February 20, 2023
Genshin Impact’s 3.0 patch introduced Dendro as the final element of the game. Since then, Dendro has disrupted the game meta thanks to its many elemental reactions and high damage ceiling. On top of that, numerous new characters have been released after the addition of Sumeru. As a result, the meta has shifted away from DPS hyper carries and towards teams with transformative actions. You might wonder: Are old-and-trusted DPS, such as Ayaka and Ganyu, still meta? And which new teams have made it to the top? Find out the answers below!
Soup
Let’s start with a beginner-friendly yet fun team composition. The Soup team came into being after the release of Kamisato Ayato. Kamisato Ayaka’s dutiful brother has incredible Hydro application with his skill. Ayato’s Hydro makes for a great soup if you throw in a few more ingredients, such as Pyro and Electro. Swirl everything with an Anemo unit, and you get a potent mix of different Elemental Reactions. What makes Soup teams, so beginner-friendly is that your rotations are pretty lenient. Instead of following a strict order of abilities, you can add soup ingredients as you like.
Ayato is the best Hydro character in Soup teams. But if you don’t have him, you can make others work, too. As for the other slots, you’re free to choose between various units. Fishl, Raiden Shogun, and Yae Miko are excellent for Electro application. Beidou works, too, if you’re going against multiple enemies. For Pyro, Bennett, Xiangling, and Thoma are good options. Even our favorite Outrider Amber can work thanks to the fast Pyro application of her Elemental Burst. Finally, Sucrose, Venti, and Kazuha are the preferred Anemo choices. However, Jean can do fine if you have none of the other three.
Here you can see a Soup team in action!
Curry
Curry is something in between a Soup and a Burgeon team. It was named by theory crafter Zajef. He thought a Soup team without Anemo and more veggies (Dendro) would make a curry. Just like Soup, Curry comps consist of various Elemental Reactions, such as Electro-Charged, Vaporize, and Overload. However, with a Dendro unit, Dendro-related reactions are brought into the mix. The most prominent one is Burgeon, which triggers when Pyro meets Bloom. In essence, with Dendro, the damage ceiling of Soup skyrockets.
Just as colorful as its Elemental Reactions are the possible team template of Curry comps. For example, Ayato is less vital, giving room to other Hydro characters and reaction enablers. Childe and Xingqiu are equally viable, while Yelan is slightly worse because of her slower Hydro application. For Electro, we have our usual best picks, Fishl, Raiden Shogun, and Yae Miko. Beidou is less useful in Curry than in Soup, as her Ultimate doesn’t trigger Hyperbloom. If you play an off-field Hydro character, you can even slot in an on-field Electro, like Thundering Fury Razor or Cyno. Nahida and Dendro Traveller are your preferred Dendro characters. Alhaitham can be good, too, while Collei will result in a damage loss. Finally, one character makes a phenomenal comeback, thanks to Curry. Thoma is by far the best Burgeon enabler. However, C6 Bennett is an alternative.
Here’s a video showcasing a Curry team!
Sukokomon
Moving from some easy comps to one of the most intricate teams in Genshin Impact. The Sukokomon comp is based on one mechanic in the game: the Guoba swirl. Guoba is Xiangling’s companion, which she summons with her Elemental Skill. Once called, Guoba does periodic Pyro damage and applies Pyro to himself. The trick behind Sukokomon is to apply Electro and Hydro to an enemy and then wait for Guoba to apply Pyro to himself. At this exact moment, you can swirl everything with Sucrose. This shreds the elemental resistance for all three elements, allowing for tremendous damage.
However, to achieve this, your timing must be impeccable. Just as rigid as the timing of Sukokomon is its character composition. The original team consists of Fishl, Kokomi, and Xiangling with their “pokemon’ summons and Sukrose as the swirler and pokemon trainer. But, if you don’t have Kokomi, you can replace her with Xingqiu, making it a SuXingqiumon team instead. Your rotation will stay fairly similar, although the damage ceiling isn’t as high as with the original Sukokomon.
To become the ultimate pokemon trainer, look at this guide!
International
The International is one of the most-known meta teams in Genshin Impact. If it weren’t for the addition of Dendro, it would probably still be the best comp in the game. The International was named after the origins of its characters: Childe is from Snezhnaya, Bennett from Mondstadt, Xiangling from Liyue, and Kazuha from Inazuma. The team capitalizes on Childe’s incredible Hydro application for powerful Vaporize reactions.
Bennett and Xiangling are some of the most admired duos in Genshin Impact. Bennet empowers Xiangling’s Burst and gives her Elemental Particles to help with her energy problems. Now, we can combine Xiangling’s fast Pyro application with the quickest Hydro applicator in the game and get an already strong team. To top it off, we add Kazuha, who provides crowd control and gives an Elemental Damage bonus. (Sucrose can be used, as well.) The International was long considered the best team in Genshin. It would still be if it weren’t for Dendro teams with their slightly higher damage ceiling.
