Introduction

The King of Fighters Collab returns to North America after a prolong absence. This means that all cards have received various buffs along with new evolutions.

In fact, each card has at least 3 different forms they can pursue which does give more flexibility to a given card. Sadly, none feature Weapon Assists along with painfully low Weighted Stats at the 5-star rarity which comprises 82.5% of the rolling pool.

While this does mean that players have a much higher chance at a top rarity card compared to most other Collabs, the bottom rarity does not offer much to even a modestly developed Monster Box. As such, if you are truly interested in any of the top rarity cards, it would be best to utilize the Monster Exchange system.

Regardless of this, this article will outline the pros and cons for each card to give players a better understanding of what to expect in the King of Fighters Collab Rare Egg Machine.

Video commentary

—video coming Monday—

Overview

King of Fighters Collab REM Pros & Cons – November 2020
Pros	Cons
17.5% chance for any 6-star card Each card has 3+ evolutions Grants more flexibility 5 Magic Stones to roll Big rolling pool Harder to roll dupes	5-star cards are lackluster None bring any true value to modestly developed Boxes Comprise 82.5% of the rolling pool No Weapon Assists Poor event to roll in Best to just Monster Exchange

King of Fighters Collab REM Rarities
6-Star Base (17.5% total)
5-Star Base (82.5% total)

King of Fighters Collab REM – November 2020
S
A
B
C
D

Order within each tier is random and not reflective of ranking

Icons show Base form

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

Bottom rarity quick summary

The bottom rarity should be the main motivation to roll in an event and here is a brief summary showcasing their awakenings and/or Weapon Assists if applicable. Awakenings in (brackets) are Super Awakenings.

Due to the fact that the bottom rarity cards each have 3 evolution forms, it is best to simply look at each card’s analysis. On the other hand, here is the Ranking chart with only the 5-star cards:

King of Fighters Collab REM – November 2020
S
A
B
C
D

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 or in 3-player coop.

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.

Due to the rate of new cards being released, care should be taken when considering a trade as you want to ensure you gain long term value.

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/Seasonal 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 bottom rarity 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. If you wish to read about this more in greater detail, check out my other article HERE.

Reincarnated Evolution

A Reincarnated Evolution (Revo) grants  up to 8 Latent slots and is often times a stronger overall card. Sadly, pursuing these forms will lock the monster in this state as they cannot be reversed. As such, only commit to a Revo if you 100% know you will get significant value from them right away.

6 Star base

All 6-star cards have numerous different forms and while this grants additional flexibility, only some forms will be truly viable. Just be mindful of choosing Reincarnated forms as you will not be able to reverse them later.

Base Kyo Kusanagi – A

Kyo Kusanagi

Pros	Cons
Strong offensive potential against Devils	New Pixel and Revo form offers more

Kyo is a returning 6-star card within the King of Fighters Collab and in their first evolution form are able to provide meaningful damage against Devil spawns. While this is nice, this evolution is still reasonably generic and their other forms offer more specialized value.

Pixel Kyo Kusanagi

Pros	Cons
4 Effective Skill Boosts Passive Damage for Fire teams Respectable damage vs Devils	Does not counter any mechanics Revo and New Pixel form are stronger

Kyo’s first Pixel form is able to grant them up to 4 Effective Skill Boosts along with 3 Enhanced Fire Orbs . Furthermore, they have respectable damage output against Devil type spawns.

With that being said, this is still a relatively generic card that does not specialize in any particular role. With this in mind, this form is inferior to his two newer forms which should be pursued over this first Pixel evolution.

Martial Arts Prodigy, Kyo Kusanagi (New) (Reincarnated)

Pros	Cons
High personal damage vs Devils and Attackers Can use 4 Devil Killer latents Can also take Machine Killer latents Active generates board of Fire + Hearts Also adds 2x ATK & TE Solid LS multipliers Huge Damage Reduction 2 sources	Hard to choose between Super Awakenings Competes with 2nd Player Pixel form LS reliant on matching 2 Fire combos Low Effective HP otherwise

Kyo’s Reincarnated form grants him tremendous offensive potential as he has solid base ATK, triple 7 Combo , Devil and Attacker Killer, VDP , and the ability to use 4 Killer latents. These latents will either be Devil or Machine Killer if playing through Shura Realm.

In addition to this, Revo Kyro can provide a powerful board changer that creates only Fire and Hearts along with a 2x ATK and movement time buff. This helps overwrite any existing debuff along with providing an easy to combo bi colour board.

Furthermore, they boast solid Leader Skill multipliers that is reliant on hitting 7 combos and 2 Fire matches. Fulfilling one of these will grant Damage Reduction but ideally both clauses are fulfilled as the Effective Health will be much lower otherwise. This will be the limiting factor for Revo Kyo teams as a board without 2 Fire Combos may not allow them to survive.

As a whole, this evolution offers the most overall offensive capabilities of any of his evolutions and will be a solid form to pursue. With that being said, if you are uncertain where to use them, making their 2nd Player Colour form will be ideal.

Pixel 2nd Player Color Kyo Kusanagi

Pros	Cons
Strong VDP and Devil damage Tremendously powerful active RCV & TE buff Creates 2 Fire & Heart orbs 3 turn cooldown Easy to use LS Incredibly easy 400x ATK Passive damage via Rows	Low Effective HP in LS Only 43.75% Damage Reduction Offset by relative ease of use Competes with Revo form

Kyo’s 2nd Pixel form has lower damage output compared to his Revo form due to one 7 Combo being converted into a VDP along with 3, not 4 Killer latents. To compensate for this, 3 Fire Rows are included along with a powerful and fast charging active skill. This active will provide 1.5x RCV and movement time which will overwrite any debuff along with spawning 2 Fire and Heart orbs.

This is a wonderful amount of utility squeezed into a 3 turn cooldown which can be inherited over for additional utility. In fact, inheriting a Delay or Haste generating active can be used to grant additional Effective Skill Boosts which can aid Transforming teams on turn 1.

