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Analysis by StanTheWoz
Garon - King of Nohr

Hero Stats

Max Avg Total Stats at Lvl 40
163
HP 43
ATK 33
SPD 22
DEF 33
RES 32

Stat Variations

Level 1 Stat Variation
5★
4★
3★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 16 8 4 8 7
Middle 17 9 5 9 8
High 18 10 6 10 9

Level 40 Stat Variations
5★
4★
3★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 40 30 19 30 29
Middle 43 33 22 33 32
High 46 36 25 36 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

Skill Sets

I have no weakness! (Physical Tank)

Build by StanTheWoz
Recommended
Breath of Blight (+Eff) A Atk/Def Unity
Alternate: Close Def 4
Positional Assist B Dragon's Ire 3
Alternate: Dragon Wall 3
Ignis
Alternate: Bonfire
C Joint Drive Atk
Alternate: Joint Drive Def
IVs

+Atk or +Def / -Spd

SSteady Breath
Alternate: Quick Riposte 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Breath of Blight (+Eff)

Assist: Positional Assist / Flexible

Special: Ignis / Flexible

IVs: +Atk or +Def / -Spd 

Passive A: Atk/Def Unity / Close Def 4 / Flexible

Passive B: Dragon’s Ire 3 / Dragon Wall 3

Passive C: Joint Drive Atk / Joint Drive Def / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Steady Breath / Quick Riposte 3 / Flexible

  • Garon’s statline and Breath of Blight lend themselves well to a physical tank build. With Breath of Blight (+Eff), he can debuff his foe’s Atk by up to 10 while increasing his own Atk by up to 10 in combat, as long as his own HP is at least 25%, and either his foe initiates combat or has above 75% HP, both very easy conditions. He also inflicts -1 Special charge on his foe per attack under the latter condition, making it more difficult for many foes to activate a Special against him and further increasing his survivability. Unlike most other dragons, Breath of Blight makes Garon immune to the “effective against dragons” bonus damage from weapons like Falchion. Lastly, Breath of Blight also hits all foes within four spaces of Garon for 13 damage at the start of turns 3 and 4 of the map, and heals Garon based on the number of foes hit at the same time: 13 HP for one foe, 26 for two, and so on. All of these effects combine to increase Garon’s survivability against many opponents. 
  • The ideal choice of boon is generally +Atk or +Def, to increase Garon’s power and decrease his damage taken. +Res is also a good choice if using Dragon Wall. -Spd is generally the ideal bane, as Garon’s Spd is low to begin with and generally not useful. 
  • Using the Steady Breath seal gives Garon +1 Special charge on enemy phase, allowing him to more easily activate a Special like Ignis. It combines well with Dragon’s Ire, which grants Garon a garon-teed follow-up attack so long as he is above 50% HP, while also nullifying any skills his foe might have that block his follow-ups such as Sturdy Impact. By using Steady Breath with Dragon’s Ire, Garon can gain 2 Special charge when his foe attacks, gain an additional 2 on his first counterattack, and activate Ignis on his second counterattack. 
  • Dragon Wall is also a good choice of B skill that can provide Garon with up to 40% damage reduction if his own Res exceeds his foe’s Res by 10. The reliance on Res means that skills that boost Res like Close Def 4 are preferred, and Quick Riposte is a good choice of seal in order to grant Garon a follow-up attack so long as he is above 70% HP, as his Spd is generally too low to follow-up against most foes. 
  • Otherwise, Garon’s skills are generally chosen to boost his Atk and Def, with Atk/Def Unity being a great option that boosts his Atk and Def by 5 so long as he is within two spaces of at least one ally, while also effectively reversing any stat penalties in those two stats into bonuses. 

Bringer of Increasing Discomfort (Support)

Build by StanTheWoz
Breath of Blight (+Eff) A HP +5
Alternate: Fury 3
Positional Assist B Even Pulse Tie 3
Alternate: Sudden Panic 3
Bonfire
Alternate: Aether
C Joint Drive Atk
Alternate: Infantry Pulse 3
IVs

+HP or +Atk or +Def or Any / -Spd or Any

SHP +5
Alternate: Distant Guard 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Breath of Blight (+Eff)

