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Analysis by lordhelpme
Micaiah - Priestess of Dawn

5

Obtainable as a 5 only

Hero Stats

Max Avg Total Stats at Lvl 40
151
HP 35
ATK 35
SPD 28
DEF 18
RES 35

Stat Variations

Level 1 Stat Variation
5★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 15 8 5 4 8
Middle 16 9 6 5 9
High 17 10 7 6 10

Level 40 Stat Variations
5★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 32 32 24 14 32
Middle 35 35 28 18 35
High 39 38 31 21 38

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

Skill Sets

Daein’s Light (Defensive Tank / Aether Raids Offense)

Build by lordhelpme
Recommended
Thani (+Eff) A Mirror Stance 3
Alternate: Close Foil
Positional Assist B Null C-Disrupt 3
Alternate: Special Spiral 3
Sol C Pulse Smoke 3
Alternate: Atk Smoke 3
IVs

+ATK or +RES or +SPD / -DEF

SAtk/Def Solo 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Thani (+Eff)

Assist: Positional Assist / Flexible

Special: Sol 

Passive A: Mirror Stance / Close Foil / Atk/Res Solo 

Passive B: Null C-Disrupt / Null Follow-Up / Special Spiral / Lull Atk/Res

Passive C: Pulse Smoke / Atk Smoke /  Flexible

Sacred Seal: Atk/Def Solo / Mirror Stance / Spd/Res Solo 

  • The Silver-Haired Maiden works quite well within the context of Aether Raids Offense due to the immense power her refined Thani carries, allowing Micaiah to serve as a highly effective counter to some of the most common and troublesome frontliners present in Defense teams. A +ATK is likely Micaiah’s best choice for more damage and healing, but +RES also works to further supplement her magic-tanking ability. 
    • Although her base Speed is on the mediocre side and Thani does provide a follow-up, taking a +SPD IV may still be a worthwhile consideration as it’s just high enough to potentially avoid follow-up attacks with sufficient support and aid survivability. This also pairs particularly well with Null Follow-Up.
  • Utilizing a healing Special helps mitigate any damage Micaiah may incur and safeguards her longevity, with Sol being her best choice overall as the timing of its activation typically allows for maximum recovery. 
  • Mirror Stance 3 works excellently with this set’s defensive focus, providing a massive boost to Micaiah’s key stats upon being attacked—but more importantly, a built-in Guard effect to shield her from enemy Specials. Alternatively, she can be equipped with Close Foil (or Close Counter if unavailable) for the ability to counterattack regardless of range, or Atk/Res Solo for its dual phase functionality in exchange for losing out on Guard. 
  • Micaiah’s B slot options are quite varied and should be selected based on the scenarios one most commonly comes across. Null C-Disrupt is a particularly compelling choice to counter Dazzling Staff and Firesweep users who would otherwise safely debuff her. If deemed unnecessary or if simply unavailable, other options include Null Follow-Up (to shut down foes with automatic doubles), Special Spiral (to activate Sol on each counter for maximum healing), and Lull Atk/Res (for a notable stat advantage).
  • Pulse Smoke is a staple on most Aether Raids Offense units—and for good reason, as it helps dismantle Infantry Pulse setups that otherwise may prove far too difficult to tackle head-on. It’s rather cost-intensive, though, so Atk Smoke makes for a suitable substitute if unavailable to directly reduce the damage Micaiah receives. 
  • Since refined Thani already provides a follow-up attack (thus eliminating the need for Quick Riposte), Micaiah is free to equip any Sacred Seal that helps develop her most important stats, or those that could use the extra help; Atk/Def Solo, Mirror Stance, and Spd/Res Solo are amongst the best of those available.

Rebuke of the Goddess (Aether Raids Defense)

Build by lordhelpme
Recommended
Thani (+Eff) A Sturdy Impact
Positional Assist B Lull Atk/Res 3
Alternate: Wings of Mercy 3
Glacies
Alternate: Iceberg
C Time's Pulse 3
Alternate: Panic Smoke 3
IVs

+ATK / -DEF

SHardy Bearing 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Thani (+Eff)

Assist: No Assist / Positional Assist

Special: Glacies / Iceberg / Luna 

Passive A: Sturdy Impact 

Passive B: Lull Atk/Res / Wings of Mercy / Null Follow-Up / Guard

Passive C: Time’s Pulse / Infantry Pulse / Panic Smoke / Distant Guard / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Hardy Bearing / Quickened Pulse / Mirror Strike / Death Blow / Bond Skills

