Season 18 is the latest season in Axie Infinity. As changes rolled out and several cards were tweaked, new meta teams and Axie builds became more popular.

The Terminator Reptile is an example of an Axie build that is extremely popular, especially in low to moderate MMR.

I’ve compiled the cards currently present in the game and categorized them into a tier list.

Disclaimer: The cards were organized based on personal experience and player opinions Factors like power, consistency, and popularity were also considered. Take note that this tier list was made with mainly pure Axies, low to moderate MMR (1000-2000+), and meta team builds in mind. A separate tier list is needed for higher MMR and specialized Axies.

S-Tier

S-tier houses the cards that insanely excel at what they do and are must-have moves for their respective classes. 

Aqua

• Tail Slap is a great zero-cost Aqua card that lets you gain energy
  • Aquas are pretty energy-hungry and having this card can help compensate for the costs

Find the entire season 18 Aqua card tier list here.

Bird

• All-out Shot is a high-damage zero-cost card that can be used to burst enemies
  • Although it costs 30% health, having it on a Bird lets you burst enemies just with two energy

• Soothing Song is an amazing offensive card that lets your Axie ignore shields
  • A Bird with this card can slip past shields and take the enemy Axie out with ease

Find the entire season 18 Bird card tier list here.

Bug

• Disguise is a solid Bug card that can be put on Plants to give you more energy to work with
  • Even though Disguise is Bug card, putting it on a Plant can ensure you can activate its effect consistently

• Sticky Goo is a great defensive card that is a pain in the neck for enemies to deal with
  • This card is immensely effective at keeping Axies alive
  • One of the four parts that make up the Terminator Reptile

Find the entire season 18 Bug card tier list here.

Plant

• October Treat is arguably the best defensive option in the game
  • It gives a total of 121 shields on its own and you can draw a card if it doesn’t break

Find the entire season 18 Plant card tier list here.

Reptile

• Chomp is a strong offensive card that can lock opponents down
  • You can stun opponents before attacking them in order to avoid their shield, or leave them stunned after a combo so their next attack misses
  • One of the four Terminator cards

Find the entire season 18 Reptile card tier list here.

A-Tier

A-tier is for cards that are immensely strong and great to have on pure Axies but aren’t overpowered.

Aqua

• Risky Fish is a great Aqua card that compensates for their class disadvantage against Plant/Reptile/Dusk
  • This is a must-have card in AAP teams, especially since you’ll have a hard time taking the enemy front line out without it

• Hero’s Bane is one of the highest damage Aqua cards
  • It deals 120 damage and ends Last Stands (effective against Axies with high Morale) 
  • Great in 1v1 situations

• Star Shuriken deals a lot of damage and prevents the enemy from entering Last Stand
  • Great for last hitting enemies that are sure to enter Last Stand

• Swift Escape provides you with Speed+ that can be used for outspeeding opponents
  • Extremely important for 1v1s and countering faster Axies (Aqua & Bird)

• Upstream Swim also gives Speed+ but is more offensive in nature
  • This card enables Aquas to go toe-to-toe with their Bird counterparts by catching up with the speed buff, ripping them apart with high-damage combos

Beast

• Hare Dagger is a high-damage Beast card that lets you draw if your Axie attacks first
  • It’s great for bursting enemy tanks and drawing cards because Beasts are relatively fast

• Heroic Reward is one of the highest damage zero-cost cards, second only to All-out Shot
  • For a zero-cost card, it deals a lot of damage and lets you draw when you attack Aquas and Birds

• Nut Crack/Nut Throw are meta Beast cards that deal more damage when comboed with each other.
  • These are pretty common to pair with a RImp Beast (Single Combat + Ivory Stab)

• Sinister Strike has high base damage at 130 and deals 250% more damage when it critically strikes
  • A good substitute to Ivory Stab if you already have enough energy-gaining abilities and deals more damage than an empowered Nut Throw/Crack

Find the entire season 18 Beast card tier list here.

