Badge Dojo Lightning stage 3

The third chapter changes the grid on almost every stage, and it is built around the first third form of the Lightning Dojo. Lineup 1 fills the front row: Surgehoof in row 1 of lane 1 with Sparkdoe behind it, Blitzmane in row 1 of lane 2 with Cheerlet behind it, and Voltling in row 1 of lane 3.

Blitzmane is the unit to understand for the whole chapter. It is the third form of the Zappur line, the evolved form of Electroar. It sends out a charged wave that hits an area and shoves enemies back, and it raises the damage dealt by allies standing close to it. In the middle of the front row, it has Surgehoof and Voltling on either side and Cheerlet directly behind, so its damage boost reaches the whole front.

Surgehoof is the other notable choice. It fires a shock wave that splashes onto nearby enemies, with more splashes against Water enemies, and as a damage unit at the front it relies on Blitzmane's shove and Cheerlet's healing.

In one alternative, Synthhog stands in row 2 of lane 1, Boltskipper in row 3 of the middle and Sparkdoe in row 2 of lane 3. Another alternative moves Blitzmane to the head of lane 1 and puts Nekowatt at the front of lane 3.

The grid moves Blitzmane to the wing here. Lineup 1 puts it alone in row 1 of lane 1. The middle lane has Cheerlet in row 1 with Sparkdoe behind it in row 2, and lane 3 has Voltling in row 1 with Boltskipper behind it in row 2.

Boltskipper is the new piece worth a closer look. It fires an electric orb that binds enemies in place. In row 2 of lane 3, directly behind Voltling, the orb holds enemies still in front of the guardian, where Voltling's paralysing area strikes can keep hitting them. Bound and paralysed enemies do very little damage, which keeps lane 3 safe.

Every damage unit on this board stands in row 2. Sparkdoe's spear runs up the middle from just behind Cheerlet, and Cheerlet in turn stands beside Blitzmane, close enough to gain from its damage boost and to heal it.

The tough part is lane 1. Blitzmane is a support holding a lane by itself, and its shove is its only defence. If enemies pile up there, it depends on Cheerlet's healing from one lane over.

If your second forms are uneven, this grid is a fair place to experiment, since the units are all ones you will keep using.

This stage repeats the 3-2 grid, so this page focuses on the alternatives that work across both.

The simplest alternative swaps the front of the left two lanes. Cheerlet moves to row 1 of lane 1 and Blitzmane to row 1 of the middle, Sparkdoe drops to row 4 of the middle, and Synthhog takes row 2 of lane 3 in place of Boltskipper. That puts Blitzmane back in the centre, where its damage boost reaches both neighbours, and Synthhog's fragile marks replace the binding orb.

A second alternative keeps Blitzmane and Cheerlet where Lineup 1 has them but swaps the guardian on the right for Nekowatt, the evolved form of Kittazap. As a substitute, Nekowatt throws electrified punches that hit harder the closer enemies get, which suits a front cell. In that alternative, Zapooch fills row 2 of the middle with Surgehoof in row 3.

A third alternative mirrors the first, with Nimbuzzy in row 2 of the middle behind Blitzmane and Surgehoof in row 4 of lane 3.

All of them keep Blitzmane in row 1 and Cheerlet close to it. The choice between them is mostly about which second forms you have levelled.

The grid leaves lane 1 empty this time. Lineup 1 has Blitzmane in row 1 of the middle with Sparkdoe in row 3, and lane 3 stacks Voltling in row 1, Cheerlet in row 2 and Boltskipper in row 3.

The page to learn here is about Sparkdoe. It throws a heavy lightning spear that passes through a line of enemies and paralyses them, and in row 3 of the middle it stands two cells behind Blitzmane. Blitzmane's wave shoves enemies back down the lane, and the spear then runs through the whole pushed group. The empty row 2 between them is deliberate: it leaves space for the shove to work without enemies crowding Sparkdoe.

Lane 3 acts as the sturdy side. Cheerlet in row 2 heals Voltling in front and Boltskipper behind, and it also reaches Blitzmane diagonally. Boltskipper's orb holds enemies in place in front of Voltling.

The empty lane 1 is the risk. Enemies there drift toward Blitzmane, which is a support rather than a tank. If it falls, Sparkdoe is exposed.

In one alternative, Cheerlet fills row 1 of lane 1, which closes that gap. Another alternative puts Blitzmane there instead, with Nekowatt on the right and Zapooch and Surgehoof down the middle.

This stage has a layout known as a fix for anyone who keeps losing here. Lineup 1 puts Voltling at the head of lane 1 with Sparkdoe in row 3, Cheerlet alone in row 2 of the middle, and Blitzmane at the head of lane 3 with Boltskipper in row 3.

The interesting placement is Cheerlet. Instead of standing in front, it sits back in row 2 of the empty middle, between the two front units. From there its dance reaches Voltling and Blitzmane together, healing both, raising their attack and defence, and saving whichever is about to fall first. The middle front cell is open, so enemies coming down lane 2 meet Cheerlet's dance before anything else.

The two wings mirror each other. Each has a front unit that controls enemies, Voltling with paralysis and Blitzmane with its shove, and a damage unit in row 3 behind it. Sparkdoe's spear covers the left and Boltskipper's binding orb covers the right.

In one alternative, Zapooch stands in row 1 of lane 1, Blitzmane moves to the middle and Voltling to lane 3, with Synthhog behind it and Sparkdoe in row 4 of the middle. A deeper alternative starts everyone in row 2 or 3, with Nimbuzzy in row 3 of lane 1.

