Like other expeditions, Brutal Pherus highly favours mono-Ice teams due to its elemental advantage passive. Team compositions are limited to mostly Ice heroes for higher levels, but there are some non-Ice viable alternatives as well.
Tanks:
Rose, Crozet, Krau, Tywin
The primary tank should be an Ice Knight, to keep the damage taken to a minimum. Non-Knights are not viable here, as they can easily be one-shot.
Rose: A strong and accessible option, Rose brings decent offensive capabilities through her CR push and Attack buff, while having her Barrier to help sustain.
Crozet: A purely defensive option, Crozet is the tankiest choice, and is more suitable for lower geared runs.
Krau: A slightly less tankier option than Crozet, but can contribute some damage through his S3, and has Defense buff on S2.
Tywin: A offensive tank, bringing Defense Break, and a powerful CR push, Critical Chance Buff, and Attack Buff on his S2.
Aside from these, other options for those lacking these units Bask, Taranor Royal Guard, and Chaos Inquisitor.
Chaos Inquisitor: As he can only take 35% of his maximum health per attack, he can be a useful option here for a functionally immortal front line with a fast cycling healer.
DPS:
SS. Bellona, Luna, Alexa, Lena, Karin, Luluca, Yuna
There are a variety of strong DPS Ice Heroes, with the typical Wyvern DPS favourites also excelling here. Notably, DPS without debuffs are stronger, as overloading Brutal Pherus with debuffs will trigger it’s Debuff transfer mechanic.
SS. Bellona: A strong DPS option, the multitude of AoEs and the double attack of Brutal Pherus can quickly proc her S2.
Luna: Another strong DPS option, her built-in Defense Break and powerful S1 makes her a strong damage dealer.
Alexa: While her strongest advantage in Daydream Joker does not work here, her multiple hits help out during Offensive Posture and can do respectable damage still.
Karin: With her fast turn cycling, she can help keep up Defense Break while doing respectable DPS.
Luluca: A solid DPS who brings her own Defense Breaks, along with a Barrier and Defense Buff on her S2.
Yuna: A decent DPS and her S1 CR increase can help during Offensive Posture.
Other viable options for DPS include any water DPS such as Sez or Kise, but caution should be taken to avoid heavy debuffers such as Dizzy.
Offensive Posture Cycler:
C.Lorina, Lena, Yuna, Schuri, Cerise, F. Kluri, Taranor Guard
Lena: Lena is the strongest pick here, as she is a strong DPS overall, and can quickly cycle with her S1 20% CR increase.
C.Lorina: While not Ice, Lorina’s 25% CR increase on her S1 allows her to cycle 6 times in a row to clear Offensive Posture instantly, without the other members of your team taking a turn. However, her non-Ice typing makes her a weaker pick than Lena.
Yuna: Has a much lower CR increase at 6% self and 2% ally, but can still help in cycling your team during Offensive Posture.
Schuri: Has a reliable CR increase on crit, guaranteeing the rest of your team a turn.
Cerise/F.Kluri: These options are only viable for clearing Offensive Posture and are not particularly recommended, especially since better options are readily available.
Taranor Guard: A bit more RNG reliant, as his CR increase comes from his S2 proc on a Dual Attack. However, when he does Dual Attack, he can instantly push your entire team.
Healers:
A. Montmorancy, Angelica, Diene
A.Monomorancy: The best option, as her fast turn cycling, low cooldown heals, and cleanses keep your team safe overall.
Angelica: While her turn cycling is not as fast as A. Montmorancy’s, she still brings very respectable heals and Immunity buff.
Diene: Diene has no healing of her own, but paired with Rod of Amaryllis, her fast turn cycling, Barrier and Attack Buff helps a lot with damage. However, her healing may not be sufficient for solo sustain.