Position - Any, but best at anchor or mid

His support value is too good to not make use of. You'll typically see him in the anchor slot in a trio for several reasons: to help out both characters, his damage potential with meter is some of the highest in the game, he doesn't have a safe or level 1 combo DHC that the better mid characters have, and his most troublesome matchups are against characters that typically play on point with assists to back them up. That said, putting him mid (or even point, if you're feeling rebellious) is still a great option if you have a good partner to assist him and you actually like Big Band beyond just his team value.

Beat Extend (623P) -

Anti-Air DP

Fast, large, DP assist that holds the opponent in place for easy conversions (that will likely save OTG unlike with the other good DP assists). Excellent for punishing an opponent’s assist calls if Big Band is in range.

• L Beat Extend is the tallest version, and thus better for snatching characters out of the air. Tied for being the fastest of the commonly seen DP assists.

• M Beat Extend is wider and better for dealing with crossups and using for combo conversions. Especially recommended if you play Cerebella in front of Band on your team.

• H Beat Extend is a slower version of M, but has less frames of assist vulnerability, whereas L and M both have added vulnerability before going invincible. L and M Beat Extend have 2 hits while H has 3, having it function as an invincible(!) lockdown assist. Very nice for rushdown characters.

H Brass Knuckles ([4]6HP) - 

Armored Neutral, Anti-Zoning

Armored, takes up half of the screen, and deals a brick of damage on hit. Very much a, “Go forward and hold down the neutral” assist, and one of the best in game for dealing with zoning and counter-calling opposing assists. Expect the opponent to tag Big Band a lot and increase assist lockout if you don’t chase with your point character, though. Very easy to fit into corner combos.

H Take the A Train ([4]6HK) -  

Anti-Air, Combo Tool

Unblockable while the opponent is rising during a jump. Blockable while they fall. Gives a TON of time to convert, which makes it great for the resource building characters and allows all others to setup for what’s probably going to be a nasty reset. Good for combos for the same reason, as it also has good damage AND meter gain on its own while letting the point character go for heavy hitting strings or loop into a reset. Do not underestimate this assist's usefulness in neutral; simply having it on your team should make the opponent wary of carelessly jumping.

Cerebella

Recommended Assists: 

H Lock 'n' Load, Excellebella, Cerecopter

• Lock 'n' Load - Armored Neutral, Pressure

  • Helps Big Band approach by armoring projectiles and taking hits from assists that would otherwise impede his progress, it's also great for upping his already high combo damage and covering his unsafe options

• Excellebella - Anti-Air, Combo Tool

  • Lets Big Band taunt mid-combo to power up his supers, though you can't get a taunted super in the same combo

  • Builds a lot of meter

• Cerecopter - Lockdown, Anti-Armor

  • Probably the choice if you're in a trio and that third wants a lockdown assist, not that it's a bad choice for Big Band

Pros:

• Band and Bella give each other overall amazing assist support for neutral, pressure, and combos

• This shell has enough damage to share with the whole class, can easily 2-touch for little meter in 3v3

• High damage DHCs that allow combo extensions

• Bella builds good meter both on point and even through her assists for Big Band to burn

Cons:

• None

Synergy:

• Good for Big Band, Favorite for Cerebella

• Very strong duo, and though they share bad matchups, both help each other deal with them through their assists

• Extremely flexible, fit in any third character and change your assists/character order from match-to-match as you see fit

Eliza

Recommended Assists: 

Carpenter's Axe, Butcher's Blade, Throne of Isis

• Carpenter's Axe - Armored Overhead

  • On top of being an armored high to help in mixups (Big Band's standing low on top of him hiding Sekhmet coming in with a high), also gives Big Band extremely high combo damage (10k meterless)

• Butcher's Blade - Armored Lockdown, Space-Control, Anti-Armor

  • If the opponent blocks Butcher's, it's Big Band's turn

  • Covers your unsafe options such as Brass Knuckles by placing an armored skeleton in front of the opponent

  • Makes DP + assist safe, and even the opponent tries to Alpha Counter to punish then you can just SSJ in return

• Throne of Isis - Anti-Zoning Projectile

  • Goes fullscreen and straight through projectiles, making zoners have to stop what they're doing and watch the throne

  • Particularly good alongside using H Brass Knuckles to punch your way in, having the throne make you harder to punish

  • Do note that Throne only passes through projectiles instead of negating them, so Big Band still has to deal with them (probably through Brass Knuckles or parrying)

Pros:

• Band gets generally good assist value from Eliza

• Eliza gets great assist options for approaching, defense, or upping her damage and meter gain

• Big Band is one of the few characters who can easily level 1 DHC after the final hit of Eliza's Lady of Slaughter

• Easy to tag into Eliza mid-combo and continue if you need to tag out for whatever reason

Cons:

• They share some troublesome matchups against zoners

Synergy:

• Good for Big Band, Favorite for Eliza

• Strong duo, works in either order, and they help each other decently well in their mutual hate for zoning characters. Prepare yourself to get instant overheaded a lot.

