Cookie Run: Kingdom by Devsisters is a gacha game that has gained increasing popularity as more and more people get hooked on trying to create the strongest teams and climb the ranks. There are multiple ways to comprise a team in Cookie Run: Kingdom, with some cookies better than others in the game. 

The two main events of the game, Kingdom Arena and World Exploration, require the player to create a team composed of five cookies and battle to earn prizes such as gems and jellies to progress their game. In the Kingdom Arena, which is the main PVP aspect of the game, players battle against other players’ teams to rise higher in the ranks. In the main PVE aspect of the game, World Exploration, players fight against non-player enemy characters that get stronger as the levels increase. While these aspects of the game are different from each other, a strong team for both usually includes three staple types of cookies: 1 tank cookie, 1 AOE damage dealer and 1 healer. Then the player can choose whichever cookies they find the most suited for their team.

Impenetrable defense

Tank cookies provide defense for the team. They often don’t deal as much damage as other cookie types, but rather prevent the rest of the team from being hit fully from the opposing team’s damage dealers. Tank cookies are almost always from the “Charge or Defense” cookie categories. Hollyberry Cookie and Strawberry Crepe Cookie are the best options for a team’s tank cookie. Hollyberry is an Ancient cookie and harder to get; Strawberry Crepe Cookie is a good option and is considered to be just as strong as Hollyberry Cookie. Other good tank cookies are Madeleine Cookie, who administers ranged damage, as well as Dark Choco Cookie. Dark Choco Cookie is considered to be one of the best tank cookies in PVE, but isn’t as beneficial as Madeleine Cookie in PVP at the moment.

Cookies overflowing with damage

The area-of-effect, or AOE, damage dealer provides damage that impacts the majority, if not all, of the opposing enemies and is responsible for dealing the most damage on a player’s team. Having a strong AOE damage dealer on a team is important because they weaken multiple enemies at one time. Sea Fairy Cookie and Frost Queen Cookie are currently the game’s best AOE damage dealers, and their skills impact all five of the opposing team’s cookies in PVP. Sea Fairy Cookie’s skill stuns the opposing team before dealing an ample amount of damage. Frost Queen Cookie, the new legendary added in the game with the most recent update, has a skill that consists of freezing the opposing team, which disrupts their cool-down and administers a large amount of damage once the freeze is broken. 

Since both Frost Queen and Sea Fairy are extremely rare, one of the best cookies to use in place of Sea Fairy is Black Raisin Cookie. Black Raisin Cookie deals an impressive amount of damage and has relatively good defense compared to other ambush cookies. Some argue that Sorbet Shark is the second best cookie to Sea Fairy as an AOE damage dealer because of their critical hit and their skill ignores damage resistance from the opposing team. Other relatively effective AOE damage dealers are Espresso Cookie, Latte Cookie, Mango Cookie, Squid Ink Cookie, Twizzly Gummy Cookie, Sonic Cookie and Moon Rabbit Cookie. Using 5 Searing Raspberry toppings on most AOE damage dealer cookies is suggested for maximum potential from their skills. 

Revitalizing the team

Healing cookies are the last of the staple cookies needed for a strong team. Cookies that heal are usually support or healer cookies. There are some exceptions to this, but cookies that heal outside of these two categories usually only heal themselves or aren’t a good substitute for a cookie that is intended to heal the team. Pure Vanilla Cookie is the best option for a healer cookie. After Pure Vanilla Cookie, Herb Cookie and Parfait Cookie are the most effective healers. Although Parfait is in the support category, she is an effective healer, deals a small amount of damage, and provides great defense buffs. Herb Cookie strictly heals and removes debuffs placed on the team. 

Completing the team

If three spots are filled with a healer, tank and an AOE damage dealer, there are two spaces open on the team to fill with whatever cookies would work best with the team. Some players choose to fill these spots with an extra cookie from one of the three staple types, typically either an AOE damage dealer or a tank. However, other players choose to fill these spots with other cookies that don’t necessarily fit into these categories, such as cookies that deal damage to a single enemy or provide extra support with buffs. Players often add in a support cookie here, typically Cotton Cookie or Lilac Cookie. Cotton Cookie was just added into the game with the most recent update, and is considered META, or “most effective tactics available,” right now. Although she isn’t used as a healer solely by herself, the top teams during the Hollyberry Season 2 arena season had both Cotton Cookie and Parfait Cookie on their teams. 

Other cookies, such as Pumpkin Pie Cookie, Vampire Cookie and Licorice Cookie, are beneficial to a strong team too. Pumpkin Pie Cookie’s skill summons a creature that will provide defense and stay with the team even after Pumpkin Pie Cookie is defeated. Licorice Cookie also summons creatures that provide more defense for the team. Vampire Cookie’s skill targets a single enemy in the back, which is beneficial because the opposing team’s healer is the cookie that is mainly targeted. He often provides enough damage to the targeted enemy to either extremely weaken or completely wipe out the enemy. He also heals himself, which is beneficial if a team’s healer is selective or doesn’t heal quickly enough. 

Cookie tier lists are good guides to determining what cookies should be used for a team, however they are not the end-all be-all of cookie choices. Some cookies work with certain cookies better than others and some combinations of cookies are bad matches for certain teams. The Super Mayhem aspect of the game is a good way to test out different cookie combinations and see which cookies work the best against certain opponents because it gives the player an opportunity to create three different teams that will all potentially be used in battle. 

World Exploration teams

It’s important to note that PVE teams have more leeway with what cookies are chosen for the team, as rare and common cookies that have a high power level can often get a player far as well, compared to PVP where rare and common cookies often won’t be that beneficial once a player has gotten higher in the arena tiers. PVE team composition also often changes as the levels advance and require different skills for different enemies. Many people use the same team in World Exploration as the one they use in the Kingdom Arena, switching out cookies depending on the enemies that they have to fight in each level.