This guide will serve as a repository of the strategies I used for all matches in Rhombus Square's arena. It is mostly geared toward people aiming for high scores/best times, but it should still prove useful for anyone just looking to obtain all platinum medals.

I only completed the arena after finishing "A New Home" DLC, and had access to powerful ascended equipment. As such, I have not tested strategies for people who don't have the DLC and who lack said equipment. That shouldn't be too much of a concern when going for high scores for many fights, especially those which use powerful lvl 3 combat arts. This is because those arts are almost always used in order to obtain multi-eliminations, not because their full damage potential is needed. Going for best times is a different story, being more powerful is always better there, and many of the recommended arts are tailored assuming you'll have endgame DLC stats (lvl 3 arts usually take much longer to execute than lvl 2 ones).

The score is determined by the following statistics:

- Damage Done - Equal to the amount of damage inflicted. This will usually be the same across attempts at a match with some exceptions I'll get into later.

- Effective Damage - Extra points granted when dealing "effective" damage. This is one of the most important stats to be focused on and optimized when going for platinum medals or high scores. Any damage which shows a small up arrow (^) next to the number counts here. These typically include: attacking elemental weaknesses, attacking during break states, attacking when the opponent is flashing red, and attacking marked opponents.

- Damage Taken - Removes points based on the amount of damage you take. Because the modifier for this is 25x the amount of damage you take, even taking a single medium hit can drastically reduce your score and potentially make obtaining platinum impossible. In PvP matches, the modifier is instead 1x.

- Elimination - Grants 500 points per regular enemy killed. There are certain matches where new enemies can spawn in, not only increasing this, but greatly increasing the total damage done.

- Elimination Chain Bonus - Grants an additional 500 points for each chain kill made after the first kill which increases by an additional 500 for each kill after that. For example, killing 7 opponents in a chain would grant 10,500 points (0+500+1000+1500+2000+2500+3000).

- Boss Elimination - Grants 5000 points for any boss kill.

- Boss Elimination Chain Bonus - Grants an extra 5000 points per chain level for any boss kill. There usually isn't a way to obtain a chain bonus during a boss fight, but there sometimes is (Sir Blobus Starnikus and the Ancient Guardian are a couple examples).

- Multi Elimination - When multiple enemies are killed as a group, this grants 1000 points per enemy after the first one (so killing 5 enemies at once will grant 4000 points). Multi-eliminations are almost always worth going for, sometimes even over enemy breaks or effective damage.

- Multi Elimination Chain Bonus - Grants 1000 additional points for each level of chain you have before that specific enemy was eliminated in a multi-elimination. So for example: if you start with a 3 chain and multi-eliminate 5 enemies to get an 8 chain, that would grant 22,000 points (4000+5000+6000+7000).

- Environment Kill - Grants 1000 points per enemy killed via environmental hazards. It's usually impossible to get any of these since arena matches almost never contain them. Besmirched Buns (Dirty Frobbits) is one of the only arena matches where you can expect to ever see this bonus.

- Overkill - Grants a mere 10 points for any enemy killed in a single hit (not a single combo). Needless to say, this bonus can be completely ignored due to how few points it gives.

- Overkill Chain Bonus - Grants an extra 10 points per chain level for any enemy killed in a single hit.

- Level 2/3 Art Finisher - Grants 500/1000 points for every enemy killed with a level 2/3 combat art. I'll be going into more detail about this later, but less than half of combat arts properly add to this bonus.

- Element Overload - Subtracts 10,000 points for every elemental overload.

- Enemy HP Recovered - Subtracts points equal to the amount of HP recovered by enemies. It's pretty rare for enemies to be able to heal, but even for those that can, the amount is rarely enough to prevent you from obtaining platinum. If you're going for a best score though, it's still a small thing to take into account.

- Perfect Guard - Grants 100 points for performing a perfect guard, however perfect guarding multiple times in a row significantly decreases the points given (down to 1/x). Because of this, it will be very rare to obtain more than 1000 points from perfect guards unless you specifically try. The only consistent way to do this without risking taking damage is to use perfect guard combat arts (in heat and cold modes).

- Perfect Dodge - Grants 100 points for performing a perfect dodge, however dodging multiple times in a row significantly decreases the points given (down to 1/x). Increasing your focus can make consistently obtaining perfect dodges a little easier, but because of the risk of taking damage (losing all the points obtained) and the very low point yield, this is almost never worth deliberately trying.

- Guard Counter - Grants 500 points for each guard counter performed. Guard counters are perfect guards done against a melee attack, though not restricted to the same 1/x point reduction that perfect guards are subject to. But much like perfect guards this isn't worth optimizing for, especially if you're only going for platinum.

- Enemy Break - Grants 500 points for each enemy broken. Note that breaking the same enemy multiple times won't grant this bonus multiple times (bosses will grant this once per phase). While breaking enemies is almost always a good idea to increase score, the points will almost always be concentrated in the "effective damage", not this bonus.

-Status Inflicted - Grants 250 points each time you inflict a status effect. It mostly just serves as a nice little extra bonus when it doesn't conflict with your "effective damage". In particular, mark can greatly increase effective damage against enemies without weaknesses, or for groups where it would be impractical to try and break more than 2 of them at once.

- Rounds Won - Grants 5000 points for every round won in a PvP mtach. Because you're required to win 5 rounds to get any points in a PvP match, this will always award 25,000 points.

- Rounds Lost - Subtracts 5000 points for every round lost in a PvP match.

Whenever you defeat an enemy with a level 2 or 3 art, the arena awards you with 500/1000 extra points, but for whatever reason, only a small fraction of the arts will properly register for this point gain. The following arts are those for which the bonus will apply:
In short, all of the melee arts give this bonus. The exceptions are that Blizzard Hawk doesn't, and Amber Breaker and Flickering Stars (dash arts) do. If an art isn't listed here, then it doesn't give points for its eliminations.

However, don't religiously stick to exclusively using the arts in this list; if another art makes a match easier/faster to complete or obtain multi-eliminations, then use those even if they don't give the bonus. Remember, the extra 500/1000 points can easily be eclipsed by a good multi-elimination chain bonus.

The arena matches range in level between 55 and 85. But since you have to have completed the content in the base game in order to challenge them in the arena, there will almost never be an instance where you could efficiently defeat an opponent in the base game, but not the arena.

In every single match, a higher level is always better whether you're going to high scores or best times. In fact, because your stats are much more affected by your equipment than your level, it can almost be considered irrelevant. Ascended equipment does scales with your level, but because only the stats scale (not the abilities), the difference is smaller than you'd think.

Assuming you've completed Ku'lero Temple and all the sidequests, you should be approximately level 75 (maybe a few levels higher), easily high enough to defeat the final/super bosses.

Here are the arts I'd recommend using if you'd prefer to go in blind:
Heat:

• Melee - Calamity Trigger and Ragnarök generally see much more use than Blazing Dragon and Vermilion Echo due to fire being a rare weakness on big enemies, and those that do usually have another weakness to exploit. Both of these arts also have very strong “grabbing” potential, capable of stunning enemies which usually have fairly high resistance to being stunned by melee attacks due to the range at which you can use these arts (this is most noticeable against enemies like Horny Goats or Hummagnums).
  
• Dash - Both Mine Valley and Crimson Stream have situational uses, but the latter is generally slightly better, having both high front-loaded damage and the trailing flames which cause more damage/break progress than you might expect.
  
• Guard - The only art here that will see any use at all is Ring of Fire (and only in a single match). The perfect guard arts may seem pretty good to have, but in the rare situations where a perfect guard is desired, the equivalent cold arts are better.

Cold:

• Melee - Almost every art in this branch will see frequent use, with Ice Tornado and Polar Pirouette being some of the best arts against groups, and Blizzard Hawk and Eternal Winter being some of the best arts against single enemies. The only easy choice is for Frozen Star which, despite being a level 1 art, will see some use against bosses. Something to note about the "star" arts of this line is that because they concentrate all of their damage in one or a few hits, they are the only way to skip phases or entire battles of certain bosses which have high damage resistance during their transition phase.
  
• Throw - Hail Flurry is one of the best arts for breaking enemies which are weak to ice while causing decent damage as well if all the icicles hit. While Frigid Flawke is the more defensive art, its AoE from range capabilities and high front-loaded damage make it quite useful (it also helps that Hail Storm kinda sucks).
  
• Guard - While perfect guard arts aren't quite as useful in the arena as they are in normal play, Frozen Stance and Freeze Frame are easily the best perfect guard arts to use when you need one.

Shock:

• Melee - These are somewhat underwhelming for the arena. The only one I'd recommend is Battery Assault, partially because Tesla Waltz isn't good, but it can also deal great damage when you need shock damage (though it can be outclassed by Amber Breaker (dash) in terms of speed).
  
• Throw - Both Radiant Swarm and Chain Blitz are quite useful. Radiant Swarm is the best art for breaking non-resistant targets, and while Chain Blitz is supposed to be a multi-target art, some tall enemies will be struck by all 4 of its hits in quick succession, giving it a very high DPS in those situations. For level 3, Mjölnir is the best for its excellent group trapping capability, the fact that Celestial Legion is both unwieldy and easily substitutable with Radiant Swarm, and it has better passive circuits.
  
• Dash - The choices here are easy: Amber Breaker and Lightning Prophecy. Amber Breaker provides high single target DPS while being both faster and a little safer than Battery Assault. Lightning Prophecy seems like it should be a multi-target art, but it also provides one of the fastest ways to deal damage against large bosses you can't dash through. This is because when the start and end of the skill is at the same place, Lea instantly arcs between them all 5 times granting huge DPS.

Wave:

• Throw - Elven Orb will see some use in a few matches where you need fast, front-loaded wave damage. Ether Snipe meanwhile is the single strongest art in the whole game for single targets and will see plenty of use. However, this art doesn’t slow down the timer during its wind-up, making it a poor choice when going for best times (unless it’s the only option for skipping phases). Wave Motion Beam may seem nice for groups, but Spirit Blast already has you covered on that task (the self-inflicted damage it causes does NOT subtract points from you).
  
• Dash - By far the easiest choices for all the arts: Warp Decoy and Toxic Revenant. These arts can make positioning for hyper-offensive styles much more doable, make dodging big attacks easier, and even prevent opponents from running away from you. Toxic Revenant is a bit more situational since it can cause damage in ways which can detract from your score. But they are bulkier (able to take more than 2 hits), and when it does cause damage in the right way, it is the perfect tool for the job.
  
