User:RT GYPHON/Evanescent Existence Units Tier List

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This is an Explanation/Analysis of all S ranked units that appeared in Evanescent Existence in Book of the Cafe. Please note that this tier list is made by one person, as such is subject to changes. If you want to check the explanation for a character that didn't appear in EE, please use other explanation pages. How can I sound official?? I literally made this thing as a semi-shitpost - I'm not GamePress wiki staff member ffs

Legend[edit | edit source]

Given that characters might have some nuances beyond "that trait is good" or "that trait is bad" - there will be color-coding in this tier:

  • Dark Red marks a flaw that unit has that impacts their ranking
  • Dark Green marks a strength that unit has that impacts their ranking
  • Dark Blue marks a certain, consistent niche that unit has
  • Dark Yellow marks a questionable, inconsistent niche that unit has OR a flaw that is while detrimental, doesn't make character less viable
  • Gray marks a negligeable flaw that unit has

And a fair warning, while I will bring up early/mid-game in the tierlist - I'm ranking characters with endgame in mind (UNREAL difficulty, max skill levels, DEPTH 4 and max unit level) and they're ranked on how useful they are in battlefield.

D-1 Tier[edit | edit source]

D-1 Tier are reserved for units who are generally not recommended to use due to their numerous weaknesses and being outclassed even by C-Tier characters. That said, they can have their valuable niches that can prove quite useful in battlefield (which is why they're given X-1 treatement) and overall not the worst units in the world. It is still ill advised to invest into them and trying to make them work can result in a turmoil.

Kuroji Shitodo [EE] LeCafeUnit Icon Kuroji.png[edit | edit source]

Kuroji Shitodo is that one gacha character who is outright useless that it almost becomes a joke, and that's for all the wrong reasons. On first glance - they're meant to be a mixed, green element attacker - jack of all trades sort of. They have:

  • Poison Gas - for debuffing enemies with poison
  • Sneak Attack - for melee coverage on black element
  • Front and Back "Three Traitors" - for melee coverage on green element with added bonus of being multi-hit (hits 2x times) and has an overall multiplier of 442% ATK
  • Reverse Card "Understanding and Injury" - a ranged, green homing attack with added bonus of being multi-hit (hits 10x times) and also serves as 1 cost bomb. It has an overall multiplier of 270% of S.ATK

And as for their traits:

  • Scholar of Prehistory is an inherent trait that gives Kuroji a level 2 buffs to S.ATK and S.DEF for 4 turns
  • Ambiguously Paper-thin Archaeologist is a party skill that increases critical rate of other units that have appeared in [EE] (excluding themselves) by 10

It all seems quite good for Kuroji, however, looking deep into their kit - it all becomes apparent how much of an unfortunate unit they are. So let's get in on the points on why they're one of the worst S rank units BotC has to offer.

Plain mediocre stats

As stated above, Kuroji was supposed to be a jack of all trades, but as the saying goes - they're master of none. Their base ATK stat is rather mediocre - with characters who are specialised in dealing physical damage having base 730+ ATK compared to their measly 610 ATK, and their S.ATK of 661 while solid - they're still outclassed by their siblings and Tsubakura. And their defences are also quite low. Their base DEF stat is tying with Hooaka (who is already quite frail), while S.DEF is lowest among other S-rank units, even Tsurubami has a higher S.DEF than Kuroji (Tsurubami's base 484 S.DEF compared to Kuroji's 479 S.DEF) . Their Inherent trait serves as a band-aid fix to their issues - buffing their S.ATK and S.DEF by 2 levels. While their S.ATK raises up to compete with Hooaka's high S.ATK (specifically 793 S.ATK) - That's only with level 2 buff... Against base Hooaka - who can be buffed up to 1,041 S.ATK (for comparison, +3 S.ATK Kuroji would be 859 S.ATK). S.DEF buff would feel less insulting - since you'll be using offensive buffs much more often - but with the introductiom of Tenkai [Melon] providing team-wide buffs with "Oriental Melon "Melopepon"" - even here they're outclassed since their base defences are that low. Also - while their defenses wouldn't be an issue (e.g. Tsurubami and Hooaka) - for the reasons that will be mentioned below, it's quite detrimental - especially with their already DEF stat not being buffed by the inherent trait.

Wrong elemental scaling

Normally, I wouldn't list off the full spell kit of the character, due to how customizeable they are - but with Kuroji it's egregious. Their DEPTH upgrades give them "Darkness/Nether User"; which isn't good for Kuroji - green element user (meaning they are losing out on 20% damage increase on their unique spells!). And even that wouldn't be that much of an issue if not for two things: 1. black element attacks being not good, 2. it's expensive to just change your limited moves, even if they're not good themselves.

  • Black element has only four attacks, and even then, two of them are limited to much better characters. "Sneak Attack" - is just dark "Karate Punch", which isn't even a good move in a first place since "Double Swords" exists. "Poison Gas" is usually outclassed by "Monochrome Ray of Bizarre Foods" in terms of utility and damage and thanks to UNREAL disabling debuffs, Poison Gas is virtually useless as it's not a high damaging move at all. "Blind Shot" would be a solid option, but their DEPTH bonuses increase S.ATK and their inherent trait also increases S.ATK - and their ATK stat is outclassed by other physical attack users (as stated above). "New Star "Super Nova"" is also a good option for Kuroji - dealing 492% S.ATK and Kuroji being mostly S.ATK-er they would greatly benefit from having it, becoming a nuker like Aoji... If you're willing to wait 3 turns (which is extremely long by BotC standards) for it to charge and use Clause's/S-rank discs.
  • Given their rarity as an S unit, it would be rather hard to just blatanly replace their 3rd and 4th slot skills with something else. If we are ready to go through the gamble of replacing, extracting these spells would take months due to the nature of the game, you're not guaranteed to get at least three copies of the character for extraction in short succession unless you'll use Probability Manipulation Gacha - and even then you'll be getting 1/3 of the amount you'll need (spending at most 93,000 ink gems just to get 100 discs feels like a genuine waste of time and resources). You could also farm S-rank discs, but it's also a huge investment. upgrading these skills would take a while (roughly 6 weeks AT LEAST - with BM, AP and IG disc purchases and buying an attempt for daily DISC challenge every day at Rewards shop). And we're not talking about the issue of upgrading the said moves as it can also take weeks to raise to at least 80+ level. So even if it sounds alluring - especially for Kuroji - it's still a huge risk and investment on admittedly mediocre unit.

Not only that, as the user of Multi-hit move, they lose out on a formiddable chunk of damage (~17% damage loss at +3 S.ATK) due to lack of correct elemental scaling. Comparing that to someone like Shou who takes full advantage of that - they're just that pathetic.

