces stiff competition from various Enhanced Heal Orb +heart subs along with the fact that these do not require an active skill to function. This does open up some team building flexibility as an active does not need to be dedicated for healing. With that being said, they function as a near staple sub for the new Velkhana as the 3x RCV combined with their healing potential makes the 100,000 healing requirement much easier to achieve.

This means Velkhana teams will enjoy their 4x HP and 57.75% Damage Reduction almost all the time with a single heart combo.

Weapon Assist: +heart  Imp ATK

Mizutsune’s Weapon Assist essentially acts as a Healing steroid as the two Team RCV and Enhanced Heal Orb will greatly improve the healing output of any team. The one downside is a lack of any kind of Resist which may place some constraints on being inherited.


Valphalk – C

Active: Deal 1000 fixed damage to all enemies; Change all orbs to Fire, Water, Wood, Light, and Dark orbs (8 turn CD)

Leader Skill: [Fixed 4 second movetime]; 2x HP & ATK for Dragon type; 13x ATK when matching 5 or more colors [4/676/1]

Awakenings: Bind Immune Bind Immune Skill Lock Resist Skill Boost TPA 45 TPA
Super Awakenings: 45
Typing: Dragon / Devil
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1199 (1499)
HP 4205 (5256) / ATK 2904 (3630) / RCV 595 (744)
Weapon Assist: TPA Blind Resist Imp ATK

Pros
Cons
  • 676x ATK
  • Forces fast movements
  • Fixed 4 seconds
    • Can never increase time
  • Mostly a challenge/Ranking leader
  • Mediocre Weapon Assist

Valphalk has become an amazingly potent 4 second leader due to their massive 676x ATK but they will be mostly pushed into a challenge or Ranking Dungeon leader.

This is because 4 seconds is not a feasible amount of movement time, especially when various patterns must be met (which become harder with Rainbow activation). Thus, Valphalk may be a leader you use to flex on other players, for No Awakenings, or for Ranking Dungeons. All of these mediums reward/force players to match quickly so one might as well take advantage of Valphalk’s powerful multipliers.

Weapon Assist: TPA Blind Resist Imp ATK

Valphalk’s Weapon Assist is able to provide a single TPA but this becomes somewhat blurred among the myriad of other TPA options which makes it hard for them to stand out. As such, I would only convert if one has no other TPA option. With that being said, TPA equips can be useful in certain Ranking Dungeons where the Style Points heavily favour TPA matches.


Legiana – C

Active: Reduce binds by 5 turns; Replace all orbs (9 turn CD)

Leader Skill: [No skyfall]; 4x ATK when there are 8 or fewer orbs remaining; 5x ATK when matching Water+Wood+Dark [1/400/1]

Awakenings: Bind Immune Bind Immune Time Extend Skill Boost  45
Super Awakenings: 45 
Typing: Dragon / Attacker
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1250 (1562)
HP 4003 (5004) / ATK 3006 (3758) / RCV 746 (932)
Weapon Assist: Water Row Water Row Water Row Jammer Resist Poison resist Imp ATK

Pros
Cons
  • Full Board Replace
  • Weapon Assist has merits on Row Water teams
  • Cannot swipe farm with LS
  • Weapon Assist only provides 20% Resist
    • Rows are somewhat wasted
    • Use Trojan Horse instead?

Legiana’s main appeal will be their full Board Replace as it enables players to reset a given board along with removing various problems. A Replace is different compared to a board changer as it will remove all orbs on the board and skyfall new ones into place. This can potentially cause combos to form and match (can trigger Leader Skills etc.) but the main benefit is removing Sticky/Super blinds. Sticky Blinds must either be matched away or wait until their turn timer runs out so using a Replace was the main counter before.

Fortunately for us, we can now achieve 100% Blind Resist Blind Resist with relative ease and countering a mechanic via awakenings is almost always more favourable compared to using an active.

Weapon Assist: Water Row Water Row Water Row Jammer Resist Poison resist Imp ATK

Legiana’s Weapon Assist will mostly feel like an inferior Trojan Horse as it provides 20% Resist against two popular mechanics but can have merits on mono Water teams who rely on Rows for damage in a similar fashion as Kirin for Light.


