Micaiah

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.

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.

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.