Guide to the BRB/Polaris Protect-Tile Winfinite

AdeptusRevolt

For players moving into SCL10 for PvE, Winfinite or "the Winfinite" is often cited as a key strategy. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know.

The Winfinite Strategy in a Nutshell (TL;DR)

The idea is to use Beta Ray Bill (BRB) and Polaris to generate lots of protect tiles. Each time one is matched or destroyed, BRB makes blue and green AP and Polaris makes more Protect tiles. Add in someone who uses green AP to destroy tiles and you have an infinite loop you can exploit to "punch up" on hard PvE nodes, such as in SCL10.

In case it hasn't sunk in yet, you go "infinite" until you "win" = winfinite

This isn't the only winfinite combo; there are some lower-level ones. This is considered "the" winfinite strategy since it is a key for 4-5 star transition and getting a foothold in SCL10.

The Key Pieces - Polaris and BRB

Polaris is considered the best 4 star, so you've probably got her champed anyway. Her recommened build for this is 4/5/4, since the winfinite team needs to manage threats until they start looping. The extra turn of stun comes in handy.

Beta Ray Bill (BRB) only needs 1 yellow cover to get this working. Ideal build is 5/3/5 since there isn't really any benefit to getting his yellow over 3 for this; it maxes out his starting protect tiles. As you are building him, anything with at least 1 yellow cover will do. At higher levels, BRB will be the main damage dealer, alternating his Skuttlebutt with the third teammate's infinite green to deal lots of damage, and using his Clash of the Worthy to damage, as well as make more protect tiles.

Ideally you want Carol's Communicator or Lucky as supports on BRB, since he is most likely going to be tanking. If you have both, one can go on Polaris. Next up in importance is starting green and blue AP. Yaro Root and Atlantis supports are good for this, and give you an extra chance to get things going quickly.

The Third Wheel - Smashing Green Tiles

The final piece of the winifinite combo is someone who uses green AP (cheaply, if possible) to destroy lots of tiles, including protect tiles. There are a lot of options here, so lots of room for personal preference.

Top Picks

Juggernaut (1-Star)
That's right, Juggernaut from the bottom tier is a first-pick for this combo. He is the fastest at getting the winfinite going, with a 6AP Unstoppable Crash that destroys 16 random tiles. It's so cheap, you can even fire it early to try to get more protect tiles to populate.

Downside, he doesn't do much damage so you end up taking longer overall vs some of the 4 and 5 star partners. Also, as a 1-star, he can't equip a support.

Still he's going to be your go-to the lower your BRB is, and for tough Challenge Nodes where you need to get going fast.

Build : 5/5. What else can you do?

Thanos (4-Star)
Thanos seems to be the popular choice for this role, so his inclusion was inevitable. Thanos's Mad Titan's Mercy destroys 32 random tiles for 12 AP, doubling cost and tile destruction over Juggs. He deals extra damage for each Protect tile that gets destroyed with his power, and his Inescapable Destiny helps generate more green AP, if you are playing against a tile-spammer like 5-star Carnage.

While the 12 AP is a lot to generate, the 32 tiles destroyed mean you don't have to count the odds, half the board being destroyed almost certainly gets you enough AP to fire again and again, once you fire it once.

Downside, 12 AP is a lot. You may not survive long enough to fire it, and Thanos isn't the heaviest hitter with his green power.

Build : 5 in Blue and 4+ in Green. Mine is 4/5/4. That extra blue helps make more green, if there are enemy special tiles to exploit.

Carnage (4-Star)
My personal favorite, and the one I leaned on hard for the almost-a-year I did SCL10 with the winfinite. Carnage Rules uses 8 green AP to destroy 16 tiles, just 2 more AP than Juggs for the same number of tiles. However, Carnage brings some upgrades, notably more damage (plus bonus for each special, but less than Thanos), a useful red power for damage, and the ability to use a support. Carnage is kind of in the sweet spot of the cost/destruction ratio.

The biggest downside is Carnage's spamming of attack tiles. While I only had 2-3 times in MONTHS of playing where his attack tiles almost filled the board, I did win those matches since Polaris' power prioritizes protect tiles over attack tiles. Some players have found this too much of a downside to deal with, though. Those enemy attack tiles he makes do trigger Bill's Clash of the Worthy one more time per turn, though.

Build : 5/3/5 if you want to try to reduce his number of attack tiles.

