GamePress
Analysis by Chibi_Chu
Iago - Nohr's Tactician

Hero Stats

Max Avg Total Stats at Lvl 40
162
HP 42
ATK 38
SPD 27
DEF 23
RES 32

Stat Variations

Level 1 Stat Variation
5★
4★
3★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 17 9 4 5 7
Middle 18 10 5 6 8
High 19 11 6 7 9

Level 40 Stat Variations
5★
4★
3★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 39 35 23 20 29
Middle 42 38 27 23 32
High 45 41 30 26 35

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

Cowardly Tactician (Aether Raids Offense Support)

Build by Chibi_Chu
Recommended
Iago's Tome A R Duel Infantry 3
Alternate: HP +5
Smite
Alternate: Reposition
B Even Pulse Tie 3
Alternate: Spd/Res Link 3
Iceberg C Atk Opening 3
Alternate: Joint Drive Atk
IVs

+HP or +ATK or +RES / -SPD or -DEF

SHP +5
Alternate: HP/Atk 2

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Iago’s Tome

Assist: Smite / Reposition 

Special: Iceberg 

Passive A: R Duel Infantry / HP +5 

Passive B: Even Pulse Tie / Spd/Res Link 

Passive C: Atk Opening / Joint Drive Atk

Sacred Seal: HP +5 / HP/Atk 2 

  • This set aims to shut down common Aether Raids defense teams and provide support for supertank strategies.
  • Iago’s Tome will be much more helpful on even turns than odd turns because of the requirements to activate the tome’s effects depending on the turn. On odd turns, if Iago has 3+ more HP than an enemy that is not adjacent to another enemy, they are inflicted with Atk/Spd -4 and a Guard status. On even turns, if Iago has 3+ more HP than an enemy that is adjacent to another enemy, they are inflicted with Def/Res -4 and a Panic status. Given that most Aether Raids defense teams have every unit adjacent to at least one other unit to prevent ranges from being snipable/baitable and to grant in-combat buffs to frontline tanks, the odd turn debuff will usually be useless until the team is provoked.
  • An extremely prevalent Aether Raids defense strategy revolves around Infantry Pulse allowing multiple units to have their Specials ready on turn 1. To make these teams more manageable to deal with, Iago can use Even Pulse Tie, which inflicts Special cooldown +2 on the foe with the lowest HP if their Special is ready and Iago has more HP than them. Alternatively, Iago could run a Link skill such as Spd/Res Link to Smite supertanks into the enemy lines with +6 to at least 2 stats.
  • Given that Iago potentially has 2 skills that are highly dependent on his HP (Iago’s Tome and Even Pulse Tie), skills such as R Duel Infantry and HP +5 are key to ensure he activates these effects as consistently as possible.

Conniving Saboteur (Sabotage Support)

Build by Chibi_Chu
Recommended
Iago's Tome A HP/Res 2
Alternate: Fort. Def/Res 3
Smite
Alternate: Reposition
B Sabotage Atk 3
Alternate: Sabotage Spd 3
Iceberg C Atk Opening 3
Alternate: Joint Drive Atk
IVs

+HP or +RES / -SPD or -DEF

SHP/Res 2

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Iago’s Tome 

Assist: Smite / Reposition  

Special: Iceberg 

Passive A: HP/Res 2 / Fort. Def/Res 3

Passive B: Sabotage Atk / Sabotage Spd 

Passive C: Atk Opening / Joint Drive Atk 

Sacred Seal: HP/Res 2

  • This set is centered around allowing Iago to inflict debuffs on adjacent enemies as consistently as possible, as enemies (especially in Aether Raids) are more often adjacent to each other than separated. 
  • Iago will perform much stronger on even turns than on odd turns because of the conditions to activate his tome’s effects depending on the turn. On odd turns, if Iago has 3+ more HP than an enemy that is not adjacent to another enemy, they are inflicted with Atk/Spd -4 and a Guard status. On even turns, if Iago has 3+ more HP than an enemy that is adjacent to another enemy, they are inflicted with Def/Res -4 and a Panic status. Sabotage skills also rely on enemies being adjacent to each other, although they can activate on any turn.
  • Because Iago’s Tome relies on Iago’s HP being +3 compared to the enemy’s and Sabotages rely on Iago’s Resistance being +3 compared to the enemy’s, skills that increase Iago’s HP and Resistance are vital. As such, HP/Res 2 and Fort. Def/Res 3 are excellent to increase his consistency. 
  • The rest of Iago’s skills are relatively unimportant. Iceberg is his strongest Special because this set focuses on stacking Iago’s Resistance as high as possible, and both Joint Drive Atk and Atk Opening are strong choices to increase an ally’s firepower.

