Umamusume Pretty Derby Skills Tier List

Umamusume: Pretty Derby has a deceptively deep skill system that separates casual trainers from true race winners. Picking the right skills for your Umamusume can be the difference between a photo finish and a dominant victory, but with hundreds of options available, knowing where to focus your resources is anything but obvious. This guide breaks down every tier, explains what makes each skill type valuable, and tells you exactly how to get the most out of your roster.

What Makes a Skill SS Tier in Umamusume: Pretty Derby?

SS tier skills are the ones you build around. They activate consistently, deliver meaningful effects (velocity boosts, acceleration bursts, or stamina recovery), and hold their value whether you're grinding Career Mode or competing in Champions Meeting PvP. Here's what currently sits at the top.

Top SS Tier Unique Skills

Unique skills are character-specific and among the most powerful tools in the game. The following are currently rated SS tier:

• Victory Cheer! (Kitasan Black, Gilded Shrine to Glory) – Functions as either a solo velocity skill or a split velocity-plus-acceleration skill depending on track layout. Highly recommended for Front Runners in long-distance races.
• Angling and Scheming (Seiun Sky, Reeling in the Big One) – Triggers an acceleration burst when leading on a late-race corner. Extremely consistent for front-running builds.
• Festive Miracle (Oguri Cap, Ashen Miracle) – Activates in the second half after recovering stamina with skills at least 3 times, making it a natural fit for stamina-heavy builds.
• Barcarole of Blessings (T.M. Opera O, New Year Same Radiance!) – Grants a moderate velocity boost at 400m remaining when positioned near the front. If at least 7 skills have already activated, the effect upgrades to a greatly increased velocity boost.
• A Kiss for Courage (Maruzensky, Hot Summer Night) – Fires when positioned toward the front in the second half after recovering stamina with a skill, creating a strong interaction with recovery-focused builds.
• Behold Thine Emperor's Divine Might (Symboli Rudolf, Emperor's Path) – Greatly increases velocity on the final straight after passing 3 runners late-race.
• Triumphant Pulse (Oguri Cap, Starlight Beat) – Greatly improves the ability to break out of the pack at 200m remaining.
• Red Shift/LP1211-M (Maruzensky, Formula R) – Boosts acceleration by shifting gears when positioned toward the front on the final corner or later.
• Shooting for Victory! (Taiki Shuttle, Wild Frontier) – Increases acceleration when well-positioned approaching the final straight.

Top SS Tier Rare and Normal Skills

These are the non-unique skills that consistently deliver at the highest level:

• Professor of Curvature (upgrades Corner Adept) – One of the strongest corner-phase velocity skills available.
• On Your Left! (upgrades Slick Surge) – Excellent for overtaking scenarios.
• Encroaching Shadow (upgrades Straightaway Spurt) – A strong straightaway skill for Late Surger and End Closer builds.
• In Body and Mind (upgrades Homestretch Haste) – Reliable final-stretch velocity.
• Taking the Lead / Early Lead – Crucial for Front Runner styles, firing early to establish position.
• Mile Maven (upgrades Productive Plan) – Dedicated mile-distance skill that received a boost to SS tier after balance adjustments.
• VIP Pass (upgrades Passing Pro) – Strong navigational skill that helps break free from traffic.
• Style-specific Straightaways and Corners (◎ versions) – The upgraded ◎ versions of Front Runner, Pace Chaser, Late Surger, End Closer, Sprint, Mile, Medium, and Long distance skills all sit in SS tier and form the foundation of any competitive build.

What Are the Best S Tier Skills?

S tier skills are strong, reliable options that slot into most builds without hesitation. They won't always carry a race on their own, but they fill gaps and support your SS tier picks effectively.

S Tier Unique Skills Worth Prioritizing

S Tier Rare and Normal Skills

Several general skills earned their S tier placement through the November 2025 balance adjustments and subsequent updates:

• Flash Forward – An upgraded version of Medium Straightaways, now rated S tier.
• In High Spirits / Light as a Feather – Strong velocity passives added in February 2026.
• Burning Spirit PWR, GUTS, STA, SPD – The Unity Cup skill set. PWR, GUTS, and STA variants sit at S tier; SPD follows closely behind.
• Keen Eye / Watchful Eye – Upgraded from A to S tier, offering reliable positional awareness.
• Killer Tunes / Up-Tempo – Solid velocity skills with broad applicability.
• Lie in Wait / Be Still – Upgraded to S tier, valuable for timing-sensitive builds.
• Firm Course Menace – A new S tier green passive that improves both Power and Speed stats on firm track conditions.

How Do Yellow, Blue, Green, and Red Skills Differ?

Understanding skill color categories helps you build smarter rather than just stacking the highest-tier names you can find.

Yellow Skills (Speed and Acceleration)

Yellow skills directly affect velocity, acceleration, and positioning during the race. They're the most impactful category because they translate immediately into raw race performance on top of your existing Speed and Power stats. Your SS and S tier yellow skills should always be prioritized first when building a character.

Blue Skills (Stamina Recovery)

Blue skills manage your Umamusume's stamina drain and recovery. Without sufficient stamina, even a fast character will fade in the final stretch. Recovery skills like Swinging Maestro (which activates on corners, making it very consistent) and Breath of Fresh Air are particularly valuable. Blue skills also help you pass stamina checks in Career Mode.

