Wakan Tanka/Strategy
NOTE: This page currently under construction.
(This page is for Wakan Tanka strategy guide. For the standard Wakan Tanka page, click here.)
Overview
☆3/☆5 Wakan Tanka
Adapted with permission from the Housamo Gameplay-Based Tier List. Remove this disclaimer when Overview:☆3/☆5 Wakan Tanka is sufficiently modified.
It’s odd that a character has superior range as the common version compared to his 5☆, 
Blow has always been an attack range with clear strengths and downsides, and this is no exception. 
Wakan Tanka certainly has defensive momentum through LB1’s Evasion every level, which should be (and will probably always be due to attack range) approached to its maximum the moment he gets it. LB2 is great, Accel+CP Up serves as a steady way to steroid CP into your allies quickly, with a great effect range to boot and the buff lasting for a while, he also gets Accel’s benefit on Default, helping with his own CP partially. LB3 greatly varies between versions, 3☆ doesn’t affect him, but it still serves as a great offensive buff to whoever you want, it being a fairly uncommon buff can easily stack with other common offensive buffs is a very welcome trait. 5☆ however, applies this to himself as well, paired with CP Up pumps his own CP for his rather nice Charge, being currently the only Charge in the game known to apply Critical+, a very good offensive buff that should be approached the moment its applied. All in all, he’s a very offensive support and unit, generally pushing his allies’ offense to greater extents.
☆5 Fashionista Wakan Tanka
Example overview
Highlights
☆3/☆5 Wakan Tanka
Adapted with permission from the Housamo Gameplay-Based Tier List. Remove this disclaimer when Highlights:☆3/☆5 Wakan Tanka is sufficiently modified.
Class: Bruiser, Offensive Support
Gameplay Role:
Pros
+ Default Acceleration, along with other similar effects quickly fill up his CP, this extends quite well to his allies along with a CP Up effect through LB2.
+ LB1 ensures near-absolute damage nullification for the turn he gets it.
+ LB3 as 3☆ shares a fairly uncommon offensive buff that can easily stack with other common offensive buffs, which also applies to him as 5☆.
+ Even at raw effect, Charge bestows Crit+, which equals a fully leveled offensive buff. Consider slotting him as leader due to Crit+ being short-lived.
Cons
- Past LB1, which only lasts for a turn, he has subpar resilience and needs backup if he wants to last.
- Slightly gated to allies with good Charge skills if he wants them to approach his CP-giving methods.
- 5☆ is, strangely enough, Strike-ranged, it may trade off for LB3 applying to him and giving more CP, but it’s debatable given his attack range’s lacking range.
☆5 Fashionista Wakan Tanka
Class:
Gameplay Role:
Pros
+ Example pro
Cons
- Example con
Gameplay Role
Example gameplay role breakdown.
Stats and Seed Usage
| Unit | Max HP (unseeded) | Max HP (seeded) | Max ATK (unseeded) | Max ATK (seeded) | Max normal ATK per square (unseeded) | Max normal ATK per square (seeded) | Max CS ATK per square (unseeded, SALV1) | Max CS ATK per square (seeded, SALV1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
   |
6142 | 8096 | 3775 | 5377 | 2076 | 2958 | 7549 | 10755 |
   |
7702 | 9568 | 5108 | 6723 | 5108 | 6723 | 20430 | 26890 |
  |
7088 | 8885 | 6168 | 7903 | 3392 | 4347 | 24671 | 31612 |
☆3/☆5 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 ☆5 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
☆3/☆5 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.
Checks and Counters
☆3/☆5 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.