AFK Arena Team Building Guide

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AFK-Arena-Team-Building-Guide

AFK Arena: Team Building

Assemble the crew

Hero Types and Equipment

A good team complements each other to kill the enemy. Usually, a team consists of a tank, carry, and support heroes. Heroes can play multiple roles but they tend to favor a particular role.

Tank: Absorb most of the damage and protect the team

Carry: Damage dealer

Support: Aids to crowd control the enemy, protect/heal the team, or add additional damage

Each hero is based on an attribute of str, agi, or int. The attribute primarily affects the type of gear they can wear which provide stats not obtained from leveling like accuracy, crit, dodge, physical resist (PR), magical resist (MR), and movement speed (MSPD). 

RoleTypeHeroAbilitiesComments
TankStrLuciusReduce damage by 75%Heals party and raises defShields entire partyKnockback skillAble to tank physical damage well due to gear and skill that mitigates damage further. Can heal and protect the entire team.
AgiKazAdditional dodge and recover energy if dodgesIncreases dodge when striking enemyAutomatic dodge every couple of secondsAttacks lowest hp targetSignature item increases dodge further and allows dodging magic attacksIf wearing high dodge gear, can avoid all damage that could potentially kill other tanks such as high level Saveas attacks or Athalia strikes. Her sig allows increased dodging of magic attacks too.
IntShemiraAoE attack that heals herselfLife leech attack abilitySilences enemyDeals more damage with high hpIf overleveled or against mages, can tank due to magic resist and life leeching abilities to heal back
CarryStrGwynethNormal attacks can affect multiple enemies, stun target, causing burning, and/or reduce health recoveryRaise accuracy and critAoE attack on enemy side of fieldSig boosts attack ratingSkills focus on damage and even normal attacks can harm multiple enemies.
AgiFeraelSkills or crit attacks (due to signature item) cause evil spirits to haunt enemiesEvil spirits reduce enemy attack rate and health recovery, interrupt attacks, damage target, and/or reduce energyCan stun enemiesSpirits perform a lot of crowd control and damage effects.
IntSafiyaCreates a field that boosts attack and slows enemies on your side of the battleFire projectiles that stunPuts shield on forward hero which causes damagePowerful AoE ultStrong ultimate and boosts attack for heroes on your side of the field
SupportStrEstrildaCharges into enemies and knocks them overSwipes at enemies to reduce their damage and knock them backRaises attack and energy of alliesIncreases attack and speed if she kills an enemy with ultCrowd control abilities and boosts allies attack and energy
AgiLycaIncreases hasteLowers enemy defKnocks enemies backSig boosts attack and accuracyAllows allies a quick start, lowers def, and boost attack
IntRowanPotions immediately restore hp and/or energyIf damage greater than 10%, shifted to energy instead (cannot be one shotted)Decreases enemy accuracy and steals their energyUltimate restores energy to all nearby allies and stuns nearby enemiesHealing, energy gain, and stunning

There are many other heroes who can fulfill each role. The role may change based upon enemy composition too as some stages may allow heroes like Lyca or Estrilda to tank in front.

Factional M (T1) 5* gear as a reference
TypeStatWeaponHelmetChestBootTotalComments
StrHp
6570068400133200267300High hp, physical resist, and defense
Atk37802700

6480
Def270010802880
6660
Accuracy270

144414
Crit
9

9
Dodge
90

90
PR23.4
18950.4
MSPD


14.414.4
AgiHp
396006480090000194400High attack, accuracy, and dodge
Atk48604500
216011520
Def18005402790
5130
Accuracy396108

504
Crit

187.225.2
Dodge180
104270554
IntHp
5040054000115200219600High attack, crit, and magic resist
Atk6300360090090011700
Def
7202700
3420
Crit43.29

52.2
Dodge90

288378
MR23.4
18
41.4
MSPD


19.819.8

Team Compositions

While individual heroes might be particularly good in a certain role, the most important part of team building is how the heroes interact with each other to strengthen the team. 

Factions

An immediate effect on the team is the hero’s faction, which determines their strengths and weaknesses against other factions. 

Faction
Lightbringer
Mauler
Wilder
Graveborn
Celestial
Hypogean
DimensionalNo strength or weakness

The arrows point to the faction that they are strong against. If using lightbringer heroes, they are weak against graveborn but strong against maulers. Celestial and hypogean are strong and weak against each other (each deal 25% more damage against the other). 

