Introduction
Yostar continues to throw us curve balls. I thought I had at least two more weeks to write this! Ahh well, I was going to spend the holiday weekend playing Arknights anyway.
This article specifically covers the new units from the A Flurry to the Flame event, You can find the full version of the guide here, or on the banner below which covers all of the other noteworthy Masteries in the game
FAQ and Banner Discussion
Q: Should I pull?
A: Yes! The strongest yes in the history of the game! This banner has so much going for it. Kirin R Yato is one of the strongest units in the game. As a Fast-Redeploy, she will slot into virtually any team regardless of need. As a Collab Limited she will never be rerun so this is your only chance to get her. And if that weren’t enough, the odds are extremely generous compared to any other banner (especially limited banners). There is virtually no reason not to roll here, so if you’re thinking of skipping, make sure you really know what that means.
Q: Kirin R Yato? I thought she was Kirin X Yato?
A: She was, however the name was always a mistake. In Monster Hunter parlance, the “Kirin X” part refers to the armor, but she is wearing the Kirin R armor. This was only very recently fixed on CN, just in time for her global release. You will probably still see the Kirin X Yato name for some time in various places.
Q: How does the pity / spark work on this banner? I heard something about 120 pulls?
A: This is a bit outside the usual for this article, but I see this question all the time in the Help Thread, so I’ll take this spot to spell it out for those who don’t know. The system on the collab banners is unique and is different from the normal system or the limited system. Unlike normal AK banners, this banner has a “hard” pity. This means when you hit the required total of 120 pulls, that 120th pull is guaranteed to be Kirin R Yato, assuming you have not already pulled her. If you get her sooner, there is no pity and the 120th pull is treated as a normal pull.
Some additional facts:
- There is no pity for the 5★, just the normal G5. However, Noir Corne is a solo-rateup, so your odds of not getting him by the 120 pull mark are extremely low.
- The normal “soft” pity still exists (e.g. increasing odds after 50 rolls). This pity starts from 0 like a limited banner and does not carry over.
- If you hit the hard pity at 120 rolls, it resets the soft pity back to 0.
- There is no spark like there is with a typical limited banner.
- There are no daily free pulls as in a typical limited banner, however we do get other free pulls (see below).
Additionally, we are given 20 free pulls, split into two ten pulls. The first ten are given on the first day, and the second ten are given during the second week. Note that the second ten pulls is part of the login rewards so you must be logging in daily to get it. The ideal pull plan is to wait until you get the second ten pull so you minimize out of pocket pulls. You might get lucky on the free 20 and it reduces how many you need to spend to hit the hard pity. Of course, most people can’t wait that long, so if saving ten pulls is worth the wait or not is up to you.
Q: Should I pull for Yato2 potentials?
A: The answer, as always, is still no. As a Fast-Redeploy, Yato’s pots are above average in value by default. However, in Yato’s case they aren’t as valuable as other recent high value units like Texas or Mlynar. Pots3 and 5 only increase her damage by about 3% each, and her Module means the DP reduction pots aren’t as valuable. The redeploy reduction at pot4 is the real winner, but if you have to ask, it just isn’t worth the cost. Save the pulls for Ines and Typhon instead.
That said, Yato is a collab unit. This is the only chance you’ll ever get and she has strong potentials on an end-game caliber unit. If you’re considering opening your wallet for once, this is probably the best opportunity to do so.
Q: I already have Texas2. Do I need Yato2?
A: Yes. There's always the caveat on Arknights that you don't "need" anyone really. However, in terms of meta value you basically can't have too many Fast-Redeploys. Unlike other archetypes, there really isn’t a risk of overlap with them. Both are end-game units and both are almost always run together.
Q: Most people had been predicting late September or even October for this event. Why has Yato come so early?
A: Essentially, Yostar skipped 28 days of time compared to the CN schedule in order to move this event up. Reclamation Algorithm started during Vernal Winds on CN. Since it’s a longer event it overlapped with a lot of events, but it did have 14 days on its own after Vernal Winds. Then there’s ten days of the Guide Ahead rerun which has been reordered, plus four down days after.
