Wakan Tanka/Strategy

(This page is for Wakan Tanka strategy guide. For the standard Wakan Tanka page, click here.)

Overview

/ Wakan Tanka

While he is more of an older unit now, Wakan Tanka is notable for a couple reasons. The first most unique aspect to him is his ability to give BrawnATK Up by 1.15x ~ 2.3x for 4 turns (Buff) to himself and allies at a guaranteed rate, a long-lasting offensive buff which is very rarely bestowed to allies. The other aspect is his ability to give Crit+ATK Up by 2.5x ~ 5x for 1 turn (Buff) to himself and allies on CS, another buff which is very rarely obtained. Past that, he functions like Gunzo (Valentine) as a CP battery with a more strict skill effect range. As such, his main weakness is not being able to give defensive support to allies as someone who needs to move, and his limited weapon range as a Blow unit is both a blessing and a curse, allowing him to do large single target damage by himself but not much else.

Fashionista Wakan Tanka

Wakan Tanka (Fashionista) is a jack of all trades who is prized for his ability to perform multiple roles without needing to move. As an offensive bruiser, he has incredibly high damage potential, sporting the ability to do over 200k damage by himself thanks to the combination of CritATK Up by 2x ~ 4x for 1 turn (Buff), Crit+ATK Up by 2.5x ~ 5x for 1 turn (Buff), and ArdorATK Up by 1.2x ~ 2.4x, +5CP/turn for 2 turns (Buff). As a tank, he has access to WORLD typing, ProtectionDEF Up by 0.9x ~ 0.45x for 1 turn (Buff), EvasionDEF Up by 0.01x ~ 0.005x for 1 turn (Buff), and Nullify DebuffPrevent receiving debuff once for 4 turns. Vanishes after use. (Buff) making himself a veritable wall in certain situations. As a mixed support, he both offensively and defensively bolsters his teammates by extending buffs such as Crit, Ardor, Glint, and Protection to allies. Finally, he has access to niche abilities like enemy attraction, blowback immunity, and a CP-charging CS which can come in handy in the right situation/team. The main issue with using Fashionista Wakan Tanka is his somewhat limited range as a Thrust unit, but he otherwise makes a fantastic addition to almost all teams due to his numerous abilities which do not require him to move at all.

Highlights

/ Wakan Tanka

Class: Bruiser, Offensive Support

Gameplay Role: Damage Dealer, CP Battery, Offensive Buffer

Pros

+ Can give BrawnATK Up by 1.15x ~ 2.3x for 4 turns (Buff) to self and allies, which is a rare ability

+ Can give Crit+ATK Up by 2.5x ~ 5x for 1 turn (Buff) to self and allies on CS, which is also unique

+ Acceleration+8CP/turn for 3 turns (Buff) and +20 CP on move to himself and allies makes him a decent CP battery

+ Phase start EvasionDEF Up by 0.01x ~ 0.005x for 1 turn (Buff) to himself helps with reducing damage

+ Extra vertical movement allows for tactical retreat/advance

Cons

- Needs to move for most of his effects

- No damage mitigation for himself/allies outside of phase start Evasion to self

- Weapon range limited to Blow

- Skill range is only horizontally adjacent to allies, which can be pretty strict

Fashionista Wakan Tanka

Class: Bruiser, Mixed Support

Gameplay Role: Damage Dealer, Damage Attenuator, Offensive Buffer, CP Battery

Pros

+ Access to Crit+ATK Up by 2.5x ~ 5x for 1 turn (Buff) and CritATK Up by 2x ~ 4x for 1 turn (Buff) on phase start makes for incredible damage potential

+ ProtectionDEF Up by 0.9x ~ 0.45x for 1 turn (Buff) + WORLD typing makes him very tanky to most enemies, also has phase start EvasionDEF Up by 0.01x ~ 0.005x for 1 turn (Buff)

+ Can bestow Glint+10% skill activation rate for 2 turns (Buff), ArdorATK Up by 1.2x ~ 2.4x, +5CP/turn for 2 turns (Buff), CritATK Up by 2x ~ 4x for 1 turn (Buff) to allies

+ Can attract enemies, is immune to blowback, and doesn't need to move to trigger skills

+ Mostly immune to debuffs from turn start Nullify DebuffPrevent receiving debuff once for 4 turns. Vanishes after use. (Buff)

+ Decent CP charging from CS

Cons

- Has only okay damage if neither Ardor or Crit procs outside of phase start

- Limited range which is only worsened by CS being Blow type

- LB3 has inconsistent procs and most skill effects only affect directly adjacent allies

Gameplay Role

For simplicity, the following analyses will assume a fully seeded Wakan Tanka.

