Teams with Tails

TAILS/SONIC

The second team you start the game with, and it’s also a good combination, one that sacrifices some aerial freedom for pure speed.

Moveset

Spin
Spin Jump
Spin Dash
Propeller Flight
Tail Swipe
Dog Paddle
Trick Actions
Sonic's Tag Actions

Pros

This team is a Speed team, which mean it has higher momentum and can go into Boost mode.
You can use Sonic’s Tag Action to immediately go into Boost mode.
Tails has his standard move-set.
Tails’ flight doesn’t lose horizontal speed, making it a great tool to skip portions of levels.
This is one of the four teams that can perform Trick Actions. Tails can go the highest out of the four and his downward Trick Action is one of the fastest.

Cons

Tails’s move-set is limited compared to other combinations.
Tails’ flight ascends rather slowly, making it inadequate to gain height.
None of Tails’ Trick Actions can damage enemies, letting him vulnerable in all directions, and his lateral Trick Action has a slight delay making it slower and shorter than Sonic’s.

Why use it?: if you want Sonic’s Tag Action and a fast horizonal flight, plus the ability to perform Trick Actions and to swim. While it’s not great to explore vertically, it’s very well suited for speedrunning.

TAILS/KNUCKLES

A very peculiar team, with some interesting abilities but severe drawbacks. Tails essentially turns into a mini Knuckles here, but sadly without one of his best features, the ability to climb. If you don’t mind trading the ability to fly with an Insta-Shield, a strong Tornado Attack, and the fastest swimming style in the game, you can try and experiment with this unique combination.

Moveset

Spin
Spin Jump
Spin Dash
Mid-Air Glide
Tornado Attack
Insta-Shield (Tail Spin Attack)
Breast Stroke
Knuckles's Tag Actions

Pros

Tails can perform an Insta-Shield (here called a Tail Spin Attack).
His gliding is faster than Knuckles’, the descent and speed can be controlled, and he keeps his momentum after landing. Due to the different physics, you gain greater height and speed after bouncing on an item.
He can swim fast in a straight direction, going only slightly up or down (but he still gets tired after a few seconds).
The Tornado Attack keeps your momentum if you’re running, and it’s bigger and can last much longer than the Tail Swipe, or any other attack for that matter.
You can destroy Power barriers.
You can still use Knuckles’ gliding to cover ground if you’re careful, switching between the two styles.

Cons

Tails’ glide makes him drop down faster than Knuckles’, he’s slow when turning direction, and he can’t climb.
Since there’s no way for Tails to fly normally or climb, this team has zero aerial advantages.
Using the Tornado Attack for a long time will make Tails dizzy and let him open to attacks.
Even at its quickest, the Tornado Attack is slow compared to the Tail Swipe, both in starting and stopping.
Knuckles’ Tag Actions are more circumstantial than others, even more so in this team as Tails can already glide on his own.

Why use it?: I’m not going to lie: this team has little to no practical use in levels, as its main feature, gliding, is overshadowed by Knuckles’. In the few levels that don’t require verticality or a lot of speed, though, it’s fun to experiment with due to its unique properties. For example, you can stay on the top route and skip sections in Sunset Hill Act 1, bounce off items and gain speed in Ocean Base Act 3, or avoid spikes with ease in Chaos Angel Act 3 (here it’s also much more convenient to have a glide that doesn’t cling to walls). If you need to explore water sections and you don’t have Cream yet, Tails’ Breast Stroke is your next best option. That being said, this team is much more efficient against bosses: the tornado is surprisingly useful against Gemerl, the Route 99 boss, the Sunset Hill boss and the Toy Kingdom boss, with its large hitbox and long duration.

TAILS/CREAM

I have no idea why two Flying characters ruin each other’s flight… This a very limited team, highly-specialized in flying upwards and little else, with few other quirks such as the Homing Attack.

Moveset

Spin
Spin Jump
Spin Dash
High Propeller Flight
Homing Attack
Tail Swipe
Dog Paddle
Cream's Tag Actions

Pros

Tails can home on enemies.
Cream’s Tag Actions let you use Cheese and if performed in the air it gives you a handy double jump, or even flings you high, while keeping you curled. This also works on springs, even the chargeable ones.
Tails’ flight can be useful to quickly reach platforms or ledges above him. It’s a faster alternative to Cream’s air boost, as you don’t need time to charge it.

Cons

Tails’ flight lasts less than usual and has abysmal horizontal movement, making it completely useless for anything that isn’t going straight up.
While Tails’ flight is quicker and still handy in a pinch, it’s overshadowed by Cream’s air boost, which sends you up to the same height but you’re curled and can move around.
Tails can’t damage enemies above him while flying (but he can damage the ones on the side and below).
Tails’ flight and Cream’s air boost aren’t as powerful as Tails’ or Amy’s Tag Actions.

Why use it?: if you want a quick way to ascend, and have the Homing Attack, Cheese, and Tails’ base moves as a bonus. While definitely very niche and overshadowed by many other combinations, it fares well with levels that are more focused on platforming and going up, such as Sunset Hill Act 3, Ocean Base and to a lesser extent Twinkle Snow. The combination of Cheese and the Tail Swipe makes it also good for bosses.

TAILS/AMY

For everyone who says that Amy ruins the other characters, this is the greatest proof that they’re wrong. This is the best Flying team you can have – with his faster flight and ability to attack on the front, plus Amy’s hammer and Tag Actions, Tails becomes a big game breaker.

Moveset

Spin
Jump
Spin Attack
Spin Dash
Hammer Attack
Hammer Propeller Flight
Dog Paddle
Amy's Tag Actions

Pros

Tails flies the fastest in this formation, he’s not limited in any direction, and he doesn’t get tired quicker.
His hammer allows him to defend himself while flying and hit springs in the air, and it has a large range.
Amy’s Tag Actions give you a great aerial boost.
Hitting springs with the hammer flings you very high into the air.

Cons

Tails jumps without spinning: to spin you have to press the attack button.
Tails’ flight is slightly harder to maneuver compared to his standard one, especially when it comes to changing direction, making it less suited for cramped spaces.
Tails’ flight is so powerful that it makes Amy’s Tag Actions nearly redundant (although they’re still useful underwater as Tails doesn’t swim any faster).
The Hammer Attack is slightly slower than the Tail Swipe and doesn’t have as much range.

Why use it?: if your main strategy is flying a lot. Just try this combination in vertically-oriented levels or obstacles-filled levels like Chaos Angel, and watch how it turns them into a cakewalk.

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