• Tribe: Shademancers
• Attack: 4
• HP: 8
• Counter: 0
• Effect: Starts with Teeth 2. Reaction: when hit, gain +2 Teeth (permanent)

A-tier escalating Teeth wall. Taiga enters with Teeth 2 — meaning every hit he takes already returns 2 damage to the attacker. His Reaction then adds +2 more Teeth permanently each time he's hit: after 3 hits, he has Teeth 8 and returns 8 damage per hit. At 4 Attack and 8 HP, he's also a genuine attacker, not a pure utility unit. The combination makes him the Shademancers' best front-liner for passive damage accumulation — the longer the fight, the more each enemy attack on Taiga hurts the enemy.

Tusk's aura adds 3 Teeth to all allies. On Taiga, this means Tusk's passive turns Taiga's natural Teeth into Teeth 5 from the first hit, and after 3 hits of stacking he reaches Teeth 11. The Taiga + Tusk pairing is the strongest Teeth combination in the game.

Front row, every time. Taiga needs to absorb hits to stack his Teeth. Placing him anywhere else wastes his Reaction potential. His 8 HP gives him plenty of durability to survive long enough for the stack to build.

Healing extends his damage potential dramatically. Bonnie's whole-party heal keeps Taiga at full HP, letting him survive into late fight where his Teeth stack has reached 15+ and every hit returns devastating Teeth damage. Items that grant Shell protect his HP while preserving his Teeth accumulation.

Do not invest in Counter-reduction on Taiga. His Counter 0 Reaction already fires on every incoming hit — there's no counter to reduce. Instead invest in HP charms (more hits before he dies) and healing support (keeps him at the front longer).

Taiga + Tusk is the foundational Shademancer Teeth combo. Tusk's aura adds 3 Teeth to all allies; on Taiga, that means each hit triggers 5+ Teeth immediately (his natural 2 + Tusk's 3), and his stacking Reaction pushes that further each hit. Enemies that attack frequently melt from the return damage.

Stack Taiga's hits in early fights deliberately. In low-danger early fights, let Taiga absorb hits instead of using healing items to protect him. The Teeth he accumulates in early fights carry into the run — he enters later fights already at high Teeth values because the Reaction gain is permanent.

4 Attack on Counter 0 means Taiga also contributes offense. Counter 0 is Reaction-only (no timer), but his 4 Attack fires when his own Counter (whatever it resolves to with charms) activates. Spice boosts his Attack for specific fights; his passive Teeth damage is the primary source but his direct attacks fill the gaps.

• Tusk — aura adds 3 Teeth to all allies; Taiga's Teeth 2 base + Tusk's 3 = Teeth 5 from the first hit, stacking further each time Taiga is hit
• Bonnie — whole-party heal keeps Taiga alive longer; more hits = more Teeth stacks = higher passive damage ceiling
• HP-up charms — more HP means more hits before Taiga dies, translating directly to more Teeth accumulated
• Shell appliers — Shell lets Taiga absorb hits with reduced damage, extending his survival while still triggering Reaction
• Tigris — Tigris with inherent high Teeth benefits from the same Tusk aura and provides complementary Teeth damage in a different row

Gain 2 Teeth

• Marrow — shared: Teeth
• Prickle — shared: Teeth
• Tigris — shared: Teeth
• Paw Paw — shared: Teeth
• Tusk — shared: Teeth
• Tiger Skull — shared: Teeth