/ Wakan Tanka

CP Battery/Offensive Buffer

Wakan Tanka has a rather straightforward kit so there isn't too much to say here. Move him horizontally adjacent to allies who you want to buff with BrawnATK Up by 1.15x ~ 2.3x for 4 turns (Buff) and CP charge. Along with Gunzo (Valentine), Wakan Tanka sports the highest on-move CP charging of +20CP with Acceleration+8CP/turn for 3 turns (Buff) also giving a +8CP at the end of the turn. Nominally, this would mean 4 turns to fully charge any unit's CP but in practice, it usually takes 2-3 turns due to other sources of CP such as hitting enemies, teammates' skills, ARs, etc. Thus, Wakan Tanka is a very effective CP charger of the moving variety and offensive buffer.

What gives Wakan Tanka's set complexity however is his increased vertical movement. In large maps, Wakan Tanka can be used to effectively kite enemies by shuffling around units in the frontline while hiding and CP charging his teammates in the backline. Furthermore, since his CP charging applies to himself (unlike Valentine Gunzo), he can also effectively time the activation of his CS such that his other teammates can benefit from the Crit+ATK Up by 2.5x ~ 5x for 1 turn (Buff) it bestows. This is one of the silver linings of the restriction that Wakan Tanka has to be horizontally adjacent to his allies to CP charge them; it allows him to control the pace more effectively. At SALV 1, Brawn and Crit+ together give an effective 2.3 * 2.5 = 5.75 multiplier. When timed right and with the right teammates, this can be a devastating combination.

Fashionista Wakan Tanka

The following table summarizes Fashionista Wakan Tanka's effective health/damage for various combinations of buffs:

Buff Table
Unit	(Effective) HP		Base ATK		ATK per square		CS ATK per square (SALV1)		Notes
	Unseeded	Seeded	Unseeded	Seeded	Unseeded	Seeded	Unseeded	Seeded
	7088	8885	6168	7903	3392	4347	24671	31612	Unable to Crit during CS, but CS damage is modified anyways in the following entries
	13812	19745	6168	7903	3392	4347	24671	31612	With ProtectionDEF Up by 0.9x ~ 0.45x for 1 turn (Buff)
	26038	39489	6168	7903	3392	4347	24671	31612	With ProtectionDEF Up by 0.9x ~ 0.45x for 1 turn (Buff) and WORLD resistance
	1101929	1777013	6168	7903	3392	4347	24671	31612	With EvasionDEF Up by 0.01x ~ 0.005x for 1 turn (Buff)
	7088	8885	13271	18967	8141	10432	59209	75868	With ArdorATK Up by 1.2x ~ 2.4x, +5CP/turn for 2 turns (Buff)
	7088	8885	21389	31612	13569	17386	98682	126447	With CritATK Up by 2x ~ 4x for 1 turn (Buff)
	7088	8885	26462	39515	16961	21733	123353	158059	With Crit+ATK Up by 2.5x ~ 5x for 1 turn (Buff)
	7088	8885	49801	75868	32565	41728	236837	303473	With ArdorATK Up by 1.2x ~ 2.4x, +5CP/turn for 2 turns (Buff) and CritATK Up by 2x ~ 4x for 1 turn (Buff)
	7088	8885	61978	94835	40706	52159	296047	379342	With ArdorATK Up by 1.2x ~ 2.4x, +5CP/turn for 2 turns (Buff) and Crit+ATK Up by 2.5x ~ 5x for 1 turn (Buff)
	7088	8885	102567	158059	67844	86932	493411	632236	With CritATK Up by 2x ~ 4x for 1 turn (Buff) and Crit+ATK Up by 2.5x ~ 5x for 1 turn (Buff)
	7088	8885	244629	379342	162826	208638	1184187	1517366	With ArdorATK Up by 1.2x ~ 2.4x, +5CP/turn for 2 turns (Buff), CritATK Up by 2x ~ 4x for 1 turn (Buff) and Crit+ATK Up by 2.5x ~ 5x for 1 turn (Buff)

