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New Year Selkie

Analysis by lordhelpme
New Year Selkie - New Year's Spirit

5

Obtainable as a 5 only

Hero Stats

Max Avg Total Stats at Lvl 40
161
HP 35
ATK 31
SPD 39
DEF 16
RES 40

Stat Variations

Level 1 Stat Variation
5★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 15 6 10 2 9
Middle 16 7 11 3 10
High 17 8 12 4 11

Level 40 Stat Variations
5★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 32 28 36 12 37
Middle 35 31 39 16 40
High 39 34 42 19 44

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

  • +ATK: New Year Selkie’s Attack is a bit on the lower side, so increasing it with an Asset is a great choice to improve upon its mediocre base value. Alongside the potential +7 true damage boost she can obtain from her PRF, this allows her to be a much more consistent damage dealer than her initial statline may imply; this is especially important for defensively oriented builds to maximize her healing potential. 
  • +RES: Much of New Year Selkie’s functionality derives from her ability to consistently maintain high levels of Resistance (specifically a ten-point advantage over her opponent) to benefit from New Foxkit Fang’s varied effects, making a Resistance Asset a great choice as well to maximize her PRF. This also makes her even more resilient to magical damage and comes as a four-point Asset to boot. 
  • +SPD: Boasting an incredible base Speed stat of 39, New Year Selkie is exceptionally fast and certainly appreciates boosting it further with an Asset to further develop her ability to perform and deny follow-up attacks. This plays well with both offensively and defensively oriented set-ups, allowing it to prove useful for most builds. 

Neutral 

  • HP: New Year Selkie’s HP may not be particularly impressive but due to how the damage reduction from her PRF is calculated, she actually loses more bulk from taking an HP Flaw than she would from a Defense Flaw. That being said, an HP Flaw remains an acceptable alternative if no other option is available. 

Flaws 

  • -DEF: New Year Selkie’s Defense stat is nothing short of abysmal and can be dropped safely with a Flaw as doing so will hardly impact her overall performance. In addition, thanks to the potential 40% damage reduction she can obtain via New Foxkit Fang, the impact of her low Defense can be mitigated to a significant extent. 

Skill Sets

Into the Moonless Dawn (Defensive Tank)

Build by
Recommended
New Foxkit Fang A Distant Counter
Alternate: Distant Ward
Reposition B Lull Atk/Def 3
Noontime
Alternate: Sol
C Pulse Smoke 3
Alternate: Atk Smoke 3
IVsSSwift Stance 2

Show Explanation/Analysis

Preferred IV: +ATK or +RES or +SPD / -DEF

This build places a defensive focus on New Year Selkie’s intended playstyle and aims to maximize her performance in the Enemy Phase, particularly for use in Aether Raids Offense. A +ATK IV is always a reliable choice to enhance her damage output (with this being particularly standout when equipped with a healing Special), though a +RES IV is also remarkable for the four-point boost it provides and immense synergy with New Foxkit Fang. A +SPD IV may also be considered here to grant her an additional depth of survivability beyond her damage reduction and more easily ward off incoming follow-up attacks. 

Weapon: New Foxkit Fang

  • New Foxkit Fang boasts numerous effects that cumulatively lend it quite well to this build’s intended playstyle. Notably, it is one of the few beast weapons in the game to come with a built-in Slaying effect. While this itself may not be particularly exciting, it remains a useful component of her weapon that allows her to quickly unleash Special activations for increased damage output or healing. 

  • This weapon also comes with two other crucial effects in the form of a substantial boost to her own damage AND enemy damage reduction (including damage incurred from AoE Specials) based on the difference between her Resistance stat and her opponent’s. At maximum potency (which requires that she have a ten-point Resistance advantage), she can benefit from a whopping +7 damage per hit and reduces incoming damage by a significant 40%. 

  • This translates to an impressive improvement to her overall performance and while it may seem rather unwieldy to consistently maintain such an advantage over her opponent, her base Resistance stat of 40 renders it rather trivial -- especially when taking her access to class-exclusive buffs and four-point +RES IV into consideration. 

Assist: Reposition / Flexible 

Special: Noontime / Sol / Iceberg / Moonbow

  • Healing Specials are a great choice to enhance New Year Selkie’s survivability, though this can leave her damage output somewhat lacking so it’s crucial to provide her with an ample amount of support; however, as she should already be receiving such support regardless (especially if using her as a “supertank” in Aether Raids Offense), this isn’t really a detriment. 

