**WORK IN PROGRESS** - this is my first guide ever, I will try to update this the best I can.

Take Dash.

Dash is especially good against the 1st boss Referees during faceoffs. Activate Dash once the puck is dropped to intercept or steal the puck. Also, check often after puckdrop when Dash is active since you will have a speed advantage. Dash is by far the most consistent Skill and easiest to use, you cannot go wrong with Dash.

I would advise against buying Skills and new Superstars from the Blademaster shop early on. The more Skills/Superstars you buy the less chance you will get the Skill/Superstar you want at the start of a run. Initially you should save up your Rubbers to build up Angus McShaggy, making him a bit more adequate. Ideally, I would upgrade Angus' stats to lvl6 in all categories. After that I would stop because the conversion rate becomes 45 Rubbers for 1 stat point.

STATS / ATTRIBUTES
Speed - Objectively, speed is the most important stat. You cannot play defense if you are too slow. High speed will allow you to make up for other deficiencies and its helpful in all aspects of offense and defense. I will say sometimes you can be too fast when you get over 100 Speed+Skills or Talents there have been instances where players are flying past rebounds or losing an angle or slamming into the opposing goalie due to the insane speed.

Accuracy - In my opinion, good to great accuracy paired with good speed is the most optimal way to score goals. That said just because you have high accuracy doesn't mean you should be taking a ton of slapshots from the blue line. Almost always go to the net then decide whether you should shoot or pass for a better angle. Increasing Accuracy is never a bad thing.

Checking - Aside from Speed this is the other defensive stat but to be honest its very useful offensively too especially at clearing the front of the net at both ends. I value this stat higher for defensemen and offensive players that goto the front of the net instead of sniping or handling the puck. Checking and Speed are the most fun stats in my opinion.

Shot Power - Subjective opinion but I believe this stat to be the least important. You don't necessarily want to have low shot power but in most instances you can get away with it. If you like to shoot from the blue line or take a lot of slapshots you will need shot power. Most characters have sufficient shot power however there are fun shot power specific builds you can go. I wouldn't go out of my way to increase Shot Power regularly though. If you do build Shot Power I'd suggest you also build up your Accuracy otherwise your shots will entirely miss the net and fly into the crowd.

For starters take Rory McShaggy.

Rory has balanced stats, he can play both offense and defense well. His special skill Tomawhawk (throwing his stick to knock down player) pairs very well with Triple Twig trait if you come across Triple Twig during a run grab it and put it on Rory, use it generously. Once you've unlocked other Superstars Rory becomes obsolete but he is the best starting one in my opinion because he doesn't do anything bad.

Calvin Dord is a sniper but quite slow, can't check or play defense well. His Yo-Yo skill is nice for dekes and creative shot making but one of the weaker abilities overall. Kelly Jelly while very fast and great at playmaking has mediocre shot accuracy, terrible shot power and poor checking. Her speed allows her to play better defense than Calvin Dord. She has a solid skill in Spin-O-rama that makes her immune to contact and poke checks, also you can use it as a dekeing tool as well as a defensive tool to intercept passes and steal/disrupt opposing puck handlers.

Of the starters Rory is the best but Kelly Jelly is the most fun, you can immediately fly around the ice, beating everyone else to the puck weaving through the defense and make plays but she needs some stats & offensive traits to become useful as a goal scorer.

If you want to buy a Superstar early, Cam Amber is 100% the best value for your buck. He is easily the best goal scorer in my opinion due to his combination of above average speed, shot power and accuracy plus his two talents Bouncy McBounce which makes your shots always rebound off the goalie and Quick Draw which gives faster shot release and recovery.

SUPERSTARS

Rory McShaggy - 56 OVR
Skill: Tomahawk - Throw your stick to knock players down.
Talents: X-Ray Shot, Bonecrusher
52 Speed
61 Checking
57 Shot Power
53 Accuracy

Calvin Dord - 52 OVR
Skill: Yo-Yo - Activate once to paunch the puck, activate a second time to retrieve it.
Talents: Puck Puncher
31 Speed
18 Checking
48 Shot Power
82 Accuracy

Kelly Jelly - 41 OVR
Skill: Spin-O-Rama - Spinning move that briefly prevents opponents from checking you or stealing the puck.
Talents: Puckless Rocket
81 Speed
0 Checking
0 Shot Power
46 Accuracy

Willie Brie - 55 OVR
Skill: None
Talents: Rebound Magnet, Mega Deflect
45 Speed
50 Checking
51 Shot Power
65 Accuracy

Cam Amber - 58 OVR
Skill: None
Talents: Bouncy McBounce, Quick Draw
63 Speed
49 Checking
61 Shot Power
57 Accuracy

Chloe Crockett - 49 OVR
Skill: None
Talents: Defensive Deflect, X-Ray Shot and Flawless Feeder
64 Speed
33 Checking
37 Shot Power
47 Accuracy