Assist: Positional Assist / Flexible

Special: Flexible

IVs: +HP or +Atk or +Def or Any / -Spd or Any

Passive A: HP +5 / Flexible

Passive B: Even Pulse Tie 3 / Sudden Panic 3 / Flexible

Passive C: Joint Drive Atk / Infantry Pulse 3 / Flexible

Sacred Seal: HP +5 / Distant Guard / Flexible

  • Breath of Blight’s out-of-combat damage on turns 3 and 4 also allows Garon to function as an interesting “support” unit that can hit several enemies for 13 damage in order to allow an ally to KO them more easily. This effect functions just as well using the previous build that focuses on Garon’s physical combat, but depending on the context of use, he can also use skills more focused on support. 
  • Even Pulse Tie is a highly relevant skill in some modes like Summoner Duels and Aether Raids which activates at the start of every even-numbered turn (2, 4, and so on), checks all foes with less HP than Garon to determine if their Special is fully charged, and if it is, targets the foe among those foes with the lowest HP and increases their Special charge by 2, forcing them to charge it up again before activating. This is a highly useful effect against units that can charge Specials before combat, like Ophelia and Ascended Fjorm. Sudden Panic is another B skill that can be highly useful in modes where foes often have visible stat buffs, such as Arena; at the start of Garon’s turn, it applies a Panic effect to any foe that is adjacent to another foe and has less HP than Garon, turning their visible stat bonuses into penalties. 
  • In general, the choices of skills are flexible. Both Even Pulse Tie and Sudden Panic compare Garon’s HP to his foe’s in order to activate, so HP-boosting A skills and seals may be useful, but other support seals like Distant Guard may be better options depending on context. 

Strengths

Breath of Blight

Breath of Blight (+Eff) is a great weapon with several useful effects. It renders Garon immune to the increased damage that dragons generally take from weapons that are “effective against dragons”, it hits foes within four spaces of Garon for 13 damage at the start of turns 3 and 4, heals him for that same damage, and in-combat it can buff his Atk by up to 10, debuff his foe’s Atk by up to 10, and slow his foe’s Special activation. 

Solid HP, Atk, Def, and Res

Garon’s base stats are not exceptional, but his base 43 HP, 33 Atk, 33 Def, and 32 Res allow him to deal decent damage and survive hits fairly well, especially combined with the effects of Breath of Blight. 

Infantry Dragon

Garon’s status as an infantry dragon unit allows him to use great skills like Dragon’s Ire and Even Pulse Tie

Grand Hero Battle Unit

Garon’s status as a Grand Hero Battle unit allowed players to obtain several copies of him without spending any orbs, and he is purchasable with Heroic Grails. This may make him easier to merge compared to many other units. 

Weaknesses

Bad Spd

Garon’s base 22 Spd is low, meaning that he is generally unable to follow-up attack naturally. This generally restricts him to enemy-phase focused builds, as he can use skills like Dragon’s Ire and Quick Riposte to gain a follow-up attack regardless, but these are also vulnerable to Null Follow-Up on his opponent’s side. 

Competition

While there is no other dragon with quite the same effects as Breath of Blight, Garon does compete with many other units for a spot on a team, units with strong effects he lacks. If considering his use as a physical tank, there are many units that can do things he cannot, such as armored units like Ascended Idunn or Halloween Myrrh that can use armor-exclusive skills like A/D Near Save. While he performs well enough at this role, there are many other units that have strengths he lacks. 

Weapon Skills

Weapons SP Rng. Mt.
Fire Breath
Only inheritable by Dragon units.
50 1 6
Fire Breath+
Only inheritable by Dragon units.
100 1 8
Flametongue
Only inheritable by Dragon units.
200 1 11
Breath of Blight

Neutralizes "effective against dragons" bonuses. At the start of turn 4, deals 10 damage to foes within 3 spaces, and restores HP to unit = number of foes within 3 spaces × 5. If foe's Range = 2, calculates damage using the lower of foe's Def or Res.

Non-Inheritable skill.
400 1 16
Weapon Evolution
Weapon Upgrades
Weapon Upgrades

Special Skills

Special Skills SP Turns
Dragon Gaze

Boosts damage by 30% of unit's Atk.

Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
100 4
Dragon Fang

Boosts damage by 50% of unit's Atk.

Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
200 4

Passive Skills

Passive Skills SP Slot
Distant Def 1

If unit is attacked by foe using bow, daggers, magic, or staff, unit receives Def/Res+2 during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
60
A
Distant Def 2

If unit is attacked by foe using bow, daggers, magic, or staff, unit receives Def/Res+4 during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
120
A
Distant Def 3

If unit is attacked by foe using bow, daggers, magic, or staff, unit receives Def/Res+6 during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
240
A
Panic Ploy 1

At start of turn, converts bonuses on foes in cardinal directions with HP ≤ unit's HP-5 into penalties through their next actions.

Inheritable by all units.
60
C
Panic Ploy 2

At start of turn, converts bonuses on foes in cardinal directions with HP ≤ unit's HP-3 into penalties through their next actions.

Inheritable by all units.
120
C
Panic Ploy 3

At start of turn, converts bonuses on foes in cardinal directions with HP < unit's HP into penalties through their next actions.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
240
C

Other Info

Origin
Fire Emblem Fates

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