The faction also plays a role in the team bonuses which occur when a certain number of heroes of a particular faction are in the team.

BonusExample
3 wilders
3 wilders and 2 maulers
4 wilders
5 wilders
2 celestials and 3 wilders: atk + 25% and hp + 25%
1 hypogean, 1 celestial, and 3 wilders: atk + 15%, hp + 20%, def + 30%

Teams

After considering the hero types and factions, a team can be built together. The below table contains examples of team compositions with primarily legendary tier to explain the strengths and weaknesses. Until legendary tier heroes reach their maximum level of 160, they are as good as ascendent tier heroes. Since they are also more common, legendary heroes can be easier to ascend to legendary+ and help out more in the early game.

TeamCharacteristicsStrengthWeakness
Shields: Mirael and Silvina can create shields for protectionDPS: Silvina targeting low def mages or heroes, Mirael and Arden have ults that hit everyoneTanking: Hogan and Ogi for physical resistCrowd control: Arden rooting, Ogi stunning and decreasing haste, Hogan stun and dazeTwo physical resist tanks in frontSilvina can target high threat mages like Arden, Isabelle, etcSeveral crowd control abilitiesNo faction bonusTanks may not hold out against magesNo healing
Healing: Niru converts damage to healthDPS: Saveas, Silvina, Brutus, AnkhiraTanking: Brutus (physical resist), Niru (magical resist), Crowd control: Ankhira immobilizes and decreases haste, Silvina stunsSeveral heroes who can deal damageNiru can snowball if allies and enemies die since he gets stronger with each deathSilvina targets magesAnkhira immobilization makes the fight 5v4 3 faction bonusHealing is dependent on Niru doing damageNo AOE attacks so need to target enemies individually
Healing: NoneDPS: Ira and Arden have AOE ults, Morvus with high damage single target ultTanking: Hogan and Ogi (physical resist)Crowd control: Ira reduces attack speed and health regen, Arden rooting, Ogi stunning and decreasing of haste, Hogan stun and daze, Morvus reduce haste and stunningA lot of crowd controlSeveral AOE attacks3 faction bonusNo healing or shielding
Healing: Lucius to party and Saveas to himselfShielding: Mirael, Arden, and LuciusDPS: Mirael and Arden have AOE ults, Saveas with physical damageTanking: Hogan and Lucius resist physical damage. Lucius has a damage mitigation skill.Crowd control: Arden can root several heroes, Hogan can daze/stunGood amount of healing and shieldingAOE attacks to damage everyone with Saveas to pick heroes off3 faction bonusMay have a tough time against Silvina (would target Arden or Mirael)Crowd control is focused on top

Tackling the Enemy

Beyond building a team with good synergy, the formation and positioning of the heroes matter as you need to counter the enemy formation and heroes. The enemy party has their own synergy that you would want to disrupt. 

When starting a stage, it’s helpful to see the kind of enemy heroes on the battlefield to start formulating a game plan. Typically, putting in your strongest five heroes or your favorite line-up and seeing what happens for the first few runs helps to get a sense of what is happening. Watching the replay can be useful too.

Quick Tips

  • Tanks should be placed on side with most damage dealers (placement may change after crowd control like Tasi banish or Fawkes coffin removes biggest threat at the start of battle)
  • Use carry or crowd control to address biggest threat first
  • Certain heroes are also better at countering other heroes such as Fawkes for removing Brutus’ invulnerability or Nara’s ultimate which bypasses the invulnerability. 
  • Learning the abilities of each hero (especially your team and the enemy) helps a lot

The movement speed (mspd) stat allows your heroes to move and use abilities quicker. With faster speed, your heroes could crowd control, heal, or attack before the enemy team.

Methods to improve mspd:

  • Boots (str or int heroes)
  • Some signature items at +5, +15, +25, or +35 (e.g. Lucius, Nemora, Nara)
  • Hero skills (e.g. Lyca’s Awe, Elijah & Lailah’s ult)
  • Dura’s call (from Peaks of Time)
  • Dura’s Sustenance and Dura’s Fortitude (Elder Tree)

General Obstacles

This section analyzes some of the most common obstacles and counters. All of the explanations for uses and counters are only a subset of what is possible. Due to the numerous heroes, there are certainly many more possibilities available so it’s highly encouraged to use this section as a reference and to experiment on your own. 