As for why… I really don’t have a good guess. Skipping the RA time makes some sense as it allows us to make up some of the time we’ve lost. However, we lost that schedule time in the first place because Yostar didn’t want to overlap events, so it’s still an odd choice. The GA rerun is even more perplexing. I really can’t say a good reason for re-ordering it, especially since it conflicts with Enforcer’s Module missions. It’s just really weird choices all around.
A final note, Ines, who is the next big pull target, is likely in mid to late-October. CC#12 has been announced for early-October, and the chapter 12 pre-banner ran during that time on CN. That could, of course, be moved, however it seems fairly likely now that the order of events is MH collab > GA rerun and/or RA solo time > CC#12 and Ch12 pre-banner > Chapter 12.
Q: You've been speaking highly of Ines, but the look-ahead didn't really reflect that. What's up with that?
A: Basically, I forgot to update the look-ahead last update. I should have done it a while ago, but it was a detail that slipped through the cracks since I don't often look back at the look-aheads. My bad. I updated it after the publication of the Qiubai article, and the update is also reflected down below. After Yato2, Ines is the next big pull target.
Q: Any other look-ahead adjustments?
A: I’ll confess I didn’t do a good job with the So Long, Adele look-aheads. I rushed them out earlier than I wanted to because I expected there to be a gap here between articles and didn’t want to wait too long. None of that has panned out of course, and I feel like I missed some things with Eyja2’s and Swire2’s write-ups. Woops.
- Swire the Elegant Wit - Look-ahead adjusted down. I’m actually overall happy with the original. The skill order was correct, but Swire2 doesn't have anywhere near the meta value the write-up implied. She is ultimately a gimmicky unit that shines well in low-op clears, but doesn't hold the general "carry"-ability that someone like Penance or Executor2 does. The write-up is mostly the same, but has been adjusted a little bit in the wording to better reflect her role (or lack thereof).
- Swire's Module - I incorrectly stated that her mod3 was vital. This was based on a bad translation. I actually knew it was wrong very quickly but simply forgot to update it (I miss my editor). This one is 100% on me. Sorry. Her mod1 is important as all Merchant mod1s are, but her upgrades aren't too special, especially considering her low meta value.
- Eyjafalla the Hvít Aska - Eyja has ended up a lot trickier than I expected her to be. She is a unit where there is a big gap between the skill most people favor and the skill with the better Mastery gains. A lot of that nuance will have to wait for the full write-up. There’s just too much to say on a very strong potential M9 unit with nuance to her skills. For now, I’ve redone her look-ahead to better reflect the general favor, although I won’t be too surprised if she gets a third overhaul before release.
Q: Any Module thoughts this patch?
A: Global - A Flurry to the Flame - Nothing that affects grades this patch, but it’s still a pretty interesting set of Modules that are worth some discussion.
- Push Strokers - The comical naming with the archetype continues. It almost feels like Hypergryph is trolling Yostar with these. That aside, the Modules for this branch are good but don’t change much. They have quite a bit of Advanced usage, as Pushers already do, however they don’t change the fundamentals of the group. In other words, if you have to ask, they aren't worth it.
- Enforcer - It appears his Module is being delayed. This is because his Module quest involves GA-EX-1, which is not available until the Guide Ahead rerun, which has been skipped to move this event up. It is an odd choice by Yostar, but unfortunately we can’t do anything but wait.
- Enforcer - It appears his Module is being delayed. This is because his Module quest involves GA-EX-1, which is not available until the Guide Ahead rerun, which has been skipped to move this event up. It is an odd choice by Yostar, but unfortunately we can’t do anything but wait.
- Ifrit - For a long time now, Ifrit has been a fantastic DPS unit, although not quite a top meta one, and her Module follows the same pattern. It is a good upgrade on a good unit, although not quite a meta upgrade on a meta unit. It's well worth pursuing for regular Ifrit users, but if your roster has evolved beyond her, the Module probably won't change that.
