Guilty Gear Strive Tier List [V1.27]

If you are a fan of old-school retro-school games like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat on the old PS2, chances are you’re also a fan of Guity Gear. Today I will be talking about all the different characters in this game in the form of a Guilty Gear Strive Tier List.

This game has been under Steam’s spotlight for a very long time now, and rightfully so, in my opinion. So let’s discuss it and it’s characters in detail now.

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Key Points

• There are a total of 21 characters ranked in this article.
• These characters are ranked based on each character’s win rate and popular opinion.
• Among the best characters are Sol Badguy, Chipp Zanuff, and May.
• Joining us in the lowest ranks are characters like Mito, Faust, and Anji.

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Summary

In the table below, you will find a quick summary of all the rankings we will be making in this article.

S Rank	A Rank	B Rank	C Rank	D Rank
Sol Badguy	May	Testament	Potemkin	Anji
Chipp Zanuff	Ramlethal Valentine	Nagoriyuki	Baiken	Mito
	Giovanna	I-no	Jack-O' Valentine	Faust
	Millia Rage	Happy Chaos	Axl Low	Goldlewis Dickinson
		Zato-1	Ky Kiske
		Leo Whitefang

S Tier

The first tier we will discuss is our S tier. Usually, this tier contains the greatest entities of a certain category which is the case here as well. This tier will include the best characters in Guilty Gear as of patch 1.10. Additionally, these characters are the ones you should always try to opt for if you’re looking to win with ease and effectively. Let’s discuss these characters in more detail below.

Sol Badguy

The first character among our S tier in this Guilty Gear Strive tier list 1.27 is Sol Badguy. Sol Badguy is unanimously considered as one of the best characters in Guilty Gear. Additionally, he is also one of the more simple characters to learn but significantly harder to master. He is the main protagonist of the game’s lore and is named Fredrick Bulsara. Sol has a unique skill set that gives him a major upper hand in most of his fights. His style is close-combat, but with occasional regeneration and invulnerability, he can be a nuisance to play against.

Despite being an average character in most of the other Guilty Gear games, Sol takes his throne in this game release majorly because he is a prototype-type. This means that he is resistant to the control Justice holds over some other Gears present in this game. All in all, if you are a competitive guilty gear player, you should definitely opt for learning Sol as soon as you can.

Stat	Value
Health	1050
Tension	80
Attack	3
Defense	3

Chipp Zanuff

The next and final character in our S tier is Chipp Zanuff. Chipp has a lot of mixed opinions about him, but the majority think him to be one of the best. His most incredible skill is his speed; he is one of the fastest characters in this game, which gives him the upper hand in countering and combos. Consequently, he has one of the lowest health and defense stats. So, if you’re a player who knows what he is doing and can play Chipp to perfection, it would be a crime to opt for anyone else.

Stat	Value
Health	1050
Tension	80
Attack	3
Defense	3

A Tier

 A tiers contain entities that are not the best but are still better than other entities. These characters are not particularly the best but can easily beat the S-tier characters if you can properly master them. Without further ado, let’s get into the details of this list.

May

The first character we will discuss in our A tier of this list is May. May is perhaps our best character for absolute beginners because she has one of the most straightforward combos. She has some of the greatest key traits in Guilty Gear; air mobility and great close combat capabilities. Additionally, her special move called “Mr. Dolphin” is an anti-air move that gives her the advantage against most ranged characters’ combos.

In addition to that style of May, there is the rush’em down playstyle as well. By sacrificing your escape against some lethal combos, you can adopt a more heavy-hitting and super aggressive style to render your opponent nothing but combat-locked combos. Lastly, a thing to remember when playing May is that you need to remain unpredictable with your moves otherwise, you will get countered pretty hard.

Stat	Value
Health	1000
Tension	80
Attack	2
Defense	2

Ramlethal Valentine

Next up on our Guilty Gear tier Strive list is Ramlethal Valentine. Ram is a moderately difficult character to play effectively because of her complex kit. Her style is based around using her greatswords in combo with her normal attacks. Exclusive to Strive, however, she excels at controlling most of the screen with her huge swing animations and attacks. Consequently, her attacks are one of the slowest attacks in the game as of yet.