Gedeon Lamoustache - 58 OVR
Skill: Kazoo - Opponent lose the puck in a radius.
Talents: None
37 Speed
69 Checking
68 Shot Power
50 Accuracy

Sergei Lancelov - 68 OVR
Skill: Headshot Redirect - Use the face of a teammate to deflect the puck toward the net.
Talents: Iron Helmet
24 Speed
120 Checking
55 Shot Power
24 Accuracy

Joan Ozark - 62 OVR
Skill: Gas - Fart to repel players and objects.
Talents: Bonecrusher, Sonic Slap
67 Speed
62 Checking
51 Shot Power
63 Accuracy

Frank Furter - 48 OVR
Skill: Grappling Hook - Allows you to get a grip on the opposing players.
Talents: None
70 Speed
5 Checking
80 Shot Power
8 Accuracy

Clementine McShaggy - 61 OVR
Skill: Tomahawk - Throw your stick to knock players down.
Talents: Bonecrusher, Triple Twig
42 Speed
71 Checking
81 Shot Power
30 Accuracy

Buck Wurst - 59 OVR
Skill: Grappling Hook - Allows you to get a grip on the opposing players.
Talents: None
36 Speed
77 Checking
33 Shot Power
72 Accuracy

Ozzie Oioioi - 48 OVR
Skill: Disco Dance - Spread the disco fever to nearby opponents.
Talents: None
71 Speed
10 Checking
48 Shot Power
41 Accuracy

Chris Cultist - 20 OVR
Skill: Zap - Transform into an evil version.
Talents: None
21 Speed
17 Checking
18 Shot Power
23 Accuracy

TALENTS/SKILLS/ARTEFACTS: WIP

Gain a random ability is pretty bad especially if you have an existing ability you've already built around because random ability trait will replace it.

Passive Talents are much better on bench warmers than active Abilities, I would always put active Abilities on your Superstars.

SKILLS

SKILL: Head Smasher - Slap the puck directly to the face of your opponents.
Definitely the worst Skill. It can be fun but not very effective, I can see some advance or niche strategies but in general you want the puck going towards the net NOT homing in on your opponents heads. In many ways its the antithesis of what you want to do in the offensive zone. Does have some use in your own end to create a numbers advantage.

SKILL: Yo-Yo - Activate once to launch the puck, activate a second time to retrieve it.
Solid starting Skill, its very fun for playmaking and creative shots, also it can get you out of a pickle at times when you're being pinched. Great for dekeing too but in most cases unnecessary. Yo-Yo is entirely an offensive Skill and quickly becomes sub-optimal once you unlock more Skills.

SKILL: Tomahawk - Throw your stick to knock players down.
The best pure defensive Skill among the starting skills If aimed correctly you can take the puck carrier out from a distance. Initially I thought this was very good but after a while I realize losing the stick is almost never worth it except in very dire scenarios. This Skill becomes significantly better when paired with Triple Twig as you can use it in both ends while retaining your stick.

SKILL: Dash - Dash like it's 94!
Easily the best starting Skill and one of the best Skills overall. Speed is the name of the game and Dash gives you on demand speed for any situation, Dash is extremely valuable both offensively and defensively. There is no downside to this Skill, its wicked good and super consistent. Requires just a button press, no aiming or inconsistent mechanics.

SKILL: Spin-O-Rama - Spinning move that briefly prevents opponents from checking you or stealing the puck.

SKILL: Gas - Fart to repel players and objects.

SKILL: Disco Dance - Spread the disco fever to nearby opponents.

SKILL: Grappling Hook - Allows you to get a grip on the opposing players.

SKILL: Magnet - Become magnetic!

SKILL: Headshot Redirect - Use the face of a teammate to deflect the puck towards the net.

This Skill is piss poor as it knocks down your teammate, sometimes it can work on opponents buts its inconsistent in that regard and requires you to shoot the puck anyway which IMO is a waste of a shot. You're way better off with other abilities while taking shots on net and redirecting normally with your allies stick. I would only take Headshot Redirect if you are trying to get the achievement or are forced to because you are using Sergei Lancelov.

SKILL: Slowmo - Temporarily slows time.

SKILL: Dragon Shout - Knock everyone around you!

TALENTS

Iron Helmet grants - 20 Speed, +20 checking and +40 shot power. This talent is is fun for buffing body checking builds. Alone its not so great but combining it with other enforcer type talents is good.

- Credit to Pertilious -
Cherry Picker sounds good on paper but is generally bad. As Pertilious says in the comments this player cannot defend as they are permanently in the offensive zone so your defense will always be at a 5 on 4 disadvantage. On top of that they are typically not in great position to quickly take advantage of being in the o-zone. Last of all there are plenty better Talents & Abilities and its not hard to get past the neutral zone and into offensive territory normally anyways.