Common weaknesses and rare strengths

While this might be debated given the nature of the game being a live service given the current nature - Kuroji isn't doing so good as they're weak against Blue and Red element, the most common elements in the game. Their mixed attacker nature isn't secure as "Ig" and "Abrassive Jet" are ranged special attacks - and Ig is especially nasty because it's a homing attack, and since "Understanding and Injury" is a charged move - well now you have a vulneareable Kuroji. And if it wasn't bad enough - Water and Fire moves have also physical coverage in "Crimson Lotus" and "Water Balloon" and as mentioned previously - Kuroji doesn't have the best defences. Oh, and don't ever think of bringing them against Hooaka - they'll die if Hooaka sneezes on them. And their Green element attacks only effective against Aoji (who can kill them regardless due to them being Blue element specialist) and Tsubakura? - and even then, they're outclassed by Kurohebi in that regard tenfold. And Dark element - only effective against Hooaka, Aoji, Jun and Lumen - who can kill them easily. Usually it wouldn't be an issue as neutral damage is still damage and some characters have better things to do than going for weaknesses (such as Clause) - but Kuroji could've definetely make a use of that to their full potential due to their Black element specialism.

Underwhelming moves

And on the topic of original moves - these moves aren't great. "Front and Back "Three Traitors"" - while would be a strong move - with 442% ATK overall at max level - which is massive and only rivaled by "New Star "Super Nova"" and "Eruption "Steam-Blast Explosion"", however - with Kuroji's measly defences - they wouldn't be able to make use of it with its 1 cell close range. And then there is "Reverse Card "Understanding and Injury"" - the most underwhelming final move and bomb in-game. While being multi-hit and homing is quite nice - their multiplier as a whole is 270% of S.ATK at max level - which is low by final attack standards - even Rei-kun's "Rei-kun Beam" has higher multiplier of 280% of ATK at max level and the only damaging final move that has even lower multiplier - is Yabusame Houlen [Chef Form]'s with "Dimension Cutter" - which has 163% of S.ATK at max level; and even with that - it has 85% chance to inflict S.ATK and ATK level 2 debuffs (those are delivered separetly) which gives at least some niche in lower difficulties. "Reverse Card "Understanding and Injury"" also serves as a bomb with cost of 1 - but even by these standards - it's really underwhelming.

  • Tsubakura Enraku [Waiter Form] has "Monochrome Ray of Bizzare Foods" - which on top of having 322% of ATK at max level - has 85% of applying poison - which is more than "Poison Gas" (which has only 60% of applying poison).
  • Yabusame Houlen [Chef Form] - as stated above - has "Dimension Cutter" - which has 163% of S.ATK at max level and has 85% chance to inflict S.ATK and ATK level 2 debuffs (though those debuffs have a separate chance to be afflicted) - which is more than any of the status-debuffing moves (being 50%) that don't even have a chance increase upon leveling.
  • Rei-kun has "Rei-kun Beam"- which is also multi-hit (and even hits more - 40x times), has overall 280% of ATK at max level, and it has a low chance of burning the opponent (4% every hit).
  • And upcoming Tenkai [Melon] while not having an offensive bomb - it has a high utility of providing team-wide level 2 buffs towards DEF and S.DEF

Thus - even among 1 cost bomb game they're outclassed. However, in spite of their flaws - they have small niches. Not something that detrimental and game-changing, but still something to make them somewhat useful.

Decent Gold/Metal Ghost killer

Thanks to the multi-hit nature of "Reverse Card "Understanding and Injury"" - it can be useful for killing ghosts. However, even in spite of that genuienly useful (if you're running out of skip tickets) - they're outclassed by other units, for example Rei-kun. Plus with downside of having 1 turn charge, there is high chance of ghost that Kuroji targeted dying before they could cast it. Let's list the current units that can replace Kuroji in that regard

  • Tsubakura Enraku? [EE] has "Monochrome Storm" - a multi-hit (hits 3x times), wide (has 3 cell width) long range (has 6 cell length). With its low charge time of only one turn - it'll easily whittle down ghosts' HP or even kill them, especially with how small the arena is.
  • (Omitted) Clause (Omitted) [EE] has "Thousands Knives" - a multi-hit (hits 5x times), long range attack (has 5 cell length). Unlike "Reverse Card "Understanding and Injury"" - it doesn't have a charge time, as such can be easily spammed by Clause in Daily Stages
  • Rei-kun outclasses Kuroji even in that niche with their skill "Rei-kun Beam", that, as stated prior hits 40x times. While "Reverse Card "Understanding and Injury"" has a medium chance of not killing a ghost - "Rei-kun Beam" will be guaranteed to kill them
  • Hooaka Shitodo [EE] has "Hot and Cold "Samidare Boiler"" - a multi-hit (hits 2x times) medium range attack (has 4 cell length). While it seems they're inferior to Clause, thanks to their high luck and decent crit rate - they will proc crits much more often (compared to Clause's laughable 1 luck and 1 crit rate)
  • Shou Amanomori [EMS] - who has "Slinking "Slug Crossroads"" - multi-hit (hits 3x times) with triparted range of 7 cells for each line. Enough said
  • Lumen Celeritas [EMS] - who while doesn't have any innate tools to deal with the ghosts, has a high LUK and CRI stat which can net you a crit against ghosts.

And those units would become even more menaces to ghosts thanks to Kuroji's party skill that boosts Critical Rate, speaking of which...

Good Critical Rate support

This where Kuroji sort of shines, and it's in their crit rate support (+10 Crit Rate on characters who debutted in EE) - and paired with someone like Tsurubami, Kurohebi, Clause in Daily Stages and especially Hooaka will do wonders for them (and securing win in a pinch). There is a downside of only [EE] characters receiving the buff so it's not worth it to bring them just for that buff alone
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Yet... That's it really - there is only one niche where Kuroji has no competitors (and even then it's middling), while in other niche they have too much competitors. Otherwise they're just a very unfortunate unit. If they were given a wind scaling instead, if only their "Front and Back "Three Traitors"" had an actual range so their low defences wouldn't be that detrimental (of course with lower multiplier, but still) and if only they had their flashbomb back. At least other characters who don't have a flashbomb - make up for it by sheer power - while Kuroji just has nothing. It's trully sad, honestly. But at least they're going to receive a buff, right?

