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When playing GrimGrimoire OnceMore, you are almost certainly going to come up against some enemies that just seem to obliterate your entire army. This is, unquestionably, pretty frustrating. However, while it may not be obvious at a glance, every single unit in the game has a counter unit.

Related: GrimGrimoire OnceMore: Beginner Tips

Thus, this guide exists as a quick reference for what units act as counters for any given unit in the game. If you are struggling with any of the units found in the game, the solution to your problem will be listed below. We also included guidance on how to use each unit effectively. Ideally, this guide should be able to act as a quick reference guide for every unit in the game.

The Gathering Minions (Elf, Ghost, Blob)

GrimGrimoire OnceMore, Ghost Unit

These are the gathering units and are, typically pretty incapable of defending themselves. The Blob can gum up physical units, the Ghost can collide with other units and self-destruct, and Elves are capable of healing other units. This means that all of these units will exist to support other units. These units are incapable of attacking. So, basically, any other unit type will be more than capable of destroying them. Ghosts can at least fight back, but they die in the process.

Imp

GrimGrimoire OnceMore, Imp Unit

The Imp is largely a Mana-gathering unit, however, the old Zerg Rush strategy of old can be utilized by unlocking the ability for them to attack. Since they are pretty cheap units, you can produce a whole swarm of them. However, while this can be extremely effective against Substance-type troops, it is not a great strategy for fighting Necromancy units.

How To Beat The Imp

The Imp will always be decimated by Astral-type units, as they cannot hit them. Obviously, this makes the Phantom the perfect hard counter to this unit. Without the assistance of a Homunculus, the Imps are simply incapable of fighting back against Phantoms.

Talisman And Guardian

GrimGrimoire OnceMore, Talisman Unit

So, for starters, the Guardian and the Talisman are nearly identical units. They both can attack Substance and Astral units (though they are slightly more effective against Substance), and they have the same attack range, visibility, and cost. The only difference between them is that the Guardian has more health. That's it. Well, until you start upgrading them, that is. Then they begin to diverge quite dramatically.

While both the Guardian and the Talisman are effective against all unit types, it should be noted that they do more damage against Substance-type enemies.

Through the Skill Tree, The Guardian will get the ability to increase their attack speed by two and a half times. Instantly, once they have unlocked this ability, they are considerably more powerful. The Talisman, on the other hand, gets the ability to see considerably farther than the Guardian (three blocks farther, which is a sizable portion of the screen). They can also be upgraded to hit from considerably farther away. This means that a Talisman can be used for scouting purposes, it also makes it better at dealing with ranged units, as it can hit them from farther away.

How To Beat Talismans And Guardians

When fighting against these turret units, a Golem will do a fantastic job of hitting them from a distance. Especially if the Golem has had its range increased. They can attack a turret unit without taking damage themselves, making them the perfect counter.

Gargoyle

GrimGrimoire OnceMore, Gargoyle Unit

The Gargoyle is the Alchemy turret. They are a lot like the Guardian and Talisman, but the big difference is that their standard projectile is an AOE attack which does the same amount of damage to groups of enemies as the single-hitting projectiles of the Talisman and Guardian AND they have better range. Pretty nifty, right? Of course, since it is Alchemy, there is a giant but...

How To Beat The Gargoyle

The Gargoyle can't hit Astral units. So, literally, every Astral unit can destroy the Gargoyle without being in any danger. This is a great Turret unit to help bolster your others, but this glaring weakness means you need to have other units accompanying it in order to overcome it.

Obelisk

GrimGrimoire OnceMore, Obelisk Unit

The Obelisk is the most interesting turret unit. Instead of attacking the enemy, it heals your Astral troops. Pairing a Morning Star with a couple of Obelisks makes them incredibly powerful base-defending units. If you are using Necromancy, or are planning to summon a Morning Star, then Obelisks are a no-brainer.

How To Beat The Obelisk

As far as counters are concerned, the Golem is capable of dealing damage at an incredible distance. So, that is probably the best counter here. The biggest threat when dealing with Obelisks are nearby Astral units that are protecting them. So having a Skullmage unit for backup would be a good idea.

Fairy

GrimGrimoire OnceMore, Fairy Unit

The Fairy is fast, mobile, surprisingly hard-hitting, and capable of flying. They are also relatively inexpensive units. Despite being the first unit you acquire, they are more than capable of hanging with the late-game monsters. In general, this is an extremely versatile unit. Especially once you upgrade them through the Skill Tree.

Fairies have a ton of potential when used correctly. However, this requires a lot of micromanagement. If they simply all swarm in front of an enemy, they will take heavy damage. They need to take advantage of their flight and use the different levels to attack without being attacked back.