In addition to this, this form also grants an incredibly easy to use Leader Skill as all players have to do is have Fire cards and match 6 combos for 400x ATK and 43.75% Damage Reduction while also having +4 seconds of orb movement time.

As a whole, this is incredibly easy to use and forgiving and the main drawback is having low Effective Health due to a relatively small Shield and no HP multiplier.

Taking all of this into consideration, newer players will definitely find value in this form as this is an incredibly easy to use Leader Skill and can be utilized as a offensive and utility-oriented sub later on.

---

Base Terry Bogard – B

 Terry Bogard

Pros	Cons
Super Blind High personal damage at 10 combos + Clears all Bind & Awoken Binds + generates Fire & Light orbs Reasonably easy to use Leader Skill	LS provides low Effective Health Reliant on hitting 10 combos for personal damage

Terry Bogard’s first evolution form is able to function as a potent damage solution when hitting 10 or more combos while also providing Super Bind Resist . Furthermore, he can also provide a full Bind and Awoken Bind clear while also generating a column of Fire and Heart orbs. This combination ensures at least one component will not go to waste.

In regards to his Leader Skill, it is relatively easy to use as all it requires is 3 Light and 5 Fire orbs but the small Damage Reduction only needs a single Fire and Light combo to proc. By fulfilling the 3 Light and 5 Fire requirement, Terry Bogard will provide +2 combos per leader which will help ensure his personal damage takes effect.

With that being said, this Leader Skill is too fragile for current end game content as there is no HP multiplier and the shielding value is too low.

As such, Terry may find himself being used as a sub assuming 10 combos can be hit on a regular basis.

Pixel Terry Bogard

Pros	Cons
Team HP ?	Does not do much Low impact active Awakenings do not provide much

Pixel Terry Bogard provides minimal value in this form as their awakenings are mediocre along with the active skill being vastly inferior compared to his first evolved form.

Best to pursue other forms.

Pixel 2nd Player Color Terry Bogard (New)

Pros	Cons
Active provides massive 6x ATK burst Tanky LS 4x HP & 43.7%% Damage Reduction	Long cooldown active Overkill in 6x burst Can’t exceed Damage cap Requires Healing solution Restricted to Physical and Attackers LS faces low combo count, esp VS Voids

Terry Bogard’s 2nd Pixel form is able to provide a walloping 6x ATK and RCV burst along with a single turn of removing Awoken Binds and Unable to Match Orb effects.

This 1 turn clear will most likely be insignificant and the 6x ATK and RCV being overkill. Sadly, his cooldown is painfully long at 14 turns as he only provides a single turn of Burst which is probably redundant as cards cannot exceed Damage Cap which is much more likely to be hit with 6x more damage.

Beyond this, 2nd Player Terry is able to lead a tanky 4/256/1/43.75% team that requires any L match and Physical or Attacker subs. As a whole this is an easy to activate Leader Skill as it will proc from any L match and a Healing Solution can be found through Amaterasu and her Physical typing.

With that being said, the main drawback of this Leader Skill will be the lower combo count and awkwardness in dealing with Combo shields, Voids, or Resolve spawns due to no Auto Follow Up, no bonus combos, and bulky matching patterns.

As a whole, I feel his first Evolution form provides the most straight forward and easy to use card.

---

Base Ryo Sakazaki – B

Ryo Sakazaki

Pros	Cons
Super Poison Resist 4 Skill Boosts Active generates a Row of Light orbs 4 turn CD No Skyfalls High LS multipliers	LS requires 4 colours + row of Light Limits orb changers Low Effective HP without both No personal damage

Ryo Sakazaki’s first evolution is able to provide a Super Poison Resist along with 4 Skill Boosts plus a 4 turn active that can generate a Row of Light orbs. These are reasonable characteristics along with a modest Leader Skill.

This Leader Skill is able to provide 400x ATK and up to 68.64% Damage Reduction when matching 4 colours along with 6 or more connected Light orbs. As a whole, the 4 colour aspect should be doable and will provide 43.75% Damage Reduction which may or may not be enough depending on the content.

This will be his main downfall as a leader as having high amounts of Effective Health is often key to clearing harder content.

On the other hand, Farming teams will value this active skill as it generates a Row of Light and provides No Skyfalls.

Pixel Ryo Sakazaki

Pros	Cons
Double Row maker High stats in Coop	Only has merits in Coop as a sub Lower value if you already own other Double Row makers

Pixel Ryo Sakazaki is able to generate a Row of Light at the top and bottom which is a massive boon to Farming teams when used in conjunction with a mono colour board changer.

The idea here is that players can always create an 18-12 board which can be easily solved into whatever pattern is required. As such, the value of this active will come down to what other options you have at your disposal and well be more meaningful if you have no other options.

As a whole, this form’s greatest appeal will be the active skill or possibly as a sub in coop farming.

Pixel 2nd Player Color Ryo Sakazaki (New)

Pros	Cons
5 SB Active generates a Row of Light No Skyfall +2 combos Reasonable VDP damage	0 RCV Niche uses overall 1st Pixel form has a more unique active

Ryo’s new 2nd Player Pixel form comes with 5 Skill Boosts along with the ability to generate a Row of Light orbs at the top. This orb generation will also come with +2 combos and No Skyfalls which leads me to believe he is designed for Farming specific content.

Generally speaking, Farming teams want as little effort as possible with pre-made patterns easing this process. With that being said, I feel this form is quite niche/specific whereas the first Pixel form with the double Row maker being more universally overall.

As such, I would not pursue this form if your account does not already own any Double Row maker as that will be much more universally helpful for Farming teams.

---

Base Leona Heidern – S

Leona Heidern

Pros	Cons
Respectable personal damage VS 4 different types 2 Skill Charge Active counters Damage Absorb for 2 turns Also provides 2 turns of 3x ATK for Attacker & Devils	1 SB Damage hinges on overlapping typings Revo form is tremendously powerful

Leona retains her strong offensive potential against Dragon, God, Devil, and Machine types which are thankfully the more common typings in harder content. With that being said, her personal damage only takes hold if at least two typings overlap but thankfully comes with a powerful active skill.