  • Noontime is ideal as her PRF’s built-in Slaying effect allows her to activate it on every counterattack, but Sol can be considered if giving her some form of accelerated cooldown support (namely via Brave Lucina’s refined Geirskögul) as it will then activate at the same rate. 

  • If healing is not a concern, her native Iceberg can be kept to consistently grant her a significant +20 damage boost each time upon activation, assuming neutral Resistance. In exchange for losing out on Iceberg’s sheer firepower, Moonbow makes for a notable choice as well for its low cooldown and effectiveness against bulky foes. 

Passive A: Distant Counter / Distant Ward

  • Although her native Distant Ward remains a fine choice of skill on a budget, the fact that it does not allow New Year Selkie to counterattack against bow or dagger wielders (as its applications are restricted solely to incoming magical threats) makes Distant Counter a vastly superior option to maximize her versatility in terms of the types of opponents she can handle. If it is unavailable, though, Distant Ward can be kept. 

Passive B: Lull Atk/Def 

  • Lull Atk/Def is a fantastic B slot skill to utilize that simultaneously improves her durability and overall damage output through the in-combat debuffs it applies, on top of its negation of enemy Attack and Defense visible buffs. This can prove especially useful when facing off against opponents who are reliant on such support to function properly and can quickly turn the battle in her favor. 

Passive C: Pulse Smoke / Atk Smoke / Def Smoke / Odd Res Wave / Flexible 

  • Smoke skills are standard picks for defensively oriented setups and help strengthen New Year Selkie’s performance notably when attempting to engage multiple opponents in a single Enemy Phase. Pulse Smoke is particularly strong when utilizing her in Aether Raids Offense as this helps her quickly neuter the effectiveness of teams centered around quick or instant Special activations, such as Infantry Pulse set-ups. Atk Smoke and Def Smoke are good options as well. 

  • Otherwise, feel free to use anything available here, with class-exclusive buffs always being solids skills when running her alongside other cavalry or beast units. Her native Odd Res Wave is a decent budget choice that helps solidify the use of New Foxkit Fang while granting her some self-sufficiency. 

Sacred Seal: Swift Stance / Warding Stance / Fierce Stance / Darting Stance / Quick Riposte

  • In accordance with this build’s intended playstyle, seals that improve her combat prowess in the Enemy Phase are highly recommended here. Swift Stance is likely her best option as it builds upon two of her most crucial stats simultaneously, but Warding Stance, Fierce Stance, and Darting Stance are potential contenders as well. 

  • Although it may seem unnecessary given her innately high Speed, Quick Riposte can be considered to assist Selkie’s matchups against other, equally fast opponents that would otherwise enforce a Speed-tie; however, be careful to not be overly reliant on this seal as this then leaves her much more susceptible to enemies equipped with Null Follow-Up.

Fanning the Foxflames (Offensive Nuke)

Build by
New Foxkit Fang A Fury (3 or 4)
Alternate: Swift Sparrow 3
Reposition B Lull Atk/Spd 3
Alternate: Desperation 3
Galeforce
Alternate: Iceberg
C Def Smoke 3
Alternate: Odd Res Wave 3
IVsSHeavy Blade 3
Alternate: Swift Sparrow 2

Show Explanation/Analysis

Preferred IV: +ATK or +SPD or +RES / -DEF

New Year Selkie can also perform exceptionally well when geared towards in the Player Phase, as this is where her extended mobility and the unique buffs she gains upon transformation truly shine. An offensive IV set (i.e. +ATK or +SPD) is ideal to maximize her overall damage output but given how she will still be dependent on her PRF for much of her functionality (specifically its potential raw damage boost), a +RES IV may be used here as well. 

Weapon: New Foxkit Fang

Assist: Reposition / Flexible

Special: Galeforce / Iceberg / Luna / Moonbow

  • Galeforce is a phenomenal Special choice here that enables New Year Selkie to make the greatest use of her three-tile movement and serves to maximize her maneuverability in the Player Phase; this can be indispensable for certain strategies in modes such as Aether Raids, but should see good use pretty much everywhere. 

    • However, in order to fully charge it in a single round of combat, New Year Selkie must be equipped with the Heavy Blade seal. While this may seem rather unwieldy given her middling base Attack stat, her transformation boosts and access to class-exclusive buffs make this much more consistent than initially thought. 
    • It’s worth noting, though, that unlike several of her equestrian contemporaries, New Year Selkie can activate Galeforce regardless of whether her opponent can counterattack thanks to her PRF’s Slaying effect; this also provides her with the freedom of equipping Desperation if so desired. 
  • Should one wish to equip her with a Special that actually deals damage, Iceberg and Luna are both strong options that grant her notable boosts upon Special activations without having particularly long cooldowns. For more frequent activations, Moonbow should be equipped instead. 