Bruiser

To give an example of how Wakan Tanka (Fashionista) operates as a bruiser, let's consider first the potential burst damage Fashionista Wakan Tanka is able to achieve on the first turn of phase one. With both CritATK Up by 2x ~ 4x for 1 turn (Buff) and Crit+ATK Up by 2.5x ~ 5x for 1 turn (Buff) activating, Fashionista Wakan Tanka deals 86932 damage per square. It's immense and can easily cut through elemental resistances from AETHER and the like. If considering a different phase where Fashionista Wakan Tanka has bestowed ArdorATK Up by 1.2x ~ 2.4x, +5CP/turn for 2 turns (Buff) on himself by means of his LB3, this damage becomes 208638 damage per square. It's an incredibly high damage potential from self buffs which do not depend on moving at all. Even in the cases where Crit fails to activate, the damage/square are still a respectable 21733 and 52159 respectively. This damage is sufficient for clearing almost all mobs in the game.

Obviously, such expectations are rather optimistic since they are only possible on phase start. For a more nuanced viewpoint, let's consider a fully seeded Fashionista Wakan Tanka attacking two enemies. There is a 40% chance that he will activate Crit when attacking the front enemy and a 0.6 * 0.4 = 24% chance that he will miss on the first enemy and crit on the second one. When Fashionista Wakan Tanka crits, he does 17386 damage per square as compared to the usual 4347. This gives us an overall expected value of 9563 damage on the first enemy and an expected value of 12693 damage on the second enemy. With Ardor up from his LB3, these values become 22952 and 30463 respectively while his minimum damage per square is a respectable 10432. On the other hand if Glint+10% skill activation rate for 2 turns (Buff) is up instead (and not Ardor), these values are 10867 and 14127 respectively. It should be noted that if the goal is for Crit to proc at all, Glint effectively raises the chance of success from 64% to 75% in this case. The overall point is that Fashionista Wakan Tanka does a considerable amount of damage as can be seen from the expected value, and having just one offensive buff pushed his damage above 10k per square.

Tank

Let's consider Fashionista Wakan Tanka's effective HP with his elemental resistance as a WORLD unit. When fully seeded, his HP is 8885 and combined with ProtectionDEF Up by 0.9x ~ 0.45x for 1 turn (Buff) and his elemental resistance, his effective HP becomes 39489. This is a rather common scenario since Fashionista Wakan Tanka resists the main three elements with the addition of VALIANT in the mix as well. Overall, this demonstrates how he's an effective tank just from his LB1.

There is a generally overlooked part of his set which is his resistance to blowback in his LB2. This niche, along with his tanking capabilities, make him an excellent unit for pushing the frontline and keeping it there. The usefulness of such an effect was demonstrated in the level 80 challenge quest for Canaan, in which Fashionista Wakan Tanka could be used to act as an effective anchor for other units against Bael's blowback effects.

Stats and Seed Usage

Unit	(Effective) HP		Base ATK		ATK per square		CS ATK per square (SALV1)
	Unseeded	Seeded	Unseeded	Seeded	Unseeded	Seeded	Unseeded	Seeded
	6142	8096	3775	5377	2076	2958	7549	10755
	7702	9568	5108	6723	5108	6723	20430	26890
	7088	8885	6168	7903	3392	4347	24671	31612
	8448	10494	4231	5675	1904	2554	0	0

/ Wakan Tanka

Since this version of Wakan Tanka occupies a CP battery/offensive buffer role, seeding Wakan Tanka for the usage of these forms should have low priority. Skill seeding him is nice in order to guarantee EvasionDEF Up by 0.01x ~ 0.005x for 1 turn (Buff) from his LB1, but it's not essential. The main draw of Wakan Tanka here is his LB3 which is already guaranteed so skill seeding can be held off here until needed. As Wakan Tanka is a blow unit, seeding his ATK stat will roughly translate to the same amount of damage increase so it's recommended to seed this first if seeding regular Wakan Tanka at all.