Brachydios – S

Active: Deal 300x ATK Light damage to an enemy; Change top row and bottom row to Jammer orbs (16 turn CD)

Leader Skill: 4x ATK and 1.5x HP for Fire, Light Att.; 5x ATK and reduce damage taken by 25% when matching 2+ Jammer combos [2.25/400/1/43.75%]

Awakenings: Skill Boost Skill Boost Time Extend Skill Lock Resist 45 Devil killer Devil killer
Super Awakenings: Skill Boost 45
Typing: Dragon / Attacker
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1250 (1562)
HP 4502 (5628) / ATK 3402 (4252) / RCV 360 (450)
Weapon Assist: +light orb +light orb +light orb +light orb  Imp ATK

Pros
Cons
  • Massive ATK stat
    • One of the largest natural Buttons
    • Can inherit Coop Boost Multiplayer Bonus
  • 300x ATK Button
    • Modest cooldown
    • Can be used in conjunction with full mono boards
  • Double row maker
  • Double Devil Killer Devil killer
    • Can use Devil Killer latents
  • Weapon Assist adds sizable damage for Mono Light
  • Keep in base form in most cases
  • Leader Skill requires Jammers
  • Harder to use as a traditional sub due to active

Brachydios is an amazingly powerful card due to his Limit Break and 4,748 ATK with Plus Eggs. Generally speaking, having high ATK is often unneeded but having this high of an ATK combined with their 300x Button makes them quite exciting.

Button Farming is the art of using actives that deal large amount of damage to instantly kill a floor. For the most part, this requires high multiplier actives combined with cards that have high ATK stats. Thus, Brachydios has an amazing natural kit and one can further bolster his output by having him inherit a Coop Boost Multiplayer Bonus Weapon. This will enable him to Button through exceptionally high health spawns and the created Jammers can combo with full mono boards to create 7 combo VDP (18-12 split). If anything, the double rows can be used simply for this purpose. One thing to keep in mind is that Brachydios is sometimes a popular Button for Ranking Dungeons as he will charge up significantly faster while also coming with double Devil Killers Devil killer.

Outside of his Button potential, Brachydios can also function as a stellar Devil Killer due to his high ATK and ability to also use Devil Killer latents. While he does compete with things like Shazel and Mito, Brachydios is a different colour along with owning 1-2 7 Combos 45 which will further propel his output.

As a leader, Brachydios has strong multiplier on paper but the 2 Jammer combo clause may make it challenging to fully utilize along with the Damage Reduction component being tied to those matches.

Weapon Assist: +light orb +light orb +light orb +light orb  Imp ATK

Brachydios’s Weapon Assist can act as a powerful Button option but why not just use them directly as a sub since they already have high ATK.

On the other hand, the >80% and Enhanced Light Orbs +light orb add significant damage under the right circumstances for mono Light teams and can greatly augment a Light VDP sub.

For example, Bradamante is an incredibly hard hitting card on 7×6 Tifa teams and being able to add 1.5x ATK from the >80% to to all attacks can be meaningful. Furthermore, the 4 Enhanced Light Orbs +light orb add passive damage to all matches for every team member.

This is important because one popular way to add damage was to perform a SFUA for 2x damage for the owning card. The >80% only provides 1.5x but the 4 Enhanced Light Orbs provide damage to all cards on the team. This should result in higher total damage while also reducing the need to have 9 Hearts.


Gore Magala – B

Active: Remove all binds and awoken skill binds; Change Jammer, Poison, Mortal Poison, Bomb orbs to Dark orbs (8 turn CD)

Leader Skill: 8x ATK and reduce damage taken by 25% when matching 4 or more colors; 2x ATK & RCV for Dark Att.; Increase orb movement time by 2 seconds [1/256/4/43.75%]

Awakenings: Bind Immune Bind Immune Skill Boost Skill Lock Resist Time Extend 45 Skill Boost
Super Awakenings:   45
Typing: Dragon / Devil
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1200 (1500)
HP 5569 (6961) / ATK 2528 (3160) / RCV 413 (516)
Weapon Assist: Healer Killer Dark Orb Enhance Dark Orb Enhance Imp ATK

Pros
Cons
  • Full Bind/Awoken Bind clear
    • Hazard removal
    • Can be inherited
  • Modest Rainbow leader
  • Strong Weapon Assist
  • Rainbow teams face activation issues
  • Situational Weapon Assist

Gore Magala is able to fully clear Binds and Awoken Binds while also being inheritable. This gives players additional options should Odin Dragon 3264 be an inappropriate choice. Building upon this, Gore Magala is also able to assume a Healer Killer Healer Killer Weapon Assist.

