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Analysis by Redarrix
Cain - The Bull

3-4

Obtainable as a 3 - 4 only

Hero Stats

Max Avg Total Stats at Lvl 40
154
HP 42
ATK 32
SPD 32
DEF 27
RES 21

Stat Variations

Level 1 Stat Variation
5★
4★
3★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 17 7 5 7 5
Middle 18 8 6 8 6
High 19 9 7 9 7

Level 40 Stat Variations
5★
4★
3★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 39 29 29 24 18
Middle 42 32 32 27 21
High 45 35 35 31 24

IV Sets

Key stats worth increasing through nature if possible.
Complementary stats that matter, but not to the point of picking them over key stats for nature increase.
Relatively worthless stat that can safely be decreased through nature.
HPATKSPDDEFRES

Assets

  • +SPD: Cain’s Speed is pretty underwhelming to begin with. However, given the plethora of skills and boosts available and that Cain has a conditional Brave Sword with no Speed penalty, he can become substantially buffed and be extremely effective at performing four attacks. As such, Speed makes for a strong Asset choice.

  • +ATK: Attack is also a great Asset choice. Cain will appreciate the increased Attack which in turn will help him to deal more damage.

Neutral

  • HP: Cain comes with a fairly plentiful HP stat of 42. While not close to the highest HP available, this gives him decent bulk and can allow him to potentially take a magic hit depending on the enemy. As this stat affects both physical and magical bulk, keeping it neutral is recommended.

  • DEF: Combined with his good HP, Cain has pretty good physical bulk that allows him to potentially take a couple of hits before he goes down. Keeping Defense neutral is recommended so he can preserve his physical bulk.

Flaws

  • -RES: Overall, Resistance is Cain’s least important stat which in turn makes it the ideal choice for a Flaw. He will benefit more from keeping his other stats intact.

Skill Sets

The Alpha (Offensive)

Build by
Recommended
Bull Blade (+Eff) A Atk/Spd Solo 3
Alternate: Death Blow (3 or 4)
Reposition B Chill Def 3
Alternate: Desperation 3
Moonbow
Alternate: Luna
C Hone Cavalry
IVsSDarting Blow 3
Alternate: Heavy Blade 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Preferred IV: +ATK or +SPD / -RES

Cain will greatly enjoy any offensive boost that he can get. As such, having either an Attack or Speed Asset will be the most beneficial for him. As it is his overall least important stat, having a Resistance Flaw is recommended.

Weapon: Bull Blade (+Eff)

  • Bull Blade is a powerful weapon that can turn Cain into a strong offensive unit

  • This weapon gives him extra Attack and Defense dependant on how many allies are nearby, but the real benefit offensively comes from the refine.

  • When refined, Bull Blade obtains a Brave effect with no downside whenever Cain has a nearby cavalier which uses Sword, Lance, or Axe.

Assist: Reposition / Player Preference

Special: Moonbow / Luna  

  • Moonbow and Luna both make for strong Special choices. Both can be fully charged in a single round if Cain performs four attacks. Which one is used will be a matter of personal preference.

  • If one is using Heavy Blade, Moonbow can potentially activate on both Cain’s second and fourth attack. This makes Moonbow a superior choice when using Heavy Blade.

Passive A: Atk/Spd Solo / Swift Sparrow / Death Blow

  • Atk/Spd Solo grants Cain with a large offensive buff whenever he has no adjacent allies. As Bull Blade doesn’t require allies to be adjacent, he can make effective use of this skill.

  • Swift Sparrow is similarly strong. While not granting as large as a buff, Swift Sparrow does only need Cain to initiate combat which makes it easier to activate. It is also significantly cheaper than Atk/Spd Solo.

  • Death Blow makes for a powerful budget option that gives Cain a large Attack boost when initiating combat. Note though that he’ll gain no extra Speed. While Death Blow 4 is objectively superior to Death Blow 3, it is far more expensive and not necessary.

Passive B: Chill Def / Chill Spd / Desperation

  • Chill Skills are a natural fit with Brave weapons that debuff the opponent with the highest in that particular stat. Both Chill Def and Chill Spd would benefit Cain with either increased damage or increased follow-up potential against anyone affected.

  • Desperation is a solid budget option for Cain. Should Desperation be active, Cain can make any follow-up attack immediately, potentially allowing him to attack four times before the opponent can even retaliate.

