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Analysis by Chibi_Chu
Ursula - Blue Crow

Hero Stats

Max Avg Total Stats at Lvl 40
145
HP 35
ATK 29
SPD 32
DEF 19
RES 30

Stat Variations

Level 1 Stat Variation
5★
4★
3★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 15 6 7 3 7
Middle 16 7 8 4 8
High 17 8 9 5 9

Level 40 Stat Variations
5★
4★
3★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 32 25 29 16 26
Middle 35 29 32 19 30
High 39 32 35 22 33

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

This unit requires use of Trait Fruits to get access to IVs.

Skill Sets

It's no Bolting, but... (Aether Raids Defense)

Build by Chibi_Chu
Recommended
Blue-Crow Tome (+Eff) A Death Blow (3 or 4)
Reposition B Lull Atk/Res 3
Glimmer C Ward Cavalry
Alternate: Goad Cavalry
IVs

+ATK or +SPD / -HP or -DEF

SDeath Blow 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Blue-Crow Tome (+Eff)

Assist: Reposition / Flexible

Special: Glimmer 

Passive A: Death Blow (3 or 4) 

Passive B: Lull Atk/Res 

Passive C: Ward Cavalry / Goad Cavalry

Sacred Seal: Hardy Bearing / Death Blow 

  • Aether Raids defense offers a myriad of structures that can debuff, such as the Panic Manor, Dark Shrine, and Bright Shrine. The combination of these structures, Chill and Panic skills from allies, and Blue-Crow Tome can make Ursula a fearsome annoyance on Aether Raids defense maps.
  • Blue-Crow Tome grants Ursula a bonus to Attack equal to the total of the enemy’s debuffs. While this may not seem impressive on Aether Raids defense as it can be difficult to control which enemy gets which debuff(s), the prevalence of teams centered around a supertank (unit with high stats all-around) can circumvent this. Most, if not all Chill skills will often inflict debuffs on said supertank, allowing Ursula to gain a hefty bonus in Attack.
  • Ursula’s primary focus is dealing a massive amount of damage in one attack, as she cannot consistently perform a follow-up attack against most supertanks even with Speed buffs. Death Blow is her strongest A slot, as it grants additional Attack when she initiates. Lull Atk/Res in her B slot allows her to neutralize the enemy’s Attack and Resistance buffs while inflicting them with -3 Atk/Res, increasing Ursula’s survivability and damage output.
  • While Death Blow is a strong option for Ursula’s Sacred Seal, she may want Hardy Bearing if her allies are not using it. Hardy Bearing is a necessity for all Aether Raids defenses, as it prevents skills that change attack priority from activating. This means that it is much more difficult for Vantage sweepers such as Legendary Leif and Broadleaf Fan users to sweep entire defenses.
  • Ursula’s strongest team composition is the Cavalry-line, a horizontal line of 6 cavaliers that focuses on space oppression and control. As such, Ward and Goad Cavalry are strong options for any offensive teams that attempt to initiate against the Cavalry-line.

Ursula's Revenge (Aether Raids Offense)

Build by Chibi_Chu
Recommended
Blue-Crow Tome (+Eff) A Close Foil
Alternate: Close Counter
Reposition B Vantage 3
Glimmer C Pulse Smoke 3
Alternate: Res Smoke 3
IVs

+ATK / -HP or -DEF

SFierce Stance 3
Alternate: Brazen Atk/Spd 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Blue-Crow Tome (+Eff) 

Assist: Reposition 

Special: Glimmer 

Passive A: Close Foil / Close Counter 

Passive B: Vantage 

Passive C: Pulse Smoke / Res Smoke

Sacred Seal: Fierce Stance / Brazen Atk/Spd 

  • Blue-Crow Tome allows Ursula to become an effective Vantage sweeper in Aether Raids offense. With this weapon, Ursula gains a bonus to Attack during combat equal to the total amount of debuffs inflicted on the enemy. However, Ursula will need support from units such as Aversa, Iago, Temari wielders, and Sabotage users to apply these debuffs, as she cannot reliably debuff on her own and needs her passive slots. 
  • Close Foil/Counter is vital for this set, as it allows Ursula to counterattack against melee enemies (Close Foil grants Ursula +5 Atk/Def but prevents her from counterattacking against Dragons; however, Dragons are very uncommon on Aether Raids defense, so this isn't much of an issue). In combination with Vantage, Ursula can get the opportunity to OHKO both melee and ranged units before they can attack, which is important because Ursula’s bulk is too poor to take multiple hits.
  • Fierce Stance is Ursula’s most consistent Attack-increasing Sacred Seal, granting +6 Attack on Enemy Phase. However, Brazen Atk/Spd is another great option, granting +7 Atk/Spd regardless of phase if Ursula’s HP is ≤ 80%; given that Vantage already requires Ursula’s HP to be ≤ 75%, it should be relatively easy to activate. Glimmer is Ursula’s strongest Special that takes advantage of Ursula’s potentially massive attack, as its bonus damage scales based on Blue-Crow Tome’s bonus Attack. 
  • For Ursula’s C slot, she can opt to use Pulse Smoke to prevent enemies from OHKOing her with strong Specials before she reaches Vantage range. However, Res Smoke is a strong alternative if she doesn’t have a support partner that inflicts a Resistance debuff to foes.
  • One thing to note with Blue-Crow Tome is its Cavalry-effectiveness. While this may seem borderline trivial in PvE, Eliwood and Brave Roy are popular frontliners thanks to Blazing Durandal. Space control maps with Cavalry units and Cavalry-line maps are also prevalent, which makes Blue-Crow Tome’s Cavalry-effectiveness valuable.

