Drafting for Horde Season 3: Chip Grades and a Tatari Ranking by Role
Updated Oct 25, 2026
A tier list for Horde is really a ranking of where your Energizers do the most good. The grades below follow the season 3 ranking put together by one of the community's most experienced Horde players after the latest round of balance changes, rearranged by role and element so you can check your own roster quickly. Treat the letters as a direction, not a verdict: a Tatari you already own at T3 usually beats a higher-graded one sitting at T1. For the numbers behind these picks (level costs, chip timings, boss waves), keep the Horde Season 3 numbers page open in another tab.
The change that rewrote most teams
Dewgrub
's sleep can no longer be triggered by Horde-only skills. Many of last season's strongest lineups leaned on that interaction, so if a familiar team suddenly falls apart, look there first. To make up for it, its Lv 3 and Lv 7 skills hit far harder than before, which turns it into a unit you either commit to fully or leave at home.
Three habits before the first draft
- A blue opener on a record attempt is a restart. Blue chips are the weakest group this season. If your first offer at wave 5 is blue and you are pushing a personal best, reset rather than limp on.
- Lv 8 is a trap. Every chip that unlocks an eighth level (all three Photosynthesis and all three Bounty Hunter variants) tempts you into one huge unit while your other key Tatari stall below Lv 7, and it makes reviving fallen units more expensive.
- An extra slot is worth less than it looks. A sixteenth body that never gets past Lv 3 does very little, especially now that Parting Gift pays less than it used to. Take a real power chip whenever one is on offer.
The blue pool
| Chip | Grade | When it earns its place |
|---|---|---|
| Mission Reset | S | Your first draft only (it never appears later). Selling the whole board for 180 a unit lets you redeploy into a cleaner shape. |
| First-Aid Kit | A | Steady healing for the two front rows; strongest when your wall is already sturdy. |
| Form I (any element) | A | Only if the element matches the units doing most of your damage. |
| Slot Machine 2 | B | Free bodies or random upgrades. A popular trick with this chip is a known bug, so do not build habits around it. |
| Barricade | B | Fine for a fragile front line, though the 10% damage cut hurts. |
| Roll of Fate I | B | A gamble for another blue chip plus pocket change. |
| AFK | B | 400 instantly, paid for with 40 seconds of no control. Only at the first draft. |
| Parting Gift | C | The payout no longer justifies building around deaths. |
| Photosynthesis I, Bounty Hunter I | D | Small income and the Lv 8 problem above. |
S
Mission ResetMission ResetRecall all of your deployed Tatari and obtain 180 energizers for each.Appears at waves: 5
A
First-Aid KitFirst-Aid KitTatari on your first 2 rows recover 12% of their lost HP every 4 seconds.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
Fire Form IFire Form IYour Fire Tatari gain a 20% DMG Boost.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
Grass Form IGrass Form IYour Grass Tatari gain a 20% DMG Boost.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
Rock Form IRock Form IYour Rock Tatari gain a 20% DMG Boost.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
Water Form IWater Form IYour Water Tatari gain a 20% DMG Boost.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
Lightning Form ILightning Form IYour Lightning Tatari gain a 20% DMG Boost.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
B
Slot Machine 2Slot Machine 2Randomly obtain 2 Tatari from your formation. If you exceed the deployment limit, randomly upgrade a number of your Tatari equal to the amount exceeded.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
BarricadeBarricadeTatari on your 2 front rows gain 40% Max HP and DEF, but deal 10% less damage.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
Roll of Fate IRoll of Fate IObtain another chip of the same tier at random, plus 100 energizers immediately.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
AFKAFKEnter mandatory auto-battle mode for 40 seconds and immediately obtain 400 energizers.Appears at waves: 5
C
Parting GiftParting GiftObtain 40 energizers whenever one of your Tatari is knocked down.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
D
Photosynthesis IPhotosynthesis IObtain 2 energizers every 5 seconds. Your Tatari can be upgraded to Lvl 8.Appears at waves: 15
Bounty Hunter IBounty Hunter IObtain 2 extra energizers for each Zobo you kill within 120 seconds. Your Tatari can be upgraded to Lvl 8.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
The gold pool
| Chip | Grade | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Patch Upgrade | S | Behaves like a smaller Equalizer. If your board is mostly sitting on Lv 2 at the tenth wave, it is a superb follow-up; as an opener you can only reach it through Roll of Fate. |
| Underdog | S | The biggest damage swing in the game, and it toughens the front line too. |
| Glass Cannon | S | A flat attack gain for everyone; the health loss rarely matters if your healing is in place. |
| Backend Support | S | Huge once you arrange the rows for it (see below). |
| Make Waves | S | Underrated at high difficulty. Slowed Zobos give your wall far more time. Exclusive to one player. |
| Boss Killer | A | Reliable against the multi-boss waves. |
| Weakest Link | B (S with the right team) | Ordinary in a random lineup, excellent in a two-per-element build. |
| Form II (any element) | B | Same rule as Form I: only for your main damage element. |
| Roll of Fate II | B | A coin flip for another gold chip. |
| New Recruit, Rear Guard | C | Extra slot is overrated; Rear Guard only helps if your back rows are your damage. |
| Bounty Hunter II, Photosynthesis II | C | Better income than the blue versions, same Lv 8 trap. |
| Shuffle | D | Now swaps in random units even when all 10 slots are full. Avoid. |
| The Exile, Contract Employee | D | Isolation breaks your buffs; a locked Lv 3 extra rarely matters. |
Making Backend Support work. The buff applies the moment you take it and ignores your partner's units when checking "the one Tatari in front". Line up a couple of hitters like Budboo
across the centre, then trade middle rows with your partner: suddenly your entire back line has a single friendly unit ahead of it and gains 45% damage.
