Laslow

Weapon: Laslow’s Blade (+Eff)

Assist: Ardent Sacrifice / Positional Assist

Special: Ruptured Sky / Glimmer / Moonbow / Miracle

A Passive: Distant Storm / Distant Countering A Slot

B Passive: Vantage

C Passive: Joint Drive Atk / Atk/Spd Oath 4 / Def Smoke / Atk Tactic

Sacred Seal: Steady Breath / Darting Breath / Brazen Atk/Def / Brazen Atk/Spd / Spd Tactic

• Laslow’s Blade, simply put, is a 19 MT Dual Phase Brave weapon, effectively allowing him to strike twice in both phases. This, combined with his base Atk stat of 35, means that he’ll be hitting hard in general, especially compared to other units of his kind. The only caveat is that he’ll have to meet the weapon’s condition of having two allies within three spaces that have, at minimum, 10 or more visible buffs. That being said, it’s a relatively easy condition to fulfill, especially if you were to use allies such as Peony or Ashera. In any case, like with most Dual Phase Brave units that generally focus on Enemy Phase strategies, one of his best sets, especially on a budget, will be a Distant Counter + Vantage combination. As such, this set will highlight notable options that pair well alongside these skills.
   
• For his role as a Vantage sweeper, he’ll naturally want to set up Vantage as quickly as possible. As such, running Ardent Sacrifice with allies that can inflict self-chip damage, whether that’s Winter Bernadetta or Brave Lysithea when refined, will allow him to fall into Vantage range relatively quickly. After that, he’ll want to stack his damage output as much as possible, so running low-cooldown Specials that are easy to trigger such as Ruptured Sky, Glimmer, or Moonbow, will be the way to go, especially when paired with a Breath Sacred Seal or Breath support such as Brave Lucina, New Year Velouria, or Worldbreaker from Thorr or Summer Thorr, the latter also being able to inflict Exposure on foes, thus increasing his damage output by a fair amount. He could also run Miracle as a bit of a safety net, but he will be losing out on a fair amount of damage as a result.
   
• Distant Counter is basically required for him to act as a suitable Vantage sweeper as not being able to counter ranged foes will prove troublesome for his longevity. However, in terms of optimal Distant Counter options, Distant Storm, by far, is the best option as it grants a flat +5 Atk during combat, making it much easier to secure 2HKOs. However, given how premium it is, running any other Distant Counter skill, not including Distant Foil or Ward, will work quite well for him, and Distant Dart/Pressure, in particular, can allow him to bypass Windsweep.
   
• First and foremost, the priority for Laslow is damage output as any possibility that he misses a kill will more than likely spell doom and gloom for him. As such, Joint Drive Atk will be the best option as it grants a consistent +4 Atk during combat. However, it isn’t the only option at his disposal. For those looking to highly invest into him, Atk/Spd Oath 4 trades one point of Atk for three points of Spd, thus allowing him to beat Windswepe checks more often. Despite this, both of these options are relatively expensive, so for those looking for something a lot more accessible, Def Smoke is a good option as it can grant a seven-point Atk swing if it reaches foes and if they can’t reverse the debuff. Other than that, running a Tactic, both in the C Passive and Sacred Seal, can set up his weapon’s condition right out of the gate. However, given how easy it is to set up as is, it’s ill-advised but an option nonetheless.
   
• If Laslow doesn’t have any form of Breath support present, he’ll want to opt for a Breath Sacred Seal, whether that’d be Steady Breath or Darting Breath. The former can allow him to set up Vantage against foes that target his Def while the latter can help him beat Windsweep checks. That being said, if he does have Breath support present, running a Brazen, whether that’s Brazen Atk/Def or Brazen Atk/Spd, will be much better options as they provide much high stat swings. Of course, he can still run a Tactic, in-tandem with the C Passive, for making his weapon’s condition easier to fulfill, but again, it’s ill-advised.

