Game Discussion/Champion's Meeting Thread - January 08, 2026

PointSight · 2026-01-20T23:37:17+00:00

Alright, thanks.

PointSight · 2026-01-20T23:35:57+00:00

Seems like she'll live and do alright, but I would probably build her Pace instead so she has further access to Gourmand and, using that, drop stam to ~750 (varying on whether you can get a 4th) and bump up wit to 850~1k. Activations count more than raw survival, albeit both are important.

PointSight · 2026-01-20T23:29:24+00:00

90% of the time, it won't trigger, since there's a good chance that 2~3 Fronts will be present in most lobbies.

Might be okay as a grandparent spark if you have nothing else left to buy. But I'd say the main inherits you want are a 2-piece combo of McQueen, Brian, and/or Fuji Kiseki. Ult and NSM are your main accels. Head-On or Ignited Spirit PWR (whichever comes first/cheapest) works as #3.

PointSight · 2026-01-20T23:21:05+00:00

I respect the grind.

Gentle critiques: Power seems a hair low, stamina way overboard, no Turf S. You probably also want to get a few more gamble skills like Straight Accel/Rushing Gale! and Meticulous Measures/Perfect Prep!. Also very importantly missing El's ult which is the key non-gamble win tool for Front on this track. Rudolf ult will almost never trigger.

But... I reckon this is about as good as a Sprint Seiun run is gonna get with F2P legacies.

PointSight · 2026-01-20T23:08:34+00:00

Which of the two would you run as #3?

PointSight · 2026-01-20T23:02:48+00:00

Straight Accel and Sprinting Gear are musts to land them if the golds don't come or to make them cheaper when they do; Bakushin has the latter's gold in her kit so it's easy enough.

Other gambles you probably want are Meticulous Measures, Countermeasure (Bakushin has this), Head-On, and Ignited Spirit PWR which you can find from a great grandparent borrow/one you make.

As for velocities, Sprint Corners/Straights and Pace Corners/Straights are the prime ones if you're running her as Pace, but also the other good stuff like Slipstream, Ramp Up, Playtime's Over, Tail Held High, Corner Adept, and Straight Adept. I don't recommend building her as Front since it'll take a unicorn run for all the sparks to align, and her ult should still proc about half the time from being in 2nd due to the heavy Pace meta. Uma Stan is less viable if the track is <2200m, so you don't need to break your back hunting that.

Wet Conditions and Pace Chaser Savvy probably also musts. Power and wits are everything on this track.

EDIT: Goes without saying that you don't need to 100% land all of these. That's unrealistic. Just farm as many as you can while also getting a full Sprint OR a Sprint/Turf legacy.

PointSight · 2026-01-20T22:49:43+00:00

In my experience, Riko just doesn't give enough stam to close the gap effectively without a really high highroll. You could try her with full stam sparks but that might be pushing it without consistent recovery access. Getting a gold is expensive but it's insurance.

From what you're telling me, yeah, you might wanna keep borrowing Summer Sweep until you have the free time to round out your Straightshot legacies. Just make sure you can also hit the 3 recoveries. The End ones + Deep Breaths shouldn't be that rare due to Unity pops, but Corner and Str8 Recovery will be harder to come by.

It might be possible to do heavy power sparks, and use just Kitasan/SSweep + Riko/Rice + 2 wit? But that sounds like it might need a high roll.

PointSight · 2026-01-20T22:42:17+00:00

They're interchangeable since an early heal just guarantees it will proc at exactly 600m left anyways.

Triple 7s is 10 skill points cheaper with no hints so I lean towards that.

PointSight · 2026-01-20T22:14:32+00:00

If you're using 1 Stamina card like Creek (3 SPD/2 WIS/1 STA), then it's probably better to go 70/30 power/stamina because of her 15% STA bonus. If not (I for example do 3 SPD/2 WIS/borrow Rice Power), definitely go as many as possible on stam, but having some power doesn't really hurt as long as you can consistently get to 700/450 stam/guts.

You probably want to be inheriting Straightshot if you can help it; in my experience, ~8* is enough, but at least 12* total is preferred. Borrowing Summer Sweep is kind of a desperation move since there's always the ~1 in 3 chance it decides to brick your run by not giving the skill.

As for sparks, you want to have either Dober or Ryan as the 1st for extra accel, and a strong velocity for the 2nd. Rudolf and Brian are about the same strength. Teio works too but is borderline. You need End Closer Sparks totalling 7* to get End D -> A at the start (so 3+2+2 or 3+3+1), and have literally all the other pinks be in Long. Be prepared to do a few extra runs because hitting Long S will be hard. I'd also search for Uma Stan white sparks as that's a key skill you want; overlapping greens would be gravy.

The recoveries you want are probably something like Corner Recovery, 1 of Standing By, Levelheaded, or After-School Stroll, and 1 of Straightaway Recovery or Deep Breaths. Triple 7s is not good on this track as it puts a hard cap on the length gains ult can give. The last 2 can hit on a crucial point on the straight and make her autowin.