(Omitted) Clause (Omitted) [EE] LeCafeUnit Icon Clause.png[edit | edit source]

What a surprise. A unit who is meant to be a joke is ranked this low. However despite their low ranking - they're quite decent and niches are quite interesting and more practical than their snowy counterpart. But at first, let's look at their kit.
For their original moves they have:

  • Thousand Knives - a five cell long, null element, multi-hit move that hits five times and has an overall multiplier of 265% of ATK
  • New Star "Super Nova" - 2x2 circle-shaped, ranged, black element attack that charges for 3 turns and has a multiplier of 492% of S.ATK (and it has a cost of 3 bombs)
  • G-Free Zero - is a flashbomb that reduces the damage received by 85% percent and has a 150% chance to influct ATK and S.ATK level two debuffs (costs 2 FG)

And as for their traits:

  • Abbreviation is an inherent that reduces the cast time by one for three turns
  • Eternal Senselessness Bearing the Alias of "Chaos" who Manipulates Gravity at Will is a party skill that increases HP and MP of units that appeared in [EE] by 10% (except themselves)

It's actually a really-really solid kit and exudes potential that they even sometimes make use of, so let's start with the positives.

Excellent Metal/Gold Ghost killer

Something that they're really good at is at killing these ghosts. As mentioned above, "Thousand Knives" hits five times and has range of 5 cell in length - making them EXTREMELY good at Daily Stages. And unlike "other unit" they're consistent at their job thanks to "Thousand Knives" not needing any charges and being able to hit more than one enemy (and with support of that "other unit" - they can even crit). Of course - there is an issue of redundancy to this niche given that you can just skip the stages entirely after clearing all stage missions and you'll even get your skip ticket back - but if you are burning away your skip tickets on spell upgrades or Rei-kun's discs - I would say their niche is worth it.

Potentially a solid tank

While they're not exactly the best tank on the block due to lack of sustain and overall lower defensive stats, there are traits that may or may not sound attractive to you.

  • They have one of the largest HP pool in the entire game and slight resistances to every element (all but Null (10 resistance) have 20 resistance) and debuffs (all 10 resistance, which translates to 10-20% damage reduction and 10% chance decrease for debuffs) - it allows them to take less damage and have less chances to be afflicted with debuffs.
  • Has a solid flashbomb in form of "G-Free Zero" which has the highest damage reduction of 85% and costs 2 FG, which is pretty cheap. It also has the utility of having a guaranteed chance of inflicting ATK and S.ATK level 2 debuffs on those who don't resist those debuffs (It's not as impactful in UNREAL, but lower FG requirement is huge for general surviviability).
  • They might as well be one of the better Petite Heal users thanks to their low speed bracket, meaning that they can patch someone up after a long battle.

Again, while they're not THE best tank at the game, but they're still solid and is at least a character you won't feel bad about losing.

Abbreviation shenanigans

Now this where things get a bit interesting. Their inherent trait allows them to shorten the cast time by one turn for three turns. While Santa's trait was everlasting, but situational and restrictive - here? It can be potentially more viable. Of course, you wouldn't want to replace their signature moves because they're genuienly good ones, but there is a move called "Ig" which is a homing, red element attack that has a multiplier of 293% of S.ATK takes one turn to charge - which is powerful for a general move. And Clause's inherent trait just deletes the charge time - giving you three free Igs to spam. It all sounds quite amazing, but...

Has no offensive presense

At the end of the day, they're designed to be a joke unit as curse of being JynX's most hated. Their strongest move - "New Star "Super Nova"", which has a whopping multiplier 492% of S.ATK - doesn't see much of a usage thanks to their low S.ATK stat (Not to mention "Thousand Knives" is also solid in both multiplier and range department gets completely dampened by Clause's even lower ATK stat). While it sounds ironic that this is a flaw when someone like Tenkai exists who has none of it, but again - Tenkai just has better things to do and can actively take damage to themselves. It is a shame though as their potential is here, but at least they have some utility in them.
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I would say that Clause is moreso a utility unit than a functional tank. Their flashbomb is good, they're excellent in daily stages and they have a nice surviviability (and can chip-heal their units). But at the end of the day, they're only really useful in daily stages and early-to-mid game - which makes them the definition of niche.

C-1 Tier[edit | edit source]

This is a tier where units tend to be quite mediocre, but have some variable niches. They don't have any glaring flaws, yet they don't any strengths either. Can be used early on in the game, but don't expect having them on your party in late game unless the situation calls for it.

Yabusame Houlen [EE] LeCafeUnit Icon Yabusame.png[edit | edit source]

This is your starter unit and usually in gacha games - starter units are just plain: which exactly describes Yabusame. Yabusame is meant to be sort of a tank character - having high defenses and kit to accomodate their purpose AS a tank.
For their original moves they have:

  • Dimensional Detachment - an AoE null attack that also serves as 3 cost bomb and has an overall multiplier of 303% of S.ATK
  • Maiden's Pit - a flashbomb that reduces the damage received by 70% percent and heals 207% of user's S.ATK back (costs 3 FG)

And as for their traits:

  • Baaarrier is an inherent trait that gives Yabusame a level 2 buffs to DEF and S.DEF for 5 turns
  • Flawless Thoughtlessness is a party skill that decreases damage taken by units that have appeared in [EE] (excluding themselves) by 10%

Their kit is quite functional, however

Aside from tank support, Yabusame has nothing substantial to offer at base

Yabusame is a straightforward character. They're literally meant to tank hits - which adds to their surviviabbility. However - thanks to the nature of the game - that being able to clear stages as fast as possible without any casualties: Yabusame is just, there (and that's why - in spite of Aoji's being also straightforward, Aoji is a great blue nuke). You can't stall out fights, and with Yabusame's flashbomb "Maiden's Pit" - they were meant to do just that. But what about their job in a vacuum? Well...

Is inherently flawed as a tank

While Yabusame has admittedly great bulk, with addition of sustain move in "Maiden's Pit", they're unfortunately quite flawed in that regard, and that's for a simple reason: they don't have a reliable aggro. Yabusame doesn't have any elemental resistances nor weaknesses, which on paper sounds pretty neat, until you realise that that means they are going to attract less attacks overall unless the enemy is forced to attack only them via positioning. And given that range in this game is a must, Yabusame can't really protect the units unless they cut down the significant ammount of distance for their allies to be safe from mid-ranged attackers. While as stated previously, they can work as a tank if you play them correctly by positioning them at the front, so the enemies would have no choice but to target them, it's still flawed and doesn't resolve the issue of having sure-fire way of redirecting the attacks to themself (like upcoming Tenkai).