• Any character can be added for a good trio

Ms. Fortune

Recommended Assists: 

M/H Fiber Upper, Dash

• Fiber Upper - Anti-Air DP, Meter Build

  • Band can easily convert off of 2/3 hits of H Fiber with M Take the 'A' Train, and sometimes rising normals into j.HK

  • ...but if it hits shallow as an anti-air or your positioning isn't ideal and you can't convert, the opponent is sent away, which is what Band doesn't want

  • M Fiber is easier to combo off of, but opens itself up to losing to jump-ins which may not be great for the character who gets instant overheaded

• Dash - Alpha Counter options

  • Lets you Alpha Counter into Fortune and have her choose any option, including a 5 frame jab, a fast DP, super, jump, or just block. You get to steal your turn out of some pressure strings or get punishes that no other Alpha Counter will safely allow.

Pros:

• Fortune gets top level assist support to help her dominate neutral

• Band appreciates having a lot of meter for his high damaging supers, which Fortune can provide as a battery

• Fortune can take point and deal with Big Band's unfavorable matchups before he has to come in

Cons:

• Fortune's assists aren't helping Big Band much in neutral, which is where he needs the most help

• DHC'ing from Super-Sonic Jazz to Fortune's Cat Scratch Fever on an airborne opponent may require you to skip the final, most damaging hit, otherwise Fortune whiffs (Ex: H Brass or H Train > SSJ (all hits) > Cat Scratch Fever doesn't work, which is pretty important)

Synergy:

• Poor for Big Band, Favorite for Fortune

• Put Band as the anchor and this duo is perfectly fine, if not super frustrating to fight against. If the opponent snaps in Band to mess up your team order, Fortune still has one of the game's safest tags, and if Band gets a hit he can easily get a sliding knockdown and bring Fortune back in.

• Pick a good mid or anchor and you're golden for a trio, Fortune is likely gonna hog the point slot.

Painwheel

Recommended Assists: 

H Pinion Dash

• H Pinion Dash - Neutral, Combo Tool

  • Lets Band convert into a combo off of Super-Sonic Jazz by doing H Giant Step + assist

  • While H Pinion has slow startup, once it's active it's hard to contest its hitbox; if your opponents avoids it by jumping, then they're more limited in stopping Big Band's approach or potentially open themselves up to your anti-air command grab, if they get hit, they're sent right toward Big Band

  • Brass Knuckles + H Pinion assist, having Pinion cover Band's recovery IF the opponent doesn't have invuln options to punish both characters

Pros:

• H Pinion is great for Band's neutral, and helps with SSJ and Giant Step conversions like no other assist can

• Band's assists are top class in controlling screen space for Painwheel

• Hatred Install is a safe DHC for situations where your reversal Super-Sonic Jazz is blocked (!!!), on top of leading to a combo that explodes your opponent's health bar when you do hit

• No problems getting a combo into Painwheel's tag-in to get Big Band out meterlessly

Cons:

• N/A

Synergy:

• Favorite for Big Band, Favorite for Painwheel

• A strong duo, but you will very much want Painwheel to die first so she's not fighting alone.

• Easy to work in any third character

Peacock

Recommended Assists: 

George's Day Out (L George)

• L George - Persistent Projectile

  • A lingering ground threat that the opponent is forced to block, shoot, or jump over if you hide behind it, or can cover your approach and act as a combo breaker if you get ahead of the bomb. If you have a second partner, you can still call them while George is out.