Making Weakest Link work. The chip boosts whichever element you field least. With one Fire and one Rock carry (say Poakie
and Humbug
) both get it. Field exactly two units of every element and the whole team qualifies. One example of such a lineup, all at T3:
| Element | Unit 1 | Unit 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Water | Dreadclaw | Waveflutter |
| Fire | Lickflicker | Silversear |
| Grass | Solaflora | Thornwisp |
| Lightning | Cheerspring | Sonarbat |
| Rock | Zorrock | Zenscarab |
S
Patch UpgradePatch UpgradeReplace all of your deployed Tatari below Lvl 3 with random Tatari from your formation. Replaced Tatari's levels are upgraded by 2.Appears at waves: 10, 15
UnderdogUnderdogWhen your element is countered by the enemy, it is considered as countering the enemy instead.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
Glass CannonGlass CannonAll of your Tatari gain 25% ATK, but lose 10% Max HP.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
Backend SupportBackend SupportYour Tatari with exactly 1 of your own Tatari in front of them gain a 45% DMG Boost.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
Make WavesMake WavesCreate a river that reduces Zobos' Move Speed by 40% when in it. Exclusive to one player per run.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
A
Boss KillerBoss KillerYour Tatari deal 20% more damage to Zobo bosses.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
B
Weakest LinkWeakest LinkYour Tatari of the element with the fewest units deployed gain 15% ATK, DEF, and ATK Speed.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15- Fire Form IIFire Form IIYour Fire Tatari gain a 30% DMG Boost.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
- Grass Form IIGrass Form IIYour Grass Tatari gain a 30% DMG Boost.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
- Rock Form IIRock Form IIYour Rock Tatari gain a 30% DMG Boost.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
- Water Form IIWater Form IIYour Water Tatari gain a 30% DMG Boost.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
- Lightning Form IILightning Form IIYour Lightning Tatari gain a 30% DMG Boost.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
- Roll of Fate IIRoll of Fate IIObtain another chip of the same tier at random, plus 150 energizers immediately.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
C
New RecruitNew RecruitRaise your deployment capacity by 1 and immediately obtain 250 energizers.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
Rear GuardRear GuardTatari on your last 2 rows gain 30% attack speed.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15- Bounty Hunter IIBounty Hunter IIObtain 3 extra energizers for each Zobo you kill within 120 seconds. Your Tatari can be upgraded to Lvl 8.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
- Photosynthesis IIPhotosynthesis IIObtain 3 energizers every 5 seconds. Your Tatari can be upgraded to Lvl 8.Appears at waves: 15
D
ShuffleShuffleReplace your ordinary deployed Tatari with random Tatari from your formation and immediately obtain 600 energizers. Contract Employees stay deployed. Replacements inherit each replaced slot's position and Horde level.Appears at waves: 5, 10
The ExileThe ExileYour Tatari without adjacent allies gain 35% ATK, Max HP, and DEF.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
Contract EmployeeContract EmployeeSummon 1 random Tatari from your formation. Summoned Tatari are fixed at Lvl 3 and don't count toward your deployment limit. They cannot be upgraded nor revived.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
- Dreadclaw
- Zorrock
- Lickflicker
- Solaflora
- Cheerspring
- Sonarbat
- Thornwisp
- Waveflutter
- Zenscarab
- Silversear
The rainbow pool
| Chip | Grade | Best use |
|---|---|---|
| Equalizer | S as an opener, a disaster later | Setting the board to Lv 4 is wonderful early and wipes out your investment in the second or third draft. It normally arrives only at wave 15, so an early copy needs Roll of Fate. |
| On the Move | S | By far the best damage option here. Swap two units back and forth every 30 seconds to keep it running. |
| Center Spotlight | S | The strongest chip overall, but only if your middle can absorb every boss at once. Exclusive to one player. |