Passive C: Cavalry Buff / Player Preference  

  • As using another Cavalry unit alongside Cain is mandatory for Bull Blade to take effect, taking a Cavalry buff of any kind is an easy choice.

Sacred Seal: Darting Blow / Heavy Blade / Atk/Spd 2

  • Darting Blow is a fantastic Sacred Seal choice that will substantially increase Cain’s ability to perform four attacks.

  • Heavy Blade is another strong option, helping Cain with charging his Special whenever he has higher Attack than his opponent.

The Beginning (Melee Generalist)

Build by
Bull Blade (+Eff) A Atk/Def Solo 3
Alternate: Fury (3 or 4)
Reposition B Quick Riposte 3
Alternate: Renewal 3
Bonfire
Alternate: Moonbow
C Hone Cavalry
Alternate: Atk Smoke 3
IVsSAttack/Def +2
Alternate: Heavy Blade 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Preferred IV: +ATK or +SPD / -RES

Both Attack and Speed will help Cain offensively which makes them both great Asset choices. Speed in particular also helps Cain defensively through increased ability to avoid follow-up attacks. Resistance remains his least important stat and therefore makes for the ideal Flaw.

Weapon: Bull Blade (+Eff)

  • Bull Blade is a weapon that can benefit Cain both offensively and defensively.

  • Offensively speaking, the extra Attack from nearby allies and the Brave effect from refining the weapon will make Cain a strong offensive threat.

  • Defensively, the extra Defense gain from nearby allies helps Cain to defend himself on Enemy Phase from physical threats.

Assist: Reposition / Player Preference  

Special: Bonfire / Luna / Moonbow

  • As Cain will likely be obtaining substantial Defense boosts, Bonfire makes for a powerful choice to benefit offensively from that boosted Defense. Luna has the same cooldown as Bonfire and is also a powerful choice, though its power is dependant on the opponent’s defense.

  • Moonbow is also a good choice thanks to its low cooldown.

Passive A: Atk/Def Solo / Fury

  • Atk/Def Solo will give Cain a huge Attack and Defense boost whenever he has no adjacent allies. This benefits him both offensively and defensively.

  • Fury is a great budget alternative, giving a good all-around boost to all stats at the cost of some recoil damage after combat. Fury 4 can be used over Fury 3, but note that Fury 4 is far more expensive and not required if one doesn’t want to make the investment.

Passive B: Quick Riposte / Guard / Renewal

  • Quick Riposte allows Cain to secure follow-up attacks on Enemy Phase without having to rely on Speed.

  • Guard is also a good choice, blocking enemies from effectively charging their Special and negating the extra Special charge gained from skills such as Special Fighter.

  • Renewal is a good budget option that helps to keep Cain healthy through some healing every other turn.

Passive C: Cavalry Buff / Atk Smoke / Player Preference

  • As Cain will be used alongside another Cavalry unit, using a Cavalry buff is a natural choice.

  • Atk Smoke can also be used to help Cain defensively through reducing the Attack of opponents around his target.

Sacred Seal: Attack/Def +2 / Heavy Blade / Quick Riposte

  • Attack/Def +2, while simple in effect, will be beneficial for Cain as it’ll give one last push to his offensive and defensive capabilities.

  • Heavy Blade is also a great choice of Sacred Seal, helping Cain with charging his Special. Given the mixed phase nature of this set, Heavy Blade can benefit him regardless of if he’s using Bonfire or Moonbow.

  • If one isn’t using Quick Riposte in the B slot, it can alternatively be used in the Sacred Seal slot.

Introduction

Cain is a sword cavalry unit and one that has been present since the launch of Fire Emblem Heroes. While first glances at his stats make him look mediocre at best, the weapon refinery was able to save him from complete obsoletion and make him a great sword cavalry choice.

When looking at stats alone, Cain is unimpressive. He possesses a 32/32 offensive spread with decent defensive capabilities. Cain’s stats are only decent at best in all cases and this severely hinders his appeal when compared to another sword cavalry that comes with better and more specialized statlines.

However, thanks to the 3.4.0 update, Cain finally has something going for him. Bull Blade, his new personal weapon, is a powerful tool that turns him into a strong offensive unit when used alongside other cavaliers, specifically those using a sword, lance, or axe. This weapon also benefits him defensively.