Bird

• Cockadoodledoo is a zero-cost card that gives you Attack+
  • Used in high MMR as a filler/buff card before using high-damage cards

• Eggbomb is a high-damage Bird card that can redirect attacks
  • Axies afflicted with Aroma get targeted by all enemy attacks
  • It’s a double-edged sword, but has huge outplay potential

• Headshot disables horn cards and deals a ton of damage
  • There are many powerful horn cards and disabling them means limiting the number of moves your opponent can play

Bug

• Allergic Reaction deals 105 damage that increases if the enemy is debuffed
  • A great offensive card in teams with lots of debuffs, one of the four Terminator cards

• Dull Grip deals more damage to shielded Axies
  • Deals high damage and is especially effective against tanky Axies

• Mystic Rush is a zero-cost card that deals decent damage and inflicts Speed-
  • Deals 40 damage for free and slows enemies down, one of the four Terminator cards

• Numbing Lecretion disables enemy melee cards
  • An amazing counter option to Axies that specialize in melee attacks, the best counter against Terminators and the like

• Terror Chomp is a high-damage Bug card that inflicts Fear when chained
  • Has the highest base damage out of all Bug cards
  • Applies Fear to opponents for two rounds

Plant

• Prickly Trap is a high-damage Plant card that deals more damage when your Axie attacks last
  • It’s a strong horn card that deals tons of damage
  • Arguably one of the best Plant horns

• Spicy Surprise disables enemy mouth cards
  • Used in preventing the enemy from using mouth cards (e.g. Vegetal Bite)

• Vegetal Bite is a great energy-stealing card
  • Useful in delaying enemy combos or giving you more agency by stealing energy from your opponent

Reptile

• Nile Strike deals decent damage and applies Speed- 
  • Has good damage and a slow that lasts for two rounds

• Spike Throw is a great Reptile card that is used in targeting enemy Axies
  • Excels at catching opponents off-guard and bursting backline Axies which are usually disadvantaged against Reptiles (Aquas and Birds)

B-Tier

B-tier is for cards that are pretty decent, but there are better options or there are situations where they aren’t as good.

Aqua

• Angry Lam deals pretty decent damage and has decent shields
  • Somewhat inconsistent because there’s rarely a time where an Aqua Axie is reduced to below 50% HP and can use the card

• Shell Jab offers somewhat decent damage and a large shield
  • Inconsistent and can easily be countered by simply playing any card

• Spinal Tap has good damage but low shields
  • Its a target prioritization card that can catch your opponents off guard
  • Can be countered by leaving no Axie idle

• Clam Slash deals the same damage and provides the same shield as Angry Lam
  • It can deal decent damage but is unnecessary when fighting Beast, Bug, or Mech (it only takes 3-4 high damage cards (110+) for an Aqua to take them out, depending on their HP)

Beast

• Acrobatic has moderate damage and a good amount of shield
  • Is useful in outspeeding faster opponents but lacks in damage and burst potential unlike the other high-tier Beast cards

• Night Steal is the Beast equivalent of Vegetal Bite
  • Pretty inconsistent to use on a Beast and takes up a tail slot (Nut Throw and Hare Dagger is stronger)

• Piercing Sound deals decent damage and destroys an opponent’s energy point
  • It has relatively low damage for a Beast card 
  • Can easily be countered by playing all your energy or using energy-gaining abilities after the Beast

• Single Combat critically strikes when comboed with 2 other cards, good for proccing (activating) Ivory Stab’s effect
  • Pretty expensive to execute
  • Highly dependent on card combos and draws

Bird

• Blackmail deals a ton of damage and removes debuffs
  • A decent damage card 
  • Only effective in removing debuffs like Aroma, Poison, Sleep, and other long-lasting buffs that don’t force attacks to miss

• Cool Breeze dishes out high damage and inflicts Chill on the target
  • Chill is only effective when there is a chance that the target will enter Last Stand

• Early Bird has high base damage that increases if the Axie attacks first
  • Good damage but can be inconsistent when your Axie is slower; All-out Shot, Cool Breeze, and Risky Feather are better tail moves

• Heart Break is a great damage card that inflicts Morale-
  • Base damage is high but Morale- isn’t a great debuff

