Matthew

Preferred IV: +ATK / -HP or -RES

• Matthew desperately wants as much Attack as possible. His choice of Flaw is largely preference.

Weapon: Spy's Dagger (+Eff)

• With its unique refine, Spy's Dagger gains a "reverse Bladetome" effect, like Gunnthrá's weapon Blizzard.

Assist: Reposition / Reciprocal Aid

• Movement assists like Reposition are solid and reliable team support options.

• His native Reciprocal Aid can actually be quite useful, serving a few different purposes:

  • He can use it to heal up an ally in need when Matthew's own combat isn't needed.

  • It can allow him to quickly get himself into Vantage range, if the opportunity presents itself.

  • It enables a frontline Matthew to quickly leech HP from an ally if he finds himself needing more HP to survive the next turn.

Special: Moonbow / Bonfire

• A low-cooldown Special like Moonbow is most likely to be up when Matthew needs it.

• Bonfire scales greater with his high Defense, especially after buffs from Spy's Dagger, though it will activate less often.

Passive A: Close Counter / Brazen Atk/Def

• Allows him to counterattack melee units. Greatly improves his Enemy Phase potential.

• Theoretically replaceable with both cheaper skills like Fury or Brazen Atk/Def, or high investment skills like Steady Stance 4, but it will severely shrink the list of units he can viably combat.

Passive B: Vantage

• With Vantage, Matthew can hope to one-shot squishier debuff enemies before getting hit.

• Fortunately, even if he fails to one-shot, Matthew may still often have the bulk to a couple more hits thanks to the boost from Spy's Dagger plus any Attack-debuff skills he runs.

Passive C: Atk Smoke / Spd Smoke

• Atk Smoke both boosts Matthew's survivability and increases the bonus damage granted by Spy's Dagger.

• Spd Smoke will not grant him any direct bulk but may end up more ultimately useful if it successfully prevents a follow-up from a fast opponent.

Sacred Seal: Seal Atk / Brazen Atk/Def

• As Atk Smoke does not affect his actual target, the Seal Atk seal can be used alongside it and greatly aid him in 1v1 situations and pickoffs.

• Brazen Atk/Def can provide similar effective stats, though may be more coveted among other units. Meanwhile, there is virtually no competition for the Seal Atk seal—stick it on him and never ever have to worry about needing to move it around ever.

Preferred IV: +ATK / -HP or -RES

• Matthew desperately wants as much Attack as possible. His choice of Flaw is largely preference.

Weapon: Spy's Dagger (+Eff)

• Matthew can utilize Spy's Dagger "reverse Bladetome" to specifically chase after enemies that have been "marked" by Chill skills.

Assist: Draw Back / Reposition

• Another preferential choice. Draw Back may help him stay safer alongside his poor Enemy Phase.

Special: Moonbow / Bonfire

• Moonbow's lower cooldown helps him activate it more often. Bonfire, however, will hit a bit harder.

Passive A: Death Blow / Swift Sparrow / Sturdy Impact

• Helps Matthew hit his target as hard as possible.

• Death Blow "variants" like Swift Sparrow and Sturdy Impact that offer additional effects also work quite well.

Passive B: Chill Def

• Though a bit redundant with the "Dagger 6" effect on Spy's Dagger, Chill Def is the best Chill that Matthew can run to "mark" an enemy, providing him with 14 additional damage on that target.

Passive C: Even Atk Wave / Odd Atk Wave 

• Because his damage scales with enemy debuffs rather than his own buffs like Bladetomes, he can add an extra Atk Wave skill to further the damage he deals.

• Instead, any team support skill such as a Drive can be run as desired.

Sacred Seal: Chill Atk

• A second "marker" for Matthew, and the most likely Chill to hit the same unit targeted by Chill Def.