Start with what the hero actually does
Cold Shot and Game Start are widely recommended general offensive options. Ragdoll and Combat Fist are common budget alternatives for crit. Compare breakthrough, trigger conditions and actual damage, rather than assuming an unbuilt six-star always beats a developed lower-rarity card. [S05, S06]
Normal-attack package
Nomu (Unconscious Monster) and Ectoplasm fit heroes whose damage genuinely counts as normal attacks: examples include All Might, Iida, Ochaco and Endeavor. Pressing the normal button does not guarantee normal-attack classification. Stain after E and liberated Tokoyami are the major community warnings. [S05, S08]
Skill package
Mustard fits frequent skill damage; common examples are Stain, Tokoyami, Bakugo, Shoto and Tsuyu. Several resource-hub contributors explicitly disputed an older D-tier placement for Mustard. Stack uptime matters more than a generic card tier. [S02, S05, S08]
Ultimate package
Mastermind accelerates ultimate access; Dance with the Wind rewards using the ultimate. Hawks is the clearest supported application. Long ultimate animations can cost more normal/skill damage than they gain. Do not equip this pair automatically on every hero or carry it into AI modes where ultimates may not be available. [S09, S10, S17]
Special and defensive packages
Cellophane is a candidate for heroes with meaningful special windows. The Mirio passive card is distinct from playable Mirio and is useful when special cooldown matters. Camie and Nagamasa are commonly discussed for AI survival. Manual dodge-heavy PvE can often trade defense for damage, while an AI hero dying before its first skill may need protection. [S05, S06]
EX cards
Character-exclusive cards must be judged individually. A generic damage EX and a mechanic-changing EX are different purchases. Endeavor Lance, Tokoyami transformation-oriented cards and WHM Deku Swift Striker have specific community support; an EX pair is not universally mandatory. [S04, S11, S12]