- Kirin R Yato - Yato is one of the best units in the game, so even a tiny amount of improved ATK is worthwhile. Her Module upgrades are not that impressive on paper, but are still worthwhile just because of how good Yato is, especially as a FRD. They aren't exactly high priority essential like her Masteries are, but the upgrades should at least be on your long term planner.
CN (lookahead) - Nothing new yet. Abjurer Modules are on the horizon, as are Saga and Ch’en’s second. None of them look good though, so it’s probably a snooze of a patch Module-wise.
Q: "The shilling myself question"
A: If you missed it in the previous updates, I published my first fictional work. You can find the clean version of it over on AO3 here.
A Flurry to the Flame - Sharpend by Flame
Kirin R Yato
 |
S3M3 | S++ | S++ | S++ |
 |
S2M3 | S+ | S | S+ |
 |
S1M3 | None | C | C |
The discussion about which of Kirin R Yato’s skills is the best one is an interesting one. However, the nuance behind it is ultimately a largely academic thing. The practical answer to S2 vs S3 is that Yato is one of the strongest (if not the strongest) M6 in the game. Plan to Master both skills.
Now that out of the way and getting into the nuance a bit more, the choice can be compared to Texas2, although the difference is less obvious. It only takes a few deployments of Texas2’s S3 to appreciate the utility it brings. However, the first time you deploy Yato’s S3 and she spins across the map doing minimal damage, you can’t be blamed for coming away unimpressed, especially compared to the absurd AoE damage of her S2.
Yet time and again, the utility of her S3 proves to be the better choice. The range from a melee tile is extremely valuable and especially rare on Fast-Redeploys. She is completely invulnerable (except for tile-bans like Frostnova) during S3, so can be deployed in extremely dangerous situations, especially compared to how vulnerable she is during S2. S3 handles DEF better, especially important for a Physical attacker. Finally, smart deployment and planning can make up the damage difference. For example, deploying her so the path is the same direction as an enemy's movement will maximize her output.
Depending on your play style though, that can be tough to appreciate at times. Her S2 is far more straightforward and many people who do not like planning out stages (clear once blind and be done) will probably find it generally superior. However, the bottom line still is that Yato2 should be M6’d so don’t cheap out!
Last, her S1 has some interesting applications that make it a fringe option to consider. It can be thought of as something like a Fast-Redeploy Exusiai; it has insane DPS and total damage, but only against relatively low-DEF targets. However, places that it shines over her other skills are rare so Mastery investment is a luxury. On top of her frailty that will make it hard to exploit in the first place, the base damage at SL 7 is usually strong enough already.
Rathalos S Noir Corne
 |
S2M3 | B- | B- | C |
 |
S1M3 | C+ | B- | C |
Rathalos S Noir Corne is a quality 5★ with two good skills, but is ultimately held back by a bad archetype. He is the sort of 5★ that will be more than usable for those who like him, especially as a collab unit, but is still far from a must promote. If you do promote him, he is an M6 candidate without a clear winner as both bring different strengths to the table.
If you only want to do one, lean towards his S2. The burst is uncommon at the rarity and Mastery is more essential to its output, plus the Auto-Recovery will make it more reliable. However, his S1 brings a lot of uncommon utility. Few units can match the potential sustain in the right conditions, and the Musha Trait aids in the Offensive Recovery. S1 can make for some very fun highlights in the right conditions, although it may be tough for many players to appreciate compared to the more straightforward S2.
The Grading System
Story vs Advanced vs Roguelike
There are very few absolute answers when it comes to prioritizing upgrades. A major determining factor is what exactly your goals are. Now, there are actually many more types of players than these three, but the most obvious delineation as far as which Masteries to think about comes down to the type of content you're most interested in clearing. If you only find value in first time story clears and risk 18 CC, then your goals will be different for someone looking to reach high-risk (25+) in CC.