This active will provide 2 turns of Damage Absorb Void along with 3x ATK for Devil and Attacker cards. This is a reasonably strong combination as it helps ensure tanky spawns at the end of a dungeon fall along with the 25 turn cooldown being greatly aided by 2 Skill Charges .

This provides 3 turns of the active being charged up if all 5 colours are matched which greatly decreases the cooldown of the active. With that being said, this evolution is greatly eclipsed by her new Reincarnated form.

Pixel Leona Heidern

Pros	Cons
Strong VDP potential vs Physical spawns	Inferior to other forms

Leona’s first Pixel form has strong personal damage against Physical spawns when forming a 3×3 Box. Sadly, this is a niche type that is not commonly seen and she is grossly inferior to her Revo form.

Pixel 2nd Player Color Leona Heidern (New)

Pros	Cons
Resonable personal damage +3 seconds of orb movement time Void Damage Void for 2 turns Easy to use LS Needs 3 colours 4 Connected Dark orbs	No Skill Charge Longer cooldown Revo form is so strong

Leona’s new Pixel form has respectable personal damage when matching 7 combos and a 3×3 Box along with an active that can Void Damage Void for 2 turns.

While we do have more access to VDP Latents (more people can clear higher AA4/Shura Realm plus PAD Pass), having a direct counter can still be helpful as all cards on the team benefit from it.

With that being said, this is a 25 turn cooldown for an ability which can often be circumnavigated with Latents which in turn lowers her overall potential.

As a leader, she has high damage output with 3 colours along with bonus combos and more Damage Reduction with a 4-match of Dark. As a whole, this is an easy to use Leader Skill with the main risk being lower Effective Health when lacking 4 Dark orbs.

It is possible to make this Leader Skill work but her new Revo form has phenomenal sub potential for Rainbow teams.

Orochi Leona (New) (Reincarnated/Revo)

Pros	Cons
High personal damage vs Dragon, God, Devil, & Machines + High base ATK 8 Latent slots Active provides Colour Absorb Void for 2 turns 3x ATK for Devil & Attacker Aided by Skill Charge	1 SB Not naturally Bind Immune

Leona’s Revo form is by far her strongest iteration as she has fantastic damage output against Dragon, God, Devil, and Machine types through her Killers along with a 10 and 7 Combo awakening. This is on top of her naturally high base ATK and ability to use 4 Killer latents.

All of these aspects help ensure she is able to deal meaningful damage against all spawns with it quickly ramping up when facing multi type spawns she is effective against.

But the fun does not stop there as she has a Skill Charge which will hasten the time it takes to use her valuable active skill. This active will provide 2 turns of Colour Absorb Void and 3x ATK for Devil and Attacker cards. This is wonderfully well designed for Shura Realm where the final floor has 10 turns of Colour Absorb along with massive amounts of Effective Health which means it will almost always take at least 2 turns to kill.

All of this is meaningful as she can provide both damage and utility for Rainbow teams.

As a whole, it is hard to find faults in Leona’s Revo form outside of the lower Skill Boost count and lack of Bind Immunity but both can be worked around. With this in mind, this should be the form pursued by the vast majority of players.

---

Base Mai Shiranui – B

Mai Shiranui

Pros	Cons
High personal damage with 10 Combos  & TPA Some Healing potential via 2 Enhanced Heart Orbs 3 turn base CD Generates 3 Fire orbs	Low RCV Negates some Healing potential Low ATK Hinders personal damage Reliant on matching TPA & 10 combos for damage No VDP Damage wasted vs Voids

Mai’s first evolution has the potential for high personal damage when hitting both 10 combos and TPA matches. This will result in solid damage output but is marred by a restrictive activation requirement. Furthermore, she also has naturally low ATK which further diminishes her potential output.

On the other hand, she does have 2 Enhanced Heart Orb awakening which can grant a modest boost to healing but she is again marred by low stats. Enhanced Heart orbs only care about the owning card’s RCV as the boost to healing is tied to this value. As such, Mai will not be able to provide that much healing overall.

As a whole, I feel Mai tries to be both a damage dealer and Healing solution but does not excel in either metric.

Pixel Mai Shiranui

Pros	Cons
4 SB Natural Cloud Resist Modest damage potential Coop Boost	Lower value in solo mode Low impact active Essentially a tricolour board Does not excel in any particular metric

Pixel Mai is somewhat a Jill of All Trades, Master of None as she is able to provide modest damage output, 4 Skill Boosts , and Cloud Resist along with a tri colour board with Heart orbs.

As a whole, Mai is not a bad card but neither is she exceptional as she lacks any niche/specialization that would help her be selected over other subs.

With this in mind, I feel she works best as an interim solution until stronger cards are acquired.

Pixel 2nd Player Color Mai Shiranui (New)

Pros	Cons
Stronger healing potential compared to first form Tape Resist 100% DEF Break for 3 turns	Low RCV & ATK Active is situational Longer CD LS lacks ATK multiplier

Mai’s final evolution is able to function as a stronger Healing Solution compared to her first evolution due to the inclusion of 2 more Enhanced Heart Orbs . While she is not on Amaterasu’s level, she is still serviceable but at the same times does not provide that much total utility and damage hinges on 10 Combos.

Mai’s 2nd Player form has access to a 10 Combo but is marred by her low ATK stat and she cannot be relied upon for offensive might. Looking at her active skill, she is able to provide 3 turns of 100% DEF Break which has merits in Training Arena 2 where the spawns have comically high DEF and HP values.

As a leader, she has tremendous bulk for Balance type cards but lacks any extra zest such as bonus combos or Auto Follow Up along with a terribly low ATK multiplier.

As a whole, I feel that none of Mai’s evolutions are exceptionally valuable and which form you pursue will depend on what your Monster Box needs.

