Completing Team Trials in Umamusume: Pretty Derby Strategies

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While you’ll mainly focus on career mode in Umamusume: Pretty Derby, that’s not where the game ends. After training your characters, the real excitement begins in PvP modes like Team Trials, which can be quite challenging to conquer.

In this mode, you face off against characters from other players in various race formats, along with some AI competitors. These races are significantly tougher than the ones in career mode, so having well-prepared characters is essential for success.

Understanding Team Trials

You can access Team Trials through the Race tab at the bottom of your screen when you’re not in any other mode. After clicking on it, you’ll see two options: Team Race and Edit Team. Team Race allows you to choose one out of three opponents and compete against their characters.

Races in Team Trials come in four distances: Sprint, Mile, Medium, and Long. You’ll compete against your opponent’s characters across all these distances, plus an additional race on a Dirt track where the distance varies. To participate, you’ll need at least five characters to enter.

Team Trials races aren’t real-time, meaning your opponent isn’t making decisions simultaneously.

This gives you a better chance of winning.

Once you select an opponent, you’ll compete against their characters in a series of races. You can either watch each race unfold or simply check the results. Here’s how victories are determined:

If any character from your team or your opponent’s team clinches first place in a race, that team is deemed the winner, regardless of the other character rankings.
If a bot character finishes first, the race ends in a draw.

After each race, your team earns points based on where your characters placed, and you receive a percentage boost for each victory in that specific Team Trial. Ultimately, success is measured by how many wins you and your opponent have accumulated, though points are more significant.

Players in Team Trials are categorized by class, with each class requiring a specific number of points for promotion, retention, or demotion. Weekly results determine your rewards based on class changes:

If you promote to a class for the first time, you’ll earn high rewards. You’ll also receive regular rewards for promotions to Classes four, five, or six.
If you retain your current class, you’re not eligible for first-time rewards, but you can still get regular rewards for each class. Retention rewards for Class six surpass those for promotion since there are no higher classes.
Conversely, if you’re demoted to Classes five, four, or three, you can earn some demotion rewards for that week.

Your ultimate goal in this game mode is to achieve Class six as quickly as possible and remain in the Retention range each week. However, as more players reach this class, it will become increasingly challenging. Expect it to take at least five weeks of play to first reach Class six.

Building Your Team for Team Trials

Umamusume Pretty Derby selecting your team for the team trial.

Initially, you’ll have five character slots for Team Trials, one for each type of race. However, once you reach Classes two and three, you’ll unlock an additional slot for each race, totaling 15 characters. Keep in mind that you can’t use the same character across multiple races, even from different career runs.

This means you’ll need at least 15 strong characters for Team Trials. Each character should hold an A rating or higher in their relevant race types if you want a fighting chance. With this foundation, you can prepare your characters in career mode for Team Trials.

Remember, during career mode, your rank isn’t the top priority, as A-rank characters can sometimes be outperformed by B-rank ones if conditions aren’t ideal.

To prepare a character specifically for Team Trials, consider these key points:

First, focus on a particular race type. Some characters may have A ratings across different distances and styles, but it’s best to specialize in one to hone their skills for that specific distance and style.
For character stats, aim for over 1,000 Speed and at least 500 Wit for each character. Speed is the most crucial stat, while Wit requires significant investment to activate skills effectively during races.
Plan your strategy for each turn in your career mode wisely. For instance, if you currently lack friendship training opportunities but have plenty of energy, consider racing to accumulate skill points.