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Tank Squad Guide (Season 1)

Class Guide · 2026-03-12

Tanks in Season 1

Tank squads remain strong in Season 1, but the meta is shifting. Aircraft squads are becoming dominant, which means Tanks face more counter-matchups in PvP. However, two major Season 1 changes keep Tanks competitive:

  1. Mason's UR Promotion — Mason upgrades from SSR to UR, making him a significantly stronger squad member
  2. Kimberly's Exclusive Weapon (Rocket Shadow) — massively increases her AoE energy damage output
Season 1 Reality

Tanks are no longer the undisputed best squad. They remain excellent for PvE, rallies, garrison defence, and counter-picking Missile opponents. But in open PvP, well-built Aircraft squads now have the edge. Smart Tank players adapt their roster and start preparing Aircraft as a second squad.

What Changed from Pre-Season

Mason UR Promotion

Mason upgrades from SSR to UR in Season 1. This is a significant power spike:

  • Higher stat ceilings — UR stats are substantially better than SSR
  • Stronger skills — UR promotion enhances his active and passive abilities
  • Better scaling — UR heroes benefit more from gear and star upgrades
  • If you collected Mason shards during pre-season, promote him immediately

Kimberly's Exclusive Weapon

Kimberly's Rocket Shadow Exclusive Weapon becomes available in Season 1:

  • Core energy damage amplification stacking — dramatically increases her AoE output
  • Top priority to Level 30 — this is the single most impactful Exclusive Weapon for Tank squads
  • Makes Kimberly competitive against Aircraft-era DPS heroes
  • Push Kimberly's weapon to at least Level 20 before working on other squad members' weapons

Murphy's Exclusive Weapon

Murphy's Mitigation Master becomes increasingly relevant:

  • Enhanced damage mitigation for multiple allies — makes him even harder to kill
  • Enables the Murphy Exception — Murphy becomes viable in non-Tank squads, particularly Aircraft
  • If you plan to transition to Aircraft, Murphy's weapon is a high-priority investment

The Squad: Updated Season 1 Formation

Season 1 Tank squads incorporate Mason's UR promotion. The recommended formation evolves:

Season 1 Tank Formation
Front Row — Damage Sponges
Left
Murphy
Main Tank
Absorbs damage. HP and attack buffs for the whole squad. With Exclusive Weapon, Murphy is even harder to kill and provides enhanced mitigation for allies.
Right
Williams
Defensive Anchor
Team-wide damage reduction. Percentage-based buff scales with enemy strength — as Aircraft opponents hit harder, Williams provides more value.
Back Row — Damage Dealers
Left
Kimberly
Main DPS
Still the highest AoE damage Tank hero. Rocket Shadow Exclusive Weapon dramatically amplifies her energy damage stacking. Left position behind Murphy for maximum protection.
Centre
Mason
Secondary DPS
Now UR-promoted with significantly higher stats. Strong AoE damage with team-wide damage reduction. His zombie bonus makes him the best PvE option. Centre position for dual tank coverage.
Right
Marshall
Support
16.5% team-wide attack buff and 30% skill cooldown reduction. These buffs multiply Kimberly's Exclusive Weapon damage even further. Right position behind Williams.
Mason Replaces Stetmann

With his UR promotion, Mason replaces Stetmann as the secondary DPS in the standard Tank formation. Mason's UR stats, team damage reduction, and PvE bonuses make him strictly better than Stetmann in Season 1. If you invested heavily in Stetmann during pre-season, he remains a viable option — but Mason is the stronger choice going forward.

Alternative: Keeping Stetmann

If you have a heavily invested Stetmann (4 stars, gold gear, high skills) and an underbuilt Mason, keep running Stetmann until Mason catches up. The investment you already made in Stetmann is not wasted — he is still a strong hero. But all new investment should go toward Mason.

Hero Investment Order (Season 1)

1. Kimberly (First Priority — Unchanged)

She remains your damage dealer. With Rocket Shadow, she is even more important:

  • Push Exclusive Weapon to Level 20, then Level 30
  • Continue maxing her skills and Tactics cards
  • If not at 4 stars yet, this remains the highest priority
  • Her Gun should be at Level 40 and starting star promotion

2. Murphy (Second Priority — Unchanged)

Still your main tank. Exclusive Weapon makes him even better:

  • Push Exclusive Weapon to Level 20
  • Continue upgrading defensive skills
  • His Radar should be at Level 40

3. Mason (Third Priority — New)

Mason moves up in priority with his UR promotion:

  • Promote to UR immediately if you have the shards
  • Level him up and invest in his damage skills
  • Gets a Gun after Kimberly has hers at Level 40
  • Push toward 3-4 stars with his now-UR shard requirements

4. Marshall (Fourth Priority)

Still your support force multiplier:

  • Continue upgrading his buff skills
  • Exclusive Weapon (Season 3) will make him even stronger — keep collecting shards

5. Williams (Fifth Priority — Unchanged)

Still effective at lower investment:

  • Continue with defensive skills
  • Percentage-based damage reduction remains strong without heavy investment

Gold Gear Craft Order (Season 1)

If your Tank squad was not fully geared in pre-season, continue following the same craft order but with Mason replacing Stetmann:

