UNIST Tier List

Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st], or better known as UNIST, is a 2d fighting game that is technically complex and balanced as fans might hope for. It has a fantastic roster of 20 fighters, each with their unique move sets and playstyles. The game was added as an event at EVO 2019, which cements its place as one of the more popular fighting games to date.

In the same vein as the other giants in the genre, UNIST has deep technical complexity when it comes to matches. Naturally, some fighters are inherently better than others because of their stats and moves.

In this tier list, we’ll detail which fighters are the best to use in UNIST so you can quickly judge which ones deserve your time investment.

S-Tier

The best fighters in the game. They will give you an advantage over any opponent if you’re at the same skill level.

Fighter	Style	Specialty/Weapon	Description
Vatista	Zoner, Charge, Pressure, Trapper	Nullify Counters	Vatista’s special counters counterattacks. Take a moment to understand that. This means that she can effectively lock out an opponent who focuses too much on punishes and tech counters. This is an overpowered skill by itself, but when partnered with Vatista’s arsenal of projectiles, she becomes almost impossible to beat.   The only downside to Vatista is probably the difficulty of playing and mastering her.
Phonon	Multi-ranged zoner	Muniel (whip)	Phonon is another zoner but has a more versatile range than Vatista. She can attack from long range using her soundwaves or use her whip for mid-ranged attacks. Her whip can be effective at pulling opponents close to her or pushing them away.
Linne	Mobility, Rushdown, Bully	Double Jump, Dash Cancel	Linne excels at all facets of the game, in varying ranges as well. She’s quick, has long combos, and has a double jump to set up fantastic aerials. She’s best utilized in close-range, but she can play it safe in the neutral game if needed.
Hilda	Aggressive zoner	Dress of Darkness: Masquerade	Hilda is best played aggressively because she can easily bully her way into a win without ever opening herself up for punishment. The only way to counter her is to get in close so she can’t use her mid-ranged initiate attacks.

A-Tier

Fighters in this tier are powerful and can even win whole tournaments under the right players.

Fighter	Style	Specialty/Weapon	Description
Gordeau	Offensive, mix-ups	Assimilation	Gordeau’s weapons complement each other well. He uses his scythe from mid-range to set up his close-ranged claw combos. He’s also safe to use for beginners because his scythe’s length allows him to control the entire screen.
Wagner	Rushdown	Flame Brand and Ancile	With her sword and shield in hand, Wagner is a potent combo specialist who utilizes quick setups to launch her opponent in the air. She’s very good at pushing her opponent in the corner and can be devastating if her opponent doesn’t know how to crouch spam. Wagner could benefit from more projectiles or gap closers, but she’s a strong fighter overall.
Waldstein	Grappler	Destroyers	Waldstein is quite fast, considering his size. He has good long-ranged attacks as a fallback from his excellent close-quarters proficiency. He’s a good counter fighter as well because his grabs can halt an opponent’s combo setup in an instant.
Byakuya	Offensive, stage control, trapper	Chelicerata	Byakuya is one of the faster fighters in the game. His webs can trap opponents or set them up for long aerial combos. Because of his decent mid-ranged arsenal, Byakuya is also a master of the neutral game. His long-ranged weapons are nearly non-existent, however.
Hyde	All-rounder, mix-ups	The Insulator	Everything about Hyde is just well-refined. He’s not overpowered in any area, but he does all aspects well. He can be utilized as a rushdown fighter towards the corner or as a master of the neutral game. The problem with Hyde is that he’s easy to kill because of lax defense and poor HP stats.

B-Tier

Good fighters who need a bit more practice to dominate in matches.

