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Players of Fate/Grand Order understand that there are certain intricacies involved when creating ideal parties in the game. After all, while it’s perfectly fine to include favorite Servants in a team, those who want to get into the game’s deeper meta may want to consider optimizing their builds to maximize their Servant’s offerings.
Interestingly enough, one of the more compelling Fate/Grand Order builds available in the game is for the Buster Team. Unlike their Quick and Arts counterparts, Buster Teams focus on dishing out devastating damage numbers to dispose of enemies quickly. How would this build work?
What Is The Buster Team?
While it makes sense for players of FGO to just build a team with whoever Servant they choose, it’s much more practical to build a team around a particular skill set or specialization. The Buster Team emphasizes the use of the red Buster cards to deal high damage, in contrast to the crit-reliant Quick and support-reliant Arts Teams.
- Straightforward Damage: Unlike other setups, Buster Teams emphasize the Servant’s ability to do hard damage. With the right card combinations, a Servant can dish out mean damage on the get-go without much effort.
- Attack Is Key: A lot of the setups in Buster Team simply rely on giving a particular Buster Servant as many buffs as possible to their attack and criticals. Considering the damage potential in a Buster Card combo, having their attacks boosted can dish out a lot of damage easily.
- Boss Nukes: Contrary to Quick and Arts Teams, the Buster Team is likely the tankiest and the most durable among setups. Added to their firepower, Buster Teams are more reliable to deal with bosses and tougher foes in the endgame.
Enter The Buster Card
Of the three card types that describe attacks in FGO, it’s the red Buster Card that emphasizes dealing damage. As the primary aggressive command card in the game, Buster Cards are expected to dish out more damage compared to their Quick and Arts counterparts. At its core, these are the most important factors surrounding the Buster card, which is the centerpiece of the Buster Team:
- 150% Damage Multiplier: The Buster Card has an inherent 150% damage multiplier, which is the quality that sets it apart from crit-acquiring Quick Cards and NP-boosting Arts Cards.
- Buster Chain Bonus: On top of the damage multiplier, combining three Buster Cards creates a Buster Chain that provides 20% of the Servant’s attack value as extra damage.
- Lack Of NP Gain, Star Generation: The biggest setback of Buster Cards is the lack of NP Gain and Star Generation, meaning they rely heavily on the base attack of the Servants to deal damage. Buster Teams offset this with buffs.
Buster Team: The Components
Similar to other team setups, there are specific components that a Buster Team needs in order to function properly. At its core, there are three members in a Buster Team that consistently need to perform in order to dish out as much damage as possible. Here are those members:
Support
As with most setups, Support Servants are there not just to keep the party alive but to give them buffs and other benefits consistent with what the team aims to do. In the context of a Buster Team, the Support Servant is in charge of ensuring that the team has more than enough attack power to dish out a high base attack. Here are qualities that Support Servants need to possess:
- Damage Output Increase: Of all buffs that the Support Servant could provide, it’s boosting damage output that is the most essential of all. These can come in the form of multiple buffs, such as boosting attacks and crits, as well as boosting the outputs of Buster cards.
- Survivability: Another integral component of a Support Servant has to do with their survivability. Essentially, ideal Support Servants should be able to keep themselves and/or the rest of the team alive, be it with heals or other statuses.
Star Generation
Reliant on Quick Cards and star-generating abilities, it’s the job of the Star Generation Servant to be able to dish out as many stars as possible. As fans of the game remember, stars are essential in ensuring a Servant attains a critical hit in their attack. Here are certain elements that Star Generation Servants need to possess:
- Quick Chains: It’s advisable for Star Generation Servants to be Quick-based Servants, especially since dishing out Quick Chains can give a lot of stars in a single go. Of course, due to the limited cards in a Servant’s deck, Quick Chaining isn’t always reliable.
- High Hitcount: Servants with naturally-high hit counts are ideal for Star Generation since multiple attacks also generate stars. These are more reliable sources for stars due to hitcounts being associated with normal accounts.