• Guard - These all suck. In fact, they worse than suck since the aura ones separate targets (making it somewhat harder to get multi-eliminations), and healing ones force you to take damage since they're just regular guards, not perfect guards. You may also find yourself accidentally using these when trying to use Warp Decoy/Toxic Revenant, but get interrupted by enemy attacks.

Because I'm assuming you're going to be trying to never get hit anyway in order to obtain the bonuses for not getting hit, the HP and defence stats can be treated as though they don't exist, almost as if you're playing on the "Prepare to Hi" difficulty. In general, you're going to want to give yourself a little more focus than attack due to how important SP generation can be in certain matches.

The abilities that are relevant to the arena are: Brawler, Shooter, Bullseye, Bouncer, and Flash Step. Balance and Status Rush are nice to have, but they shouldn't be the deciding factor over another, otherwise better, piece of equipment. Assault is less useful than it might seem, and can actually be a hindrance during specific boss fights where you have to get their health down to a specific amount.

The equipment that I used are as follows:
Weapons - Meteor Trigger, Nanopoint Needle
Headgear - Sunglass Visor
Torso - Nightfeather Coat
Boots - Speedy Boom Boots

This loadout was made to give a good balance of Attack, focus, and the aforementioned abilities.

Some alternative equipment are:
Weapons - Skirmisher+, Mantis Whip+, Tremor Mirage
Headgear - Furious Hothead+, Trackwalker Visor+, Headset TYPE >:3
Torso - Zealous Lamellar+, Killing Dress+
Boots - Artillery Boots+, Lunatic Paws UwU

I haven't tested any of these, but the equipment I'd recommend if you don't have the DLC are:

Weapons - Skirmisher, Golden Falcon
Headgear - Trackwalker Visor
Torso - Killing Dress
Boots - Lunatic Paws

While maintaining the chain bonus is important for almost all matches with multiple enemies, you won't have to do anything special to prevent it from expiring. Taking damage will make the chain expire slightly faster, but unless you get hit multiple times, this is unlikely to break the chain.

Just about the only matches where this could be a concern are where a boss can summon other normal enemies which grant points (namely: Sir Blobus Starnikus, the Hillkat Bandleader, and Billston). These rounds will have large-ish time gaps between them summoning enemies, and you have to ensure that no more than 25 seconds pass between each elimination.


Generally, you'll very rarely have to concern yourself with whether you'll get the round's bonus points if you play well. Using no items is never a concern, and trying to take no damage is something you should be doing anyway. Effective damage will only be a concern if you aren't trying to obtain it; the required effective damage is usually much lower than the potential for any given round. However, a few of them like Stacking Crew and Highway Police require somewhat non-obvious tactics to reach the required damage for this.

There will be some rounds (mainly bosses) where finishing within the target time can be a concern if you're playing a little cautiously, and there's one round (The Elemental Turrets) where finishing in under a minute dictates the entire strategy. Unlike other bonuses, finishing over the target time doesn't reward 0 points. Rather, you'll receive reduced points up to twice the target time (where you'll then be granted 0 points).


While both of these metrics are very important is most matches, situations where both of these are possible simultaneously are usually impractical if obtaining effective damage requires breaking the opponents to obtain. As such, deciding which of these to focus on can be important. The general rule for which grants more points is how many enemies have already been defeated.

The very first match of the arena (Afternoon Attackers) is a good illustration of this. It may seem like a good idea to use an art like Calamity Trigger to get a multi-elimination against the first wave, but while it will get enough points for a platinum medal, it can be made better. Because these are the first enemies of the match, no chain has been built up yet, so you'll only get an extra 6000 points from the multi-elimination. Breaking each opponent individually, in comparison, obtains more points via higher effective damage than the former tactic (while also conserving SP for wave 2). By contrast, doing a multi-elimination on wave 2 gets more points than doing it on wave 1 due to the increased chain granting 12,000 points instead.

Of course, it is indeed possible to both break the opponents and still get the multi-elimination, but doing so is much less consistent. And while it is doable against opponents like Hedgehags, it is much less feasible in waves containing opponents like Anglers or Hummagnums. Even against agile opponents like those, you'll likely have to make compromises in how much points you get here during the mid-late rounds of rush mode.

As a general rule, this cup is going to have a somewhat harder platinum requirement across the board if you aren't trying. Attempting to just attack enemies without optimizing for effective damage or multikills will often result in gold medals, even if you took no damage.

Wave 1: Hedgehag (x2), Rockin' Hillkat (x1)
Wave 2: Rockin' Hillkat (x2), Mad Bovine (x1)

Used Arts: Freeze Frame, Warp Decoy, Polar Pirouette
Time Arts: Calamity Trigger, Frozen Star

Use a Freeze Frame and a perfect guard to defeat each of the Hedgehags and charged shots to break and defeat the Hillkat. For wave 2, immediately place a Warp Decoy above the Bovine, then dash below them and grab all of them with Polar Pirouette. Don't Freeze Frame both Hedgehags in wave 1 or you won't have enough SP to quickly clear wave 2.

For best times start with Calamity Trigger, then use Frozen Star with precise positioning to eliminate the Bovine and one of the Hillkats as they're appearing. You'll have to be lucky with where the Bovine decides to face when it first appears.

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Wave 1: Old Hedgehag (x2), Flamin' Hillkat (x1)
Wave 2: Flamin' Hillkat (x2), Red Eyed Bovine (x1)

Used Arts: Freeze Frame, Warp Decoy, Polar Pirouette
Time Arts: Calamity Trigger, Frozen Star

Because the enemies are almost identical to the previous match, the strategy is too. The only difference is that the Hedgehags will sometimes use a jumping attack, and the Hillkats have a faster shot.

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Wave 1: Young Frobbit (x4), Seafly (x1)
Wave 2: Pengpeng (x2), Horny Goat (x1)

Used Arts: Calamity Trigger

Fire a bunch of quick shots to get 6 SP, then use Calamity Trigger to clear both waves. Don't get too close to the Horny Goat or they will block attacks and kick you away.

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Wave 1: White Frobbit (x4), Horny Goat (x1)
Wave 2: Horny Goat (x2), Karotto (x1)

Used Arts: Calamity Trigger

Use Calamity Trigger to clear wave 1, quickly fire a few shots to regain SP, and use it again to clear wave 2. Don't get too close to the Horny Goats or they will block attacks and kick you away.

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Wave 1: Pinceron (x2), Sharkster (x2)
Wave 2: Drillertoise (x2), Tim (x1)

Used Arts: Ice Tornado, Warp Decoy, Polar Pirouette
Time Arts: Ice Tornado, Crimson Stream

Use Ice Tornado a couple of seconds after the round starts to defeat as many enemies as you can in one use. As soon as wave 2 starts, place a Warp Decoy away from the centre to distract the Drillertoises, break the Tim, and use Polar Pirouette.

When going for a best time, Crimson Stream can complete wave 2 by itself with just a single use before the Drillertoises go underground.

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Wave 1: Radical Hedgehag (x2), Chillin' Hillkat (x1)
Wave 2: Fallfly (x2), Ivory Bovine (x1)

Used Arts: Frozen Stance, Warp Decoy, Polar Pirouette
Time Arts: Calamity Trigger, Frozen Star, Hail Flurry

Use a Freeze Frame and a perfect guard to defeat each of the Hedgehags and charged cold shots to break and defeat the Hillkat. For wave 2, immediately place a Warp Decoy below the Bovine, then dash above them and grab all of them with Polar Pirouette. Don't Freeze Frame both Hedgehags in wave 1 or you won't have enough SP to quickly clear wave 2.

For best times start with Calamity Trigger, then use Frozen Star on the Bovine as it's appearing and charged shots or Hail Flurry on the other Fallflies. You'll have to be lucky with where the Bovine decides to face when it first appears.

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Wave 1: Argeby (x2), Papagun (x1)
Wave 2: Gelleric (x4), Angler (x2)

Used Arts: Polar Pirouette/Mjölnir
Time Arts: Calamity Trigger, Frigid Flawke

Clear the first wave with nothing but normal attacks and clear the second wave with Polar Pirouette (or Mjölnir for more consistency in rush mode). Ideally, wait for enemies to be broken/stunned in the first wave for effective damage.

For best times, use Calamity Trigger for wave 1, fire some normal shots to generate SP, and use Frigid Flawke on the Anglers (and hopefully catching the Gellerics too).

While it may be tempting to use Calamity Trigger for the first wave while going for a best score, doing this will make the second wave much more difficult and annoying if you can't immediately use Polar Pirouette.

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Wave 1: Papagun (x2), Argeby (x1)
Wave 2: Shokat (x2), Behesloth (x1)

Used Arts: Calamity Trigger, Spirit Blast

Use Calamity Trigger for wave 1. Once wave 2 starts, mark the Behesloth (firing a few extra shots for SP), dodge the Shokat's attack, break the Behesloth, and use Spirit Blast to defeat everyone. A marked Behesloth will be broken with just a single charged wave shot.

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Wave 1: Sun Beetle (x1), Moon Beetle (x1)
Wave 2: Aranetarda (x4), Pandza (x1)

Used Arts: Calamity Trigger, Warp Decoy

Use regular melee attacks of the appropriate element against both beetles for the first wave and use Calamity Trigger for the second Wave. Don't strike the Sun Beetles with Frozen Stance while they execute their big attack; they don't give effective damage while in the middle of executing it. Even if it's not stunned yet, using melee heat/shock attacks against the Pandza's weak point will give effective damage.

Wave 1: Kamikatze (x1), Carritrich (x2)
Wave 2: Fleazer (x4), Digmo (x1)

Used Arts: Toxic Revenant, Vermillion Echo/Ragnarök

Break all the opponents in wave 1 before damaging them. Once wave 2 starts, immediately place a Toxic Revenant right below the Digmo to break it and trap some of the Fleazers with either Vermillion Echo or Ragnarök.

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Ti'im, Tim (x3)

Used Arts: Warp Decoy, Burn!
Time Arts: Warp Decoy, Burn!, Blizzard Hawk

Skipping the second phase with Frozen Star/Blizzard Hawk will cause the other 2 Tims to not spawn, significantly reducing your score, but it will get you a much better time.

