Badge Dojo Water stage 2

The second chapter of the Water Dojo brings in a real tank. Lineup 1 puts Cribbler in row 2 of lane 1 with Maskfry behind it in row 3, Skinklet alone in row 2 of the middle, and Swaystroll in row 2 of lane 3 with Frostpaw in row 4.

Swaystroll is the unit to understand first. It is the second form of the Waddledo line, and it shields itself with ice while building up power, then fires ice crystals once the shield breaks. The longer it has charged, the harder those crystals hit. In practice, Swaystroll absorbs the first stretch of a wave behind its shield and then answers with a burst that rewards the time it held.

That makes it ideal at the head of lane 3. Enemies there spend a long time breaking the shield, and Frostpaw in row 4 behind it slows them and scatters ice fragments over the group while they do. By the time the shield breaks, the crystals land on enemies that are already hurt.

The front units of each lane start in row 2, so the board meets enemies at one depth across every lane.

In the alternative for these first stages, Skinklet moves to lane 1 with Capypapa behind, Clawzor takes the middle with Lullely in row 4, and Frostique replaces Frostpaw at the back of lane 3.

The 2-1 grid repeats here, and this page is about the pair in lane 1: Cribbler in row 2 and Maskfry in row 3.

Cribbler is a guardian that swipes with a claw for area damage. Maskfry is a support that summons waves to pull enemies in and a whirlpool that deals light area damage. On their own neither is strong. Together they form a trap. Maskfry's waves drag enemies into a tight group in front of Cribbler, and Cribbler's claw then hits the whole group at once.

Their cells explain the pairing. Maskfry stands directly behind Cribbler, so the enemies it pulls end up exactly where the claw lands, and the whirlpool adds steady damage on top. Cribbler is a first form, so it relies on that grouping to kill quickly rather than on its own health.

The weakness is that lane 1 has no ranged damage. Frostpaw is two lanes away, so if the pulled group is too big, Cribbler has to grind it down alone.

In another alternative, the front row fills up: Ospisces, the evolved form of Maskfry, stands in row 1 of lane 1, Cribbler in row 1 of the middle and Swaystroll in row 1 of lane 3, with Bubbit and Frostpaw at the back.

The grid changes slightly and then holds for five stages. Lineup 1 keeps Cribbler and Maskfry in rows 2 and 3 of lane 1 and moves Frostpaw behind them to row 4. Skinklet stays alone in row 2 of the middle, and Swaystroll now holds lane 3 by itself in row 2.

The move of Frostpaw is the whole difference. Lane 1 becomes the strong column: Maskfry pulls enemies together in front of Cribbler, and Frostpaw's slowing ice lands on that same packed group, breaking into fragments that hit everything around it. A tight group is the best possible target for those fragments.

Frostpaw is an evolved form of Frostnip, and its slow also protects Cribbler, which as a first form needs the time.

The price is on the right. Swaystroll no longer has Frostpaw behind it, so its shield has to hold without the slow, and its crystal burst lands on enemies that are not yet weakened. Swaystroll is a tank, so it usually copes, but bigger waves can break it.

If lane 3 keeps falling, level Swaystroll, since the longer its shield holds, the harder the burst hits. If lane 1 is the problem, Frostpaw is the better target.

On the same grid as 2-3, the focus is Skinklet alone in row 2 of the middle lane.

Skinklet is a specialist that fires bubbles for area damage, turns invisible after taking enough damage, and goes after back-line enemies while hidden. In this layout it is the only unit in lane 2, standing between the strong lane 1 column and Swaystroll on the right.

Its cell is a connector rather than a wall. Enemies coming down the middle meet Skinklet at the same depth as Cribbler and Swaystroll, so the front stays even across the board. Its area bubbles also reach groups that Maskfry has pulled toward the edge of lane 1.

The invisibility changes how the middle behaves. When Skinklet hides, the enemies attacking it lose their target and keep walking, and nothing stands behind it. That is the moment the middle opens. In return, the hidden Skinklet goes after enemies further back, which can break up the next group before it arrives.

The tip is to treat the middle as the timer of a run. If Skinklet hides early in big waves, it needs levels, which raise the damage it can take first. Its evolved form, Skinkoon, gains range while hidden and is used in some alternatives on 2-10.

Halfway through this grid, the recorded alternative that leans on evolved forms is worth a closer look.

In that alternative, lane 1 has Skinklet in row 2 with Capypapa in row 4, the middle has Clawzor in row 2 with Lullely in row 4, and Frostique stands alone in row 4 of lane 3. Maskfry and Swaystroll are not used.

Clawzor is the next form of Cribbler. It slashes with its claw for area damage and leaves enemies shredded, so it does the same job as Cribbler in the middle with more punch. Capypapa, the evolved form of Capywata, fires a citrus shot and peels oranges that heal allies, which gives the board the healing Lineup 1 lacks. In that alternative, Lullely draws health from healthy allies to heal those who are low and to power its water orb.

Frostique is the next form of Frostpaw. It throws a block of ice that slows its target and then breaks into sharp fragments that keep travelling through the enemies behind it. From the back of lane 3 that covers the whole lane, which is why the alternative leaves lane 3 otherwise empty.

That layout trades Lineup 1's pull-and-swipe trap for healing and a stronger ranged unit.

The grid is unchanged, and this page covers the other recorded alternative, which fills the front row.