The Buster
The centerpiece of the Buster Team, the Buster Servant is the primary damage dealer of the squad. Theoretically, with buffs from the Support and crits from the Star Generation Servant, the Buster Servant should be able to wipe out entire enemy squads with ease. Here are relevant components that Buster Servants need to possess, whether they’re a high-star or of a lower-star variant:
- High Attack: It’s necessary for Buster Servants to have high attack since this is the primary determinant of their base combat damage. Boosting this guarantees better damage output, and therefore better performance.
- Buster Cards: The most essential component of a Buster Servant is Buster Cards. These Servants need to carry a lot of these cards in order to dish out Buster Chains more efficiently.
- High Base Star Weight: A reflection of the critical rate in the game, star weight refers to how many stars a Servant can absorb at any given turn. Certain Classes and Servants within them have higher base star weights compared to others, meaning they absorb more stars compared to others.
Choose The Right Craft Essences
Aside from a Servant’s base qualities, there are also Craft Essences that can drastically improve various aspects of their performance. As such, it’s also proper to assume that there are CEs specifically tailored to boost attack, crit, and other Buster-heavy properties. Capitalizing these in Buster Teams can give immense benefits to the squad. Here are some recommended Craft Essences:
- Castle Of The Sun: This CE provides a 15% boost to critical hit damage and star drop rate, as well as a 25% NP charge at the beginning of combat. This is a great way to jumpstart crit-heavy Buster Servants.
- Holy Night Supper: This CE boosts critical damage and NP damage by 10%, as well as gives a 30% NP charge when combat begins. This focuses more on buffing the critical damage of servants as well as dishing out NP early on.
- Piece Of Year 2030: This CE gives an immediate 8 Critical Stars to the wielder each turn. Practically guaranteeing crits due to the automatic stars, this CE eases a bit of star generation hassle to players. This is especially useful to teams where there are two Support Servants and one Buster Servant.
- Talk On The Heated Sands: This CE boosts critical hits by 20% and star absorption rate by 400%. Based on the buffs alone, this CE is perhaps the best CE for anyone who wants to push their critical damage.
- Victor From The Moon: This CE boosts critical strength by 20% and the efficiency of Buster Cards by 20%. Given these benefits, this CE is perhaps one of the must-have CEs for Buster Servants who want to boost both their crits and base damage to the maximum.
Getting The Right Attack Pattern
Given the expansive list of Servants in FGO, it makes sense for a Buster Team to have different Servants and therefore different strategies. However, players can still rely on a few basic “principles” when deciding on how to approach combat, especially depending on the nature of the Servants they’re carrying and the cards present in the field. Here are some attack patterns to consider:
- Buff Everything About Attack: One of the best approaches to a Buster Team is buffing the Buster Servant’s overall damage output. At its core, the ideal buff for the Buster Servant depends on their character’s overall shtick. For instance, most Buster Servants may benefit from attack boosts and Buster Card efficiency boosts, whereas others may appreciate critical boosts if they have powerful crit potential.
- Prioritize Star Generation: If there are prominent cards for the Star Generation Servant in the round, it helps to prioritize star-genning for this particular turn. This greatly helps teams that don’t have the “Piece Of Year 2030” CE, as well as those who are working majorly with Support Servants. Anything above 30% star generation would greatly help boost the team’s attack power in the next turn.
- Survivability First: If a player discovers that they can’t attack as much in a particular turn, it could help to ensure the team’s survivability first. Their Support Servants could dramatically boost the team’s defense, or at least ensure that the team’s current attack can at some point get a bit of star generation or NP Gauge boost.
Sample Buster Teams
With the above taken into consideration, it could help for players to have some hint as to the kind of ideal Buster Team setups they can rely on in the game. Keep in mind that Buster Teams may be extremely flexible by the time players start adjusting based on their present Servants and their capabilities. Here are some team setups players may want to replicate:
Premier Jalter
Headlined by Jeanne D’arc Alter, this team is perhaps one of the best teams to replicate. At its core, Jeanne shines as a Buster Servant with a ton of Buster Cards in her deck, as well as high star generation values. Due to her skillset, she’s more than capable of busting through bosses with relative ease.
- Jeanne D’Arc Alter (Avenger): As an Avenger, she has higher damage than normal, giving her an edge in terms of base damage alone. She has natural attack buffs, crit damage boosts, and Buster Card buffs that make her one heavy hitter - and that’s without the support.
