There's a lot of monsters in Summoner's War, and it's hard to decide who's the best in PvE. With this tier list, I'll show you who's the best of the best, and who's... not so good. Please note that this is PvE in general (we're not specifically looking at any one area), and I'll be staying away from the mess that is PVP. This list won't be covering every monster in the game - there are a lot of useless 2-3 star and even 4-star monsters - but we'll be putting a significant amount in.
I would also like to point out once more that this list does not cover their usefulness in PVP. That means a monster who's D-tier in PvE could easily hit S-tier for PVP, and vice versa.
S-Tier
This is where the crème de la crème of units are. If you pull any of these, then you virtually guarantee you'll gain a massive jump in progression.
Lushen (Wind Joker) – It’s no secret that Lushen is one of the best monsters out there, and for good reason. His third skill, Amputation Magic, attacks all enemies 3 times. But here’s the thing – each hit completely ignores their Defense, and even deals more damage with a Defense Decrease debuff on the enemy! He can easily clear out the trash waves before you get to the main boss.
Lyn (Light Amazon) – Though she’s a 3-star monster, Lyn is nothing to scoff at! All three of her skills scale off the enemy’s max HP, meaning that you don’t have to build her with ATK in order to get her to do massive damage. I’ve seen my Lyn take out over half the Giant’s HP in the final stages before.
Loren (Light Cowgirl) – Like Lyn, she’s a three-star monster, but her passive is where it’s really at. Her passive, “Chaser,” will decrease the defense of the enemy she attacks for 1 turn, and also decreases their attack bar by 20% per hit! When you remember her first skill attacks three times, you’ll realize how good this is.
Lapis (Water Magic Knight) – Lapis is a free unit that the game gives you after clearing Mt. Siz for the first time. Though you would think she’s mediocre, she’s actually quite good, especially as an early game experience farmer for Faimon Volcano! All three of her skills hit multiple enemies, and two of those three decrease Attack Bars. Her third skill also happens to heal herself based off the damage she deals, too!
Galleon (Water Pirate Captain) – Listen, Galleon is one of the best units out there, and he’s only four stars. His third skill, Time to Loot, will both increase all allies’ Attack Power and decrease all enemies’ defenses in the same skill, greatly increasing the damage he and his allies will deal. I was Galleon-less for 3 years, and the moment I pulled him, my fastest GB10 time went down by at least 30 seconds.
Colleen (Fire Harpu) – I know, I know, a 2-star monster making it to S-tier. But hear me out! She’s actually great! Her first and second skills have essential debuffs (and are multihit) needed for NB10, and her third skill, Fiery Dance, is on a 3-turn cooldown. Considering it heals everyone for 25% their Max HP and gives 3-turn Attack buff, that’s really good!
Chasun (Wind Sky Dancer) – Though Chasun has fallen out of the meta these days, that doesn’t mean she isn’t really good. Her second skill, Amuse, heals all allies by 20% of her Max HP, increasing their attack power for 2 turns, but the real treat is in her third skill, Fallen Blossoms. She’ll balance the HP and attack bar of both herself and another ally so that it was higher than before.
Bernard (Wind Griffon) – Bernard will actually be a big help for you, from breaking into GB10 to endgame PVP. His second skill brings defense and attack break in one hit. His third skill, meanwhile, increases all his allies’ attack bars by 30% and their attack speed for 2 turns.
Belladeon (Light Inugami) – Belladeon is actually really good. Her first skill brings Defense Break, her second skill removes all beneficial effects on an enemy, and her third skill heals everyone by 30% of their HP and increases their attack bars by 30%. She’ll be an essential part in your starter GB10 team!
Baretta (Fire Sylph) – Baretta is actually a fusable four-star unit, and he’ll end up being great for breaking into Trial of Ascension! Not only his does his second skill completely reset the enemy’s attack bar, but his third skill, Phoenix’s Fury, plants not one, but two Continuous Damage effects on all enemies for 3 turns! Put a Despair runeset on him, and he’ll be perfect!
Megan (Mystic Witch) – Megan will serve to be a great unit for your starter DB10 team. She’s a three-star monster, too. Her second skill, Toad Poison, removes a beneficial effect off the enemy (which is perfect for DB10). Her third skill, Spell of Strengthening, meanwhile, increases the attack bar of all her allies by 20%, while increasing the Attack and Defense of these allies for 2 turns, too.