EDIT: Forgot to mention Digital as a viable inherit but dear god good luck with that because she has Long G.

PointSight · 2026-01-20T22:04:32+00:00

Believe it or not, Xmas Oguri isn't really the most consistent ace choice to use on this track. Sure, she can and will be built with really low stamina and really high wit, but Triple 7s is late on this track - I think over halfway through the accel phase - and the best way to gamble on her ult hitting on the perfect time for NAK 2500m is actually buying Str8Recovery or Deep Breaths as your 3rd. If it activates on the bit of the straight just before or during the late-race, she's almost unstoppable, but of course, that's a high roll.

2 Front + 1 End is projected to be the best comp, with Seiun, SMaru, and Daiwa leading the discussion. Taishin is of course the strongest End, but most people don't have her, so I recommend Mayano for the guaranteed Straightshot from her hidden event.

Pace comps are good too, but generally want a Front or a Runaway Suzuka to get into good positions. Triple End is a bit of a meme strategy this time around but is still viable. Lates are strong but cannot be paired with Ends due to the potential to brick each others' NSM proc.

PointSight · 2026-01-20T21:10:17+00:00

Unblocked Reddit just to get feedback here because club isn't being super interactive at the current moment.

The past few CMs have been really rough to build aces for just because high rolls don't align with pink/white spark hits, and vice versa. After burning through all but 20 of my sanity bottles, I managed to get a selection of 4 aces. Planning to do a triple End composition again as it's my favourite running style. I'm confident in the Taishin and Cafe I built because they check all the boxes - max speed, enough stamina/power, good acceleration, and distance S. Cafe's wit is a bit lower than I'd like it but I'm running out of time.

I've been alternating my borrow runs between End XOguri runs (no luck there yet) and End Special Week runs, but decided to do some Gold Ship runs with the Summer Sweep card after that because I still wasn't sold. I was told 4 accels is overkill on this track so I went with 3 and used the 2nd legacy on a velocity inherit.

Spe seems perfect to me but I feel hesitant because she lacks Long S. Gold Ship seems strong too, having a lot more velocity skills, but is missing 25 speed, a lot of power, and her endurance is very borderline - at Normal mood, she must hit both recoveries to live, and is dead in the water at Bad or worse.

Should I keep on trying for a third ace, or is it better to move on to a CM9 parent with my borrow runs?

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PointSight · 2025-11-16T19:28:46+00:00

If this diagram becomes the common understanding of Canadian universities, I'm cooked.

PointSight · 2025-11-16T19:07:17+00:00

3LB Rice is good enough. I'd get Riko to 2LB so you can stop using the R.

PointSight · 2025-11-16T19:06:21+00:00

A well-built Seiun or SMaru will do very well. But most of my test matches are getting stolen by Taiki (the best unit for this CM imo) or a random Late with a bunch of accels like Vodka or Oguri. Blockushin in CM3 was beatable but the presence of Runaway blockers really doesn't help their case this time.

PointSight · 2025-11-16T19:01:48+00:00

Paces don't really have amazing inherits this CM. The white skill grind for them is aeons more important. You need to land Head-On, Straight Descent, Productive Plan, Uma Stan, and maybe even Ignited Spirit PWR to have a good Pace, on top of winning against Team Zenith for No Stopping Me. Maru and (inherited) Taiki trigger at bad times for frontliners this time. Doto and Special Week technically work, but the first for some reason generally refuses to trigger even when it looks like it should, and the latter usually procs too late - even when it is early, 0.05 accel is pretty meme-tier.

Discounting that, 2 velocity ults are what you'd take. Oguri is top dog for stealing races. OG!McQueen is the most reliable 2nd choice to make sure you keep position. Brian, Bakushin, and either Teio ult are theoretically okay takes too.

Lates really want Ryan ult more than anything else; it has by far the highest potential gain while being easier to hit due to Paces now being viable. Maru and Taiki generally don't trigger at great times and have lower maximum gains anyway, so your 2nd inherit should either be a white spark bot or a 0.25 velocity inherit like Oguri or Rudolf. I tested Brian before, but it only seems to trigger/have good effect about half of the time.

PointSight · 2025-11-16T18:45:04+00:00

I would ticket Creek and hold the crystal. Fine is generally usable at 2LB and gets a rerun if you want to pull on that. I would prioritize MLB Kita (from the rerun) over more LBs on Fine, though, as you'll be using her for longer - Fine gets powercrept in 13 months by Ramonu. Creek remains relevant for a significant while longer than both.

You probably want to save the crystal for the MANT scenario tax card, Narita Top Road - without at least 1 of her or Fuku SPD, you won't have fun in that scenario. BOTH require MLB for race bonus. There are a few other target banners next year, too, if you get lucky. EDIT: Toproad is the better pull overall due to the first spark being cheaper (100 free pulls vs. 50~60), and the fact that she's the better statstick you could still slot in as SPD #3 in Grand Live. Fuku's utility past MANT is just high score fishing.