Behind-the-Scenes Shadow (Support)

Build by Chibi_Chu
Silver Goblet+ (+Res)
Alternate: Silver Goblet+ (+Spd)
A Fury (3 or 4)
Alternate: Fort. Def/Res 3
Reposition
Alternate: Rally Atk/Spd+
B Chill Atk 3
Alternate: Atk/Spd Ruse 3
Moonbow C Distant Guard 3
Alternate: Close Guard 3
IVs

Flexible

SDistant Guard 3
Alternate: Drive Res 2

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Silver Goblet+ (+RES or +SPD)

Assist: Reposition / Rally Atk/Spd+ 

Special: Moonbow 

Passive A: Fury (3 or 4) / Fort. Def/Res 3 

Passive B: Chill Atk / Atk/Spd Ruse / Chill Atk/Res / Atk/Spd Link

Passive C: Distant Guard / Close Guard 

Sacred Seal: Distant Guard / Drive Res

  • Because Ursula can be easily merged (thanks to her GHB and Heroic Grails), she can be utilized as a high-merge, high-budget support unit.
  • The combination of Silver Goblet and 2 Distant Guards allows Ursula to grant +12 Def/Res to allies when they defend against ranged enemies. Alternatively, Ursula could run a combination of Close and Distant Guard effects to ensure she grants defensive buffs regardless of the enemy’s range, even if it’s not as drastic. 
  • As a support unit, Ursula values survivability over all else. As such, Fury and Fort. Def/Res 3 are fantastic options, both of which increasing her defensive stats in case she needs to take an enemy attack.
  • Ursula’s B slot can depend on her Assist skill. If using a movement Assist such as Reposition, her B slot can be a Link skill, which increases both Ursula’s and her ally’s stats by +6 to 2 stats whenever she uses the movement Assist skill on/with them. If using a Rally, she can use a Ruse skill, inflicting -5 to 2 stats and the Guard status on all enemies within cardinal directions of Ursula and the unit she rallied (or the unit that rallied Ursula and herself). However, regardless of her Assist, Chill skills are fantastic options, as they don’t require Ursula to use a specific Assist.

The Fang's Swift Justice (Offensive Blade Tome)

Build by Chibi_Chu
Blárblade+ A Swift Sparrow (2 or 3)
Alternate: Atk/Spd Push 4
Reposition
Alternate: Ardent Sacrifice
B Desperation 3
Alternate: Lull Atk/Res 3
Glimmer C Res Smoke 3
Alternate: Hone Cavalry
IVs

+ATK or +SPD / -HP or -DEF

SSwift Sparrow 2
Alternate: Darting Blow 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Blárblade+ 

Assist: Reposition / Flexible 

Special: Glimmer 

Passive A: Swift Sparrow (2 or 3) / Atk/Spd Push 4 / Fury (3 or 4)

Passive B: Desperation / Lull Atk/Res 

Passive C: Res Smoke / Hone Cavalry / Flexible 

Sacred Seal: Swift Sparrow / Darting Blow

  • Ursula’s middling 29 Attack can be patched by a Blade tome, which grants Ursula bonus damage equal to the total of her visible buffs. As with most Blade tome sets, Glimmer is chosen as Ursula’s Special because it scales based on bonus damage granted from the tome. However, note that Ursula becomes reliant on team support for visible buffs.
  • As an offensive unit, Ursula wants skills that increase her Attack and Speed as much as possible so she can deal high amounts of damage and consistently perform follow-up attacks. Swift Sparrow, Atk/Spd Push 4, and Fury are all excellent choices, with the former’s condition being that she initiates and the latter 2 having recoil damage after combat. Note that Atk/Spd Push 4 only activates if Ursula’s HP is ≥ 25% and the recoil damage can help Ursula reach Desperation range.
  • Because Ursula struggles to OHKO even with a Blade tome and her bulk is unreliable, she greatly appreciates Desperation. This skill allows Ursula to perform her follow-up attack before the enemy can counterattack if her HP is ≤ 75%, helping her overcome her low bulk and inability to OHKO. Alternatively, Ursula could neutralize the enemy’s Attack and Resistance buffs and inflict -3 Atk/Res during combat with Lull Atk/Res, improving Ursula’s survivability and damage output.
  • Ursula’s C slot is flexible, although Res Smoke is a great choice to increase the damage output of both herself and her magical allies. Hone Cavalry is a nice alternative if using Ursula with other Cavalry allies, granting them +6 Atk/Spd when hey are adjacent to Ursula to start the turn.