Fashionista Wakan Tanka

Due to the proc rates of his skills, it's highly recommended to skill seed Wakan Tanka (Fashionista) to guarantee some of his buffs which include Crit+ATK Up by 2.5x ~ 5x for 1 turn (Buff) from his LB2 and EvasionDEF Up by 0.01x ~ 0.005x for 1 turn (Buff) from his LB3. Furthermore, skill seeds will increase his ability to bestow CritATK Up by 2x ~ 4x for 1 turn (Buff) to allies and the periodic Glint+10% skill activation rate for 2 turns (Buff) and ArdorATK Up by 1.2x ~ 2.4x, +5CP/turn for 2 turns (Buff) from his LB3.

Because of the mixed role that Fashionista Wakan Tanka has as a tank and bruiser, he will greatly enjoy the benefits of HP/ATK/level seeds. Do note that due to his relatively high unseeded attack stat compared to other units, he'll have less of an increase percentage-wise than other units normally would.

Team Synergy

/ Wakan Tanka

Characters with good Charge Skills

As a CP battery, Wakan Tanka pairs nicely with any unit with good charge skills. Consider using units such as Typhon (Make Sail), Tangaroa (Canaan), and Gyumao due to their access to All-range charge skills. Other nice charge skills to look out for include those that bestow EvasionDEF Up by 0.01x ~ 0.005x for 1 turn (Buff) or Guts+1HP when HP is at 0 at the end of the turn for 5 turns. Removed once activated. (Buff) to allies, which Seth and Zao (Gendarme) do respectively.

Characters who do not have Brawn

BrawnATK Up by 1.15x ~ 2.3x for 4 turns (Buff) is one of the best offensive buffs in the game, and many units do not have access to it. Since Brawn will instantly beef up your team, long ranged units who already have decent damage are prime candidates here. There are obviously many possible units to use, and some examples include Thunderbird, Surtr (Valentine), Chernobog (Beachside), and Sanat Kumara.

Fashionista Wakan Tanka

Healers

Despite the many roles which Wakan Tanka (Fashionista) performs, he does not provide any sort of healing so he'll ideally be paired with healers to improve the team's sustainability. Since Fashionista Wakan Tanka's ProtectionDEF Up by 0.9x ~ 0.45x for 1 turn (Buff) buff applies to allies adjacent to him, the healer would ideally have a healing range which extends diagonally so that allies may receive both healing and Protection from Fashionista Wakan Tanka. Examples of such healers include Chernobog (Beachside) and Tetsuya (Christmas) due to their healing skills mainly targeting the frontline.

Characters with defensive buffs besides Protection

Due to Fashionista Wakan Tanka not needing to move to bestow ProtectionDEF Up by 0.9x ~ 0.45x for 1 turn (Buff) to allies, he can be paired with defensive buffers who provide other buffs such as TenacityDEF Up by 0.9x ~ 0.45x for 1 turn (Buff) typically by moving in order to make the team tankier than it already is. Examples of such defensive buffers include Aizen, Shino (Valentine), and Marchosias. As stated before in the section concerning healers, it's recommended that such defensive buffs extend beyond adjacent squares for maximum coverage.

Characters with offensive buffs ideally besides Ardor

Without either Crit+ATK Up by 2.5x ~ 5x for 1 turn (Buff), CritATK Up by 2x ~ 4x for 1 turn (Buff), or ArdorATK Up by 1.2x ~ 2.4x, +5CP/turn for 2 turns (Buff) up on Fashionista Wakan Tanka, his damage drops by a fair amount, making it preferable that he has a teammate which can offensively buff him in a way besides Ardor. Due to his LB3 having somewhat shaky procs however, an extra source of Ardor would not be a complete waste either. Furthermore, due to Fashionista Wakan Tanka giving Ardor to his allies via his default skill and his LB3, allies with access to a different offensive buff would benefit the most. There are obviously many units which fall into this category, but the Band units are notable for bestowing ConcentrationATK Up by 1.1x ~ 2.2x, skill activation rate +10% for 2 turns (Buff) which is particularly useful in maximizing Fashionista Wakan Tanka's phase start burst damage.

