Xiao Bu Elixirist guide, by 雪团

2024-1-26

translated by Xom from https://www.bilibili.com/read/cv30144155/

Preface

Reached 6000. Although my stats are unremarkable, I have some experience. If you don't train Physique, you can use Elixirist or Fuluist; I mainly play Elixirist.

I. Decide at the start whether to train Physique

Train Physique if you started with Embracing Qi Technique + Mountain-Cleaving Palms, or Exercise Fist + lv.2 Mountain-Cleaving Palms. Or you could use Embracing Qi Technique to stack 6 Physique in Round 1. If you train Physique, you can go look at other people's guides. You can also choose to totally ignore Physique regardless of your starting cards.

II. Meditation to Virtuoso transit

The first method of transit is to linger in Meditation.

The core cards are Vigorous Force + Fundamental Elixir. Put a Sky-Piercing Claw later to make use of the Force; you can also use Crash Fist - Poke + Crash Fist - Bounce (Crash Fist - Block has low base damage, and is not used for fast kill). When you've found at least four copies of Vigorous Force, and you have enough qi from Fundamental Elixir and Gather Force, then you can break through. This method of transit is suitable to get started quickly with the new sect, and can also be a standard deployment against weaker opponents; although there are limits to sticking to a template, it beats random flailing. If you don't know what lingering in Meditation means, you can look at my previous Sword Intent guide.


first match


second match

The second method of transit is to exchange at Virtuoso.

Exchange until you're strong (scrounge rank points!). If the Life Shop has the power that gives you +1 Exchanges when you have 0, you can exchange to 0 all the way. Of the eleven Virtuoso-phase cards, all except Windward Palms have a certain degree of strength. The most used are Crash Fist - Subdue Dragon, Majestic Qi, and Mighty Force; these three can be used as core cards. Mighty Force + Majestic Qi is very strong; in the absence of Majestic Qi, you can use Mighty Force with other qi cards (such as Fundamental Elixir); it's high damage and +Force in a single card, truly very, very strong. The second tier are Crash Footwork + Sailing through Sky (sum to 10 Agility), Crash Fist - Truncate (counters White Snake and Golden Rooster Independence; the transfer happens before the ATK), and Exercise Bones (add base ATK to be multiplied by Force). Last are Double Trouble + Tiger Pouncing. Double Trouble is usually playable; use it to kill, or use Exorcism Elixir to remove the debuffs. Tiger Pouncing's condition is difficult to meet, so it's rarely played, but Double Trouble + Tiger Pouncing is undeniably strong.

The idea for deck arrangement during this period is to make Qi and Force, then use high damage cards to kill fast. There are many high-damage Foundation- to Immortality-phase cards, just see them and use them. Be careful of the Force Cap when you have multiple Force cards; you may have to not play one (or move it to the middle).


Virtuoso-phase cards


Crash Footwork + Sailing through Sky Chases; Mighty Force uses Force.


Majestic Qi into Mighty Force, then Subdue Dragon to increase damage; this Standing Firm could be placed in the middle.


Exercise Bones + Force. This positioning is counterplay; normally, Fundamental Elixir goes earlier to provide Qi to Standing Firm.


Exercise Bones + Force.

The third method of transit is to play whatever garbage you're dealt and save exchanges until Immortality, or to exchange a little bit upon breaking through to Virtuoso. The use of cards is mostly the same as the above.

III. Immortality

Oft-used Immortality-phase cards are Crash Citta-Dharma, Crash Fist - Inch Force and Crash Fist - Continue, Elusive Footwork, and Surging Waves. Overwhelming Force is for comboing with Surging Waves to cycle, but our deck can fast kill in most cases, so we usually don't play it (but it's playable if you get the cards). Soul Seizing is a counter cards; pay attention to the opponent.