Placing a Warp Decoy will cause the Tims to not try and flee when you're close to them (while also distracting Ti'im), allowing you to break and defeat them much more simply. Warp decoys are also great for the platforming sections, and you should place one at each of the larger platforms to help avoid the rocks.

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Wave 1: Pada Moth (x2), Darth Moth (x1)
Wave 2: Magmanizer (x1), Trijelly (x1)

Used Arts: Hail Flurry

Due to how few enemies are in this round, aiming for multi-eliminations in either wave isn't really necessary. Hail Flurry is capable of dispelling the flame barrier around the Magmanizer in one use.

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Hologram Frobbit

Used Arts: Toxic Revenant

Because of Hologram Frobbit's very low damage reduction, marking them is highly advisable. However, in order for effective damage to be obtained from marking, they cannot have set up their shield, which happens immediately after their initial jump (and switching elements). Fortunately, Hologram Frobbit is extremely vulnerable to Toxic Revenant, which is able to stunlock them in any state (even while attacking). And it can even prevent them from setting up their shield if used right beneath them before landing.

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Wave 1: Rob0ck (x2), Powerplant (x1)
Wave 2: Ectovolt (x2)

Used Arts: N/A
Time Arts: Toxic Revenant, Spirit Blast

Meticulously break everyone before defeating them. Even with multi-eliminations, the extra "effective damage" obtained through breaking grants more points.

For best times, place a Toxic Revenant to stunlock everyone in wave 1, strike enemies to gain some SP, then use Spirit Blast once wave 2 starts.

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Sephisloth

Used Arts: Elven Orb, Fae Round

Elven Orb can break Sephisloth with just a single use. After doing that, using Fae Round to try and one-shot them is good for both score and time. Because Sephisloth doesn't get any damage reduction after changing phases, you can get in a lot of extra damage and still potentially defeat them before they get back up with another Elven Orb.

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Wave 1: Jelleric (x4), Ocubepus (x2)
Wave 2: Angler (x2), Blue Ray (x1)

Used Arts: Polar Pirouette
Time Arts: Ice Tornado, Chain Blitz

Try to get multi-eliminations against the enemies in wave 1 with normal melee attacks. The instant wave 2 starts, use shock melee attacks to shoot one of the "orbs" to activate the lightning rod before the Anglers can begin attacking. If done correctly, this will push all of the enemies out from the middle, giving a good amount of time to start Polar Pirouette.

A best time entails using Ice Tornado to eliminate the Jellerics, then use Chain Blitz against the Anglers in wave 2 before the lightning "orb" you shoot reaches the Lightning rod.

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Twilight Master

Used Arts: Freeze Frame, Frozen Star/Blizzard Hawk
Time Arts: Blizzard Hawk

Because Twilight Master doesn't have any damage reduction between phases, being frozen with Freeze Frame can eliminate them very quickly when comboed with Frozen Star/Blizzard Hawk. If timed perfectly, Blizzard Hawk can hit them while they're in the middle of slashing at you for the first time, defeating them slightly faster.

Rhombus Heavy Turret 2.0

Used Arts: Toxic Revenant, Ether Snipe

Inflict mark on the turret in each phase since they have no elemental weakness and cannot be broken on the first 2 phases.

Despite what you may think, Toxic Revenant is able to stun the turret, and going straight from phase 1 to phase 3 while stunned stops them from moving away from the platform you're on, freeing up what art you wish to use.

Ether Snipe is able to one-shot them from full health, but doing so provides much less effective damage. For the most effective damage, only attack them in phase 3 after breaking them.

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Infected Digmo

Used Arts: Burn!, Toxic Revenant

The spawned Fleazers don't give any damage/elimination points or chain bonus.

Using Toxic Revenant at point-blank range will distract the Digmo, giving you plenty of time to break them and keep the Fleazers it ejects close, allowing for quick eliminations.

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X01 Driller H.F.S.

Used Arts: Eternal Winter

Due to the nature of this boss, no effective damage can be gained (you can't even inflict status effects). The only variation to your score is how much damage you take, how many perfect guards/dodges to do, and how long you take.

Eternal Winter is capable of one-shotting them, even though it doesn't cause "effective damage".

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Pinzo'jrahrrrn

Used Arts: Eternal Winter

As you probably expect, the Trijellys don't give any points.

Just break Pinzo'jrahrrrn and use either Blizzard Hawk or Eternal Winter for a very quick victory. Warp Decoy can be somewhat useful to redirect their rocks (if they use it) to give you more time to position the bubbles of the Trijellys.

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Master Magmoth

Used Arts: Hail Flurry/Gatling Arctilery, Eternal Winter

Hail Flurry is the best art for breaking the Magmoth, capable of doing it in just 2 or 3 direct hits. Because Hail Flurry causes a decent amount of non-effective damage, skipping their phases via Blizzard Hawk or Eternal Winter grants more points than otherwise.

Gatling Arctilery can also break Master Magmoth in a single barrage, best charged when they're getting into position for their giant laser attack. This isn't more effective than using Hail Flurry, I just thought I'd mention that this art can be used since it's so rare that it can be useful.

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Plasma Phantom

Used Arts: Toxic Revenant, Elven Orb

Immediately use Toxic Revenant to stunlock and break them very quickly. More effective damage is caused when attacking their "sphere" form. As such, ploughing through their other phases grants far more points than breaking them multiple times.

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Sir Blobus Starnikus

Used Arts: Ice Tornado, Radiant Swarm

This is a much more optimizable match than it may seem.

Use Radiant Swarm to break Starnikus (1 use for the first and second times, 2 uses for the 3rd), and Ice Tornado for the Jellerics.

The amount of damage you can cause to the Jellerics before Sir Blobus Starnikus officially appears can drastically increase your score. This is for 2 reasons: 1 - because the number you can defeat here is uncapped by Sir Blobus's health bar, and 2 - those you defeat here won't reduce Sir Blobus's health percentage, causing more Jellerics to be defeated before Starnikus re-absorbs them in the final phase.

This is also one of the very few bosses where obtaining a large chain bonus for the boss is possible, but it does require breaking them somewhat quickly.

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Son of the East

Used Arts: Ether Snipe
Time Arts: Frozen Stance, Blizzard Hawk

After being broken while infused with either shock or wave, all subsequent damage is "effective damage", even if it goes past their other phases. Therefore, one-shotting him with Ether Snipe (he always sets up shock first) grants the most points.

When going for a best time, use Frozen Stance followed by Blizzard Hawk (you'll have to get lucky with critical hits).

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Ancient Guardian, Son of the East

Used Arts: Chain Blitz/Radiant Swarm, Lightning Prophecy, Ether Snipe

Once the Ancient Guardian has been broken (with either Chain Blitz or Radant Swarm), attack them a bit to generate some SP, then use Lightning Prophecy at point-blank range after breaking them, which will instantly arc and cause huge amounts of damage, instantly KOing them.

For Son of the East, generate some SP while he's charging up after defeating Ancient Guardian and use Ether Snipe as soon as he sets up his shock shield to one-shot him.

Hillkat Bandleader, Rockin' Hillkat, Flamin' Hillkat (x2 initially, x7 extra)

Used Arts: Frigid Flawke, Warp Decoy, Toxic Revenant, Polar Pirouette
Time Arts: Warp Decoy, Eternal Winter/Blizzard Hawk

The bandleader will summon up to 7 extra Hillkats after being reduced to ~40% HP; they must be attacked in order to reach the score goal.

Group the first 2 Flamin' Hillkats together and eliminate them via Frigid Flawke and reduce the Bandleader's HP enough for him to summon the rest of the Hillkats. When he does, place a Toxic Revenant (for distraction, not damage) and use Polar Pirouette to eliminate all of them. It is possible to keep the first 2 Flamin' Hillkats alive until the Polar Pirouette, but doing so without taking damage is very hard.

A best time simply entails rushing up to the bandleader and using Eternal Winter after getting 6 SP. Blizzard Hawk is slightly faster due to its shorter duration, but you'll have to be a little lucky with critical hits, and will probably have to use a few melee attacks afterwards. It can also be interrupted by their attacks, so a Warp Decoy is necessary if you're going to do this.

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Wave 1: Illegal Rhombus Turret (x2)
Wave 2: Illegal Rhombus Turret (x4)

Used Arts: Indigo Rush
Time Arts: Frozen Star

When wave 2 starts, use Indigo Rush between two sides to much more safely complete the second wave. Marking each of the turrets before their shields drop does grant slightly more points than otherwise, but not by much.

If you start charging a Frozen Star the instant that the second turret of the first wave is defeated, you can defeat one of the turrets of the second wave before their shield goes up.

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Wave 1: Dirty Frobbit (x3)
Wave 2: Dirty Frobbit (x5)

Used Arts: Warp Decoy, Ki Thrust, Toxic Revenant, Calamity Trigger

Inflicting mark is the only way to get effective damage (unlike other Frobbits, these ones aren't vulnerable to fire).

Place a warp decoy near the water. Once the first Frobbit jumps at it (and into the water), the other 2 can be knocked in via Ki Thrust, repeat this for wave 2. The second wave should be eliminated with Toxic Revenant and Calamity Trigger/Ragnarök once they've been cleaned (this can't be done in wave 1 due to SP requirements).

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Wave 1: Horny Cavegoat (x3)
Wave 2: Horny Cavegoat (x2)
Wave 3: Horny Cavegoat (x3)

Used Arts: Calamity Trigger

Because Horny Cavegoats almost never have more than one of them broken at a time, Calamity Trigger only needs to be used when going for a best time. But if a bomb happens to break more than one of them, go ahead and use it.

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Wave 1: Chillertoise (x3)
Wave 2: Chillertoise (x4)

Used Arts: Amber Breaker
Time Arts: Amber Strike

Because of how on-rails this fight can be (due to the bomb recharge time of the Cat 4-PUI7), little can be done to optimize score or time other than not getting hit or releasing the bomb at the earliest time. Use Amber Breaker as much as possible, but substitute for Amber Strike when your SP is too low.

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Legionary Leader v1 (x1), Legionary Turret v1 (x7)

Used Arts: Toxic Revenant

After placing the Toxic Revenant next to the leader, try to not cause too much damage while breaking him and place another revenant next to each turret to inflict mark. Break the leader before causing the last bit of damage to him.

