Proud mode: picking the right Trio C
Two trios that work great can still produce a poorly optimized third match. This guide explains why, and how to check it before you play.
Proud mode in a nutshell
In Proud mode, your 6-character team is played as two trios: Trio A and Trio B. On a tie, a third match decides the winner. It is played with a Trio C built from your two trios: 2 characters from one and 1 from the other.
That deciding match is the tricky one: it rarely gets as much preparation as the first two.
Why Trio C loses bonuses
Two mechanics depend on who fights with whom. When you mix your trios, they change:
1. Equipment conditions are counted within the trio
A piece of equipment that says “if at least 3 fighters from the same saga are in the team” is active in a trio built entirely around that saga. In a Trio C that keeps only 2 of those characters, the count drops to 2 and the effect switches off. “Per member” bonuses shrink the same way when Trio C has fewer tag carriers.
The opposite also happens: a character coming from the other trio can bring the missing tag and activate an effect.
2. The Leader privilege follows the Leader’s battle trio
The Leader’s Z Ability applies unconditionally to their two trio teammates. If the Leader doesn’t play Trio C, or plays it with different partners, some characters lose those Z Ability lines — or gain them. Other characters’ Z Abilities keep applying to the whole team under their usual conditions.
Picking your Trio C in DBL Optimizer
- Switch to Proud mode with the floating switch at the bottom of the screen.
- Under each character, click the “TRIO C” box. The tool enforces the rule: you can’t pick a 3rd character from a trio that already has 2.
- As soon as 3 characters are selected, the Trio C analysis appears. “Reset” clears the selection.
Reading the Trio C analysis
Total bonus — the sum of every stat gain for the 3 characters in Trio C, with the difference from their original trios (for example “+1,286% · −36%”).
One card per character — their total, Z Ability share and equipment share in Trio C, each with its difference. Z Abilities and equipment multiply each other, so the total difference can exceed the sum of the other two.
What changes in Trio C — the exact list of affected effects, losses in red first, gains in green after:
- Item: the wearer, the equipment, the tag count (“3 → 2”) and the status before and after (“Active → 1 missing”);
- Z Ability: the Leader’s Z Ability lines a character loses or gains;
- a warning if your Leader doesn’t play Trio C.
Best possible Trio C — the tool tests every allowed combination and shows the one with the highest total bonus, with a button to use it.
Tips for a strong Trio C
- Keep tag-sharing pairs together. They are the ones carrying equipment conditions.
- Prefer low-threshold equipment (“at least 2”) on characters likely to play Trio C: it stays active more often.
- Think about the Leader. If they play Trio C, make sure both partners benefit from the privilege; if they don’t, look at the Z Ability lines the analysis reports as lost.
- Use the suggestion as a starting point. The total bonus adds up every stat; it ignores kits, cards and your opponent. When totals are close, trust your game experience.