Moving beyond this, Gore Magala is a modest Rainbow leader as they have reasonable multipliers but will always face the same activation inconsistencies as other Rainbow teams.

Weapon Assist: Healer Killer Dark Orb Enhance Dark Orb Enhance Imp ATK

The value of Gore Magala’s Weapon Assist will mostly hinge upon whether or not on owns the Twin Blade, Shotel as these are the only two Healer Killer Weapon Assists in the game. For the most part, this is a niche Killer but can help overcome certain spawns.

Furthermore, Gore Magala actually comes with a useful active which may be used frequently in challenging content. In addition, the two Enhanced Dark Orbs Dark Orb Enhance may provide a modest boost in damage.


Seregios – B

Active: For 5 turns, increase combo count by 1 (13 turn CD)

Leader Skill: 2x HP & ATK for Light Att.; 5x ATK when 7 or more combos; 50x ATK additional damage when matching orbs [4/100/1]

Awakenings: Skill Boost Skill Boost Skill Lock Resist TPA TPA TPA TPA Bind Immune Bind Immune
Super Awakenings: TPA Skill Boost
Typing: Dragon / Attacker
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1151 (1439)
HP 4189 (5236) / ATK 2870 (3588) / RCV 475 (594)
Weapon Assist: Auto heal Auto heal Auto heal Imp ATK

Pros
Cons
  • Orb skin
  • Tape Resist Weapon
  • LS provides free FUA
    • Has respectable multipliers
  • Active provides +1 Combo for 5 turns
  • LS requires 7 Combos
    • Harder to use for farming
  • Follow Up Damage is not True Damage
    • May not kill high DEF spawns
  • Somewhat restrictive in uses

Seregios owns the incredibly strong built in Follow Up Damage through their Leader Skill but falls short compared to the potential of Ina as they offer a much lower ATK multiplier along with their Follow Up Damage not being True Damage. This means it is possible for high DEF encounters who have Resolve to not actually die from the Follow Up Damage which would instead trigger their 1% rage hit.

With that being said, Seregios can still be used, just not in a swipe farming situation as 5x of their LS is tied to combos. The full 10x ATK along with 2x HP for Light cards can give modest pairings through various stronger Light leaders. Unfortunately, one major usage of Follow Up Damage is countering Void and Resolve spawns. While the Resolve aspect is taken care of, it is possible to have a 6 combo board which will most likely not result in enough damage.

Weapon Assist: Auto heal Auto heal Auto heal Imp ATK

Seregios’s Weapon Assist is able to provide Tape Resist  which is relatively niche overall. This is because Tape Attacks are somewhat rare and depending on the dungeon/spawn, can be manageable without requiring intervention. With that being said, being able to prevent this mechanic can be valuable and does function across all game modes due to it being a Weapon Assist.

Orb Skin


5 star base

Generally speaking, most 5-star cards will be converted to Weapon Assists where their Limit Break is unused. As such, if you do plan on making a Weapon Assist, do not Limit Break.