  • Little Band, basically

Pros:

• L George assist is pretty damn good for Band

• Big Band's assists are incredible for keeping opponents off of Peacock while also upping her damage output

• Super-Sonic Jazz into Peacock's Lonesome Lenny DHC is safe, Super Sonic Jazz DHCs converts from Argus Agony even fullscreen

• Peacock will shoot the spooky bad matchups for Band while building him a lot of meter in the process (if she doesn't spend it herself)

Cons:

• Nothing, really

Synergy:

• Good for Big Band, Favorite for Peacock

• Great duo in either order

• Any third wheels will do for a trio

Squigly

Recommended Assists: 

Drag 'n' Bite

• Drag 'n' Bite - Lockdown, Neutral

  • Turns many of Big Band's unsafe options into being plus on block due to how long DnB lasts

  • DP + assist on defense is hard to punish

  • j.MK or Giant Step + assist for an overhead option, and if the opponent blocks you're still plus

  • The Yaya Special: jHK + assist, tech through the opponent to mess up their inputs

Pros:

• Band gets great offensive support with Squigly's assists

• Squigly gets great assists for neutral and building charges

• High damaging DHCs, and Squigly Battle Opera into Big Band's Super-Sonic Jazz lets him continue the combo

• Big Band's sheer size is good for a number of reasons:

  • Even after taunting from an assist call, he acts as a body block for Squigly to charge a stance in neutral.

  • Squigly's small stature combined with Big Band's big body messes up a lot of Happy Birthday combos

Cons:

• None

Synergy:

• Favorite for Big Band, Favorite for Squigly

• Strong duo combination as while there is the threat of ending up with anchor Squigly if Big Band dies first, she does get enabled by him and the two-way support is very good. You also get safe DHCs in both directions thanks to Squigly Battle Opera.

• Squig/Band is a very powerful shell with very strong assists and DHCs. Any point character would absolutely love to take advantage of this, but if you desire to give additional support to Squigly or Big Band, near any character who favors mid/anchor can be slotted in.

Annie

Recommended Assists: 

H North Knuckle, H Crescent Cut, H Destruction Pillar, Luminous Supergiant (6HP)

• H Knuckle - Neutral, Lockdown

  • Brass Knuckle + North Knuckle assist call is super ignorant option in neutral, being safe on block and providing good damage and a knockdown on hit

  • Good boost to combo damage

  • Lockdown is a good accompaniment to keeping Big Band on the opponent once he's in

• H Cut - Projectile

  • Potentially a better neutral option over North Knuckle if the opponent does not have an easy way to erase the projectile

  • H Cut Corner Left/Right mixup

• H Pillar - Anti-Air DP

  • Big Band already has great defensive options, but it never hurts to have another somewhat less-committal one

• Supergiant (6HP) - Overhead, Projectile (Star Power)

  • Ludicrous damage output in corner combos, though not the easiest assist to incorporate into midscreen combos

  • Neutral threat and combo routes ramp up when Annie is in Star Power

  • Overhead option to help mix up the opponent

Pros:

• Band gets amazing assist support from Annie for neutral

• Annie gets top tier assist options for neutral and damage from Bang

• The damage from Annie's assists alongside her Pillar of Creation DHC...

  • 3v3 Band Annie 6HP 2 bar corner tod (like 14k 1.0 ratio I'm too lazy to check the exact numbers) - YouTube 

Cons:

• Nope, nah

Synergy:

• Favorite for Big Band, Favorite for Annie

• Little Band and Big Band. Both characters support each other well and can still put up a good fight when alone. Robo Fortune and Peacock match ups will be a pain to deal with, however.

• It is impossible to make a bad trio with this shell, put in any character in any slot

Black Dahlia

Recommended Assists: 

Medici Mousetrap (2MK), L/M/H Order Up! (X Shot)

• Mousetrap - Ground Space Control, Low

  • Gives Band neat combo conversions (see the Dahlia/Band routes video linked below) and gives him a much less committal way to combo from instant overhead jMK

  • Good for corner pressure

• X Shot - Projectile, Multipurpose*

  • *Slow projectile (all but shotgun and beam), combo (shotgun, ice, electric), lockdown (ice, electric, fire), long-range (beam, electric)

  • Normal bullets don't do much for him, special bullets likely insane for him, and as Band will typically be supporting Dahlia it can be a viable strategy to load up on special bullets then tag Band in

Pros:

• Big Band gets more combo routes and enhanced mixups from Dahlia's assists

• Dahlia gets great neutral, defense, and damage assistance from Big Band's assist kit, including strong Counter + assist measures

• Last Call and Barrel DHCs

• If Dahlia has a fire bullet ready, Barrel > SSJ works as a combo DHC - Credit to Xyned

• Dahlia/Band synergy

• Dahlia/Band combo routes

Cons:

• Both characters struggle to zoners, albeit Band does help Dahlia in this regard and Dahlia (if special bullets are loaded) can also help Band

Synergy:

• Good for Big Band, Favorite for Dahlia

• A strong duo

• Any character will fit for a trio