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Analysis by lordhelpme
Marisa - Crimson Flash

Hero Stats

Max Avg Total Stats at Lvl 40
163
HP 46
ATK 30
SPD 36
DEF 30
RES 21

Stat Variations

Level 1 Stat Variation
5★
4★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 17 7 9 5 5
Middle 18 8 10 6 6
High 19 9 11 7 7

Level 40 Stat Variations
5★
4★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 43 26 33 27 18
Middle 46 30 36 30 21
High 49 33 39 33 24

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

This unit requires use of Trait Fruits to get access to IVs

Skill Sets

Blooming Flame Undulation (Mixed Phase Generalist)

Build by lordhelpme
Recommended
Shamshir (+Eff) A Distant Counter
Positional Assist B Spurn 3
Alternate: Null Follow-Up 3
Moonbow
Alternate: Ruptured Sky
C Pulse Smoke 3
Alternate: Joint Drive Spd
IVs

+SPD or +ATK / -RES

SAtk/Spd Solo 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Shamshir (+Eff)

Assist: Positional Assist / Flexible

Special: Moonbow / Ruptured Sky / Noontime

Passive A: Distant Counter

Passive B: Spurn / Null Follow-Up

Passive C: Smoke Skills / Joint Drive Skills / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Atk/Spd Solo / Mystic Boost / Flashing Blade

  • This build emphasizes the flexibility of Marisa’s refined Shamshir and the consistent damage boost it adds to her Special activations to make her shine in both phases. Increasing either of her offensive stats with an Asset works well, though +SPD is generally preferred over +ATK as it brings more overall boosts to her performance.
  • Specials with a two-turn cooldown are ideal here as refined Shamshir’s effects grants Marisa immediate access to her Special activation at the start of each turn, allowing her to bypass otherwise pesky Guard effects. Further, assuming a Guard effect isn’t in play, such Specials can easily activate twice in a single round of combat and fully exploit the benefits of her weapon’s flat +7 damage boost upon each activation. 
    • Among those available to her, either Moonbow or Ruptured Sky should be equipped for maximum damage potential as they aid her greatly against bulky and high Attack foes respectively. Marisa’s base Glimmer is generally not quite as good due to her mediocre base Attack, though it certainly becomes a much more attractive option at higher levels of investment. 
    • Noontime is another option if a more defensive playstyle is preferred, providing a consistent source of sustain while still letting her obtain a baseline +14 damage thanks to Shamshir (assuming it activates twice). However, using Noontime does come with the drawback of making Marisa more reliant on receiving support to her Attack to consistently take down foes. 
  • Distant Counter is her A skill of choice here for greater versatility and constitutes the primary component of her Enemy Phase capabilities through the crucial ability to counterattack regardless of range. 
  • For her B skill, Spurn complements her playstyle beautifully by further supplementing the power of her Special activations while also imparting her with an appreciable degree of tankiness; her good base Speed and Shamshir’s +5 Speed boost makes maintaining its maximum effect pretty simple with enough support. 
    • One may also consider using Null Follow-Up to ensure that Marisa can fight without fear of having her second Special activation denied by follow-up denial or being potentially shut down by foes with automatic doubles. Although the loss of Spurn’s damage reduction does make her squishier, this can be partially offset by using Noontime and/or the Mystic Boost Sacred Seal. 
  • Marisa has a flexible C slot, but her best options are either Smoke skills (to improve her performance when baiting multiple foes) or Joint Drive skills (to build upon her stat values). Self-buffing skills are also worthwhile considerations, but come with the risk of making her susceptible to Panic and Lull effects. 
  • The Atk/Spd Solo Sacred Seal is Marisa’s go-to for a substantial offensive boost in both phases. Alternatively, for a defensive lean, one may use Mystic Boost instead for consistent healing and a negation of Wrathful Staff effects. Although this may seem unnecessary, the Flashing Blade seal is an option to break through Guard and help Marisa consistently activate her Special twice.

Blazing Universe (Offensive Nuke)

Build by lordhelpme
Recommended
Shamshir (+Eff) A Swift Sparrow (2 or 3)
Alternate: Atk/Spd Solo (3 or 4)
Positional Assist B Lull Spd/Def 3
Alternate: Null Follow-Up 3
Moonbow
Alternate: Ruptured Sky
C Spd Smoke 3
Alternate: Rouse Atk/Spd 3
IVs

+SPD or +ATK / -RES

SSwift Sparrow 2

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Shamshir (+Eff)

Assist: Positional Assist / Flexible

Special: Moonbow / Ruptured Sky / Luna

Passive A: Swift Sparrow / Atk/Spd Solo / Atk/Spd Push 4 / Death Blow

Passive B: Lull Spd/Def / Null Follow-Up / Wrath / Desperation

Passive C: Smoke Skills / Wave Skills / Rouse Atk/Spd / Time’s Pulse / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Swift Sparrow / Atk/Spd Solo / Blow Skills