Earn your Bachelor of Science in Childe International Team by watching this video!
Raiden National
Another variant of this comp is the Raiden National. It combines the National core of Xingqiu, Bennett, and Xiangling with the hyper-carry power of the Raiden Shogun. Since her release in September 2021, the Raiden Shogun has disrupted the Genshin meta as a hyper-carry and an elemental reaction enabler. Her kit’s buffs and off-field Electro damage allow her to synergize with many teams. Additionally, her great Elemental Burst damage makes her an impactful main DPS.
The Raiden National became popular when people discovered the impeccable synergy between its characters. The National core was already known as a meta combo, with Bennett boosting Xiangling’s Burst and enabling high Vaporize numbers. However, Raiden also adds Electro-Charged and Overload to this equation. Furthermore, her Elemental Burst can snapshot Bennett’s buff, too. To make it even better, each character’s cooldowns align perfectly, and Raiden reduces her teammates’ high Elemental Energy demand through her energy refunding. The only downside of the Raiden National is that it lacks crowd control. Therefore, it only excels against single-target Abyss floors.
Master the Raiden National with this guide!
Nilou Bloom
Nilou’s release evoked lots of discussion within the Genshin community. She’s a character that is clearly meant to only excel at one thing: buffing Bloom reactions. Her kit only synergizes with Dendro and other Hydro units. However, she’s the best in her niche. In fact, Bloom as a reaction is much less powerful without Nilou. That’s why I don’t consider this team the best meta pick as of now.
Looking at possible Nilou Bloom templates, you have a few characters to choose from. Popular Hydro units for this comp are Xingqiu, Kokomi, and Barbara. Yelan can work too, but her Hydro application is slower than Xingqiu’s, resulting in fewer Blooms. Your Dendro options are Dendro Traveller, Nahida, and Yaoyao. Alhaitham and Collei are fine, although their slower Dendro application will result in a damage loss.
Your choice will ultimately depend on the units at your disposal and their elemental application. For example, if you have Nahida in your Nilou comp, you won’t need another Dendro character. Nahida triggers enough Blooms by herself. She quickly consumes Hydro auras and needs good/many Hydro enablers. In any case, a healer is a must. When Blooms explode, they also deal damage to your characters. Combine this with Nilou’s Bloom buffs, and you can easily die from your own Bountiful Cores.
If you want to curate impressive Nilou Bloom comps, check out this guide!
Hyperbloom Teams
Finally, we’ve made it to the strongest team in the current meta. Its damage ceiling is astounding, thanks to the Hyperbloom elemental reaction. To build a Hyperbloom team, you need at least one Hydro and one Dendro unit that create Blooms. On top of that, an Electro character will trigger the Hyperbloom reaction. This unit will also need the most Elemental Mastery. However, depending on your team comp, others might also need EM.
The beautiful part about Hyperbloom Teams is that they don’t rely on impressive CRIT ratios or 5-star weapons to deal massive damage. Here, EM is the name of the game. Hyperbloom rotations are also lenient. Lastly, you can build strong Hyperbloom Teams without any 5-star characters. This makes them extremely F2P friendly.
Let’s have a look at possible Hyperbloom Team templates. The best Hyperbloom enablers are Raiden Shogun (on an EM build) and Kuki Shinobu. But Fishl and Yae Miko are close runner-ups. You might think that Beidou could work, as well. Sadly, her Ultimate Ability can’t trigger Hyperblooms. In contrast, Lisa can be a decent Hyperbloom enabler, except for her high Energy requirement and small AOE. For your Dendro unit, you can choose between Nahida and Dendro Traveller. Alhaitham and Collei can be alright but will create fewer Blooms. YaoYao only works well with another Dendro unit. Ayato, Childe, and Xingqiu are best for your Hydro slot, followed by Yelan and Kokomi. You can also use Mona. However, you’ll want to play her on-field or pair her with another Hydro character due to her slow Hydro application.
Your final slot can be filled with various characters and elements that don’t interfere with the Hyperbloom reaction:
- Another Electro (Beidou is great here), Hydro, or Dendro unit depending on your needs
- A Cryo unit for a Hyperfridge team
- A Geo shielder
- An Anemo unit for crowd-control
If you wish to take a deep dive into Hyperbloom Teams, I suggest you browse SevyPlay’s channel!
Final Words
All in all, Dendro has become a staple in many meta teams. It also increases the value of Elemental Mastery compared to CRIT and ATK stats. With the advent of Dendro, the Traveller became viable for the first time. For a while, they even were the best Dendro unit in the game. Unfortunately, they were soon dethroned by our beloved Dendro Archon Nahida. She is now arguably the best character in Genshin Impact. But other 4-star units had an awakening, too, allowing for strong F2P-friendly teams.
I hope you’ve found some inspiration for your Genshin account in this article. No matter which characters you have and which teams you choose to build with them, I wish you best of luck on your future Abyss runs! And may your banner pulls be fruitful!