| Lawn Care | S | Twice weakened and still a top route to a clear. Six mowers act like spare lives when the line breaks. Exclusive to one player. |
| Form III (any element) | A | Big damage if it matches your carries. |
| Slot Machine 4, Roll of Fate III, Count to Five | B | Solid value; Count to Five rewards boards with three Lv 4 units. |
| Photosynthesis III, Bounty Hunter III | D | Photosynthesis III is tolerable only as an early Roll of Fate pull; later, Lv 8 drains your budget. |
S
EqualizerEqualizerReset all your deployed Tatari to Lvl 4.Appears at waves: 15
On the MoveOn the MoveAfter being moved, your Tatari gain 20% ATK and ATK Speed for 30 seconds.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
Center SpotlightCenter SpotlightZobo bosses will only appear in the middle 2 columns. Exclusive to one player per run.Appears at waves: 10, 15
Lawn CareLawn CareGenerate 6 single-use lawn mowers at the bottom of the map. Once triggered, mowers kill 5 non-boss Zobos in front, and deal damage equal to 35% of Max HP to bosses and subsequent non-boss Zobos that are hit. Exclusive to one player per run.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
A
- Fire Form IIIFire Form IIIYour Fire Tatari gain a 40% DMG Boost.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
- Grass Form IIIGrass Form IIIYour Grass Tatari gain a 40% DMG Boost.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
- Rock Form IIIRock Form IIIYour Rock Tatari gain a 40% DMG Boost.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
- Water Form IIIWater Form IIIYour Water Tatari gain a 40% DMG Boost.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
- Lightning Form IIILightning Form IIIYour Lightning Tatari gain a 40% DMG Boost.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
B
- Slot Machine 4Slot Machine 4Randomly obtain 4 Tatari from your formation. If you exceed the deployment limit, randomly upgrade a number of your Tatari equal to the amount exceeded.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
- Roll of Fate IIIRoll of Fate IIIObtain another chip of the same tier at random, plus 200 energizers immediately.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
Count to FiveCount to FiveThe first time you have 3 Lvl 4 Tatari deployed together, upgrade all of them to Lvl 5.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
D
- Photosynthesis IIIPhotosynthesis IIIObtain 4 energizers every 5 seconds. Your Tatari can be upgraded to Lvl 8.Appears at waves: 15
- Bounty Hunter IIIBounty Hunter IIIObtain 4 extra energizers for each Zobo you kill within 120 seconds. Your Tatari can be upgraded to Lvl 8.Appears at waves: 5, 10, 15
Tatari: S band
| Tatari | Element / role | Grade | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
Dolphie | Water support | S+ | Possibly the best Horde unit now. Its starting skill alone gives three lanes extra damage, damage reduction and heavy healing. T3 is a big step up from T2. |
| Dewgrub | Water support | S+ | Still hits hard after the sleep change, but only worth bringing if you will take it to Lv 7, and its neighbours need planning. |
Buddi | Grass healer | S | The only healer that reaches units wherever they stand, perfect for teams that keep moving. One is plenty on a static board. |
Cheerling | Lightning support | S | Put it in the centre of your block and stop worrying. |
Cribbler | Water guardian | S | Excellent damage and staying power. Cover its blind spot against ranged threats on the far-left lane, such as the Pharaoh boss. |
Flameow | Fire DPS | S | Wanted for its attack buff, at T3 only. It hands out the buff a single time, on its twelfth strike, using whatever attack it has right then; buy any levels before that point. Lv 1 is already great on high difficulty. |
Funglet | Grass support | S | Positioned carefully, its speed and damage-reduction aura touches almost every ally. Levels add little, so stop at Lv 1 to 3. Zappur 's reflect hurts it and drains healing. |
Manteeny | Grass guardian | S | Nerfed after near-universal use at the top end, yet still the best front-line wall: self-healing, real damage and fragile. |
