Since its inception in 2014, Puzzle and Dragons continues to be one of the most popular F2P games in the market.
Despite its friendly graphics and seemingly simple gameplay, the game throws plenty of challenges your way, especially near the endgame.
To help you overcome these, we created a tier list that ranks the most viable leaders to build your team around.
The current meta revolves around leader-pairs instead of solos, so we’ll use that format in this list.
Note: Because of the sheer volume of units in the game, we’re only ranking the pairs that are useful for the game’s toughest challenges.
Table of ContentsShow
S-Tier
The best leaders in the game. They can guarantee a win in matches given the right setup.
| Pair | Description |
|---|---|
| Fasca x Yugi | Anybody who is updated on Puzzles and Dragons knows that this pairing is the best one in the game right now. Fasca x Yugi is so strong and versatile that we can’t help but label it as broken at this point. Yugi has insane damage and healing multipliers that make any dungeon a breeze. There will be some encounters that Yugi alone can’t counter. That’s where Fasca comes in. With her poison immunity, 7×6 board, heavy RCV, and vast utility options, she perfectly complements Yugi. With both of them active, damage and survivability go through the roof. This duo deserves the lone spot at the top of this list because they make any encounter trivial – especially with the right monster cards. |
A-Tier
Excellent leader-pairs that significantly lessen the game’s endgame challenge. They have good utility, excellent stats, and welcome very few counters.
| Pair | Description |
|---|---|
| Yugi x Nelle | This pair would have been in S-tier if Fasca x Yugi wasn’t so broken. Nonetheless, these two can still wreck shop against the toughest encounters the game has to offer. This team has great survivability and damage potential. Poison immunity and consistent recovery make them very tough to put down. This team could benefit more from better RCV, though. Additionally, Nelle’s long transformation works against her in this case. Still, this is one of the best leader-pairs you could have – able to adjust to most situations with ease. |
| Dyer x Valentine Ideal | This is a damage/combo pairing that emphasizes quick clears with minimal effort. To add to the fantastic damage output, this pair has good survivability with damage absorb, RCV debuffs, and hazard resistance. You could also swap this for a double Valentine Ideal pair. While that may be safer, it does not have the fast clear rate of Dyer x Valentine Ideal. |
| D Lilia x Fasca | This pair has excellent offensive and recovery options and a relatively easy time building auto-FUA attacks. It also has full resistance against hazards, making it a hard-hitting and bulky squad. The only thing holding back D Lilia x Fasca is a slow movement time compared to others in their class. |
| Dyer x Aten | This pair is indispensible because of its ability to make the rest of the squad shine. A rainbow setup with these two will make short work of any encounters that come your way. Optimize the skill list when using this party, as it can trivialize the threat of enemy gimmicks. |
B-Tier
Great leaders that have a few major weaknesses holding them back. They still constitute a huge part of the current meta.
| Pair | Description |
|---|---|
| Alice x Fasca | This pair’s strength comes from their excellent utility and ease of use. With these two as your leaders, it’s very easy to build rainbow teams that could breeze through dungeons. Moreover, building a full transform team with this pair is really easy. One drawback of Alice x Fasca is the inconsistent auto-FUA damage. In some cases, you may have to manually fill the damage gap yourself. That’s a small price to pay though for all the advantages they’ll give you. |
| Lampeid x Fasca | This team leans more on the offensive side of the spectrum. With it, it’s easy to activate auto-FUA and there’s more than enough damage and recovery to keep opponents at bay. This pair could be higher up on this list if it had more survivability. As it stands, the team under this pair’s wing usually has lower HP and recovery values compared to others. |
| Lampeid x Minaka | This team relies on high RCV values to fuel their campaign through dungeons. Pairing with Minaka means that the SB requirement is reduced to 12 without sacrificing the much-needed RCV. While this party is very adaptable, you’ll need to study dungeons more because HP and recovery values are lacking. Still, if you can get past this hurdle, then you’ll likely breeze through most dungeons with ease. |
| Ina x Hermei | This team is just solid all around. Great damage potential, debuffs, and immunity make it worth building. This setup is particularly effective in A6, where combo shields are few, and debuffs are plenty. For all other encounters, this team may have a slower pace than what you’re used to because of the 6 orb requirement and long cooldowns. |
C-Tier
These are average pairs that don’t have serious flaws but they don’t have exceptional traits either.
| Cat | Abilities |
|---|---|
| Deena x Fasca | This is a simple pairing for all you players who want to cut down on the technical stuff of the game. The premise behind this pair is simple: build a solid water team around it and it will shine. Deena’s skill complements spinners while Fasca provides much-needed bulk. The problem with this pairing is the lack of auto-FUA and versatility, especially when it comes to nuanced fights where enemies have plenty of gimmicks |
| Velkhana x Minaka | If you’re looking for a defense-oriented team, then this pair is for you. The Velkhana – Minaka combo also adds excellent VDP to your arsenal. This team is perfect for those who like to play safe and slow. It survives most encounters, but the lack of offense means you won’t be able to one-shot most enemy mobs. |
D-Tier
These pairs are best used when the above pairings are not available. These teams get the job done but don’t expect it to be a smooth ride all the way.
| Cat | Abilities |
|---|---|
| Apollo x Valeria | Apollo x Valeria fills a niche gap in the meta because it’s one of the few teams that can take advantage of wood attribute monsters. It’s extremely easy to auto-FUA with this team, and it has decent stats. What this pair lacks is versatility. Because of this, it’s only truly useful in Reincarnation of Worlds or other similar arenas. |
F-Tier
This pair is dangerously close to falling off the high-level meta. It will be good for most parts of the game but will have a hard time on the toughest challenges.
| Cat | Abilities |
|---|---|
| Tifa x Anyone | Tifa’s a very versatile leader, in that you can pair anyone with her and you’ll get good results. Although, we really recommend Haohmaru. A team with her relies on fast and heavy-hitting attacks before the enemy gets their moves in. If the enemy DOES get their attacks in, be prepared as Tifa parties have horrendous survivability and bulk. |