Strengths

Workable Speed

While 32 Speed isn’t great, it’s still acceptable and allows Ursula to perform follow-up attacks with Speed support.

Cavalry strengths

3 movement and access to Cavalry buffs greatly benefit Ursula. The former grants Ursula greater positioning capabilities and reach, while the latter is especially useful if utilizing a Blade tome.

Free-to-play advantages

Thankfully, Ursula’s GHB is part of a weekly rotation. As such, every player has the opportunity to receive 3 Ursulas just for completing every difficulty of her GHB. This dramatically helps Ursula’s availability and mergeability, as she doesn’t need to be summoned with Orbs based on a random chance and can instead be purchased with Heroic Grails. Because of her inability to get IVs, Ursula’s first merge also grants her an additional +1 HP, Speed, and Resistance.

Blue-Crow Tome

In update 4.4.0, Ursula received her very own personal tome, the Blue-Crow Tome. Blue-Crow Tome’s base effect is Cavalry-effectiveness, with its +Eff refine granting Ursula an Attack bonus during combat equal to the total of the enemy’s debuffs. With this, Ursula can potentially become a dangerous Aether Raids unit, as she’s able to take out popular frontliners Eliwood and Brave Roy while Vantage sweeping on offense; alternatively, she can be a part of the popular Cavalry-line strategy on defense, punishing supertanks with high stats via panicked buffs or Chill skills/structures.

Weaknesses

Awful physical bulk

With 35 HP and 19 Defense, Ursula is prone to being OHKO’d by physical attacks. As such, she’ll need to run Desperation for Player Phase sets to avoid being KO’d by a physical counterattack. For Enemy Phase sets, she may need to get hurt on purpose from Bolt Traps in Aether Raids or taking an enemy attack.

Middling Attack

With an unimpressive 29 Attack, Ursula is reliant on bonus Attack from Blue-Crow Tome or Blárblade to consistently deal high amounts of damage.

Free-to-play disadvantages

As a F2P unit, Ursula lacks summonability with Orbs. Players that have already invested Heroic Grails into a different F2P unit may not have the Grails to merge Ursula for a long period of time.

Cavalry shortcomings

Trenches and forests frequently appear on maps and can easily turn Ursula’s cavalry status into a burden, as her movement will be limited. Cavalry units are also locked out of many useful skills such as Null C-Disrupt and Null Follow-Up. Cavalry-effective weapons are almost guaranteed to put a stop to Ursula’s assassinations as well.

Inability to reliably debuff

While it’s nice to receive an Attack bonus during combat equal to the total of the enemy’s debuffs, actually applying those debuffs can be difficult. Ursula’s mediocre 30 Resistance prevents her from consistently using Sabotage and Ploy skills, so she has to rely on her allies and Aether Raids structures to debuff for her. This can be incredibly inconsistent depending on the offense/defense team, making Ursula’s performance varied depending on the enemy’s team and positioning.

Weapon Skills

Weapons SP Rng. Mt.
Thunder
Learns by default at 1 ★
Unlocks at 1 ★
Blue Tome Users Only
50 2 4
Elthunder
Learns by default at 3 ★
Unlocks at 2 ★
Blue Tome Users Only
100 2 6
Blárwolf

Effective against cavalry units.

Learns by default at 4 ★
Unlocks at 3 ★
Blue Tome Users Only
200 2 6
Blárwolf+

Effective against cavalry units.

Learns by default at 5 ★
Unlocks at 5 ★
Blue Tome Users Only
300 2 10
Blue-Crow Tome

Effective against cavalry foes.

Unlocks at 5 ★
Non-Inheritable skill.
400 2 14
Weapon Evolution
Weapon Upgrades
Weapon Upgrades

Special Skills

Special Skills SP Turns
Rising Thunder

Before combat this unit initiates, foes in an area near target
take damage equal to (unit's Atk minus foe's Def or Res).

Learns by default at 4 ★
Unlocks at 3 ★
Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
150 4
Growing Thunder

Before combat initiates, foes in a wide area around the target take damage equal to
(unit's Atk minus foe's Def or Res).

Unlocks at 4 ★
Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
300 4

Passive Skills

Passive Skills SP Slot
Death Blow 1

If unit initiates combat, grants Atk+2 during combat.

Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
Unlocks at 3 ★
50
A
Death Blow 2

If unit initiates combat, grants Atk+4 during combat.

Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
100
A
Death Blow 3

If unit initiates combat, grants Atk+6 during combat.

Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
200
A
Threaten Res 1

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

Inheritable by all units.
50
C
Threaten Res 2

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

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

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

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
200
C

Other Info

Origin
Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade

Banners Featured In

None

Official Hero Artwork