You just spent three hours grinding for gems. You finally pull that shiny new unit you’ve been eyeing, level them up, and jump into a Raid only to realize... they kinda suck. It’s frustrating. All Star Tower Defense (ASTD) changes so fast that keeping a reliable ASTD X tier list in your head is basically a full-time job.
Meta shifts in this game aren't just subtle tweaks. They are earthquakes. One update, your favorite Bleach-inspired unit is clearing waves solo; the next, they’re basically expensive paperweights because a new blessing or an "X" evolution just dropped and moved the goalposts. Honestly, if you aren't looking at the specific interactions between blessings and high-ground positioning, you're playing a different game than the pros.
The Chaos of the Current Meta
The "X" in ASTD X refers to the massive overhaul and the evolution of units into their most broken forms. We aren't just talking about 6-stars anymore. We’re talking about specialized upgrades that require insane amounts of materials. If you're building an ASTD X tier list today, you have to account for the "Stardust" economy.
Value isn't just about raw damage. It’s about cost-efficiency. A unit that deals 10 million damage but costs 500k to fully upgrade might actually be worse for your run than a mid-tier unit that slows enemies for a fraction of the price. Most players get blinded by the big numbers on the leaderboard, but the real MVPs are often the supports that make those numbers possible.
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Why S-Tier Isn't Always the Answer
Look, we all want the flashy units. We want the ones that look cool and have the massive AoE (Area of Effect). But in the current state of the game, versatility beats raw power. An S-Tier damage dealer is useless if you don't have a reliable farm unit or a way to handle elemental resistances.
Take a look at the current dominance of units with "Bleed" or "Burn" mechanics. In the past, you could just brute force your way through most maps. Now? If you don't have percentage-based damage for the late-game bosses in Infinite Mode, you're going to hit a wall. Hard. This is why certain units like Golden Frieza (Angel) or various iterations of Gojo consistently stay at the top of any serious ASTD X tier list. They provide utility that doesn't age out when the next power-creep unit arrives.
The Secret Sauce: Blessings and Leader Skills
If you're still ignoring Leader Skills, you're leaving about 40% of your potential damage on the table. It’s a huge mistake. A "B-Tier" unit can suddenly become a god-slayer if they’re sitting under the right Leader Skill buff.
- Damage Multipliers: Some leaders give a flat 20% boost, while others scale based on the unit's type.
- Range Buffs: Often overlooked, but hitting enemies before they turn the corner is life or death in high-tier Raids.
- Cooldown Reduction: This is the holy grail for support units.
Then there are Blessings. They changed everything. You can take a standard unit and, with the right Blessing, turn them into a manual-aiming nightmare for the enemy. It makes ranking units purely by their base stats almost impossible. You have to look at the "potential" ceiling, not just the floor.
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Common Mistakes in Evaluating an ASTD X Tier List
People love to argue. You go into any Discord server or the Roblox comments section, and it’s a war zone over whether certain Naruto-inspired units are "mid" or "cracked." The problem is that most people evaluate units based on Story Mode.
Story Mode is easy.
The real test of an ASTD X tier list is Infinite Mode and the specialized Raids. A unit that is amazing for clearing Chapter 1 of a new world might be completely irrelevant when you're at Wave 80 in Infinite. You need to categorize your deck. You need your "Money Makers," your "Slows/Stuns," and your "Main DPS." If your tier list doesn't distinguish between these roles, it's basically useless.
The Power of Air Units
One thing that consistently trips up newer players is the lack of Air-targeting units. You can have the strongest ground units in the universe, but if a swarm of Air enemies flies past your defense, it’s game over. Any definitive ASTD X tier list must prioritize units that can hit both, or at least have a dedicated Air-clearing slot that isn't a waste of space.
The Grind for Stardust Units
Let's be real: the Stardust Banner is a gamble. But the units found there—like the revamped versions of classic anime protagonists—are usually the ones defining the meta. These "X" versions are designed to be "End Game" content.
If you are a Free-to-Play (F2P) player, your ASTD X tier list is going to look very different from a whale's. You have to focus on the "Value Kings." These are the units that are obtainable through evolution or regular banners but can still hold their own against the Stardust titans. Think about units like Blackbeard for slows or the various versions of Bulma/Speedwagon for cash flow. Without them, those expensive Stardust units are just sitting on your bench because you can't afford to place them.
Elemental Strengths and Weaknesses
The elemental system in ASTD is actually pretty deep if you bother to look at it. Fire, Water, Nature, Light, and Dark. It’s a classic pentagon, but with the added "X" mechanics, the multipliers are steeper than ever.
- Check the Enemy Type: Before jumping into a Raid, look at the dominant element.
- Rotate Your Roster: Don't get married to one team.
- Use Buffers: Units that increase elemental damage are currently some of the highest-rated in the game.
Navigating the Evolution Tree
Evolution is the heart of ASTD. It’s a grind, sure, but it’s the only way to keep your roster relevant. Most people see a 5-star and think it's fodder. Wrong. In the current "X" era, that 5-star might be the base for a 7-star monster that breaks the game.
Always check the evolution requirements before you sell anything. You don't want to be the person who sold the key ingredient for a top-tier unit just to get a few extra coins. Keep a "mule" account or just expand your inventory. It’s worth it.
What's Next for the ASTD Meta?
The developers at Top Forest are notorious for throwing curveballs. Just when we think we've settled on a definitive ASTD X tier list, they drop a patch that reworks the entire defense scaling of enemies.
Lately, there has been a massive push toward "Manual" units. These are towers where you actually have to interact with their abilities to get the most out of them. They are harder to use, but the payoff is immense. If you’re a "lazy" player who just likes to set and forget, your rank in the leaderboards is going to suffer. The skill ceiling is rising. You've got to adapt or get left behind in the lower waves.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Session
Stop blindly following every infographic you see on social media. Instead, do this:
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- Audit Your Inventory: Look for units that have "X" evolution paths you've ignored.
- Focus on Support: Spend your next 1,000 gems specifically looking for a better farm or slow unit rather than another attacker.
- Test in Trials: Don't take a new unit into a high-stakes Raid immediately. Run a Trial to see their actual attack speed and placement cost.
- Save Your Stardust: Don't blow it on the first shiny banner you see. Wait for the community consensus on the new "X" units to see if they actually shift the meta.
The game is about efficiency. If you can clear a map in 10 minutes instead of 15, you're winning. If you can reach Wave 100 with 4 units instead of 6, you're winning. Keep your eyes on the patch notes and your ears to the ground, because the next big shift is always just one update away.