Clithenell is a nightmare. Honestly, if you’ve spent any time staring at the screen while a giant, glowing butterfly deletes your entire front line in one swoop, you know exactly what I’m talking about. No Plan A is one of those stages in Battle Cats that separates the casual players from the ones who actually understand how positioning and timing work. It isn’t just about having high-level units. It’s about not letting a single boss-tier enemy dictate the entire flow of the match while those annoying Brollows ruin your day.
The stage is classified as "Merciless" for a reason. You’re dealing with Clithenell, a Floating/Angel hybrid with a massive long-distance (LD) reach that creates a "dead zone" right in front of her. If you get too close, she can't hit you. If you stay too far back, she shreds you. The problem? The stage is designed to push you back into that sweet spot where she deals maximum damage.
Why No Plan A is the Ultimate Skill Check
Most players hit a wall here because they try to treat Clithenell like a standard boss. They spam meatshields. They bring massive Uber Super Rares with long cooldowns. That is exactly how you lose. Clithenell has a multi-hit attack that can pierce through your defenses, and her "Blind Spot" is where the real battle happens.
The stage has a very specific rhythm. You have to deal with the Sleipnir (that annoying angelic horse) which has high knockback and fast attacks, keeping your cats pushed away from Clithenell’s blind spot. Then there are the Brollows. Those dive-bombing birds are the real run-enders. They spawn, they fly at Mach speed, and they delete your attackers. If your timing is off by even half a second, your entire stack of attackers is gone, and Clithenell just floats forward to destroy your base.
The Problem with "Over-leveling"
You might think that getting your units to level 50+ solves everything. It doesn't. While levels help with health thresholds—specifically for units like Ramen Cat to survive a stray hit—the stage is fundamentally a puzzle about "clipping." You need your units to survive the initial hit, move into the blind spot, and stay there. If you have too much speed, you might run straight into the attack. If you're too slow, you never make it past the LD zone. It’s a delicate balance that makes this one of the most mechanically demanding stages in the early-to-mid endgame transition.
Breaking Down the Enemy Lineup
Let's look at what we're actually fighting. Clithenell has about 2.4 million HP at 100% strength. That sounds manageable until you realize she has a range of 600 to 1,300. Her blind spot is anything under 600 range.
✨ Don't miss: Does Shedletsky Have Kids? What Most People Get Wrong
- Sleipnir: He is the bodyguard. With 760,000 HP and a 100% chance to knock back your cats, he’s there to make sure you stay in Clithenell's range.
- Brollows: These spawn periodically. They deal massive area damage (30,000 at 100% strength). They are the reason you can’t just "set and forget" your meatshielding.
- The Angels: Gory Groom and Angelic Gory show up to pressure your frontline. If you don't have enough DPS to kill them quickly, they provide a platform for Clithenell to stay safe while she pokes your base.
Tactical Loadouts That Actually Work
Forget the standard "Double Eraser" strat. In No Plan A, standard Eraser Cats are basically useless because Clithenell’s LD will hit them before they ever reach the front line, and Sleipnir will just knock them back. You need specialized units.
Ramen Cat is the MVP. Period. Without a highly talented Ramen, this stage feels impossible. Ramen has massive resistance to Angel enemies, and since both Clithenell and Sleipnir are Angels, he can actually tank hits and slowly crawl into the blind spot. But Ramen alone isn't enough. You need something to handle the Brollows.
The Research Power Combo
One of the most effective ways to beat this stage is using the Biohazard and Bony Bone Cat Combos. This boosts your recharge speed significantly. When you can pump out Ramen Cats faster, you create a wall that Sleipnir can’t push back as easily.
Cameraman Cat with the "Lethal Strike" talent is another dark horse here. Because Cameraman has a chance to survive a fatal blow, she can often tank a hit from a Brollow or Clithenell and get one last hit in. In a stage where every bit of damage counts, that survival chance is a game-changer.
