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Analysis by lordhelpme
Nina - Eye Spy

5

Obtainable as a 5 only

Hero Stats

Max Avg Total Stats at Lvl 40
151
HP 35
ATK 32
SPD 37
DEF 16
RES 31

Stat Variations

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

Level 40 Stat Variations
5★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 32 29 34 12 28
Middle 35 32 37 16 31
High 39 35 40 19 34

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

Skill Sets

Daydream (Defensive Generalist / Aether Raids Offense)

Build by lordhelpme
Recommended
Spy-Song Bow (+Eff) A Atk/Spd Solo (3 or 4)
Alternate: Atk/Res Solo (3 or 4)
Positional Assist B Null Follow-Up 3
Noontime
Alternate: Sol
C Pulse Smoke 3
Alternate: Atk Smoke 3
IVs

+SPD or +ATK or +RES or +DEF / Flexible

SAtk/Def Solo 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Spy-Song Bow (+EFF)

Assist: Positional Assist / Flexible

Special: Noontime / Sol / Moonbow  

Passive A: Atk/Spd Solo / Atk/Res Solo / Close Foil  

Passive B: Null Follow-Up / Lull Atk/Spd / Null C-Disrupt 

Passive C: Atk Smoke / Pulse Smoke / Joint Drive Skills / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Atk/Def Solo / Atk/Spd Solo / Spd/Res Solo / Mirror Stance / Swift Stance 

  • Nina’s access to Spy-Song Bow makes her an interesting option for an AR-O unit, with its assortment of effects—in tandem with her specialized statline—working well to help her shine. Her pairing of low HP and Defense may appear to clash with this role, but the flexibility of being ranged does give her the opportunity to safely eliminate melee threats during the initial Player Phase; Blessings, support, and investment will also help. 
  • Healing Specials work fantastically here to maximize Nina’s longevity through even further sustain on top of her Spy-Song Bow’s built-in healing. Noontime is great for instant activations on each counterattack, but Sol may be used instead if Brave Lucina support is available. If Spy-Song Bow’s healing is sufficient, Moonbow is an option for a consistent damage boost. 
  • Nina can leverage standard stat-boosting A slot skills to great effect due to her range making tanking melee threats potentially unnecessary. Of those available, Atk/Spd Solo provides Nina the most general usefulness through its massive offensive boost, though Atk/Res Solo is an option for magic specialization. At higher investment, Close Foil (or Close Counter) is a potential candidate to maximize her versatility.
  • Null Follow-Up is immensely useful to let Nina shut down foes with automatic follow-ups and/or follow-up negation—effects that are both ubiquitous and lethal in Aether Raids Defense teams. Although not quite as strong, Lull skills grant Nina a greater stat advantage over foes (with the most useful being Lull Atk/Spd), and Null C-Disrupt may be considered to handle Dazzling Staff healers. 
  • Smoke skills synergize wonderfully with Nina’s defensive playstyle; the AoE debuffs they aid her ability to trade blows with multiple foes at once. Atk Smoke further supplements her pure tanking capacity, but Pulse Smoke is a highly compelling choice to work around Infantry Pulse setups. For her Sacred Seal, anything that enhances her key stats—preferably a Solo or Stance skill—works excellently. 

Kiss Him, Not Me (Anti-Mage Tank)

Build by lordhelpme
Recommended
Spy-Song Bow (+Eff) A Mirror Stance (2 or 3)
Alternate: Distant Def (3 or 4)
Positional Assist B Null C-Disrupt 3
Noontime
Alternate: Moonbow
C Atk Smoke 3
Alternate: Spd Smoke 3
IVs

+SPD or +ATK or +RES 

SSpd/Res Solo 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Spy-Song Bow (+EFF)

Assist: Positional Assist / Flexible

Special: Moonbow / Noontime 

Passive A: Mirror Stance / Distant Def / Atk/Res Solo

Passive B: Null C-Disrupt / Mystic Boost / Lull Atk/Spd

Passive C: Atk Smoke / Smoke Skills / Joint Drive Skills / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Spd/Res Solo / Swift Stance / Mirror Stance / Distant Def / Mystic Boost 