Nohr's Tactical Nuke (Offensive Blade Tome)

Build by Chibi_Chu
Rauðrblade+ A Death Blow (3 or 4)
Reposition B Lull Atk/Res 3
Alternate: Chill Res 3
Glimmer C Res Smoke 3
IVs

+ATK / -SPD or -DEF

SDeath Blow 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Rauðrblade+ 

Assist: Reposition / Flexible 

Special: Glimmer 

Passive A: Death Blow (3 or 4)

Passive B: Lull Atk/Res / Chill Res

Passive C: Res Smoke 

Sacred Seal: Death Blow 

  • Iago’s great 38 Attack allows him to run a Player Phase nuking set that focuses on OHKOing enemies. Rauðrblade replaces Iago’s Tome because Rauðrblade grants bonus damage equal to the total of Iago’s visible buffs, meaning Iago’s damage ceiling is significantly higher than it would be with Iago’s Tome. 
  • Given that this set focuses on OHKOing on Player Phase, Iago wants to focus on increasing his Attack and decreasing the enemy’s Resistance by as much as possible to secure OHKOs. As such, Death Blow in both Iago’s A and S slots is fantastic, as Death Blow increases Iago’s Attack when he initiates. To further secure OHKOs, Glimmer is chosen as Iago’s Special because its bonus damage scales with Rauðrblade’s bonus damage.
  • Lull Atk/Res is an excellent B slot for Iago, neutralizing the enemy’s Attack and Resistance buffs and inflicting -3 Atk/Res on the enemy during combat. -3 Resistance increases Iago’s damage output, while -3 Attack increases his survivability in case he doesn’t OHKO and needs to take counterattacks. Chill Res is a strong alternative, as while it only targets the enemy with the highest Resistance, it can help Iago score kills he wouldn’t otherwise be able to with Lull Atk/Res.
  • Res Smoke inflicts -7 Resistance on all enemies within 2 spaces of the target, increasing the damage output of Iago and his magical allies.

I bleed, sir; but not kill'd. (Vantage Sweeper)

Build by Chibi_Chu
Rauðrblade+ A Close Foil
Alternate: Close Counter
Reposition B Vantage 3
Glimmer C Res Smoke 3
Alternate: Pulse Smoke 3
IVs

+ATK / -SPD or -DEF

SFierce Stance 3
Alternate: Brazen Atk/Res 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Rauðrblade+ 

Assist: Reposition / Flexible 

Special: Glimmer 

Passive A: Close Foil / Close Counter 

Passive B: Vantage 

Passive C: Res Smoke / Pulse Smoke 

Sacred Seal: Fierce Stance / Brazen Atk/Res 

  • Thanks to Iago’s impressive 38 Attack, he can become an effective Vantage sweeper with the help of Rauðrblade. Rauðrblade adds the total of Iago’s visible buffs to his Attack, allowing him to reach sky-high damage if he is fully buffed. As with most Blade sets, Glimmer is chosen as the Special because its bonus damage scales with Rauðrblade’s damage increase. In order to become a reliable Enemy Phase sweeper, Iago needs 2 key skills: Close Foil/Counter and Vantage.
  • Close Foil and Close Counter allow Iago to counterattack against melee enemies, which is vital for his survivability; if he cannot counter, he also cannot activate Vantage and get the opportunity to OHKO the enemy before they attack him. Close Foil grants +5 Atk/Def at the cost of being unable to counterattack against Dragons, which is negligible in Aether Raids offense considering Dragons are very uncommon on defense teams.
  • Vantage is the second key skill for Enemy Phase sweepers that aren’t tanky enough to reliably survive several hits. Vantage allows Iago to counterattack before the enemy attacks if his HP is ≤ 75%, which is vital for circumventing his otherwise middling overall bulk. If Iago can OHKO the enemy before they can deal damage to him, then he doesn’t need to worry about stacking his bulk and can instead focus on dealing as much damage as possible.
  • Res Smoke is a fantastic C slot option, inflicting -7 Resistance on all enemies within 2 spaces of the target. An alternative is Pulse Smoke, which prevents Iago from being OHKO’d by units with Specials ready before his HP can drop into Vantage range by inflicting +1 Special cooldown to all enemies within 2 spaces of the target.
  • Fierce Stance and Brazen Atk/Res are both great options for Iago’s Sacred Seal. While the former always works on Enemy Phase and grants +6 Attack, the latter grants +7 Atk/Res if Iago’s HP is ≤ 80%, which synergizes well with Vantage’s HP requirement.

Strengths

Solid HP

With 42 HP, Iago will be able to consistently activate the effects of Iago’s Tome and skills that rely on high HP such as Sudden Panic and Panic Ploy. 