• Ill-omened offers good damage, decent shields, and applies Jinx
  • Jinx is only good against high Morale Axies/guaranteed critical strikes

• Peace Treaty is a high-damage card that inflicts Attack-
  • Attack- is good but can be countered by filler cards
  • Soothing Song is the better mouth option

• Risky Feather has the highest base damage in the game at the cost of self-inflicted Attack-
  • Deals high damage but reduces the power of the next attack
  • Can be compensated by using low-damage/filler cards

Bug

• Anesthetic Bait has mediocre damage but offers decent shields
  • It’s useful in stunning Aqua and Bird Axies but is generally useless against other classes

• Barb Strike is a poison card that deals pretty good damage and shields
  • It needs to be chained with another Bug card and is amazing in specialized Poison teams

• Grub Surprise deals a good amount of damage and provides shields
  • Fear is a good debuff but it can only be used against targets that play cards with shields

• Sunder Claw is a generic zero-cost card with low damage and no shield
  • Forcing your opponents to discard their hand is a good tactic but only shines when paired with other cards like Third Glance

• Third Glance offers mediocre damage and decent shields; discards a random card from your opponent
  • Its damage is pretty low and cards that discard enemy hand cards are only amazing if they are played with other discards

Plant

• Gas Unleash is a pretty decent poison card
• It inflicts Poison on enemies when it’s used offensively or defensively; poison damage isn’t that great on its own and can be outplayed by unpredictable attack patterns

• Healing Aroma heals the user and provides 40 shield
• Only useful in certain situations and the shield is pretty low; can be countered if the user is bursted

• Leek Leak offers decent damage, shields, and disables the attacker’s ranged cards next round
• Card disables are good but Leek Leak can be countered by not attacking or using teams that are heavily focused on melee attacks

• Wooden Stab has good damage and shields, deals more if the user’s shields are broken
• Its effect is inconsistent when the user is faster and it’s pretty weak when compared to Prickly Trap

Reptile

• Bulkwark is a good defensive card that can reflect an attacker’s damage
  • It has low damage and only reflects melee damage

• Disarm offers good damage, shields, and inflicts Speed-
  • It’s basically Mystic Rush but with shields and an energy cost
  • Damage is negligible especially when used by Terminator Reptiles (Mystic Rush > Disarm)

• Ivory Chop has pretty decent damage and shields, lets you draw a card if shields break
  • Its effect is only useful in certain situations

• Jar Barrage is a pretty good defensive tail card
  • It can negate the additional damage that slips past broken shields 
  • Can be countered by using a relatively lower damage attack

• Surprise Invasion is a good attack card against faster Axies
  • It deals more damage when used against Axies that are faster than the user 
  • Only has 90 base damage

• Tiny Catapult is both offensive (80 base damage) and defensive (damage reflect)
  • It deals more damage than Bulkwark but only reflects ranged damage
  • Using both at the same time can provide good coverage, although it can be countered by confusing attack patterns

• Tiny Swing is a good late-game card that deals more damage after the 4th round
  • It deals a lot of damage but only when it’s used in later rounds
  • Pretty mediocre until Round 4+

C-Tier

C-tier contains cards that are only good for certain situations, builds, or uses.

Aqua

• Aqua Vitality/Aquaponics heals the user for 50 HP for each “Anemone” part they have
  • Their effectiveness depends on each other and having just one Anemone part isn’t great
  • They both need to be on an Aqua Axie Anemone build in order to work

• Flanking Smack deals bonus damage if the user is the first to attack
  • Could deal decent damage because Aquas are naturally fast
  • Base damage is relatively low
  • Value would diminish if there are faster Axies on the enemy team

• Shipwreck is a defensive card that gives Attack+ if it breaks
  • Shields aren’t needed on Aqua Axies because they’re more focused on damage
  • Card effect is slightly inconsistent because Aquas are generally placed in the backline 
  • Swift Escape is a better back card

• Chitin Jump is a card that prioritizes the furthest target
  • Only useful in certain situations
  • Similar to Dark Swoop, Gerbil Jump, and other targeting cards
  • Upstream Swim and Nimo are better tail cards