Story - A story player is a player who is only interest in rewarded content. This means all normal stages and challenge modes (without added personal challenges), risk 8 on CC daily stages, risk 18 on CC permanent stages, and the SSS game mode.
Advanced - An advanced player here is any player interested in non-reward topics such as higher risk CC and more min-maxed gameplay or specialty clears.
A note on the topic of the Advanced grades is that these grades should not be taken as specific advice for a specific CC. There may be an occasional specific note to provide some context or example, but the intention here is to be more general than a particular event and prioritize skills that will be broadly useful in multiple scenarios. A skill appearing once in a high-risk CC is not enough for inclusion here as CCs tend to lend themselves to niche scenarios that can't really be planned for. Further still, Advanced grades encompass all min/maxed gameplay and do not, strictly speaking, have to be about CCs.
Roguelike - These grades are specific to the Integrated Strategies game mode (aka, the Roguelike mode or IS#2 or IS#3). These grades are slightly different compared to the Story vs Advanced delineation since the same sort of pressures apply in the mode regardless of the type of player you are. These grades tend to be more "meta" focused than the others. For IS#3, only up to Ascension 7 (trimmed medal) is considered for grades, however write-ups may include suggestions for higher Ascensions.
The Grades
S - These Masteries are the cream of the crop. They are Masteries that everyone with the unit should do and give a high priority to. Units with S tier Masteries get an outsized value from them, either because the skill is incredibly powerful or because it changes how the unit is used. For the Roguelike mode, S-tier grades are reserved for the best skills on the most meta of units (whereas meta value is not necessarily a requirement in other mode grades).
A - These Masteries are powerful Skills that most players who have the unit should do. These are among the most powerful Masteries in the game, but less overtly overpowered than the S-tier Masteries.
B - These Masteries are reasonably powerful and worthy of consideration, but have a factor which hold them back. The impact may be relatively small for the cost, the unit may not be especially powerful already, the unit may not fit well into the meta, or there may be a better version available, among other examples.
C - These Masteries are strong enough to be noted, but should only be done by the most end game of players with nothing else to do. There's value in them, but most players will have something better to be doing.
Breakpoint - Not a true grade, but a designator given to an M1 that gives an unusually large benefit. In most cases, these should be prioritized immediately after the E2, thanks to their low cost and high value. Note that there are many M2 and M3 breakpoints but they are not considered breakpoints for this purpose as the cost is much more expensive. Also note that some breakpoints on valueless skills are excluded as well.
NG or None - Not a true grade, but these are sometimes used for Skills which are noteworthy but not worth Mastery. Either the skill or unit is not worth using, or the Mastery has very poor Mastery gains. NG stands for "No Grade".
Please remember all rankings here are considered independent of E2 priority, but do consider overall unit strength. And most importantly, these grades should be treated as guidelines rather than absolute requirements.
Mastery Look Ahead
Updated Swire and Eyja's write-ups which weren't as accurate as I'd like. See the FAQ above for details. Jessica isn't out yet as this article goes up so expect to see her look-ahead with the Ines update in a month or so.
9/7 edit: Fixed a typo in Swire2, removed reference to IW rerun which has passed, and added a note about Egg2 RNG and Module.
