Hello everyone! The Dark Tournament is right around the corner, and while constructed is pretty neat, I’m a limited gamer at heart, so let’s talk Sealed! In this article, I will be tiering the characters so that you know who to pick for the best shot at the Wish tournament. While the other cards in your deck also are important, you don’t have nearly the quantity of options you would in a format like Draft or Standard, and, without symbol restrictions, choosing the best character you can is the highest impact choice you can make at your event. The tier list below should be a helpful resource for you, and even if you don’t have time to read the rest of the article, I would recommend taking a quick glance before opening your packs. Now, without further ado, let’s get into it.
The List
C Tier
These characters are not impossible to use, but it will take a special set of circumstances for them to be your first option. Rinku, Chu, and Toya actually have a fair bit going for them, but their strengths are less suited to Sealed. Without specific support to take advantage of their abilities, none of them can compete with the rest of the cast, and even then others can use it better since they can play off symbol freely. Kurama and Momotaro are better characters than the others here, but they rely heavily on opening particular cards in multiples. If you open a critical mass of Kuramas or an Armor card, then these characters will perform at the A tier level, but this situation is so statistically unlikely that I felt they belong here. Ultimately, you should avoid these characters if possible.
B Tier
Here, we have characters that are a bit better, but not as functional without their support. Bui and Kuwabara suffer from 5 hander syndrome, but both can run away with games once they come online. Of the 2, Bui is more aggressive and has an easier time building out. He also is less reliant on his own kit to enable his abilities. All that being said though, he will have consistency issues, and although he can dish out powerful attacks late in the game, he is not able to string consistently or easily find Throws in his pool, with only 2 at Common rarity. Kuwabara has a late game that relies less on his particular cards, and once his stage reaches critical mass, opponents will have a tough time pushing through his defense. He will have trouble getting the ball rolling though, so a savvy opponent will build out and block Kuwabara’s attacks, denying him the ramp he needs to take over the game. Shishiwakamuru is a better 7 hander than Toya, with solid abilities to string out and generate momentum. With no defense available on his character card, however, he is an iffy choice with only 21 health. Finally, Botan is not a character you will likely see because of her Timeshifted rarity, and her support suffers the same fate. If you can find Throws to trigger her response, she will be excellent, but her Enhance ability will not get much value without her attacks and foundations in the Timeshifted slot. This group of characters is a fair improvement over the former one, and if you have the right tools in your pool, then they can be worth exploring.
A Tier
Now we are getting into the good stuff. Jin is phenomenal, with his first ability ensuring that blocks go your way and his second shutting off opponents’ bomb attacks. He only has the very minor weaknesses of no card advantage or damage on his character, which holds him back from the top group. Elder Toguro is also great, with very solid abilities and a team synergy that runs deep on every symbol. 20 health is his only real issue, and in Sealed this drawback can be more significant than Standard. Both versions of Yusuke are strong 7 handers with a wide berth of cards that are helpful, and Spirit cards have enough distribution that he can enable his synergies, but they are not plentiful enough to give him the consistency of the better characters. Byakko is the best 5 hander, packing Bui’s brawn alongside the disruptive effects akin to Kuwabara. While his kit helps him out, it is in no way required for him to be a menace in Sealed. Finally, Karasu is another solid 7 hander with access to the Team Toguro toolbox, making his synergies consistent. While he is lacking on the defensive side, he is a good counter pick against characters that need to go wide on their stage to win late.
S Tier
The cream of the crop, these characters all give you the best chance of securing your spot in the Wish tournament and winning your local events. Genkai, Suzuki, and Hiei all provide card advantage in some way, with Genkai drawing cards, Suzuki giving selection and access to your discard pile, and Hiei taxing your opponent’s blocks. Characters outside of this tier do not have a consistent method of overcoming Hiei’s response, making it especially potent against the field. Another benefit these characters have is that almost no synergy is required to take advantage of their abilities; even with decks composed of the generic best available commons and uncommons, they will be powerful no matter the card pool. Finally, all of them have sizable health pools alongside 6 card hands, which tends to be the right combination for the lower consistency in Sealed. Of course, the final character on this list, Younger Toguro, does not have access to the same card advantage as these others. With a massive health pool of 32, a means to go wide early with his response, and an uncapped damage boost from his Enhance, Younger Toguro can get ahead early and threaten lethal damage almost immediately. If your pool has any sort of card draw tools, his character card can do all the rest, making him truly the force to be reckoned with.
Thank you for reading, and I hope that you find this sort of guide helpful at your events this weekend. Best of luck, and I will see you at the Wish tournament! If I win, I’m gonna be just a smidge taller, mark my words.
DankestDad