Rathian – S

Active: Poison all enemies (50x ATK); Delay enemies for 2 turns (12 turn CD)

Leader Skill: 4x ATK and reduce damage taken by 25% when matching 2+ Wood combos; 2.5x ATK for each cross of 5 Wood orbs  [1/625/1/43.75%]

Awakenings: Skill Boost Time Extend Skill Boost Skill Lock Resist Time Extend 45
Super Awakenings:  
Typing: Dragon / Attacker
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1169 (1461)
HP 4426 (5532) / ATK 2771 (3464) / RCV 518 (648)
Weapon Assist: Poison resist Poison resist Poison resist Imp ATK

Pros
Cons
  • One of the best 5-star Collab cards
  • One of the main reasons to roll MH
  • Triple Poison Resist Poison resist
  • Delay + Poison has some niche value
  • Almost only used as a Weapon Assist

Rathian is what I dream all 5-star cards should be like due to the fact that they have tremendous value in end game content and rolling 1-2 should induce joy instead of the usual sadness for gold eggs. This is because Rathian’s Weapon Assist is able to provide a walloping 60% Poison Resist Poison resist along with having a reasonable active.

Poison orbs are some of the most dangerous mechanics in Puzzle and Dragons and being able to prevent their spawning is amazing. As such, players can now trivialize certain spawns as their main threat is the Poison orbs which means less actives need to be spent here along with a potential place to stall. Being able to counter any mechanic via awakenings will almost always be preferred over an active skill and is why Weapon Assists have become so popular/powerful.

In regards to Rathian’s active, the two turn delay plus modest Poison can have niche value against some spawns, most notably the Norns in Arena 4./AA2 The Norns all have Resolve and no Status Shield. As such, they can be Delayed and Poisoned which can grant extra turns but assuming they never triggered their <50% move set, the Poison can be used to kill them when Resolve triggers. Furthermore, the Puppeteers can be delayed in AA2 which can give Light or Dark teams a chance to catch their breathe as they cannot kill through the 5 turn Light/Dark absorb.

For the most part, Poison Resist is incredibly valuable but there has been a gradual shift in end game content towards prioritizing Blind Resist Blind Resist. This is because sticky/super blinds are a nightmare to deal with and teams with massive RCV such as Dark Karin  x Tifa can outheal the poison damage.

Weapon Assist: Poison resist Poison resist Poison resist Imp ATK

Make it.

Use it alongside Fatalis or Aerith for 100% Poison Resist.


Tigrex – C

Active: Change all orbs to Fire, Wood, and Jammer orbs (7 turn CD)

Leader Skill: [No Skyfall]; 1.5x all stats for Dragon type; 3.5x ATK for each cross of 5 Fire, Wood orbs [2.25/4137.06/2.25]

Awakenings: Skill Boost Time Extend Time Extend Enhnaced Fire Orb Enhnaced Fire Orb Enhnaced Fire Orb Enhnaced Fire Orb 45
Super Awakenings: 45  
Typing: Dragon / Physical
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1169 (1461)
HP 6635 (8294) / ATK 2365 (2956) / RCV 99 (124)
Weapon Assist: Imp ATK Imp ATK Imp ATK Time Extend

Pros
Cons
  • Fast charging board changer
  • Produces Jammers
  • Underwhelming Weapon Assist

Tigrex is one of the weaker cards in the Monster Hunter Collab due to the fact that their active and Weapon Assist are middling overall. Despite the fact that Tigrex has a 7-turn board changer, it has become less special for the most part as we are seeing more like this along with the fact that Heart are not produced along with Jammers being present.

Perhaps some players will find some fun in their Colour Cross Leader Skill but I feel there are better options available.

Weapon Assist: Imp ATK Imp ATK Imp ATK Time Extend

Tigrex’s Weapon Assist is able to provide +300 ATK to any attribute card but this is quite underwhelming for the most part as Weapon Assists are almost always better off providing “real” awakenings instead of just a modest stat boost.

With that being said, the +300 ATK can help bolster a Button sub to deal more damage.


Nargacuga – S

Active: Charge allies’ skill by 1 turn; Change 2nd column from left to Dark orbs (7 turn CD)

Leader Skill: [Fixed 4 second movetime]; 2.5x ATK & RCV for Dragon type; 6x ATK when 6 or more combos [1/225/6.25]

Awakenings: Skill Lock Resist Skill Boost Skill Boost Blind Resist Blind Resist
Super Awakenings: 45  
Typing: Dragon / Attacker
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1070 (1338)
HP 4141 (5176) / ATK 2572 (3215) / RCV 427 (534)
Weapon Assist: Blind Resist Blind Resist Blind Resist Imp ATK

Pros
Cons
  • 60% Blind Resist Blind Resist via Weapon
  • Primarily a Weapon Assist
  • Shorter base cooldown
    • Active is often not desired

Nargacuga can be used as a “flex on people leader” or as a 4-second Ranking Dungeon approach. This is because in Ranking Dungeons, players wish to minimize the time spent so being forced to end your movement early is helpful. Furthermore, his damage is quite high and only requires 6 combos to achieve.

