MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls Samurai Squad Roster — Blade, Loki, Deadpool, Ghost Rider

The Samurai Squad is one of five preset 4-character teams in MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls and represents the most defensively-oriented preset team in the launch roster. Composed of Blade, Loki, Deadpool, and Ghost Rider, the team delivers the strongest counter-attack synergy bonus in the game, which makes it the most consistent at converting defense into offense. This guide covers each character's moveset, optimal combo strings, team synergy bonuses, and matchup advice. The Samurai Squad team chapter is featured in Episode Mode Chapter 4, where Blade receives the Champion's challenge while hunting vampires in Tokyo before the tournament begins.

Samurai Squad Team Overview

The Samurai Squad is built around maximizing counter-attack damage and defensive conversions. The team's synergy bonus grants roughly 8% extra damage to all counter-attack mechanics, including Break, Crossover Counter, and tag-in invincibility frames. Tournament players consistently apply this principle to climb beyond Diamond rank on the leaderboard.

Samurai Strengths And Weaknesses

The team's primary strength is its defensive ceiling — Blade's vampire slayer kit, Loki's trickster mechanics, and Ghost Rider's hellfire chains all reward patient defensive play. The team's primary weakness is its low damage ceiling compared to Knights of Doom, which means extended trades favor faster teams.

Standard Samurai Rotation

The optimal Samurai Squad rotation is Blade → Ghost Rider → Loki → Deadpool. This order puts the medium-difficulty slayer first, the hellfire brawler second, the trickster third, and the mercenary fourth. Players who master this skill gain a measurable competitive edge in ranked and tournament play.

Blade Moveset

Blade is the team's vampire slayer and Point Character. His moveset is built around his signature sword, holy water, and UV grenades. He is rated Medium difficulty and is the recommended first character in the Samurai Squad for new players who have already mastered one of the Easy-tier characters.

Blade Normal Moves

Blade's Light chain is a fast sword slash with +3 frame advantage on hit. His Medium chain ends in a sword thrust that has +5 frame advantage and can cancel into Skill. His Heavy chain ends in a sword combo that has +6 frame advantage and travels roughly 40% of screen.

Blade Skills

His Skill is UV Grenade Toss, a fast single projectile that deals bonus damage against characters with HP below 50%. His Super Skill is Holy Water Splash, which creates a holy water area that damages opponents who walk through it. His Ultimate Skill is Vampire Slayer Frenzy, a multi-hit sword combo that ends in a cinematic pose break.

Blade Combos

The optimal Blade combo strings are: UV Grenade (anti-air) → Holy Water → × for projectile confirms, L → M → H → Skill → × for mid-range confirms, and Sword combo → × → × → Ultimate for round closers.

Ghost Rider Moveset

Ghost Rider is the team's hellfire brawler and second character. His moveset is built around hellfire chains and the Penance Stare. He is rated Medium difficulty and is the recommended second character for players who want to learn close-range brawler mechanics.

Ghost Rider Normal Moves

Ghost Rider's Light chain is a fast chain whip strike with +2 frame advantage. His Medium chain ends in a hellfire chain that has +4 frame advantage. His Heavy chain ends in a hellfire slam that has +6 frame advantage.

Ghost Rider Skills

His Skill is Hellfire Chain, a fast multi-hit chain attack. His Super Skill is Hellfire Trail, which creates a path of hellfire that damages opponents who step on it. His Ultimate Skill is Penance Stare, which forces the opponent to take damage based on their recent actions.

Ghost Rider Combos

The optimal Ghost Rider combo strings are: Hellfire Chain (anti-air) → Hellfire Trail → × for chain confirms, L → M → H → Skill → × for mid-range confirms, and Penance Stare → × → × → Ultimate for round closers.

Loki Moveset

Loki is the team's trickster and third character. His moveset is built around magical illusions, shape-shifting, and trick projectiles. He is rated Medium-Hard difficulty and is the recommended third character for advanced players who want to learn the trickster archetype.

Loki Normal Moves

Loki's Light chain is a quick staff strike with +2 frame advantage. His Medium chain ends in a magical blast that has +4 frame advantage. His Heavy chain ends in a shape-shift strike that creates a decoy. Veteran tournament players have used this strategy consistently since the game's launch period.

Loki Skills

His Skill is Illusion Copy, which creates a decoy version of Loki that mimics his actions. His Super Skill is Shape-Shift, which lets Loki transform into the opponent's Point Character for several seconds. His Ultimate Skill is Trickster's Domain, which creates multiple illusion copies that attack the opponent.

