The Tension Card system in Tribe Nine is one of the tougher gameplay aspects to get your head round. While it offers a lot of customization options, it can be challenging to determine which Tension Cards are worth focusing on.
Here’s our guide on Tribe Nine‘s best Tension Cards.
Tribe Nine Tension Cards, explained
Tension Cards in Tribe Nine are boosters for battle purposes. Each one provides different advantages, affecting your team’s performance. Since the game currently has well over 90 of them, ranging in rarity and usefulness, it can be overwhelming to determine which five you should equip to your party.
It goes without saying that while you’re rolling for characters using its Synchro system, pay attention to the Tension Cards you also end up with to better aid you in mastering Tribe Nine’s unique battle system. Here’s our picks for the very best Tribe Nine Tension Cards you should be looking out for.
Tribe Nine best tension cards, ranked
Some notes worth considering before we get into the list. Regardless of the Tension Card’s star rating, even the lowest valued ones can be highly effective. It all depends on what Tension Cards you utilize as a pack of five—some cards go hand-in-hand with others to improve their overall effectiveness while others simply stack.
It’s important to consider playing around with the Tension Cards because even your party setup can affect results. For our list we’ve considered the best Tension Cards for overall usage without considering team composition as the best general recommendations for any team.
Utilising any and all Tension Cards will always need resource managing since the majority of them require consuming a certain amount of Tension. Ensure that you’re focusing on chaining attacks and breaking enemies to repeatedly increase Tension, especially for cards that require one or more Tension (we will note this in each entry when applicable).
The same can be said for phases—if a card is only phase zero or one, it will be much easier to activate and stay in effect during combat over phase two and EX. Taking this into consideration is especially important when going against bosses because grinding in such a battle to use phase two to EX Tension cards is not worth the risk.
8) Strike Zone
A Tension Card that is always active from phase zero, Strike Zone increases secondary attack damage multiplier by 0.38 percent when a secondary attack hits. At the start of battle, it grants party members Unity. Unity increases party member’s defense point by five percent when all three party members are present. If one party member gets knocked out, this effect will be removed.
Strike Zone affects the whole party, making this card an easy early one to pick up and utilize effectively. Pair it with other attack boosting cards for maximum potential to stack the damage multiplier. Because it’s a phase zero, your attack stats will gradually increase as long as you break enemies and chain attacks.
7) Ferocity
Ferocity increases critical damage multiplier by 0.46 percent. When the operating character gets knocked out, it consumes all Tension to revive the character and grant them Beyond Death. This has five stack potential, increasing your own attack point by one percent.
Ferocity can be a real (and legit) life saver, granting you another chance at the game’s tougher fights. It’s one to pair with similar Tension Cards such as Strike Zone whilst giving the added bonus of an extra life in each battle. It’s another phase zero Tension Card so its effects will always be present during battle.
6) Stimulation / Healing Moment
Stimulation adds extra healing without requiring any Tension while Healing Moment needs phase one to activate, granting recovery effect of 2.16 percent. Stimulation is easier to utilize out of the two since Healing Moment requires 10 points of Tension deduction once it’s activated. Either one does the job, especially if you’re without a support character – it’s better to equip your team up with healing cards if you’re in such a position.
5) Full Party
Full Party is a three-star card that effects all party members. All three party members receive an increase in critical rate and defense points by 18 percent. When granted Unity (all three party members must be alive for a five percent increase in party members’ defense points) there will be two times effectiveness.
This Tension Card requires Phase one for it to be in effect, making it much easier to utilize and maintain. It’s a crowd pleaser of a card, boosting both critical rate and defense point while further boosting the team’s overall stats if they’re engaged in combat.
4) Ejection
When enemy’s Tension phase increases, this grants party members a shield with the resistance equivalent to 4.32 percent of the operating character’s maximum HP, and can decrease damage taken by 30 percent. When the effect is active, Tension is consumed by 10.
Ejection isn’t a demanding card; it only requires phase one and 10 Tension deduction for a lot of stat buffs. It’s a card determined entirely by your enemy’s performance, meaning that this one is ideal for boss fights where the enemy’s tension gauge fills more quickly than normal. Buffs on shields, HP and damage deduction is key to last in these tougher encounters so Ejection has you covered for a lot of the heavy lifting.
3) Maximization
When the operating character executes counterattack successfully, this grants the target control. Control is when the operating character takes damage from an enemy under control, decreasing the enemy’s Tension by three. Launching an attack towards an enemy under control increases your critical rate by 15 percent. This effect lasts for 3.6 seconds. When the effect is active, it consumes Tension by 1.5.
Counterattacking goes a long way in Tribe Nine and is quite easy to pull off. Maximizing its potential will involve including Tension Cards that capitalize on the maneuver. Maximization is ideal for more control on the battlefield, reducing the enemy’s Tension while buffering your team. It’s another effective card when battling bosses.
2) Mastermind
Mastermind grants party members Star Actor, your party member’s attack point increases by five percent but not your own. The effect will be removed when a different character becomes the operating character. The effect lasts for 3.6 seconds when a primary attack hits a target at a certain distance.
Mastermind is a phase zero card, meaning that the increase in attack point is always present. You can time its benefits well, only attacking as a team to land the killing blow and chaining attacks before that as your main operating character. This card is best used outside of boss fights for an easier time in enemy team wipes.
1) Forerunner
Like Mastermind, Forerunner grants party members Star Actor when the operating character successfully executes counterattack for 3.6 seconds. Your attack point increases by five percent. This effect will not be granted to the operating character and will be removed when a character becomes the operating character.
It’s another phase zero card and increases your attack points throughout. Its only caveat is switching out the player character where its effect will reset.