With that being said, Nargacuga will be primarily used for their Weapon Assist as their potential as a Leader or Sub is middling overall.

Weapon Assist: Blind Resist Blind Resist Blind Resist Imp ATK

Nargacuga’s Weapon Assist is able to provide a solid 60% Blind Resist Blind Resist which is invaluable in end game content. At this point in time, Arena 5 is one of the most lucrative dungeons to farm and having 100% Blind Resist is somewhat mandatory for success. This is because the dungeon features many lethal floors with Sticky/Super Blinds that can only be really dealt with via Resisting or Board Replaces.

With this in mind, being able to counter the various floors with just awakenings is far superior to using actives. As such, utilizing Nargacuga is a common strategy for this dungeon.

The only real downside to Nargacuga’s Weapon Assist is that they have a reasonably short cooldown which means they may often charge up and become a burden as not all teams appreciate the column of Dark orbs.

As mentioned in Rathian’s section, Blind Resist is becoming more and more valuable, especially on teams with massive amounts of RCV such as Dark Karin x Tifa who can heal through Poisons. Thus, depending on your team, Blind Resist may be prioritized over other Resists.


Gammoth – D

Active: Create 3 Water, Wood, Dark orbs; Delay enemies for 1 turns (9 turn CD)

Leader Skill: 2x HP & ATK for Water Att.; 6x ATK when matching Water, Wood, Dark at once [4/144/1]

Awakenings: Skill Lock Resist Skill Boost Skill Boost Water Row Water Row Water Row
Super Awakenings:  
Typing: Physical / Attacker
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1150 (1438)
HP 7558 (9448) / ATK 1807 (2259) / RCV 100 (125)
Weapon Assist: Imp HP Imp HP Imp ATK Time Extend

Pros
Cons
  • I don’t know
  • Little value overall
  • Not a Dragon
    • How?

Gammoth is perhaps the saddest card in the Monster Hunter Collab as he is not even a Dragon and provides almost no value at this point in time.

This is because both his active, awakenings, and Weapon Assist do not outpace current options and are also not desirable for most content.

Weapon Assist: Imp HP Imp HP Imp ATK Time Extend

Gammoth’s Weapon Assist simply provides some stats which is largely unneeded as Weapon Assists are usually best served by providing “real” awakenings.


Astalos – B

Active: Delay enemies for 2 turns; For 2 turns, Light orbs are more likely to appear by 15% (9 turn CD)

Leader Skill: 7x ATK when matching 2 Light combos, up to 10x at 3 Light combos; Reduce damage taken from light, dark att. by 50% [1/100/1/75%]

Awakenings: TPA TPA Skill Boost TPA Time Extend TPA
Super Awakenings: 45 TPA 
Typing: Dragon / Attacker
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1150 (1438)
HP 5004 (6255) / ATK 2749 (3436) / RCV 300 (375)
Weapon Assist: 42 44  Imp ATK Time Extend

Pros
Cons
  • Weapon Assist provides unique Killers
  • Primarily a Weapon Assist
  • Unlikely Killers will overlap

Astalos is an interesting card as they are able to provide 3 unusual Killers in their Weapon Assist form which can help overcome various spawns. With this in mind, they will primarily be used as a Weapon Assist as their base form has no real merit.

Weapon Assist: 42 44  Imp ATK Time Extend

Astalos’s Weapon Assist is able to provide Killers against Enhance, Evolution, and Awoken Materials. For the most part, this is quite niche and I do not think the typings will overlap. Regardless, 3x damage is nothing to scoff at and can help overcome durable spawns like those found in Training Arena. Training Arena features all three types and having a single inherit to counter those can be valuable.