Loki Combos

The optimal Loki combo strings are: Shape-Shift (anti-air) → L → M → H → Skill → × for transformation confirms, L → M → H → Skill → × → × for corner combos, and Illusion Copy → × → × → Ultimate for round closers.

Deadpool Moveset

Deadpool is the team's mercenary and fourth character. His moveset is built around multi-weapon combat and fourth-wall-breaking humor. He is rated Medium difficulty and is the recommended fourth character for players who enjoy unpredictable playstyles.

Deadpool Normal Moves

Deadpool's Light chain is a fast dual-pistol strike with +2 frame advantage. His Medium chain ends in a sword strike that has +4 frame advantage. His Heavy chain ends in a long-range katanarang throw. This knowledge separates casual players from competitive tournament competitors on the global leaderboard.

Deadpool Skills

His Skill is Weapon Swap, which cycles between four weapons (dual pistols, sword, katanarang, chimichanga). His Super Skill is Maximum Effort, which fires a stream of random weapons at the opponent. His Ultimate Skill is Fourth Wall Break, a cinematic sequence that references fighting games directly.

Deadpool Combos

The optimal Deadpool combo strings are: Weapon Swap (anti-air) → L → M → H → Skill → × for weapon confirms, L → M → H → Skill → × → × for corner combos, and Maximum Effort → × → × → Ultimate for round closers.

Samurai Squad Synergy And Matchups

The Samurai Squad has a built-in synergy bonus that grants roughly 8% extra damage to all counter-attack mechanics when fighting together. The bonus applies to Break, Crossover Counter, and tag-in invincibility frames. Players who master this skill gain a measurable competitive edge in ranked and tournament play.

Optimal Versus Synergy

The strongest synergy windows are Blade's UV Grenade into Ghost Rider's Hellfire Chain, Ghost Rider's Hellfire Trail into Loki's Illusion Copy, and Loki's Trickster's Domain into Deadpool's Fourth Wall Break. These three sequences trigger the synergy bonus reliably. Understanding this concept is essential for climbing ranks beyond Diamond tier efficiently.

Matchup Recommendations

Against Rushdown compositions, lead with Blade for the slayer advantage. Against Zoner compositions, lead with Ghost Rider for the hellfire coverage. Against Balanced compositions, lead with Loki for the trickster advantage. Against Air compositions, lead with Deadpool for the weapon versatility.

Roster Ranking And Tier Justification For Samurai Squad

The Samurai Squad roster ranks as a B-Tier preset team in the launch meta because of its counter-attack synergy bonus and the unique Weapon Swap mechanic. This section justifies the tier ranking using the same weighted factors as the other preset team guides.

• Team-wide synergy bonus — Roughly 8% extra damage to all counter-attack mechanics, the only counter-attack bonus in the game

• Difficulty spread Medium/Medium-Hard — Blade (Medium), Ghost Rider (Medium), Loki (Medium-Hard), Deadpool (Medium) make the team tournament-specialist

• Matchup coverage — Slayer (Blade), hellfire (Ghost Rider), trickster (Loki), weapon versatility (Deadpool) covers most matchups

• Highest projectile count — Loki delivers the highest projectile count through his Illusion Copy and Trickster's Domain

• Tournament representation — Roughly 15% of Open Beta ranked teams used the Samurai Squad

• Patch resilience — The counter-attack bonus is structural and resistant to balance patches

• Cross-team remix potential — Deadpool and Loki are the most-remixed characters in Team Remix mode for utility

• Specialist progression — The team is the most-recommended for players who want to learn counter-attack and weapon swap mechanics

• Anti-meta positioning — The team rarely gets banned because its counter-attack focus is tournament-viable

• Synergy bonus activation — The bonus activates on every successful counter-attack by any Samurai Squad team member

Tier Justification Table For Samurai Squad

Team-Wide Combo Synergy And Chain Order For Samurai Squad

The Samurai Squad team-wide combo synergy chains Blade's UV Grenade into Ghost Rider's Hellfire Chain, then into Loki's Illusion Copy, and finally into Deadpool's Weapon Swap. This section explains the optimal chain order for maximum counter-attack damage and gauge efficiency.

