Hey nerds, 40 years olds in thier mothers basement, Ex-pokemon nostalgia seekers, waifuhunters and very possibly Djbasak.
I’m EMI Eklypz, Buffed PvE Specialist, ex-discord PvE Advisor and someone who regularly gets into the top 50 of the ultimate challenge event.
ive decided to write this guide that nobody asked for for two reasons. first off - i think that it will benefit a lot of player’s, people will likely have watched @SHIKAOTOKO or @LDN_TiO_OoO s yt videos already and will have a good idea of certain strategies that can be used. I’m not as good a player as those two however i know a thing or two about utilizing monsters who otherwise might be overlooked.
the second reason is that if @Killerdog and @LemonSqueezy can make guides then surely i can as well since im much better looking than them.
ok on to the guide -
MENTALITY
the first and most important tip i can give about UC is having the right mindset. over the years i have decided that in order to win UC battles you have to SURVIVE THEM.
i feel like a lot of people dont have this mindset. for example if you fill your entire team with death revenge monsters then the only thing that you are really wanting your team to do is die? how is that logical? also if you go in thinking that you can overpower them then once again you will lose. they are buffed, you are not.
in order to survive you have to be smart. heres a few things to consider.
- The enemy team is buffed.
- Most monsters in UC can be Slept or stunned.
- Most Death Revenge type monsters use high tu AOE (area of effect) moves.
- You will probably meet poison teams at some point. whether they be maggatsuoh frontlines or a single musashoid doing its best to ruin your day with poison gas.
- You will probably meet cheat teams at some point. (smh)
- Most teams will have an Aurodragon somewhere.
in order to win in UC you need to consider all of these and try to adopt strategies based on countering the majority of them.
This is the main thing that sets UC aside from most other events. the levels which the monsters stats get buffed to are incredibly high and normal moves just wont touch them. heres some tips for dealing with buffed monsters.
OFFENSIVE STRATEGIES
● THIEVERY
by far the best and most effective strategy is to use monsters with mirror revenge or something like Atrahesis who can revive them when they die.
•Tengoku - since i made this guide this monster has been released and from the looks of her she will be a top UC monster because of her Shapeshift skill. not only does it steal a monster but it removes her to the back of the team, then if you have a monster with switch ally such as a death revenge clone or Aurodragon then you can swap her back in and steal another (if not - steal one!). not only that but she also stuns the opponent and stealths for protection AND she can heal with her SS. unless she is nerfed she will be a UC favourite.
● LIFE ALTERATION
Lifeflip enemy, Polareons Nightmare grip, Bovolcus Deathmatch, Blazebones Revolutionize, even Simuronix Equalize and Balancions Judgement Day (though this last one only halves the opponent hp, you will still need something that deals tremendous damage to follow up) are all ways to level the playing field and allow for some kills.
● DEATH SENTENCE
The best example of this is probably Geartyrant. it can pretty much singlehandedly beat a team if you get lucky. Dolphoone is an underused gem in UC. its basically a Death Revenge on 4 monsters. (use near front of team if not fl. just in case you get aoe swept and need something to take out the culprit before it causes too much damage.) Gandalfrog is a good cheap option who can also bring monsters off hold ground with charge ally. also don’t overlook atalancha and emeraldues.
● CHRONOTITAN
he deserves his own category. he can beat 8 superbuffed opponents with 2 moves.
● DEATH REVENGE/PETRIFY REVENGE.
Be very careful what you take from this. YES death revenge is an option however you have to be smart about WHY you are using it and WHERE in your team. For me personally i feel like there are only about 5 or 6 Death revenge types who are actually USEFUL against buffed monsters.
First off there are the two death revenge clone monsters - Cosmodragon and Nebelronix. both can be used in thier second form and both offer a lot in the way of shielding your team and killing opponents. these two can singlehandedly win you battles.
Secondly there is Hanzowolf. again his ability to clone can win battles. his stealthy entrance usually gives him enough time to clone. once he has left a rock on opponent team you are facing 3 buffed and a rockoid. use the time wisely. keep him away from earth monsters.
Carmilla is a decent DR monster because she can also make an instant kill move.
Tortogiest - both DR and mirror - one of the best UC monsters.
Musashoid - i hate facing him however he is useful simply because of his low cost.
Puffoxin/Rhinobrawl - these two are the only death revenge monsters that you can catch on the islands. for people with few options available these are the best choice. Heavily RNG reliant.
i will however mention that i sometimes switch to full DR teams on gatekeepers since there is no pressure to win.
● INSTAKILLERS
Any monster that can get a guaranteed kill is naturally a benefit against buffed monsters. ive already mentioned carmilla however the list is huge. i always try to include at least two on my teams.
