Hello everyone and welcome to my 75th analysis, this time featuring Barbatos.
Overview: Barbatos may be old, but there is still very few monsters who can match the damage output this demon can produce in a single turn given to him (besides extra turn spammers, of course). Barbatos' signature attack, Master of Pain, is among the best attacking moves in the game, trading 30% of his maximum Life in exchange for a Dark based attack with 90 Base Power and 100 Accuracy! Later on, you will see that he has means to boost this move's damage output with no turns lost, which makes him a brutal attacker that requires dealing with immediately. Unfortunately, this "dealing with immediately" part is as easy as they come, since Barbatos has no form of protection against any deny effect (except possibly Possession, if you get lucky) whatsoever. His Speed is also below the average for attackers, making it easy for others to deny or nuke him before he gets to do anything. For this reason, it is crucial to pair Barbatos with powerful deniers or others to protect him from faster monsters.
Build:
Moves:
-Master of Pain
-Blood Covenant
-Devil Form
-Hellfire
Runes: 2 Strength 1 Speed
Mutant Runes: Strength&Life, Speed&Life
Relics: Masks and Swords
Build Explanation:
Master of Pain is Barbatos' signature single target nuke attack that will heavily dent anything when unboosted, or even kill frailer targets straight away. Blood Covenant is arguably one of the best self attacks in the game: it has 1 CD, gives Barbatos Stamina Regeneration, Double Damage and an extra turn, but it drains 20% of Barbatos' CURRENT Life for the next 2 turns - this means Barbatos will almost never die from using this attack, despite the listed Life draining effect. Devil Form is similar but less powerful, giving him Damage Boost and an extra turn in exchange for 15% of his maximum Life. You can use these two consecutively to give Barbatos Triple Damage for free, or even keep using them for as long as he lives to possibly try and get your special move - this combo is what makes Barbatos so powerful, since a Triple Damage boosted Master of Pain will almost always kill the target, or severely damage tanks. The last moveslot is dedicated to the only AOE Barbatos has access to: Hellfire has a slightly below average 35 Base Power, but it's unresisted and it Burns all enemies hit, and it will hurt with a Triple Damage boost.
2 Strength 1 Speed with Life Mutations is the standard attacker spread.
Teammate Options: For Teammate options, check out this article.
Countering Barbatos: An Anticipation monster will prevent Barbatos' damage buffs. Mega Taunt casters can stomach Barbatos' assault and protect their allies. For more Counter options, check out this article.