Passive A: Fury / Swift Sparrow / Atk/Spd Solo / Brazen Atk/Spd 

  • Fury is New Year Selkie’s ideal choice of A slot skill as it increases her Resistance in addition to her offensive stats, enhancing her overall performance as an offensive nuke across the board. Most standard offensive A slots work well here also, with some notable options being Swift Sparrow, Atk/Spd Solo, and Brazen Atk/Spd. 

Passive B: Lull Atk/Spd / Wings of Mercy / Hit and Run / Desperation 

  • Lull Atk/Spd is a phenomenal skill that offers strengthened survivability and follow-up potential simultaneously, applying solid in-combat debuffs on her opponent as well as negating any Attack and Speed field buffs that they may possess; this also lets her make much more consistent use of the Heavy Blade seal. 

  • For Galeforce-centered setups in Aether Raids, Wings of Mercy makes for another prime choice that further expands on New Year Selkie’s mobility by allowing her to teleport in a space adjacent to a weakened ally, helping her attack from much more favorable positions than otherwise possible. Hit and Run serves a similar purpose in that it also increases her mobility but serves a more defensive purpose, and increase her likelihood of being able to escape enemy range after activating Galeforce

  • Desperation is a standard choice on most offensively oriented nukes, working great here to let New Year Selkie successfully engage in extended rounds of combat without fear of enemy counterattacks; this pairs quite nicely with Fury’s post-combat chip damage. 

Passive C: Def Smoke / Spd Smoke / Atk Smoke / Odd Res Wave / Flexible

  • If using Galeforce or providing her with refresher support, Smoke skills make for good options as they make it much easier for her to take down multiple foes in the same turn. Of those available, Def Smoke and Spd Smoke are ideal to directly heighten her offensive presence, but Atk Smoke can work too to build upon her survivability and ability to use the Heavy Blade seal. 

  • Otherwise, feel free to use anything available here, with class-exclusive buffs always being solids skills when running her alongside other cavalry or beast units. Her native Odd Res Wave is a decent budget choice that helps solidify the use of New Foxkit Fang while granting her some self-sufficiency. 

Sacred Seal: Heavy Blade / Swift Sparrow / Sturdy Blow / Darting Blow / Brazen Atk/Spd

  • The Heavy Blade seal synergizes fantastically with this build’s intended playstyle and augments her offensive presence through faster Special activation. Furthermore, it is absolutely necessary to successfully use Galeforce within a single round of combat. 

  • She can also take the Swift Sparrow, Sturdy Blow, Darting Blow, or the Brazen Atk/Spd seals to build upon her offensive stats directly, though do keep in mind that Brazen Atk/Spd has the drawback of requiring some set-up before becoming functionally useful.

Strengths

New Foxkit Fang

In addition to a built-in Slaying effect (which is always useful for frequent Special activations), New Foxkit Fang simultaneously grants her a massive damage boost and reduces damage incurred based on the difference between her and her opponent’s Resistance. This is undoubtedly her single most defining feature as it builds upon her offensive strengths quite nicely while helping alleviate the impact of her poor physical bulk. 

Fantastic Speed and Resistance

New Year Selkie’s Speed and Resistance stats are both exceptionally high (with the latter even being a four-point Asset), making her adept at taking on magical damage and both performing and denying follow-up attacks. This combination of traits alongside the power of her exclusive weapon render her extremely effective at taking down even the fiercest of magical threats. 

Colorless

Boasting the privilege of being one of the few colorless melee units in the game, New Year Selkie enjoys the benefits of neutral match-ups across the board (with the rare exception of units wielding a Raven effect), grants her great deal overall applicability -- moreso than many of her direct comparables. 

Beast

In addition to access to class-exclusive buffs, New Year Selkie’s status as a beast unit gives her the unique ability to transform. Upon transformation, this allows her to gain a solid +2 Attack but moreover, inflict a considerable -4/-4 Atk/Def in-combat debuff and deny her opponent’s follow-up attack upon initiation; this lets her establish a strong Player Phase preference. 

Cavalry

As a cavalry unit, she has access to even more class-exclusive buffs and several distinct advantages, most notable of which being fantastic mobility. 

Versatile

New Year Selkie’s versatility cannot be understated. With an excellent exclusive weapon and wide array of complementary strengths at her disposal, she can run an assortment of different builds to good effect and fit well into various team compositions. 