How To Beat The Fairy

Unfortunately, however, Fairies tend to want to swarm their opponents, which makes them extremely soft targets for AOE attacks from the likes of Golems and Homunculi.

Unicorn

GrimGrimoire OnceMore, Unicorn Unit

The Unicorn is a tale of two monsters, the standard version of the Unicorn is extremely fragile and can be dispatched quite easily by any unit. That being said, once you have invested in their skill tree, they become quite a bit more resilient.

Their Holy Shield ability (which requires you to level them up to level 3) is extremely important to the Unicorn and can make them very durable when it is active. On top of all that, they have the Astral Hold ability, which freezes a single Astral unit. This makes them great counters for Morning Stars and Charons.

How To Beat The Unicorn

Like Elves, Unicorns are often used in large numbers. So, AOE attacks are going to be able to severely damage them. A Psychic Storm from a Homunculus will be able to wipe out large swathes of these majestic horses. The Grimalkin's Mana Burn will also kill these creatures in a single attack (if they haven't used their MP, that is.

Morning Star

GrimGrimoire OnceMore, Morning Star Unit

The Morning Star is the most powerful troop in the Glamour magic line. She is an Astral, giving her invincibility against a number of different unit types. On top of that, she can fly, and her standard attack is an AOE. Without being upgraded, she will have to charge this attack, but if she is fully upgraded she can use it freely.

How To Beat The Morning Star

While the Morning Star is capable of wiping out entire armies, she has a similar problem that the Dragon and Chimera have. Her primary weakness is the Unicorn's Astral Hold. This attack is the Astral equivalent of the Grimalkin's Sleep spell. It will stop her dead in her tracks. So that is a hard counter she has to deal with. Also, she is pretty slow-moving, which means that she doesn't handle AOE attacks particularly well herself. The standard Psychic Storm of a Homunculus will take care of her quite quickly. Also, since they are Astral units, a few Skullmages will be able to wipe out a Morning Star.

Demon

GrimGrimoire OnceMore, Demon Unit

The Demon is the most powerful frontline fighter that isn't a Chimera or a Dragon. Once leveled up, they are incredibly fast, and they deal an extraordinary amount of damage. The big knock against Demons is their unit cost, and their Mana cost. At 200 mana, and taking up three unit spots, they are only really worth having if you have fully upgraded their skill in the Skill Tree. That being said, these resilient warriors have high HP, and don't have any super obvious weaknesses.

How To Beat The Demon

As we discussed in the Phantom section, one on one, the Demon barely beats a Phantom, as they do substantially less damage to Astrals. And since Phantoms are considerably cheaper, it is easy to swarm a Demon with Phantoms. On top of that, a Grimalkin can put them to sleep, and a Homunculus' Psychic Storm will deal severe amounts of damage. The other solution to the Demon is to Astralize them with the Skullmage, which makes them an easy-to-kill unit for them.

A fully upgraded Chimera is more powerful than multiple upgraded Demons and is quite capable of killing multiple Demons at a time. It can also eat friendly units (such as a 20 Mana Ghost) and gain a substantial amount of its health back. This is to say, in most battles, you are probably better off summoning one of them.

Grimalkin

GrimGrimoire OnceMore, Grimalkin Unit

The Grimalkin is the hero of your team. Sure, they are incapable of fighting. They are weak. They are slow. Yet, they can put every substance-type enemy to sleep. This is good when used against a robust unit like a Golem or a Demon, but it is amazing when dealing with a titan-class unit like the Chimera or the Dragon. For every step of the game where it is possible, you want a few Grimalkins kicking around your lair.

You can put Charons and Morning Stars to sleep as well, but you will need the help of a Homunculus to change their form from Astral to Substance.

How To Beat The Grimalkin

As for countering Grimalkins, that is easy. Any cheap unit (that can attack) can swarm the Grimalkin and eat their lunch. They can only put one unit to sleep at a time, so if you chase them down with a bunch of Fairies, they will fall quite quickly.

DragonGrimGrimoire OnceMore, Dragon Unit

This is the big boy. Not only is the Dragon extremely powerful, but it can absolutely take a beating as well. However, they are incredibly expensive, and after they are summoned they need to incubate in egg form, which leaves them pretty vulnerable. Still, a Dragon can storm a base, kill all the enemy units, and smash all the turrets.

How To Beat The Dragon

Of course, alongside their very obvious strengths is their big weakness. They are very slow, and a Grimalkin can put them to sleep quite easily. Once they are asleep, they are easy to destroy. Moreover, a few Morning Stars can handle a Dragon.