Beast

• Ivory Stab is a low-damage horn card that gives you 1 energy per crit
  • Inconsistent without guaranteed crits
  • Hit or miss (miss in most cases since crits are rare)

• Luna Absorb is a zero-cost utility card that gives you 1 energy
  • Only useful for gaining energy and takes up a tail slot
  • The user would lack in damage and shields

Bird

• Dark Swoop and Smart Shot are both cards that prioritize targets
  • Used in assassinating backline targets
  • Highly dependent on card draws, combos, and energy
  • Not 100% successful if the Axie puts up shields

Bug 

• Blood Taste has mediocre shield and damage
  • Used for healing/life steal
  • Only effective in certain situations
  • Terror Chomp is a better mouth card

• Bug Noise has pretty decent damage and applies Attack-
  • Debuff isn’t that strong
  • Sticky and Barb Strike are better back options

• Bug Signal steals energy when chained with another Bug Signal
  • Pretty mediocre damage and shield values
  • Highly dependent on other Bug Signal cards
  • Weak if the opponent has no energy to steal

• Chemical Warfare has low damage but high shields and inflicts Stench
  • Stench is useful in avoiding frontline Axies
  • Needs to be on the fastest Axie on your team in order to be effective 

Plant

• Carrot Hammer deals moderate damage and provides a little shield that gives 1 energy if broken
  • Not as effective if you already have energy gaining abilities
  • Spicy Surprise and Leek Leak are better tail cards that can disable enemy moves
  • Can be countered by not attacking the user

• Cleanse Scent is zero-cost utility card that removes debuffs from the user
  • Free shield card
  • Realistically only removes a few debuffs (Poison, Jinx, Chill, Aroma, etc.)
  • October Treat is still better

• Drain Bite offers mediocre shield and damage, but makes up for it with healing
  • Healing isn’t that high, but can be used against any enemy
  • Vegetal Bite is better

• Shroom’s Grace provides some shields and heals 120 HP
  • Replaces October Treat but only has 40 shield
  • Risky considering Plants are slow and could be taken out before healing

Reptile

• Critical Escape reduces damage taken by 15%
• Damage reduction is based on percentage
• Jar Barrage usually reduces more damage

• Kotaro Bite gives the user 1 energy if used against faster target
• Deals moderate damage but only provides 20 shields
• No energy gain against slower opponents

• Venom Spray applies a stack of poison on an enemy
• Zero-cost poison card
• Only deals 10 base damage and gives 20 shields
• Only great in Poison-based teams

D-Tier

D-tier has cards that are mediocre or only have specific circumstances where you can use them

Aqua

• Black Bubble has high damage and decent shields
  • Its effect isn’t as game-changing as the other high-damage Aqua cards
  • Upstream Swim has more impact

• Crimson Water deals extremely high damage at 120 and provides decent shields
  • Targeting injured enemies is rarely useful

• Scale Dart also deals high damage and lets you draw a card when used against enemies in Last Stand
  • Drawing a card isn’t very useful
  • Attacking a target in Last Stand with a high-damage card is a waste

• Swallow deals moderate damage and gives shields
  • Healing isn’t amazing on a damage dealer Aqua
  • Two Anemones provide more healing

• Water Sphere deals high damage and applies Chill to a target
  • Chill isn’t an amazing debuff (only useful in preventing Last Stand)
  • Upstream Swim is a better tail card

Beast

• Branch Charge has 125 base damage and can crit 20% more often when used in tandem with a Plant card
  • Its effect is pretty niche and isn’t as effective
  • Sinister Strike deals more damage
  • Ivory Stab provides more utility

• Gerbil Jump has the same effect as Smart Shot
  • Beasts typically don’t need access to backline Axies because their job is to shred the tank
  • Using this card also limits your damage output 
  • Hare Dagger/Nut Throw is better

• Juggling Balls deals 40 damage per hit, for a total of 120 damage
  • Each ball can critically strike, increasing damage output
  • Each hit can also proc the Poison debuff
  • Not suitable for pure damage Beasts

