When you first start Total War, you should deploy your two strongest available teams in the Common grade. If your hero pool is sufficient, a attack deck and a magic deck are safe choices. The magic deck hasn't changed much since last season; it typically revolves around the two recently added Awakened heroes, Skuld and Sylvesta. These are joined by Milla, Reginleif, and either Freyja or Omok. Omok is a choice for stability, while Freyja adds firepower.

The attack deck now features the reborn, Awakened Dellons. While there were mixed opinions about his performance early on, he provides sufficient firepower in the damage dealer position. Once he triggers his Transformation, he can even carry the team. Of course, if you don't have Awakened Dellons, you should stick to the traditional Teo and Branz & Bransel setup.

The real competition in Total War begins at the Rare grade. You have options here, too. Since the pool of magic heroes has expanded, you might consider adding a second magic deck or utilizing an instant-death deck. However, the standard attack, magic, and defensive deck trio remains the most reliable. In particular, the defensive deck is stronger this season thanks to the availability of Awakened Klemis. You can simply swap out Alice, who has long supported the defensive deck, and put Awakened Klemis in her place.

Also, since instant-death decks are rarely seen in the Rare grade, players often prefer Son Goku over Elysia to boost firepower and sustainability. Since Klemis increases block probability based on HP, it is recommended to equip a Paladin set with block probability as a sub-option.

Let’s look at the Unique grade. This is the most important tier to master if you want to reach the Legend grade, and the competition is fierce. The attack and magic decks are identical to those introduced in the Rare grade. The only differences are that, depending on your equipment, accessories, or personal preference, Teo might be swapped for Branz & Bransel in the attack deck, or Freyja for Omok in the magic deck. Some teams have been seen excluding Awakened Sylvesta from the magic deck entirely this season, but personally, I find that keeping Sylvesta helps maintain a better win rate.

In the defensive deck, there is a hero swap: Son Goku is dropped in favor of Elysia. From the Unique grade onward, you may have to face instant-death decks depending on your matchmaking, and Elysia provides a bit more flexibility against them. Of course, having Elysia doesn't guarantee a 100% win rate against instant-death decks, but it certainly feels better than not having her.

The instant-death deck remains the same as last season, with Mist, Kris, Nia, Rosie, and Aquila as the core. In reality, the instant-death deck in Total War isn't about expecting a high win rate, but rather securing wins in favorable matchups. Strategies include prioritizing speed to ensure Nia gets her Skill off first in mirror matches, or focusing on internal stats to increase the win rate against defensive decks. The option of moving Gelidus from a defensive deck to an instant-death deck seems to have decreased significantly this season.

Let’s examine team compositions at the highest tier, the Legend grade. This season, most top-tier adventurers are still running two teams centered around magic heroes. One combination consists of Awakened Skuld, Milla, Awakened Sylvesta, Omok, and Reginleif, while the second team uses Melcure, Rin, Juri, Freyja, and a flex slot.

The interesting thing is that the composition of the second team is quite flexible. You might see Teo or Colt in that slot, or even both. If Teo is included in the magic deck split, the attack deck composition becomes Karl Heron, Awakened Dellons, Landgrid, Lu Bu, and Branz & Bransel.

Some players also build their second magic team around Awakened Sylvesta. A team of Awakened Sylvesta, Melcure, Juri, Sung Jinwoo, and Colt is also a viable setup. Adding Colt allows you to aim for synergy by reducing effect resistance and increasing effect accuracy when paired with Melcure. As in the past, Colt remains an attractive hero because he doesn't require specific team conditions. When both Teo and Colt are included in the second team, Rin is usually the one left out.

The defensive and instant-death decks are the same as in the Unique grade. The defensive deck places Gelidus, Awakened Klemis, Phalanus, and Elysia in the back, with Landgrid handling the main Tanking. The instant-death deck relies on Mist, Kris, Nia, Rosie, and Aquila to aim for a One hit kill. For this season's Total War, it seems that performance can vary depending on the growth of your exclusive equipment. You should check the preferred Total War combinations and deploy the best possible setup to secure your win rate.