Maskfry | Water support | S | Pulls ranged bosses down into your melee units. Slightly less tanky this season, so watch its health. Great in skilled hands, modest otherwise. |
| Poakie | Fire guardian | S | Two nerfs later it still does big damage, and its stalling matters more than ever. One per team. |
Zaplet | Lightning specialist | S | Good base damage, a stacking 15% fragile over five lanes, plus a damage bonus once it hits the third level. Cheap to run; park it at Lv 3, ideally on your partner's side. |
| Humbug | Rock DPS | S- | The top Horde pick for over half a year. No longer clearly number one, but its Lv 7 stalling is even more useful without Dewgrub's sleep. |
Joeyo | Rock guardian | S- | Dismissed elsewhere, dangerous here: big damage, some fragile and invulnerability from its Horde kit. If you invested, move it around the front. |
S
- Dolphie
- Dewgrub
- Buddi
- Cheerling
- Cribbler
- Flameow
- Funglet
- Manteeny
- Maskfry
- Poakie
- Zaplet
- Humbug
- Joeyo
A
- Budboo
Voltkit
Blowfin
Cavyzap
Droppit
Hootlet
Sealing
Sparkit- Zappur
Ashlarva
Blueflick
Gibber
Shrimpyro
B
Bonobean
Glowfly
Punchimp
Ringtail
Voltfawn
Zapuni
Dumbopus
Fluffle
Gopher
Kittazap
Pandaroo
Popa
Pyropup
Rubblet
Skinklet
Waddledo
Frostnip
C
Cactobud
Lullely
Snowcub
Sparkeet
Tindercub
Frugling
Fumekit
Goonbug
Lollama
Momopo
Sackling
Shardsnail
D
Souphog
Drilleroo
Taptail
Tatari: A band
| Tatari | Element / role | Grade | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budboo | Grass DPS | A+ | No longer a must after two nerfs and the end of the late worm boss. It still melts bosses with Bane stacks, and the seventh level doubles them. One per team now. |
| Voltkit | Lightning guardian | A+ | Buffed just as Manteeny was nerfed. Very durable and holds its own lane, a notch below Manteeny and Cribbler. |
| Blowfin | Fire tank | A | Overlooked because rival Fire tanks dominate other modes; here it brings damage, crowd control and some healing here. |
| Cavyzap | Lightning DPS | A | The best Lightning damage dealer since season 1, and season 3's late Water boss suits it perfectly. |
| Droppit | Water support | A | Still lifts team damage. Reaching Lv 7 for the stronger fragile is harder now, so it usually comes last. |
| Hootlet | Grass support | A | Good at T3, outstanding at T4: damage, crowd control and wide 3 × 3 healing. Its knockback can undo Maskfry's pulls. |
| Sealing | Water DPS | A | Top-tier crowd control, high damage and the weak debuff. Down a grade because its knockback also fights Maskfry. |
| Sparkit | Fire DPS | A | Dependable damage that fades late; this season's buff helps, and either row suits it. |
| Zappur | Lightning support | A | With Dewgrub weakened, its stalling makes it perhaps the best survival pick of the season. |
| Ashlarva | Fire healer | A- | A former staple. Still heals and buffs attack at Lv 1, either in the middle or inside the front line. |
| Blueflick | Fire DPS | A- | Still strong despite a damage cut. Best beside Dewgrub. |
| Gibber | Rock guardian | A- | Big buffs since season 2. A fresh T3 struggles on difficulty 4; a T4 goes much further. |
| Shrimpyro | Fire DPS | A- | Short reach, light defence and weaker against a wall, so placement is fussy. The damage is excellent in the right team. |
Tatari: B band
| Tatari | Element / role | Grade | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonobean | Grass tank | B+ | Durable, self-sustaining, three debuffs (defence shred, damage-amplifying poison, weaken) and fair damage. Its Lv 7 boss-shifting rewards skill. |
| Glowfly | Lightning healer | B+ | Little use outside Horde, but its glow stacks keep everyone ahead of it alive. Needs Lv 7; one per team. Dolphie overshadows it. |
| Punchimp | Rock guardian | B+ | Fairly tough with fair damage; others contribute a bit more now. |
| Ringtail | Rock support | B+ | Works in the front (its heal covers only its own lane), with good stats when invested and many ally damage buffs. |
| Voltfawn | Lightning DPS | B+ | Strong area damage, weak against bosses, little control. |
| Zapuni | Lightning DPS | B+ | Its Lv 5 hits one target hard anywhere on the map, which suits the moving late Water boss. It will not carry you to that point. |
| Dumbopus | Water DPS | B | Good boss damage, but low area damage, no control and a short-lived Lv 5 reduction. |