Characters who can attract enemies

While Fashionista Wakan Tanka already has an innate method of attracting enemies through his default skill, this sometimes isn't enough since he might be in the wrong column to pull units when the phase starts. For this reason, units such as Surtr (Valentine), Arachne, and Dagon might be helpful.

Characters with good Charge Skills

Due to Fashionista Wakan Tanka having slight CP battery tendencies through ArdorATK Up by 1.2x ~ 2.4x, +5CP/turn for 2 turns (Buff) and his CS, it's recommended to bring units who have good charge skills as opposed to units who have lackluster ones. Note that the reduced range of Fashionista Wakan Tanka's CS may also be undesirable, so charge skills which increase allies' CP may not be ideal either in this case.

Backliners

Fashionista Wakan Tanka is almost guaranteed to be in the front line at all times, so he'll play well with units that naturally want to occupy the backline such as Takemaru. Snipe units are also particularly effective for hitting past Fashionista Wakan Tanka's range.

Combo Bestowers

As a bestower of Crit to allies, Combo can greatly enhance Fashionista Wakan Tanka's ability to do so while making him more consistent in clearing out enemies outside of phase start. There are some trade-offs to beware here however. Bestowing Combo can charge Wakan Tanka's CS faster than desired, and the rarity of Combo bestowers greatly limits team composition. Furthermore, Fashionista Wakan Tanka may just blitz through the enemies anyways without activating Crit since his damage is so naturally high to begin with. In any case, it's not as straightforward as it seems here, which is why this category is listed last.

AR Equipment

Shooting Stars

Incredibly nifty for Wakan Tanka (Fashionista). Being able to pierce through Evasion is useful in the situations which call for it, and the occasional Combo buff is welcomed when it occurs.

Checks and Counters

/ Wakan Tanka

Debuffs

Debuffs such as FearCannot move at will, -10CP/turn for 5 turns (Debuff) are the bane of CP batteries like Wakan Tanka who need to move to be effective. Even the most minor CP draining debuff can prevent teammates from activating their CS, and the bulk of Wakan Tanka's CP charging comes from moving. Other debuffs which reduce damage like CurseATK Down by 0.8x ~ 0.4x for 5 turns (Debuff) and skill locking ones such as BindCannot activate skills, ATK Down by 0.9x ~ 0.45x for 4 turns. CS effects still apply. (Debuff) also pose numerous issues to Wakan Tanka's effectiveness.

Backliners

Due to Wakan Tanka's limited range, he'll have to work through the other rows in order to hit enemies in the back row himself. Otherwise, he has to defend on his teammates to be effective. Therefore, maps that are heavy with backliners will be a problem for him, especially if they can cripple him with debuffs as stated before.

Fashionista Wakan Tanka

Infernal enemies

The WORLD typing of Wakan Tanka (Fashionista) is largely responsible for the descriptions of him as a tank, and INFERNAL enemies invalidate this to an extent. Fashionista Wakan Tanka can still score in some solid damage due to the combination of Crit+ATK Up by 2.5x ~ 5x for 1 turn (Buff) and CritATK Up by 2x ~ 4x for 1 turn (Buff), but otherwise it's a bit rough for him.

Multiple debuffs

While Fashionista Wakan Tanka is largely immune to debuffs thanks to Nullify DebuffPrevent receiving debuff once for 4 turns. Vanishes after use. (Buff) from his LB2, multiple debuffs are becoming increasingly common in quests such as dungeons and challenge quests. Skill activation debuffs such as Obstruct-15% skill activation rate for 2 turns (Debuff) can be annoying since Fashionista Wakan Tanka's damage relies quite a bit on his ability to CritATK Up by 2x ~ 4x for 1 turn (Buff) and obviously skill-locking effects like BindCannot activate skills, ATK Down by 0.9x ~ 0.45x for 4 turns. CS effects still apply. (Debuff) are a pain to deal with if they somehow slip through.