A really good slot 4 skill/bomb for early/mid-game

Their skill - "Dimensional Detachment" is genuienly a good move. It's AoE (meaning it'll hit every enemy on the battlefield), null element (not many things resist it), and has solid multiplier of 303% of S.ATK at max level. While Yabusame's S.ATK isn't even that impressive - it still gets the job done and can be used as health whittler so your main attackers will be sure to kill them. Sadly, there is an issue of Tsurubami and their "Crane's Cry "Lamentations of the Crane's Cry"" as it's also an AoE attack, but it's also multi-hit and has higher multiplier of 369% of S.ATK in total. While in bomb department - Tsurubami's better - in bomb-free environment, Yabusame would perform better since "Crane's Cry "Lamentations of the Crane's Cry"" has 3 turn charge time, while "Dimensional Detachment" has 2 turn charge time - which can save you in a pinch.

Ease of customization

Thanks to them only having 4th slot move - they have a much more flexible customisation. In their Back-Issue stages - it's mandatory to have Yabusame - so having 3 free slots is a huge deal for dealing with early stages. And thanks to their customisation they have a rather interesting niche

Solid Support unit

Thanks to their customisation, decent speed bracket, good surviviabilty and their lackluster offensive stats - they can be retooled into support unit. While Tsurubami's "Attack Command" is quite strong - it has a downside of lasting one turn, which not only burns out Tsurubami's MP, but also allows only to focus on one character only. That's why I reccomend turning them into a support unit - even if buffs are only level 2, they last for 3 turns - which can boost the damage of Sub-DPS characters. The load out I found most effective was this:

  • "Barrier [Lv2]" - for supporting Rei-kun and just giving S.DEF buffs in general
  • "Might [Lv2]" - for supporting Kurohebi
  • "Psycho [Lv2]" - for supporting Aoji/Hooaka (mostly Hooaka, you'll be setting up Aoji as a nuke)
  • And "Dimensional Detachment" is unchanged, it's still a valuable tool in some cases

(Note: order of the first three moves can be interchanged)
Of course, everyone plays differently and this niche isn't "the correct way to play Yabusame" as it leaves Yabusame virtually without any offensive capabilities (Tenkai doesn't have that issue this bad as they have better things to do), which is a bit of a shame.
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But overall, Yabusame is really just a unit that exists and you usually don't use them after getting better units. They don't have any glaring problems like Kuroji, but they don't excell even at the thing they were supposed to do, as such they're C-0 tier.

B-0 Tier[edit | edit source]

This is where things get interesting. These units have notable niches that they excel at, but at the end of the day they're generally outclassed by the units above. They can be placed in a team either as a substitute or as a unit with clear role.

Tsubakura Enraku [EE] LeCafeUnit Icon Tsubakura.png[edit | edit source]

This may come off as controversial to some since in grand view of things, Tsubakura can potentially be a good character and they're nice-fitted for their job as we can see by their kit. For their original moves they have:

  • Monochrome Ray - a narrow sniping null attack that also serves as 2 cost bomb and has an overall mutiplier of 347% of S.ATK
  • Vertex Emit - a flashbomb that reduces the damage received by 25% percent and deals 356% of S.ATK of null damage at 4 cell length range (costs 1 FG)

And as for their traits:

  • Flying Swallow is an inherent trait that gives Tsubakura a level 2 buffs to ATK and SPD for 4 turns
  • Loafing Monochrome is a party skill that increases damage dealt by units that have appeared in [EE] (excluding themselves) by 5%

Sadly, they suffer the same problem as Kuroji... On a less painful scale and there are other things that put them this low in my list.

Wrong attack multiplier

Looking at their attacks multiplier, it's quite good! The problem? Tsubakura's kit prioritizes ATK stat first, and their attacking moves scale of off their S.ATK. Their S.ATK is good, just a bit below Aoji's (Tsuba's 713 S.ATK vs Aoji's 731 S.ATK), but Tsubakura would really use actually correct multiplier of ATK as their ATK stat is 891, only being outclassed by Rei-kun. The reason why their flaw isn't as painful as Kuroji's is because:

  1. Unlike Kuroji, Tsubakura is a good unit that in general despite of wrong multipliers and can still dish out massive damage and hit multiple enemies, rather having one cell range.
  2. Their S.ATK/ATK multiplier isn't as detrimental to damage output - it only just means they're worse S.ATK-er not that they're the worse unit who can't reach their potential without huge investments. Tsubakura is still extremely good ATK-er and many ATK reliant moves are also pretty good and more common, not unlike Kuroji's options of having "Dark 'Karate Punch'" and a literal utility move.
Their "glass cannon" nature can be detrimental to them

The way how mission system works and general physical attacks being only 1 cell long - you really need to support them with defensive buffs or have Tenkai substitute them. They have DEF stat of 463 - the lowest between other S-rank units, and while their S.DEF isn't the worst (Tsurubami and Kuroji have it worse), it's still very low especially when paired with their extremely low HP pool. They're meant to take down things quickly as possible, but if they fail at that - good luck having barely alive or dead Tsubakura on your hands - which isn't ideal (only exception to "No unit loss" rule is upcoming "Tough Evanescent Existence" and "April Fools" stages as of now). But if Tsubakura survives...

EXTREMELY GOOD movement range and unparalleled speed

Tsubakura has the highest movement range in-game - level 5. And paired with Tsurubami - Tsubakura can move anywhere in the field, not counting any obstacles. If Tsubakura survives, with their unmatched speed and range, they can easily flee into the rearguard - where they don't have to worry about being damaged again. Essentially they're a preemptive attacker - where their job is to deliver big slap to the enemy's face and just go away - either becoming a sniper or just chilling, maybe receiving heals from Hooaka (but that's another story). Speaking of their sniping capabilities...

Solid sniper

If you're not using Tsubakura as preemptive attacker - their "glass cannon nature" issue can become obsolete (not say it will, as there is "Abrasive Jet" and "Ig" to worry about). Their "Monochrome Ray" is basically their deadliest calibre - aim at your opponent, load it in (and assume that enemy just won't go stupid and go off of the attack's range) and boom, your enemy has lost a formidable chunk of HP. There is also pre bulit-in "Abrasive Jet" that gives them more consistent way of sniping opponents (while having less range and damage than "Monochrome Ray", "Abrasive Jet" is already too good for being a general move), that way if your Tsubakura got injured, you can just place them faraway without losing too much of an offensive momentum. You could argue that Aoji can become their competitor due to their "Current Wave "Current Blast"" just being a cooler "Monochrome Ray" both technically and visually - Aoji has better things to do as a nuke - so Tsubakura doesn't face that much of a fierce competition unlike Yabusame.

Ease of customisation

They essentially have the same strength as Yabusame, and while Yabusame could use it as a way to become a unit - thanks to Tsubakura's iffensive capabilities - they have more options. From my own experience, I would reccomend...