TypeUsageCounter
Agi TanksSince agility tanks rely on dodging, they are best used against slow attacking heroes like Golus. On the other hand, Athalia can be tougher to dodge due to her fast attack speed and high accuracy as an agi hero.High accuracy (agi heroes, Gwyneth, Lyca’s sig)MagesCrowd controlBrutus roar (makes attacks undodgeable)Undodgeable attacks (Morvus’ ult, etc)
Back row targetsUsually high damage dealers and crowd control units are protected in the back rowHeroes that can directly attack the back (Nara, Athalia, Ira, Saveas, Gwyneth, Khasos’ boomerang, Silvina, etc)Crowd control abilities (Ogi smash, Gorvo divebomb, Shemira silence, Silvina First Blood, etc) Kelthur (swaps positions with hero)Eironn (vortex pulls them over)
BuffsImproves your team to kill faster or last longerFawkes’ ult can remove enemy buffsLucius (+30 sig allows buff removal)
Crowd ControlPrevent enemies from doing anythingFawkes and Elijah & Lailah both have ults that remove the effectsKill or crowd control them first (mspd helps)Arthur (+30 sig prevents crowd control)Skreg (ult prevents crowd control)Warek (extricate blocks it)Elijah & Lailah (cleanse removes it)
Debuffs Weakening the enemy with debuffs to lower their attack, accuracy, haste, etc helps to reduce the threat. Fawkes (ult removes it)Elijah & Lailah (ult removes it)
High Burst DamageDealing lots of high burst damage can kill off an enemy before they can heal or shield themselves (Athalia’s first strike, Saveas, etc)High damage reduction skills (Arthur against enemies facing him, Lucius’ shield, etc)Resurrecting or Invulnerability (Brutus, Thoran, Talene)Immediate healing (Rowan’s potions, Lucius’ healing, Talene’s healing)
Initial AbilitiesSome heroes always cast a particular skill at the start of battle (Eironn’s vortex, Safiya’s field, Athalia’s judgement, Nara’s impale, etc). They allow you to immediately crowd control or change the flow of battle.Formation: Position heroes to minimize damage (move carries away or place a tank to withstand the ability)Counter the skill: Use a hero that also uses an initial skill to block it (Nara against Safiya… may depend on mspd)
InvulnerabilityAllows hero to tank infinite damageFawkes’ ult removes invulnerabilityNara’s ult bypasses itZolrath (+30 sig allows damage to bypass it)
EnergyHeroes accumulate energy when receiving damage, dealing damage, killing enemies, or using certain skills (e.g. Rowan’s and Rosa’s ult, Estrilda’s inspire, Lyca’s Awe, Ezizh’s mental fury). After reaching 1000 points, they may use their ultimate ability.Skills that stop or drain energy: Orthos’ Inertia, Athalia’s Judgement, Mehira’s Mesmerize, Nara’s Terrify, Ferael’s evil spirits, Lucius’ sigReduce their haste or stop them (e.g. Wu Kong’s Falling Fury, Tasi’s Slumber, Khazard has multiple skills)
UltimatesUltimate abilities are usually the strongest abilities which can cause a lot of healing, damage, or other effectsEzizh (prevents casting)Shemira (silence)Nemora (charm interrupts it)Grezhul, Baden, Numisu (minions and totems can cause some ultimate attacks to be redirected such as Belinda’s or Safiya’s ults)

Hero Skills

The biggest way to control the flow of battle is through crowd control, which makes the movement speed (mspd) stat very important. Your team should be the first one causing disruptive skills to prevent the enemy from being effective.

