Saki is a balanced star collector that can drastically alter the flow of a game with her hyper Big Bang Bell. Her decent stats and powerful trap hyper enforce a defensive playstyle revolving around evasion and traps. Although not suited to direct combat, she can defend herself if the situation demands it.





Play Saki if:

• You are looking for a simple, but fun character.
  
• Stars are your preferred route to victory.
  
• You get satisfaction out of playing traps in strategic locations.
  
• You like to use traps to play mind games with your opponents.

Pros:

• Average combat stats and low REC.
  
• Hyper can be placed on bases to deny norma.
  
• Hyper hits multiple people when triggered.
  
• Hyper can deal a lot of damage, and steals half the player's stars on a KO.
  
• A good Big Bang Bell detonation can turn games around in an instant.

Cons:

• Somewhat reliant of hyper to make plays.
  
• Low health means she can be bullied.
  
• Decent at best in combat. Can be easily outclassed by bullies and battle cards.
  
• Hyper takes time to charge and can be mitigated by being triggered too early.
  
• Small maps make it hard to charge Big Bang Bell.
  
• Hyper can be countered by certain cards.
  
• Home Roulette ruins everything.

HP: 4 | ATK: 0 | DEF: 0 | EVD: +1 | REC: 4

Saki's balanced stats allow her to deal decent damage as well as survive the occasional combat. You can fight on battle spaces pretty reliably, but players can be a problem. Her low health means that she will be susceptible to unlucky rolls and bullying. On the bright side, her 4 REC means that if she does go down, it won't be for as long as most other characters. Her hyper combined with her evasiveness means that she is more suited to star normas than win normas.

Big Bang Bell

Type: Trap
Level Requirement: 3
Cost: None

Every unit on this and 2 adjacent squares takes 2 damage, +1 for every 2 chapters since setting the trap. On KO, half of their stars go to the player who set this trap.

This card is the reason that you want to play Saki. Think of it as an AOE mine that grows more powerful as time goes on. If the damage from this KO's an opponent, you will receive half of their stars, but no wins. The damage from the explosion will hurt you if you are in range, but you will not lose anything if you are KOed. Don't be afraid to trigger it yourself if the blast will KO other players and net you a bunch of stars.

The best time to set this trap is when there aren't any players close behind you, since triggering Big Bang Bell before it has a chance to charge only deals 2 damage. Setting this on a home base or a 2x draw space is generally the way to go. Don't just play it as soon as you pick it up for no reason.

Saki is a pretty straight forward character to play. Her strategy does not really change throughout the game. Prioritize star collection, but try not to pass up a chance to draw cards. Thanks to her decent stats, she can even fight in battle spaces for some extra stars and potentially some early win normas.

The only thing that really changes at level 3 is that Saki gains access some of the better traps in the game, including her hyper Big Bang Bell. Big Bang Bell is one of the strongest trap cards in the game, especially if it has had time to grow. Players will think twice about landing on spaces that you have traps on. Even the threat of Big Bang Bell is enough to dissuade opponents from landing on beneficial spaces. Bringing other traps will make your opponent think twice about setting foot where you have placed one. Is it her hyper or something relatively harmless like Dangerous Pudding? It forces player to make decisions based on the unknown. That or they'll forget and just land on it.

Some great spaces to set traps on are:

• An opponent's home base
  
• Positive 2x spaces (draw, bonus, battle)
  
• Draw spaces, especially once on the main path
  
• Unavoidable pathways
  
• On the fastest route around the map.
  
• Battle spaces (if a character that depends on wins is playing)

Don't be afraid to change up your placement to stay unpredictable. Sometimes, placing Big Bang Bell on your own home can pay off, as opponents may think that you played Piggy Bank and try to cash in on it.

You should try to avoid fighting the boss. While you can certainly survive an encounter, especially with the help of battle cards, you are still rather fragile and risk taking a large amount of damage or getting KOed. Feel free to finish it off once its health is low though. You shouldn't have much of a problem doing so, as all of the bosses have a negative EVD stat.

I use letter ranks to rate cards. Cards are sorted by type, then alphabetically within each tier. This is by no means an absolute measure of how powerful each card is. Feel free to use any cards you want to fit your strategy, although I advise against bringing F cards. When it comes down to it, play what you think will be the most fun for you.

S: Necessary. Godlike synergy or required for the character to function. (Note: Not every character has one of these.)

A: Powerful. A high priority card that will usually be in your deck.

B: Very Good. Not necessary, but should always be considered.

C: Average. Nice cards to have, but might be outclassed. Also includes situational cards.

D: Poor. Helps your opponents more than it helps you.

F: Awful. You are actively hurting yourself by bringing these cards.