When going for a best time, defeat the leader as soon as possible exclusively using Toxic Revenant and normal attacks (they run around too much if not snared by the decoy).

Wave 1: Wowturbine (x2)
Wave 2: Wowturbine (x3)

Used Arts: N/A

Only attack the Wowturbines while broken, not doing so will cause them to begin healing at the flames. With proper positioning, they can be broken by shooting the ice "pucks" at them while they're doing their fire dive attack.

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Guard Billston, Legionary Turret v2 (x4 initially, x6 extra)

Used Arts: Toxic Revenant, Warp Decoy
Time Arts: Toxic Revenant, Elven Orb

While the turrets still give points after the battle even if you don't attack them, actually damaging them grants far more. Billston will also summon a second wave of turrets (even if none of the first 4 have been defeated) after attempting to eat his second sandwich (you have to actually damage him before he tries to eat it).

To make things easier on yourself, begin destroying the turrets after interrupting his first sandwich. This gives enough leeway to maintain the chain bonus between waves of turret summons, while not overwhelming yourself with 10 turrets and Billston to dodge at once.

Billston can be defeated very quickly by trapping him in a Toxic Revenant, hitting him a few times, and using Elven Orb (or any other art with high front-loaded damage).

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Smelter Digmo

Used Arts: Toxic Revenant, Hail Flurry

Damage inflicted on the spawned Experienced Fleazers doesn't contribute to "damage done". Place Toxic Revenants next to the Smelter Digmo whenever possible, it both makes breaking them much faster, but also inflicts mark on both them and (potentially) the spawned Fleazers.

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Blazehoof

Used Arts: Frozen Star

The most effective damage is gotten when the Blazehoof is knocked down. As such, one-shotting them with Frozen Star is optimal for both score and time.

Don't mark them when going for a high score. I don't know why, but marking them actually makes you cause significantly less damage when they're knocked down.

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Karotto Fruitseeker

Used Arts: Vermillion Echo

WARNING: Completing this challenge without exiting to the arena's lobby will cause the game to erroneously quicksave inside the arena match, which then tries to spawn you inside the arena without initiating it, thus permanently crashing the autosave. So be sure to never return to the title screen without exiting to the lobby first, or be sure to do a manual save before challenging this just in case.

The freezers will grant points for breaking them despite not being enemies. Once they're broken, move the hyperforce plasmaoven (that's what it's called) into the middle, lure the Karotto into moving next to it to be broken, and use either Vermillion Echo or Song of Storms to defeat them.

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Buff Bloomy

Used Arts: N/A
Time Arts: Toxic Revenant

While his damage reduction can be broken by marking him (via Toxic Revenant), breaking him will yield much more points.

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King Kaktorro

Used Arts: Hail Flurry
Time Arts: Eternal Winter

Because King Kaktorro cannot be broken, inflicting mark is the best way to gain effective damage. When going for a best time, wait for half a second before hitting him with a couple melee attacks (so he doesn't stomp you out of the way) and use Eternal Winter.

Wave 1: Echinoignis (x2), Echinonix (x2)
Wave 2: Echinofluctus (x2), Echinofulgur (x2)
Wave 3: Echinoignis (x2), Echinonix (x2), Echinofluctus (x2), Echinofulgur (x2)

Used Arts: Ice Tornado, Elven Orb, Polar Pirouette

Use Ice Tornado/Calamity Trigger for wave 1, Elven Orb/Spirit Blast for wave 2, and Polar Pirouette for wave 3. Swap elements as needed to hit their weakness when using normal attacks, only going for multi-eliminations with arts for the second type on each wave for SP conservation.

Depending on your focus and how many hits you get in, you may need to strike opponents a few times at the start of wave 3 to use Polar Pirouette.

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Wave 1: Balooneer (x1), Echinonix (x2)
Wave 2: Balooneer (x2)

Used Arts: Calamity Trigger, Hail Flurry, Warp Decoy, Ice Tornado

Use Calamity Trigger to get rid of the Echinonixes. Be sure to not attack the Balooneer too soon in the first wave after you break them for the first time; attacking too early after the first break will miss out on some effective damage. For wave 2, place a Warp Decoy to stop the Balooneers from running away, and use Ice Tornado.

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Wave 1: K'im (x1), Echinofluctus (x2)
Wave 2: K'im (x1), Balooneer (x1)

Used Arts: Chain Blitz, Warp Decoy, Polar Pirouette
Time Arts: Chain Blitz, Warp Decoy, Ice Tornado

After breaking the K'ims for the second time, wait for about 2 seconds before damaging them again, and make sure that they're above ground; inflicted and effective damage is much higher if you do these things.

For wave 2, ignore the Balooneer, break the K'im twice, place a Warp Decoy to stop them from moving around, and use Polar Pirouette. For best times, use Ice Tornado immediately once wave 2 starts (make sure you're closer to the Balooneer).

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Wave 1: Trigenbu (x1), Echinofulgur (x2)
Wave 2: Trigenbu (x1), K'im (x2)

Used Arts: Spirit Blast, Toxic Revenant, Calamity Trigger

Wait about a second before using Spirit Blast on the first wave, otherwise the Trigenbu will likely dodge it. Once wave 2 starts, break both K'ims normally, then wait for the Trigenbu to start using their frost dive attack. When they do, place a Toxic Revenant to break them and use Calamity Trigger to defeat all 3.

An alternative, more consistent strategy for wave 2 is to defeat the Trigenbu immediately with normal attacks. Then position yourself to draw both K'ims together and break and defeat them normally.

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Wave 1: Heat Crystalid (x2), Cold Crystalid (x2)
Wave 2: Wave Crystalid (x2), Shock Crystalid (x2)
Wave 3: Heat Crystalid (x2), Cold Crystalid (x2), Wave Crystalid (x2), Shock Crystalid (x2)

Used Arts: Ice Tornado, Calamity Trigger, Elven Orb/Spirit Blast

The strategy here is quite similar to round 1 "Beach Stars": get multi-eliminations with lvl 2 arts as frequently as possible. Conserve SP by only using them on one type of Crystalid for the first 2 waves (using arts second to maximize the bonus from the multi-elimination chain bonus).

Unlike "Beach Stars" however, Polar Pirouette isn't strong enough to get multi-eliminations against Crystalids in the last wave due to their high elemental resistances.

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Wave 1: Hummagnum (x2)
Wave 2: Hummagnum (x2), Cold Crystalid (x4)

Used Arts: Calamity Trigger

Catching both Hummagnums while stunned (for more effective damage) along with all of the Crystalids in a single Calamity Trigger is optimal. However, Calamity Trigger is able to trap Hummagnums without them needing to shoot first, which is a much more consistent tactic for rush mode.

This round is an excellent demonstration on when the art elimination bonus doesn't apply for an art which normally gives it. While Ragnarök seems better, because of the way the knockback works with each of the enemies, the Crystalids won't get hit by its final attack, meaning that Calamity Trigger actually gives more points.

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Wave 1: Mizree (x1), Heat Crystalid (x2)
Wave 2: Mizree (x1), Hummagnum (x1)

Used Arts: Ice Tornado, Hail Flurry
Time Arts: Ice Tornado, Polar Pirouette

Use Ice Tornado to defeat both Heat Crystals and Hail Flurry to break the Mizree. Using Polar Pirouette the instant the Mizree of the second wave appears can stunlock them before they're able to set up their shield, eliminating them right away (start the art before they appear). This is only good for best times; it provides much less points.

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Wave 1: Beearbot (x1), Shock Crystalid (x2)
Wave 2: Beearbot (x1), Hummagnum (x1)

Used Arts: Spirit Blast, Warp Decoy, Hail Flurry
Time Arts: Blizzard Hawk, Warp Decoy, Eternal Winter

Start by using Spirit Blast to get rid of the 2 Shock Crystalids (this is a little inconsistent, so you could use melee attacks for rush mode). Using cold or wave attacks to break the Beearbots gives slightly more effective damage than using shock or heat attacks since break power is unaffected by elemental resistances against these guys. Use Warp Decoys to distract them and hit their backsides.

For best times, use Blizzard Hawk against the first Beearbot right away, as it is able to break them in a single use when used close enough to them. For the second wave, begin using Eternal Winter as soon as the first wave is finished to catch both enemies. You'll have to get lucky for both waves here, as the Beearbot has to not be the first to attack on wave 1, the Beearbot of wave 2 has to face the correct direction on their first random movement, and the Hummagnum has to not move away from you.

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Heat Statue (x3), Cold Statue (x3), Wave Statue (x3), Shock Statue (x1) (divided between two towers)

Used Arts: N/A

Attacking the statues while they're flashing red is required in order to obtain enough effective damage.

Once you reach the Heat Statue on the right stack, wait a little bit before defeating them after they start flashing. This is to give the Cold Statue on the left stack enough time to attack and start flashing before they can link with the other Cold Statue on the right.

Used Arts: Warp Decoy, Frigid Flawke, Frozen Star, Bullet Rain/Bullet Inferno
Time Arts: Warp Decoy, Blizzard Hawk

The reason I'm grouping these guys together is because the strategies for each barely change. The optimal strategy is completely identical, while the more consistent one I recommend for rush mode only changes slightly. Despite the elements that they are infused with, their elemental resistances don’t change very much; they’re never weak to any element.

It is possible to skip phase 2 with Frozen Star. Blizzard Hawk and Eternal Winter can do this too, but all 3 require the same thing: a critical hit at just the right time. Further hits will encounter their massively increased damage reduction. This is preferable when optimizing score due to how little damage reduction they all have when attacking their back. If the hit fails to kill, then Bullet Rain/Bullet Inferno can break them easily during their second phase due to their unique all-elemental resistance.

The best tactic (for both score and time) is to place a Warp Decoy and use Blizzard Hawk on their backside; this can immediately kill them. The success rate for this is somewhat low, as it requires the attack to not hit their shield and to crit in just the right way, but it can work.

The more consistent strategy is to place a Warp Decoy and instead use Frigid Flawke on their backside to increase the break gauge by a lot. Then use some normal melee attacks to break them without entering the next phase, and use Frozen Star and hope for a critical hit (switch to shock mode mid-art to increase your focus). If you don't get a critical hit, then you'll just have to do the rest of the fight normally.

If you fail to get a critical hit with Frozen Star, inflicting chill on them during their transition animation gives more time to break them with the iron ball before they begin attacking again.