HeroSkill and UsageCounter
ArdenEntangling Root: Prevents up to 3 enemies from acting (ideally on high dps or crowd control heroes)Prevent castingNemora (charm Arden before he can root)Nara (impales and traps him)Athalia (first strike and attacks him)Gwyneth (stunning from arrows)Ogi (smash disrupts it)
AthaliaJudgement: Locks opposing hero in place and strikes them (useful on Safiya’s field, high threat targets like Ferael, etc)Heroes who can survive or avoid Agi Heroes (Lyca, Fawkes, Ferael, etc with faction gear to dodge the strike)Tanks (Brutus, Lucius, etc… takes the hit and survive)Warek will use Extricate to shield himselfRosa (moves away to follow another hero)Rowan (Damage control shifts damage to his energy)Tasi (Teleports away after being struck)Silvina (teleports away before strike to attack mage or low def characters)
BrutusLast Gasp: Invulnerability allows him to tank high burst damage that would kill most tanksSkills that remove or bypass invulnerability Nara (ult goes through invulnerability)Lucius (+30 sig allows him to remove buffs)Fawkes (ult removes invulnerability)
DelayingHealing and shieldDistractions (Grezhul’s minions, Numisu’s totems, Baden’s clones)
FawkesConfine: Puts hero with highest attack in a coffin, which removes the biggest threat and makes the battle 5v4Crowd control or decoy heroNara (impale stops Fawkes if Nara has enough mspd by pairing with Lyca)Ezizh (mind control Fawkes… may need mspd like Nara)Boost attack of another character (If Belinda is the carry, try adding Dura’s Blade to Fawkes or some other character with high attack)
FeraelEvil spirits: reduce enemy attack rate and health recovery, interrupt attacks, damage target, and/or reduce energy
Constant crowd control to the entire enemy team
Crowd control or cleansing skillsAthalia (locks him up for a bit)Nara (impales and crowd control)Nemora (charm)Arden (root)Fawkes (ult removes spirits)Elijah and Lailah (ult removes spirits)
NemoraBeguile: Charms a unit to fight for you. Useful on crowd control units like Nemora or Ferael as they can then crowd control their own team. Also, can make high dps targets like Saveas or Isabelle help with attacking.Athalia (locks him up for a bit)Nara (impales and crowd control)Nemora (charm)Arden (root)Ogi (smash)
NiruSoul Reaper: Permanent atk and def boost from dead enemies or allies. If last one alive, can be very strong.Kill him quickly or crowd controlPut carry opposite of Niru so he is targeted firstPull Niru to a more dangerous area (Eironn, Nara, Athalia, etc)Enough team synergy and damage to overcome his boost in powerShemira (silence interrupts and stops his ult)
OgiGround Fissure: Slams ground and stuns nearby enemies including backrow. Can be useful to disrupt Nemora, Arden, etc.Crowd control, position carries on opposite side (top or bottom), or push him backHendrik (pushes back)Estrilda (knock back)Gorvo (dive bomb)
SaveasBurning Acrimony: Haste and causes high physical damage. Fast attack speed and damage to enemies.Heroes who can survive a high amount of damage or prevent him from attackingAgi Heroes (Lyca, Fawkes, Ferael, etc with faction gear to dodge the repeated attacks)Tanks (Brutus, Thoran, Lucius, Arthur, etc… Brutus and Thoran work well due to invulnerability and resurrection… Lucius and Arthur have high damage mitigation)Crowd control (Nara and Athalia can trap him for a few hits… nemora charm, arden, root, Gwyneth stun)
SilvinaFirst Blood: Strikes mage with lowest def or hero with lowest def (if no mages). Great for reaching back row to disrupt high threat mages like Isabelle, Belinda, etc.Heroes who can survive or avoidNara (impale pulls Silvina off the mages)Lower def mage (baits silvina to a less important hero… tasi can blink away, Rowan has a damage control skill)Eironn (if mage in front row, suction pulls Silvina away)Hendrik (shields backrow targets when at low health)Estrilda (if Silvina is in front, Estrilda can perform knockback to negate blink’s damage)
SafiyaSpectral Disruption: Boosts damage by 24% and reduces enemy attacks within the field. Entire team has damage boost and slows down enemies that move to your side (Athalia, Thane, Antandra, etc) or get pulled over (Eironn vortex, Nara impale, etc)Disrupt casting or move enemies outside of the fieldAthalia (locks Safiya in place and prevents casting)Nara (pulls safiya way to prevent cast)Eironn (pull enemies out of the field)Nemora (easy to charm due to long ult animation. Can cause high damage and stun to own team)
SkregBrute Force: Knocks up hero. Prevents front row from doing anything and helps builds up Skreg’s energy so he can ult and be immune from crowd control.Tank or cleansingTanks (Brutus invulnerability, Thoran resurrection, Talene resurrection, Arthur, Lucius, Hendrick… dodge tanks–Kaz, Lyca, Fawkes, etc–are good so Skreg doesn’t gain energy from the attack and can crowd control him before he gets immunity from ult)Elijah & Lailah: Cleanse removes brute force if Skreg tries to use it on themArthur (+30 sig prevents crowd control)
TasiBanishment: Banishes most powerful enemy target to eliminate biggest threat and make the battle 5v4Crowd control or boost attack of alternate characterNara (impale stops Tasi early on)Fawkes (Ultimate removes banishment, he may coffin Tasi if she has highest attack)Elijah & Lailah (Ultimate removes banishment)Tasi (Banish her if she has highest attack)Boost attack of another character (If Belinda is the carry, try adding Dura’s Blade to Fawkes or some other character with high attack)Ezizh (mind control if on opposite side; needs mspd)Seirus (knock up disrupts banishment, needs mspd)Ogi (smash disrupts it)
Slumber: Puts enemies to sleep so your team can run wild for a couple of seconds (damage, heal, etc)Crowd control or prevent ultNara (impale stops Tasi early on)Ferael (evil spirits lowers Tasi’s energy)Any stun, rooting, or immobility ability
UlmusWrithing Roots: Entangles enemies so they can’t attack.Quick disruptionEstrilda (knock back could prevent it. Ulmus also doesn’t deal much damage until he ults)Gorvo (divebomb)
WarekExtricate: Removes negative crowd control and creates a shield. Allows him to bypass crowd control like Skreg’s knock up, Nara’s impale, etcKill him without crowd control or remove shieldFocus dps on him (Belinda/Safiya/Shemira ults, etc)Thoran (with sig he is invulnerable during ult so he can absorb a lot of Warek’s damage and retaliate to kill him off)Fawkes (ult removes buffs)Lucius (+30 sig can remove buffs)