• Nitro Leap has moderate damage and shields for a Beast card
  • Effect can only be used in rare situations (Last Stand); inconsistent
  • Striking first while in Last Stand isn’t always ideal or effective

• Rampant Howl has high damage and decent shields
  • Effect is hard to activate 
  • Morale+ isn’t an amazing debuff

• Revenge Arrow has good damage and some shield; deals more damage if user is in Last Stand
  • It’s hard to activate the effect
  • Single Combat can deal more damage

• Sugar Rush has good damage and little shield
  • Deals bonus damage for each allied Bug Axie
  • Sinister Strike deals more damage

Bird

• Air Force One is one of the high-damage Bird cards and provides some shields
  • It only gains the bonus damage when chained with another Axie that has Air Force One (running two Birds in a team isn’t great)
  • Headshot deals more damage and has a better effect

• Feather Lunge has moderate damage for a Bird card but gives 50 shields
  • Relies on being chained with another “Lunge” card
  • Headshot is still more consistent

• Insectivore provides moderate damage and shields
  • Effect is only useful in rare situations
  • Bugs are already disadvantaged against Birds
    • Soothing Song and Peace Treaty are better damage options

• Patient Hunter deals 130 damage and targets Aquas if the user is below 50% HP
  • Effect is similar to Crimson Water
  • It’s only useful in very specific circumstances

• Puffy Smack deals relatively mediocre damage but gives decent shields
  • Skipping targets in Last Stand could only work in certain situations
  • You can easily remove a target that in Last Stand by attacking with a 1-2 cards

Bug 

• Bug Splat deals 110 damage and gives decent shields at 50
  • It’s only effective against Bug Axies
  • Aquas and Birds already deal massive damage to Bugs

• Mite Bite is a zero-cost card that deals double damage if used in a combo
  • Decent damage for a zero-cost card if the effect is activated
  • Effect is pretty lackluster (Heroic Reward does the same amount of damage)

• Scarab Curse has decent damage and prevents the target from healing
  • Only useful against teams with healing, which are somewhat rare

Plant

• Aqua Stock provides 80 shields and gains energy if attacked by an Aqua card
  • Especially good against Aqua-Aqua-Plant (AAP) teams
  • Useless against teams that don’t have an Aqua
  • October Treat is more consistent

• Bamboo Clan has decent damage and shields
  • Effect is pretty lacking
  • Prickly Trap and Wooden Stab are better horn options

• Cattail Slap is a zero-cost card that deals 20 damage and gives 30 shields
  • Its base stats are good
  • Can’t be activated when the enemy doesn’t have Beast cards

• Refresh is a zero-cost card that removes debuffs from a teammate in front of the user
  • The free 50 shield is alright
  • The effect will realistically

• Seed Bullet targets the fastest Axie (similar to Dark Swoop)
  • It’s only useful against Aquas and Birds
  • Plants don’t have a lot of damage cards that can assassinate which makes this card dependent on your draw

• Vegan Diet heals the user if they attack a Plant Axie
  • It’s basically a less consistent Drain Bite with slightly better stats
  • Drain Bite one-ups this card because it can be used on anyone

Reptile

• Neuro Toxin deals decent damage and applies Attack- to poisoned targets
  • You need to have poison cards on your team to make full use of this card

• Overgrow Keratin deals decent damage and replenishes 20 shields after every action
  • It’s mainly for defense but isn’t that good 
  • Disarm is better damage and utility-wise

• Poo Fling applies Stench to a target
  • Must be used by the fastest Axie on your team to be effective
  • Stench varies in effectiveness depending on your team composition

• Scale Dart deals decent damage and gives 1 energy if you attack a buffed target
  • It’s an inconsistent card
  • Buffed targets are pretty rare in low to moderate MMR

• Scaly Lunge has good damage, shields, and deals more if chained with another “Lunge” card
  • You need to have another Axie with a Lunge card to activate the effect

• Slippery Shield offers high shields to its user and gives 15% to adjacent Axies
  • Reptiles aren’t usually built to serve as main tanks
  • Sticky Goo (Terminator Reptile) and Spike Throw offers better strategic and offensive options