Backliners

While Fashionista Wakan Tanka can pull enemies in forwards on the start of a turn, this doesn't solve the issue if the backliners are in a different column or if the column is filled. In the worst case scenario, the enemy is immune to push/pull effects and can safely snipe Fashionista Wakan Tanka in the backline.

Teambuilding Options

This section consists of user-submitted builds that may not necessarily be viable for high level quests.

Extreme Defense

Team Details (submitted by milk)
Wakan Tanka 【Bruiser, Tank】	Chernobog 【Healer, CP Battery, Debuffer】	Arachne 【Debuffer, CP Battery】	Marchosias 【Tank, Debuffer】	Anyone / no one 【Flexible】	Anyone / no one 【Flexible】
Cost: ≥66

This team builds upon the Wakan Tanka (Fashionista) and Chernobog (Beachside) core to bolster defense to extreme levels. Wakan Tanka and Chernobog have fantastic synergy with Chernobog being one of the best healers in the game and both units supplying Ardor for the other's benefit. By themselves, they are already a formidable duo with access to defensive buffs such as ProtectionDEF Up by 0.9x ~ 0.45x for 1 turn (Buff) and UnctionDEF Up by 0.85x ~ 0.425x, +150~300HP every turn for 2 turns (Buff). The addition of Arachne and Marchosias only increases such potential by adding defensive buffs TenacityDEF Up by 0.9x ~ 0.45x for 1 turn (Buff) and DEF UpDEF Up by 0.9x ~ 0.45x for 4 turns (Buff) to the mix. Furthermore, the two units apply CurseATK Down by 0.8x ~ 0.4x for 5 turns (Debuff) and DazzleATK Down by 0.7x ~ 0.35x for 3 turns (Debuff) which also reduce damage.

Formation-wise, Wakan Tanka and Marchosias should be in the frontline while Chernobog and Arachne hide behind them in a defensive setup. Marchosias should be constantly moved to set up formations and his LB3 Tough-Winged Griffon+ is ideal for such herding while bestowing Tenacity. For a more offensive albeit riskier formation, Marchosias can be moved in such a way to move Wakan Tanka in the backline such that he is between Chernobog and Arachne in order to bestow CritATK Up by 2x ~ 4x for 1 turn (Buff) to both of them. Similarly from there, an even more riskier formation can be created by moving these three units to the frontline so that Wakan Tanka procs his Crit more reliably.

As Wakan Tanka and Chernobog are the core of this team with Marchosias and Arachne being mostly auxiliary additions to further boost defense, either Marchosias or Arachne can be replaced with different units for reasons of team cost or availability. Moreover, the unit order of this team is not rigid. Some may prefer to have Chernobog as leader to have his skills proc since Wakan Tanka may nuke enemies before Chernobog can do so. Others may like to have the option of Wakan Tanka bestowing Crit to Chernobog. One may want Arachne to precede Wakan Tanka so that her Attract skill pulls enemies in before Wakan Tanka attacks. In any case, the main point is that this team is more of a template to improve upon rather than a strict recommendation.

Due to this team's explicit focus on defense, this team is best suited for situations where such longevity is desired such as long CQs. This team can be crippled by debuffs such as BindCannot activate skills, ATK Down by 0.9x ~ 0.45x for 4 turns. CS effects still apply. (Debuff) or if Marchosias receives FearCannot move at will, -10CP/turn for 5 turns (Debuff) so these issues should be mitigated by having Wakan Tanka or Chernobog attack due to their access to Nullify DebuffPrevent receiving debuff once for 4 turns. Vanishes after use. (Buff) or chancing on Arachne giving Skill LockCannot activate skills for 5 turns. (Debuff). Furthermore, having Wakan Tanka's CS available removes his access to Protection so careful attention should be paid to either use it quickly, have Marchosias to compensate, or control CP charging carefully as a preventative measure.

Gameplay examples

One-shot Canaan Challenge Quest 3 [1]