---

Base Iori Yagami – S

Iori Yagami

Pros	Cons
Super Jammer Resist	Vastly outpaced by Revo form

Iori’s first evolution form features Super Jammer Resist along with modest damage output and an active that is aided by Skill Charge .

Sadly, this form offers little overall and players will be much better served with their new Revo form.

Pixel Iori Yagami

Pros	Cons
High personal damage vs Attackers Active skill generates 8 Dark orbs Enhances all orbs	Only truly effective against Attackers Outpaced by Revo form

Iori’s first Pixel form has wonderfully high damage potential against Attackers when matching 7 combos and a 3×3 Box. Sadly, Attackers are not a commonly seen spawn which in turn makes Pixel Iori a situation evolution overall which is further marred by their powerful Revo form.

Orochi Iori (New) (Revo)

Pros	Cons
Massive personal damage Huge base ATK + + 20x vs all spawns 8 Latent slots Valuable active Rainbow board 3x ATK for Attackers 3x Orb movement Skill Charge	LS must match all 5 colours No Damage Reduction otherwise Restricted to Attackers

Iori’s Revo form has tremendous offensive potential due to their huge ATK stat which has beautiful synergy with their 10 plus double 7 combo awakenings. These translate into 20x ATK against all spawns along with the potential to use 4 Killer latents.

This is a wonderful spread of offensive might and their different typings grant them usage on teams Damage Solutions such as Aten could not be used on. Furthermore, the need to hit 10 combos can be offset by using leaders such as Halloween Sonia Gran or Lucia who naturally provide bonus combos.

In addition to their offensive might, Revo Iori has a valuable active skill that provides 3x ATK and orb movement time along with an Unlocking Rainbow board changer on a 13 turn cooldown. This cooldown can be accelerated via Skill Charge  and helps ensure players have a solution for tanky floors.

As a leader, Iori boasts massive Damage Reduction when matching all 5 colours. This will be wildly inconsistent as access to reliable Effective Health is meaningful in current end game content. Furthermore, they are restricted to Attackers and while it does open up a Fasca pairing, it can may be restrictive overall. Of course the 7×6 board eases activation requirements but still must match all 5 colours.

Taking all of this into consideration, this should be the form pursued by most players.

Pixel 4th Player Color Iori Yagami (New)

Pros	Cons
2 turn cooldown Generates 4 Dark orbs 3 turns No Skyfall 4 SB Sizable VDP damage 4 Dark Rows	Active causes 3 turns of No Skyfalls LS has low Effective HP without 6 Dark orbs No SBR Offers little utility

Iori’s 4th Player Colour form brings 4 Skill Boosts , sizable VDP damage, 4 Dark Rows , and a 2 turn base active. As a whole, they are most at home on mono Dark teams who enjoy blobbing their Dark orbs and their 2 turn cooldown can be abused to carry a valuable inherit.

Low base cooldowns provide the opportunity to inherit whatever solution is needed to overcome a given dungeon but can also be used to provide additional Effective Skill Boosts through Delays or Hastes.

With that being said, the 3 turns of No Skyfalls from Iori’s base active can be both a blessing and curse.

For Farming teams, the No Skyfalls will hasten clear times while also generating some Dark orbs but if used in Arena-style content, it will probably be a hinderance as it can stifle damage output.

As a whole, this is still a reasonable evolution but is greatly outpaced by their Revo form.

---

Base Geese Howard (New) – A

Pros	Cons
Outstanding damage vs Attackers High personal damage Triple 7 Combo VDP Useful active Generates a column of Light 1.5x ATK for Devils Locks all orbs Tanky LS Flat HP Respectable ATK +2s orb movement Auto Follow Up	LS restricted to Devils Attacker Killer is niche 0 SB Hinders sub potential

Geese is a brand new card added into the King of Fighters REM that features outstanding damage potential against Attackers. Sadly, Attackers are not a common threat and these awakenings will most likely go to waste.

Thankfully, Geese also boasts respectable personal damage via triple 7 Combo and VDP but the biggest issue 0 Skill Boosts .

0 Skill Boosts are often a hallmark of Transforming cards and to compensate for this, they are often tremendously powerful post-Transform. With this in mind, if you are trying to build a team, Geese will often be an inferior choice to a Transforming card as his Attacker Killers will often go to waste and his active is not that high impact.

On the bright side, Geese can lead a respectable Light Devil team due to the flat HP multiplier, respectable ATK multiplier, bonus movement time, and Auto Follow Up Damage. This can be wonderfully paired with his first evolution form to grant bonus combos and Damage Reduction with the same 5-Light orb activation requirement. Sadly, I feel that this will not be a tremendously popular pairing as he is difficult to roll along with being restricted to Light Devils while not outpacing current options.

Charismatic Evil, Geese Howard

Pros	Cons
High personal damage with 10 combos + + Useful active Generates a column of Light 1.5x ATK for Devils Locks all orbs L Solid Leader pairing with Base form 3/270/1.5/50% +2 combos +2 seconds orb movement Auto Follow Up	0 SB 5 base RCV LS restricted to Light Devils May be hard to find friends

Geese’s first evolution form has strong synergy with their Base form as they are able to form a 3x HP / 270x ATK / 1.5x RCV / 50% Damage Reduction team that also provides +2 combos,+2 seconds orb movement, and Auto Follow Up.

As a whole, this is a powerful pairing and the main downsides are being restricted to Light Devils along with a potential difficulty in finding friends. This is attributed to the flaws within the Friend system along with how Geese is a new card who will be challenging to roll. As such, even if you were able to build a team for him, you may not have many people to pair with.

This aside, both this Geese and his base form contain the same active skill that provides a small 1.5x Burst, a column of Light orbs, and the ability to Lock the entire board which counters Spinners.

Just be mindful that this Geese also contains 0 Skill Boosts .