Worthy Alternates

She-Hulk Immortal (5-Star)

Even partially covered, She-Hulk is worth a look. So Below destroys up to 5 partial columns for 8 AP, which can vary in how many tiles actually get destroyed. But her ability to resurrect up to 3 times (firing So Below for free each time) helps keep the team in the fight long enough to go infinite, and reduces the need for health packs as you use her. Her red being a pseudo-stun with % health damage is an added bonus. Her biggest downside is her availability as a classic 5-Star.

Sadly, 4-Star She-Hulk being limited to destroying 4 protect tiles for 8 AP means she can't generate enough AP with each firing to keep the chain going)

Kamala Khan (5-Star)

KK is a great third partner, but only if she is well-covered or champed. Even then, her Embiggened Bash destroys 9 tiles for 7 ap, and you may need to fill the board a bit to get to where that reliably replenishes your ap. Her yellow I'm a Superhero adds more protect tiles (and damage when protect tiles are destroyed), and you can target the Bash with Cosmic Course in effect, which costs precious blue and needs a study tile to survive.

While it can be fun when she's boosted, you generally have better options overall (as in, not relying on winfinite) once KK becomes a decent third.

Sersi (5-Star)

Just like KK, Sersi is another 5 star making her hard to get in the first place. However, she might be the fastest overall partner.

Her green Gift of Transmutation doesn't destroy tiles, but it makes more of a non-green color. Choose blue, and you will generally cause cascades that match the now-fortified blue protect tiles, generating lots of blue and green AP.

Wolverine X-Force (4-Star)

His recent rework made him more viable for this; perhaps the only reason Wolverine gets left off most comments discussing winfinite was his older nerfed state. X-Force destroys 15 tiles for 8 AP, and as a bonus Surgical Strike destroys many tiles for 11 black AP (based on enemy strongest color, so predictable to see what it will destroy before you fire).

I'd need more feedback to see if he's a top-tier recommendation or not.

Thing (4-star)

At level 5, Yancy Street Special destroys 16 tiles for 12 AP. If it triggers, his Rock Solid can make more protect tiles.

Storm Mowhawk (3-star)

Lightning Strike destroys 14 tiles for 10 green AP. As a bonus, Mistress of the Elements can destroy up to 7 team-ups for 9 yellow AP to help shake the board. She can use a support, but is weaker compared to the 4 star partners available and not as efficient as Juggs or some of the 4 stars.

Rhino (4-Star)
Trample destroys 9 tiles for 8 ap, with a bonus of up to 4 basic or enemy specials. It's possible that this could lead to a match once in a while that gets you some more, but the math just isn't there to make this a reliable infinite source until the board is full. It's nice that he has a chance to stun the enemy, boosts protect tile strength, and can make some, but not enough to make him consistent.

Strategy

Just smash green like the Hulk right? Close enough. Though it is going to get very repetitive, there are a few things you can do to improve your odds and consistency.

Boosts - If you've been hoarding boosts up to this point, time to use them! The 2-color AP boosts only cost 200 iso for 5, and blue/purple and green/black can get you going faster. Sometimes a turn or two is all it takes between winfinite and defeat.

Supports - Starting with protects makes Carol's Communicator a top pick, plus the heal on matching special tiles (also on Lucky). Put those on your tank, most likely BRB.
The next most useful are going to be those that give you green AP at the start - Yaro Root and Atlantis as examples. Finally, and only if those other options aren't available, is damage boosts. Atlantis qualifies again, but so does Taskmaster's sword . Note that the damage boost is best on your green-power spammer, not Polaris. Once you start winfinite she won't start have another start-of-turn to do passive damage.

ISO - If you've been holding back on ISO in your 5's, good job. Now its time to break the rule. BRB will need more health, so you can take him up to the level of your top 4-stars, provided they are over 255.

Choose your Teammate - Juggs for going fast against tough nodes. Thanos for enemies with SAP tiles (Carnage, 5 star Kingpin), etc.

Firing Powers - high level/champed BRB does a lot of damage with Skuttlebutt, but you need to make sure you have enough green left to keep firing your power to break more tiles. Crash of the Worthy scales up a LOT and can speed things along, but it doesn't do a lot of damage at low levels.

A frequent decision will be choosing whether to fire Polaris' stun or Crash of the Worthy to get more protect tiles out. Generally if you aren't in any immediate danger, use Crash.