Overall, Cain has had new life breathed into him and now stands as a viable choice for a sword cavalier on a cavalry team. He is still a lackluster choice on mixed movement teams where activating Bull Blade would be more considerably difficult however. Just make sure he has his cavalier friends by his side and Cain will be able to perform well on the battlefield.

Strengths

Bull Blade

Bull Blade is Cain’s personal weapon that was added in the 3.4.0 update. Without refine, this weapon will grant an Attack and Defense bonus to Cain equivalent to the number of allies within two spaces times two. This bonus has a cap of +6 to each stat which is reached if Cain has three allies within two spaces. On its own, this effect is good and helps Cain both offensively and defensively.

The real strength lies within the refinement though. When refined, Bull Blade will act as a Brave Sword with no Speed downside whenever Cain has a cavalry ally using a sword, lance, or axe within two spaces of him. This makes him very strong offensively, especially when considering that the lack of Speed penalty makes him very good at performing four attacks so long as he gets Speed bonuses.

Cavalry Strengths

The two largest strengths that cavalry units have are their movement range and ease of access to Cavalry Buffs. With a movement range of three, Cain has further natural reach than other offensive sword units found in the other movement types. However, one should take caution not to accidentally remove Cain from the range of his allies. Additionally, Hone Cavalry and Fortify Cavalry are both readily available and both will be of great benefit to Cain.

Weaknesses

Mediocre Stats

When not considering Bull Blade, Cain is simply nothing special at all. His 32 Attack and 32 Speed is workable at best while his 42 HP, 27 Defense, and 21 Resistance only make him decent defensively. If anything, one could say he comes with fairly good natural physical bulk thanks to his great HP and good Defense. Overall though, his stats are simply underwhelming, though Bull Blade does make up for it somewhat.

Cavalry Weaknesses

Cavalry units also have notable weaknesses. Cavalry are the movement type most hindered by terrain, being the only movement type slowed down by trenches and being completely incapable of passing through forests. This can hinder Cain’s ability to properly position himself or make attacks from advantageous positions. Weapons which deal effective damage against cavalry are also common in modes such as Aether Raids, so caution must be taken.

Weapon Skills

Weapons SP Rng. Mt.
Iron Sword
Only Inheritable by Sword Units.
50 1 6
Steel Sword
Learns by default at 3 ★
Only Inheritable by Sword Units.
100 1 8
Brave Sword

Spd-5. Attack twice when initiating combat.

Learns by default at 4 ★
Unlocks at 3 ★
Only Inheritable by Sword Units.
200 1 5
Brave Sword+

Spd-5. Attack twice when initiating combat.

Learns by default at 5 ★
Unlocks at 5 ★
Only Inheritable by Sword Units.
300 1 8
Bull Blade

During combat, boosts unit's Atk/Def by number of allies within 2 spaces × 2. (Maximum bonus of +6 to each stat.)

Unlocks at 5 ★
400 1 16
Weapon Evolution
Weapon Upgrades
Weapon Upgrades

Special Skills

Special Skills SP Turns
Buckler

Reduces damage from an adjacent foe's attack by 30%.

Learns by default at 4 ★
Unlocks at 3 ★
Restricted to melee units.
100 3
Escutcheon

Reduces damage from an adjacent foe's attack by 30%.

Unlocks at 4 ★
Restricted to melee units.
200 2

Passive Skills

Passive Skills SP Slot
Wings of Mercy 1

If an ally's HP ≤ 30%, unit can move to a space adjacent to that ally.

Inheritable by all units.
60
B
Wings of Mercy 2

If an ally's HP ≤ 40%, unit can move to a space adjacent to that ally.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 3 ★
120
B
Wings of Mercy 3

If an ally's HP ≤ 50%, unit can move to a space adjacent to that ally.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
240
B
Threaten Atk 1

At start of turn, inflicts Atk-3 on foes within 2 spaces through their next actions.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 3 ★
50
C
Threaten Atk 2

At start of turn, inflicts Atk-4 on foes within 2 spaces through their next actions.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
100
C
Threaten Atk 3

At start of turn, inflicts Atk-5 on foes within 2 spaces through their next actions.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
200
C

Other Info

Origin
Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem
Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light

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