Trying to figure out which all star tower defense unit to summon next can feel like a full-time job with how often the meta shifts. One day you're sitting pretty with a team that clears everything, and the next, a new update drops that makes your favorite damage dealer look like they're throwing wet paper towels at the enemies. It's the nature of the game, honestly. If you aren't staying on top of which characters are actually pulling their weight, you're going to have a rough time in those higher-level raids and infinite runs.
The thing about All Star Tower Defense is that it isn't just about who hits the hardest. Sure, seeing massive numbers pop up on the screen is satisfying, but if you don't have a solid balance of support, slows, and economy units, you're basically just waiting to lose. Every single all star tower defense unit has a specific niche, and knowing where they fit into the puzzle is what separates the casual players from the ones who actually make it onto the leaderboards.
Understanding the different roles
When you're looking at your inventory, you can't just slap six high-damage units together and call it a day. You need a bit of everything. Most people divide their team into a few core categories: damage dealers, supports, and money makers. Without a good "farm" unit like Bulma or Speedwagon, you won't even have enough cash to upgrade your heavy hitters before the enemies leak past your base.
The "farm" units are arguably the most important ones you'll ever own. It doesn't matter if you have the strongest 7-star character in the game if you can't afford their second upgrade until wave 15. You want to get your economy going as fast as possible. Usually, this means dropping your money units early and feeding them every cent you get until your income is high enough to start placing your real defense.
Then you've got your supports. These are the units that don't necessarily kill things themselves but make everyone else much better at it. Think about characters that provide a 2x damage buff or those that slow enemies down to a crawl. If an enemy is moving at half speed, your damage dealers effectively get twice as much time to hit them. It's simple math, but it's something a lot of newer players overlook because they're too focused on raw power.
The struggle with the banner system
Let's be real for a second: the gacha system can be brutal. You might spend a week saving up gems just to watch them disappear into the Banner Z abyss without getting the all star tower defense unit you were actually hunting for. It's frustrating, but that's why pity exists. If you're smart about it, you never roll unless you have enough gems to hit that pity mark. There's nothing worse than being 10 pulls away from a guaranteed legendary and running out of currency.
The rotation changes every hour, so it pays to be patient. I've seen so many people tilt-spend their gems on a mediocre unit just because they were bored, only to see a top-tier meta character show up in the next rotation. If you're looking for someone specific—maybe a high-tier bleach character or a broken dragon ball unit—just hang tight. They'll show up eventually.
Ground vs. Air: Finding the balance
One of the quickest ways to lose a match is forgetting about air units. You'll be cruising through the waves, feeling like a god, and then suddenly a group of flying enemies appears and just ignores your entire ground-based army. It's a classic rookie mistake.
A good all star tower defense unit for air defense is non-negotiable. Some units can hit both ground and air, which is great for saving space on your roster, but usually, specialized air hitters have better range or faster attack speeds. You need to make sure your "Hill" units (the ones you place on the elevated platforms) are actually capable of targeting those pesky flyers.
Ground units are usually your bread and butter for raw DPS, but the game loves to throw curveballs at you. You might run into "Elemental" enemies that take reduced damage from certain types, or "Shielded" enemies that need a high hit-count to break through. This is why having a diverse team is way more important than just stacking your favorites from one specific anime.
The jump to 7-star units
The power creep in this game is very real. While 5-star and 6-star units used to be the gold standard, the 7-star evolutions have completely changed the landscape. Getting one isn't easy, though. You usually need the base unit, a bunch of evolution materials, and sometimes hundreds of specific fodder characters. It's a massive grind, but the payoff is usually insane.
Take a unit like the 7-star version of Gojo or Kurosaki. The difference between their lower forms and their final evolution is like night and day. We're talking about massive range increases, time-stop abilities, and damage numbers that look like phone numbers. If you're serious about pushing deep into Infinite mode, you're going to have to embrace the grind. It's just part of the experience.
Don't forget the importance of placement
Even if you have the perfect all star tower defense unit setup, you can still lose if you're placing them in the wrong spots. Most maps have "loops" or "corners" where units with AOE (Area of Effect) attacks can shine. If you place a unit with a circle attack on a straight path, they're only hitting enemies for a brief second. But if you place them at a U-turn, they can hit the same enemies three times as they walk around the bend.
Range is also a huge factor. Some units have "Full AOE," meaning they hit everything within their circle, while others have "Cone AOE" or "Line AOE." You have to look at the attack indicator on the ground before you confirm the placement. A few pixels of difference can be the reason an enemy survives with 1 HP and ends your run.
Blessing and Orbs: The extra edge
Once you have your team sorted out, you have to start thinking about Orbs. These are equippable items that can drastically change how an all star tower defense unit performs. Some Orbs reduce the cost of the unit, while others increase damage or add fire/poison effects to their attacks.
There's also the "Blessing" system, which is basically a rare cosmetic and stat boost that some units get when you pull them. It's mostly for bragging rights, but the extra stat bump doesn't hurt. For most players, though, Orbs are the real game-changer. Putting a "Cost Reduction" orb on an expensive 7-star unit can make them viable much earlier in a match, which is often the difference between winning and losing.
Wrapping things up
At the end of the day, the best way to enjoy the game is to find a balance between following the meta and using characters you actually like. Yeah, some units are objectively "broken," but the game is constantly being rebalanced. What's top-tier today might be mid-tier next month.
Focus on building a well-rounded team with a solid economy, some reliable crowd control, and at least one heavy hitter for those late-game bosses. Keep an eye on the banners, save your gems for the pity, and don't get too frustrated if you don't get your dream all star tower defense unit on the first try. The grind is half the fun, and finally seeing your team clear a difficult raid makes all that effort worth it. Just keep experimenting with different combinations—you might find a "sleeper" unit that everyone else is ignoring but works perfectly for your playstyle.