Eironn’s Vortex: Pulling it together

Assembling a great team requires team synergy and understanding the enemy. Realizing the type of interactions they have with each other allows you to use the appropriate skills to disrupt the enemy and win. 

Using these concepts, let’s try to tackle a stage.

Step by Step

  1. Building the team – When selecting a team, you are limited by what you summoned but try to create one that is well rounded. The team should be your reference point when attempting a stage.
    1. Who is the carry?
    2. Who can tank the frontline?
    3. Are there any supporting units (crowd control, healing, buff/debuff) heroes that may help the tank or carry?
    4. Does this have a faction bonus? (Not always necessary but it helps)
  1. Scout the enemy – observe the enemies you are facing.
    1. Who are the main damage dealers?
    2. Are there crowd control units?
    3. What faction?
    4. Do I need certain heroes to counter them?
  1. Battle – Give it a try! No harming in attempting several times to see what happens and observe the type of skills the enemies throw at you.
  2. Observe and analyze – Analyze what happens in the battle and figure out why you might be winning or losing. You can watch the replay.

Check out the battle recap for some additional information. The columns correspond to damage dealt, amount healed, and damage received. 

  1. High threat targets
    1. Isabelle and Silvina did the most damage
    2. Niru becomes more powerful as heroes die and he healed a lot
  2. Crowd control
    1. Silvina targeted Arden and blocked rooting
  3. Tanking
    1. Golus and Brutus are quite sturdy
    2. Brutus has invulnerability
  4. Reaction: How can things be changed for a more favorable outcome?
    1. Retry: Every battle has some randomness in it due to dodge, crit, etc. Consequently, try the battle a few times to see if things go your way with some more favorable crowd control, dodges, etc. On more difficult stages, it may take 20-30+ tries. Some of those should hopefully be a close attempt though.
    2. Formation: Adjusting your positioning allows heroes to attack, tank, or crowd control different enemies.

      If Saveas was moved to the top, he would most likely attack Niru last who would become more powerful as heroes die. We could potentially try swapping Hendrick with Lucius to see if that helps out more in tanking. Perhaps, putting Arden at the top would help too as Silvina would work her way downward towards the tanks first before going to Saveas.
    3. Change units: Sometimes, a stage is much easier with a different set of heroes as they may have better faction advantages or skills to deal with the opposition. Try replacing a couple of heroes to see if that helps or even the entire team if nothing else works.

