Build your Maiden Academy team around what it needs to survive and win—not simply around the heroes with the highest tier labels. Use a tier list to shortlist promising options, then choose a frontline, damage source, and support or control that fit your roster and any shared-effect strategy. The available Pocket Gamer list is a dated snapshot for version 1.0.23, updated September 2, 2026, not an official or permanent ranking.
How to use a tier list without building a lopsided team
A tier label is a prioritization signal, not a complete team plan. A highly ranked damage dealer cannot by itself supply frontline durability or healing. First identify what is causing your team to fail; then look for a hero who addresses that problem, while using tier placement to help choose between otherwise suitable candidates.
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- Check the gap. If the team cannot stay alive, consider a tank, healer, or reviver. If it survives but struggles to finish fights, prioritize damage. If enemies’ effects or attacks are disrupting your plan, consider control or defensive utility.
- Choose a main damage plan. Decide whether a particular damage dealer or shared status effect gives your available roster a useful focus. Do not assume a themed team is stronger unless the heroes you own can support it.
- Fill the remaining jobs. Add protection, healing, revival, or control where it helps the main plan function. One hero may cover more than one job; for example, the guide describes Anna Annie as able to tank and heal.
- Use tier placement to break ties. When two candidates fill the same need, the guide’s higher-ranked option is a reasonable starting point, but the source provides no numerical performance comparison or guarantee.
- Revisit the team when your roster or the game changes. A hero’s usefulness can depend on progression and circumstances, and the guide says some characters may fall off as story progression advances.
Roles and synergy to look for
Frontline and survival
Talumexus is listed in S+ and described as a tank with counterattacks, curse, and taunt. Summer, in S, is described as a tank who applies bleed and can revive with damage reduction. Doudou, in A, is described as a taunting, counterattacking tank. These examples illustrate why role and effects matter alongside rank: a frontline hero may also contribute to a status-effect plan or protect the rest of the team.
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Yuzhi Wang is listed in S+ and described as a burst damage dealer who applies curse; Pocket Gamer notes her use in dark/curse teams. Summer’s bleed can also provide a possible team focus, and the guide says Dracula’s damage increases against bleeding enemies. These are synergy leads, not validated complete lineups: the source does not establish an optimal curse or bleed team.
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Healing and revival
Milia is ranked S and described as a strong healer who can revive allies. Vivian is ranked A and described as a light Priest who heals and revives. The guide does not quantify their healing or establish that one is always the better choice. Use the support available to you that addresses the reason you are losing.
Control and specialized defense
Brand is ranked S and described as a Warrior who can petrify and prioritize enemy Priests. Qiqi Titan, ranked B, is described as providing damage mitigation and crowd-control immunity in some situations; the guide treats that defensive utility as situational rather than recommending Qiqi Titan for story mode generally. These examples are reminders to match utility to the problem, not universal prescriptions.
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Tier-list snapshot for version 1.0.23
The following groupings reproduce Pocket Gamer’s editorial tier list, updated September 2, 2026. They are not official balance ratings or an independent performance test. Check the linked page and in-game version before relying on them, because placements can change with updates.
| Tier | Heroes listed |
|---|---|
| S+ | Nis, Firefly, Sura, Zheng Lina, Yui, Anna Annie, Owl, Oraham, Yuzhi Wang, Darcy, Fisna, Talumexus |
| S | Summer, Margaret, Akasha, Brand, Nosa, Shandra, Jessica, Milia, Kurara, Mitabi, Katherine, Avalon, Ouros, Yudora, Carlyle |
| A | Maer, Dracula, Ilya, Dasey, Doudou, Vivian |
| B | Max, Eevee, Zero, Qiqi Titan, Hive, Alice |
| C | Lerio, Hades, Grant, Jadis, Rose, Hila, Miss, Rosette, Leo, Quinta, Seth, Osman, Full Moon, Nurk, Lily, Icarus, Cocayel, Lingling, Aurofi, Uzel, Executioner |
See Pocket Gamer’s Maiden Academy tier list for its character notes and any later revisions. Its rankings are editorial judgments; the available guide does not provide win rates, damage figures, sample sizes, or mode-by-mode rankings.
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How to adapt the plan to your roster
Use the list as a shortlist, then make the best functional team you can with the heroes you actually have. If your strongest available damage dealer is not in the top tier, that does not make a team built around that character automatically unusable. Compare candidates by the job they fill, any shared curse or bleed plan, and whether they fix a real weakness in your lineup. Avoid investing in a status-effect theme just because one hero applies that effect; the source does not identify complete, tested teams.
Also account for where you are in the game. Pocket Gamer notes that some heroes may lose ground as story progression advances, and that a defensive specialist such as Qiqi Titan can be situational. The guide does not supply account-specific builds or establish how every character performs in each mode, so treat its snapshot as a starting point and judge your lineup by the challenge you are facing.
Quick Recap
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- Features 6 individually shaped tokens: guitar amp stack, Steve's bass, Nicko's drums, albatross, flying helmet and wasted years computer
- Contains: 1 game board, 6 collectible figures, 28 title title cards, 16 random cards, renamed "Open the Box", 16 Community Chest Cards renamed "Feeling Lucky? Monopoly Money, 32 Houses Renamed "Arenena", 12 Hotels Renamed "Stadiums", 2 Cube, Rules
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