Some changes to the strategy for each of the statues are:

Neutral: Missing the critical hit is less punishing since they don't have another form you have to break with the iron sphere.

Heat: After using Frigid Flawke, use normal ranged attacks; using melee attacks will put you right into their flames.

Cold: They slide around when they throw their shield, so you may have to chase them a bit during your melee combo, but it's otherwise the same.

Shock: If they to throw their shield, don't assume you're in a safe spot; the lightning it summons has a fairly long range.

Wave: If they throw their shield, it will teleport and try to strike the Wave Decoy again (which you are likely on top of when it happens).

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Gynthar

Used Arts: Eternal Winter

Due to Gynthar's low damage reduction, getting maximum points entails only attacking while he's flashing red. It is indeed possible to one-shot him if he's flashing red and in heat form with Eternal Winter (this also grants the most points). If they decide to not use heat form, then the optimal arts for quickly breaking them are: Flare Burn!, Radiant Swarm, and Ether Snipe. Note that if not used at point-blank range, Gynthar is pretty good at dodging Ether Snipe (even when flashing red).

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Di'orbis, E'nel, Di'aro, K'win, G'oni

Used Arts: Amber Breaker, Frigid Flawke, Elven Orb, Radiant Swarm, Flare Burn!, Lightning Prophecy

I spent way too much time practising this fight and searching for alternative strategies.

The maximum score you can obtain for this match is fairly rigid, capping out at around 850,000 points, with little optimization available to push it much higher. Di'orbis is the only boss which gives any points for dealing damage, their damage reduction is so high during their normal state that the amount of "effective damage" is somewhat fixed, and the other gods don't even increase the chain. The target time is easily passable even if you don't use the tactics I'm going to use, so the only piece of advice I can really give is just: don't get hit. Instead I'm going to focus entirely on improving best times here.

Whenever the other gods are summoned, there is a brief period of time where they can be damaged and even defeated before they enter combat. It is technically possible to do this with normal attacks, but because Di'orbis summoning them moves the camera around so much, mouse and keyboard users will have a hard time keeping it on Lea to use melee attacks, so arts are preferred (gamepad users might have an easier time doing this). Most arts aren't fast enough to capitalize on this weak time, but some that are include: Flare Burn!, Amber Breaker, Frigid Flawke, and Elven Orb/Ether Snipe (Elven Orb requires almost immediate use when K'win appears).

Whenever Di'orbis becomes breakable, use Radiant Swarm twice to break them in a single cycle. Gatling Arctillery, Mjölnir, and Gungnir can also do this, but they're a little slower. Once both Radiant Swarms are in place, only use 2 melee combos to break Di'orbis; any more and the shots from Radiant swarm will continue hitting their elemental shield, potentially reducing the amount of effective damage dealt if they use the heat or cold shields. So I lied, there is some point optimization to be done.

Once all 4 gods start being summoned, the strategy changes a little, but first, a word of warning: If one of the gods is defeated while the 3rd or 4th one's shape is moving into position at this stage, the game will freeze. As such, you must time the art so that they're defeated between when the 4th god appears and when they become invulnerable.

It is possible to defeat 2 gods at once. This was useless for the first 2 phases, but when all 4 are present it has relevance. As far as I can tell, the only 2 arts which can do this are Flare Burn! and Lightning Prophecy, and the timing for when to use them is much more tight to break both of them while also not freezing the game.

Stand next to the first god that's summoned on the left. The instant that the third shape starts moving above Di'orbis, begin pause buffering (with the quick menu) to determine which one is being summoned on the far left. If both E'nel and K'win are being summoned on the left, then you're out of luck, and will have to settle for Frigid Flawke/Indigo Rush or Elven Orb/Spirit Blast (none of which are capable of defeating both at once). The timing for each is different due to Lightning Prophecy greatly slowing down time while in use. Use Flare Burn! immediately after the 3rd shape above Di'orbis starts moving, and use Lightning Prophecy as soon as the 4th god is summoned.

One final note: I spent many attempts trying to skip one of Di'orbis's phases by using Frozen Star against their heat shield to cause enough damage, but as far as I can tell, it is impossible (at least, at level 78).

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A large amount of luck is involved in every match when trying to get the best time possible. This is because you need to get a critical hit to skip each of the guardians' 2nd phases, Gynthar needs to start in his heat form for Eternal Winter to skip his very long attack sequences, and Di'orbis needs to not summon E'nel and K'win on the same side for the 3rd and 4th phases to allow Flare Burn!/Lightning Prophecy to break 2 gods at once.

Wave 1: Pintjelly (x2)
Wave 2: Pintjelly (x3)
Wave 3: Distillizer

Used Arts: Hail Flurry, Eternal Winter
Time Arts: Frigid Flawke, Hail Flurry, Eternal Winter

Any equipment which give the "Flash Step" ability (namely: Speedy Boom Boots) will help a great deal in dodging the Pintjellys' melee attack. Taking the time to break each Pintjelly will grant more points, but you can kill them quickly with Frigid Flawke when going for best times. Hail Flurry is able to dispel the Distillizer's flame shield in one use.

After Killing the Distillizer with Eternal Winter (skipping all of their phases), go as far up in the corner next to the boiler as possible to try and dodge the bubbles since those that hit you during the death sequence will still count as damage taken.

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Illegal Coordinator

Used Arts: Elven Orb, Ether Snipe

The chain bonus objective for this match is impossible to obtain since the small floating turrets don't increment the chain (a design oversight).

Both Elven Orb and Ether Snipe will bypass the Coordinator's frontal shield during phase 2. It's not even that necessary, since Ether Snipe is capable of outright skipping the second phase. For the most possible points, be sure to wait until the Coordinator starts charging up their missile barrage before firing Ether Snipe.

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Toxovolt

Used Arts: Essence Drain

The chain bonus objective for this match is impossible to obtain (a design oversight). Essence drain is the most efficient art for breaking them the first time. Much more effective damage is caused when attacking their broken "sphere" form.

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Tremmy

Used Arts: Warp Decoy, Battery Assault/Amber Breaker
Time Arts: Amber Breaker, Radiant Swarm, Mjölnir

Only attack Tremmy either when he's broken, or in order to break him. For breaking him, a good time to shoot him is as he's preparing an attack or right after an attack is used since he won't dodge shots then.

After reaching phase 2, stop firing normal shots at him when he isn't attacking; doing so will just cause him to dodge it and release some wave shots at you, leaving little time to continue firing at him. Warp decoys won't be nearly as useful for most of the fight due to how quickly they get destroyed by the many projectiles, although they can help with dodging his rush attack (which leads to being broken).

For best times, go berserk on him with a combination of Amber Breaker, Radiant Swarm, Mjölnir, and even melee attacks since you don't have to concern yourself with taking damage from his aura (it doesn't cause very much damage to begin with).

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Papaboss the Younger

Used Arts: N/A

While the match allows you to obtain platinum with surprisingly little optimization, the maximum score goes a lot higher. The goal is to keep Papaboss on "ground" level, which is achieved by never attacking or getting close to him until he is in a break/breakable state (while firing his missile barrage). Any attempt to attack him before he begins firing his missile barrage will cause him to return to a higher elevation, forcing you to wait again.

Do NOT use Toxic Revenant. Even though it's great at blocking stray missiles, doing so will cause it to try and draw Papaboss in and hit him, which will cause him to fly back up again, resetting the cycle.

The target time is fairly tight for this match, being only a minute long. As such, any premature attacks on Papaboss can cause the match to go over the target time. Although, as mentioned earlier, you can still easily get a platinum medal even if you spend way too long in this match.

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The Goatfather

Used Arts: Bullet Rain/Bullet Inferno, Ether Snipe, Radiant Swarm

This is one of only 2 matches in the arena where being too powerful will cause significant point loss. Try to inflict mark and break him at the same time to give the most time to deal effective damage. Once broken, spam Bullet Inferno/Bullet Rain to deal the most damage. Note that their projectile barrage can be dodged by simply staying on the far side that they're on (left or right).

You have to carefully balance your stats to be able to progress phases in one break, while causing as little damage in the process of breaking. I got the score that I did with Sunglass Visor, Shining Bracer, Sparkling Bracer, Shadowy Cloak, and Speedy Boom Boots.

Getting a best time entails getting very lucky with Ether Snipe getting a critical hit at just the right time to both break and one-shot The Goatfather with its final hit. However, I only managed to get this result once by accident, and haven't been able to recreate it again.

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Son of the Beach

Used Arts: Frozen Stance/Freeze Frame, Eternal Winter, Crimson Strike,
breaking arts (Mine Valley, Hail Flurry, Radiant Swarm, Ether Snipe)

The largest amount of effective damage is obtained when attacking Son of the Beach after he becomes exhausted from being broken enough times. Doing so is a balancing game of waiting for each break to get as much effective damage as possible, while not waiting for all of his phases so you don't spend over 6 minutes on this match (for the time bonus). Because the last two phases use up the most amount of time with this strategy, using Freeze Frame against his melee attack and skipping his elemental infusions and extra breaks to save time for the last one or two phases is ideal.

For a much simpler way to dodge his big cloud attack (the one with the attractive field, lasers, and ice spikes), have him place it in one of the corners of the arena. Then use Crimson Strike to break out of the ice spikes and hide in the opposite corner; the lightning bolts can't reach you here.

His cold form is easily the most annoying to deal with due to the slippery ground and the much higher danger of his big attack with it, as such, equipping Combat Skates+ for this fight is a pretty good idea.

One last thing: if you knock Son of the Beach off the edge of the arena after passing over a phase threshold in the right way, it can cause him to skip over him jumping on his cloud and attacking you there, saving nearly 30 seconds. I say "in the right way" because I don't know how exactly to trigger this, it seems somewhat random to me. I find that knocking him off multiple times in succession with Ki Thrust causes it to happen the most.

Because of its inconsistencies, ignoring this tactic and instead focusing entirely on skipping over phases with Eternal Winter or Ether Snipe is much more preferable when going for best times (even if it requires him to infuse the right element).

While the entire existence of team cups seems to imply that you should invite some friends, doing so is ill-advised as their actions will almost always decrease your score, and can even cause you to take longer in certain fights. This is because, while they are competent at focusing on attacking an enemy's weakest element, they aren't good at attacking at the right time to get fast breaks or multi-eliminations. Damage that teammates take does not decrease the score though, so that's one positive thing.