Green Skills (Passive Stat Boosts)

Green skills are race passives that add value to your existing stats. The stat they affect is usually identifiable from the skill icon. Green skills shine in Career Mode and in Team Trials when your character is short on a particular stat. They're less urgent to acquire early but become meaningful additions toward the end of each Career run.

Red Skills (Debuffs)

Red skills affect opponents rather than your own Umamusume. They work by interfering with rival runners' positioning or stamina. Red skills require high Wit to proc reliably, and their value is most pronounced in PvP-focused modes like Room Matches and Team Trials where debuffing a key rival can help your ace or a teammate push through.

Skill color type overview

What Are the Best A Tier Skills?

A tier skills are situational but competitive. Many are strong in specific race types, running styles, or track conditions. Some notable A tier picks include:

• Radiant Star / Glittering Star – Boosts velocity, acceleration, and recovers stamina at a random point in the second half. All three effects scale with career race wins. Note that the duration is short and activation timing can be unpredictable, which keeps it out of S tier.
• Go, Go, Mun! / Ready, Go! (Matikane Tannhauser) – A combined stamina recovery and velocity skill activating in midpack in the second half. Consistent across Pace Chaser and Late Surger styles.
• Shooting Star of Dioskouroi (Admire Vega, Starry Nocturne) – Fires on the last straight when far from the lead. Best on End Closer Umamusume. Consistent for Team Trials point gain but generally outclassed in Champions Meeting.
• Determined Descent / Straight Descent – Solid downhill-phase velocity skill.
• Sixth Sense / Dodging Danger – Upgraded from B to A tier, offering useful navigational value.
• Tantalizing Trick – An upgraded version of Trick (Front), now rated A tier.

How Do You Level Up and Inherit Unique Skills?

Leveling Up Unique Skills in Career Mode

Your trainee's Unique Skill can be leveled up during their Career by meeting fan count and Director friendship requirements at specific seasonal events in the Senior Year.

Characters whose primary track aptitude is Dirt (such as Haru Urara) use the lower fan thresholds. Characters with equal aptitude in both surfaces (such as Agnes Digital) follow the Turf requirements. In the Unity Cup scenario, the Director friendship requirement is removed, so only the fan count matters.

Leveling Up in Trackblazer

The Trackblazer scenario uses a different structure. Unique Skill upgrades happen at the end of every year rather than at specific seasonal events:

Training with Director Akikawa gives the highest friendship boost (+7 per session), while winning Rival Races contributes +5 per win. The Cat Food item also raises friendship but is not recommended due to its high cost relative to the benefit.

Upgrading Through Star Level

Raising a character's Star level through the Enhance Menu upgrades the strength of their Unique Skill. A character needs to reach 3 Stars before their base Unique Skill upgrades to its stronger version. From 3 Stars onward, each additional star increases the skill's level by 1.

Star Pieces come from scouting duplicates, exchanging Goddess Statues, Friend Points, Club Points, Event Point Rewards, and the Prize Derby.

Star level upgrade screen

Inheriting Unique Skills via Sparks

Unique Skills can be converted into Sparks of Inspiration through the Legacy system. When a character with at least 3 Stars is used as a Legacy, their Unique Skill has a chance to become a Spark that a trainee can inherit if their Affinity matches. Inherited Unique Skills function as Normal Skills and cannot be leveled up further through Career events.

B Tier Skills: When Are They Worth Using?

B tier skills are situational or niche picks. They can be viable in specific scenarios but generally won't compete with higher-tier options in serious PvP content.

Notable B tier unique skills include Dancing in the Leaves (Gold City, Autumn Cosmos), A Princess Must Seize Victory! (Kawakami Princess), and several stamina-focused skills like Super-Duper Climax (Haru Urara).

On the rare/normal side, Serenity (the rare upgrade of Levelheaded) requires End Closer style and being jammed to activate, which makes it inconsistent. Burning Spirit WIT and Shatterproof are also B tier picks with limited but occasionally useful applications.

For most players, B tier skills are fine fillers in Career Mode when better options aren't available, but you should replace them with A tier or higher picks before entering competitive modes.

Key Factors That Affect Skill Effectiveness

Even the best skills won't help you if the fundamentals aren't in place:

• Wit stat – The primary driver of skill activation rate. Aim for 250-300 Wit in Career for reliable procs; 400+ is the target for competitive PvP play.
• Running Style match – Many skills only activate for specific styles (Front Runner, Pace Chaser, Late Surger, End Closer). Always verify your character's style before slotting in conditional skills.
• Race distance – Skills tagged for Sprint, Mile, Medium, or Long distances only activate in their designated race type. Mismatching a skill to the wrong distance is one of the most common build mistakes.
• Track conditions – Skills like Firm Course Menace and the Wet Conditions ◎ passive only fire in specific weather or ground states. These are strong in Champions Meeting formats where conditions are known in advance.
• Skill proc timing – Some skills (like Radiant Star) can activate too late in the race to make a meaningful difference despite their strong effects on paper. Always consider when a skill fires, not just what it does.