The new patch does allow for a better time for her to swing, but if you use her special move Bajoneto, it will force you to drop those Swords until you equip them again. Ram’s movement and damage are directly tied to how many Swords she has equipped at a time. All in all, if you are a fan of heavy-hitting and versatile characters, Ram is the best character for you.

Stat	Value
Health	1000
Tension	80
Attack	3
Defense	2

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Giovanna

The second to last character in our A ist is Giovanna. Like May, Giovanna is also a rushdown character who excels at having overwhelming offensive capabilities. One of the cons of Giovanna is that she can not hold or initiate many combos, which is quite a liability in most styles of play. However, she is excellent at dealing poke damage and has three overpowered abilities; Sepultura, Trovao, and Sol Poente. Sol Poente is one of her key moves, which has excellent recovery and is one of the hardest moves to punish in the entire game.

Stat	Value
Health	1000
Tension	80
Attack	2
Defense	2

Millia Rage

The last character we will discuss in our A tier is Millia Rage. Millia is one of the fastest and greatest melee characters in the game as of patch 1.27. Her speed allows her to keep up devastating combos and enables her to use her special attacks quite often. Consequently, she does not have a good defense trait which is why it is important to know what her playstyle is like.

Millia has a number of special attacks like Lust Shaker and Emerald Rain, which do a lot of damage if they hit successfully, despite being quite easy to block. Landing the former move can allow experienced players to build 15 move combos and devastate their opponent completely. Additionally, she has access to moves like Forward Roll and High-Speed Drop, which allow her to have great mobility to either punish or rushdown her enemies.

Stat	Value
Health	1000
Tension	80
Attack	2
Defense	2

B Tier

Normally, the B tier contains most characters that are OK at best and at least average. This is the case in this list as well because this tier will contain characters that are viable but not ideal for playing with in many circumstances. Although, I will not say that these characters beat our S tier or A tier characters because, in the hands of masters, these characters are devastating as well.

Testament 

One of the newest characters released in 2022 and already made their mark in Guilty Gear Strive, is Testament which stands at B rank. Testament was disregarded as a Mid Class Gear when they were easily defeated by Kliff. However, they came back stronger and proved themselves as worthy character in our article. 

They are famous for their rapid healing power and aerial attacks. Furthermore, their Grim Reaper-like appearance makes them stand out from the rest. They use a Scythe that can deal massive damage and defy the laws of time and space to open dimensions to other worlds. 

Stat	Value
Health	1050
Tension	80
Attack	2
Defense	2

Nagoriyuki

First up on our B tier is Nagoriyuki, who is a mid-range character in Guilty Gear. Nagoriyuki is mainly used to punish characters who have easy to dodge special attacks or have low speed. He is one of the unique characters in this game and, in my opinion, the hardest character to master. The trick with him is that with each attack he lands (Besides a select few special moves), he fills up his gauge meter. When this gauge fills up, it rapidly drains health and gives him a great range, and unlocks his overdrive move.

The first way to deplete the gauge is to successfully land one of his special attacks, Bloodsucking Universe. The other way is quite easier but doesn’t completely drain his gauge at a time; by using Heavy Slash Attacks while staying at a distance from your opponent. I personally find his mechanics absolutely fascinating, but he is definitely one of the most difficult characters to play in the game.

Stat	Value
Health	1200
Tension	80
Attack	3
Defense	3

I-no

Up next on our Guilty Gear Strive Tier List is another one of the hardest characters in this game, I-no. Consequent to Nagoriyuki, I-no’s difficulty is based on her playstyle, which is focused on constant pressure against the enemy while also maintaining defense. Additionally, her dash is one of the unique moves in this game because it allows her to use aerial moves without actually being in the air. Because of how difficult she is to play, she can’t be placed any higher than our B tier.

In her Gold mode, she becomes hyper-fast which makes her extremely hard to control. In addition to that, she also gains regeneration, and when faced with a boss, she gains access to an exclusive overdrive, “Megalomania.” This overdrive makes her invincible and allows her to use a special attack that can potentially do 70% of a character’s HP. All in all, if you can master her playstyle, you can beat almost every character on the list.