  • Micaiah has rather potent applications in Aether Raid Defense as well, particularly due to Thani’s built-in follow-up mechanic as it provides key offensive might that cannot easily be stopped. Topped off with her innate high raw damage and effective damage against two movement types (most alluringly, armored foes), the Priestess of Dawn can bring a great deal of coverage to one’s Defense team. A +ATK IV is recommended for heightened damage. 
  • Her infantry mage status and relatively low HP enables her to blend perfectly in Infantry Pulse setups for a rapidfire activation upon her first hit. Glacies is her preferred Special should one be able to fully provide four charges, boasting the greatest damage and OHKO potential of all her options. If there isn’t enough Infantry Pulse support available —or if another ally is to be the one receiving the maximum four charges instead— Iceberg and Luna are possible alternatives.
  • Sturdy Impact is Micaiah’s best A slot skill for the purposes of this set, remaining arguably non-negotiable to ensure the greatest chance of success. In addition to reinforcing her damage, it also offsets her otherwise horrible physical bulk through its +10 Defense boost and negation of her foe’s follow-up attack. This is valuable to ensure she survives to actually land Thani’s second hit in any scenario in which she doesn’t outright OHKO an opponent—something that always remains a possibility—or at the very least force a stalemate rather than her defeat.
  • Lull Atk/Res works excellently to neutralize her opponent’s buffs and further fortify Micaiah’s survivability and raw damage output. Wings of Mercy is another powerful B slot candidate to take advantage of any allies who can safely reach low HP and expand her range, potentially catching challengers off-guard, or Null Follow-Up to ensure her double. Guard is also decent to help shut down enemy Special activations, but is admittedly liable to being shut down by Bolt Tower. 
  • For her C slot, Time’s Pulse works excellently to alleviate the amount of Infantry Pulse support necessary to fully charge Micaiah’s Special, or she can even equip Infantry Pulse herself if there’s another ally on the team with lower HP who needs the assistance. Panic Smoke is also a potent choice in the context of AR-D to punish foes for using buffs, but if nothing else, skills that provide in-combat boosts are always welcome filler. 
  • Given the prominence of Vantage units in challenging teams, Micaiah can make great use of the Hardy Bearing Sacred Seal to shut down such strategies. Quickened Pulse is an option of note as well to render her less dependent on Infantry Pulse support. If neither are available or deemed necessary, a simple stat-boosting seal may be taken, preferably a Blow or Bond skill.

Onward to Tomorrow (General Offense)

Build by lordhelpme
Thani (+Eff) A Sturdy Impact
Alternate: Death Blow (3 or 4)
Positional Assist B Null Follow-Up 3
Alternate: Mystic Boost 3
Iceberg
Alternate: Glimmer
C Res Smoke 3
Alternate: Drive Atk 2
IVs

+ATK / -DEF

SAtk/Def Solo 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Thani (+Eff) 

Assist: Positional Assist / Flexible

Special: Iceberg / Moonbow / Glimmer 

Passive A: Sturdy Impact / Death Blow 

Passive B: Null Follow-Up / Mystic Boost / Special Spiral / Lull Atk/Res

Passive C: Res Smoke / Time’s Pulse / Drive Atk / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Atk/Def Solo / Death Blow / Sturdy Blow 

  • This build focuses on Micaiah’s role as a more traditional Player Phase offensive nuke—a role she excels at once again thanks to Thani’s impressive firepower. Since the primary emphasis will be on her damage-dealing capacity, a +ATK IV is favored over all else.
  • Iceberg plays off the Silver-Haired Maiden’s fantastic Resistance and offers strong burst damage while on a reasonable cooldown. Should more rapid activations be preferred, Moonbow and Glimmer become her best options, and both also come with the benefit of pairing quite well with Special Spiral for a more OHKO-oriented playstyle.
  • Although rather cost-intensive, Sturdy Impact once again shines as Micaiah’s best A slot skill to alleviate the impact of her horrid physical bulk and allow her to actually survive against physical-damage dealers to land her second attack. For budget purposes or an OHKO set, Death Blow should be taken.
  • With her options being rather diverse, Micaiah’s B slot skill should ultimately best lend itself to one’s preferred playstyle. Null Follow-Up works excellently to ensure her follow-up attack and bypass skills that would otherwise force a Speed-tie, though Mystic Boost constitutes an interesting choice to keep Micaiah at high health with its passive healing. Special Spiral for instant Special activations and Lull Atk/Res to break through enemy bonuses are also standouts.
  • Micaiah isn’t particularly attached to a particular C slot and can safely equip anything that benefits her team, such as her default Drive Atk. That being said, for specific recommendations, Smoke skills are always solid when provided with refresher support and Time’s Pulse assists her damage by hastening her Special activation. Any seal that boosts her Attack will work here. 