Weapon: Laslow’s Blade (+Eff)

Assist: Ardent Sacrifice / Positional Assist

Special: Godlike Reflexes

A Passive: Distant Dart / Distant Countering A Slot

B Passive: Vantage

C Passive: Atk/Spd Oath 4 / Time’s Pulse / Spd Smoke 4 / Joint Drive Spd / Joint Drive Atk / Def Smoke

Sacred Seal: Brazen Atk/Spd / Darting Breath

• Godlike Reflexes grants Laslow one of the notable things he had been missing from his Vantage role: a safety net. Despite being able to hit quite hard as is, if the foe were to survive, he’d be taking full damage while already being chipped down due to having to maintain Vantage’s condition of being at or below 75% HP, which could ultimately cost him the match. However, thanks to Godlike Reflexes, if Laslow is required to take a hit from an opponent, then he’d be able to soak it as the Special grants him 40% Damage Reduction that cannot be pierced by the likes of Deadeye and other similar effects. Moreover, the Special also grants him additional damage during combat if it’s either fully charged or goes off, thus allowing him to hit even harder. This will be especially important against slower units that prioritize their bulk. The additional benefit to stacking Spd beyond the Damage Reduction is that there’ll be opportunities in which he can bypass the likes of Windsweep, which is especially important for taking out foes that’d otherwise be untouchable in the Enemy Phase. However, keep in mind that some units are simply beyond outspeeding which can be problematic if they forego the likes of Windsweep, assuming they can sacrifice their B Passive, to begin with. With this in mind, he’d effectively be combining his Vantage role to mimic the likes of Brave Marth and other hard-hitting Dual Phase Brave Vantage sweepers, the latter being especially important for charging Godlike Reflexes very easily. As such, this set is here to highlight skills that’ll help him fulfill this niche. Just keep in mind that this will mostly benefit those who have already fully invested in him, and those simply looking to use him out of the gate should refer to the first build instead.
   
• Laslow will still be performing the same role as before, only this time he’s falling back on his Spd stat instead. As such, Distant Dart will be the best option for him as it not only allows him to counterattack from both ranges but also grants him additional Spd in the Enemy Phase. However, if that isn’t an available option, any Distant Counter skill, not including Foil and Ward, should suffice, but it may be worth foregoing any Distant Counter skill that inflicts chip damage after combat as it may reduce Godlike Reflexes’ effectiveness in taking a hit when needed. That being said, his abundance of HP can allow him to run it anyway with little risk.
   
• In terms of overall best options for boosting Laslow’s stats, Atk/Spd Oath 4 will be the main highlight as it is essentially a combination of Joint Drive Atk and Joint Drive Spd, granting +3 Atk/Spd during combat, as well as visibly buffing him for +6 Atk/Spd at the start of every turn if he is within two spaces of an ally. Of course, given how expensive that skill is, he can instead opt for Joint Drive Spd or even Joint Drive Atk if you feel that he needs his Atk first and foremost. Outside of in-combat boosts, he can opt for Time’s Pulse as Godlike Reflexes starts out at three cooldown, meaning that in scenarios where there are Guard effects, he can still charge it. However, this can be replicated by the likes of Askr, Legendary Hector, Groom Rafiel, or other supports that can accelerate his cooldown at the start of a turn, thus not making it the most important skill to have on him. There’s also Spd Smoke 4 if you want to fall back on even more Damage Reduction, and given that you can snag both Godlike Reflexes and Spd Smoke 4 with one copy of Flame Lyn, it’s definitely worth considering. Def Smoke is also an option if everything else is not within budget.
   
• Stacking Spd is the first and foremost priority, so running a Sacred Seal that can bolster it very easily will be the best option for him. Brazen Atk/Spd will grant him +7 Atk/Spd during combat if his HP is equal to or below 80%, which will always be fulfilled as he’s going to be using Vantage. It is worth highlighting, however, that if he lacks any form of Breath support, he will want to run Darting Breath in his kit as Laslow will want to maintain Godlike Reflexes.

Weapon: Laslow’s Blade (+Eff)

Assist: Positional Assist

Special: Ignis / Noontime

A Passive: Sturdy Stance 3 / Steady Posture 3 / Atk/Def Unity / Atk/Spd Unity

B Passive: Atk/Def Bulwark / Null C-Disrupt / Spd/Def Tempo / Spurn / Null Follow-Up

C Passive: Joint Drive Atk / Pulse Smoke / Atk Smoke 4 / Atk/Spd Oath 4 / Spd Smoke 4 / Atk Tactic

Sacred Seal: Steady Breath / Darting Breath / Atk/Def Form / Atk/Spd Form / Spd Tactic

• Outside of Vantage strategies, Laslow can make for a decent Melee Specialist thanks to his weapon being able to grant him two attacks regardless of which phase he’s in. This essentially frees his B Passive for the likes of Null Follow-Up and can instead be used for other skills that most units fulfilling a similar role cannot afford to run. As such, this set is here to highlight an alternative play style to the ever-so-beloved End Turn strategy (even though he’ll most likely be doing that here anyway).
   
