Skullgirls Big Band Guide: Skills and Variants

You just got Skullgirls Big Band, but you don't know how to play it effectively? Don't panic, we'll give you the solution in this guide. Thanks to our tips and tricks, you'll know who Big Band is, but also what his main skills are. We'll also tell you which are the Skullgirls Big Band best variants to improve to win your fights.

Who is Big Band in Skullgirls?

Ben Birdland, aka Big Band in Skullgirls, is a former New Meridian cop turned into a cybernetic weapon by Dr. Avian, as is Peacock Painwheel. This half-saxophone colossus is now a prominent member of the Anti-Skullgirls' Lab 8, and a father figure to the young soldiers.

Appearing in the Encore DLC, Skullgirls Big Band is the first male character to join the roster. As you might expect from his size, he's a character to use as a tank to take advantage of his high health and armor bonuses.

The character main abilities

Skullgirls Big Band character's ability is called Can't Stop the Beat. This passive skill allows him to not be interrupted during a dash. However, he still takes damage from the opponent's attack.

His marquee ability, Maestro, comes in two versions, which respectively allow him to take 5/15% less damage if he remains the only living fighter on his team for Soloist, or if he has a teammate left alive for Frontman.

Finally, Skullgirls Big Band's prestige ability, Blast Beat, offers a 17% charge rate on all 10-hit combos, as well as a 25.75% chance to make sprint attacks unstoppable and obtain the enrage state for 5 seconds after activation.

Skullgirls Big Band variants tier list

There are 12 variations of Skullgirls Big Band. Let's take a look at the signature ability of each character version.

Tier	Big Band Variants	Element	Signature ability
S	Heavy Metal	Water	Going Platinium: Big Band has a 15% chance to gain armor for 5 seconds on a close-range attack. If armor is activated, Blockbusters skills deal 100% more damage.
S	Saxofort	Light	Circular Breathing: Big Band deals 3% bonus damage (up to 200%) per combo attack, cumulative up to 200%. Every ten hits, Big Band gets a random buff.
A	Vintage virtuoso	Fire	Classically Trained: Every ten combo moves, Skullgirls Big Band gains a Precision Stack, which gives enrage and a 10-second guardbreak.
A	Robocopy	Water	Dead or Alive: Once per battle, when Big Band suffers an attack that should be fatal, he gains three stacks of armor and barrier for 10 seconds. If he defeats an opponent, he gains two stacks of fury for 30 seconds and 50% of Blockbusters meter.
A	Megasonic	Dark	Chip-Tuned: When Big Band blocks an attack in Skullgirls, he gains enrage and thorns for 10 seconds, as well as a 75% damage reduction. When the enrage is active, 50% of the damage dealt is converted to HP.
B	Daddicool	Light	Suck it up: Every ten attacks in a combo, duplicates an opponent's buff and resets their timer. When Big Band is knocked out in Skullgirls, the team gains 15 seconds of immunity and resets all buffs' timers.
B	Beat Box	Fire	Freestyle: When Big Band deals a special blow, it gains enrage for 5 seconds as well as 25% of the Blockbusters meter.
C	Private Dick	Fire	Stunning Performance: Big Band gains 50% resistance to debuffs and a 5% chance to stun the opponent for 3 seconds with each attack inflicted.
C	G.I. Jazz	Air	Reserve Tank: When Skullgirls Big Band's health drops below 25%, he gains five regen stacks for 10 seconds, as well as 3 armor stacks.
D	Treble Maker	Light	Chime and Punishment: For every ten combo hits taken, Big Band heals 10% of its maximum health. When he suffers an attack with more than 50% of his health, he returns 35% of his damage.
D	Bassline	Air	Second Wind: When Big Band enters a fight, it gains 35% Blockbusters meter, as well as armor and regen for 10 seconds.
D	Resonant Evil	Dark	Master of Unlocking: Big Band has a 10% chance to receive armor for 10 seconds when attacked. When armor is active, he has a 5% chance that his blows will stun the target for 4 seconds.

So much for this Skullgirls Big Band guide. You now know his history, his main skills, as well as his variants and their signature skills. To discover new character guides and progress in the game, I invite you to regularly consult our tips page where more content on Skullgirls will be published soon.