Shino/Strategy

NOTE: This page currently under construction.

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

Overview

☆3 Shino

Shino at 3☆ is a very poor unit. His kit provides a mix of personal sustain and defense with a bit of team support added in. Due to his INFERNAL attribute he is unable to capitalize on his increased defenses as he takes 1.5x damage innately and because he has no buffs to his own ATK, he merely does middling damage from being INFERNAL. His sustain is also too low to be effective at keeping him alive due to his aforementioned poor defense. His range being Slash means he absolutely must be on the frontlines which puts him at even more risk of taking large amounts of damage.

☆5 Shino

At first glance, 5☆ Shino has a similar kit to his 3☆, with the initial major difference being a longer range of Thrust giving him some flexibility and safety and he gains CP on hit letting him charge up his CS faster. He also gains increased defense against Slash attacks. Unfortunately these traits don't do much to mitigate the flaws that his 3☆ card has since he still doesn't provide his own attack buff, so he is unable to inflict much damage without significant help.

However, 5☆ Shino has a unique skill evolution which changes his Blood of the Beast skill into Head Hunter. This gives him the ability to inflict Countdown-10000~-20000HP/turn for 2 turns (Debuff) and a 4x damage modifier to enemies with Countdown-10000~-20000HP/turn for 2 turns (Debuff) on them including the same attack he applies Countdown-10000~-20000HP/turn for 2 turns (Debuff) with. This gives Shino a much needed boost in damage as it allows him to deal out CritATK Up by 2x ~ 4x for 1 turn (Buff) level damage at a reliable rate. However, Shino can only apply Countdown-10000~-20000HP/turn for 2 turns (Debuff) for the first turn with his regular attacks so he must rely on allies or his CS beyond that.

☆5 Valentine Shino

Valentines Shino is a much better implemented version of what the original Shino seemed to be, a self sustaining tank who supports his allies. His attack type is Shot allowing him to attack at a safer and deeper range and also allows Shino to gain more HP and CP on hit since he can hit more targets than his vanilla 5☆, making him heal up to 1500HP and gain 30CP per turn. His attribute is ALL-ROUND ensuring that Shino doesn't take increased damage from any element. He has the ability to apply TenacityDEF Up by 0.9x ~ 0.45x for 1 turn (Buff) to both himself and his allies horizontally adjacent to him allowing him to protect his row. He can also apply Guts+1HP when HP is at 0 at the end of the turn for 5 turns. Removed once activated. (Buff) to allies adjacent to him when he attacks. Combined with his TenacityDEF Up by 0.9x ~ 0.45x for 1 turn (Buff), he can greatly increase the surviability of any team he's on. He can also inflict decent damage with his LimitATK Up by 1x~2x → 2x~4x as HP→0 for 1 turn (Buff) buff because he can dip low health somewhat safely with his healing, innate Guts and Tenacity. His CS inflicts a large amount of damage as it applies Crit+ATK Up by 2.5x ~ 5x for 1 turn (Buff) to him in addition to the CS multiplier of 4.

However, most of Valentine's Shino's power comes with the stipulation that he must be constantly moved to fully benefit from him. His Tenacity and Limit only last for the turn they were used so if Shino is afflicted with any ailment preventing his movement like FearCannot move at will, -10CP/turn for 5 turns (Debuff) and OppressionCannot move at will for 2 turns (Debuff), he becomes significantly weaker.

Highlights

☆3/☆5 Shino

Class: Sustain Bruiser

Pros

+ Flowerer gives his allies ATK UpATK Up by 1.1x ~ 2.2x for 4 turns (Buff) on phase start which is a long lasting and uncommon buff.

+ Guaranteed Guts+1HP when HP is at 0 at the end of the turn for 5 turns. Removed once activated. (Buff) on phase start ensuring that Shino will live for at least one turn.

