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.
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 Countdown-10000~-20000HP/turn for 2 turns (Debuff) advantage from Head Hunter |
   |
8433 | 10387 | 4535 | 6074 | 2041 | 2733 | 20610 | 27608 | Status Lv1 Crit+ATK Up by 2.5x ~ 5x for 1 turn (Buff) on charge factored in |
Example description
Team Synergy
Example synergy class
Example description
AR Equipment
Example AR equipment
Checks and Counters
Example counter
Example description
Teambuilding Options
This section consists of user-submitted builds that may not necessarily be viable for high level quests.
Arbitrary Team Name
| Team Details (submitted by UserName) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shino 【Debuffer】 |
Shino 【Moveslut, CP Battery】 |
Shino 【Healer, Tank】 |
Shino 【Support unit】 |
 Licht 【example of variant call】 |
 Anyone / no one 【Flexible】 |
| Cost: ≥X | |||||
Example team function description.