Axie Infinity Strategy Guide: Choosing the Right Three Starter Axies

Disclaimer: The information below is for educational and entertaining purposes only and is not financial advice. All information stated below is my personal opinion based on my research. Any information on this article should not be mistaken as a fact.

Axie Infinity is an intricate strategic game inspired by the mechanics of the Pokemon games and Hearthstone. This NFT/Blockchain-based online play-to-earn videogame involves PvP/ PvE battles and breeding the adorable little balloon-like creatures called Axies in turn-based gameplay.

Players need to buy at least three starter Axies to start their journey in Axie Infinity. Ideally, players should choose a tank, a DPS, and a utility/support-type Axies starter trio with zero breeds on a floor price of 0.059 ETH or $23 in Axie Infinity.  

Choosing the right Axie can be a difficult task, so players must understand and consider the classes, body parts, abilities/battle cards, price, stats, and breeds of an Axie before purchasing one.

1. Choosing the Right Axie Class in Axie Infinity!

There are nine Axie classes in Axie Infinity:

1. Plant
2. Reptile
3. Aquatic
4. Beast
5. Bug
6. Bird
7. Dawn
8. Dusk
9. Mech

The first 6 are the “normal classes,” while the last 3 are “secret classes,” which are achieved only after breeding two purebred Axies of different classes. The classes in Axie Infinity are similar to the “type” of a Pokemon in a Pokemon game, which means different classes of Axies are stronger or weaker against certain other classes of Axies.

Here is a chart showing what class has an advantage over the other.

Dusk is the best Axie class in Axie Infinity in the current meta. Still, as it is a secret class, it can be pricy and difficult to breed, so it is the best move to choose the starter Axies with Plant, Bird, or Beast class, as all Plant types become good defenders/tanks while Bird and Beast types are efficient at attacking. 

But the class is not the only thing that should affect your choice while purchasing an Axie. You must also consider its body parts and abilities (battle cards).

2. Choosing the Axie with Right Body Parts in Axie Infinity!

Axies usually have six body parts: eyes, ears, horns, mouth, back, and tail. Body parts of an Axie decide the card/ability it can use in a battle. They also enhance the four stats: HP, Skill, Morale, and Speed of an Axie. 

• HP or Health determines how much damage your Axie can take in a battle.
• Speed defines an Axie’s turn during battle rounds. Faster Axies make their move first.
• Morale increases your Axie’s possibility to do a critical hit.
• Skill helps Axies deal additional damage during combo attacks.

An Axie with higher stats will do better in a battle, simple as that!

Body parts of an Axie also have their own types, and usually, an Axie has different “types” of body parts, but rarely a pure Axie can also be found with all its body parts of the same type. Body parts are also a crucial factor in the Axie breeding process.

Note: Pure Axies are worth more than the Axies with different body parts.

Different types of body parts have different effects on the stats of an Axie. Take a look at the image below to understand their impacts better.

3. Choosing the Right Battle Cards in Axie Infinity!

All Axies have 4 Battle Cards/Abilities of different types in Axie Infinity. The battle cards/abilities decide:

• The kind of attack an Axie will do, 
• The amount of damage an Axie will deal (indicated by sword), 
• The amount of damage an Axie will tank (indicated by the shield), 
• The energy it will cost to make a move, and
• any buffs/debuffs, the move will add.

Strategically, it is essential to have Axies with good abilities. Players must make sure that any move in the battle should cost less energy and cause or tank more damage to win every battle. 

For example: “Forest Spirit” is a bad card in the current meta. It is a utility card that heals the front Axie for 175 HP at the cost of 1 energy and deals or tanks no damage at all. So, do not buy any starter Axie with a Forest Spirit ability.

4. How to build a good team in Axie Infinity?

Players must have a durable tank/defender Axie with high shield value, a fast DPS/attack Axie with high sword value, and a utility/support Axie that buffs or debuffs other Axies to build a good team in Axie Infinity.

• Tank- A good Tank Axie should be adept at absorbing damage, have a high HP stat (50+), and have at least two high shield cards (70+). The higher, the better.

All plant-type class cards are good tank cards in the current meta. Reptile and Aquatic cards make for good tank cards too. Try to include self-healing cards such as Rosebud in your team to make your tank more durable.

• DPS- A good attacker Axie should have two or more battle cards that deal 100+ damage. It does not matter if an attack Axie has low HP or survivability (Shield value). 

An Attack Axie must have a good speed stat to do all the damage before being defeated. Axies with high Morale stat act as a better attacker. Usually, Bird and Beast type cards deal good damage and are suitable for an attack role.

• Utility/Support- The role of a support Axie is more strategical rather than being upfront. A team with two attackers and a defender can also be a decent team, but adding a support Axie can help you in the longer run.

A good support card should have low energy consumption. In fact, it should generate, steal or destroy your enemies’ energy, draw more cards to your hand, or add debuffs to your enemy.

5. Why should I buy an Axie with zero breeds in Axie Infinity?

An Axie can only be bred a maximum of 7 times. An already-bred Axie is worth more than an un-bred Axie. So, purchasing an Axie with zero breeds will cost you less and can make you money later if you breed it using the Smooth Love Potion (SLP) yourself.

About Axie Infinity

Axie Infinity is an NFT-based online video game developed by Vietnamese studio Sky Mavis, which uses Ethereum-based cryptocurrencies, Axie Infinity Shards (AXS) and Smooth Love Potion (SLP).

Axie Infinity is a trading and battling game that allows players to collect, breed, raise, battle, and trade creatures known as “Axies.” The game uses a “pay-to-play-to-earn” model where participants can earn a token which is traded on a crypto exchange as an Ethereum-based cryptocurrency. Players can also exchange in-game assets as NFTs. Axie Infinity allows users to cash-out their tokens every two weeks.