L'Arachel

Weapon: Blárblade+ 

Assist: Positional Assist 

Special: Glimmer 

Passive A: Atk/Spd Push 4 / Swift Sparrow (2 or 3) / Atk/Spd Solo (3 or 4) / Fury (3 or 4)

Passive B: Desperation

Passive C: Joint Drive Spd / Flexible 

Sacred Seal: Swift Sparrow / Atk/Spd Solo

• Access to Hone and Fortify Cavalry allow L’Arachel to use Blárblade very effectively, as she gains an Attack buff during combat equal to the sum of her visible buffs. Potentially +24 Attack during combat is more than capable of skyrocketing L’Arachel’s base 33 Attack to impressive heights, although her 31 Speed will need more than just +6 from Hone Cavalry to consistently perform follow-up attacks. Glimmer is chosen as L’Arachel’s Special, as its 50% bonus damage on activation scales with Blárblade’s bonus Attack during combat. 
• L’Arachel’s aforementioned Speed woes can be patched, for the most part, by her A, S, and/or B slots. Atk/Spd Push 4, Swift Sparrow, and Atk/Spd Solo all increase L’Arachel’s offenses if different conditions are achieved: the former grants +7 Atk/Spd if her HP is ≥ 25%, the middle grants +4/6 Attack and +4/7 Speed on initiation, and the latter grants +6/7 Atk/Spd if she is not adjacent to an ally. Which skill is chosen depends on which condition the player feels most comfortable with.
  • Something to consider in favor of Atk/Spd Push 4 is its 5 recoil damage, which allows L’Arachel to easily hit Desperation’s ≤ 75% HP range to allow her to perform her follow-up attack before the enemy can counterattack. This allows her to circumvent her poor bulk, although the recoil damage can eventually push (haha get it) her out of the ≥ 25% HP condition. Fury is a more mild alternative, granting only +3/4 Atk/Spd and inflicting 6/8 recoil damage in exchange for +3/4 Def/Res and no HP condition.
• L’Arachel’s C slot is flexible, although Joint Drive Spd is strong in that it grants L’Arachel +4 Speed during combat if she is within 2 spaces of an ally (in addition to granting +4 Speed to allies within 2 spaces).

Weapon: Flora Guide+ (+SPD) / Ivaldi (+Eff) 

Assist: No Assist / Positional Assist

Special: Moonbow

Passive A: Atk/Spd Push 4 / Swift Sparrow (2 or 3) / Atk/Spd Solo (3 or 4) 

Passive B: Lull Spd/Res 

Passive C: Goad Cavalry / Panic Smoke / Fatal Smoke 

Sacred Seal: Swift Sparrow / Atk/Spd Solo 

• L’Arachel’s 3 movement and 2 range serve exceedingly well for a Cavalry Line Aether Raids Defense, focusing on space suppression and forced turn 1 combat to get the Cavaliers moving and to overwhelm the enemies. For this set, missing an Assist Skill can be beneficial for L’Arachel; the AI typically prefers to move units without Positional Assists over units with them, so L’Arachel’s lack of an assist ensures that she will have a chance to receive a refresh from allies.
• Stacking Speed as high as possible is crucial for surviving initiations, performing follow-up attacks, and minimizing Speed-based damage reduction; as such, Flora Guide is typically preferred over Ivaldi, as it can be Speed-refined and inflicts -5 Spd/Res to enemies within 2 spaces. Ivaldi does provide some bulk, but Speed-stacking in and of itself is bulk, as L’Arachel will be less likely to receive a follow-up attack if she has higher Speed.
  • By the same logic, Atk/Spd Push 4, Lull Spd/Res, Swift Sparrow, and Atk/Spd Solo are all excellent A, B, and S slot choices. Lull Spd/Res in particular is strong because it neutralizes the enemy’s visible Spd/Res buffs in addition to inflicting -3 Spd/Res during combat. Atk/Spd Push 4, Swift Sparrow, and Atk/Spd Solo all increase L’Arachel’s Atk/Spd, with Push 4 being the strongest option since its condition is easy to achieve in Aether Raids Defense and it grants the most offensive power. Solo conditions can be a bit daunting to meet since L’Arachel is left to the whims of the AI, so Swift Sparrow is typically preferred over it in both her A and S slot.
• Goad Cavalry increases the Atk/Spd of Cavalry allies within 2 spaces by 4, making it an excellent supportive option given that Cavalry Lines typically have 3-4 Cavaliers. Panic Smoke and Fatal Smoke are more high-pressure skills, with the former shutting down visible buffs and the latter preventing healing, which can be crucial since most superunits use healing Specials such as Noontime and Sol.