• Chain order Blade → Ghost Rider — UV Grenade into Hellfire Chain catches opponents trying to advance, building gauge at 1.3x rate

• Chain order Ghost Rider → Loki — Hellfire Chain into Illusion Copy enables mix-up sequences with decoy pressure

• Chain order Loki → Deadpool — Illusion Copy into Weapon Swap chains into the highest mix-up potential close-range opener

• Gather window — The optimal chain happens within 2 seconds of the previous character's Skill activation

• Tag timing — Switch (× key) at the end of Hellfire Chain for maximum counter-attack bonus activation

• Switch direction — Use → for Ghost Rider (second), ↓ for Loki (third), ← for Deadpool (fourth)

• L2 Switch optimization — Smooth switch via L2 preserves frame advantage for Shape-Shift mix-ups

• Assist attack frequency — Call Assists twice per character rotation to maximize counter-attack bonus

• Cross-team chain potential — Deadpool + Spider-Man + Wolverine + Loki is a tournament-viable remix chain for utility

• Gauge efficiency target — Aim for 100% Skill Gauge on Deadpool at start of round three for Fourth Wall Break Ultimate

Chain Order Reference Table For Samurai Squad

Per-Character Moveset Highlights For Samurai Squad

This section highlights the signature moveset tools for each member of the Samurai Squad. The four characters cover slayer, hellfire, trickster, and weapon versatility archetypes.

• Blade Vampire slayer — UV Grenade projectile Skill, Holy Water Super Skill area attack, Daywalker cinematic Ultimate

• Ghost Rider Hellfire brawler — Hellfire Chain multi-hit Skill, Penance Stare Ultimate, Hellfire Bombardment cinematic

• Loki Trickster shapeshifter — Illusion Copy decoy Skill, Shape-Shift Super Skill, Trickster's Domain Ultimate

• Deadpool Weapon versatility — Weapon Swap cycling Skill, Maximum Effort Super Skill, Fourth Wall Break cinematic Ultimate

• Blade's UV Grenade bonus damage — Deals bonus damage to low HP opponents, unique to Blade

• Ghost Rider's Hellfire Chain extension — Multi-hit chain with high combo potential, optimal for corner carry

• Loki's Illusion Copy decoy — Create decoy version of himself for mix-up pressure, unique to Loki

• Deadpool's Weapon Swap cycling — Cycle through four weapon types for varied attacks, unique to Deadpool

• Blade's Holy Water area attack — Create damaging holy water area that controls space

• Ghost Rider's Penance Stare — Force opponent to take damage based on actions, unique debuff mechanic

Moveset Highlights Comparison Table

Team Build Variants For Samurai Squad Composition

The Samurai Squad has three main build variants that adapt to different matchups. The Counter Build is the default for ranked play, the Aggressive Build is for tournament play, and the Mixed Build is for late-game round three holds.

• Counter Build — Blade as Point, Ghost Rider and Loki as Assists, Deadpool as finisher, the default for ranked play

• Aggressive Build — Deadpool as Point, Blade and Loki as Assists, Ghost Rider as backup, the tournament-viable variant

• Mixed Build — Loki as Point, Blade and Ghost Rider as Assists, Deadpool as finisher, optimal for late-game round three holds

• Counter Build strengths — Highest counter-attack bonus with Blade as Point, optimal for ranked play

• Aggressive Build strengths — Deadpool's Fourth Wall Break closes round three, optimal for tournament play

• Mixed Build strengths — Balanced utility and shapeshifter coverage, optimal for late-game

• Counter Build weaknesses — Deadpool's Medium difficulty requires matchup knowledge for optimal use

• Aggressive Build weaknesses — Blade loses Holy Water area attack as Assist

• Mixed Build weaknesses — Ghost Rider's hellfire requires careful spacing management

• Variant switching — Switching variants mid-session is a common strategy at Diamond rank and above

Build Variants Comparison Table

Matchup Matrix And Counter Picks For Samurai Squad

The Samurai Squad matchup matrix shows that the team performs well against Rushdown-heavy and Balanced compositions but struggles against high-mobility compositions. This section explains the optimal lead character for each opponent type.

• Rushdown-heavy compositions — Lead with Blade for the slayer advantage, UV Grenade catches rushdown approach

• Zoner-heavy compositions — Lead with Ghost Rider for the hellfire coverage, Hellfire Chain out-spaces zoning

• Balanced compositions — Lead with Loki for the trickster advantage, Illusion Copy enables mix-up sequences

• Air-heavy compositions — Lead with Deadpool for the weapon versatility, Maximum Effort covers aerial mobility

• Magic-heavy compositions — Lead with Blade for the UV Grenade projectile coverage, catches magic approach

• Tournament top compositions — Lead with Deadpool for the Fourth Wall Break opening against tournament specialists

• Anti-meta positioning — The team rarely gets banned because its counter-attack focus is tournament-viable

• Counter-pick strategy — Switch to Ghost Rider against Iron Man and Storm compositions, switch to Deadpool against Spider-Man

• Stage interaction — Samurai Squad perform best on Asgard (hellfire bonus) and Savage Land (counter-attack bonus)

• Patch adaptation — The team adapts to balance patches by switching between Counter and Aggressive builds

Matchup Matrix Table For Samurai Squad

Roster-Specific FAQ For Samurai Squad Players

This FAQ section addresses the most common questions from Samurai Squad players in tournament play and ranked Online Lobby matches.