Some examples of lesser used ones who are still incredibly useful include
•The mighty Arborgias (a god among trees)
•Scalopendragon (who can get multiple kills if you are lucky - my tip is to use a life alteration skill and get opponent to low hp first)
•Sacrumega (instakill and stealing opponent with a healing move as well),
•Lebroid (potentially 3 kills and a shielding move at very low cost),
• Chimunka (needs a little setup but you can beat opponents without fear of triggering revenges
•Yukihime (sleeping and a kill move)
•Neko counter cat whose name i have forgotten for now.
•Djinzar (a good budget option with a kill if you can survive - remember you can give turn wish to yourself and skip a step).
•Nagandia (both her and vampviper have petrify and can push back opponents to give yourself time.)
•Nefariodon (squishy but can guarantee kills on marked opponents)
the list is too huge to cover here.
Some of the best options are
• Christine (her shield and camouflage usually let her survive long enough to use both Exile and Oust)
• Lucifelle (with poison immunity and excessive force she can really turn a losing battle around even in second form- dont underestimate the value of charm)
• Rhinedragon (he was already decent in PvE before his recent buffs, now he is deadly even in second form. with the ability to heal and purify himself as well as getting multiple guaranteed kills AND creating protection with the goldoids and curseoids he is currently one of the best instakill monsters in the game.)
•Ankoudragon (this is a personal favourite of mine as he was in my first Neomonsters pack and i am always looking for new ways to exploit him (hence my Lunactia, Ankoudragon PvP teams!). he is basically an all round good monster to have on your team for PvE vs buffed. first of all he has decent speed, this means that a lot of the time you can link death sentence that Aurodragon or Atrahesis on the front line before it begins any of its revival shenanigans. secondly it has guardian execute and you will be hard pressed to find a UC team which doesn’t include some kind of protector so this is basically a guaranteed kill at some point. (fun tip is to have a spookoid, horrorclaw or a tortogiest later in your team to steal him back once he has taken out the opponents mirrors.), thirdly he revives when he is killed by opponent which basically ticks the survival box. and lastly when he does revive he does so with a guaranteed kill move.)
•Liera (her ability to increase time is very useful alongside monsters who need time to pass before they can achieve the kills such as Bomb, Death Sentence, Morphean Bomb etc. Summoning a monster with vile rage can be useful in some situations as well which brings me to the next category)
● EXTREME DAMAGE
while not quite guaranteeing kills there are certain monsters in the game who can deal extraordinary amounts of damage which can be particularly useful for clearing out those annoying Nebelronix and Cosmodragons at the end of the opponent team. examples include-
• Doomengine (you can basically put him anywhere in a team and it has potential to win you the battle. his shield entrance and poison immunity make him particularly useful for stopping those annoying poison teams in thier tracks and giving you time to think. one of the more fun strategies i like to do is use him with a crimseas nearby and use vile rage on him. his damage becomes insane and because he is poison immune he remains shielded. also make full use of stealth when you can.)
• Bundam (his SS can still take out DR clones at the end of a team and his double drain move helps keep him alive.)
• Vizgiarid (most of the time his bash is the last move you want to be using. his shielding and healing being the most useful options. like bundam however, it can take out a DR clone at very high levels of the game)
• Blitzdyr (this monster can be very good but takes a lot of skill to use well. the trick to him is to make full advantage of all his skills including his SS to keep the fresh clones alive. at first his damage is pretty bad however EVENTUALLY they will one-shot even the strongest opponents.)
•Wraithcaptain (this monster was already great before the recent buff to Morphean bomb. now it is a match winner. majority of the monsters you face will not have any sleep protection and therefore these are one of the best choices to have in ur uc team in my opinion. my tip is to put them before or after Aurodragon/Atrahesis as well as ensuring that they are near an instakill monster who can take out any mons with insomnia or purify. one thing to note is to always try and sleep an opponent Crimseas immediately because if you don’t it will wake everything up AND poison them so you cannot sleep again.)
• Harleking -(he can deal insane amounts of damage when you have bronzeshells on the team)
● MARK MONSTERS
Most mark monsters are able to deal pretty high damage even to buffed monsters however i would also say that they are tricky to use and with the exception of Exocross (and nefariodon if you can keep it alive) they won’t be able to hold up in the higher levels. this is a solid choice for those with limited options.
●MAGGATSUOH
This is a strategy @SHIKAOTOKO has perfected. i suggest watching his videos for further info.
● VINEGAZER/JACKOLENE
there are numerous videos about how to best use these monsters. since stun clones got nerfed and the vineeyes received broken heart they aren’t what they used to be however they can still get you results and offer an option for people who have them.
●BRYNNHILDER
A cheat code for the unskilled. enough said.
● AMMITYRANT
kind of a unique way to stop opponents without fear of triggering revenges. best used in the second half of a team. mirror also useful.