Barioth – C

Active: Change all orbs to Water, Light, and Heal orbs; Delay enemies for 2 turns (14 turn CD)

Leader Skill: 3x ATK and 1.5x HP for Water Att.; 4x ATK when matching Water+Light [2.25/144/1]

Awakenings: Time Extend Skill Lock Resist Skill Boost TPA TPA TPA TPA
Super Awakenings:  TPA 
Typing: Dragon / Balance
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1153 (1441)
HP 5077 (6346) / ATK 2007 (2509) / RCV 732 (915)
Weapon Assist: RCV Latent RCV Latent Imp ATK Bind Clear awakening Bind Clear awakening

Pros
Cons
  • Tri-elemental board
    • Makes Water, Light, & Hearts
  • Weapon Assist provides two Recover Bind Bind Clear awakening
  • Primarily a Weapon Assist
  • Relatively long cooldown
  • Delay is often wasted

Barioth has a wonderful board changer for mono Light or Water teams such as Yusuke but the main problem is their 14 turn cooldown.

Generally speaking, a tri-elemental board with Heart is 9 turns (assuming no additional effects) so paying an extra 5 is quite hefty, especially considering the delay aspect will often be wasted. This is because this type of board changer is probably used to kill a floor so what is the point in delaying them? As such, it may be harder to justify using as an inherit for this reason alone.

Furthermore, their Weapon Assist is niche at best.

Weapon Assist: RCV Latent RCV Latent Imp ATK Bind Clear awakening Bind Clear awakening

Barioth’s Weapon Assist will mostly be providing some stats and the unusually double Recover Bind Bind Clear awakening. For the most part, this is going to be underused as the vast majority of high end cards are already bind immune. As such, this will most likely be a wasted awakening.


Paolumu – A

Active: Change all orbs to Water, Dark, and Heal orbs; For 2 turns, 1.5x orb move time (10 turn CD)

Leader Skill: 3x ATK for Dragon type; Increase orb movement time by 2 seconds; 3x ATK for each cross of 5 Dark, Water orbs [1/6561/1]

Awakenings: Skill Lock Resist Time Extend Time Extend Time Extend Healer Killer Healer Killer Skill Boost
Super Awakenings: Time Extend 
Typing: Dragon / Balance
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1149 (1436)
HP 4458 (5572) / ATK 2058 (2572) / RCV 877 (1096)
Weapon Assist: Jammer Resist Jammer Resist Jammer Resist Imp ATK

Pros
Cons
  • 60% Jammer Resist Jammer Resist
  • Active produces a tri-elemental board
    • Valuable for Dark and Water teams
  • Double Healer Killer Healer Killer
  • Primarily a Weapon Assist
  • Double Healer Killer is niche

Paolumu is the final card in the Monster Hunter Collab and is quite powerful overall due to their Weapon Assist and niche as a Healer Killer. The double Healer Killer is still a rare sighting and may find merits in certain Ranking Dungeons or farming scenarios. Furthermore, their active produces a tri-elemental board that includes Heart orbs.

Weapon Assist: Jammer Resist Jammer Resist Jammer Resist Imp ATK

Paolumu’s Weapon Assist is able to provide 60% resistance to Jammers Jammer Resist which can help trivialize certain spawns but will also block Bomb orbs from forming. While Jammers tend to be less detrimental compared to Poison, having the option to resist them is always useful.

In addition to the resistance aspect, being able to produce a full board of Water, Dark, and Heart orbs is quite valuable. This type of board is reasonably favoured as it allows players to deal damage and heal up while retaining the option to FUA . As such, Paolumu’s Weapon Assist can fully charge and may actually help some teams.

Conclusion

The Monster Hunter Collab is a high value event as it provides some of the best Weapon Assists in the game along with powerful cards in the top rarity. Furthermore, the 5-star cards come with several unique Weapons along with the highly desired 60% Resist varieties.

The main motivation for rolling in this event should be to acquire Rathian and Nargacuga Weapon Assists as the 60% Poison and Blind is just too good to pass up on. Due to their lower rarity/higher rolling chance, I feel this is a great opportunity for players to fill in this potential gap in their Monster Box.

