With gameplay that can be characterized as 2D side-scrolling tower defense combined with elements of Clash Royale, Counter: Side is a futuristic sci-fi gacha RPG. You enter the battlefield with a deck of eight units, each with a deployment cost assigned to it. We have made the decision to create a Counter Side tier list in order to solve the character selection conundrum.
Counter: Side’s primary distinction is adding a ban system to its PvP mode to maintain the game’s PvP balance (This system earned it an award for Best Competitive 2021 on Google Play). Fans of story-centric RPGs need not worry because Counter: Side has a captivating plot with sinister overtones and a colorful cast of people with distinct personalities.
It’s no accident that Counter: name Side is too similar to the popular first-person shooter Counter-Strike. Including infantry units and war vehicles (including robots akin to those in Titanfall) as playable characters in Counter: Side is a standout feature that distinguishes it from other gacha RPGs, whose cast of characters is exclusively made up of humans.
They exist as a whole faction rather than just a select few. This will be a breath of fresh air for fans of mobile gacha games or military enthusiasts since the genre primarily features waifus or husbandos. The characters themselves have more depth because most of them are specialized and will be helpful in some way (barring a few awful apples, like PZH Mobile Gun.)
GLOBAL COUNTER: SIDE TIER LIST
Now that that is over with. We have made a list of characters’ tiers in advance of the official Global version’s release. Each character’s benefit-cost ratio will be taken into account in this tier list, along with a brief explanation of why we believe they should be ranked where they are. Additionally, we’ll divide the character tier list into PvP and PvE since some characters excel in both Close, Ra. Additionally, we will only take into account the heinously difficult endgame content, such as Guild Co-op, Delic Dungeons, Shadow Hall, and Raids. This tier list will be updated frequently as new characters or balance patches are released.
Mech PvE Tier List
Mech faction primarily relies on their high bulk or high firepower to compensate for their lack of ultimate skills or special skills. Currently, mech faction is at its lowest low
| S tier | ||
| Class | Name | Analysis |
| Tower | Sigma | Her passive skill : Sigma Protocol is her shining forte – greatly supports the team by negating their type weakness affinity, for instance, your Defender will take reduced damage from a Ranger despite the supereffective type advantage. In the meantime, your Defender units will deal 60% more damage against the unit class that naturally resists it. Among her arsenal, her special skill is also noteworthy as it set her up as a battery, capable of regenerating deployment cost to allow you to deploy units at a much faster rate. Last but not least, her ultimate skill of dropping a powerful defender unit called : Machine God Daddy with amazing knockback capabilities serve as a great meat shield against enemy waves. |
| A tier | ||
| Class | Name | Analysis |
| Striker | Woodpecker | Great in Shadow Palace and Challenge modes, generally versatile as it is moderately bulky for a 2 cost unit that can be easily redeployed. Hidden potential to be used to counter-rush Sigma or any other Tower units as it acts as a siege unit that goes to enemy base when no enemy ground units are present |
| B tier | ||
| Class | Name | |
| Striker | Titan | |
| Ranger | Sparrow | |
| Sniper | – | |
| Defender | – | |
| Extra | – | |
| C tier | ||
| Class | Name | |
| Striker | ATL-Lincoln | |
| Ranger | Arachne, ATF-35 Thunderbolt | |
| Sniper | Buzzard | |
| Defender | Hound | |
| Extra | – | |
| N tier | ||
| Class | Name | |
| Striker | Chariot, MA1 HMMWV | |
| Ranger | ZSU Shilka, ATB-1B Spear, Black Tail | |
| Sniper | Reaper, HM MRLS | |
| Defender | – | |
| Extra | ACH-4 Clan, Tactical Truck Deuce-and-a-half, Balisada, Rhino | |
Mech PvP Tier List