Due to this, the strategies for most rounds remains exactly the same as in the solo cups. I'll indicate when this is the case with the text "identical strategy". All of the cups do have some differences though. The increased number of enemies allow for larger amounts of points to be obtained, and they usually cause the "multi-elimination" bonus to be more valuable than in the solo cups. Even in the Faction Team Cup, while almost all of the rounds are identical, the very different lineup causes the cup's rush mode to be different in terms of points and time.

Wave 1: Hedgehag (x4), Rockin' Hillkat (x1)
Wave 2: Rockin' Hillkat (x2), Mad Bovine (x2)

Used Arts: Freeze Frame, Warp Decoy, Polar Pirouette
Time Arts: Calamity Trigger, Frozen Star

Use 2 Freeze Frames and 2 normal perfect guards to defeat each of the Hedgehags and charged shots to break and defeat the Hillkat. For wave 2, immediately place a Warp Decoy above the Bovines, then dash below them and grab all of them with Polar Pirouette. Don't Freeze Frame all the Hedgehags in wave 1 or you won't have enough SP to quickly clear wave 2.

For best times start with Calamity Trigger, then use Frozen Star with to eliminate both Bovines of the second wave as they're appearing. You'll have to be lucky with where the Bovines decide to face when they first appears.

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Wave 1: Old Hedgehag (x4), Flamin' Hillkat (x1)
Wave 2: Flamin' Hillkat (x2), Red Eyed Bovine (x2)

Used Arts: Freeze Frame, Warp Decoy, Polar Pirouette
Time Arts: Calamity Trigger, Frozen Star

Because the enemies are almost identical to the previous match, the strategy is too. The only difference is that the Hedgehags will sometimes use a jumping attack, and the Hillkats have a faster shot.

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Wave 1: Young Frobbit (x8), Seafly (x1)
Wave 2: Pengpeng (x2), Horny Goat (x2)

Used Arts: Calamity Trigger

Identical Strategy
Fire a bunch of quick shots to get 6 SP, then use Calamity Trigger to clear both waves. Don't get too close to the Horny Goats or they will block attacks and kick you away.

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Wave 1: White Frobbit (x8), Horny Goat (x1)
Wave 2: Horny Goat (x2), Karotto (x2)

Used Arts: Calamity Trigger

Identical Strategy
Use Calamity Trigger to clear wave 1, quickly fire a few shots to regain SP, and use it again to clear wave 2. Don't get too close to the Horny Goats or they will block attacks and kick you away.

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Wave 1: Pinceron (x4), Sharkster (x2)
Wave 2: Drillertoise (x2), Tim (x2)

Used Arts: Ice Tornado, Warp Decoy, Polar Pirouette
Time Arts: Ice Tornado, Crimson Stream

Identical Strategy
Use Ice Tornado a couple of seconds after the round starts to defeat as many enemies as you can in one use. As soon as wave 2 starts, place a Warp Decoy away from the centre to distract the Drillertoises, break the Tim, and use Polar Pirouette.

When going for a best time, Crimson Stream can complete wave 2 by itself with just a single use before the Drillertoises go underground.

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Wave 1: Radical Hedgehag (x4), Chillin' Hillkat (x1)
Wave 2: Fallfly (x2), Ivory Bovine (x2)

Used Arts: Frozen Stance, Warp Decoy, Polar Pirouette
Time Arts: Calamity Trigger, Frozen Star, Warp Decoy, Hail Flurry

Use 2 Freeze Frames and 2 normal perfect guards to defeat each of the Hedgehags and charged cold shots to break and defeat the Hillkat. For wave 2, immediately place a Warp Decoy below the Bovines, then dash above them and grab all of them with Polar Pirouette. Don't Freeze Frame all the Hedgehags in wave 1 or you won't have enough SP to quickly clear wave 2.

For best times start with Calamity Trigger, then (with precise positioning) use Frozen Star on both a Bovine and Fallfly at the same time as they're appearing. Then use warp Decoy for the other Bovine and charged shots or Hail Flurry on the other Fallfy.

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Wave 1: Argeby (x4), Papagun (x1)
Wave 2: Gelleric (x8), Angler (x2)

Used Arts: Polar Pirouette/Mjölnir
Time Arts: Calamity Rigger, Frigid Flawke

Identical Strategy
Clear the first wave with nothing but normal attacks and clear the second wave with Polar Pirouette (or Mjölnir for more consistency in rush mode). Ideally, wait for enemies to be broken/stunned in the first wave for effective damage.

For best times, use Calamity Trigger for wave 1, fire some normal shots to generate SP, and use Frigid Flawke on the Anglers (and hopefully catching the Gellerics too).

While it may be tempting to use Calamity Trigger for the first wave while going for a best score, doing this will make the second wave much more difficult and annoying if you can't immediately use Polar Pirouette.

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Wave 1: Papagun (x4), Argeby (x1)
Wave 2: Shokat (x4), Behesloth (x1)

Used Arts: Calamity Trigger, Spirit Blast

Identical Strategy
Use Calamity Trigger for wave 1. Once wave 2 starts, mark the Behesloth (firing a few extra shots for SP), dodge the Shokat's attack(s), break the Behesloth, and use Spirit Blast to defeat everyone. A marked Behesloth will be broken with just a single charged wave shot.

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Wave 1: Sun Beetle (x2), Moon Beetle (x2)
Wave 2: Aranetarda (x4), Pandza (x2)

Used Arts: Calamity Trigger, Warp Decoy
Time Arts: Frigid Flawke, Calamity Trigger, Warp Decoy

Use regular melee attacks of the appropriate element against all beetles for the first wave and use Calamity Trigger for the second Wave. Don't strike the Sun Beetles with Frozen Stance while they execute their big attack; they don't give effective damage while in the middle of executing it. Even if it's not stunned yet, using melee heat/shock attacks against the Pandza's weak point will give effective damage.

For best times, a Frigid Flawke can eliminate most of wave 1 before the other beetles enter their enhanced state.

Aside from "Burning Birbs", every round in this cup is identical to their non-team versions. And even with Burning Birbs, the only difference in that round is a single extra enemy is wave 2.

Hillkat Bandleader, Rockin' Hillkat, Flamin' Hillkat (x2 initially, x7 extra)

Used Arts: Frigid Flawke, Warp Decoy, Toxic Revenant, Polar Pirouette
Time Arts: Warp Decoy, Eternal Winter/Blizzard Hawk

Identical Strategy
The bandleader will summon up to 7 extra Hillkats after being reduced to ~40% HP; they must be attacked in order to reach the score goal.

Group the first 2 Flamin' Hillkats together and eliminate them via Frigid Flawke and reduce the Bandleader's HP enough for him to summon the rest of the Hillkats. When he does, place a Toxic Revenant (for distraction, not damage) and use Polar Pirouette to eliminate all of them. It is possible to keep the first 2 Flamin' Hillkats alive until the Polar Pirouette, but doing so without taking damage is very hard.

A best time simply entails rushing up to the bandleader and using Eternal Winter after getting 6 SP. Blizzard Hawk is slightly faster due to its shorter duration, but you'll have to be a little lucky with critical hits, and will probably have to use a few melee attacks afterwards. It can also be interrupted by their attacks, so a Warp Decoy is necessary if you're going to do this.

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Wave 1: Illegal Rhombus Turret (x2)
Wave 2: Illegal Rhombus Turret (x4)

Used Arts: Indigo Rush
Time Arts: Frozen Star

Identical Strategy
When wave 2 starts, use Indigo Rush between two sides to much more safely complete the second wave. Marking each of the turrets before their shields drop does grant slightly more points than otherwise, but not by much.

If you start charging a Frozen Star the instant that the second turret of the first wave is defeated, you can defeat one of the turrets of the second wave before their shield goes up.

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Wave 1: Dirty Frobbit (x3)
Wave 2: Dirty Frobbit (x5)

Used Arts: Warp Decoy, Ki Thrust, Toxic Revenant, Calamity Trigger

Identical Strategy
Inflicting mark is the only way to get effective damage (unlike other Frobbits, these ones aren't vulnerable to fire).

Place a warp decoy near the water. Once the first Frobbit jumps at it (and into the water), the other 2 can be knocked in via Ki Thrust, repeat this for wave 2. The second wave should be eliminated with Toxic Revenant and Calamity Trigger/Ragnarök once they've been cleaned (this can't be done in wave 1 due to SP requirements).

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Wave 1: Horny Cavegoat (x3)
Wave 2: Horny Cavegoat (x2)
Wave 3: Horny Cavegoat (x3)

Used Arts: Calamity Trigger

Identical Strategy
Because Horny Cavegoats almost never have more than one of them broken at a time, Calamity Trigger only needs to be used when going for a best time. But if a bomb happens to break more than one of them, go ahead and use it.

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Legionary Leader v1 (x1), Legionary Turret v1 (x7)

Used Arts: Toxic Revenant

Identical Strategy
After placing the Toxic Revenant next to the leader, try to not cause too much damage while breaking him and place another revenant next to each turret to inflict mark. Break the leader before causing the last bit of damage to him.

When going for a best time, defeat the leader as soon as possible exclusively using Toxic Revenant and normal attacks (they run around too much if not snared by the decoy).

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Wave 1: Wowturbine (x2)
Wave 2: Wowturbine (x4)

Used Arts: N/A

Identical Strategy
Only attack the Wowturbines while broken, not doing so will cause them to begin healing at the flames. With proper positioning, they can be broken by shooting the ice "pucks" at them while they're doing their fire dive attack.

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Guard Billston, Legionary Turret v2 (x4 initially, x6 extra)

Used Arts: Toxic Revenant, Warp Decoy
Time Arts: Toxic Revenant, Elven Orb

Identical Strategy
While the turrets still give points after the battle even if you don't attack them, actually damaging them grants far more. Billston will also summon a second wave of turrets (even if none of the first 4 have been defeated) after attempting to eat his second sandwich (you have to actually damage him before he tries to eat it).

To make things easier on yourself, begin destroying the turrets after interrupting his first sandwich. This gives enough leeway to maintain the chain bonus between waves of turret summons, while not overwhelming yourself with 10 turrets and Billston to dodge at once.

Billston can be defeated very quickly by trapping him in a Toxic Revenant, hitting him a few times, and using Elven Orb (or any other art with high front-loaded damage).

