Badge Dojo · Fire 2-3

This is the last stage on the 2-1 grid, and the right side is completely empty. Enemies that would have come down lane 3 drift into the middle, where Firecoil is the first thing they meet. That makes Firecoil the unit you cannot afford to lose: it is both the front of the busiest lane and the only healer on the board.

On difficulty, Lineup 1 is all second forms, so it asks for a reasonably developed team rather than any rare unit.

The alternatives change the board more than a simple swap. One fills the empty lane instead: Pyrohound moves to row 1 of lane 3, Kitjitsu stands in row 1 of lane 1, Ashlarva replaces Firecoil in the middle, and Embertail and Scorchwing stack behind it. In that alternative, Scorchwing fires a rapid string of fireballs and then rests, and Embertail's mines cover the gap while it recharges. Another alternative keeps lane 3 empty but stacks lane 1 three deep with Pyrohound, Firecoil and Azurion, leaving Kitjitsu and Flametail in the middle.

If Lineup 1 keeps failing, the usual cause is Firecoil going down under the weight of two lanes. Levels on Firecoil fix more losses here than levels on any damage unit. The next stage starts a new grid built around the base form of Firecoil.