  • Thunder God Sword/Gensokick - They're essentially the same moves, both having only one cell range and high damage multipliers of 345% ATK at max level, it's only elemental difference (and their ranged attacks are also mirrors of eachother...). Great for eliminating threats and dealing damage in gemeral. It really depends on a situation whether one is useful than the other.
  • Crimson Lotus Sword - A 3 cell wide attack that hits two times and has overall mutliplier of 268% of ATK. Can be used for wider field coverage and a chance to crit.
  • Abrasive Jet - For sniping capabilities
  • And Monochrome Ray is unchanged.
Low cost on flashbomb

And it's exactly how it says on the tin - their flashbomb "Vertex Emit" has a low-low cost of only one flashbomb gauge, which is a steal. While it has low damage reduction of 25%, it still reduces the damage taken by Tsubakura and it has a high multiplier of 356% of S.ATK (which ironically higher than "Monochrome Ray"'s). It's a solid flashbomb overall, all things considered.
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Overall they're a solid unit, especially early-to-mid game, but it just sucks that they're handicapped by their weaknesses - they would've been an extremely dangereous ranged attacker if not for "ironic game design". I would say they're Kuroji - but better and less problematic overall.

B-2 Tier[edit | edit source]

This a tier where genuienly good units are placed who can be placed in a team with much more confidence. They have nice offensive capabilities and/or have a solid utility in battle. The reason why these units aren't ranked higher? They're either outclassed by sheer damage or don't have as much utility as A-tier units.

Tsubakura Enraku? [EE] LeCafeUnit Icon Fake Tsubakura.png[edit | edit source]

Now that's what I call a great unit! Somewhere along the development they got an ATK stat buff, and unlike Realbakura's S.ATK buff which only made to make them more viable with their S.ATK-centric spell kit, Fakebakura's buff flows smoothly with them, but at first let's look at their kit itself.
For their original moves they have:

  • Clarity Card "Ink and Silver" - five cell length ranged move that deals 293% of ATK
  • Monochrome Storm - 3x6 cell, multi-hit (3x), null element, ranged, one-charge move that deals 105% of ATK each hit, dealing 315% of ATK overall and has a cost of 3 bombs
  • Blackout - a homing flashbomb that reduces the damage received by 20% percent and deals 359% of ATK of null damage (costs 3 FG)

And as for their traits:

  • The One who Harvests is an inherent trait that gives Fakebakura a level 2 buffs to ATK and S.ATK and level 1 buff to SPD for 4 turns
  • Loafing Monochrome (Bizarre) is a party skill that increases ATK, S.ATK, DEF, S.DEF & SPD of party members with an appearance in [EE] by 5% (except themself)

This a solid load-out that serves to support their team, fitting for Tsurubami in disguise. But let's take a closer look on why they're that good.

Excellent crowd control (and "Monochrome Storm" just being great in general)

In stages where there are plenty of (powerful) enemies, such as "Tough [EE]" - Fakebakura is an excellent choice to deal with them. "Monochrome Storm" not only has a nice range, it also requires one turn charge - which makes already good unit even that monstrous as it allows them to not only weaken multiple opponents, it can also outright kill enemies if they were damaged prior to their launch. Plus it has a bonus of being multi-hit, which not only has a higher chance to proc a crit, but also is an incredible tool to deal against daily stages. Overall a great move to assist your teams, especially on Hex/Overkill stages.

Solid attacker

Don't think that "Monochrome Storm" is their only tool to deal with their opponents. "Clarity Card "Ink and Silver"" is surprisingly good offensive ranged attack that can deal with remains of enemies (and well being ranged is always great). And "Blackout" is a nice flashbomb that can help mitigate some of the damage and in return have a homing null attack as a counter. Generally can hold their own in a team and quite adaptable.

Incredible passive support

Fakebakura possesses one of the best, if not the best party skill in the entire game - "Loafing Monochrome (Bizarre)", increasing offensive, defensive and speed stats by 5%, which improves overall team performance. However, it will be only be applicable to [EE] cast, and is the reason why they're ultimately held back, and the powercreep DOESN'T do them any favours.

Really requires to be in Hex/Overkill EE-Centric teams to be effective

Again, thanks to the nature of the game of beating stages in less amount of turns as possible without losses - Fakebakura faces a tricky situation, especially when you have a sufficient number of S rank units.

  • Duel teams are no questions, you must bring the best of the best damage dealing characters like Rei-kun or Hooaka.
  • Double teams require at least one damage dealer and one active support. Two supports won't bring you anything substantial and you can run all offense if you fancy it.
  • Delta teams face the similar issue, this time you'll definetely need one active support and two attackers or all out attackers to work, two supports can work, but under the assumption that they're active supports and buff character's seperate stats.
  • Quartet teams are quite tricky and can potentially use Fakebakura, however it has a huge caveat. You'll always use Tsurubami, that's a given, so you have three slots. Depending on the circumstances you might find a combination where Fakebakura can find place in, but it usually involves 1 active support and 3 dps or something like that.
  • Hex teams are much more suited for Fakebakura - given that they can buff even more units. However, as stated before, it depends on your team needs - so you may encounter scenarios where Fakebakura is less than desireable unit to use.

They're a party player in nature (and even then it's very specific), however there is another thing that keeps them in B-tier bracket...

Generally outclassed

And this is perhaps their biggest issue - while they're extremely good... They tend to be outclassed and from both sides too as they either:

  • Don't hit as hard as the units above, such as Kurohebi who is a great boss killer or Aoji who is a destructive nuke. Again, they're solid attacker - but they're meant to weaken opponents with "Monochrome Storm" and chip with "Clarity Card "Ink and Silver"".
  • Aren't as potent in Support department like Tsurubami who is a great DPS enabler or Tenkai who is a party-wide DEF/S.DEF provider. While their party skill is absolutely amazing - you do wish they could've offered more than that.

They're not bad, unlike Kuroji they actually have a lot of utility with them and their stats aren't down disgusting - but the units above them are just that good.
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Suffice to say, Fakebakura is a gatekeeper character. Those who are below them is questionable, while others who are above are quite good and must-haves in your team. And now, we can finally move onto A tier: where other half of units are.

A-1 Tier[edit | edit source]

This is the tier where you can premiers at their job. They're essentially THE golden standard for units to follow if they want to see some usage. Unlike units below them, you actually want them to be present in majority of team comps as they provide great value to the team.