Pixel Geese Howard

Pros	Cons
Solid LS multipliers Active Locks the entire board Counters Spinners Reduces Unable to Match Orb Effects by 5 turns 3 turn CD	LS must use Pixel cards Much shallower sub pool Personal damage hinges on 3×3 or >80% HP Less interesting compared to other forms

Pixel Geese features a 3 turn active that is able to Lock the entire board and remove 5 turns of Unable to Match Orb effects. While this can counter Spinners, it will still be a niche active overall as it is only newer content where we see heavier Spinners and Unable to Match Orb Effects. With that being said, this is still a narrow window of usage and Geese’s other forms are stronger.

Pixel 2nd Player Color Geese Howard

Pros	Cons
Respectable damage output Triple 7 Combo 2 Skill Charge Aids in 25 CD active Active provides Void Damage Void for 2 turns Easy to use LS with Pixels	Void Damage Void is less magical More counters Latents or lower cooldown actives LS must use Pixel cards

Geese’s final Pixel evolution grants him triple 7 Combo along with double Skill Charge to aid his 25 turn active skill. This active will provide 2 turns of Void Damage Void which is beneficial to Rainbow teams but at the same time, is less needed nowadays.

This is because the VDP Latent becomes more accessible over time along with many high end Rainbow cards featuring this active on a shorter cooldown. While it is perfectly possible to proc the Skill Charge every turn, it is still at minimum a 9 turn cooldown that does not have a meaningful secondary effect.

On the other hand, his Leader Skill boasts solid multipliers along with bonus combos for just matching 3 colours. Sadly, this is restricted to Pixel cards who are often weaker compared to other cards. As such, your available sub pool will be quite limited which in turn makes it harder to run as a leader, let alone find friends.

One interesting gimmick that can be abused is the Void Damage Void plus Refresh aspect which has a chance (albeit low) to Skyfall into activation which can kill a spawn and bypass Super Resolve.

---

Base Yashiro Nanakase (New) – A

Pros	Cons
Exceptional Healer Killing potential 3 Healer Killers Can use Healer Killer latents Powerful active Clears 5 turns Awoken Bind Clears 5 turns Unable to Match Generates 3 Fire & Wood 5 turn CD Solid LS multipliers Powerful pairing with Evolved form	Restricted to Physical cards Healer Killer is niche Wastes awakening slots Harder to use as a sub due to “wasted awakenings”

Yashiro is another new card added into the King of Fighters event and like Geese, comes with the ability to favourably pair with his own Evolved form. This pairing will be restricted to Physical types along with having to match both Fire and Wood combos. Doing so will trigger Auto Follow Up, Damage Reduction, bonus combos (from evo pair) along with 2.25x HP / 324x ATK / 2.25x RCV / 57.75% Damage Reduction all without the need to Transform.

Amusingly, Yashiro is similarly built to Grigory in that both need to match Fire and Wood orbs to function while also being restricted to Physical types. Yashiro has superior durability as Damage Reduction outpaces HP/RCV of a similar amount along with having bonus combos but has less damage output overall.

As a whole, these feel like reasonable sacrifices as Yashiro’s play style is much more flexible as you are not stuck in a TPA mindset while also having +2 combos from matching Fire and Wood.

With that being said, I feel that Yashiro is a solid leader and not having to Transform does greatly expand his sub choices but at the same time, Physical cards are restrictive. Furthermore, I feel that due to his rarity and new status, it may also be challenging to find friends.

Four Heavenly Kings of Orochi, Yashiro Nanakase

Pros	Cons
Powerful active Clears 5 turns Awoken Bind Clears 5 turns Unable to Match Generates 3 Fire & Wood 5 turn CD Reliable personal damage Strong LS pairing with Base form More universal sub value compared to Base	Restricted to Physical cards May be challenging to find Base evo friends

Yashiro’s Evolved form has the same Leader Skill requirements and multipliers as the Base form but offers bonus combos instead of Auto Follow Up Attack. Sadly, players are still restricted to Physical type cards and as a whole, I do not feel Yashiro is significantly better compared to Grigory .

Grigory has a brief time in the spotlight and while Yashiro is stronger and does not have to Transform, I do not feel he will gain tremendous momentum as a leader due to the lack of people who own this card.

Rolling for a top rarity card in a Collab is challenging and not many players will be doing this which in turn lowers the number of Yashiros available to be paired with. Furthermore, his Base form has less merits as a sub and would only be used as a leader which in turn may further dilute the number of friends you can pair with.

On the bright side, this Yashiro has merits as a sub due to their valuable active skill that provides 5 turns of Awoken Bind and Unable to Match Orb clear along with generating 3 Fire and Wood orbs on a fast 5-turn cooldown.

Pixel Yashiro Nanakase

Pros	Cons
Modest VDP damage Fixed movement time LS Bypasses Time Debuffs or No Awakenings	Not a particularly strong leader or sub Does not outpace previous Evolved form

Pixel Yashiro comes with reasonable VDP potential along with a Fixed Time movement Leader Skill. This type of Leader Skill is immune to Time Debuffs, no awakenings (from a movement point of view), or fixed movement time dungeons.

This has merits under the right situations but Yashiro is not an exceptional leader by any means. Furthermore, his sub and leadership potential in his Evolved form surpasses this Pixel evolution.

Pixel 2nd Player Color Yashiro Nanakase

Pros	Cons
High durability with LS Solid VDP potential Active pseudo counters Spinners 5 turns Locked Skyfall	Low ATK multiplier in LS Does not outpace Evolved form Locked Skyfall is niche/unreliable Does not help on current turn

Yashiro’s final evolution form has solid VDP potential along with an interesting active skill. This active will fully remove all Bind and Awoken Binds along with having 5 turns of Locked Orb Skyfalls.

This can be a pseudo counter to Spinners but does not help you on the turn you use it along with this Locked Skyfall mechanic being terribly niche.

As such, you will probably be using the active for the Bind clearing aspect which in turn has no meaningful secondary effect.