  • Marisa can also opt for a more traditional Player Phase role, obtaining a higher damage ceiling (mainly from equipping a standard stat boosting A skill over Distant Counter) and more aggressive playstyle. Once more, taking a +SPD or +ATK IV is ideal to complement her offensive focus.
  • Moonbow and Ruptured Sky are again Marisa’s best Special choices in most cases, letting her make fantastic use of Shamshir’s effects thanks to their low cooldown. Luna is another option here if aiming to go for a more OHKO-heavy approach when using Time’s Pulse in her C slot, as this immediately charges the Special at the start of each turn.
  • Marisa can realistically put most standard offensive A skills that enhance both Attack and Speed to good work, though her most standout options include Swift Sparrow, Atk/Spd Solo, and Atk/Spd Push 4. Although she generally wants some form of Speed boosts for consistent follow-ups, Death Blow is a potential candidate for those opting for OHKO sets. 
  • She has several options to pick from for her B skill, with the choice largely boiling down to personal preference and skill availability:
    • Lull Spd/Def is a particularly compelling skill that helps the Crimson Flash break through enemy bonuses and enhances her overall damage output considerably, inflicting an appreciable in-combat debuff on her foe’s Speed and Defense.
    • Null Follow-Up is always an option as well to make Marisa more overall consistent by shutting down effects that would otherwise impede her offensive capabilities, namely those that would negate her follow-up. This also grants some defensive utility by nullifying skills that guarantee her foe's double.
    • Wrath is somewhat dated, but nonetheless synergizes well with Shamshir’s primary specialization with acceleration and boosting her Special triggers. 
    • If nothing else, Desperation is a decent budget skill that helps Marisa consistently engage in combat without added risk at low HP via its consecutive follow-up effect; this pairs well nicely with skills that self-inflict chip damage like Fury and Atk/Spd Push 4.
  • Smoke skills are excellent filler for Marisa’s C slot if refresher support is available to improve the quality of her subsequent matchups. Besides this and Time’s Pulse as previously mentioned, skills that automatically provide buffs (e.g. Rouse Atk/Spd and Attack or Speed-increasing Wave skills) are solid for increased firepower and self-sufficiency.
  • Any Sacred Seal that enhances her key stats is recommended; this includes Atk/Spd Solo, Swift Sparrow, Sturdy Blow, and many more. 

Unknowing Fire (Aether Raids Offense Galeforce)

Build by lordhelpme
Recommended
Shamshir (+Eff) A Swift Sparrow 3
Alternate: Flashing Blade 4
Positional Assist B Wings of Mercy 3
Galeforce C Time's Pulse 3
Alternate: Odd Tempest 3
IVs

+SPD or +ATK / -RES

SFlashing Blade 3
Alternate: Quickened Pulse

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Shamshir (+Eff)

Assist: Positional Assist / Flexible

Special: Galeforce 

Passive A: Swift Sparrow / Flashing Blade 4

Passive B: Wings of Mercy / Hit and Run

Passive C: Time’s Pulse / Odd Tempest / Smoke Skills / Joint Drive Skills / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Flashing Blade / Quickened Pulse / Swift Sparrow / Atk/Spd Solo

  • Although perhaps seemingly counterintuitive given her miniature Wo Dao effect, Marisa does make for a solid choice of Galeforce unit for Aether Raids Offense thanks to her ability to quickly reduce her own cooldown. This makes her somewhat similar to Navarre, but trades his Scarlet Sword’s advantage of reducing his charge by an additional turn for an appreciable offensive boost upon initiation.
  • Galeforce is the centerpiece of this build, with the primary goal being to utilize its self-refreshing quality to have Marisa and her allies quickly sweep down the defending team in quick succession. 
    • Since Shamshir comes with both a Slaying effect and innate Time’s Pulse, Marisa can equip either Time’s Pulse in her C slot or the Quickened Pulse Sacred Seal to reduce Galeforce to a two-turn cooldown; this lets her activate Galeforce in a single hit when paired with Flashing Blade
    • One may even use both Time’s Pulse AND the Quickened Pulse seal to further reduce Galeforce’s cooldown to a single turn. This gives her the flexibility of either being able to equip an A skill of one’s choice or using Flashing Blade 4 to break through Guard effects for maximum consistency. 
  • Swift Sparrow is an excellent A skill to enhance Marisa’s key stats during the Player Phase and is generally her best choice if using a stat-boosting A skill is desired. However, one can also use Flashing Blade 4 to free up space for the Quickened Pulse Sacred Seal as previously mentioned. 
  • Wings of Mercy is a standard B skill choice in AR-O Galeforce strategies, but for good reason as this enables Marisa to get close to the enemy team without needing outside assistance (such as from an Assist like Smite). She may also get decent mileage out of a displacement skill like Hit and Run to potentially escape if necessary after activating Galeforce. 
  • For her C slot, Marisa benefits greatly from Time’s Pulse to reduce Galeforce’s base cooldown even more, but she does have a few other options if this is deemed unnecessary (or if it's simply unavailable). For instance, Odd Tempest helps massively in increasing her maneuverability by granting cavalry-esque movement, but may be unnecessary if Duo Ephraim support is available. Smokes and Joint Drives carry a great deal of usefulness within Galeforce strategies as well. 
  • If not using the Flashing Blade or Quickened Pulse Sacred Seal, Marisa should instead be equipped with any available option that builds upon her Attack and/or Speed like Atk/Spd Solo.