Crash Citta-Dharma is the easiest to use. With the 2 initial Force, and the 1 additional Force before each Cost HP card, it's effectively a constant 3 Force on all of your Crash Fists. With Crash Citta-Dharma and another Force card, you can get max Force on all of your Cost HP cards.


adding Force with Immortal Fates instead of another card

Of Cost HP cards other than Crash Fists, Styx Agility is also a strong setup card; if you get the cards for Crash Citta-Dharma + Styx Agility, it's also a powerful transit. Styx Agility will give 1 Force; if you're not at Force Cap, the 1 Decrease ATK pretty much cancels out with the 1 Force. Use Crash Fist - Truncate to transfer the Decrease ATK:





Inch Force, Continue, and Subdue Dragon are the main sources of strength in this period.

Subdue Dragon doesn't buff itself and Inch Force does, so use Subdue Dragon to increase the base ATK of Inch Force, which will receive the 2x bonus from Force. Use cards like Crash Citta-Dharma and Mighty Force to avoid losing Force before Inch Force. With high quality, a four-move kill in Immortality is no problem:


lv.2 Subdue Dragon + lv.1 Inch Force is also about the same


with 1 Full of Force

With low upgrade level on Inch Force, I recommend copying Subdue Dragon with Continue instead of copying Inch Force; adding base ATK is not necessarily worse, and there's the DEF, too. So the order goes, Force card(s), Subdue Dragon, Continue, Inch Force. Of course, even without Inch Force, Subdue Dragon + Continue is strong in transit.



Elusive Footwork and Surging Waves combo with each other. These and Majestic Qi and Crash Citta-Dharma are pretty much all Force cards. Styx Agility usually Chases once (except in long cycling battles). The main advantage is much qi, with no high-quality qi-consuming cards in Immortality phase (Soul Seizing is a counter card), mainly it's those of lower phases, such as Mighty Force, Strong Force, Sailing through Sky, Ghost Howling. Of course, Surging Waves can also combo with Overwhelming Force.

In the Crash Citta-Dharma deck, it's pretty much Cost HP cards all in a row, only using one or two supporting cards. But in the Elusive Footwork deck, it's half-and-half. Of course, simply using Elusive Footwork to provide qi is fine, too; unlike Spiritage Elixir, it Chases. Elusive Footwork's real time to shine is still in Incarnation phase, with Surging Waves.

Final builds

I'm out of time, I'll update with Incarnation tomorrow. Here are some standard decks for now:


three moves


three moves


four moves


four moves

Immortal Fates

All cultivation if you're gosu. For stability, take Undying Body.

[Xom]

At Foundation, usually Unceasing Exercising, but if you have Embracing Qi Technique, you can consider Regenerating Body or even Unbowed through Battle. At Virtuoso, good are Regenerating Body (best), Fortunes and Luck, Inheritance of Physique Building, Solid Foundation. At Immortality, usually Undying Body, but you can consider Regenerating Body. At Incarnation, good are Regenerating Body, Inheritance of Crash Fist, Solid Foundation.

There are some special endgames only possible with 64 Physique (lv.max Crane Footwork), but normally you won't have any opportunity to play Physique cards during Incarnation.

[Xom]

Dao Rhyme: Best are Surging Waves, Elusive Footwork, Shocked, Crane Footwork. Good are Inch Force, Overwhelming Power, Crash Citta-Dharma. Traps are Vast Universe, Continue.

Xom's comment: Although Aipotu's video postdates the Elusive Footwork nerf, this Dao Rhyme prioritization feels like earlier material to me. Elusive Footwork is still good, but it's not important. Overwhelming Power is still useful sometimes, but maybe it used to be better? I'm not sure.

[Xom]

Summary of Aipotu's 2024-3-14 video guide: The plan is to break through via Physique on Round 12 with nearly max exchanges stored. Endgame mainline is Crane Footwork + Elusive Footwork + Surging Waves + Gather Intense Force + Vast Universe (40 Agility requires some various upgrades) + Crash Fist + Crash Fist + Crash Fist (but there are many other variations). Due to taking Destiny damage in transit, especially in Immortality, we have many exchanges to spend lest we overflow; we prefer to spend most of those on Round 8, because Immortality has cards that may be used in endgame.