| Episode 12 - All Quiet Under the Thunder | ||
| Morgan | Welfare | Morgan is the best non-Siege member of the Siege gang (maybe better than Siege too, depending who you ask), but that wasn't a terribly high bar. Dreadnoughts without the raw power of the 6★ options have pretty limited value, but Morgan does make fairly good use of the archetype thanks to a very strong attack scale that works well with her large HP pool. While she will need healer support, Morgan’s S1 can pack a big punch on a good cycle which should let her pick up a grade (albeit a low one). Unfortunately, her S2 isn't worth much. The Barrier decays too fast to be useful, especially for how short of wind-up S1 has. S2 ultimately makes her much more fragile on a much longer effective cycle time for similar damage. |
| Humus | Gacha | The bones of the Reaper archetype are good, which natively makes Humus decent. However, since Highmore is freely available to everyone and so valuable in IS#3, it puts Humus in a bad spot regardless of how good he is. His kit does come together pretty nicely, however he has no niche above Highmore or La Pluma, and he will potentially be ungraded due to poor Mastery gains. Both skills will be usable, but S1 does not get the SP reduction that the 5*s do. Start with S2 instead, but even then the gains are well below average in even ideal circumstances. |
| Cement | Gacha | Cement was memed to death even before we knew her kit (and to be fair they are good memes, CONK CREET BAY BEE). Unfortunately though, her kit is pretty poor and she will be ungraded. She can have an insane amount of bulk with S2, but it's very specific to one-target, slow-attacking, and Physical enemies. Since most mechanics don't favor blocking in the first place and she has the Duelist's restrictive one-block, that just isn't valuable, and the bulk rapidly decays with a tough cycle time. If you were to promote her anyway, I would go with S1 for Masteries which at least has some decent damage output in a true AoE. However, the archetype's Trait restriction will make the relatively high SP cost (compared to similar skills) very limiting. |
| Ines | Gacha | Near her release, Ines got some unfair treatment due to her not having the damage of the more broken Yato2 or Texas2, however she has more than proven her worth since. She brings an absurd amount of utility and DP gen on top of damage that is actually very impressive for her team slot that typically gets occupied by lower damage units. This gives her dual value not just on her own merits, but by improving a required, but often underpowered team slot as well. Ines' main skill is S2 whose cycle is so short she doesn't even need to be redeployed. Her S3 will get a grade as well, but more mid-tier as it tends to be more gimmicky. In previous versions of this lookahead I compared Ines to Saileach, however Ines is much more potent and is easily the second best pull target ahead of us, after Yato2. |
| Lone Trail | ||
| Silence the Paradigmatic | Welfare | Silence's alter form may be about as good as Abjurer's can get while staying true to the archetype, but it still comes short of the value that damage buffers like Gnosis or Suzuran have. Her ability to turn anyone into Surtr will no doubt find some usage in high end content over time, but in general, it just doesn't make up for smart play. Proper placement and strategy will come out ahead most of the time. Still, her S3 is a fun skill with a lot of potential and will be a middle-tier graded support skill. Her S2 could have value as well for those who want more regular use out of her. It is much more replaceable, being more akin to a typical healing skill. It gives good bulk on a flexible range and cycle which will at least make it a reasonable alternative to consider. |
| Melanite | Gacha | Melanite is a pretty typical “modern” 5★. That is, decent enough to be usable with some niche value, but also nothing special meta-wise. She is the only non-6★, and only AoE, with dodge ignore (via her Module) which will make her appealing to many niche players. S2 will be her main skill with the high damage multiplier and piercing range both being very appealing for her rarity. However, true to her archetype, that S2 damage falls off quickly with range so she isn't the easiest unit to use. Her S2 will probably edge out a low grade due to that niche value and some very nice gains. Pass on her S1, which is just a poor skill all around. |
