Cancer Cup Champions Meeting Guide: Best Builds and Support Decks

The Cancer Cup Champions Meeting is a Tokyo Turf 1,600m Mile race run under Summer, Sunny, Good Ground conditions. It rewards players who invest heavily in Speed and Power rather than stacking Stamina, making it one of the more stat-flexible cups in Umamusume: Pretty Derby. Whether you're running a dominant Front Runner or a late-charging End Closer, getting your stat baselines and skill loadout right is what separates a 5-win run from a participation reward.

Cancer Cup course overview

Cancer Cup Race Conditions and Course Layout

The Cancer Cup runs on Tokyo Turf, 1,600m (Mile), Left-hand course. The race conditions are Summer, Sunny, and Good Ground, which makes it directly comparable to the Yasuda Kinen and NHK Mile Cup in terms of track behavior.

Here's a breakdown of the key course segments:

Two uphill segments define this course's rhythm. The first uphill sits in the mid-race right after the early phase, followed by a downhill that slightly relaxes stamina pressure. The second uphill lands on the homestretch after the final corner, which is where several key skills trigger, including Seiun Sky's notorious Angling and Scheming.

What Are the Stat Targets for the Cancer Cup?

Because this is a Mile race (shorter than the Gemini Cup's distance), you have more room to invest in offensive stats. The priority order is Speed > Power > Wit > Stamina > Guts, though all five matter.

Stat Baselines by Running Style

For Stamina specifically, the recommended floor is 625+ Stamina and 313+ Guts across all running styles to account for the ±4% random Mood Modifier. Pace Chasers need slightly more Stamina than other styles.

If you have a gold Stamina recovery skill like Swinging Maestro, you can drop the baseline:

• 0 Gold skills: Front Runner needs C+ (560), Pace Chaser needs B (620)
• 1 Gold skill: All styles can get away with C (420-460)

Also worth noting: the early downhill in the mid-race naturally reduces stamina drain, giving you a bit of breathing room compared to a flat Mile course.

Stat targets for Cancer Cup

What Are the Best Skills for the Cancer Cup?

Green (Conditional Stat Boost) Skills

These skills activate based on track and weather conditions, making them consistent value picks for this race:

• Left-Handed (and Left-Handed ◎) - boosts Speed
• Summer Runner (and Summer Runner ◎)
• Standard Distance (and Standard Distance ◎)
• Tokyo Racecourse (and Tokyo Racecourse ◎)
• Sunny Days (and Sunny Days ◎)
• Wet Conditions (and Wet Conditions ◎)
• Lone Wolf (situational, racer-based)

Speed Skills by Running Style

Front Runners should prioritize:

• Seiun Sky SSR unique: Angling and Scheming (activates near the 2nd uphill in late-race when in 1st place)
• Rushing Gale! and its upgrade Straightaway Acceleration
• Escape Artist and Fast-Paced
• Groundwork (requires 3 passive skills to activate in the early-race; can be passed down as a White Spark)
• Concentration / Focus to guard against Late Starts

Pace Chasers and General runners should look at:

• El Condor Pasa SR unique: Victoria por Plancha ☆ (activates near the 2nd uphill, also acts as a stamina safeguard)
• Professor of Curvature and Corner Adept ◯
• Mile Corners ◎ / Mile Corners ◯
• Mile Straightaway ◎ / Mile Straightaway ◯
• Tail Held High (requires 3 skills to activate in mid-race)
• Slipstream, Playtime's Over!, Unyielding Spirit

Late Surgers and End Closers benefit from:

• Narita Taishin SSR unique: Nemesis
• Gold Ship SR unique: Anchors Aweigh! and Warning Shot!
• Encroaching Shadow and Straightaway Spurt (End Closer specific)
• No Stopping Me! and Nimble Navigator
• Furious Feat and Updrafters

Red (Debuff) Skills

For debuffer builds, focus on skills that reduce fatigue or lower opponent velocity rather than those relying on the Rushed status. Key picks include:

• All-Seeing Eyes / Sharp Gaze
• Dazzling Disorientation / Disorient
• Speed Eater
• Hesitant/Subdued/Flustered variants for all running styles

Skill loadout selection screen

Who Are the Best Characters for the Cancer Cup?

Tier S: Top Picks

Three characters stand clearly above the rest for this race:

• Seiun Sky (Reeling in the Big One) (SSR) - Currently holds the strongest Front Runner unique in the game with Angling and Scheming, which fires near the second uphill when she's in 1st place during the late-race phase.
• El Condor Pasa (El Numero 1) (SR) - Her unique Corazón ☆ Ardiente / Victoria por Plancha ☆ activates near the same uphill and doubles as a stamina safeguard when your meter starts running low.
• Smart Falcon (LOVE☆4EVER) (SSR) - Built for Turf Mile Front Runner, comes with Front Runner Savvy built in and Wet Conditions as a potential skill. Her unique activates within the 1st uphill of the course.