Stat	Value
Health	1000
Tension	80
Attack	2
Defense	1

Happy Chaos

Happy Chaos does not deliver much in terms of gameplay as he does in lore. He is one of our strongest and the first mage in the lore present in our Guilty Gear Universe. Furthermore, Chaos is quite a diabolical person as one of his key traits is the power of brainwashing and changing the appearance of humans; by giving them a rabbit head saying “Love you” across its face.

He is basically a Ditto in the lore, as most of his abilities are based on the abilities of some of the other characters in this series. He has half of I-No’s power which allows him to move through time and space. Additionally, he copied the abilities of Nagoriyuki’s blade that can stop Sol’s regenerative power. All in all, he is one of the best characters in lore and ridiculously overpowered.

Stat	Value
Health	1050
Tension	80
Attack	3
Defense	2

Zato-1

Zato-1 is primarily a technical character who mainly focuses on simultaneous and repeated attacks. He has the ability to control another entity beside him which is his shadow, whom he gained at the price of his eyesight. This character has another meter that manages his stamina which is a crucial state to watch when using him.

The reason why Zato is in our B tier is primarily that in the current meta, he isn’t that good. Sure he has good moves and attacks but requires way too much work to master for a result that can be obtained in easier methods. Additionally, the mechanics to control Zato and Eddie (His Shadow) only add to his character’s complications and moreover add to the reasons behind Zato-1’s B-tier grade.

Stat	Value
Health	1050
Tension	80
Attack	2
Defense	2

Leo Whitefang

The last character we will discuss in our B tier is Leo Whitefang. Leo is probably the most versatile character in this game as he is an all-rounder with multiple stances. He is primarily an aggressive rushdown character but does not have a lot of mobility to work with. As far as the stances are concerned, his first stance allows him to face his opponent and has basic mechanics, but in the other stance, Brynhildr, he faces away from his opponent and has access to more special moves. Most of his special mechanics are in the XRD games, but in Strive, the best Leo can go for is the B Tier.

Stat	Value
Health	1100
Tension	80
Attack	2
Defense	3

 

C Tier

The second last tier of this Guilty Gear Strive tier list is our C tier. Normally, the C tier contains entities that are slightly below average and are not very viable options to use. This is also the case in our C tier, as it will contain characters that no one should opt for ideally. However, some of these are still entertaining enough to play with that they save themselves from our lower D tier. Without any further delay, let’s start our tier list.

Potemkin

The first character in our C tier is Potemkin. Potemkin is one of the slowest characters in this game but has one of the highest defense stats in it as well. His archetype is of a grappler, which gives him his best offensive tools like throws and command throws. However, when in short range, Potemkin can deal significant amounts of damage in a very short period of time. The main reason he is in our C tier is that he lacks mobility and a dash unless he uses some of his abilities to move quickly enough to halt opponent attacks.

Stat	Value
Health	1200
Tension	80
Attack	3
Defense	4

Baiken

Next up on our tier list is the most iconic character of this series, Baiken. Baiken is very good at defending against special attacks; however, she lacks the offensive capability to deal much damage back. Despite having great special attack disables, she is horrible at reciprocating enough damage to be of much use in a fight. Additionally, one of her win conditions is strictly being perfect at every single play she makes. All in all, she is one of the more annoying characters to deal with in close to mid-range, but in a long-range fight, she loses most of her advantages.

Stat	Value
Health	1050
Tension	80
Attack	2
Defense	2

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Jack-O’ Valentine

Moving along our C tier of this tier list, our next character we will discuss is Jack-O’ Valentine. Valentine is the first summoner we will discuss in our tier list. Her main ability is to summon minions (3 in guilty gear strive) to fight alongside her. In addition to being able to fight, these minions also have the ability of flight, which allows for better synergy in moves. Their weapon of choice is a lollipop which is characteristic of Valentine herself. In conclusion, the only downside of using Valentine (aside from the horrible attack stats) is finding the perfect opportunity to summon, which almost never comes.