  • Nina also has the recourse of focusing purely on countering incoming magical threats and adopting a purely defensive playstyle—which also makes it easier to consistently enable the positioning required for her refined Spy-Song Bow. A +SPD IV helps mitigate the amount of damage she takes by denying her opponent’s follow-up attack, but increasing Attack or Resistance are worthwhile considerations as well. 
  • Mirror Stance is an excellent A skill choice to fortify both Nina’s damage and magical durability, and even comes packed with built-in Guard in its third-tier version—something greatly useful for fighting mages with automatic doubles. Other options include Distant Def (for better archer matchups and buff negation with its fourth-tier version) and Atk/Res Solo
  • Since Nina’s Speed is high enough such that she should generally not need Quick Riposte (outside of wanting to break through Impact effects), her B slot is open to other powerful skills such as Null C-Disrupt to counter Dazzling Staff healers, Mystic Boost for more healing and broader anti-magic capabilities, and Lull Atk/Spd for a stat advantage.
  • Smoke skills are once again one of the prime recommendations for Nina’s choice of C skill, as they still complement a defensive playstyle perfectly. Joint Drive skills are also always welcome—if available, of course—to enhance Nina’s stats while offering some support to her allies. Otherwise, her C skill is flexible, as is her Sacred Seal which should be occupied by anything that enhances her key stats.

I Am Looking Disrespectfully (General Offense)

Build by lordhelpme
Spy-Song Bow (+Eff) A Sturdy Impact
Alternate: Fury (3 or 4)
Positional Assist B Null Follow-Up 3
Moonbow
Alternate: Iceberg
C Odd Atk Wave 3
Alternate: Spd Smoke 3
IVs

+SPD or +ATK

SAtk/Spd Solo 3
Alternate: Flashing Blade 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Spy-Song Bow (+EFF)

Assist: Positioning Assist / Flexible

Special: Moonbow / Iceberg / Luna

Passive A: Sturdy Impact / Atk/Spd Solo / Swift Sparrow / Fury 

Passive B: Null Follow-Up / Lull Atk/Spd 

Passive C: Wave Skills / Smoke Skills / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Atk/Spd Solo / Swift Sparrow / Death Blow / Atk/Def Solo / Flashing Blade

  • The Eye Spy can ditch a defensive-oriented set altogether—especially since Spy-Song Bow’s effects are not restricted to a particular phase—and go for a more aggressive approach instead. Enhancing either of her offensive stats here with an Asset is recommended to elevate her damage potential. 
  • Moonbow is a consistent Special choice that should generally activate in each round of combat—provided she performs a follow-up attack—but for stronger damage boosts, Luna and Iceberg can be considered. Specifically for those utilizing the Flashing Blade seal, Glacies can prove particularly potent and scales nicely with Nina’s Resistance. 
  • Sturdy Impact is one of Nina’s best A skills for an offensive set to circumvent her otherwise abysmal physical durability, granting +10 Defense and follow-up negation on top of an amble damage boost upon initiation. This is rather high investment, though, so standard offensive A-slots that are more readily available (Atk/Spd Solo, Swift Sparrow, Fury) can work as well. 
  • Since Spy-Song Bow’s healing clashes with Desperation’s low HP threshold, it’s generally best to use other B skills instead. Null Follow-Up is excellent to ensure that Nina’s doubles—which she is highly dependent on for her damage—regardless of any follow-up negation her opponent may have. Lulls are also good to break past enemy bonuses, though it’s worth noting that those that detract from her opponent’s Defense may prevent her weapon’s bonus damage from activating. 
  • This build’s C-slot is flexible, though Attack or Speed-increasing Wave skills are always solid candidates for increased firepower (or Smoke skills when refresher support is available). Aside from Flashing Blade for faster Special activations, any seal that boosts Nina’s key offensive stats is recommended.

Strengths

Spy-Song Bow

Nina’s exclusive Spy-Song Bow is surprisingly potent and rounds out the thief’s combat performance across the board through considerable upgrades to her native Shining Bow. The addition of a Slaying effect at base is solid—quicker access to Special activations is always appreciated—but the real strength of Spy-Song Bow lies in the staggering overall stat boost and on-hit healing it provides via its refinement. This lends itself well to both offensive and defensive playstyles and allows Nina to keep up with some of her competition despite her aged statline.

The main caveat of Spy-Song Bow’s benefits is the activation requirement, as it requires that Nina have two allies who are supported with one another within three spaces of her. Although that may initially seem somewhat unwieldy, the weapon’s wide radius makes the task of activating it relatively simple—especially in the context of Aether Raids, as her accompanying supports and/or Mythical allies can simply be made support-partners. 