High Attack

Iago boasts a great 38 Attack, making him a solid choice for OHKO builds with Rauðrblade. He can also consistently pick off enemies with low HP to allow his allies to target other enemies or retreat.

Respectable Resistance and magical bulk

The combination of 42 HP and 32 Resistance adds to a respectable 73 magical bulk, helping Iago survive multiple magical attacks. 32 Resistance is especially nice, as with the help of merges, skills, and Blessings that grant extra Resistance, Iago can opt to use Sabotage and Ploy skills to synergize with Iago’s Tome and inflict more debuffs on enemies’ stats.

Iago’s Tome

Iago’s Tome is a very unique personal tome that synergizes well with his decent HP and his ability to use Sabotage and Ploy skills thanks to his sufficient Resistance. On odd turns, if Iago has 3+ more HP than an enemy that is not adjacent to another enemy, they are inflicted with Atk/Spd -4 and a Guard status. On even turns, if Iago has 3+ more HP than an enemy that is adjacent to another enemy, they are inflicted with Def/Res -4 and a Panic status. This allows Iago to play a turn-dependent support role that can make combat significantly easier for his allies through debuffs and statuses. While there aren’t any skills in particular that synergize well with his odd-turn effect, Sabotage Atk and Sabotage Spd synergize excellently with his even-turn effect, allowing Iago to inflict debuffs on 3 stats and a Panic status if the condition is met.

Infantry advantages

As an Infantry unit, Iago is able to use many valuable skills to increase his reliability and combat performance such as Bonus Doubler, Lull Atk/Res, Special Spiral, and Null C-Disrupt. He also rarely needs to concern himself with enemies having Infantry-effective weapons, as those are exceedingly rare.

Weaknesses

Disappointing Speed

Iago will struggle to perform follow-up attacks and avoid enemy follow-up attacks because of his disappointing 27 Speed. This also indirectly cuts into his already meager physical bulk and otherwise impressive magical bulk.

Low physical bulk

Due to his unremarkable 23 Defense, Iago’s physical bulk sits at a shaky 64. While this would be reliable if Iago could consistently avoid enemy follow-up attacks, his 27 Speed prevents him from doing so, making Iago very prone to being ORKO’d by most physical enemies. 

Iago’s Tome’s inconsistency

Whether Iago’s Tome inflicts Atk/Spd -4 and Guard or Def/Res -4 and Panic depends on whether the turn is odd or even and whether enemies are adjacent to each other or not. Because of this, Iago may not activate a useful effect depending on the turn, which is particularly detrimental in Aether Raids offense, a mode with a strict 7-turn victory condition. Most Aether Raids defense teams have every unit adjacent to another to receive in-combat buffs, making Iago’s Tome’s odd-turn effect worthless since it relies on enemies not being adjacent to each other.

Weapon Skills

Weapons SP Rng. Mt.
Flux
Red Tome Users Only
50 2 4
Ruin
Red Tome Users Only
100 2 6
Fenrir
Red Tome Users Only
200 2 9
Iago's Tome

Grants Res+3. At start of odd-numbered turns, if any foe's HP ≤ unit's HP-3 and that foe is not adjacent to another foe, inflicts Atk/Spd-4 and 【Guard】on that foe. At start of even- numbered turns, if any foe's HP ≤ unit's HP-3 and that foe is adjacent to another foe, inflicts Def/Res-4 and【Panic】on that foe.  【Guard】 Inflicts Special cooldown charge -1 on target per attack during combat through its next action. (Only highest value applied. Does not stack.)  【Panic】 Converts bonuses on target into penalties through its next action.

Non-Inheritable skill.
400 2 14
Weapon Evolution
Weapon Upgrades
Weapon Upgrades

Special Skills

Special Skills SP Turns
Rising Wind

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

Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
150 4
Blazing Wind

Before combat this unit initiates, foes in an area near target take damage equal to 1.5x (unit's Atk minus foe's Def or Res).

Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
300 4

Passive Skills

Passive Skills SP Slot
Attack +1

Grants Atk+1.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 1 ★
30
A
HP/Atk 1

Grants HP+3, Atk+1

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 2 ★
100
A
HP/Atk 2

Grants HP+4, Atk+2.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
200
A
Atk Opening 1

At start of turn, grants Atk+2 to ally with the highest Atk for 1 turn. (Excludes unit.)

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 3 ★
60
C
Atk Opening 2

At start of turn, grants Atk+4 to ally with the highest Atk for 1 turn. (Excludes unit.)

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
120
C
Atk Opening 3

At start of turn, grants Atk+6 to ally with the highest Atk for 1 turn. (Excludes unit.)

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
240
C

Other Info

Origin
Fire Emblem Fates

Banners Featured In

None