| Fluffle | Lightning DPS | B | Area-focused after its buffs, still light on damage and control. |
| Gopher | Rock DPS | B | Usable in front with Maskfry. Its Lv 5 deals 300% area damage every 2 seconds, but only to the tile row directly ahead. |
| Kittazap | Lightning guardian | B | A global defence buff at T3, bonus Energizers and easy access to the paw pal buff, but middling damage and durability. |
| Pandaroo | Grass DPS | B | Only valuable at Lv 7, and that skill was nerfed recently. Hard to afford. |
| Popa | Rock tank | B | Stalls well, sustains well and keeps trading places with a heavy hitter lined up behind it, handing that ally +50% damage. |
| Pyropup | Fire guardian | B | Durable with a three-lane weak debuff. A fine stand-in if you lack Poakie. |
| Rubblet | Rock guardian | B | Decent damage, outclassed as a front-liner. Good for newer accounts. |
| Skinklet | Water specialist | B | Can match almost anyone in damage when handled well, but its vanishing makes it awkward. Only for those already invested. |
| Waddledo | Water tank | B | Tough and stalls well; damage still too low for a front line that must also kill. |
| Frostnip | Water DPS | B- | Low damage but improved stalling. Good for newer players with it at T3 and no strong damage dealer at T3. |
Where Glowfly goes. One Lv 7 Glowfly, placed behind the whole team near the two middle lanes, reaches everyone except one front corner. Two of them is a waste. T1 works, T2 is slightly better thanks to paralysis, and T3 adds nothing in Horde.
Glimmerwing- Glimmerwing
: one of these two spots (only one per team); anything goes in the rows above.Tatari: C and D bands
| Tatari | Element / role | Grade | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cactobud | Grass DPS | C+ | Weak area damage, and area damage is what Horde rewards. |
| Lullely | Water DPS | C+ | Costs the team health and is still outdamaged; its best skill is the unbuffed Lv 7. |
| Snowcub | Water tank | C+ | A good Lv 7 on a frail body. If its health dips early, its fish output stays reduced until the run ends. |
| Sparkeet | Lightning tank | C+ | Its Lv 7 was halved and never restored; too fragile to hold the front. |
| Tindercub | Fire specialist | C+ | Buffed to respectable damage, still not enough for a slot. |
| Frugling | Grass DPS | C | A starter you retire once others reach T3. |
| Fumekit | Fire DPS | C | Its Lv 5 buffs a 2 × 3 area behind it, so it must stand in front, yet it is frail and that buff is active roughly a fifth of the time. |
| Goonbug | Grass specialist | C | Knockbacks, fragile and a buff for the three units behind it if you pull the front back a tile, but very low damage. |
| Lollama | Grass DPS | C | A boss killer for difficulty 2 or 3; difficulty 4 needs crowd clearing. |
| Momopo | Rock tank | C | Soaks some damage and little else. |
| Sackling | Grass tank | C | Each broken shield leaves it idle for 12 seconds, far too long to anchor a side lane. |
| Shardsnail | Rock DPS | C | Its damage depends on crystals that do not survive later waves. |
| Souphog | Fire healer | D+ | Nerfed before season 1 and never restored; at best a light Lv 1 buffer. |
| Drilleroo | Rock specialist | D | Its Lv 7 lets it roam the whole map, which is fun and not much more. |
| Taptail | Rock DPS | D | Low damage and buffs that change nothing. |
If your roster is still young
Work with what you have at T3 before chasing grades. A T3 unit from the B band will usually do more in your hands than an S-band Tatari stuck at T1, and Glowfly or Frostnip can hold a spot until stronger options evolve. When you are ready to invest for Horde specifically, Dolphie to T3 is the single clearest upgrade. Before your first serious attempt, read how the three hardest bosses behave in the Horde boss guide, and find the rest of the series in the Horde section.
Tatadex verdict
The point Fox wants to repeat is the Dewgrub nerf: its Horde skill no longer triggers sleep. Many last-season teams relied on it, so if your old team suddenly feels weaker, this is probably why.
A tier list is players' opinion, so Fox suggests using it to pick a direction, not to replace your whole team. A Tatari you already have at T3 is often stronger than a higher-rated one you haven't evolved.
Handling the 3 hard bosses →