The grid turns the 3-5 idea around, and the layout is recommended for the same reason: it works when other attempts keep failing. Lineup 1 puts Cheerlet at the front of lane 1 with Surgehoof in row 3, Voltling alone in row 1 of the middle, and Blitzmane at the head of lane 3 with Sparkdoe in row 3.

Surgehoof is the unit this page is about. It is the second form of the Zapuni line, and its shock wave splashes onto enemies near the one it hits, with more splashes against Water enemies. From row 3 of lane 1 it works behind Cheerlet, whose dance heals and strengthens the units around it and protects the front at the moment one is about to fall. That makes lane 1 a support-led lane with real damage behind it.

Voltling in the middle has Cheerlet on one side and Blitzmane on the other. It gets healing from the left and a damage boost from the right, which suits a guardian holding the centre alone.

On the right, Blitzmane shoves enemies back and Sparkdoe spears them in a line.

In one alternative, Zapooch stands in row 1 of lane 1 and Synthhog stands in row 2 of lane 3. Another alternative sets everyone back a row, with Nimbuzzy in row 3 of lane 1.

This grid brings Nimbuzzy into the middle. Lineup 1 puts Blitzmane at the head of lane 1 with Sparkdoe in row 3, Cheerlet in row 1 of the middle with Nimbuzzy behind it in row 2, and Voltling alone at the front of lane 3.

Nimbuzzy is the evolved form of Fluffle. It summons lightning clouds that keep chipping at an area, switching between white clouds and dark clouds that paralyse, and moves them with lightning arcs. Standing directly behind Cheerlet, it places those clouds over the middle of the front row, where they add paralysis to Blitzmane's shove on the left and Voltling's strikes on the right.

Cheerlet is the hinge. It stands between Blitzmane and Voltling in row 1, so its healing reaches both, and Blitzmane's damage boost reaches Cheerlet and Nimbuzzy in return.

The left lane has the most firepower, with Sparkdoe spearing up from row 3 behind Blitzmane. The right lane has Voltling alone, so that is where to watch.

In one alternative, the middle becomes a column of Blitzmane, Cheerlet and Sparkdoe, with Zapooch in row 2 of lane 3 behind Voltling. Similar layouts have been used across 3-7 to 3-9, and the hardest of them took more than one attempt.

The board stacks the middle this time and sets both wings back. Lineup 1 has Sparkdoe in row 2 of lane 1; the middle lane holds Blitzmane in row 1, Cheerlet in row 2 and Nimbuzzy in row 3; and Voltling stands in row 2 of lane 3.

Blitzmane is the only unit in row 1, so it meets every wave first. That sounds risky for a support, but the shape protects it. Cheerlet is directly behind it, and Sparkdoe and Voltling stand level with Cheerlet in row 2 on either side, close enough to Blitzmane to gain from its damage boost. Its shove sends enemies back toward Nimbuzzy's clouds and the line of Sparkdoe's spear.

The arrangement turns row 2 into the real defensive line. Voltling holds the right from there and Sparkdoe covers the left, while Cheerlet in the centre can reach every unit around it.

The risk is Blitzmane taking too much at once. If it falls early, enemies reach row 2 together and the shape loses its point.

In one alternative, Voltling moves up to row 1 of lane 3 with Zapooch behind it, and Sparkdoe fills row 3 of the middle. Another alternative uses Nekowatt at the front of lane 3 and Surgehoof in row 3 of the middle.

This is one of the stages where luck plays a visible part, and it may take several attempts even with the right team. Lineup 1 puts Voltling at the front of lane 1 with Cheerlet behind it, Nimbuzzy alone in row 2 of the middle, and Blitzmane at the head of lane 3 with Sparkdoe behind it.

The layout is the one from 3-7 turned around, and this time Voltling is the unit to understand. It is the evolved form of Voltkit, and it strikes from the shadows with an area attack that paralyses. At the head of lane 1, with Cheerlet directly behind to heal it, Voltling is the sturdiest front of the board. Its paralysis keeps groups from hitting back while Nimbuzzy's clouds drift over the open middle.

Every unit stands in row 1 or 2, so the board is compact. Cheerlet reaches Voltling and Nimbuzzy, and Blitzmane's boost reaches Sparkdoe and Nimbuzzy.

If you lose narrowly, retry before changing anything; the swing between runs is large here. If losses keep starting on the right, the issue is Blitzmane.

In one alternative, Blitzmane moves to the middle front, Voltling to lane 3 with Zapooch behind it, and Sparkdoe to row 3 of the middle. Another alternative puts Surgehoof in row 4 of lane 3.

The chapter ends with one of the hardest stages in the Lightning Dojo, and many players stay stuck here for a long time. Lineup 2 stacks lane 1 with Voltling in row 1, Zapooch in row 2 and Nimbuzzy in row 3, and puts Blitzmane alone at the front of the middle and Cheerlet alone at the front of lane 3.

Zapooch is the key addition. It fires a quick burst of lightning that chains from one enemy to the next, and it is the final form of the Zapup line. Behind Voltling, its chains jump through the group Voltling has paralysed, and Nimbuzzy's clouds behind it add more of the same. Lane 1 is where most of the killing happens.

The front row carries the rest. Blitzmane in the centre boosts the damage of Voltling beside it and shoves enemies back, while Cheerlet on the right heals Blitzmane and protects the front at the moment one is about to fall.

The recorded alternative is built around Nekowatt, whose punches hit harder the closer enemies get. In that alternative, Blitzmane and Sparkdoe hold lane 1, Cheerlet and Nekowatt take rows 2 and 3 of the middle, and Zapooch sits in row 3 of lane 3. In that alternative, nudging Nekowatt one cell up or sideways has turned near misses into a clear, so small adjustments are worth trying before rebuilding.