●PAYBACK KILLERS
i have to mention these even though they only work to an extent. there are many death revenge monsters about so these moves usually get targets. with the exception of voidress who is shielded and has camo, these monsters often dont survive long enough to actually kill the opponents. one way around this is to use Simuronixs equalize or balancions judgement day to lower the opponent hp to a level that is more manageable. enraging is also an option.
● FK IT USE PURPIE
speaks for itself. it can get you only so far however it is an option. there are videos on how to use him.
●RISKY STRATEGIES (edit)
there are a few high risk strategies that can be employed in UC but as the name suggests they might backfire on you.
• Death entrance monsters
there are a number of monsters that have death entrances which guarantee a kill. the problem with these is that they also might hit your own teammates which isn’t ideal. the best of these is probably Orochi (thx @squinty1880) who has multiple guaranteed kills, a revival move and a stun move. another good choice is the aforementioned godly Arborgias.
• Hellfox
Hellfox has one of the most unique designs in the game. he has a sudden death move which may or may not benefit you, might even kill itself lol. its lava entrance makes it tricky to use around sleep locks or hold ground monsters (unless getting a kill from them is your strategy). he also has death revenge. all of these make him a semi-viable UC monster however the real reason he is useful is all about his REBIRTH secret skill. he needs a kill to use it but the benefit can be great. as the name implies it kills one of your monsters and immediately brings it back to life again. why is this useful? because the monsters get any skills they have used up back! this is especially useful when using clone monsters as it allows you to make a second clone chain. Hellfox requires a high skill level to pull off well.
•Asmodia
Asmodia may seem like a great choice at first glance. she has a fast entry and can kill any monster who has been in battle for a long time using bow out. the problem with using her is that she poisons your team when she arrives. unless you have a well thought out way of purifying on entry or have poison immunes she can cause more problems than solutions.
• Tricertalon
This monster is all about its abyssal doom move.
upon entry it gives all monsters INCLUDING YOUR OWN a 200tu death sentence. unless you have some monsters that have pullbacks or sendbacks this can cause some problems however i think that this could become a widely used UC monster simply because of its low cost being a superepic.
●DO IT THE HARD WAYS
if you are really lacking in options Crescendo monsters can EVENTUALLY do enough damage to kill opponents. polaboss is probably the best example since he is also able to heal himself. this isn’t an option i would recommend as you will spend HOURS in one battle.
Torrentide can win battles by itself but again it takes a while.
Stun clone epics - i don’t even know if this is still a viable option since stun nerf but there have been many matches i have won just using a ninjastorm.
Atlantyrants Epidemic- if you can get it working efficiently then bloody well done.
DEFENSIVE STRATEGIES
This is the area a lot of people overlook in UC.
like i said at the start the most important thing about UC is the ability to survive. to do this effectively it’s vital to organize your teams placement in such a way that u can combat each of the main threats every few monsters.
heres some tips.
● CAMOUFLAGE
Camo is the best defense you can have in UC without question. AI often uses AoE moves and basically ignores the fact it cannot hit you. (until you get kills then it goes after you like a maniac).
The best example of this and possibly the best all round UC monster is onigeist. it has death sentence, it can sleeplock opponents, control entrances and protect vulnerable monsters with soul summon and heal the team by sacrificing an onigo (which also will probably sleep an opponent). in a pinch it can use Dreamhunt to heal itself. ive already mentioned christine, torrentide and Vizgiarid but there are some other good ones as well.
●POISON IMMUNITY
it is good practice to have at least 1 poison immune monster in your team. remember mark protection counts as well. often you will come across a maggatsuoh team, musashoid team or just a cheat team with a bunch of poison aoe spam monsters in it. they can wreck your team.
Good examples of Monsters to counter this include Doomengine, Nagandia/Vampviper, Lucifelle, Exocross, Nefariodon, Hu shin.
●PURIFY/PURIFYING MIST
ALWAYS have at least 1 monster that can do this. i like to use super fast purifying mist (Tyrfina, Unicera) monsters on my frontline as it is especially helpful to counter AoE, One on One and Stun Wave as well as helping to pass time for bombs or death sentences.
● HOLD GROUND
it may seem silly however the ability to stay alive for 1 more turn is more vital than you would think. this is especially useful with monsters who can heal in some way. I’ve already mentioned Rhinedragon, Harleking, Onigeist and Chronotitan (desperate bite) however possibly the best example of this is SHIVADRAGON (applause). Shivadragon is the ultimate challenges ultimate tool. HP Share and lifeflip team are what you need to dominate in UC. need time for Chronotitans bomb to go off? Waiting for bundam to charge or a death sentence to go off? use shivadragon. oh…yeah, and now they buffed him to heal even when he dies! one of the best strategies to use is to have Shivadragon along with whatever monster you are trying to pass time with for the big multikill and a Camouflage monster. the camo monster doesn’t get hit so there is always HP to share. on top of that he has crescendo…just saying.
