Badge Dojo · Lightning 1-3

On the third stage of the Lightning grid, the centre of attention is Cheerling in row 1 of lane 2.

Cheerling dances to hurt nearby enemies while healing nearby allies and raising their attack and defence. In this layout it stands in the middle of the front row, with Sparkeet on its left and Voltkit on its right, so the dance reaches the two front units that take the most hits. Few cells on the board touch as many allies as this one.

That makes Cheerling the most valuable unit on the grid, and also the most exposed. It is not a tank, yet it stands in row 1 with nothing ahead of it. Its healing keeps it alive as long as the middle lane stays light, and Voltfawn in row 4 behind it helps thin what arrives.

When a run fails, look at the order of losses. If Cheerling falls first, the two sides lose their healing at once, and Sparkeet loses its attack-raising partner as well. Cheerling is the unit to level first on this grid.

Its evolved form, Cheerlet, keeps the same dance and adds a one-time protection for allies about to fall. It becomes central in the next chapter.