Stat	Value
Health	1000
Tension	80
Attack	2
Defense	2

Axl Low

Axl is one of the worst characters in this game but not bad enough to be in the D tier of our tier list. He is a long-ranged character whose weapon of choice is a Sickle. Even his normal attacks have a long charge time which is why he is incredibly weak to close-range characters. All in all, Axl can be demolished by anyone who gets close to him, but if he can keep them at a distance, he has a slight chance at victory.

Stat	Value
Health	1000
Tension	80
Attack	2
Defense	2

Ky Kiske

The final character we are going to discuss in our C tier is Ky Kiske. Ky is pretty much a jack of all trades because of his normal attacks, which are good pokes and anti-airs as well. He is an average zoner along with being a pressure fighter all mixed into one. One of his biggest flaws is his normal damage because to deal any significant damage; he has to work a lot harder for it than some of the other characters in this tier list. All in all, his style is pretty similar to Sol, so I would recommend playing him over Sol if you want to win.

Stat	Value
Health	1050
Tension	80
Attack	2
Defense	2

D Tier

The D tier contains most below-average entities of a certain category, but in our case, it will contain the worst characters in Guilty Gear Strive as of patch 1.27.  3 characters who are unanimously agreed to be the worst characters in this game are listed here. Well, without further delay, let’s move on to the details of this tier.

Anji Mito

The first character we will be discussing in our D tier is Anji Mito. Anji is another all-rounded character we will discuss in our Guilty Gear Strive Tier List but has one of the weirdest combos in this game. His key trait is that most of his attacks have an autoblock which protects him from an opponent’s attacks during his attack. Additionally, a critical component of his kit is his Fuukin move that has to be followed by another special move which is countered most of the time and heavily punished. Because of this flaw in his special, he is a D-tier character at the moment.

Stat	Value
Health	1000
Tension	80
Attack	2
Defense	1

Faust

Faust is a very good spacing character, but the trick with him is that he is heavily based on luck. Furthermore, he makes use of items and long-range attacks to keep his opponents at a distance but other than that, he is pretty bad. He is just a comic character in the game, which is just there for fun. His special move just gives the opponent an afro. Yep, that’s it, just an afro.

Stat	Value
Health	1000
Tension	80
Attack	2
Defense	2

Goldlewis Dickinson

The last character of this tier list and our D tier is Goldlewis Dickinson. Goldlewis is one of the most hard-hitting characters in Guilty Gear Strive. However, his weakness lies in the time it takes him to charge his attacks; he can easily be countered. Additionally, he does have a pretty good defensive stat but gets countered enough, and it becomes very hard to bring the game back. All in all, this is a character you should opt for if you are absolutely perfect at timing every single move you make.

Stat	Value
Health	1150
Tension	80
Attack	2
Defense	3

Comparison Table

Character	Tier	Health	Tension	Attack	Defense
Sol Badguy	S	1050	80	3	3
Chipp Zanuff	S	1050	80	3	3
May	A	1000	80	2	2
Ramlethal Valentine	A	1000	80	3	3
Giovanna	A	1000	80	2	2
Millia Rage	A	1000	80	2	2
Testament	B	1050	80	2	2
Nagoriyuki	B	1200	80	3	3
I-no	B	1000	80	2	1
Happy Chaos	B	1050	80	3	2
Zato-1	B	1050	80	2	2
Leo Whitefang	B	1100	80	2	3
Potemkin	C	1200	80	3	4
Baiken	C	1050	80	2	2
Jack-O' Valentine	C	1000	80	2	2
Axl Low	C	1000	80	2	2
Ky Kiske	C	1050	80	2	2
Anji Mito	D	1000	80	2	1
Faust	D	1000	80	2	2
Goldlewis Dickinson	D	1150	80	2	3

Patch Notes Version 1.27

In the latest update, the following changes were made to the game.

• Added Asuka R# as a playable character.

Verdict

Well, that does it for our Guilty Gear Strive tier list. This list covered the characters in Guilty Gear Strive as of 2023 and was made according to the changes made in patch 1.27 as well.

Do let me know what you thought of this article in the comments below or if you have some criticism about this, drop it down as well. That is it for today, guys. Have a great day!