●DISRUPTION/TOKEN LOCKS
One of the most unlikely heroes of this playstyle is the humble Bundleblazer. when used in a One on One team he can be great. first he wakes up your team with his move that hits your own team (lets face it the opponent hits harder so who cares). next turn he jumps ship and joins opponent team. from that point on he spams parasitic curse whenever he gets the chance and fills the opponent team with bronzeshells, greatly slowing down the effectiveness of the enemy team and again allowing time for you to build up whatever big attack you are going for. unfortunately for most other token monsters they are kind of one trick ponies. once they have deployed whatever it is they have then they become useless. (Jackolene is the exception, though Voodoom still has an instakill move).
●HEALING
There are a number of monsters who can Heal themselves and others in a variety of different ways. these monsters are vital to the overall theme of survival. again there are too many to count but i will list a few of the better and some of the unlikely ones people might not think of.
•Mojinator/Mojinator 2nd evo (Healing + Purifying Mist instantly upon arrival depending on the situation.)
•Heavenswyrm (stun wave with healing and camo at high speed)
• St Togala (he is niche but can keep a team alive with shielding, healing and hold ground. not my first choice but a solid option)
• Gandalfrog (low cost healer)
• Leoronix (everyone gets given him and if you are lacking in options he is a good choice, just don’t expect him to do any damage)
• Nightengale -( i had originally left her out if this guide because i wasn’t aware of just how good her buffs had been. i HAVE to add her now having had the chance to test her in Island challenge. she is EXTREMELY good for UC. she can shield and heal an ally or kill any enemy she likes without activating revenge passives AND she can do it instantly upon arrival. plus she can purify. in addition she can half a buffed monsters hp. all around good monster now. )
●CONTROL
i keep stating the importance of survival in this guide and possibly the best way to achieve this is to control both yourself and the AI. the best example of this again is probably onigeist. He can summon onigo to put the opponent to sleep locking down the danger however i find his best use is the way he can manipulate your own team. i like using him with monsters like tyrfina and rhinedragon who create protection through rocks when they enter so that it slows the opponent. also it can be used with Deviladus/demonypmh to prevent her from dying while the seconds rack up for death sentence or with Jackolene to overload the opponent with vineeyes.
a couple of other good control monsters are Lunactia and Gloreonix who both bring something a little different to the team.
●THE UNDYING!
monsters which don’t die naturally have an advantage at surviving. Ankoudragon, Revenarchion, Spectrefox (useful for purify and stun absorber) and the Yin/Yangs can all be exploited with revival monsters.
●CLONES/SPAWNERS
AI in general has difficulty dealing with clones so most of them are useful to an extent. as long as you keep cloning you wont lose! the best ones being Wraithcaptain, Doomengine, Blitzdyr and Sanctallion and Hanzowolf.
Sageroom also is a good option but requires a really good setup to pull off.
Other options who aren’t as useful but still are useable include Tenebris, Torrentide, Nauticannon, Doomgoo and Purpie (lol).
Sadly this is the one place i wouldn’t recommend using Staticsphere as his damage is pitiful Versus buffed. :c
●REVIVAL
sort of covered this in the thievery section however it is important to note that there are actually a lot of revival monsters beyond the most popular ones (Atrahesis and Aurodragon).
Some include - Hu Shin, Kanna, Dolphariel, Simuronix, and “The Sacrifice Reanimate Guy” whose name nobody actually remembers. these work especially well with clones and undying monsters like ankou.
TIME MANAGEMENT
in order to outlast your opponent you need to use your moves at the correct times. DONT FORGET YOU CAN SKIP TURN and potentially save yourself from a bigger threat. this is especially important when using healing effectively. if you know your hold ground monsters are about to be reduced to 1hp and you have a turn with a healer, wait until they have been hit until you use the heal. if you have a protector with death revenge/mirror revenge and you have the chance to use purifying mist, hold back until you have taken/killed that opponent then you can immediately protect the rest of your team.
BE CREATIVE
this has never been truer than last year when @Richito stunned everyone by getting 1st place in UC using a Cypridus frontline. his team was very unique and unusual and caused a bunch of people to question how on earth he managed it. it was an excellent example of creating your own strategy based on your monsters and getting the most from them.
I’ll give one final bit of advice before i stop this HUGE monologue which i could probably continue tbh. and that advice is to use Jerbo. not becos he is particularly good but becos he is Jerbo! 
EDIT - TRAINING
i missed out 1 very important thing and thats that you can “train” for UC in the “Test your Team” section found in the PvP screen. testing VS buffed opponents is the closest you will get to fighting in UC battles so you can try out strategies there. i usually try to do a few battles there before UC starts to get myself into the mindset.
I’ll leave you with examples of some of my teams (some outdated). hope you got something out of this. i was clearly bored.