| Ho'olheyak | Gacha | While the big tiddy snek mommy has proven to be very popular among the hornier members of the community, she is a pretty poor unit in terms of meta. She is a higher rarity version of Qanipalaat, but while Qani gets some benefit of the doubt by only being a 5★, more is expected of the 6★, and the numbers are just not there with Ho'olheyak. Her control features are really nice, and she combos well with Dorothy, but ultimately her DPS is low and her cycle time is atrocious. S3 will be her main skill and the one to go for Mastery if you only do one since it mixes good control and range. However, the 60 SP cost is killer, so her other skills may be worth a look if you plan to make regular use out of her. S2 is likely the one you should go for as it has much better total DPS, though the double layer of RNG may be unpalatable depending on your tastes. Unfortunately for S1, its SP cost is higher than it should be so it ends up significantly inferior to comparable skills. |
| Muelsyse | Gacha Limited | I love and hate Muelsyse. She's one of the most interesting designed units we've ever had, but in the same vein she is very hard to write about! There's just so much going on in her kit; far more than I can cover in a one paragraph write-up, but I will try. It's easy to forget Muelsyse is a Vanguard since she doesn't seem like one, nor does her kit play like one. This is a good thing, given just how tight the “Vanguard meta” is, and how that affects units like Ines. Instead, Muelsyse is an extremely flexible unit that can cover a lot of ground in terms of damage, bait, and control... all while incidentally producing DP. While Muelsyse is powerful, it's a good question as to what exactly her meta value will be since "indirect" solutions don't tend to fare well; however, it’s likely that she will have high tier grades for Mastery. She will be a well graded M6 with both S2 and S3 worth pursuing. The DP, ATK buff, and cycle are all identical between them, but the clone effects differ and will be useful in different places, and flexibility is her strength. S1 may be worth considering at the very low end for melee clones, but for range clones it is inferior to the other skills. |
| Hortus De Escapismo | ||
| Insider | Welfare | Insider has gone well under the radar. Aside from looking like he's from a different game, the lion's share of the talk has, of course, gone to Executor and Spuria. However, Insider is a shockingly good 5★ Marksmen, sporting the highest ATK during skill among them, plus a quick downtime, the powerful ammo mechanic, and a modest niche that allows for more aggressive placement. Kroos is still the better welfare Marksmen option thanks to her extreme total damage and stun utility, but Insider will be a very viable option if you missed Kroos or just like him better. S2 will be his go to skill and should be graded similar to GreyThroat. S1's damage scale is nice, but he isn't a great buff target, and the Attack Recovery is inferior here despite the low cost since S2's SP cost is so cheap. |
| Spuria | Gacha | Spuria is the most "WTF" operator we've had in a long time. These days, it isn't easy to be so bad that you're in the running for worst 5★, yet here we are. She honestly makes me mad with how bad she is. HG either didn't playtest her, or purposefully decided it just didn't matter that a 5★ was this bad. Imagine Windflit, but even more restrictive, with a worse buff, and doesn't even work as a basic body-blocker. Do not raise her for any reason but memes, and if you're doing that, you don't need my advice for Masteries. |
| Executor the Ex Foedere | Gacha | The least surprising alter in quite a while, Executor2 appears to be pretty well balanced, which of course means the discussion around him ranges from "absolute shit" to "absolute god". He personally reminds me of Penance - capable of some truly insane things in low-op clears, but inferior to other options in a full team comp. There's just so many laneholders that it’s tough to call him a must pull, but he will be extremely good for those who do pull. S3 is the standout skill and its Masteries are extremely important. An RNG Talent and ramp-up are large flaws, but his biggest drawback is the fairly high Attack Recovery cost. The 24 SP at S3M3 is a significant issue, but it's a massive improvement over the 30 SP at SL7. S1 and S2 are likely to have decent amounts of niche usage, but the damage output is so much lower compared to S3 that they will likely only be luxury considerations. It's worth noting he later gets a very good Module that improves (but doesn't remove) the RNG situation and adds a ton of damage. Plan for his mod3 as well. |
| Skógrinn Svartr Vill Einn Draumr | ||
| Santalla | Gacha | Santalla is a unit who isn't quite there. The effects, in principle, are nice. Freeze is a powerful effect, and a rare one at that. However, poor uptime and a strong RNG component really hinder her usability. The icicles actually aren't completely RNG, falling in a pattern of left column, right column, center column. This *can* mitigate some of the RNG (but not all), however this just adds a layer of complexity to maximize an already subpar unit. For most, Santalla will just not be worth the effort and frustration she requires, especially considering how many quality 4 and 5★ Casters there are. Still, she has good utility, and will likely pull out a low grade on her S2. |