Triple Twig as mentioned earlier Triple Twig pairs really well with Superstars that have Tomahawk ability (Rory McShaggy / Joan Ozark) or Fury Stick ability. Triple Twig is not very useful in most other scenarios, there is a niche scenario when your opponent has Greasy Stick (The second boss. the Cultist has this) which makes you lose your stick on slapshots but this scenario isn't worth it to take Triple Twig by itself.

Fury Stick - Throw your stick forward when shooting.
Knocks down anyone in its path. Pairs well with Triple Twig otherwise not super useful as you will lose your stick.

X-Ray Shot - Shots will go through players.

Ball Chaser- Always chase the puck no matter what.

Quick Draw - Faster shot release and recovery.

Express Delivery - Increase the speed of your passes significantly.

Rocket Skates - +50 speed, lose some agility.

Wild Shot - Randomize shot power and shot accuracy on every shot.

Charge Shot- Hold your slapshot to unleash its full potential.

Changeup - Puck slowdown mid shot.

Slugger - Expert at batting the puck in the air.

Curve Ball- Your shots will curve, dramatically.

Power Transfer- Your passes grant a temporary +40 shot power boost.

Toupie - Gain agility.

Rebound Magnet - Opposing goaltenders rebounds will be directed toward you.

Maurauder - +30 checking - hit opponents without the puck in the offensive zone.

Homewrecker- +30 checking - Automatically seek to hit players without the puck in the defensive zone.

Offensive Bodycheck - Bodycheck while carrying the puck.

Puckless Rocket - +25 Speed without the puck.

Growing Anger - +5 checking permanently after winning a game.

Momentum - Permanently gain +5 speed after winning a game.

Cannon Arm - Permanently gain +5 shot power after winning a game.

Intimidator - Nearby opponents have lower shot accuracy.

Safety First - Stays between his own net and the closest enemy skater.

Stinky - Turn away opposing players.

Point Sniper - Bonus accuracy when shooting from the blue line.

Redirector - Behaviour: Stay in front of the puck to redirect shots.

Bonecrusher - Checking +20 - Opponent will get thrown further.

Defensive Deflect - Deflect the opponent's shots.

Sonic Slap - Slapshots knock surrounding players.

Trickshot - Shots will move up and down.

Berserk - Play stickless and automatically try to bodycheck every opposing player.

Enraged - Temporarily gain +50 ovverall when knocked down.

Mega Deflect - Puck gain speed and accuracy when deflecting.

Puck Repellent - Repels the puck.

En Garde! - Disarm your opponent when taking the puck away.

ARTEFACTS

Ink Bottle - Benchwarmers gain a random Defensive talent.

Rigged Faceoff you always win faceoff is nice but not incredible by itself as the more you play you'll realize winning faceoffs isn't that difficult however I would suggest grabbing it when you can pair it with the faceoff buff as it will guarantee you the buff on faceoffs the rest of the campaign run. The buff is insanely strong and your goalie should be covering up the puck every time to maximize your buff chances.

Zebra Hoof - Referee picks up the puck and throws it toward the opponents net.

Whistle of Time - Time goes 2x faster when you lead.

Can of Worms - Angus will gain double benefits from resting at camp sites.

Companion Puck - Benchwarmers gain a random shooting talent.

Weighted Die - Re-Roll the selection of powerups once per reward.

Briefcase - Revert back a goal. Usable once.

Briberee - The referee will bodycheck the opposition...most of the time.

Gigantism - Every player grows and gain +10 checking.

Shrink Serum - Shrink your team and gain +10 speed.

Goalie Dance - Opponent dance when their goaltender make a save.

Corn Dog-Stic - Your benchwarmers get +20 shot power.

Holiest Grenade - Your benchwarmers get +20 checking.

Fossilized Star - Your benchwarmers get +20 speed.

Tribal Mask - Gain +25 overall when you are losing.

Lucky Molar - Gain speed on a successful bodycheck.

Lifeless Branch - Your players get up twice as fast.

Rubber Idol- Benchwarmers will gain double the attributes from training at camp sites.

Greasy Stick makes your opponents lose their stick on slapshots which is an mediocre talent imo, I would not take it often as I believe there are much better options. That said if you want to do an extremely defensive oriented build I could see this being fun. If your opponent has Triple Twig then Greasy Stick becomes quite useless. For fun try pairing Greasy Stick + Fury Stick + Triple Twig + Tomahawk for crazy sticks flying everywhere action.

Odd Fungus your skaters get propelled when receiving a pass. Honestly one of the best artifacts/talents/abilities in the game. It applies to your entire team when they receive a pass and even if the defense has good speed stats they really can't make up the propel distance. Its useful for breakaways but also maintaining possession in the offensive zone as your team will be zooming as long as you keep passing.