• Sneaky Raid targets the furthest enemy (similar to Chitin/Gerbil Jump)
  • Only a handful of Reptile builds can make use of this (e.g. Poison, pure damage)
  • Highly dependent on card draws and combos

• Vine Dagger is a zero-cost card that gains double shield when comboed with a Plant card
  • Reptiles with Plant cards aren’t strong
  • Getting a Plant card for the sake of activating the effect isn’t ideal

• Why So Serious has decent damage, shields and heals the user if they attack an Aqua
  • It only heals the user if they use it on an Aqua Axie
  • Chomp is a better mouth card

E-Tier

E-tier cards are not ideal to have in their respective classes. They might in HIGHLY specialized builds and team compositions but they’re generally not useful.

Aqua 

• Deep Sea Gore deals low damage but gives good shields
• Shelter gives high shields and prevents enemies from landing a critical hit
  • Aquas are mainly damage dealers that don’t need high shields
  • Beasts and Bugs are the classes that usually crit but they’re already at a disadvantage against Aquas

Beast

• Death Mark deals mediocre damage and applies Lethal to target
  • The user should be low health just to activate the effect
  • Beasts could easily get popped so there’s little to no chance you’ll be able to proc it

• Merry Legion has low damage and good shields; the shield increases when it’s played in a chain
  • Beasts are usually placed in a team to shred the enemy tank, not to take damage
  • Shields won’t be as useful and chaining isn’t ideal since there would likely be only one Beast in a team

• Self Rally is a zero-cost card that increases the user’s Morale by 40% for two rounds
  • Beast Morale is already high
  • Self Rally takes up the mouth slot and can inhibit the Beast’s already inconsistent damage output

• Woodman Power has low damage but high shields
  • Beasts are mainly damage dealers and don’t need shields

Bird

• Balloon Pop is a zero-cost card that applies Fear
  • This is a risky card because it can self-inflict Fear on its user
  • There are also way better options for back parts on a Bird

• Sunder Armor deals extremely low damage but gives high shields, increasing by 20% for every debuff
  • Birds serve as damage dealers and don’t need shields
  • There are plenty of tail options that are better suited for the Bird
  • They also have the lowest HP, so shields wouldn’t be as effective

• Triple Threat is a zero-cost card that strikes twice if the user has any debuffs
  • It has low damage
  • The user needs to be debuffed to activate its effect
  • There are extremely better options for a back card (Blackmail, Heart Break, and Ill-omened)

Bug  

• Buzzing Wind is a zero-cost card that inflicts Fragile on the target
  • Although it makes the next attack deal double damage to shields, there are better ways to slip past enemy defenses (Soothing Song, Stun, Raw Damage, etc.)

• Grub Explode is a zero-cost card that deals double damage when the user is in Last Stand then ends it
  • Even if it deals decent damage for a zero-cost card, its effect will rarely get activated

• Twin Needle is a zero-cost card that attacks twice when played in a combo
  • It has low damage
  • There are better tail options (Allergic Reaction, Anesthetic Bite, Numbing Lecretion)

Plant

• Aqua Deflect has moderate damage and shields
  • This renders the user untargetable by Aqua cards
  • Plants are tanks and you don’t want the damage to slip past and hit your teammates
  • They also don’t take a lot of damage from Aquas in the first place

• Sweet Party heals your Axie for 270 HP
  • It costs 2 energy, deals no damage, and has no shields
  • Risky if you can’t activate it in time

• Turnip Rocket enables the user to target Birds
  • Only useful in extremely rare situations
  • Dependent on card draws and combos
  • Plants don’t have a lot of damage options to burst targets

• Forest Spirit heals your front teammate for 190 HP
  • Only useful if there’s an Axie in front of the user
  • Plants are commonly used as frontliners, rendering the card useless
  • It also wouldn’t be able to heal your teammate if they get taken out instantly

Did I miss anything? Do you think there are cards that don’t belong in their tiers? Comment your arguments and explanations down below!