Great Speed & Decent Resistance

Nina’s main two strengths in terms of her statline are her Speed and, to a lesser extent, Resistance. Her good Speed provides a good foundation for both performing and denying follow-up attacks, which has uses for offensive and defensive play, and her Resistance—while not necessarily impressive—does give some wiggle room for magic tanking. Her Attack is somewhat middling, but plenty serviceable nonetheless. 

Infantry Benefits

Nina’s infantry status comes as a significant boon in her favor, providing key access to several exclusive skills such as Null C-Disrupt and Null Follow-Up; this allows her to further expand upon her performance and gives great build flexibility to boot.

Versatile 

The general usefulness of her refined Spy-Song Bow in conjunction with her flexible statline and various skill options as an infantry unit makes Nina quite versatile, being capable of performing a variety of roles quite well to her own right. Her innate statline contributes to this quality a fair bit as well.

Weaknesses

Abysmal Physical Bulk

Nina’s HP and Defense stats are both incredibly lacking; with a neutral physical bulk of 51 at base, she is extremely weak to any form of physical damage or any foe with adaptive damage who can take advantage of that. Taking care of such threats during the Player Phase thus becomes quite important in order to safeguard her longevity. 

Lacks Accessibility 

Although she can certainly shine given the proper investment and merges, the issue is being able to provide Nina that investment to begin with given her scarce accessibility. Compared to her more readily available or simply innately stronger competition (e.g. Norne, Shinon, etc.), it may be difficult to justify using Nina altogether if such resources are not readily available.

Weapon Skills

Weapons SP Rng. Mt.
Iron Bow

Effective against flying units.

Learns by default at 1 ★
Unlocks at 1 ★
Only Inheritable by Bow users.
50 2 4
Steel Bow

Effective against flying units.

Learns by default at 3 ★
Unlocks at 2 ★
Only Inheritable by Bow users.
100 2 6
Shining Bow

Effective against flying foes. If foe's Def ≥ foe's Res+5, deals +7 damage.

Learns by default at 4 ★
Unlocks at 3 ★
Only Inheritable by Bow users.
200 2 8
Shining Bow+

Effective against flying foes. If foe's Def ≥ foe's Res+5, deals +7 damage.

Learns by default at 5 ★
Unlocks at 5 ★
Only Inheritable by Bow users.
300 2 12
Spy-Song Bow

Accelerates Special trigger (cooldown count-1). Effective against flying foes. If foe's Def ≥ foe's Res+5, deals +7 damage.

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

Support Skills

Support Skills Rng. SP
Draw Back

Unit moves 1 space away from target ally, who moves to unit's former position.

Learns by default at 5 ★
1 150

Special Skills

Special Skills SP Turns
New Moon

Treats foe's Def/Res as if reduced by 30% during combat.

Learns by default at 5 ★
Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
100 3
Moonbow

Treats foe's Def/Res as if reduced by 30% during combat.

Unlocks at 5 ★
Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
200 2

Passive Skills

Passive Skills SP Slot
Spd/Res Link 1

If a movement Assist skill (like Reposition, Shove, Pivot, etc.) is used by unit or targets unit, grants Spd/Res+2 to unit and target ally or unit and targeting ally for 1 turn.

Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
60
B
Spd/Res Link 2

If a movement Assist skill (like Reposition, Shove, Pivot, etc.) is used by unit or targets unit, grants Spd/Res+4 to unit and target ally or unit and targeting ally for 1 turn.

Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
120
B
Spd/Res Link 3

If a movement Assist skill (like Reposition, Shove, Pivot, etc.) is used by unit or targets unit, grants Spd/Res+6 to unit and target ally or unit and targeting ally for 1 turn.

Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
240
B
Bow Valor 1

If unit survives and uses a bow, unit gets 1.5x SP. (Only highest value applied. Does not stack.)

Only Inheritable by Bow users.
30
C
Bow Valor 2

If unit survives, all bow users on team get 1.5x SP. (Only highest value applied. Does not stack.)

Only Inheritable by Bow users.
60
C
Bow Valor 3

If unit survives, all bow allies get 2x SP. (Only highest value applied. Does not stack.)

Only Inheritable by Bow users.
Unlocks at 5 ★
120
C

Other Info

Origin
Fire Emblem Fates

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