Strengths

Shamshir

Marisa’s signature Shamshir massively improves her overall viability and comes packed with numerous Special-based mechanics: a permanent cooldown reduction, a flat +7 damage boost upon each activation, and a Time’s Pulse effect. This offers Marisa considerable burst damage potential that is also hard to shut down when equipped with two-turn cooldown Specials, as Guard does not affect Specials that are already fully charged. Shamshir also has other uses like Galeforce strategies within Aether Raids Offense, making it a very versatile weapon.

As an added bonus, Shamshir also grants Marisa a solid boost to both her Attack and Speed with an extremely simple activation requirement, improving her initially underwhelming offensive statline of 30/36 to a more competitive 35/41.

Good Speed and Physical Bulk

Although her overall statline definitely shows its age when compared to more recent entries, Marisa’s base Speed of 36 isn’t too shabby and provides a solid foundation for both performing and avoiding follow-up attacks. Her physical bulk is also surprisingly high at a base value of 76, though this is in large part due to her shockingly beefy HP pool of 46. These qualities can be further enhanced through merges, Dragonflowers, her refined Shamshir, and Trait Fruit.

Infantry Benefits

As an infantry unit, Marisa comfortably enjoys the benefits of amazing skill access; with the ability to equip numerous complementary skills like Spurn, Time’s Pulse, and Null Follow-Up, she can more easily develop her overall potential compared to her mounted counterparts and boasts a good deal of build flexibility.

Weaknesses

Unimpressive Resistance

Like many of her peers, Marisa suffers from a terrible base Resistance stat. Sitting at a low value of 21, she will struggle considerably against sustained magical pressure at lower levels of investment and/or support, though her good HP pool and F2P status does assist in remedying this.

Strong Competition

The pool of infantry sword units is infamous for being extremely bloated and this will only continue to grow. This makes it difficult for Marisa to actually merit a slot on a given team since while she may certainly be a solid combatant to her own right, she faces stiff competition from numerous units like Young Eirika, Mareeta, and Ayra that far outstrip her—and at times, with far less investment required.

Weapon Skills

Weapons SP Rng. Mt.
Iron Sword
Only Inheritable by Sword Units.
50 1 6
Steel Sword
Only Inheritable by Sword Units.
100 1 8
Wo Dao

Grants +10 to damage when Special triggers.

Learns by default at 4 ★
Only Inheritable by Sword Units.
200 1 9
Wo Dao+

Grants +10 to damage when Special triggers.

Learns by default at 5 ★
Unlocks at 5 ★
Only Inheritable by Sword Units.
300 1 13
Shamshir

Accelerates Special trigger (cooldown count-1). Deals +7 damage when Special triggers.

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

Special Skills

Special Skills SP Turns
Night Sky

Boosts damage dealt by 50%.

Learns by default at 4 ★
Unlocks at 3 ★
Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
100 3
Glimmer

Boosts damage dealt by 50%.

Unlocks at 4 ★
Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
200 2

Passive Skills

Passive Skills SP Slot
HP +3

Grants +3 to max HP.

Inheritable by all units.
40
A
HP/Def 1

Grants HP+3, Def+1.

Inheritable by all units.
100
A
HP/Def 2

Grants HP+4, Def+2.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
200
A
Infantry Pulse 1

At the start of turn 1, grants Special cooldown count-1 to all infantry allies on team with HP ≤ unit’s HP-5. (Stacks with similar skills.)

Infantry Units Only
60
C
Infantry Pulse 2

At the start of turn 1, grants Special cooldown count-1 to all infantry allies on team with HP ≤ unit’s HP-3. (Stacks with similar skills.)

Infantry Units Only
Unlocks at 4 ★
120
C
Infantry Pulse 3

At the start of turn 1, grants Special cooldown count-1 to all infantry allies on team with HP < unit’s HP. (Stacks with similar skills.)

Infantry Units Only
Unlocks at 5 ★
240
C

Other Info

Origin
Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones

Banners Featured In

None

Official Hero Artwork