In that alternative, row 1 is full: Ospisces in lane 1, Cribbler in the middle and Swaystroll in lane 3. In that alternative, Bubbit stands in row 4 of lane 1 and Frostpaw in row 4 of lane 3.

Ospisces is the next form of Maskfry. It calls up waves that pull enemies together and a whirlpool that damages them, and pulling several at once makes the whirlpool stack a weakening effect. At the front of lane 1 it gathers enemies straight into its own whirlpool. Bubbit, the evolved form of Droppit, releases a thick fog that keeps damaging an area while slowing enemies and making them fragile, which adds to everything the front row does.

The front-row version meets enemies one row earlier than Lineup 1 and spreads the work across three front units instead of stacking lane 1. It suits a team whose Maskfry has already evolved.

Mirroring a layout from left to right has also worked on the later stages of this grid, so if one side keeps breaking, try flipping the board before rebuilding it. The units stay the same; only which side faces the heavier waves changes.

The last stage on this grid tests the weak side of Lineup 1, which is lane 3.

Swaystroll holds lane 3 alone in row 2, with nothing behind it. It is the board's only tank, and its ice shield and charged crystal burst make it hard to break, but it has no healing, no slow from behind and no damage to help it finish what reaches it. Lane 1, by contrast, has three units working together.

That imbalance is what to manage. As long as Swaystroll's shield holds, lane 3 is fine, and each break is answered by a stronger burst. When waves get big enough to break the shield and then keep hitting, Swaystroll starts to fall, and once it does, enemies walk straight down the empty right side toward the middle.

Two tips help. Level Swaystroll first, because a longer-held shield means a harder burst. And if lane 3 is still the side that breaks, flip the board so the strong column faces the heavier waves instead; mirroring has worked on this grid.

For levels overall, Swaystroll and Frostpaw matter most, then Cribbler, Skinklet and Maskfry. The next stage changes the grid and brings Swaystroll to the front of the middle.

The grid reshapes around the middle lane here. Lineup 1 puts Skinklet alone in row 1 of lane 1; the middle has Swaystroll in row 1, Cribbler in row 2 and Frostpaw in row 4; and Maskfry stands alone in row 2 of lane 3.

The middle column is the new idea. Swaystroll leads it, so the board's tank now faces the centre, where enemies from both sides tend to drift. Cribbler stands directly behind, ready to take over if the shield breaks and adding its claw swipes to the same groups, and Frostpaw in row 4 slows and fragments everything coming down the lane.

Maskfry on the right is set up differently from earlier stages. It no longer stands behind Cribbler, so its waves pull enemies toward the middle column instead, gathering them where Swaystroll's crystals and Frostpaw's fragments land.

Skinklet holds the left alone in row 1. It meets enemies first, and its invisibility after taking damage keeps it from dying early, but lane 1 has nothing behind it.

In the recorded alternative, row 1 fills with Ospisces, Cribbler and Swaystroll, Bubbit stands in row 4 of lane 1, and Frostique replaces Frostpaw at the back of the middle.

This grid is close to the opening one of the chapter, with one change: Frostpaw now stands in row 4 of the middle, behind Skinklet. Cribbler and Maskfry hold rows 2 and 3 of lane 1, and Swaystroll is alone in row 2 of lane 3.

Putting Frostpaw behind Skinklet fixes the middle's old problem. On earlier grids, nothing stood behind Skinklet, so when it turned invisible the lane opened. Now Frostpaw waits in row 4, slowing enemies as they come down lane 2 and catching them with fragments if Skinklet hides. Skinklet's hidden attacks on back-line enemies also work better when the front groups are being slowed and thinned.

The cost is that both wings stand without ranged support. Lane 1 relies on Maskfry's pull and Cribbler's claw, and lane 3 relies on Swaystroll's shield and burst.

This is one of the less documented stages of the chapter, with no recorded alternatives, so the advice is about levels. Frostpaw does the most damage and should be strongest. Swaystroll comes next, since lane 3 has no help. Cribbler and Maskfry are a pair and work best at similar levels. Skinklet is last, now that Frostpaw covers the middle behind it.

The final stage of the chapter keeps the 2-9 grid, and it has the widest set of recorded alternatives, most of them built on evolved forms.

Lineup 1 is unchanged: Cribbler and Maskfry in lane 1, Skinklet with Frostpaw behind it in the middle, and Swaystroll alone in lane 3. If your team is still mostly first forms, it remains the plan, and the level order from 2-9 applies.

The alternatives show where the Water roster goes next. In one alternative, Skinklet stands in row 1 of lane 1 with Bubbit in row 4, and the middle has Boldclaw in row 1 and Frostique in row 3. Boldclaw is an evolved form of Shellshy, firing a strong wave of bubbles that damages an area and slows it. Another alternative uses Skinkoon in row 1 of lane 1, Swaystroll in row 1 of lane 3, and a middle of Maskfry, Bubbit and Frostique. A third alternative stacks the middle with Swaystroll in row 1, Frostique in row 2, Ripplewing in row 3 and Bubbit in row 4, with Skinklet in row 1 of lane 1. As a substitute, Ripplewing throws water bombs that slow and sometimes put enemies to sleep, and hurts them as they wake.

Frostique, the evolved form of Frostpaw, recurs throughout those alternatives, and it joins Lineup 1 in the next chapter.