Aoji Shitodo [EE] LeCafeUnit Icon Aoji.png[edit | edit source]

And another unit that proves that the real beauty shines in simplicity. Aoji has only one attacking (and viable) element - Water/Ice. While usually many great units shine with coverage moves (such as "Crimson Lotus Sword" on both Kurohebi and Rei-kun), Aoji doesn't need that as their kit entirely dedicated to Water/Ice moves and I would say that they're an example of specialist done correctly and is the first member of the "Big Four" of the beta:
For their original moves they have:

  • Current Wave "Current Blast" - a narrow, one-charge sniping blue attack and has an overall mutiplier of 380% of S.ATK
  • Shitodo Card "Blue Wind" - 2x2 circle-shaped, ranged, blue element attack that charges for 2 turns and has a multiplier of 410% of S.ATK (and it has a cost of 3 bombs)

And as for their traits:

  • Protection by the Deep Ones is an inherent trait that increases Water/Ice damage by 5% & decrease MP consumption of Water/Ice skills by 20%
  • Weak-Willed Youngest Child is a party skill that increases trick damage dealt by party members who appeared in [EE] by 10%. (except themself)

Again, their kit is extremely simple, and it doesn't need to be flashy to be effective, so let's go over their pros and cons

Enabler of set-up play

This is what I consider their best trait. Normally, having two charge move is extremely detrimental, either because it's too risky (Hooaka) or doesn't justify the wait time (Yabusame): Aoji however proves this notion to be false and manages to be excellent BECAUSE of their 2 turn charge move. While they don't outdamage the likes of Kurohebi or Hooaka, they make up for it by sheer splashability of their attack; as such they're a great pick for stages that have multiple dangerous threats ahead (such as Christmas Frontlines or Tough EE). Their sniping skill is less relevant, but it is a nice tool to have in early game since it's a better "Monochrome Ray" in every aspect.

Great source of mass Water/Ice damage

And another thing that makes Aoji so valuable. While Hooaka is generally much more prefered due to their access to not only to Water/Ice, but also Fire/Flames - another great and valuable element; Aoji stands out due to their splashability. In fact, it's thanks to their splashability that they're notable for beating "April Fools" stage, being a valuable back-up asset in "Tough EE" stage and only viable option for quickly getting rid of ghosts in "Christmas Frontlines".

Excellent Late-Stage Sweeper

Regarding splashability, Aoji is the best bomber when it comes to sheer range and damage. The immediate 410% S.ATK multiplier which is further supported with Aoji's many perks coupled with their great range makes them a mandatory pick for late portions of Back Issues as you would have more slots and more enemies. Sure, while you can only use it once per stage thanks to its 3-bomb cost, in terms of THAT meta specifically - Aoji is undoubtedly the best unit who can utilise them, as many units that use those bombs either have underwhelming damage output (Yabusame, Tsurubami) or just suck (Hooaka). If you want a quick buck on UNREAL stages or just haven't cleared them, Aoji is the best choice that partially competes with Lumen's.

Only gets useful if you plan to play long-term

And that's where the big issue with Aoji comes into play as their kit is pretty much charge-based. While it gets good at the late-game where you're clearing Tough Stages where multiple enemies are quite common; in early-to-mid game they HARDLY have any use whatsoever due to how fast-paced it is and due to much better alternative nukes like Yabusame or Tsurubami thanks to their AoE properties, even if they outclass them when it comes to Back-Issue UNREAL content. While the good news is that Yabusame and Tsurubami fall off really hard in that department later on, it'll take a while until you find a genuine use for Aoji.
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While their section even shorter, it doesn't matter as Aoji is a solid unit in general, and beginning with them, units tend to have more situational flaws that instead of letting them down, they merely hold back unit's cracked potential.

A-2 Tier[edit | edit source]

Now we arrive at the summit. These units are typically the best performing in their roles, be it offense or support. They are extremely valuable and are a massive staples of the teams. While there will be units that are even more powerful/versatile; these are generally the units you'll desire the most.

Kurohebi [EE] LeCafeUnit Icon Kurohebi.png[edit | edit source]

Now we get from "fairly situational units" to the units you'll definetely see in clear comps. Kurohebi is a type of unit that just... Has everything it could want from the game without being too daunting. Nice HP pool, formidabble ATK stat of 766, defences reaching 600+ (which is a lot compared to other damage dealers), nice SPD bracket and MOV stat of 3, which is considered good enough for mobility; as such is the second member of the "Big Four". But, having good stats is a one piece of the puzzle of mystery as to why Kurohebi is such a solid character overall, so let's take a peek at their kit, shall we?
For their original moves they have:

  • Blind Shot - a three-cell long, black attack that has a 50% chance to blind the opponents and has an overall mutiplier of 246% of ATK.
  • Cut Card "Slit Snake" - a four-cell, green element attack that charges for 1 turn and has a multiplier of 420% of ATK (and it has a cost of 2 bombs)

And as for their traits:

  • Assassination is an inherent trait that increases damage done to the humans by 10%, and an additional 15% increase to Tsubakura Enraku-like units.
  • Strong-Willed Shadow is a party skill that increases slash damage dealt by party members who appeared in [EE] by 10%. (except themself)

While at glance it may seem your regular kit, it's thanks to how kit is functioning - Kurohebi becomes an ideal unit, it's almost as if the stars alligned just for them as it hits almost everyone in Beta version.

Jack of All Stats

Surprisingly enough, Kurohebi has all around great stats across the board, considering that units before them were either specialists (Tsubakura being a Speedy Glass Cannon and Clause being a Stone Wall) or their stats being not that high (such as Tsurubami having relatively low stats... and the other person named "Kuro"). Let's dissect all their relevant stats to see what makes them great.

  1. Their ATK stat is 766. While they're not Tsubakura's or Rei-kun's highs, it is 3rd highest ATK stat in the whole game and it shows. Coupled with their relatively high speed that doesn't override Tsurubami's (who is an essential unit) and high bulk - they're overall an extremely good physical attacker and your usual go-to option FOR physical attacker
  2. Their defensive stats are: HP of 2486, DEF of 661 and S.DEF 604. Their DEF and S.DEF while at first glance don't look that remarkable, when compared to others who are not tanks, their stats are usually at 500+, if not lower; so Kurohebi in actuality becomes pretty bulky (especially with +2 DEF buff from ZBCs since they would be in the frontlines). Their HP stat also compliments this as their HP is only suprassed by Yabusames and Clauses, who, as we established early, are not great in the battlefield. Their staying power is surprisingly pretty solid
  3. Their SPD stat is 647 and their MOV is 3. Their speed is located in a comfortable position where it not only normally outspeeds a lot of threats (which is not the case for someone like Hooaka), but as mentioned before, is slower than Tsurubami's speed bracket of 703 - which allows them to be buffed by Tsurubami to +3. Speed is pretty important in BotC's battle gameloop, so having a character who can deal with the enemies before the they even attack is great. Not to mention their MOV stat of 3 is on great territory and is even boosted further by Tsurubami's party skill, meaning they're pretty flexible when it comes to movement opportunities

