Clive

• Weapon: Slaying Lance (+Def) 
• Assist: Reposition / Flexible
• Special: Ignis / Blue Flame / Bonfire
• Passive A: Steady Stance 4 / Steady Stance 3 / Atk/Def Bond / Fury
• Passive B: Quick Riposte / Guard
• Passive C: Hone Cavalry / Fortify Cavalry / Atk Smoke / Flexible
• Sacred Seal: Atk/Def Bond / Close Def / Quick Riposte

This build aims to capitalize on Clive’s excellent physical bulk and good Attack stat to turn him into a competent and capable Enemy Phase tank. Though his lack of IVs does hinder his potential significantly, this can be circumvented to an extent through the use of buffs, particularly those to his Attack and Defense stats. His weapon of choice for this build is a Defense-refined Slaying Lance, which pairs perfectly with this build’s defensively oriented playstyle, granting him a considerable boost to his already great physical bulk as well as accelerated Special cooldown. 

A movement Assist such as Reposition works great to take advantage of Clive’s excellent mobility as a cavalier. Thanks to Clive’s good Defense stat, Defense-scaling Specials are especially powerful and are the preferred option here. When used alongside the Slaying Lance and Quick Riposte, Ignis will be able to activate in any combat where Clive is doubled and he can counterattack and with his relatively low Speed, he will be doubled fairly often. However, should one value consistency over raw damage, Blue Flame and Bonfire will then be his best options and will be able to activate regardless of whether or not he is doubled; these Specials are most effective when running Clive alongside Hone and Goad Cavalry support, as it is possible to raise his Speed to a respectable enough defensive tier where he can avoid being doubled more reliably. 

Steady Stance 4 is Clive's ideal choice for his A slot skill as it provides him with the greatest possible boost to his physical bulk but more importantly, it comes with a Guard-like effect of Special deceleration with no accompanying HP threshold -- this is especially beneficial when facing off against foes who rely on speedy Special activations to deal significant amounts of damage. Should it be unavailable, Atk/Def Bond is also an excellent candidate to help increase his two most important stats at the cost of requiring a single ally to be adjacent to him. Sturdy Stance and Steady Stance 3 can be considered as well should one wish to make him more self-sufficient and less reliant on his teammates. On a budget, Fury may also be taken but will require Clive to be extremely picky in choosing his matchups since Fury’s chip damage can easily knock him out of Quick Riposte’s HP threshold. 

Quick Riposte is an essential component of this build and is necessary for it to function to its fullest capacity, as Clive’s Speed is far too low for him to be able to consistently perform follow-up attacks on his opponents. Running it in his B slot is recommended if utilizing Steady Stance 4, allowing him to take the Close Def or Atk/Def Bond seal to further enhance his survivability and physical bulk. However, if making use of any other A slot skill, one can use Quick Riposte as his chosen seal instead to open his B slot for Guard and gain a similar advantage against foes who rely on quick Special activations for their damage output. 

Hone and Fortify Cavalry are both good options for Clive’s C slot when using him in cavalry exclusive teams. Atk Smoke can also be taken to strengthen Clive’s performance as a tank when baiting multiple opponents by greatly reducing the amount of damage he takes after the first engagement. However, his C slot is extremely flexible here and can instead be filled by any particular skill that best supports his team composition. 

• Weapon: Brave Lance+
• Assist: Reposition / Flexible
• Special: Bonfire / Luna / Moonbow
• Passive A: Death Blow / Sturdy Blow
• Passive B: Chill Def / Lancebreaker / Hit and Run 
• Passive C: Hone Cavalry / Fortify Cavalry / Flexible
• Sacred Seal: Attack +3 / Quickened Pulse

In heavy contrast to the first build, this build focuses solely on Clive’s potential in the Player Phase. Though his low Speed does lock him out of many potent options due to his inability to reliably perform follow-up attacks, his good Attack stat and access to cavalry buffs allow him to be a rather decent user of the Brave Lance. In order to maximize his ORKO potential, it is highly recommended to utilize this Clive alongside Hone and/or Goad Cavalry support as well as the Attack +3 Seal. 

Due to the nature of Brave weapons, Specials with a 3-turn Special cooldown will activate every other turn and are ideal in order to not waste a charge. For consistent damage output increase, Bonfire will be Clive’s best option for a Special, granting him a +16 damage increase each time it activates if assuming his Defense stat is unbuffed. Luna is also a good choice to help against particularly bulky opponents who Clive would otherwise do minimal damage to. Moonbow may also be used alongside the Quickened Pulse Seal in order to ensure that his Special activates in his first round of combat. 

Death Blow is an incredibly effective option when used in tandem with the Brave Lance and is essential in order to maximize Clive’s raw damage. Alternatively, one can run Sturdy Blow to increase his survivability when initiating against opposing physical hitters while simultaneously giving him a solid +4 boost to his Attack; it also has the added benefit of weighing slightly more in Arena and can help increase one’s overall score. 

Like most other Brave weapon users, Clive’s B slot is extremely flexible with one option of note being Chill Def. Chill Def can help increase his individual performance tremendously but it can be inconsistent in that it can target someone Clive would not want to initiate against, such as a high Defense green unit. Lancebreaker is a more consistent alternative and gives Clive an easier time against high Defense blues who would otherwise kill him in retaliation, with this skill being the determining factor in his match-ups against Fallen Hardin, Winter Robin, and Gwendolyn. Clive’s native Hit and Run can also be an effective B slot on a budget. Lastly, Hone and Fortify Cavalry are again good options for his C slot if using him in a cavalry exclusive team but if using him in a mixed team, his C slot will vary depending on what supports his team composition the best.