On the other hand, his Leader Skill is reasonably easy to use while also offering high durability. This will work for a large chunk of content but the lower ATK multiplier will be holding you back.

Taking all of this into consideration, Yashiro’s first Evolved form will often be the one most commonly pursued.

---

Base Chris (New) – S

Pros	Cons
Orb Skin card Can directly purchase 3 turn base CD Easy to inherit over Generates Dark orbs Super Blind Three 7 Combo Potential for higher Effective Skill Boosts	Cannot Monster Exchange for Competes with Transforming evolution Lacks VDP Wastes personal damage Offset by other cards

Chris is the final 6-star card within the King of Fighters Collab and comes with an Orb Skin which means he can be directly purchased. Sadly, this also excludes him from the Monster Exchange system so you have to either roll or directly purchase.

In this form, Chris can function as a valuable sub due to his triple 7 Combo and Super Blind Resist while also having 3 Skill Boosts and a 3 turn cooldown. This short cooldown can be used to inherit either a Delay or Haste active in order to be used on turn 1 to aid Transforming cards.

This high degree of flexibility and utility makes Chris a solid sub on mono Dark teams but his Evolved form has tremendous potential once Transformed and will be competing for your attention.

Chris of the Flames of Destiny

Gaia’s Will, Orochi (Transformed)

Pros	Cons
Fantastic LS post-Transform Powerful pairing with Nelle 3/405/3/51.25% 3/297/3/51.25% pre-Transform Grants Auto Follow Up & +2s movement time Super charged 1-turn active Generates 6 Dark orbs High personal damage against Devils, Attackers, and Physical	35 turns to Transform No SB pre-Transform 7×6 board has punishments in higher level content Restricted to Balance types

Chris’s Transforming evolution comes with a 35 turn cooldown which is the longest currently available in the game but thankfully has nearly the same multiplier pre-Transform. This is important as you will not be able to Transform right away and surviving until then is crucial.

Thankfully, Chris can favourably pair with Nelle who offers a 7×6 board, the same Balance type restriction, and solid multipliers as well. Pre-Transform, players will enjoy 3x HP / 297x ATK / 3x RCV / 51.25% Damage Reduction and this jumps to 405x ATK plus Auto Follow Up when Transformed.

As a whole, this is a tremendous pairing who can counter most mechanics on their own as combo shields, Damage Absorption, and orb generation is never a problem again. In fact, Chris’s post-Transform active is absurdly overturned as it will create 6 Dark orbs on a 1 turn cooldown.

With that being said, it will take 35 turns to Transform Chris which will be challenging in any dungeon along with 7×6 being punished in A6/AA4 and Shura Realm. Each dungeon throws an extra mechanic at players who use a larger board but they can be managed and afterwards, players will still retain all the benefits of a larger board.

Pixel Chris

Pros	Cons
1 turn base cooldown Super Blind Reasonable personal damage + 3 OE	No SB Competes with other forms

Pixel Chris features a 1 turn base cooldown, Super Blind Resist , respectable personal damage, and 3 Enhanced Dark Orbs . All of these are valuable but he lacks any Skill Boosts which will bar him from being used on Transforming teams.

As such, I feel that his Base form will be preferred over this evolution as the 3 additional Skill Boosts and 3 turn cooldown can be abused to greatly aid in Transforming.

Another way to look at cards with 0 Skill Boosts is that they are competing against Transforming cards on your team and you have to determine which one will give more value. And generally speaking, the Transforming card will be the superior option.

Pixel Chris of the Flames of Destiny

Pros	Cons
Super Blind Active overwrites Time & RCV debuffs Generates row of Dark Easy to use Leader Skill	Cannot Heal after using active No SB Leader Skill is nothing special

Chris’s final evolution also has 0 Skill Boosts which will harm his sub potential and as a leader, he is easy to use but not game changing in any way.

His active skill is able to overwrite any movement time or RCV debuff but will also cause you to be unable to heal for a single turn in exchange for a row of Dark orbs.

While there are some merits to this form, he is outpaced by Base form for a universal sub whereas his Transforming evolution is a powerful leader and sub.

Orb Skin

---

5 Star base

All of the 5-star cards have multiple evolution paths but all suffer from terribly low Weighted Stats and no Weapon Assist option. This in turn lowers their overall potential along with them comprising 82.5% of the total rolling pool.

Base Shermie (New) – C

Pros	Cons
Super Blind Resist Strong personal damage vs Physical 3 turn Delay Can be 3 Effective SB Active Locks orbs Counters Spinners	0 SB Low Weighted Stats Does not do anything truly unique

Shermie is the first 5-star card and comes with a 3 turn Delay and 0 Skill Boosts . This Delay can be used as Effective Skill Boosts and her Super Blind Resist grants some sub value. Furthermore, her active will Lock all orbs which can be used to counter Spinners.

In regards to her Leader Skill, it is easy to use but nothing game changing overall.

With that being said, this evolution is nothing special and will be hard pressed to be chosen over other subs for a given team.

2nd Player Color Shermie

Pros	Cons
Super Jammer Resist Strong personal damage vs Physical 3 turn Delay Can be 3 Effective SB Active Locks orbs Counters Spinners	Base form has Super Blind 0 SB Low Weighted Stats Does not do anything truly unique

Shermie’s Evolved form is nearly the same as her Base but instead trades out her Super Blind for Super Jammer Resist. As a whole, this is a downgrade and I would not be inclined to pursue this form.

Pixel Shermie

Pros	Cons
Double Row maker Hearts + Light	Double Row making is situational Low value outside active

Pixel Shermie features a Double Row making active skill that will produce a row of Hearts and Light. This can be used in conjunction with mono board changers to create an 18-6-6 board which can be easily solved into a variety of patterns.

Due to the fact that Shermie’s other forms are underwhelming, I would pursue this form just to have another Double Row maker.

---

Base Benimaru Nikaido – C

Pros	Cons
Super Jammer Resist Cool hair	Does not provide much of anything Make Pixel form

The best thing about Benimaru is his wild hair. I wonder how he styles it.