(None)
Saki is a very flexible character, so she doesn't really have any necessary cards to run. I usually prioritize a mix of traps and defensive cards with a few cards to help with drawing cards and collecting stars.

2x Rbits
1x Bad Pudding
2x Dangerous Pudding
1x Go Away
1x Nice Present
1x Holy Night
1x Passionate Research
1x Here and There

This deck has a good mix of traps, utility, and defense that will let you take on most situations. Feel free to swap out the traps for other traps such as Mimyuu's Hammer, Piggy Bank, or Flamethrower. You can substitute Rbits for Rainbow-Colored Circle if you are feeling lucky, but the boss will give you more trouble if you do.



2x Rbits
2x I'm on Fire
1x Accel Hyper
1x Big Magnum
1x Nice Present
1x Pudding
2x Heat 300%

This deck is for players who want to be more aggressive and fight other players. I don't really recommend doing so, but Saki's decent combat stats mean you can get away with it if you want to. Try to pick fights with players when you have an advantage.



2x Bad Pudding
2x Flamethrower
1x Piyopiyo Procession
1x Go Away
1x Brutal Prank
1x Nice Present
1x Passionate Research
1x Completion Bonus

This deck brings as many traps as possible for maximum coverage. Your combat game will be especially weak, so be careful around other players.

Any character with a positive attack stat will cause problems if they get behind you. While you can get lucky with evade rolls and your defense will help mitigate damage, you can't fight back very effectively without battle cards and your low health puts you at a large risk of being KOed by a good roll. Bullies in particular will mop the floor with you if they can get close, so try to stay behind them or on the other side of the board.




These characters can make it difficult for you to get Big Bang Bell KOs. Their high health can cause them to trigger your Big Bang Bell early and not take too much damage from it. Focus on other players, as it will be tough to get KOs on them. Don't place bells on their bases unless they are low on health or the events are making it hard for players to norma.




Arthur boasts a huge amount of health at 7 and will usually bring healing cards like Pudding and Dinner to keep himself healthy. This makes it incredibly difficult to KO him with your hyper unless he is already low. Once he hits level 3, he will be able to use his hyper Branch Expansion Strategy to fill his hand with the trap Rbit Hobby Shop. These traps drastically increase his star collection, making him a tough opponent to beat. The bright side is that you can place your own traps over Rbit Hobby Shops to erase them, and Saki likes to bring lots of traps. Big Bang Bell isn't very good in this match up unless you are playing on a large map like Christmas Miracle or a tricky one like Space Wanderer.




Sham and Sora formed an idol group whose combined cuteness will be a nightmare for you. The cuties love to play cheap event cards in order to boost their star collection. We Are Waruda happens to be one of these, which ruins any planning that went into your trap placement. Their hyper Special Stage makes them nearly unkillable, but it cannot save them from your Big Bang Bell. They collect stars more consistently than you and are even harder to fight due to their base stats and their passive. You pretty much have to pray that they land on Big Bang Bell or that another player can defeat them in combat.




The two of you will be fighting for trap real estate. She also has very high base health at 6 which can go even higher thanks to the traps that her hyper Plushie Master lays. Dance, Long-Eared Beasts! is an awful trap to land on, dealing 2 damage to you, healing her for 1 which can overheal her, and reducing your attack by 2 in your next battle. Don't set Big Bang Bell on her home unless you are playing on a very large map. Use Sky Restaurant 'Pures' or Go Away instead.




Her hyper Crystal Barrier negates the next three traps, battles, and drop panels she is affected by, dealing 1 damage to her instead. If she lands on Big Bang Bell while this is active, you will be sad. On the bright side, she can still be KOed from someone else triggering it nearby and she isn't very threatening otherwise.




Her hyper Solid Witch prevents all damage that would be dealt to her for one chapter, rendering her immune to your hyper. The blast can still KO others though. Other than that, you should fear her as you would other offense characters.

While she may not be top tier, Saki can make for an excellent supportive character is you play her to her strengths. Saki's low stats can make it difficult for her to contribute in fights, Instead make use of her low REC, workable bulk, and hyper. Saki's defensive stats can make her surprisingly durable with the boosts provided by the roles. While attacker, defender, and avenger range from lackluster to downright awful, Saki shines in the support and dealer roles thanks to her utility and quick recovery.

Big Bang Bell has received a few buffs in this mode to make it more team friendly. Firstly, you and your allies cannot trigger it, meaning it is safe for you to land on it without wasting it or KOing yourself. Secondly, instead of the usual face-down card, it's position is shown with the card art. Finally, the blast only hurts enemies.

Thanks for reading!

I am thinking of doing a series of character guides is this format, so let me know if you have any suggestions or if you felt this guide was missing something.


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