- Cu Chulainn Alter (Berserker): An alternate to Jeanne is Cu Chulainn Alter, one of the most powerful Buster Servants in the game. Focusing more on survivability, this Servant has a dodge skill that boosts his defense and even a skill that decreases the enemy’s overall damage numbers. Combined with the fact that his nature as a Berserker lets him do more damage to opponents, Cu Chulainn Alter is a worthy frontliner to consider.
- Jack The Ripper (Assassin): The premiere star-genning Servant, Jack the Ripper has a ton of hits with her attacks, guaranteeing a lot of stars even with her ordinary attacks. She possesses four Quick Cards in her deck, including her Noble Phantasm, meaning star-genning via Quick Chains would be much easier.
- Merlin (Caster): Considered by many as the meta-defining Support Servant, Merlin has a lot of damage-oriented buffs perfect for Buster Teams. His buffs can boost attack, critical attack, damage, and even Buster Cards. Not to mention, he has a team invincibility skill that not only boosts star generation but also debuffs the enemy’s crit chances.
- Nightingale (Berserker): One of the most potent Buster Supports in the game, Nightingale is capable of boosting Buster Cards and even healing on short cooldowns. A Berserker like Cu Chulainn Alter, Nightingale can dish out decent damage should it be needed. Not to mention, her NP can heal the entire team while also clearing their debuffs.
Ishtar Annihilation
Starring Ishtar, this Buster Team build emphasizes dealing solid damage while at the same time consistently buffing the team for their attack and damage output. Ishtar’s skillset vastly complements her potential in dealing damage, something the rest of the team capitalizes on.
- Ishtar (Archer): Courtesy of her Archer Class, Ishtar has strong stats that help her focus on her damage output. Her skills alone help her boost the team’s overall attack and critical damage output, as well as a skill that not only boosts her NP Gauge but may provide invincibility as well. Her last skill can give as much as a 50% boost in the turn after its activation, making it a nifty preparation spell.
- Ozymandias (Rider): One of the best Riders in terms of survivability, Ozymandias prides himself in decent defense buffs and attack buffs. His decent stats, when complemented with his buffs, can give Ozymandias as much as three turns’ worth of high-damage output. However, he lacks defensive skills as well as star generation.
- Minamoto No Yorimitsu (Berserker): One of the best Berserkers in the game, Minamoto No Yorimitsu is a consistent damage dealer that relies more on criticals to dish out the pain to opponents. Her skillset relies a lot on generating stars for the team, and especially on boosting her critical output. She doesn’t have a lot of defensive tools, however.
- Zhuge Liang (Caster): One of the best Support Casters in the game, Zhuge is best paired with a Buster Servant due to his potential of maximizing their damage output. While he doesn’t deal as much damage and doesn’t have survivability skills with him, his skillset gives Servants ease of access to buffs, fast NP Gauge generation, and crowd control.
Heracles Domination
Spearheaded by Heracles, this team primarily uses the buffs of Berserkers to be able to handle a lot of opponents by themselves while being supported by a reliable defensive Servant. However, since they have low NP Generation, players may want to make use of Craft Essences such as Kaleidoscope to boost NP on the onset.
- Heracles: It makes sense for the first Berserker introduced in the series to be one of its most powerful. Heracles immediately sets the bar among Berserkers due to his admirable survivability as well as decent damage output, especially for his 4-Star status. However, he does take double the damage from all Classes, which makes it imperative for him to keep his Dodges and Guts at all times. He also doesn’t have a lot of supportive abilities, meaning he may have to carry the team in terms of the offense, with everyone buffing him instead of the other way around.
- Mash Kyrielight: The only member of the Shielder Class, Mash is the premier defensive Servant in the game. She doesn’t have any inherent weaknesses and advantages with regard to Classes, and her skill sets and NP apply a lot of defensive buffs to the team. Mash can single-handedly determine the survival of this team when utilized properly.
- Tamamo Cat (Berserker): One of the premier farmers in the game, Tamamo Cat is an efficient Quick-based Berserker that relies on dishing out AOE to clear mobs quickly. Her survivability and star generation potential make her a heavy-hitting star-gen for a Buster Team. However, her damage potential becomes severely limited given her lower-than-usual attack stat, as well as a stun debuff for her NP.
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