In regards to PAD-value, there is essentially none as I cannot fathom a reason to use him in any situation.

2nd Player Color Benimaru Nikaido

Pros	Cons
Gray hair	Still terrible Make Pixel form

Nothing to offer here. Make Pixel form.

Pixel Benimaru Nikaido (New)

Pros	Cons
3 Balance Killers Solid base ATK Modest VDP potential	Only useful vs Balance

Pixel Benimaru comes with 3 Balance Killers which translates into 27x personal damage against these spawns. This will occasionally have merits and is infinitely more helpful compared to his other forms. With that being said, Pixel Benimaru is only helpful against Balance spawns but having a strong damage solution is always meaningful.

---

Base Andy Bogard – D

Pros	Cons
?	Does not provide anything meaningful

Base Andy Bogard does not provide anything meaningful.

2nd Player Color Andy Bogard

Pros	Cons
Super Blind Resist	Easily replaceable

Evolved Andy Bogard comes with Super Blind Resist which may be helpful to brand new accounts but will quickly replaced once other options are acquired.

Pixel Andy Bogard (New)

Pros	Cons
Unique active Water Row 4 Fire, Light, & Heal	Does not accomplish much overall LS requires 5o1e

Pixel Andy Bogard comes with modest Leader Skill multipliers but is marred by the 5 orbs, 1 enhanced play style which is horribly inconsistent.

Furthermore, his sub potential is nothing special and will not surpass current options. Perhaps there will be some wild scenario where we will need this unique orb changing active but I cannot think of a scenario where it will be helpful.

---

Base Yuri Sakazaki – D

Pros	Cons
?	Feels like a 2017 card

Nope.

2nd Player Color Yuri Sakazaki

Pros	Cons
Modest Healing solution 5 Enhanced Heart Orbs	Much stronger Healing Solutions exist Low RCV Low Weighted Stats Not worth the investment to 110

Evolved Yuri can function as a budget Healing solution for players who lack other options due to her 5 Enhanced Heart Orb awakenings. With that being said, her abysmally low Weighted Stats prevent her from being truly viable along with no other helpful awakenings.

Pixel Yuri Sakazaki (New)

Pros	Cons
100% Damage Reduction for 1 turn	Little practical uses

Pixel Yuri is able to grant a single turn of 100% Damage Reduction which may have a use in specific scenarios. At the same time, this is quite a niche ability but is more interesting compared to her other forms.

Either way, little value can be found for Yuri Sakazaki.

---

Base Athena Asamiya – C

Pros	Cons
?	Does not provide meaningful value

Go to 2nd Colour or Pixel form.

2nd Player Color Athena Asamiya

Pros	Cons
4 unique Killers Modest damage if they line up Has 2 Devil Killers Can use any Killer latent	Typings have to line up Low Weighted Stats High investment required Relatively small benefit

2nd Player Colour Athena has 4 unique Killers along with a Devil Killer Super Awakening and ability to use any Killer latent. This gives her respectable Devil killing potential which will have merits in Ranking or Farming scenarios.

Of course, the value of this hinges on what other Devil Killing solutions you have but at the same time, Athena requires a sizable amount of resources to be usable (Super Awakening, Super Snow Globe, monster EXP) and you may have less resource draining options available.

Pixel Athena Asamiya (New)

Pros	Cons
4 SB Colour Absorb Void Solid damage against Devils	Requires high investment to be usable Situational uses overall

Pixel Athena comes with 4 Skill Boosts along with potent Devil killing potential when matching a 3×3 Box and hitting 7 combos. This can be helpful for Farming purposes but players have to be mindful of the high resource investment needed to make Pixel Athena usable.

As such, if her uses will be minimal, it may be best to look for other options as she is okay at best.

On the other hand, her 7 turn Colour Absorb Void will come in handy, even as an inherit for shorter dungeons.

---

Base Chin Gentsai – D

Pros	Cons
Modest damage potential vs Physical	Not worth the resource investment

Base Chin Gentsai has modest Physical killing potential but is not worth the resources to invest in as his damage is reliant on making 3×3 Boxes and hitting 7 combos instead of several Physical Killers .

2nd Player Color Chin Gentsai

Pros	Cons
Respectable TPA in coop	Must be used in Coop Low potential overall No meaningful place to use

2nd Player colour Chin has respectable TPA damage when used in multiplayer but at the same time, is not worth the investment. This is because his damage is not even that great, he has to be used in multiplayer, and there is no meaningful team to use him on.

Pixel Chin Gentsai (New)

Pros	Cons
Modest offensive potential Numerous awakenings	Low ATK Huge resource investment Still not that good

Pixel Chin has a nice spread of offensive awakenings but suffers from comically low Weighted Stats and is not worth the resource investment to pursue. Even fully maxed out, he will be average at best while also not coming with any Skill Boosts or Skill bind Resist .

---

Base King – C

Pros	Cons
3 Attacker Killers Can use Attacker Latents	Only valuable vs Attackers

Base King comes with 3 Attacker Killer awakenings which translates into 27x personal damage. This can be further augmented by the ability to use Attacker Killer latents which will transform King into a wonderful counter to these spawns.

With that being said, he is only viable against a relatively niche typing but will be beneficial to own when he is needed.

With this in mind, I would be most inclined to keep King in this form unless you need the VDP potential from his Pixel evolution.

3rd Player Color King

Pros	Cons
?	Both other forms are stronger Does not offer any niche

3rd Player King does not offer enough value or counter any particular mechanic to be worth pursuing.

Pixel King (New)

Pros	Cons
Strong personal damage vs Attackers or Healers Outpaces Base form if matching 3×3 Box	Less damage vs Attackers without 3×3

Pixel King has less one combo/3 match damage against Attackers compared to his Base form, but does perform better if you match a 3×3 Box due to his double VDP .