Using Awakened Bahamut
Timing Awakened Bahamut is the difference between a win and a 98% base health loss. You cannot just drop him whenever he's ready. You have to wait for a gap in the Brollow spawns and wait for Clithenell to finish an attack animation. If you time it right, Bahamut slips into the blind spot and chunks down Clithenell's health. If you time it wrong, he dies in two seconds. It's high-risk, high-reward, but usually necessary if you aren't using Uber Super Rares like Kalisa or Jizo.
🔗 Read more: Stalker Survival: How to Handle the Vampire Survivors Green Reaper Without Losing Your Mind
Real Talk: The RNG Factor
We need to be honest about the Brollows. Sometimes, they just sync up in a way that is incredibly difficult to manage. If a Brollow hits at the exact moment Sleipnir knocks your cats back, your defense collapses. This isn't a "flaw" in the game; it's a test of your ability to recover.
Keep an eye on the money. It’s easy to overspend on expensive attackers like Slapstick Cats (which are great for the relics later, but decent here for the AOE) and find yourself broke when the next wave of Gories arrives. You have to manage your wallet like a hawk.
Step-by-Step Approach for the Win
First off, don't rush. Start by spawning a few Ramen Cats to stall the initial enemies and build up your worker cat level. You want to be at least at level 4 or 5 before the main boss arrives.
Once Clithenell emerges, stop spamming everything. Focus on a steady stream of Ramen and maybe a Mushroom Cat if you have it (the Wave Attack can help clear out smaller peons). When the Gories appear, that’s your cue to drop your mid-range attackers. You need to clear the Gories instantly so your units can move back into Clithenell's blind spot.
- Lead with Ramen: Keep the steady flow.
- Monitor Brollow Timings: If you see a Brollow coming, consider spawning a Cannon (standard or Thunderbolt) to interrupt its flight path.
- The Blind Spot Push: Once Sleipnir is knocked back, that is your window. Send in your fast movers (like Manic Lion or Yukimura if you have him) to get inside Clithenell's range.
- Base Racing: Often, you won't kill Clithenell before you reach the enemy base. You'll end up fighting her behind the base. This is actually okay. As long as your units are hitting the base and you're keeping the peons at bay, you can win via base destruction.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
A huge mistake is using Slow or Freeze units that don't have enough range. If you try to use something like Bishop Cat (Sanzo), he’s going to get sniped by Clithenell before he ever reaches Sleipnir. Unless you have the "Target Angel" talent and high plus levels, Sanzo is a liability here.
💡 You might also like: Blue Protocol Star Resonance Shield Knight Skill Tree: What Most People Get Wrong
Another trap is the Cat Cannon. Using the Slow Cannon or the Breaker Blast can actually mess up your "clip." If you knock Clithenell back, she resets her attack animation and might land a hit on units that were previously safe in her blind spot. Stick to the standard cannon for the small stun or the Thunderbolt to freeze enemies in place inside the blind spot.
What to Do After You Win
Once you beat No Plan A, you get Maglev Cat (or its true form, Express Cat). This is arguably one of the best units in the entire game. It’s a high-speed, high-damage unit that gives you extra money when it kills an enemy. It changes how you play the rest of the game, especially in Stories of Legend.
If you’re struggling, go back and farm Angel Treasures from the Cosmos or Into the Future. Having those maximum treasure buffs against Angels is not optional. It’s the difference between Ramen taking three hits or five hits. In a stage this tight, those two extra hits are everything.
Next Steps for Success:
Verify your Ramen Cat is at least level 40 with the "Resist" talent leveled up. Check your Cat Combos—if you aren't using a research up combo, you're making the stage twice as hard for yourself. Practice the timing of Awakened Bahamut on a lower-stakes stage to get a feel for his travel time versus enemy attack animations. If you can master the "gap-close," Clithenell becomes a lot less scary and more like a puzzle you've already solved.