+ ☆5 Shino is able to inflict high damage with Head Hunter at a reliable rate of 90% (without Skill Seeds) by inflicting Countdown-10000~-20000HP/turn for 2 turns (Debuff) to enemies he attacks. Combined with Thrust's good damage multiplier and his Infernal element he can deal fairly high damage.

+ ☆5 Shino's CS also inflicts Countdown-10000~-20000HP/turn for 2 turns (Debuff) and benefits from Head Hunter's damage buff allowing his CS to do extremely high damage.

+ Countdown-10000~-20000HP/turn for 2 turns (Debuff) ensures that even if his target does not die from his attack that they will be left with extremely low HP from the high damage Countdown-10000~-20000HP/turn for 2 turns (Debuff) deals.

Cons

- Flowerer has a fairly unreliable proc rate of 60%.

- INFERNAL attribute makes Shino take increased damage from all elements except ALL-ROUND and WORLD.

- His healing from Muncher and Peony-Branded Hound aren't high enough to keep him alive for long due to the increased damage he takes.

- 3☆ Shino's attack type of Slash means he has to be at the front to deal damage and heal which puts him at further risk of taking more than he can heal.

- His only defensive buff, TenacityDEF Up by 0.9x ~ 0.45x for 1 turn (Buff), requires that Shino move but he provides no other benefit from doing so making him ill suited to be moved.

- Has no personal buffs for his own attack, combined with a relatively low ATK stat results in poor damage output.

- 5☆ Shino's ability to inflict Countdown-10000~-20000HP/turn for 2 turns (Debuff) only lasts for the first turn of every phase which means Shino will lose his damage output past that unless he CSes or has an ally to apply Countdown-10000~-20000HP/turn for 2 turns (Debuff) for him.

☆5 Valentine Shino

Class: Sustain Bruiser, Defensive Support

Pros

+ ALL-ROUND attribute means Shino will take neutral damage from all elements preventing any enemies from dealing increased damage through type advantage to him. Also means his damage won't be mitigated by any enemy attributes.

+ Grants TenacityDEF Up by 0.9x ~ 0.45x for 1 turn (Buff) to himself and allies horizontally adjacent to him making his row much tankier.

+ Grants Guts+1HP when HP is at 0 at the end of the turn for 5 turns. Removed once activated. (Buff) to allies adjacent to him on hit, greatly increasing the survivability of his team depending on how often he activates Life Companion.

+ Still has Peony-Branded Hound making him tankier against Slash units and he can benefit more from the HP and CP gained on hit due to his Shot type hitting more targets.

+ Gains CP on move allowing him to build up his CS very quickly (as fast as 2 turns on his own) when combined with his CP on hit from Peony-Branded Hound.

+ His CS grants him Crit+ATK Up by 2.5x ~ 5x for 1 turn (Buff) allowing him to inflict very high damage.

+ Gains guaranteed Guts+1HP when HP is at 0 at the end of the turn for 5 turns. Removed once activated. (Buff) on phase start for added survivability.

+ Gains LimitATK Up by 1x~2x → 2x~4x as HP→0 for 1 turn (Buff) on move which is a very rare buff that he can capitalize on safely due to his innate Guts+1HP when HP is at 0 at the end of the turn for 5 turns. Removed once activated. (Buff), TenacityDEF Up by 0.9x ~ 0.45x for 1 turn (Buff) and constant healing.

Cons

- Becomes crippled if he is not moved or unable to be moved as much of Valentines Shino's utility (specifically his TenacityDEF Up by 0.9x ~ 0.45x for 1 turn (Buff) and LimitATK Up by 1x~2x → 2x~4x as HP→0 for 1 turn (Buff)) activate on move.

- His need to be constantly moved limits the team compositions he can fit into.

- ALL-ROUND attribute means he is unable to hit any attributes for increased damage and he doesn't have resistance to any based on attribute.

- His ATK stat is fairly low so his damage isn't impressive alone unless he is low health for LimitATK Up by 1x~2x → 2x~4x as HP→0 for 1 turn (Buff) or he activates his CS.