Tier A: Strong Alternatives

These characters perform well and offer flexibility depending on your support card collection:

Maruzensky, Oguri Cap, Sakura Bakushin O, Curren Chan, Silence Suzuka, Taiki Shuttle, Gold City, Vodka, Air Groove, El Condor Pasa (Kukulkan Warrior), Fuji Kiseki, Narita Brian, Narita Taishin, Daiwa Scarlet, Grass Wonder, Mejiro Ryan

Tier B and Below

Characters like Mejiro McQueen, T.M. Opera O, and Rice Shower are viable but face disadvantages in this Mile format. They can still succeed given favorable matchmaking and Mood conditions.

How Do You Counter Seiun Sky's Angling and Scheming?

This is one of the most important strategic questions for the Cancer Cup. Angling and Scheming only activates when its user is in 1st place during the late-race phase. The counter strategy involves building a Front Runner that denies that 1st place position before the late-race begins.

Anti-Angling and Scheming stat targets:

• Power: SS+ (1200)
• Wit: SS+ (1200)
• Recommended aptitude: Turf S (increases Power)

Recommended characters for this blocker role:

• Sakura Bakushin O (Blossom in Learning) (R)
• Smart Falcon (LOVE☆4EVER) (SSR)

The blocker needs to lead early and maintain that lead through the late-race entry point. High Power improves the chance of establishing the lead, while high Wit ensures your acceleration skills activate on time to hold it. Make sure your other team members are NOT also running Front Runner, since a blocker Front Runner will interfere with friendly aces using the same style.

What Are the Best Support Card Decks for the Cancer Cup?

Universal Support Card Recommendations

These cards work across all running styles and should anchor most decks:

Sample Deck Setups by Running Style

Front Runner (Groundwork via White Spark):

• Kitasan Black Speed SSR + Twin Turbo Speed SSR + Silence Suzuka Speed SSR + Vodka Power SSR + Mihono Bourbon Power SR + Smart Falcon Power SSR
• Green skills to pair: Left-Handed, Front Runner Savvy, Tokyo Racecourse, Wet Conditions

Front Runner (Groundwork via Support Card):

• Kitasan Black Speed SSR + Twin Turbo Speed SSR + Silence Suzuka Speed SSR + Vodka Power SSR + Smart Falcon Power SSR + Air Groove Guts SR
• Swap in SSR Tazuna Hayakawa for better Mood management and to unlock Concentration

Pace Chaser (with SSR Special Week Speed):

• Kitasan Black Speed SSR + Sweep Tosho Speed SR + Special Week Speed SSR + Vodka Power SSR + El Condor Pasa Power SSR + Fine Motion Wit SSR

Pace Chaser (budget 5 SR / 1 SSR):

• Kitasan Black Speed SSR + Sweep Tosho Speed SR + King Halo Speed SR + Daitaku Helios Power SR + Agnes Digital Power SR + Mejiro Ryan Power SR

Late Surger:

• Kitasan Black Speed SSR + Sweep Tosho Speed SR + Eishin Flash Speed SR + Vodka Power SSR + Winning Ticket Power SSR + Oguri Cap Power SSR

End Closer (Narita Taishin):

• Kitasan Black Speed SSR + Sweep Tosho Speed SR + Gold Ship Speed SSR + Oguri Cap Power SSR + Vodka Power SSR + Hishi Amazon Power SR

Debuffer (1 Speed card):

• Kitasan Black Speed SSR + Rice Shower Stamina SSR + Satono Diamond Stamina SSR + Air Groove Guts SR + Marvelous Sunday Wit SR + Symboli Rudolf Wit R

Anti-Angling and Scheming (3 Power / 3 Wit):

• Daiwa Scarlet Wit SR + Fuji Kiseki Wit SR + Fine Motion Wit SSR + Smart Falcon Power SSR + Mihono Bourbon Power SR + Vodka Power SSR

Deck Composition Ratios

For general aces, the most common setups are:

• 3 Speed + 3 Power
• 3 Speed + 2 Power + 1 Wit

For Front Runners using a support card as the Groundwork source:

• 3 Speed + 2 Power + 1 Stamina, or
• 3 Speed + 2 Power + 1 Wit

For debuffer builds:

• 1 Speed + 2 Stamina + 1 Guts + 2 Wit, or
• 2 Stamina + 1 Guts + 3 Wit

Support deck builder interface

Cancer Cup Champions Meeting Rewards

Rewards scale with your win count across each round (Round 1, Round 2, and the Final Round). Here's the breakdown:

Graded League Rewards (Per Round)

Open League Rewards (Per Round)

Graded League rewards are noticeably richer, especially at the 5-win tier. Pushing for 5 wins in the Graded League across all three rounds is the most efficient path to maximizing Carats and Goddess Statues per Cancer Cup cycle.