| Typhon | Gacha | At first glance, Typhon may look like a side-grade or a debatable and incremental upgrade to Rosa, however the early going has shown Typhon to be a more "complete" unit. She is designed better from the ground up, rather than having a Module tacked on to an undertuned base. Modules can only fix so much. Typhon's primary boss killing skill (S3) is much more potent, while her secondary (S2) skill covers the general use scenarios much better. The result is a high damage unit with a big range that can be both a boss killer and a general DPS in one. This dual-value has made her a top IS#4 pick in the early going. Typhon will be a more highly graded M6 compared to Rosa. In Rosa's case, her S2 tends to "make up" for some of the flaws in her S3, while Typhon has two clear and powerful roles between her skills. Plan for the M6 (S2 and S3) with Typhon, but her S3 should be first, however, due to being her more unique role. Also be aware that Typhon still needs her Module too, although she is a little less reliant on the upgrades than Rosa is. |
| IS#4 | ||
| Valarqvin | Welfare | The first operator to inflict Elemental Damage for the good side, Valarqvin is, if nothing else, an interesting look into the potential future. On her own, she's a modest unit. The Apoptosis/Necrosis is quite nice itself, but outside of IS#4 she doesn't apply it particularly reliably and she has nowhere near the value that Highmore does in her IS chapter. For now, she is mostly a novelty. Stick with S2 if you do raise her, which outputs enough to trigger the effect against bosses. S1 just doesn't do enough of the Elemental damage to ever reliably apply the effect outside of IS#4. She needs 3 activations to trigger the effect on normal mobs, but can only store 2. |
| So Long, Adele | ||
| Bryophyta | Welfare | In an era where 6★ powercreep is out of control, the 5★s seem to be going in the reverse direction. It's as perplexing as it is frustrating. Bryophyta is functionally worse than Whislash, an already ungraded 2.5 year old unit that's permanently available via Record Restore. It's baffling that kits like Bryophyta's continue to come out at this stage of the game. If that mini-rant wasn't clear, do not raise Bryophyta unless you have a fetish for bad units. |
| Poncirus | Gacha | A lot of people were excited by the idea of an infinite duration Vanguard skill, but unfortunately the numbers just aren't there so we're left with yet another disappointing 5★. The passive DP generation of her ramped up S2 is lower than Scavenger/Courier's much cheaper S1. Outside of the novelty that just leaves her as a stat stick, and while her ramped up stats are decent for the rarity, given her role and ramp up she just isn't worth the team space or resource costs. She's a nice idea at least but will be ungraded and only Vanguardknights or similar niches will find any value from her. |
| Swire the Elegant Wit | Gacha | A dream unit for creative players but one who lacks any meaningful place in the meta, Swire's alter will likely be a graded M9, but a low-graded one across the board that probably won’t be worth raising at all for many players. Swire does so much that it would be impossible to give each skill a fair assessment in a single lookahead paragraph. That will have to wait for the full update, but for now S2 looks like it will be the highest graded skill. Unlike Trapmasters, the bombs can be replaced on tiles occupied by enemies. Mixed with the slow, she can kill some real tough targets with ease by rapidly replacing the bombs as they detonate. Her S3 will be a well graded alternative, especially with the push force increase, although will ultimately be more situational than S2 on an already situational unit. Finally her S1 makes a great every day skill. While not as unique as the other options, it's essentially a better version of Jaye’s S2 that isn’t reliant on attacking or neutered by enemy DEF. |
| Eyjafjalla the Hvít Aska | Gacha Limited | Being a pure-healing gacha limited Medic, Eyja is notably overtuned even at SL 7. It has given her a surprising place near the top of the meta, especially in IS#4. This, plus some pretty poor Mastery gains, will make her an interesting unit to grade when the time comes. Regardless of which skill ends up on top though, she will be a strongly graded M6 since a lot of her value is that she is the only Medic who has both a crazy good burst skill (S3) and a crazy good consistent skill (S1). For now, her S1 is the preferred default skill, although it has shockingly poor Mastery gains. Her S3 brings a lot to the table in terms of utility with significantly better Mastery gains, but a long downtime and S1 being so overtuned makes it a bit more situational. Her S2 will be graded as well, although Mastery on it is definitely overkill. Few enemies are capable of piercing the barrier at SL 7 already. |