Gameplay Role

3☆/5☆ Shino

As a 3☆ card Shino is not particularly worth using. His Flowerer skill provides ATK UpATK Up by 1.1x ~ 2.2x for 4 turns (Buff) on phase start but at an unreliable rate of 60% unseeded so Shino should be placed near any other teammates who want to benefit from ATK UpATK Up by 1.1x ~ 2.2x for 4 turns (Buff) at the end of each phase. While Shino does gain TenacityDEF Up by 0.9x ~ 0.45x for 1 turn (Buff) on move, he has no other skills which activate on move which leaves it as a poor choice to move Shino since there is little benefit for how much the movement slot could provide. His Muncher skill allows him to heal up to 1200HP per turn assuming he hits the maximum amount of targets. Coupled with his INFERNAL this is nowhere near enough HP restored to actually keep him healthy and alive. While his innate Guts+1HP when HP is at 0 at the end of the turn for 5 turns. Removed once activated. (Buff) does allow him some longevity he has practically no real use, as he can neither tank for long periods of time nor deal any respectable damage due to his very low attack stat of 3481 at level 60 and his lack of personal attack buffs.

On the other hand with the addition of Head Hunter his 5☆ card gains a much needed boost in damage. For the first turn of every phase Shino is able to inflict Countdown-10000~-20000HP/turn for 2 turns (Debuff) at a 90% rate with no skill seeds. He also deals 4x damage to any enemies afflicted with Countdown. This gives Shino a large boost in damage for the first turn of each phase and can be treated similar to other units like Babalon or Garmr who gain a huge damage buff for the first turn then peter out. With Head Hunter giving Shino CritATK Up by 2x ~ 4x for 1 turn (Buff) levels of damage combined with his INFERNAL and his Thrust he can deal over 10,000 damage with no buffs on an enemy with Countdown-10000~-20000HP/turn for 2 turns (Debuff) (less against ALL-ROUND and VALIANT units). Because his CS also inflicts Countdown-10000~-20000HP/turn for 2 turns (Debuff) it benefits from Head Hunter as well, making his CS do a massive amount of damage of over 60,000 with no other buffs. Aiming to get his CS can give Shino some use past the first turn of a phase since he can still benefit from the damage boost of Head Hunter after turn 1. Combined with his phase start Guts+1HP when HP is at 0 at the end of the turn for 5 turns. Removed once activated. (Buff) Shino is quite deadly as he will likely stay alive even after moving to the frontlines to deliver a Head Hunter boosted attack for the first turn.

Valentine's Shino

In contrast to his vanilla kit, Valentine's Shino is a strong and tanky unit capable of standing on the frontlines. He excels at mitigating a lot of incoming damage for his team and dealing out respectable to high damage in return. When Shino is moved he gains 3 things integral to his gameplay. From Assembler he grants TenacityDEF Up by 0.9x ~ 0.45x for 1 turn (Buff) to himself and allies directly to his right and left. This makes whatever row Shino's on far tankier. Assembler also grants 20CP to Shino. Assembler is a very reliable skill with a 100% chance of triggering even unseeded making Shino very reliable for increasing the survivability of his team.

Stats and Seed Usage

Unit	(Effective) HP		Base ATK		ATK per square		CS ATK per square (SALV1)		Notes
	Unseeded	Seeded	Unseeded	Seeded	Unseeded	Seeded	Unseeded	Seeded
	6495	8530	3482	5027	1567	2262	3133	4524	-
	7994	9893	4725	6303	2599	3466	10394	13866	-
	7994	9893	16690	25211	10394	13866	41577	55464	Damage with 4x advantage against Countdown-10000~-20000HP/turn for 2 turns (Debuff) from Head Hunter
	8433	10387	4535	6074	2041	2733	20610	27608	Status Lv1 on charge Crit+ATK Up by 2.5x ~ 5x for 1 turn (Buff) factored in

Valentine Shino

Skill seeds should be prioritized for Shino (Valentine) in order to guarantee his LimitATK Up by 1x~2x → 2x~4x as HP→0 for 1 turn (Buff) proc. This also has the nice effect of helping to boost his chances of giving Regeneration+400~800HP/turn for 4 turns (Buff) to himself and Guts+1HP when HP is at 0 at the end of the turn for 5 turns. Removed once activated. (Buff) to allies. From there, ATK seeds should be used first to improve his damage since Valentine Shino is already very tanky.