Fighter	Style	Specialty/Weapon	Description
Merkava	Mix-up	Flight	Merkava is one of the more difficult fighters to master in the game. The payoff is immense, however, because Merkava can control the field from just about anywhere. He has powerful long-ranged attacks that can open up an air combo with his flight ability.   Merkava’s disadvantage comes from his lack of defensive options. His dash is slow, and his hitbox is large, so opponents often capitalize on that.
Eltnum	Rushdown, Bully	Pistols, Mid-air throw	Despite having a gun, Eltnum should prefer to fight in close range as soon as possible. She has quick moves that enable her to bully the opponent into the corner. The catch with all these quick moves is their very short range. Playing as Eltnum requires air-tight execution at all points of the match.
Orie	Rushdown, Bully	The Ruler	Orie is a milder version of Eltnum. You should play her the same way: get in close for her fast attacks. Orie does have a more polished toolkit, though. She has good zoning abilities with range, and poke attacks for players who like to play safe.
Chaos	Offensive, Mix-ups, Trapper	Azhi Dahaka	Chaos is a unique fighter who relies on tight technical execution to dominate foes. His lizard, Azhi Dahaka, can be used to provide decent poke damage at varying ranges. With this tandem, Chaos has solid control of the field at all times.

C-Tier

These are situational fighters that you use for specific matchups against opponents.

Without proper practice, they are usually at a disadvantage against most of the roster.

Fighter	Style	Specialty/Weapon	Description
Akatsuki	Versatile, Mix-ups	Double Jump, Alt Normal attack	Akatsuki generally plays a safe neutral game at the beginning of a match. He has all the tools to open his opponent up for huge combos. Double jump and midair throws are just some of his good abilities.   Akatsuki suffers from a short dash which is why he’s better utilized when punishing opponents for their mistakes.
Seth	Rushdown, Mobility, Pressure	Midair dash, backstep	Seth relies on speed to confuse the enemy into his set plays. While he lacks decent zoning abilities, his speed allows him to close gaps in an instant. The bad thing about all this speed is it’s very tricky to master it. You have to be a very skilled player to pull off Seth’s combos under pressure.
Nanase	Rushdown	Zephyr	Nanase is a good option for offense. She has several approaches to her combos, which, aren’t that complicated to execute at all. Despite this, she needs a lot of momentum to confirm some hits because her neutral game is one of the worst of any character.

D-Tier

Fighters who are seldom picked in competitive matches.

They have glaring flaws and their strengths are often outshined by some of the other characters.

Fighter	Style	Specialty/Weapon	Description
Carmine	Mix-ups, Pressure, Trapper	Dissolve	Carmine is a unique fighter in that he can use a portion of his health to create blood pools on the stage. These pools set up Carmine for devastating combos, provided he can execute all of these flawlessly. Against skilled players, Carmine is at a disadvantage because of the health loss, and the frame animations it takes to just set up combos.
Londrekia	Mid-range, Mix-ups	Freeze Count	Londrekia is good at controlling the neutral but falls flat when it’s time to pressure the opponent. The meta in UNIST right now is to have decent defense paired with an overpowering offense and Londrekia just doesn’t have a place in all that.
Yuzuriha	Mix-ups, Zoner, Mobility	Battoujutsu Stance	It’s always a guessing game for both players whenever Yuzuriha is fighting. Her battoujutsu stance can be one of the most effective zoning abilities in the game, but you need to be an expert to pull it off effectively. She specializes in delayed attacks to throw the enemy off guard.   Not many players use Yuzuriha because of her high skill cap that demands the player’s expertise as well as their concentration at all times.
Mika	Bully	Pachelbel Cannon	Mika is a strong fighter, but she suffers from a one-dimensional move set. She needs to be close to the opponent to deal significant damage, but any farther and she’ll be bullied by the opponent’s zoning attacks.

F-Tier

The worst fighters to main in competitive play. They are far outclassed by the rest of the roster.

They can still be viable for casual play and can be a good alt pick if you’re confident about your skills.

Fighter	Style	Specialty/Weapon	Description
Enkidu	Aggressive, Mix-ups	Havoc	Enkidu is a simple fighter to pick up. This simplicity is his undoing because he doesn’t have many tools to fit different scenarios in a match. He’s best utilized as a counter attacker because of his special ability.