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Buff Bloomy

Used Arts: N/A
Time Arts: Toxic Revenant

Identical Strategy
While his damage reduction can be broken by marking him (via Toxic Revenant), breaking him will yield much more points.

Wave 1: Echinoignis (x3), Echinonix (x3)
Wave 2: Echinofluctus (x3), Echinofulgur (x3)
Wave 3: Echinoignis (x3), Echinonix (x3), Echinofluctus (x3), Echinofulgur (x3)

Used Arts: Ice Tornado, Elven Orb, Polar Pirouette

Identical Strategy
Use Ice Tornado/Calamity Trigger for wave 1, Elven Orb/Spirit Blast for wave 2, and Polar Pirouette for wave 3. Swap elements as needed to hit their weakness when using normal attacks, only going for multi-eliminations with arts for the second type on each wave for SP conservation.

Depending on your focus and how many hits you get in, you may need to strike opponents a few times at the start of wave 3 to use Polar Pirouette.

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Wave 1: Balooneer (x1), Echinonix (x4)
Wave 2: Balooneer (x2), Echinofulgur (x2)

Used Arts: Calamity Trigger, Hail Flurry, Warp Decoy, Ice Tornado

Identical Strategy
Use Calamity Trigger to get rid of the Echinonixes. Be sure to not attack the Balooneer too soon in the first wave after you break them for the first time; attacking too early after the first break will miss out on some effective damage. For wave 2, place a Warp Decoy to stop the Balooneers from running away, and use Ice Tornado.

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Wave 1: K'im (x1), Echinofluctus (x4)
Wave 2: K'im (x1), Balooneer (x2)

Used Arts: Chain Blitz, Warp Decoy, Polar Pirouette
Time Arts: Chain Blitz, Warp Decoy, Ice Tornado

After breaking the K'ims for the second time, wait for about 2 seconds before damaging them again, and make sure that they're above ground; inflicted and effective damage is much higher if you do these things.

For wave 2, ignore the Balooneers, break the K'im twice, place a Warp Decoy to stop them from moving around, and use Polar Pirouette. For best times, once wave 2 starts, place a Warp Decoy to stop the Balooneers from moving around and use Ice Tornado right in between them.

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Wave 1: Trigenbu (x1), Echinofulgur (x2)
Wave 2: Trigenbu (x1), K'im (x2)

Used Arts: Spirit Blast, Toxic Revenant, Calamity Trigger

Wait about a second before using Spirit Blast on the first wave, otherwise the Trigenbu will likely dodge it. Once wave 2 starts, defeat the Trigenbu immediately with normal melee attacks and break both K'ims normally (while being careful to not defeat either Echinonix). Then place a Warp Decoy/Toxic Revenant to distract the K'ims and use Ragnarök to defeat all 4 remaining enemies.

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Wave 1: Heat Crystalid (x3), Cold Crystalid (x3)
Wave 2: Wave Crystalid (x3), Shock Crystalid (x3)
Wave 3: Heat Crystalid (x3), Cold Crystalid (x3), Wave Crystalid (x3), Shock Crystalid (x3)

Used Arts: Ice Tornado, Calamity Trigger, Elven Orb/Spirit Blast

Identical Strategy
The strategy here is quite similar to round 1 "Beach Stars": get multi-eliminations with lvl 2 arts as frequently as possible. Conserve SP by only using them on one type of Crystalid for the first 2 waves (using arts second to maximize the bonus from the multi-elimination chain bonus).

Unlike "Beach Stars" however, Polar Pirouette isn't strong enough to get multi-eliminations against Crystalids in the last wave due to their high elemental resistances.

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Wave 1: Hummagnum (x2)
Wave 2: Hummagnum (x2), Cold Crystalid (x6)

Used Arts: Calamity Trigger

Identical Strategy
Catching both Hummagnums while stunned (for more effective damage) along with all of the Crystalids in a single Calamity Trigger is optimal. However, Calamity Trigger is able to trap Hummagnums without them needing to shoot first, which is a much more consistent tactic for rush mode.

This round is an excellent demonstration on when the art elimination bonus doesn't apply for an art which normally gives it. While Ragnarök seems better, because of the way the knockback works with each of the enemies, the Crystalids won't get hit by its final attack, meaning that Calamity Trigger actually gives more points.

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Wave 1: Mizree (x1), Heat Crystalid (x4)
Wave 2: Mizree (x1), Hummagnum (x2)

Used Arts: Ice Tornado, Hail Flurry
Time Arts: Ice Tornado, Polar Pirouette

Identical Strategy
Use Ice Tornado to defeat both Heat Crystals and Hail Flurry to break the Mizree. Using Polar Pirouette the instant the Mizree of the second wave appears can stunlock them before they're able to set up their shield, eliminating them right away (start the art before they appear). This is only good for best times; it provides much less points.

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Wave 1: Beearbot (x1), Shock Crystalid (x4)
Wave 2: Beearbot (x1), Hummagnum (x2)

Used Arts: Spirit Blast, Warp Decoy, Hail Flurry, Ragnarök
Time Arts: Blizzard Hawk, Warp Decoy, Eternal Winter

Start by using Spirit Blast do get rid of the 4 Shock Crystalids (this is more consistent than the non-team version of this match, but you could use melee attacks for rush mode). Using cold or wave attacks to break the Beearbots gives slightly more effective damage than using shock or heat attacks since break power is unaffected by elemental resistances against these guys. Use Warp Decoys to distract them and hit their backsides.

To optimize scores even further for the second wave, wait until one of the Hummagnums is about to shoot before breaking the Beearbot and try to catch all 3 of them with Ragnarök. For best times, use Calamity Trigger at the start of wave 2 to eliminate both Hummagnums.

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Heat Statue (x4), Cold Statue (x3), Wave Statue (x4), Shock Statue (x4) (divided between three towers)

Used Arts: N/A

Attacking the statues while they're flashing red is required in order to obtain enough effective damage.

In comparison to the non-team version of this match, this one is much harder, and you will very likely have to forgo waiting for the statues to flash red on a few of them to avoid their chain attacks.

Wave 1: Flying Hedgehag (x2)
Wave 2: Flying Hedgehag (x3)
Wave 3: Flying Hedgehag (x4)

Used Arts: Toxic Revenant

Toxic Revenant can break the Hedgehags out of their rolling state, trivializing the fight. Assuming you're using high-attack ascended equipment, use wave form instead of cold or shock against the Hedgehags in wave 1 to strike them enough times to get 3 SP by wave 2.

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The Hedgelord, Flying Hedgehag (x infinite)

Used Arts: Warp Decoy, Radiant Swarm
Time Arts: Warp Decoy, Radiant Swarm, Eternal Winter

Because the Flying Hedgehags which carry The Hedgelord both infinitely respawn and grant points, an infinite score can be obtained here.

Eternal Winter is able to skip past both of his phases, though it seems that you need to be as close as you can get to The Hedgelord for it to work (not sure why). If you can't do so, then you may need to swap out your equipment to any strong pieces that have "Brawler".

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Wave 1: Leggy Angler (x2)
Wave 2: Leggy Angler (x3)
Wave 3: Leggy Angler (x4)

Used Arts: Polar Pirouette/Mjölnir

Maximizing effective damage by meticulously breaking each Leggy Angler individually actually gives substantially less points than just breaking one of them and using Polar Pirouette to get multi-eliminations. Mjölnir is more consistent for rush mode due to Polar Pirouette needing to have precise positioning to catch them and not have them jump away.

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Mecha Gear FISH

Used Arts: Lightning Prophecy, Eternal Winter/Song of Storms

Despite having high damage reduction in their normal state, they still take plenty of damage while you're breaking them. As such, skipping phases (one-shotting) with Eternal Winter/Song of Storms gives more effective damage than otherwise.

After dodging their first ice attack, strike both of their legs equally with melee attacks to generate 6 SP and use Lightning Prophecy between both legs. If you spread your initial attacks equally, then the art should break both legs at the same time.

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Wave 1: Karrotank (x2)
Wave 2: Karrotank (x3)
Wave 3: Karrotank (x4)

Used Arts: Calamity Trigger

Try and generate some SP before eliminating each group with Calamity Trigger to ease the burden of SP generation on any one wave. For the third wave, dodge into the first volley of snowballs before unleashing Calamity Trigger, otherwise they won't be in position and you'll get hit.

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General Rootser

Used Arts: Warp Decoy
Time Arts: Scarlet Rain

Because the "canisters"/crystals surrounding General Rootser both infinitely respawn and grant points, an infinite score can be obtained here.

General Rooster's high damage resistance only applies when he's recovering from a break and pushing you off. As such, Scarlet Rain's meteors, the flames of Crimson Stream, and even well-placed mines with Mine Valley are able to hit him in his normal state, skipping phases. Using 2 Scarlet Rains is a pretty consistent way to do this. and even if it doesn't kill him, it'll have eliminated enough of his crystals that you'll be able to knock him down soon after.

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Wave 1: Pincetron (x2)
Wave 2: Pincetron (x3)
Wave 3: Pincetron (x4)

Used Arts: Ice Tornado, Polar pirouette
Time Arts: Ice Tornado, Warp Decoy

Use wave 1 to generate at least 9 SP by wave 2. Pincertrons have fairly high ranged resistance, so not only do melee attacks break them much faster, but ranged attacks cannot obtain effective damage at all (unless you mark them). For waves 2 and 3, use Ice Tornado and Polar Pirouette respectively.

For best times, place a wave decoy at the top of the arena at the start of wave 3 to more quickly group them together and use Ice Tornado.

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Pincerstonk i6 GX02

Used Arts: Ring of Fire, Flame Jab, Warp Decoy
Time Arts: Ring of Fire, Flame Jab, Frozen Star, Blizzard Hawk/Eternal Winter

Because progress of the break gauge against Pincerstonk only takes into account the hits themselves, and not whether they're an effective element, using heat arts (Ring of Fire and Flame Jab) causes as little damage as possible while breaking him, allowing as much effective damage against the tail as possible.

For best times, break them normally the first time and use Frozen Star to try to fish for a phase skip. When they're charging up their big laser attack, go berserk on their face with a combination of Ring of Fire, Flame Jab, and Blizzard Hawk/Eternal Winter, you should be able to break them during or shortly after this attack. You'll have to get lucky and have Frozen Star crit at the right time to skip at least one of their phases.