Their only middling stat is S.ATK, which is extremely inconsequential as they don't get too much mileage out of it anyway due to rather poor coverage. Speaking of which

Bane of Humanity

This is another thing that makes Kurohebi pretty scary - they're quite effective AGAINST humans (combined with their DEPTH perks and Inherent Trait, their damage against humans is increased by 30%), and let me bring up a little thing: virtually almost every boss unit in the game is a human. That means that they're exceptionally high-value in boss battles, ESPECIALLY in story mode where they can spam "Slit Sanke" to their heart's content. And shout-outs to "Tsubakura Enraku-like enemies" bonus which makes Fakebakura's bossfight a complete joke due to the added bonus of 15% (45% damage increase + super-effective element). The only problematic matchup is Rei-kun, but that doesn't detract from the fact that Kurohebi is a force to be reckoned with.

Impeccable Coverage

And yet another thing that makes Kurohebi that much desireable. From their base elements alone (Wind and Dark), they already cover good chunk of the cast: Hooaka, Aoji and Fakebakura. However we also need to acknowledge their two "free" slots where you can equip "Crimson Lotus Sword" for neutral coverage and effective coverage against Kurohebi and Kuroji, "Thunder God Sword" for Rei-kun and handful of water enemies, and "Gensokick" for Tsurubami and Tenkai; and that's just characters from Beta version, they also have the great match-up against the newcomers as well (granted they lose out on +30% damage increase and they have to be more careful as they hit neutral/strong against them)! Either way, no one (sans, as established earlier, Rei-kun) is truly safe against Kurohebi. And again, it's thanks to the traits mentioned above it all comes to fruition. But we do have to adress the elephant in the room

Horrible Matchup with Rei-kun

Kurohebi... Can't really deal with Rei-kun in any capacity. Sure, while they have "Thunder God Sword" to put a dent to their defences, Rei-kun is not only a machine (thus losing the +30% damage boost), but also extremely phsysically bulky - and Kurohebi is a physical attacker. While they're bulky, they can't afford being hit by Rei-kun. Sure, while it's not a big deal, two of the major stages: April Fools Day (where frankly they can die safely) and 1st Beta Anniversary - feature Rei-kun - which makes Kurohebi not an ideal pick.
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Kurohebi is a type of units that don't have any inherent weaknesses. Sure they might have small hiccups here and there, but beyond that - an extremely versatile unit that will serve you well. Who could've thought that a first boss who canonically can't even do their job right would turn out to be a legitimately great character?

Hooaka Shitodo [EE] LeCafeUnit Icon Hooaka.png[edit | edit source]

Hoo boy, now that's a unit that refuses to be bad. Hooaka was pretty notorious in their playable BPoHC debut where they absolutely shredded the stages with how broken they are. While in BotC they're more or less balanced this time around, they're still extremely powerful and is someone that every player needs to look out for. First, let's take a look at their frankly unique kit that has some properties exclusive to them:
For their original moves they have:

  • Hot and Cold "Samidare Boiler" - a melee, 4-cell long blue and red attack that hits 2 times and has an overall mutiplier of 310% of S.ATK (155% per hit; first hit is Water/Ice, second Fire/Flame)
  • Eruption "Steam-Blast Explosion" - 2x2 circle-shaped, melee, red and blue element attack that charges for 2 turns and has a multiplier of 467% of S.ATK (and it has a cost of 3 bombs; elemental damage applied simultaneously)

And as for their traits:

  • Bipolar is an inherent trait that increases Water/Ice and Fire/Flame damage by 10%
  • Cool-Headed Hot-Heeled Thermal Runaway is a party skill that increases magic damage dealt by party members who appeared in [EE] by 10%. (except themself)

It should be very clear as to why Hooaka is such a powerful unit, as everything they have benefits them greatly and feeds into insane damage output that they have. Let's dissect their strengths to show just how busted Hooaka is in context of BotC.

Plainly Insane Damage Output and Utility

That needs no introduction, with their 801 S.ATK, it is the highest S.ATK in the beta; but that's not all. Their "Samidare Boiler" is nothing short of amazing, while 310% of S.ATK might not sound too amazing, its range is pretty good for keeping Hooaka out of danger, it doesn't require charging, and its most valuable trait is that it's dual-element (in comparison Kurohebi's "Blind Shot" has 246% ATK, and overall it's a bit just worse at every front) that is further boosted by their perks up to +60% damage increase (+30% on Water/Ice and +30% Fire/Flames via their inherent trait and DEPTH bonuses). This makes Hooaka pretty versatile and valuable as a DPS, as even in situation when an enemy is resistant to one of their elements, doesn't they're resistant to the other. Overall it's an extremely powerful tool for Hooaka which they use excellently and something that you'll use a lot.

Best Resistances and Minor Weaknesses

Now this is something that you won't think about all that often, but it is something that makes remarkably good. They resist Water/Ice and Fire/Flame elements, two of the most common attacking types in the game when it comes to the enemies (not to mention the +70 resistance as opposed to regular +50). This makes Hooaka's surviviability surprisingly high, especially for how frail Hooaka is at 2050 HP (which is lowest from all units not counting Tsubakura-likes, including Rei-kun) and defences at 480+, which is pretty low by BotC standards. And their weaknesses are pretty minor as well. Thanks to Hooaka's range, they won't be brushed with Dark/Nether attacks (even with Kurohebi's "Blind Shot" as it has shorter range than "Samidare Boiler") and Light/Holy are rare; the only serious problem they have is their weakness to Poison, but to be fair, Poison is pretty dangerous to everyone who doesn't resist it.

Surprisingly Great Healer

And another surprising benefit to Hooaka is that they're one of the greatest users of "Petite Heal". "Petite Heal"... Is not a great move, as even on the max level it doesn't reach the 100% multiplier, which means you would be healing less than your special stat; not to mention all of the base users of the move have low/middling special attack stat. Hooaka, thanks to their high base S.ATK stat, can somewhat circumvent this issue and they're guaranteed to heal at average around 31% of their health, which is a lot (The highest percentage from base users is is 20% (X'mas Ghosts) and lowest is 16% (Chef Yabusame) within beta). And since Hooaka won't be using any of general S.ATK options that often, that might be a great pick for Hooaka! Though it should be noted that 1&2 Spell Slot variants are only accessible via Yabusame/Clause, but I will assure you it is absolutely worth it. And if you go and replace "Steam-Blast Explosion" with Noel Heal (which, if you have X'mas Ghosts, it is far easier to do), then you have a great healer full stop.

