Lost Sword – Resonance Cards Tier List Guide (February 2025)

Hey guys! A lot of you have been asking me to make a card tier list, but I didn’t want to just throw something together without actually testing the cards myself. As you can guess, that took way too long and way too much money… So please, if this guide helps you, share it with your friends—at least let my suffering be worth it!

How Resonance Cards Work in Lost Swords

Lost Swords has a unique system where pulling a character dupe gives you two choices:

Transcend the unit – Increases their base stats.
Obtain their Card – Grants stat boosts and can be equipped to any character.

For most units, Transcendence (T1 to T3) doesn’t provide a massive power spike compared to their card, so it’s generally safer to grab their card first. However, not all cards are worth it—some are completely useless, and you’re better off transcending the unit instead.

That’s why I made this tier list—to help you decide which cards are worth investing in, leveling up, and using, and which ones you should skip entirely unless you have a specific strategy in mind.

Tier List Explanation

Disclaimer: With Galahad’s introduction, the meta has shifted significantly, and just like the [character tier list] has changed, the Resonance Cards tier list has also been adjusted.
The new Galahad + Healer team comp allows you to gain 5 seconds of invincibility when she casts her ultimate, making survival nearly effortless. Since you only need a healer to sustain her, survivability-focused cards have dropped slightly in value, while damage-boosting cards have become more relevant.
However, some cards have risen in value—Lifelong Contract, for example, is now a top-tier pick when used in a Morgause carry team. Giving this card to Galahad allows Morgause to stack her passive and increase her damage whenever Galahad gets hit or any Tank used on, even in fights where enemies don’t target the backline.
Meanwhile, Crit Rate and Crit Damage cards have seen a decline in effectiveness. Due to the 100% critical hit resistance on alot of end game bosses and the fact that late Stage 30+ bosses are now designed with this resistance in mind, Crit/Crit-focused options aren’t as strong as before so you'll be better using other cards on your carries instead.
~~As a result, the value of Release cards that increase crit rate and crit dammage like Vivian's and merlin's cards that enhance crit has been slightly reduced compared to other alternatives~~. (Update: The devs have confirmed they will no longer add 100% crit-immune enemies, as many players found this type of debuff tedious and unfun. As a result, Crit-based cards like Vivian's and Merlin's will be restored to their previous tiers.)
Lisa’s new resonance card, Smile in the Dark, is a major addition to her kit, significantly boosting her damage output by increasing her AoE range and providing a substantial 60% ranged attack power boost. It also grants a 10% increase in ranged critical hit rate and allows her basic attacks to hit three additional targets.
However, this card is highly specialized for Lisa, and its value drops significantly when used on other archers. Compared to Enya’s card, it becomes a worse option and even applies an unwanted debuff that reduces healing received by 35%. Because of this drawback, Smile in the Dark will be ranked lower for now, as its full potential is only realized when equipped on Lisa.{alertWarning}

This guide won’t be as long as my others (my neck still hurts from all the testing), so I won’t break down every single card in detail. But here’s how the tiers work:

S Tier – Insanely strong cards that you should max out.

The only exception and surprising one here is Circe's and Lilith's cards, which I’d rate S+—they’re absolutely broken.

Their characters might not be great, but their cards? Insane.

The rest of the S-tier cards are still top-tier, though some are more situational. In certain niche scenarios, they can even outperform Circe’s and Lilith’s cards. However, You’ll end up using these everywhere and on almost every character you own because they're really that strong. So just go ahead and invest in them without hesitation.

A+ Tier – Really strong cards, just slightly behind S-tier. Still miles better than B-tier and well worth investing in.

A- Tier – Versatile and game-changing, but not the strongest.

This category is a bit tricky. In raw stats and direct strength, these cards don’t stand out compared to S-tier, A+, or even some B-tier cards. However, their flexibility makes them essential in team building. If you don’t use them, your team compositions may suffer, and they can significantly improve your overall performance.

Calling them "A-" feels unfair because they can perform at an S-tier level in the right situation but also drop to B-tier if misused. Their strength depends entirely on how and where you use them.

B Tier – The “copium” tier. These are solid A-tier backups if you don’t have anything better.

With the right setup, and strategy in mind some can even perform at an A-tier level, so they’re still worth leveling. However, they generally fall short of the consistency and raw power of higher-tier cards.

C Tier – Average cards. Decent if you have nothing else, but nothing special.

D Tier – A weird tier. Some of these cards have unique, future-proof abilities, but they’re not viable right now.

Slightly better than E-tier, but not quite strong enough to be in C-tier at the moment.

E Tier – She's Just too pretty to be F tier.

F Tier – Trash. Don't bother. Waste of time and resources.

Without further ado, here’s the Lost Swords Card Tier List!

Lost Swords Card Tier List – Best Cards to Upgrade