Mav (Wind Penguin Knight) – Mav is the little pengi that could! His second skill, Declare War, heals himself by 25% of his HP, and has a 75% chance to Provoke an enemy for a turn. His third skill, Wings of Wind, removes one harmful effect of all allies, decreases their skill cooltime by 1 turn each, and also increases their attack speed for 2 turns. This makes him really good for Trial of Ascension, especially because of his Provoke.
Sigmarus (Water Phoenix) – Oooh, I actually happen to love Sigmarus! He’s a fusable nat5 monster, and I gotta say he’s really good. His third and second skill both scale off the enemy’s Max HP, making him a great source of damage. Both skills also deal Freeze on the enemies. But wait, there’s more – his third skill, Ice Volcano, attacks all enemies; it decreases their attack for 2 turns, and Freezes them for 1 turn if they land a Critical Hit.
Skogul (Wind Giant Warrior) – Oh, he’s great! Skogul, a four-star monster, is all about “throwing his stone up” into the air. Basically, his second skill, Atlas Stone, involves him throwing his stone up into the air. In the next turn, though, the stone comes down from the sky and attacks all enemies, dealing damage based off his max HP. The damage is, like, really good, too.
Teshar (Wind Phoenix) – Teshar is a good monster, he’s just… held back by his AI. His third skill Tempest attacks all enemies, becomes instantly reusable if he kills an enemy with it, and also increases his attack bar by 20% per dead enemy. It’s just that his AI is so stupid. He’ll have many enemies at low HP, and he’ll use one of his two single-target skills, despite the fact that he clearly can hit Tempest and then instantly use it again next wave.
Theomars (Water Ifrit) – Listen. It’s no secret Theomars is absolute cancer, and for good reason. It’s mostly because of his passive, Elemental King, in which he always gains an elemental advantage when attacking the enemy. But wait, there’s more! When he receives an attack that would be fatal, he gains Endure for 1 turn, which makes him immune to death. Unfortunately, this Endure part of his passive has a 10 turn cooldown.
Verdehile (Fire Vampire) – Verdehile is definitely one of the best four-star monsters out there, and for good reason! Not only is he fusable, but his passive skill, Boiling Blood, will increase the attack bar of every one of his allies by 20% with each critical hit he hands; and both skills hit twice! He’ll prove to be quite useful in DB10.
Verad (Water Dragon) – Verad is a good monster, and he’s definitely good in the Trial of Ascension! His third skill, Absolute Zero, attacks all enemies, resets the attack bar of them to zero, and also freezes them for one turn. So basically, not only are they not allowed to get their turn, when their attack bar fully fills up, they still miss the turn!
Zaiross (Fire Dragon) – Zaiross is also good, though he is kind of similar to his water brothe. His third skill, Fiery Breaths, attacks all enemies, dealing massive damage to them all and resetting their cooldowns to the max. It’s really fun to watch everyone die.
Fran (Light Fairy Queen) – I know I’d get a lot of backlash if I didn’t include Fran, and honestly, I can understand why. She’s just so good! Her first skill decreases attack and attack bars, her second skill completely removes all debuffs off an ally and heals them based off her attack power. But her third skill heals all allies, granting both increased attack power and Immunity for 2 turns.
Isis (Light Desert Queen) – I know, she’s not a unit that you’d see in a lot of top-tier lists. But I just felt like she’s really good, because of her third skill, Gaze of Oblivion. It puts Oblivion and Silence on all enemies for 2 turns, which means they can’t use their second and third skills or passives, and it’s great!
Talia & Sabrina (Water Chakram Dancer & Boomerang Warrior) – The Chakram Dancers and the Boomerang Warriors are some of the best monsters out there, because of their mechanic where they attack together on the same team. Talia and Sabrina are the best duo together, because Sabrina’s passive inflicts damage on enemies with no beneficial effects, and takes less damage from enemies with beneficial effects.
Herteit (Dark Lightning Emperor) – Though there’s a good chance you won’t ever get him (due to be a dark nat5), Herteit is definitely one of the best monsters you can pull. His third skill, Endless Desire, will absorb 25% of his Attack Power and Defense per Knowledge that he has consumed, taking it from the enemy; while also stealing all beneficial effects and granting himself another turn if he’s got 5 Knowledge. Granted, it’s only 10% if it’s on a boss monster, but that’s still insane.
Camilla (Water Valkryja) – Camilla isn’t the greatest these days, but she’s still pretty good. Her second skill, Seal of Water, deals damage based off the enemy’s max HP, but the real meat of her kit is her passive, First Aid. When she’s hit by a critical hit, she reduces the damage she takes by half, and removes all harmful effects. Yes, every time she’s hit by a crit, all harmful effects are gone. Oh yeah, she recovers 10% HP every turn.