Necessitates Tsurubami Support

While Hooaka has great offensive utility, they do have a need of support from Tsurubami to reach their full potential. Sure, that applies to the rest of the "Big Four" as their inherent traits boost their overall damage output, Hooaka also has an issue of mobility. MOV 2 is low, especially for an active DPS like Hooaka. Luckily, Tsurubami's party skill boosts exactly that and Hooaka can move much more freely around the battlefied. It isn't that detrimental with how mandatory Tsurubami is to the team, but it needs to be noted if the inclusion of Tsurubami isn't necessary or you plainly don't have them, as Hooaka can be pretty clunky without the MOV support.

Eruption "Steam-Blast Explosion" is Horrendous

And now for their only flaw... "Steam-Blast Explosion" is just plain awful and synergises negatively with Hooaka. While that 467% S.ATK multiplier sounds very enticing, it has a cost that renders it totally unusable. First of all, it is melee, and that circle shape essentially boils down to 2-cell length MAX, which invalidates Hooaka's best trait of being ranged attacker and forces them to be on the frontlines to get the best out of that spell's range. And second of all, the most detrimental flaw in that spell's usage is its 2-turn long charge. Coupled with already awful range and you have a vulnerable Hooaka who will die before they'll launch the move as stated previously, Hooaka IS very frail. It is a shame that this move sees virtually no usage outside of niche scenarios where it is used as a bomb (aka. casted immediately).

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If not counting for "Steam-Blast Explosion" being arse, Hooaka is a great unit and in fact one of the best DPS units in the entire game. They don't have many pronounced weaknesses and if they do, they're patched immediately anyway. Overall a high-value unit that should be in around 80% of the comps thanks to their insane damage output.

Tsurubami Senri [EE] LeCafeUnit Icon Tsurubami.png[edit | edit source]

Alright, here we are, the summit of unreality. Tsurubami is the extra stage boss and a final battle of Back Issue of Evanescent Existence of BotC. And as a playable character they're pretty strong, but in oddly unique way and is acknowledged by JynX themselves (as they did recommend using Tsurubami on UNREAL stages in one of the Pixiv FANBOX posts at one point). But let's dissect their kit to have a better understanding of their character and their kit
For their original moves they have:

  • Attack Command - a supporting move that boosts +3 ATK and +3 S.ATK for one turn
  • Myserious Card "Monochrome Bivalence" - 2x2 circle-shaped, melee, null element attack that has a multiplier of 239% of S.ATK
  • Crane's Cry "Lamentations of the Crane's Cry" - an AoE null, multi-hit (3x) attack that also serves as 3 cost bomb and has an overall multiplier of 369% of S.ATK
  • Bird's Eye "Pitch-black Eye" - an AoE null flashbomb that reduces damage received by 15% percent and deals 228% S.ATK of null damage (costs 4 FG)

And as for their traits:

  • Dance is a unique inherent trait that allows Tsurubami to take one more action each turn (can only move)
  • The Inexplicable Hakama is a party skill that increases MOV of party members who appeared in [EE] by 1. (except themself)

As you can see, Tsurubami has a lot of tools, even ones that are unique to them, but they're what I call "an evolving character" - a unit whose job changes depending on a stage of the game you're on - as such they're more complex than what they seem.

Great Asset in Early-game

In early-game, enemies are generally quite frail and weak, but they do make up for it in numbers, and a lot of early-accessible units usually don't have the range to cover most of them. That's when Tsurubami comes in. They have solid offences by virtue of being a S-rank unit (as generally you will be relying on A-D Rank units, such as Tri-Element), having high speed and access to "Mysterious Card "Monochrome Bivalence"", which has a nice range for this point of the game, and the fact that it's instanteneous also helps. Should you get them to DP-1, and you'll unlock their bomb - which is a better version of "Dimesional Detachment" on every front and should allow you to sweep the stages up until the Final Boss of Final Stage (Clause), as it's your first roadblock and a DPS check... Which Tsurubami unfortunately fails. And yeah, you need to keep in mind that while they're great at clearing stages, they're not good of a DPS, ESPECIALLY in mid-to-late game where their offensive capacity is obsolete and by that point you should have access to better DPS units like Kurohebi, who is still an amazing boss sweeper. So what if you already cleared EASY/NORMAL stages and Tsurubami's role as a sweeper became non-existent, if not hindering? Well...

The Best Central Support in Mid-to-Late Game

Tsurubami is the only character that has "Attack Command" as a base and is the only source of that move: and it's pretty strong too - it raises your offenses by +3 (which translates into +30% stat increase) for one turn and it can be done continuously until the MP runs out (which is 6 turns of upkeep at D.100, which is more easier to achieve by virtue of it being a LV2 spell). This is huge, because it allows units to hit higher damage thresholds, which is extremely valuable in late game - and it helps that it's the only source of +3 boosts, as the others either come from traits (such as Rei-kun) or CMs, but that's too RNG-reliant. And while you can run +2 Trailblazer to replace them, you still will be losing out on +10% stat increase can be pretty detrimental

MOV Support

And yet another tool that makes Tsurubami unique and frankly quite valuable as a support. MOV is a stat that determines the range of movement of a unit, and the higher the stat is, the better, as it gives them more flexibility on the field - and it doesn't help that that stat is exponential, meaning difference between MOV 2 and MOV 3 is massive, and so forth. As such, in beta, they're pretty valuable as a provider of it, as the majority of units are from [EE], and many units don't have the highest MOV in the world (there are four units that have MOV 2; two have MOV 3; and two have MOV 4 and above). They synergise the best with Hooaka, who is the most crippled by MOV limitations as a DPS unit and they boast the highest S.ATK in beta; but they can also boost Kurohebi's already solid MOV stat of 3 to make them more agile on the field and granting Tsubakura the ability to straight up teleport around the field.

Has High Surviviability thanks to "Dance" (among other things)

Admittedly, Tsurubami doesn't have the best bulk - in fact they're a pretty frail character, but they make up for it by being a supporting character, meaning they don't have to be in frontlines. And if they need to dodge something or cut the distance - they have "Dance" which allows to take an extra action each turn. Not only that, their elemental weaknesses aren't relevant, as they have massive range advantage since the longest attack only has 5 cells, so outside of small stages, attacks just won't reach them.
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This is a unit that pretty much defined the beta BotC, as they enabled a lot of characters. While their viability will be debated in full version thanks to general powercreep; they're a very interesting character to look at and is generally considered one of the staples.