Weaknesses

Cavalry

Being a cavalry unit comes attached to numerous drawbacks and is essentially a double-edged sword. Aside from making her quite susceptible to any source of cavalry-effective damage (the likes of which has become increasingly more common) and unable to traverse certain terrain, this also locks her out of using several powerful skills like Null Follow-Up and Null C-Disrupt. 

Limited Availability

As a seasonal unit, one will typically face immense difficulty in acquiring optimal IVs and merges for New Year Selkie, making it difficult to recommend investing too heavily into her over more readily available alternatives. 

Weapon Skills

Weapons SP Rng. Mt.
Whelp (Cavalry)

At start of turn, if unit is adjacent to only beast or dragon allies or if unit is not adjacent to any ally, unit transforms (otherwise, unit reverts). If unit transforms, grants Atk+2, and if unit initiates combat, inflicts Atk/Def-4 on foe during combat and foe cannot make a follow-up attack.

Learns by default at 1 ★
Unlocks at 1 ★
Beast (Cavalry Only)
50 1 4
Yearling (Cavalry)

At start of turn, if unit is adjacent to only beast or dragon allies or if unit is not adjacent to any ally, unit transforms (otherwise, unit reverts). If unit transforms, grants Atk+2, and if unit initiates combat, inflicts Atk/Def-4 on foe during combat and foe cannot make a follow-up attack.

Learns by default at 3 ★
Unlocks at 2 ★
Beast (Cavalry Only)
100 1 6
Adult (Cavalry)

At start of turn, if unit is adjacent to only beast or dragon allies or if unit is not adjacent to any ally, unit transforms (otherwise, unit reverts). If unit transforms, grants Atk+2, and if unit initiates combat, inflicts Atk/Def-4 on foe during combat and foe cannot make a follow-up attack.

Learns by default at 4 ★
Unlocks at 3 ★
Beast (Cavalry Only)
200 1 9
New Foxkit Fang

Accelerates Special trigger (cooldown count-1).

If unit's Res > foe's Res, deals damage = 70% of difference between stats. (Maximum bonus of +7 damage.) If unit's Res > foe's Res, reduces damage from attacks during combat and from area-of-effect Specials (excluding Røkkr area-of-effect Specials) by percentage = difference between stats × 4 (max 40%).

At start of turn, if unit is adjacent to only beast or dragon allies or if unit is not adjacent to any ally, unit transforms (otherwise, unit reverts). If unit transforms, grants Atk+2, and if unit initiates combat, inflicts Atk/Def-4 on foe during combat and foe cannot make a follow-up attack.

Learns by default at 5 ★
Unlocks at 5 ★
Non-Inheritable skill.
400 1 14
Weapon Evolution
Weapon Upgrades
Weapon Upgrades

Special Skills

Special Skills SP Turns
Chilling Wind

Boosts damage dealt by 50% of unit's Res.

Learns by default at 4 ★
Unlocks at 3 ★
Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
100 4
Iceberg

Boosts damage dealt by 50% of unit's Res.

Unlocks at 4 ★
Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
200 3

Passive Skills

Passive Skills SP Slot
Distant Ward

If magic, staff, or dragonstone foe initiates combat, grants Atk/Res+5 to unit during combat and unit can counterattack regardless of foe's range.

Restricted to melee units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
300
A
Sabotage Spd 1

At start of turn, if any foe's Res ≤ unit's Res-3 and that foe is adjacent to another foe, inflicts Spd-3 on that foe through its next action.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 1 ★
60
B
Sabotage Spd 2

At start of turn, if any foe's Res ≤ unit's Res-3 and that foe is adjacent to another foe, inflicts Spd-5 on that foe through its next action.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 2 ★
120
B
Sabotage Spd 3

At start of turn, if any foe's Res ≤ unit's Res-3 and that foe is adjacent to another foe, inflicts Spd-7 on that foe through its next action.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
240
B
Odd Res Wave 1

At start of odd-numbered turns, grants Res+2 to unit and adjacent allies for 1 turn. (Bonus granted to unit even if no allies are adjacent.)

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 3 ★
60
C
Odd Res Wave 2

At start of odd-numbered turns, grants Res+4 to unit and adjacent allies for 1 turn. (Bonus granted to unit even if no allies are adjacent.)

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
120
C
Odd Res Wave 3

At start of odd-numbers turns, grants Res+6 to unit and adjacent allies for 1 turn. (Bonus granted to unit even if no allies are adjacent.)

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
240
C

Other Info

Origin
Fire Emblem Fates

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