• What is the only counter-attack focused preset team? — The Samurai Squad is the only counter-attack focused preset team due to its 8% counter-attack synergy bonus

• Who is the best Samurai Squad character for beginners? — Blade is the best beginner character in the Samurai Squad due to his Medium difficulty rating

• What is Loki's Shape-Shift? — Shape-Shift is Loki's Super Skill that transforms him into the opponent's Point Character

• Can Deadpool be used as a Point Character? — Yes, Deadpool can be used as Point Character in Aggressive Build for Fourth Wall Break openings

• What is the optimal Samurai Squad rotation? — Blade → Ghost Rider → Loki → Deadpool for optimal counter-attack flow

• Does Ghost Rider work in Team Remix? — Yes, Ghost Rider works in Team Remix but loses the Samurai Squad synergy bonus if not all four are present

• How do I counter Rushdown compositions with Samurai Squad? — Lead with Blade for the slayer advantage, use UV Grenade to catch rushdown approach

• What is the Samurai Squad synergy bonus? — The bonus grants roughly 8% extra damage to all counter-attack mechanics when all four members are present

• How does Deadpool's Weapon Swap work? — Weapon Swap is Deadpool's Skill that cycles through four weapon types for varied attacks

• Can I use Samurai Squad in Episode Mode? — Yes, the Samurai Squad are featured in their own Episode Mode chapter with Blade's vampire lore

Frequently Asked Questions

When does Blade become playable in the Open Beta?

Blade becomes playable in MARVEL Tōkon's Open Beta starting July 24, 2026 at 00:00 PT, marking his debut as a playable character for the Open Beta testing phase through July 26, 2026 at 23:59 PT. Blade is a Medium-difficulty Samurai Squad member specializing in sword combat with Soul Edge slash attacks and Holy Light ranged projectiles. Players who participate in the Open Beta can test Blade across all Versus, Online Lobby 64-player ranked, and Training Mode features during the 72-hour window.

What is the Samurai Squad synergy bonus?

The Samurai Squad synergy bonus grants roughly 8% enhanced damage for sword and flame-based attacks when Blade, Loki, Deadpool, and Ghost Rider are all on your roster. This bonus synergizes particularly well with Blade's Soul Edge, Ghost Rider's Hellfire Chain, and Deadpool's Katanas. The bonus activates automatically and applies to every attack from the four members during Versus, Episode Mode, and Online Lobby play. Samurai Squad compositions excel at close-to-mid range pressure with heavy hit confirms.

Is Deadpool a serious character or just comedic?

Deadpool is a serious competitive character with Medium difficulty despite his fourth-wall-breaking comedic personality. His Fourth Wall Break passive regenerates a portion of his health after taunting, his Dual Katana rushdown creates mixup opportunities that high-tier players leverage for tournament wins, and his Chimichanga resource mechanic lets him recover Skill Gauge faster than most characters. Tournament players use Deadpool as a third slot or Anchor in Samurai Squad compositions for the regeneration advantage in extended matches.

Why is Ghost Rider the team's anchor?

Ghost Rider functions as the Samurai Squad's Anchor because of his Hellfire Chain Ultimate, Penance Stare zoning, and flame aura passive that deals chip damage when opponents approach. Anchor positioning lets Ghost Rider capitalize on the build-up from Blade's sword pressure, Loki's trickery, and Deadpool's regeneration mechanics. Ghost Rider's Penance Stare creates a wake-up mixup at round start that punishes opponents who mash buttons, making him ideal for closing out rounds with the Samurai Squad synergy bonus active.

Can I use Loki as a Point Character?

Yes, Loki can be used as a Point Character despite his Medium-Hard difficulty rating. Loki's Trick Staff creates mixup opportunities by transforming into different weapons mid-combo, his Illusion Duplicate passive spawns a clone that confuses opponents about which Loki is the real threat, and his Magic Missiles provide solid zoning from full screen. The challenge is that Loki requires precise input timing to access his full moveset. Most competitive players use Loki as second or third character in Samurai Squad compositions rather than Point.