Matches - Prioritize breaking protect tiles, perhaps even over match-4s that are not blue and green.

Glockoma

Nice guide mate, especially the Carol’s Communicator trick. Turns BRB into OML 😎

Punisher5784

This is a well-made help aid. Although I'm not a fan of sharing such exploits the forums for the Devs to add to their rebalances/patch agenda, I'd hope at this rate they fully accept the benefits of this team.

With that said, I'm a huge user of BRB/Polaris team. This pairing has really helped me upon my return from a 2.5hr retirement, including allowing me to consistently and successfully play SCL10 PvE.

I'll share my personal fav: 5* She Hulk. For 8 Green she can destroy up-to 4-5 columns to get the winfinty going. Her red becomes handy as another stun-type wbility. The best part is she can soak up the damage for BRB and repeatedly die (up-to 3x), such as, those tough Challenge Nodes!

Basically anyone that can destroys tiles is awesome, such as, 3* Storm, 4* Shuri, 4* Wiccan, 4* She Hulk. During this PvE, I'm enjoying Agent Venom as the 4* Essential. Once you gain 12AP, his black destroys tiles every turn!

If you want added damage, 4* Doop is fun! Give him Particle Accelerator for the double-dip and Doop Might to create more Protects and damage enemies for matching their specials.

Zarqa

@Punisher5784 said:
Although I'm not a fan of sharing such exploits the forums for the Devs to add to their rebalances/patch agenda, I'd hope at this rate they are fully aware of this.

I am surprised you call this an exploit. Isn’t this a well-established team by most mid to veteran players? What is it exploiting? Plus the Devs are well aware of this team. I think this is an excellent guide for newer players that people on this forum, on Reddit and on Discord can link to. I consider this a valuable resource, not an exploit at all.

Well done again @AdeptusRevolt !

AdeptusRevolt

With my wife about to hit SCL10 soon, and several alliance mates making the transition, wanted to get a guide on this out there so I can give the link out

One follow-up comment: I graduated the winfinite once I got Shang-Chi champed (my first 5 star champ); with him, May and Chavez I never "needed" to resort to it again. But I started SCL10 with BRB at around 4-5 covers, he carried me for a long time.

Will have to update as people share input; 5 star She-Hulk is definitely a good one to mention @Punisher5784

KGB

I've found that the best 3rd partner is 5* She-Hulk once you get 5 covers in her Green.

The destruction occurs across 5 columns and frequently destroys at least half the board and does 90% damage.

More importantly, if you get her to tank Green then she can tank 3 colors (4 with TU) with 5* match damage and if she dies it's no big deal since she will revive the next turn while firing her green power for free. You can even bring her in with very low health so she dies on turn 1 or 2 making getting the winfinte going much easier on challenge nodes. Toss in her handy Red (decent damage and sends away someone for a turn on a color you otherwise wouldn't use) and she's a much better 3rd partner than any of the ones you mentioned.

KGB

Punisher5784

@Zarqa said:

@Punisher5784 said:
Although I'm not a fan of sharing such exploits the forums for the Devs to add to their rebalances/patch agenda, I'd hope at this rate they are fully aware of this.

I am surprised you call this an exploit. Isn’t this a well-established team by most mid to veteran players? What is it exploiting? Plus the Devs are well aware of this team. I think this is an excellent guide for newer players that people on this forum, on Reddit and on Discord can link to. I consider this a valuable resource, not an exploit at all.

Well done again @AdeptusRevolt !

What else should it be called? It completely takes advantage of Polaris' and BRB's passives that I doubt the devs considered when the characters were created. I slightly reworded some verbiage though.

I'm not fully concerned, which is why I also gave kudos, including sharing my personal experience and additional team members.

HoundofShadow

Shouldn't this be called synergy? When players could win matches against Kaecilius by sending him Away, that's an exploit and it has been fixed. Winning puzzle ops by using whales or 4* Gamora were also exploit, which also has been closed.

I'm glad to see more players finding other uses for She-Hulk. She could also potentially pull an infinite green aps with Daredevil.

entrailbucket

I don't think he meant "exploit" as in "cheat," I think he was talking about exploiting (ie making use of) the synergy.

The devs most certainly know this combo exists and haven't done anything about it, so I don't think there's any risk in publicizing it. I don't even have a problem with it (and I hate overpowered stuff), because it's really slow and also terrible on defense.