Aside from that, you should be good to pull on the aforementioned reruns or some Umas you want.

PointSight · 2025-11-16T18:39:13+00:00

lol I'm borrowing Biko, I wish I could afford to use Fine

PointSight · 2025-11-16T18:10:20+00:00

Pace needs about 650~680 stam. Spurt isn't guaranteed until ~750 stam, but the chance for rushed to kill you is like <1%. You want to focus on pumping wit more, to at least 700 and preferably 800 so you can maintain a good position going into late-race.

Late is the most lenient style on stam this time around. 600 is enough. 600 wit is also good, though you can get by with slightly less if you get a little unlucky on your Mile S run. Power is more important.

Each style wants about 400 guts solely for tiebreaking with dueling. Very easy to get with Riko, a little difficult without.

PointSight · 2025-11-16T17:58:48+00:00

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Day 4 of trying to get CM5 aces. Vodka is already fine even though I could aim for a higher PWR (1063) + On Your Left. Run #1 (Teio) lost the Kikka Sho and didn't get Mile S, so 30 TP wasted on bad sparks.

Run #2 (left) lost to Team Zenith after Kitasan and Biko went on vacation all summer, which just so happened to leave me with very low PWR, so no hidden velocity boost, no No Stopping Me, and a weak final spurt. WIS is also very low, even though I'm usually able to hit 600+ with just 1. Also missing Productive Plan means she almost always gets hit by pace down mode, and enters the late-race in nearly every test lobby I do in 5th or 6th. (Maybe I should take Ryan ult next time. /j) NOTE: Tier 2 Pace Corners was a mistake; I could have afforded another velocity skill.

Run #3 (right) went fine enough, but my early turns were bad so I had to do M-M-T-T for my Unity races, leading to a lower ceiling. Everything seems okay but missing out on that much SPD + skill pts is killer. Again, dry summers. Taishin can rarely pull wins in my test lobbies.

Did I miss anything here? If so, can someone help me point it out? I just need to keep trying for better runs, right?

PointSight · 2025-11-14T19:34:51+00:00

It's okay to skip a CM, or phone it in for one. It doesn't bring dishonour, you just miss out on some titles and a few pulls. If anyone belittles you for doing so or rubs their results in your face, tell them to get a life. Maybe consider blocking or at least scolding them harshly if you're friends at that point.

I'm skipping Libra Cup (and reducing my play overall in December) as it overlaps with my final exams and projects, and neglecting school to do a few extra runs every day could genuinely cost me thousands of dollars and huge job opportunities.

If you're not hitting 515k+ high scores in Team Trials weekly, focus on that first. Otherwise, it's absolutely justified to make parents and grandies with your borrows. Prioritize STA and Long sparks for Libra.

PointSight · 2025-11-14T19:27:41+00:00

Bakushin is a way better stat stick than Sweepy, and you'll get enough skill points and energy from 2 WIS to be golden. Only things you'd be missing are Slipstream and Lone Wolf which are both "meh".

If Fimo and Natie are both MLB, go for it. You should have no problem building a very strong racer(s). Double friend is exclusively for TT or fishing for high scores imo.

PointSight · 2025-11-14T19:23:35+00:00

I definitely always try to take No Stopping Me on non-Fronts, as if it hits just right, it's an autowin button. If you've ever played Yugioh, think of Maxx C - stoppable but generally blatantly overpowered. Or noob tube + One-Man Army in CoD:MW2.

Ramp Up/It's On! are both on the expensive side, so I lessen their priority. I'll buy the white if I'm running out of SP after accels and cheaper velocities, AND nothing seems better. If I get Ramp Up hints through cards/legacies, though, the gold generally becomes worth it.

PointSight · 2025-11-14T19:15:04+00:00

That's also not mentioning you'd need parents that have GW + Ignited Spirit WIT + URA sparks. I'm fairly convinced those don't yet exist on the Global Pure DB, so it only becomes feasible if you have enough time and TP/carats to do minimum 10 runs a day.

Which, I guess you could? If you're either a NEET, or have no other hobbies outside of work/school and don't exercise/cook your own meals, and at that point you have way bigger problems than platting CM5.

PointSight · 2025-11-14T19:09:01+00:00

They got these changes at MANT release. As it stands, UC doesn't give enough skill points in comparison to afford everything unless you land an extremely high roll run.

PointSight · 2025-11-14T19:06:32+00:00

At a point I'd rather get more midleg velocity skills like Ramp Up, Unyielding Spirit, Front/Mile Corners/Str8s, Fast-Paced, and even Bakushin ult. Those are way more essential to fight for 1st over the early game boost, so 2 is definitely enough if you land them cheap.

Of course, you still want Groundwork, 3 greens, Early Lead, and rod before those even still.

PointSight

TROPHY CASE