Wave 1: Heat Virus (x1), Neutral Virus (x4)
Wave 2: Cold Virus (x1), Neutral Virus (x4)

Used Arts: Ragnarök

Destroying the Heat Virus before destroying any of the Neutral Viruses it spawns itself will cause triple the enemies to spawn in wave 2 (a diegetic "bug"). Use Ragnarök as soon as the second wave spawns; doing it too late will cause their shields to be up.

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Wave 1: Furious Security Brute (x2), Groovy Security Brute (x2)
Wave 2: Cool Security Brute (x2), Tense Security Brute (x2)

Used Arts: Ragnarök
Time Arts: Frigid Flawke, Calamity Trigger

Take note that brutes only receive effective damage when being struck with melee attacks; ranged attacks cannot do this. Try and only strike enemies with their weak element with normal attacks in the first wave (starting with the Furious Brutes), despite how much they want to group together.

For an even better score, start with the Groovy Brutes instead and use Ice Tornado for the Furious Brutes. At the start of wave 2, use Calamity Trigger in a way that it only hits the Cool Brutes, then use Spirit Blast for the Tense Brutes. Note that this is only marginally better than the other strategy and more frustrating (screw the Furious Brutes and their flame shields).

For best times, use Frigid Flawke against both kinds of brutes in wave 1, and use Calamity Trigger against all of them for wave 2.

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Wave 1: Failed Rhino (x1)
Wave 2: Failed Rhino (x1), Groovy Security Brute (x1)

Used Arts: Warp Decoy

Which type of melee attack doesn't impact how effective it is at breaking the rhinos. Therefore, using cold or wave attacks while breaking them will minimize the amount of damage caused in their normal form, and maximize the amount of effective damage available. Use Warp Decoys to most easily hit their backsides.

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Arengee (x1), Neutral Virus (x2)

Used Arts: Toxic Revenant

Use Toxic Revenant right in front of Arengee to attempt to inflict mark on everyone. Waiting a couple seconds before placing the revenant will make it more likely that the viruses will walk into it. After that, just switch to whatever element Arengee becomes weak to and use normal ranged attacks.

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Final Turret IX (x4, one of each element)

Used Arts: Burn!, Ki Thrust, Frozen Star, Diving Spark, Crimson Stream

This is the hardest match in the arena to obtain platinum on due to the 1 minute time limit. To prepare for this battle, equip any ascended equipment that gives the "Brawler" ability and as high an attack stat as possible, forgoing focus (I used Furious Hothead+, Meteor Trigger, Skirmisher+, Zealous Lamellar+, and Speedy Boom Boots).

Use Burn! twice to break the cold turret at the start. The goal is to skip the second phase of all 4 turrets, all of whom have 20,000 HP, so getting at least 12,000 potential damage with a non-critical hit of your arts is preferable. You'll have to do some personal experimentation on how much damage you can cause with the remaining arts (Ki Thrust, Frozen Star, Diving Spark, and Crimson Stream, in that order for the turrets).

For a more consistent strategy, you can use Frozen Star instead of Ki Thrust and Diving Spark on the shock and wave turrets, although this will reduce your effective damage by enough to potentially not obtain platinum.

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Gastropolis

Used Arts: Lightning Prophecy

Score given by "damage dealt" doesn't scale with the attack buffs of this fight, so by ignoring said buffs and continuing to attack Gastropolis, you can get a near infinite score. Like with most large bosses, Lightning Prophecy can instantly arc when used at point-blank range, giving you the fastest method of obtaining points (in rush mode as well).

The first half of the battle is entirely on rails when going for a best times since you have to get a certain number of attack boosts from the slugs, with no way to speed them up. After that, the tactic becomes identical to getting a high score quickly: use Lightning Prophecy on their tail as soon as it appears to both break them and progress to the next phase.

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Designer

Used Arts: Ether Snipe, Eternal Winter, Song of Storms
Time Arts: Ether Snipe, Eternal Winter, Song of Storms,
breaking arts (Burn!/Flare Burn!, Hail Flurry, Radiant Swarm, Essence Drain)

A huge amount of the points you can get in this match is dependant on how the very end of it goes. Any damage you cause beyond the final damage threshold still grants points, even though the platinum requirement doesn't take this into account. How much damage you can cause is determined by what shield he puts up last, with the shock shield enabling the most points by a wide margin. For the shock shield, use Ether Snipe, for the heat shield, use Eternal Winter, and for the wave shield, use Song of Storms. If he sets up a cold shield however, you're out of luck; Vermillion Echo doesn't work properly due to how much knockback the initial punches cause.

As for the rest of the match, even if you wait for every time he flashes red for the fastest break, you won't be spending over 6 minutes on this match (for the time bonus), so that's the best strategy for getting as much effective damage as possible. Note that due to the high attack stat required at the end of the battle, you cannot equip weaker equipment to reduce the amount of non-effective damage while breaking him for phases 4-8.

Skipping phases for best times is very doable, however you're going to have to do it with a much more ad-hoc strategy than other bosses where this is possible due to the randomness of critical hits and his shield. For the absolute best time, only Eternal Winter and Ether Snipe should be used, Eternal Winter in particular is potentially capable of skipping 2 phases at once if you're lucky. If you just barely don't manage to skip a phase, you can fire charged normal shots (or Hail Flurry/Fae Round) at him while he's stomping the ground; his shield isn't up yet, so these will still cause respectable damage.

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The Creator

Used Arts: Blizzard Hawk, Ether Snipe, Radiant Swarm/Elven Orb, Hail Flurry

WARNING: Completing this challenge without exiting to the arena's lobby will cause the game to erroneously quicksave inside the arena match, which then tries to spawn you inside the arena without initiating it, thus permanently crashing the autosave. So be sure to never return to the title screen without exiting to the lobby first, or be sure to do a manual save before challenging this just in case.

Similar to Gastropolis, score given by "damage dealt" doesn't scale with the attack buffs of this fight, so by ignoring said buffs and continuing to attack The Creator's head, you can get a near infinite score. Like with most large bosses, Lightning Prophecy can instantly arc when used at point-blank range of the head, giving you the fastest method of obtaining points.

Assuming that you are using the recommended ascended equipment, spamming Lightning Prophecy will be powerful enough to be able to progress phases with nearly half as many attack buffs as is "required" to normalize your attack power with The Creator's HP.

A best time will involve skipping as many phases as you can since The Creator will only buff his HP once per phase transition, no matter if a phase was skipped or not. To skip a phase, get his HP down to where he's very close to the next phase, use Ether Snipe while aiming directly down to get one ricochet for more damage, then immediately use Radiant Swarm/Elven Orb. Also, for the cold puzzle, you can stand on the tile with the bubble that is raised to immediately shoot the ice puck at the energy orb, no platforming necessary.

Because of how overpowered Mjölnir is in all of these matches, the strategy is the same: wait for 6 SP to generate (SP automatically generates in PvP matches) and use it without thinking. The number of times it bounces off walls ensures that it will always hit its target, regardless of which direction you shot it initially.

Attempting to take no damage is much harder here than against Apollo or Shizuka due to how many bullets Lily fires. The only advice I can give while waiting for Mjölnir to charge is to stay in shock form (for the extra dash and increase to immunity frames) and try to stay somewhat close to Lily; I find that her bullets hit you more easily when you're far away.

Use Amber Breaker if he's in heat or shock form (when he's attacking, not while approaching). Wait for Mjölnir to charge up if he's in frost or wave form.

To unlock this match, talk to Shizuka under her favorite tree in the Old Hideout after finishing Ku'lero Temple.

At the beginning of the first round (for whatever reason), Shizuka won't cancel her attack if she sees that you're using a perfect guard art. Use Amber Breaker if she's in heat or shock form (when she's attacking, not while approaching). Wait for Mjölnir to charge up if she's in frost or wave form.

DON'T USE THIS

Used Arts: Blizzard Hawk, Frozen Star

You can immediately jump onto their body at the start of the battle and after every attack. Because of how little damage reduction they have in their normal state, skipping over phases grants more points than otherwise.

The fast way to do this fight is to immediately jump onto it and use Blizzard Hawk to break it. Then use Frozen Star when it falls down to end the fight (assuming you get a critical hit). The exact amount of points you get varies depending on how few critical hits Blizzard Hawk gets.

Sao (5 times)

Used Arts: Frozen Stance, Plasma Strike, Amber Breaker

Despite being structured very similarly to a PvP match, any damage you take will still subtract 25x the amount of damage taken.

Frozen Stance is just about all you'll need for the first phase. At the start of phase 2, stand near the middle of the arena to bait Sao into jumping toward you, then stunlock him in 2 normal combos (dash cancelling out of them) into a Plasma Strike (which should end the phase). This should leave enough SP to use Amber Breaker 3 times in a row. Using Amber Breaker the instant he appears will kill him before he can summon any clones and increase his defence. He always appears in the same positions for each round - 2: top-right, 3: bottom-left, 4: top-left, 5: bottom-right.

One other thing to note: never inflict jolt onto Sao. Doing so will interrupt him and cause his attacks to desync with his shadow clones making the fight much harder.

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Hillcart

Used Arts: Bullet Inferno, Hail Flurry

This is the only match where being too powerful will make it almost impossible to obtain platinum. Using powerful ascended equipment will make you cause enough damage to almost get to phase 2 before breaking him, losing out on nearly all effective damage in the process. I got the score that I did with Sunglass Visor, Shining Bracer, Sparkling Bracer, Shadowy Cloak, and Speedy Boom Boots.

Once he's broken, begin spamming Hail Flurry. Because of the weaker equipment, you'll have to inflict mark before breaking him in order to cause enough damage while he's broken to not have to break him again.

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Because the 2 matches in this cup require opposite things in terms of stats, the potential score for rush mode will be significantly less than the sum of your best (despite there being only 2 matches). I personally would recommend optimizing for Sao. While his pattern is somewhat more complex than the Hillcart, doing Sao with weak equipment makes him drastically harder, and you can still get a decent score against the Hillcart with strong equipment.

Me (Quixotic Monk) - for writing the guide

Radical Fish Games - for making this great game

SpriteRain's GameFAQs guide on the arena (link here[gamefaqs.gamespot.com]) - for pointing me in the right direction for several matches and making me realize how good certain arts are (namely: Ice Tornado, Polar Pirouette, and Lightning Prophecy)