Punisher5784

@entrailbucket said:
I don't think he meant "exploit" as in "cheat," I think he was talking about exploiting (ie making use of) the synergy.

The devs most certainly know this combo exists and haven't done anything about it, so I don't think there's any risk in publicizing it. I don't even have a problem with it (and I hate overpowered stuff), because it's really slow and also terrible on defense.

Thanks for further clarifying for me. That is what I'm referring to.

It reminds me of the old school "Charlie Angels" combo of 4* Professor X, 3* BW and 3* SW.

entrailbucket

They actually did nerf 2* Magneto because he was in the original Winfinite combo (with Mystique), but by the time PX rolled around there were a few teams that could do similar stuff, and they never bothered dealing with the Charlie's Angels combo.

Daredevil217

I feel like this guide is a bit dated (though I appreciate the effort). If someone is going to invest in an old 5* to punch up wouldn’t Hawkeye be the move? With only two 3* (Kang/Iron Man) you can beat those tough challenge nodes way faster.

Or if you’re investing in your first 5* why not Shang over BRB who can self-winfinite once he gets going? Again, not a bad strategy guide, it’s just that there are far better characters to invest in now to get the same results way faster.

Zarqa

@Punisher5784 said:

@entrailbucket said:
I don't think he meant "exploit" as in "cheat," I think he was talking about exploiting (ie making use of) the synergy.

Thanks for further clarifying for me. That is what I'm referring to.

Thank you both for expanding. Definitely agree with the synergy part.

Yepyep

@Daredevil217 said:
I feel like this guide is a bit dated (though I appreciate the effort). If someone is going to invest in an old 5* to punch up wouldn’t Hawkeye be the move? With only two 3* (Kang/Iron Man) you can beat those tough challenge nodes way faster.

Or if you’re investing in your first 5* why not Shang over BRB who can self-winfinite once he gets going? Again, not a bad strategy guide, it’s just that there are far better characters to invest in now to get the same results way faster.

So, as much as I respect your opinion on these matters, which is a lot, I think that this is the most accessible, consistent, reliable winfinite out there. This is a great resource for transitioning players.

IM40's tiles are too vulnerable; the AI is laser focused on getting those matched. While slow, Juggs is an incredibly reliable symbiote processing green to create more green and more protects.

Maybe you could briefly step through the other teams you propose as alternatives. I'd like to read that, for sure. Maybe you'll convince me -- but if you've got an hour+ for a grind, it's tough to beat BRB-Polaris.

dianetics

I think Shang Chi and Valkyrie is more reliable as a winfinite. It's faster and if you have a good board you can go winfinite on the second or third turn. Even with a bad board you gather enough AP to start it before the 4th turn.
It does more damage, its faster, and it lets you slot in any other third. You can run them as a pair on essential nodes and it doesn't require any team ups for sustain. With teams up, boosts, and ideal partners its just cheese.
As a primary 5* to transition with SC is generally just better for PvE.

DAZ0273

I have to admit it has been some time since I last used this but I definitely like the idea of She Hulk as being the board destruction partner. With the early winfinite version of this you had to rely heavily on BRB tanking and absorbing the damage until he winfinite took off because if you lost any one part of it then it was game over in the Challenge Node. She Hulk really helps with that issue - she has high health so can share Bill's burden and she comes back from the dead!

Bowgentle

"Just use Shang" isn't a viable alternative.
Sure if you have him champed, he's better.
But as clearly stated in the guide, Bill works with a single yellow cover.

dianetics

He doesn't work with a single yellow in CL10. He gets matched down and you wipe a lot. When I was messing with the team it didn't really start to work until you had between 7 - 9 covers to ensure he has enough health to survive a few rounds getting hit. Ideally, you would want 3 yellow and at least 1 blue, but at 4 covers I'm pretty sure he has less than 40k hp.

AdeptusRevolt

I used him in scl10 for quite a while with one yellow and level 300 or less. It works, but you use juggs more.

As for Shang, totally agree. But he really takes off when champed (I ran him at softcap of 360 for many months). My advice is get 1 yellow in brb and then focus on Shang as a first champ.

LavaManLee

Great guide! Until I got my SC/MT combo, I used BRB/Pol/1Jugg for about a year to clear those pesky FU nodes in SCL10. It isn't speedy but it does the job.

AdeptusRevolt

Updated with 3 star Storm, 5 star She-Hulk, and a note about 4 star She-Hulk (who may have been limited specifically because of this synergy).