Strengths

Thani

Micaiah’s refined Thani tome proves to be a seriously impressive weapon and remains the cornerstone of her formidable combat prowess. On top of retaining her signature dual effective damage, upgrading her damage reduction to be applicable to all ranged foes, and granting key stat boosts, this weapon most notably provides guaranteed follow-up attacks The fact that Thani operates in both phases is the cherry-on-top and altogether grants Micaiah immense usefulness at virtually every level of play, showcasing great flexibility in her playstyle.

Strong Attack and Resistance

True to her performance in Radiant Dawn, Micaiah features excellent values in Attack and Resistance—both of which are highlighted further by Thani’s in-combat buffs. This allows her to get fantastic mileage of her PRF’s varied effects, boasting a high offensive ceiling and stellar magical resilience. 

Infantry Benefits

Micaiah’s infantry status only expands upon her great versatility even more through access to numerous, highly-coveted exclusive skills; this includes Time’s Pulse, Infantry Pulse, Null Follow-Up, and many more. With so many options available, Micaiah can fully capitalize on Thani's varied applications to finely tune her strengths in ways that best fulfill one’s needs and preferred playstyle.

Weaknesses

Abysmal Physical Bulk

Her physical bulk is simply atrocious; with 35 HP and 18 Defense, Micaiah remains incredibly weak to most physical attackers and must exercise extreme caution when facing off against them to avoid being outright KO’d. Thankfully, though, this can be offset to an extent by Thani’s damage reduction against archers and dagger units alongside considerable support and investment, but even still she must still be careful.

Weapon Skills

Weapons SP Rng. Mt.
Light
Blue Tome Users Only
50 2 4
Ellight
Blue Tome Users Only
100 2 6
Shine
Blue Tome Users Only
200 2 9
Thani

Grants Res+3. Effective against armored and cavalry foes.
Against armored and cavalry foes using bow, dagger, magic, or staff, damage from first attack received by unit during combat reduced by 30%.

Learns by default at 5 ★
Non-Inheritable skill.
400 2 14
Weapon Evolution
Weapon Upgrades
Weapon Upgrades

Support Skills

Support Skills Rng. SP
Ardent Sacrifice

Heals adjacent ally 10 HP. Unit loses 10HP (but cannot reach 0 this way)

Learns by default at 5 ★
1 150
Sacrifice

Converts penalties on target into bonuses. Restores target's HP = unit's current HP -1. Unit's HP reduced by amount restored.

1 400

Passive Skills

Passive Skills SP Slot
Distant Def 1

If unit is attacked by foe using bow, daggers, magic, or staff, unit receives Def/Res+2 during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
60
A
Distant Def 2

If unit is attacked by foe using bow, daggers, magic, or staff, unit receives Def/Res+4 during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
120
A
Distant Def 3

If unit is attacked by foe using bow, daggers, magic, or staff, unit receives Def/Res+6 during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
240
A
Guard 1

If unit's HP is ≥ 100% at start of combat, enemy is inflicted with Special cooldown charge-1.
(If using similar skill, only highest value applied.)

Inheritable by all units.
50
B
Guard 2

If unit's HP is ≥ 90% at start of combat, enemy is inflicted with Special cooldown charge-1.
(If using similar skill, only highest value applied.)

Inheritable by all units.
100
B
Guard 3

If unit's HP is ≥ 80% at start of combat, enemy is inflicted with Special cooldown charge-1.
(If using similar skill, only highest value applied.)

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
200
B
Spur Atk 1

Grants Atk+2 to adjacent allies during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
50
C
Drive Atk 1

Grants Atk+2 to allies within 2 spaces during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
120
C
Drive Atk 2

Grants Atk+3 to allies within 2 spaces during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
240
C

Other Info

Origin
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn

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Official Hero Artwork