1
KimberlyMain DPS. Biggest damage increase. Should already be done from pre-season
Gun
2
MurphyMain tank. Should already be done from pre-season
Radar
3
MarshallSupport. Gun boosts his contributions
Gun
4
MasonUR-promoted secondary DPS. Gun boosts his now-stronger damage output
Gun
5
WilliamsSecond tank. Radar for survivability
Radar
6
KimberlyChip gives crit rate and damage — multiplies Exclusive Weapon output
Chip
7
MurphyPhysical defence for your main tank
Armor
8
MasonCrit bonuses for UR-promoted secondary DPS
Chip
9
MarshallCrit bonuses for support
Chip
10
WilliamsPhysical defence for second tank
Armor
11
WilliamsSome offensive contribution from second tank
Gun
12
KimberlyEnergy defence keeps your carry alive through skill-heavy fights
Radar
13
KimberlyPhysical defence — protects carry from front-row splash damage
Armor
14
MurphyAttack stats boost Murphy's skill damage and Exclusive Weapon effectiveness
Gun
15
MurphyCrit bonuses — rounds out Murphy's gear set
Chip
16
MasonEnergy defence for secondary DPS survivability
Radar
17
MasonPhysical defence rounds out Mason's durability
Armor
18
MarshallEnergy defence for support survivability
Radar
19
MarshallPhysical defence — final piece for support
Armor
20
WilliamsCrit bonuses — lowest priority, completes second tank's gear set
Chip

Hero Skills Reference

Each hero has three skills: Auto Attack (basic attack, fires automatically), Tactics (tactical ability), and Passive (always-on bonuses).

HeroAuto AttackTacticsPassive
KimberlyEnergy AssaultBarrage StrikeEnergy Boost
MurphyCannon FireIronclad BarrierStand Firm
WilliamsBlast ShellIron WillAll-Around Armour
MasonQuick ReloadFire CoverZombie Purge
MarshallTriad HarmonyCommand StrategyRapid Start

Skills Upgrade Priority (Season 1)

The skill priority is similar to pre-season but incorporates Mason and Exclusive Weapons:

1
Kimberly — Exclusive Weapon to Level 20Rocket Shadow is the single biggest damage increase available in Season 1. Push to Level 20 before anything else
Weapon — Rocket Shadow
2
Kimberly — Tactics to Level 40Should already be near 40 from pre-season. Max ATK and Crit Rate cards
Barrage Strike
3
Murphy — Exclusive Weapon to Level 20Mitigation Master enhances his tanking and enables the Murphy Exception for Aircraft squads later
Weapon — Mitigation Master
4
Murphy — Tactics to Level 40HP and DEF cards. Should be near 40 from pre-season
Ironclad Barrier
5
Mason — Tactics to Level 30Newly promoted UR hero. Fire Cover deals AoE damage with team damage reduction. ATK and Crit Rate cards — his UR stats make Tactics investment more impactful
Fire Cover
6
Marshall — Tactics to Level 30Critical rate buff cards. Should be near 30 from pre-season
Command Strategy
7
Remaining Exclusive Weapons to Level 20Get all 5 squad members' weapons to Level 20. The combined benefit exceeds pushing one to 30 early
Weapon — All Squad
8
Williams — Tactics to Level 30HP and DEF cards for the defensive anchor
Iron Will
9
Kimberly — Exclusive Weapon to Level 30Push your carry's weapon to maximum after all squad weapons are at 20
Weapon — Rocket Shadow
10
Push all remaining skills to Level 40Same priority order: Kimberly → Murphy → Mason → Marshall → Williams
All

Playing Tanks in Season 1

Against Aircraft (Your Weakness)

Aircraft squads counter Tanks. In Season 1, you will face more Aircraft opponents:

  • Do not engage DVA-led Aircraft squads head-on in open PvP unless you have a significant power advantage
  • Scout before attacking — type matchup matters more than ever
  • In Alliance Wars, let your Missile teammates handle Aircraft opponents
  • Kimberly's Exclusive Weapon helps close the gap — her enhanced energy damage can threaten Aircraft squads if you outgear them

Against Missiles (Your Strength)

Tanks counter Missiles. This role becomes more important as Missile squads grow in Season 1:

  • Actively hunt Missile squads in Alliance Wars and SvS
  • Your durability means you survive fights that would destroy Missile squads
  • Williams' damage reduction makes you especially strong against Missile burst damage

Rallies and PvE

Tanks remain the best rally leaders and PvE squads in Season 1:

  • Murphy and Williams' defensive buffs benefit the entire rally
  • Mason's UR promotion with PvE bonuses makes campaign and boss content faster
  • Kimberly's enhanced AoE with Exclusive Weapon is devastating in multi-target fights

Preparing for Season 2

While running Tanks in Season 1, prepare for the future:

  • Collect Aircraft hero shards — DVA, Carlie, Morrison, Lucius, Schuyler
  • Keep Murphy's Exclusive Weapon levelled — he is the key to the Murphy Exception in Aircraft squads
  • Start collecting Scarlett shards — she upgrades from SSR to UR in Season 3, potentially strengthening Tank squads
  • Do not dismantle your Tank squad — even when Aircraft becomes dominant, Tanks remain valuable for PvE, rallies, and type-matchup fights

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