On the other hand, it is possible that many players have already acquired numerous copies of all the 5-star cards. This makes the opportunity cost significantly higher when chasing the 7-star monsters as anything short will feel more disappointing.

Let me know what you think about the Monster Hunter Collab REM and how much you plan on rolling.

Happy Puzzling!

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22 thoughts on “Monster Hunter Collab REM Review and Analysis – October 2019”

  1. Incredibly lame that you don’t even get the quest rewards this time around. Why would you even bother playing it again?

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  2. Event starts and I have everything cleared… :/

    Thanks for the review as always!
    How do you feel about Athena hunter gear? How much MP do you think is she worth? Any of the female hunters worth doing if not? (I did get Ciel Hunter last time)

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    1. I would like to know about Athena as well. Also, for Reheven and/or Omega teams, is there any value to Female hunter glyph gear (#5201)? ATK seems pretty low but there aren’t a lot of Fire cards with <50 awakenings.

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Lovely review as always!

    Any monsters that push today’s meta you think are worth trading? I can all content (except AA2 and TA2) with my Dmeta/ B&J teams so I feel trading for a new card can be justified esp with the steep costs.

    Velkhana is the one I’d consider. Pretty cool to be the card that produces the highest effective health in the game. Despite owning a Mizutsune I still feel like activation consistency would be an issue.

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  4. Just wanted to mention you have incorrectly stated seregios’s ls functionality. “With that being said, Seregios can still be used, just not in a swipe farming situation as their Follow Up is tied to 7 combos.” his followup is tied to orb matching not the 7c, his 5x atk is the only thing tied to the 7c.

    I have also noticed you mention nerg having 4 enhanced orb awakenings in the pros column but he only has 3.

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  5. Looking for some advice… I have three 7* I’m not too excited about: Spare Amatsu, Akantor, and Yama Tsukami… I also have 2 eligible GFEs I’d be okay trading away. Three 7* cards I’m interested in are Velkhana, Alatreon, and Nergigante. Any trade would be a luxury, as I have a variety of end game teams, I just hate having 3 MH rares that won’t be used.

    I run all sorts of stuff these days, including a lot of Beach Veroah and Ina/Phenom (sometimes VKitty)… blue/dark are my favorite colors, red is my least favorite color. I have Highren already.

    Any suggestions on whether any of Velk, Alatreon or Nerg would be worth trading for?

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    1. Of the dupe MH cards, I would be hesitant in trading away Akantor as they are the best triple bind weapon we can have due to the Team HP/RCV

      Of the three potential trade targets, I would say Altreon has the most potential to remain relevant in the future. This is because they are an amazing VDP card so their sub value should preserve quite long. We also lack a top tier Fire leader but I feel that shouldn’t last past christmas (red theme)

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  6. Is it worth rolling if I already have the essential 5-stars (Rathian, Nargacuga, Paolumu) and 3 of the 7-stars (Fatalis, Diablos, Nergigante)?

    I’m leaning towards not rolling bc I feel like the only things that really appeal to me are the possibilities of rolling Alatreon, since I have a B&J team (though I also have Suou); Velkhana for the weapon assist; and dupe Fatalis for the weapon assist. But this would be only my second time with this collab so I’m not sure.

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    1. This is a hard decision for you as you do already have the key 5* cards. With that being said, how many of each do you have? If you have 1, then getting a dupe is still quite useful

      On the other hand, if you already have several, continuing to roll will have less value

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  7. After rolling all my stones, I ended up with 1 dupe Diablos and 3(!) dupe Yama Tsukami. Assuming I gather enough stones and roll another Yama Tsukami, which monster should I trade for? I already have Amatsu, Nergigante, Velkhana, and Alatreon.

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  8. Hello All!

    Does anyone know if the Five Dupe Diablos cards I rolled can be used as trade fodder in other collabs? Or would I have to use them in just the Monster Hunter to exchange. I honestly just don’t remember them being an option when trading for Beach Veroah for example. Thanks if anyone knows.

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  9. Gammoth is not a dragon because he is classified as a Fanged Beast in the game. The other monsters in this collab are Elder Dragons or Wyverns.

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