Use the counter triangle: Infantry beats Lancer, Lancer beats Marksman, Marksman beats Infantry (the base counter skills each give +10% damage against the type they counter). The common community baseline is 50/20/30 (infantry/lancer/marksman) for attack rallies and balanced armies, but guides themselves say to scout and adjust. The planner's baselines against six garrison types are in the table below.
The counter triangle
Infantry beats Lancer, Lancer beats Marksman, Marksman beats Infantry. The base counter skills (Master Brawler for infantry, Charge for lancers, Ranged Strike for marksmen) each give +10% damage against the type they counter (Tier 1 skill text); the full matchup effect also depends on research and hero skills and is not published. Higher tiers add more:
- T7: Infantry Bands of Steel (+10% Defense against lancers), Lancer Ambusher (20% chance to hit marksmen behind the infantry), Marksman Volley (10% chance to strike twice).
- Fire Crystal levels add the skills in the table below. Values are from the published tables of wostools, wosguru and onechilledgamer.
| FC level | Infantry | Lancer | Marksman |
|---|---|---|---|
| FC3 / FC5 | Crystal Shield: 25% / 37.5% chance to offset 36 damage | Crystal Lance: 10% / 15% chance of double damage | Crystal Gunpowder: 20% / 30% chance of +50% damage |
| FC8 / FC10 | Body of Light: +4% / +6% Defense and 10% / 15% extra damage reduction while Crystal Shield is active | Incandescent Field: 10% / 15% chance to take half damage | Flame Charge: +4% / +6% Attack and +25% / +37.5% extra damage while Crystal Gunpowder is active |
T12 (Exalted) troops exist since April 2026 and sit above T11. The table covers T1 to T11 Fire Crystal troops.
How each troop type fights
- Infantry is the front line: the highest Health and Defense.
- Lancers sit behind the infantry; with the T7 Ambusher skill they can hit marksmen behind the front line.
- Marksmen are the back line: the highest Attack, fragile Health.
Common ratios (community starting points)
| Split (Inf/Lan/Mm) | Used for |
|---|---|
| 50/20/30 | Default attack rally and balanced army |
| 40/10/50, 30/10/60 | High-damage attack ratios named by Topuplive (June 2026) |
| 60/20/20, 60/40/0, 70/30/0 | Castle garrison and defense (disputed) |
| 10/10/80 | Bear Trap rally leader |
Most of these were written for T9/T10 troops and none of the written guides we read cites battle reports. Guides themselves say to scout the enemy, read battle reports and adjust, and not to copy one fixed ratio everywhere.
Send your strongest troops first
Guides say troop quality beats troop count: send your strongest troops first, meaning the highest tier and Fire Crystal level together (WoSTools says T10 FC8 is about equal to T11 FC5; T12 Exalted sits above T11). No source compares the effect of tier with the effect of ratio, so we do not rank them. We do not publish a win rate per tier gap because no reliable source gives one.
Planner baselines by garrison type
Best attack split against each garrison type for every generation. Model result for equal gear and T11 troops without Fire Crystal. The planner often keeps only a token lancer share against infantry-heavy and balanced garrisons and adds about 44% lancers against marksman walls. Click a generation for leaders and joiners. Rows with 0% of a troop type: some Bear Trap and Labyrinth guides keep 3-5% of every type so that every hero's skills trigger; no castle source confirms this, so check it on your own battle report.
| Gen | Infantry wall 70/10/20 | Infantry-heavy 55/15/30 | Balanced 50/5/45 | Lancer-heavy 20/55/25 | Marksman wall 20/10/70 | No marksmen 60/40/0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 38/2/60 | 45/2/52 | 45/4/51 | 69/2/29 | 52/44/4 | 50/0/50 |
| 2 | 38/2/60 | 45/2/52 | 45/4/51 | 73/2/25 | 56/44/0 | 50/0/50 |
| 3 | 38/2/60 | 45/2/52 | 45/4/51 | 73/6/21 | 56/44/0 | 50/0/50 |
| 4 | 38/2/60 | 45/2/52 | 45/4/51 | 73/2/25 | 56/44/0 | 54/0/46 |
| 5 | 38/2/60 | 45/2/52 | 45/4/51 | 73/2/25 | 56/44/0 | 50/0/50 |
| 6 | 38/2/60 | 45/2/52 | 45/12/43 | 69/10/21 | 56/44/0 | 54/0/46 |
| 7 | 38/2/60 | 45/2/52 | 45/12/43 | 69/10/21 | 56/44/0 | 50/0/50 |
| 8 | 38/2/60 | 49/2/49 | 45/12/43 | 69/10/21 | 56/44/0 | 50/0/50 |
| 9 | 38/2/60 | 45/2/52 | 45/0/55 | 69/2/29 | 56/44/0 | 50/0/50 |
| 10 | 38/2/60 | 45/2/52 | 45/0/55 | 69/2/29 | 56/44/0 | 50/0/50 |
| 11 | 38/2/60 | 45/2/52 | 45/0/55 | 69/2/29 | 48/44/8 | 50/0/50 |
| 12 | 38/2/60 | 45/2/52 | 45/4/51 | 69/2/29 | 56/44/0 | 50/0/50 |
| 13 | 38/2/60 | 45/2/52 | 45/4/51 | 69/2/29 | 52/44/4 | 50/0/50 |
| 14 | 38/10/52 | 45/10/45 | 45/12/43 | 69/10/21 | 52/44/4 | 50/0/50 |
| 15 | 38/10/52 | 45/10/45 | 45/12/43 | 69/2/29 | 52/44/4 | 50/0/50 |
| 16 | 38/10/52 | 45/10/45 | 45/12/43 | 69/2/29 | 52/44/4 | 50/0/50 |
Common mistakes
- Not scouting the enemy and ignoring counters.
- Using 33/33/33 everywhere.
- Copying an aggressive formation without enough frontline strength.
- Using event formations (for example the Bear Trap 10/10/80) for normal PvP.
- Ignoring battle reports.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best troop ratio in Whiteout Survival?
There is no single best ratio. The community baseline is 50/20/30 (infantry/lancer/marksman) for attack rallies, but the right split depends on the enemy's troops, your heroes and your troop tier. Use the counter triangle and the planner baselines on this page.
How strong is the counter triangle?
The base counter skills each give +10% damage against the type they counter (Infantry to Lancer, Lancer to Marksman, Marksman to Infantry); this is the Tier 1 skill text, and the full effect also depends on research and hero skills. Higher tiers add skills such as Bands of Steel, Ambusher and Volley.
Should I send my highest-tier troops first?
Guides say troop quality beats troop count, so send your strongest troops first: highest tier and Fire Crystal level together (WoSTools says T10 FC8 is about equal to T11 FC5). No source compares the effect of tier with the effect of ratio.
Which ratio should I use against a marksman wall?
Planner model result: add lancers, because Lancer beats Marksman. The planner picks about 44% lancers, 48-56% infantry and 0-8% marksmen (56/44/0 at Gen 3-9, close to 60/40/0). These are baselines for equal gear, not proven optima.
Related guides
Attack each garrison · Joiners guide · Bear Trap formations · 60/40/0 formation · Garrison defense · Sunfire Castle · Method and how to cite · Rally planner
Computed by the WOS Formations planner (a model): full hero roster of the generation, equal gear, T11 troops without Fire Crystal. Baseline answers, not guarantees. Last updated 2026-10-05. Cite as WOS Formations, https://wosformations.com.