Homunculus

GrimGrimoire OnceMore, Homunculus Unit

The Homunculuis is another superstar of any team. These are heavily, heavily specialized units. Once you unlock their Psychic Storm ability, you can use them to absolutely destroy squads of units. However, they only get two shots at a time before they are left without MP (and it is a slow road to recovering enough to use a third).

How To Beat The Homunculus

The power of the Psychic Storm comes from units taking damage over time. The area of effect does not move. So, a speedier unit can dash through this attack and tear them to pieces. This makes the upgraded Demon a perfect counter. Especially since they are already pretty beefy. The same is true for Unicorns (especially if they have their shield ability).

Golem

GrimGrimoire OnceMore, Golem Unit

Once again, we have an incredibly specialized unit coming out of the Alchemy branch of magic. They have the longest reach of any unit. Once fully upgraded, the Golem has the incredible ability to take out terret-type units from afar without ever being in range. This range also means that you can park them in your base and use them as a turret unit.

How To Beat The Golem

Golems are incapable of fighting enemies that are directly in front of them. So, a quick enemy will absolutely overwhelm them. And they won't be able to fight back. This makes everything from Imps to Demons to Unicorns to Fairies strong counters to this long-ranged fighter. On top of that, the Grimalkin's Mana Burn spell will kill them with a single shot.

Chimera

GrimGrimoire OnceMore, Chimera Unit

The Chimera is another version of the Dragon. They are more vulnerable (especially if you haven't invested in the Skill Tree upgrades), but they are also cheaper, easier to summon, and faster. However, just like Dragons, the Grimalkin can put them to sleep. Making that cat a perfect counter to these colossi. Just pile on the sleeping giant, and they will fade surprisingly quickly.

How To Beat The Chimera

The Chimera is not able to attack Astral opponents. So, a group of Phantoms are more than capable of eradicating a Chimera. Of course, the Chimera's master can help get around this by having Homunculi available that can turn Phantoms into Substance units. So be wary before you try to take out one of these creatures with Astral units alone.

Phantom

GrimGrimoire OnceMore, Phantom Unit

When it comes to frontline units, the Phantoms are the best bang for your buck. They are Astrals, so that instantly makes them fantastic for fighting against Sorcery and Alchemy units. While they are quite sluggish, by upgrading their Skill Tree abilities, you can nullify this issue. Otherwise, the berserker ability (unlocked through the skill tree) helps them dole out even more damage. Demons are, of course, another formidable frontline fighter, but a group of Phantoms will absolutely destroy them.

On a one-to-one basis, the Phantom will lose to a Demon, but it will leave the Demon severely injured. When you consider that Demons cost three times as much to summon as a Phantom, and require an extra unit slot, that still seems like an excellent result for the Phantom. Especially since a Phantom's low cost makes it easy to attack with groups of them, while Demons are too pricey to easily do the same.

How To Beat The Phantom

Phantoms do have a hard counter in the form of the Skullmage. If you see a Skullmage approaching, disengage. They are also heavily damaged by the Ghost's self-destruct ability. Morning stars, and their AOE attacks, can easily devastate groups of Phantoms as well. Similarly, the Homunculus' Psychic Storm will easily destroy Phantoms. This is why when using Phantoms it is a good idea to diversify your army, and invest in other units (like Demons) so that they can fall back when confronted by certain enemies.

Skullmage

GrimGrimoire OnceMore, Skullmage

The Skullmage is slow-moving and incapable of fighting against Substance-type enemies. However, they deal absurd amounts of damage to Astral units. This makes them highly specialized, but invaluable.

How To Beat The Skullmage

If you are looking to kill the Skullmage, simply swarm them with a Substance unit. They can Astralize a unit or two in order to fight back, but they won't be able to do that against multiple opponents. This makes Imps and Fairies a great counter.

Charon

GrimGrimoire OnceMore, Charon Unit

Charon is a bit of an odd duck unit. Their primary purpose is to ferry units across the map. This can be devastatingly powerful, as they can transfer extraordinarily powerful units right into the heart of an enemy's base. However, they are also excellent scouts, especially once their visibility has been upgraded. Where things get really interesting is if you unlock their ability to use their passengers as ammo. This gives them the most powerful attack against Substance units in the game. Pair this ability with the Ghost upgrade in the Skill Tree that brings their cost down to 20 Mana, and Charon (which is a relatively cheap unit) becomes massively powerful.

How To Beat The Charon

Charon can be extremely powerful, and his ability to bring enemy troops to the frontline is also extremely potent. However, he isn't particularly robust, and if he dies his passengers die with him. Just like the Morning Star, Charon is countered by the Unicorn's Astral Hold.

Next: GrimGrimoire OnceMore: First Cycle Walkthrough