• In terms of Special options, Laslow will either want to run Ignis or Noontime. The former is easy to trigger as he’ll always retaliate with two attacks, and when paired with the Breath effect, he’ll be able to get any four-cooldown Special out on his second attack. Meanwhile, Noontime can provide a good amount of sustainability, and that’ll be important as he doesn’t want to be whittled down over the course of several combats. That being said, Noontime isn’t as much of a priority depending on the type of support he has around him as units like Eir with Sparkling Boost+ can simply heal him on the following turn.
   
• Depending on the route Laslow decides to go down, he can either prioritize his Atk in tandem with Def or Spd. Regardless of the option, either running a Stance or Unity will be the go-to for him as he’ll either have the ability to slow down Special charges from the foe or reverse any debuffs he may receive from a Menace, Shrine, or anything of similar nature. It’s hard to say which will be more consistent as him striking twice can ultimately make the Guard effect from Stance useless, assuming the foe goes down in those two hits, and if there is no means of debuffing Laslow, then Unity will simply provide fewer stats than Stance. As such, it may be best to choose based on the rest of the kit.
   
• As Laslow’s role will be primarily taking on one-ranged foes, he’ll naturally want skills that compliment that play style. The recently released Atk/Def Bulwark is a fantastic option as it not only protects allies that are positioned behind him due to the Obstruct effect but also debuffs the foe and heals him after combat, thus prolonging his overall longevity and damage output. Null C-Disrupt can be a worthwhile anti-meta option against units that have Firesweep-like effects, especially if he foregoes Spd stacking, as he doesn’t have to run Null Follow-Up to secure two attacks, although it can be an option for shutting down foes’ guaranteed follow-ups. Beyond that, you can either run Spd/Def Tempo for securing Special triggers or Spurn, if going down the Spd stack route, for reducing the damage that way. Spd-based Damage Reduction, in particular, is a bit safer for Melee Specialists as there is a distinct lack of one-ranged units and Specials that can pierce through it.
   
• Any C Passive that bolsters Laslow’s overall stats will generally be a good option for him. Joint Drive Atk is one of the more notable options as it simply grants him four additional Atk during combat, thus allowing him to secure kills more often. A more expensive alternative, with the benefit of granting extra Spd, Atk/Spd Oath 4 also fulfills that niche and visibly buffs him. Beyond that, you can run one of three Smoke skills: Pulse Smoke, Atk Smoke 4, and Spd Smoke 4. Pulse Smoke is handy for shutting down Specials from foes but may not come into play depending on the map he finds himself situated in. Moreover, simply running Pulse Tie support with a high HP ally can make quick work of any instant Specials. As such, Atk Smoke 4 is generally the better option as it can shut down any follow-up the foe may have, even if no foes are debuffed, and can be especially helpful with his Spd stat as any foe with a guaranteed follow-up won’t be able to achieve it. Spd Smoke 4 is also an option worth highlighting but given that the Damage Reduction properties only come into play after an initial combat, it may be more finicky to use, especially in an Enemy Phase setting. You could also run two Tactics, one for the C Passive and Sacred Seal respectively, if you want ease with meeting his weapon’s condition, albeit ill-advised as there are plenty of means of meeting the condition without it.
   
• Regardless of the Special, having some form of Breath effect present will be essential as he’ll want to consistently get damage out and/or keep his sustainability high. Steady Breath is generally a better option as the priority is to soak hits from one-ranged foes, most of which will target the Def stat. However, continuing to stack Spd with the likes of Darting Breath isn’t a bad option in some scenarios if the goal is to reduce the amount of damage he’s taking in general with skills such as Spurn. However, depending on what allies you decide to bring alongside him, he can forego a Breath Sacred Seal and instead stack up Atk and Def or Spd with the likes of Forms as he’ll generally be near allies as is. Moreover, as aforementioned, running two Tactic skills can allow Laslow to meet his weapon’s condition right out of the gate, although it’s highly ill-advised as there are plenty of other means of meeting the condition, whether that’s with Peony or Ashera, the latter also granting Null Panic and allowing him to keep his condition active at all times.