Mech faction primarily relies on their high bulk or high firepower to compensate for their lack of ultimate skills or special skills. Currently mech faction is at its lowest low
| S tier | ||
| Class | Name | Analysis |
| Tower | Sigma | Her passive skill : Sigma Protocol is highly valued for the same reasons stated in the PvE section above. Among her arsenal, her special skill is also noteworthy as it set her up as a battery, capable of regenerating deployment cost to allow you to deploy units at a much faster rate. Last but not least, her ultimate skill of dropping a powerful defender unit called : Machine God Daddy with amazing knockback capabilities (though easily shred by strong ranger units) make her the best support any PvP team will welcome as an addition. |
| A tier | ||
| Class | Name | Analysis |
| Striker | Woodpecker | Moderately bulky air unit with a cheap cost. Can be constantly redeployed and is a good check against teams emphasizing on rush. Fun fact, we also discovered its amazing potent in bugging tower units stationed far behind in the enemies’ base |
| B tier | ||
| Class | Name | Analysis |
| Striker | – | |
| Ranger | ATF-35 Thunderbolt, Sparrow | |
| Sniper | Buzzard | |
| Defender | – | |
| Extra | Balisada, Rhino | |
| C tier | ||
| Class | Name | |
| Striker | MA1 HMWWV, Chariot, Titan, ATL-Lincoln, Titan | |
| Ranger | Arachne | |
| Sniper | HM MRLS, Reaper | |
| Defender | Hound | |
| Extra | – | |
| N tier | ||
| Class | Name | |
| Striker | – | |
| Ranger | ZSU Shilka, ATB-1B Spear, Black Tail | |
| Sniper | – | |
| Defender | – | |
| Extra | Tactical Deuce-and-a-half, ACH-4 Clan | |
Soldier PvE Tier List
Soldier faction primarily operate by the motto of “strength in power”, while frail as an individual unit, they swarm enemies with high firepower and capable of cushioning hit counts
| S tier | ||
| Class | Name | Analysis |
| Ranger | Admin Riflemen | You’ll need him absolutely everywhere. Has one of the highest damage output and can pretty much melt anything at a cheap cost of 2, crucial counter against many bulky defenders such as the upcoming Awakened Hilde |
| Striker | Admin Sword Fighter | Very viable across all content. Can land a lot of critical hits while having high evasion, her passive skill Survival Instinct fully heals the other when the first one perished but negated if both are killed simultaneously by an AoE attack. |
| Defender | Admin Shieldman | Good in Guild Coop, Shadow Palace and Danger Close. Very bulky and comes in a pair at a low cost of 2. Provides excellent protection as his passive skill Local Phase-locking Device can taunt enemies |
| A tier | ||
| Class | Name | Analysis |
| Striker | Terminator | Good in Raids, Guild Coop and Danger Close, While he’s no Arnold Schwarzenegger, but his Armor-Piercing Buckshot can weaken enemies by debuffing their DEF stats while in return, deal high damage, held back by a deploy cost of 4 |
| Ranger | Eddie Fisher | Good in Guild Coop, Shadow Palace and Danger Close. Absolutely crucial in hybrid Counter/Soldier decks as his myriad of buffs, his passives Experienced Veteran can buff the defense of Counters and Pro Mercenary can buff fellow soldiers’ attack |
| Supporter | Ironside | ONLY GOOD IN A PURE MECH TEAM as he provide good healing coverage, otherwise he’s easily a N tier unit. Also quite memeable thanks to Juan |
| B tier | ||
| Class | Name | Analysis |
| Defender | Stronghold | |
| Ranger | John Mason, Assault Trooper, Rivet | |
| Sniper | Jane Doe | |
| Extra | – | |
| Striker | – | |
| C tier | ||
| Class | Name | |
| Defender | Tommy the die-hard, Shieldman | |
| Ranger | Han Sorim, Kang Soyoung | |
| Sniper | Adamant Sniper | |
| Extra | Choi Ina | |
| Striker | – | |
| N tier | ||
| Class | Name | |
| Defender | Charlie Rockwood | |
| Ranger | UBGL Riflemen, Recoiless Gunner, Scout, Recoiless Gunner, Riflemen, Peacekeeper | |
| Sniper | Stinger Gunner, Sniper, Sweeper | |
| Extra | Brownie Moore, Mortar Team | |
| Striker | Jessica Green, Suppressor | |