Since isabelle is a high dps hero with two strong tanks in front, Saveas cannot reach her easily. Nara could be used at the middle back position to try crowd controlling her. Nara could also be used to pull Silvina off of Arden. Maybe, Mirael in the middle could damage everyone with her ult.

  1. Change gear: Gear may need to be swapped around to give more protection to a particular hero or boost damage. If Dura’s artifacts are available, try moving them around too. If Shemira dies before using her ultimate, Dura’s call could help her generate energy faster. 
  2. Power Up: If the power gap is too big, the team may need to level up or ascend to a higher tier. In this case, collect afk rewards, battle in the lab, climb the tower stages, or some other activity before attempting again in the future.
  3. Mercenaries: Borrowing a stronger hero or one that you may not have could help to counter the enemies in the current stage. When borrowing, politely ask if they can put a Dura’s artifact on the hero before sending it to you and equip your strongest 5 heroes with your best equipment until you receive the mercenary. This allows the borrowed mercenary to have an artifact and the strongest gear possible. As a note, mercenaries can only use gear with no faction.
  4. Victory: Pat yourself on the back! Job well done! Remember what you did and apply the lessons for future battles. 

Replays

StageFormationKey Points
8-40Faction boost (4 lightbringers)Silvina targets Rosa but she runs away to bottom (Silvina targets nearby enemies instead)Saveas focuses on bottom to kill Niru earlyRosa, Saveas, and Lucius have enough healing and shielding to sustain themselves even though Brutus has invulnerabilityRosa boosted Saveas’ attackFawkes wasn’t able to coffin so he could have been replaced with a different lightbringer for tanking Silvina
Brutal Citadel 200Warek blocks Athalia’s first strike with his shieldAntandra dodges, heals, and fights back against NaraThe melee heroes brawl along the bottom with Safiya doing damage and stunning from the corner
Forsaken Necropolis 210Thoran is very tanky and can deal with NaraThoran’s taint and Nara impale quickly removes Shemira as a DPS threatFerael’s spirits prevent Mehira and Shemira from using ults too quicklyIsabelle is left alone to safely deal lots of damage
27-52Brutus tanks against the melee heavy top side due to his invulnerabilityRowan dodges at the start of the battle and uses damage control against SkregBelinda and Rosa deal ranged damage against SkregRosa helps Belinda ult two times, which kills three characters at once.Fawkes removes Brutus’ invulnerability
29-44Arthur’s Shield of Honor allows him to tank Saveas and BrutusArthur’s sig boosts Gwyneth and Ferael to attack fasterGwyneth’s attacks can stun and damage all three backrow targetsRowan tanks in front due to his damage control skill and enables his ultimate to stun the enemy back row. Lucius comes forward to aid with with tanking.Lucius shielding prevents Khasos from killing GwynethFerael’s ult positions him next to Gwyneth, triggering her signature item for more attack damageLightbringer has faction advantage against mauler
Brutal Citadel 210Safiya’s field slows down ThaneLots of tanking: Warek, Brutus, and Skreg have physical resist. Skreg takes 60% less damage from melee. Brutus has invulnerability.Numisu’s totem heals everyoneSafiya can safely attack and cast ult from the corner
King’s Tower 345Mehira and Ezizh provide the team with a two Hypogean faction boost (Energy recovered when injured +25%)Ezizh has an energy generation skill (applies even if he dies)Lyca hastes the entire party.Lorsan links up two enemies to receive more  damage and also boosts ultimate damageThoran’s sig allows him to absorb unlimited damage during his ult and reflect it upon the enemy. All enemies focus on Thoran since Lyca is banished and everyone else is dead.
29-20Rowan dodges Estrilda and survives the first few hitsElijah & Lailah link up the front two, enabling them to receive less damage and deal more damageRowan is able to stun everyone on the bottom with his ultKhazard provides a lot of crowd control and damageElijah & Lailah’s ult speeds everyone up, allowing a lot more damage, crowd control, and healing
29-46Eironn pulls 4 enemies since Niru moves forwardEironn’s skills and sig enables him to slow and freeze enemies Safiya’s field slows all enemies pulled by EironnTasi banishes IsabelleWilder has faction advantage against gravebornLuck was required at the end!

Guide written by Aesyr (ID: 32314533, Discord Tag: Aesyr#6450)

Special thanks to all of the community supporters for their incredible insights