This higher damage ceiling can be meaningful but also means you lose out on being able to sweep Attackers with a 3-match of Water orbs. As such, the decision of which form to pursue will come down to your own individual Monster Box and what other Attacker Killing options you have.

---

Base Kim Kaphwan – C

Pros	Cons
Triple 7 Combo >80% SA Super Poison Resist SA	High resource investment to make usable Outclassed my most other Damage solutions Not worthwhile

Base Kim Kaphwan features solid personal damage and a respectable amount of ATK but is not worth the resource investment to make.

This is because he caps out at a measly 915 Weighted Stats at level 110 and will be easily outclassed by other Damage Solutions.

2nd Player Color Kim Kaphwan

Pros	Cons
Modest personal damage at 10 combos	High resource investment to make usable Outclassed my most other Damage solutions Not worthwhile

2nd Player Colour Kim Kaphwan features solid personal damage at 10 combos but is once again not worth the resource investment as his output is still not that amazing.

Pixel Kim Kaphwan (New)

Pros	Cons
Generates 10 Wood orbs 2 Physical Killers Can use Physical Killer latents Higher base ATK >80%	Only valuable against Physical spawns Situational uses

Pixel Kim Kaphwan is the strongest form available to them as he retains his respectable ATK stat while also fulfilling a niche against Physical spawns.

Damage solutions against a specific type will always be situational but at least Pixel Kim has enough ATK and personal damage multipliers to make him worthwhile.

---

Base Takuma Sakazaki – C

Pros	Cons
4 Skill Boosts 100% Damage Reduction for 1 turn	Little uses overall Long cooldown

Base Takuma features 4 Skill Boosts and an active that grants 100% Damage Reduction for a single turn along with 2.5x ATK burst. Sadly, the magic ends here as he offers little else along with terrible Weighted Stats.

As such, he may be used as a situational inherit but players will find more value in his other forms.

3rd Player Color Takuma Sakazaki

Pros	Cons
3 Machine Killers Can use Machine Killer latents 100% Damage Reduction for 1 turn	Too weak for Shura Realm Only effective vs Machines

3rd Player Colour Takuma features triple Machine Killers along with the ability to use Machine Killer latents. This grants a wonderful amount of personal damage against Machine spawns but that will be all he is effective against. On the bright side, his damage is not locked behind Super Awakenings which in turn lowers the resources needed to invest in him.

I would pursue this evolution over the other two.

Pixel Takuma Sakazaki (New)

Pros	Cons
Creates a column of Light and Fire High personal damage vs Machines Must match 3×3 Box	Less straightforward compared to 3rd Player Colour

Pixel Takuma has the capacity to deal more damage against Machines compared to his 3rd Player Colour but must match a 3×3 Box and hit 7 combos to do so.

The extra effort does not justify the reward as the 3rd Player Colour only has to match Light orbs in any pattern to enjoy his full personal damage multiplier.

---

Base Billy Kane – C

Pros	Cons
Reasonable damage vs Attackers Can use Attacker Killer Latents	Low base ATK May not be worth investment Only useful vs Attackers

Base Billy Kane features 2 Attacker Killers along with the ability to use Attacker Killer latents. This translates into sizable personal damage against Attacker spawns but will be marred by his lower ATK stat and high investment needs.

This is a common trend for the 5-star cards within the King of Fighters Collab REM and the value of Billy Kane will hinge on whether or not you have other Attacker Killer solutions available.

2nd Player Color Billy Kane

Pros	Cons
Super Blind	Relatively generic card Does not fulfill any niche 0-2 SB Base form has more value

2nd Player Colour Billy Kane is a relatively generic card that does not fulfill any particular niche well compared to his Base form.

Pixel Billy Kane (New)

Pros	Cons
Creates a ring of Fire Spawns a column of Hearts Total of 16 Fire + 5 Hearts	May not have any place to take adv of active

Pixel Billy Kane features a truly unique active that is able to generate a total of 16 Fire and 5 Heart orbs on a 6×5 board. This can be used in conjunction with a mono board changer or by itself as it does provide enough Fire orbs for a VDP and another combo along with the option to Follow Up Attack.

This is unique and can even be used as a way to solve several floors due to the 14 Fire orbs created.

As a whole, this evolution will be preferred if you utilize mono Fire for your Farming needs.

Do I plan to roll? & Dream rolls

I do not plan on rolling within the King of Fighters Collab REM due to the fact that none of the 5-star cards are appealing while also comprising 82.5% of the rolling pool.

While this does mean that the there is a 17.5% chance of acquiring a 6-star card, sifting through the junk at the bottom does not feel like a good place to spend my Magic Stones. As such, if you are interested in any of the top rarity cards, the Monster Exchange system should be used.

With that being said, it is always fun to fantasize of what can be and for my dream 6-star card, I would have to pick Leona due to her newest form being a a phenomenal Rainbow sub who boasts both high personal damage and a powerful active that is well designed for current end game content.

For my dream 5-star card, none of them are actually meaningful to myself but if i had to pick one, I would go with Billy Kane due to his Pixel form offering a unique active skill that generates 14 Fire and 5 Heart orbs.

My Dream Rolls
6*	5*

The above chart are the cards I would love to acquire from each rarity if I could choose one for my Mantastic account. This is my own personal opinion based on my Monster Box, goals and whether or not I have dupes.

Conclusion

The King of Fighters Collab REM is a top-heavy affair with minimal value at the bottom rarity who corresponds to 82.5% of the rolling pool.

For a modestly well developed box, none of the 5-star cards will have any true merit and even for newer players, they would function as transitional options at best.

With this in mind, it would be best to utilize the Monster Exchange system if you are truly GungHo on acquiring any of the top rarity cards.

Either way, let me know what you think about the King of Fighters Collab Rare Egg Machine and how much you plan on rolling in the comments below.

Happy Puzzling!

Mantastic Social Media
Patreon	Discord	YouTube
Twitter	Twitch	Facebook

If you enjoy my content, please consider turning off AdBlocker for this website. If you wish to directly support me, please click the beautiful image below.