Team Synergy

Valentine Shino

Offensive Buffers

Since Shino (Valentine) may only do so-so damage at full health without CS, offensive buffers who preferably don't need to move can help boost his regular damage. The other Valentine Festa units such as Kenta (Valentine) and Surtr (Valentine) are good examples of this.

Units who have skills which activate upon being hit

Since Valentine Shino gives both TenacityDEF Up by 0.9x ~ 0.45x for 1 turn (Buff) and Guts+1HP when HP is at 0 at the end of the turn for 5 turns. Removed once activated. (Buff) to allies, this allows him to synergize units who have skills which activate upon being hit. Examples include Behemoth, Ziz, and Tangaroa (Canaan).

Defensive Buffers/Healers

At the expense of damage from Limit, Valentine Shino can be paired with other defensive buffers to capitalize on the fact that Tenacity is a less commonly bestowed defensive buff to allies compared to Protection. So he can be used with units such as Seth, Chernobog (Beachside), and Choji.

CP Batteries

Since Valentine Shino has a powerful CS, CP batteries can help him use it more frequently if the goal is more damage. Units such as Daikoku and Kagutsuchi (Jamboree) are examples.

AR Equipment

Valentine Shino

As a Shot unit, Shino (Valentine) gets Shooting Stars which is very nifty for piercing EvasionDEF Up by 0.01x ~ 0.005x for 1 turn (Buff). The secondary effect of the occasional ComboATK Down by 0.6x (excepting charge attacks), attack twice each turn for 2 turns (Buff) is also great for him though rare. Due to his defensively-oriented play style, he can also equip Ogres' Nightlife in order to occasionally CharmCannot attack for 3 turns (Debuff) mob enemies.

CP/CS boosting ARs

Since Valentine Shino has a very strong CS, ARs such as Summoners Christmas and The Dog's Battlefield are ARs which can help achieve/boost that damage.

Checks and Counters

Valentine Shino

Movement Restricting Debuffs

Since Shino (Valentine) needs to move constantly, debuffs such as FearCannot move at will, -10CP/turn for 5 turns (Debuff) are very detrimental to his play style.

Buff Removal

As part of Valentine Shino's utility and survivability comes from the application of Guts+1HP when HP is at 0 at the end of the turn for 5 turns. Removed once activated. (Buff) to himself and allies, enemies with some form of buff removal/nullification can be a threat to him. It's particularly important to be cognizant of the fact that Remove BuffRemove one buff (Debuff) removes Guts at a guaranteed chance on overkill, which is relevant when Valentine Shino is at low health.

Skill Locking Debuffs

Since Valentine Shino does not have immunity to these debuffs, these can shut him down easily as well.

Teambuilding Options

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

Boil or Bake

Team Details (submitted by milk)
Kagutsuchi 【Defensive Support, CP Battery】	Anyone / no one 【Flexible】	Anyone / no one 【Flexible】	Shino 【Support unit, Damage Dealer】
Cost: ≥16

This is an example pair clear team which takes advantage of Kagutsuchi (Jamboree) as a defensive support and CP battery. By having ProtectionDEF Up by 0.9x ~ 0.45x for 1 turn (Buff), TenacityDEF Up by 0.9x ~ 0.45x for 1 turn (Buff), Guts+1HP when HP is at 0 at the end of the turn for 5 turns. Removed once activated. (Buff) and healing, the two can power through enemies if they don't have any major detrimental debuffs. For a more rounded out team, someone like Tangaroa (Canaan) and Thunderbird can be added.