GamePress
Analysis by Chibi_Chu
Spring Maria - Sunny Smile

5

Obtainable as a 5 only

Hero Stats

Max Avg Total Stats at Lvl 40
177
HP 35
ATK 37
SPD 40
DEF 40
RES 25

Stat Variations

Level 1 Stat Variation
5★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 15 10 11 9 2
Middle 16 11 12 10 3
High 17 12 13 11 4

Level 40 Stat Variations
5★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 32 34 37 37 21
Middle 35 37 40 40 25
High 39 40 43 44 28

Skill Sets

Sunny-side-up! (Aether Raids Offense)

Build by Chibi_Chu
Recommended
Pastel Poleaxe A Fury (3 or 4)
Alternate: Sturdy Stance 3
Positional Assist B Wyvern Flight 3
Alternate: Quick Riposte 3
Bonfire
Alternate: Ignis
C Spd/Def Rein 3
Alternate: Atk/Def Rein 3
IVs

+Atk or +Spd or +Def / -Res

SAtk/Def Form 3
Alternate: Mystic Boost 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Pastel Poleaxe 

Assist: Positional Assist 

Special: Bonfire / Ignis 

Passive A: Fury (3 or 4) / Dual Stance 3 Skills

Passive B: Wyvern Flight / Quick Riposte / Mystic Boost

Passive C: Rein Skills 

Sacred Seal: Atk/Def Form / Mystic Boost / Quick Riposte

  • As Maria performs rather poorly as a Galeforcer (due to Pastel Poleaxe’s healing and lack of Special acceleration) and generalist tank (due to competition, a lack of strong B Slots, and no Distant Counter in her weapon), her best role in Aether Raids Offense is as a melee specialist. This set focuses on maximizing damage output and survivability against melee enemies, particularly toward the physical side since Maria’s magical bulk is low and Dragons are overall uncommon and/or unthreatening. Ideally, Maria is paired up with a Far Save ally such as Ascended Fjorm or Valentine’s Robin (F), as she is a sitting duck against ranged enemies without one.
  • Pastel Poleaxe’s +5 to all stats, true damage and damage reduction based on 20% of Maria’s Def, and 7 HP healing to Maria and allies within 2 spaces after combat lend themselves well to a melee specialist set, granting Maria additional firepower, bulk, and sustainability. In particular, the healing counteracts the recoil damage from Fury, a strong A Slot choice that simply increases Maria’s visible stats. Other A Slots include Sturdy Stance, Kestrel Stance, and Steady Posture 3, granting additional stats and slowing enemy Specials during Enemy Phase combat. 
    • Fury is typically chosen over Dual Stance 3s if using Wyvern Flight, a B Slot that uses the gap between Maria and the enemy’s visible Def stats to inflict Atk/Def debuffs during combat.
    • On the other hand, Dual Stance 3s are superior if using any other B Slot; choices include Quick Riposte to break through follow-up prevention via a guaranteed Enemy Phase follow-up and Mystic Boost. Quick Riposte’s 70% HP condition, while daunting, is workable thanks to Pastel Poleaxe’s healing, while Mystic Boost’s healing, Wrathful Staff neutralization, and neutralization of effects that target the lower of Maria’s Def/Res make it great for survivability.
  • Given Maria’s fantastic 40 base Def, Bonfire and Ignis are great Specials, with the former having three cooldown and increasing damage by 50% of her Def and the latter having four cooldown and increasing damage by 80% of her Def. Which is chosen is up to player preference, though the synergy from additional Special charge from allies such as Thorr and Brave Lucina should be considered if applicable.
  • Rein Skills such as Atk/Spd Rein, Spd/Def Rein, and Atk/Def Rein inflict -4 in their respective stats to enemies within two spaces during combat, helping both Maria and allies with damage output and survivability.
  • Granting up to +7 Atk/Def during combat depending on the number of allies Maria is within two spaces of, Atk/Def Form is a great Sacred Seal, as she will typically be within two spaces of at least two allies (Far Save partner + support-centric allies), granting her at least +5 Atk/Def. Alternatives include the aforementioned B Slots of Quick Riposte and Mystic Boost, for the same reasons noted above.

Pastel power! (Player Phase)

Build by Chibi_Chu
Pastel Poleaxe A Atk/Spd Boosting A Slot
Positional Assist B Flow Flight 3
Alternate: Dive-Bomb 3
Moonbow
Alternate: Ruptured Sky
C Spd/Def Rein 3
IVs

+Atk or +Spd or +Def / -Res

SAtk/Spd Solo 3
Alternate: Heavy Blade 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Pastel Poleaxe 

Assist: Positional Assist 

Special: Moonbow / Ruptured Sky / Glimmer

Passive A: Atk/Spd Boosting A Slot

Passive B: Flow Flight / Dive-Bomb

Passive C: Spd/Def Rein 

Sacred Seal: Atk/Spd Solo / Heavy Blade / Blade Session

  • The combination of Maria’s Pastel Poleaxe and strong overall statline makes a Player Phase set a strong build for her. Unlike most Player Phase sets, however, Maria typically does not need to circumvent her defenses; Pastel Poleaxe’s +5 to all, damage reduction, and healing give her impressive survivability, even when investing most other slots to damage. The true damage granted by Pastel Poleaxe helps with reliably OHKOing enemies as well, minimizing the damage Maria takes.
  • Assuming no Guard effect is active, the enemy can counterattack, and Maria can perform a follow-up attack, she will activate two-cooldown Specials such as Moonbow, Glimmer, and Ruptured Sky on her follow-up. Typically, Moonbow and Ruptured Sky are best to pierce through enemies with high Atk/Def, especially considering Glimmer’s bonus damage does not scale with true damage.
  • Atk/Spd Boosting A Slots increase Maria’s raw damage and follow-up consistency, making them her best options. Noteworthy Skills include Atk/Spd Unity, which reverses visible Atk/Spd debuffs and reversed Atk/Spd buffs, and Surge Sparrow, which heals Maria on Special activation.
  • Maria’s base Flow Flight is fantastic for this set, neutralizing follow-up prevention and granting additional true damage and damage reduction based on the gap between her and the enemy’s Def stats.
    • Alternatively, she can use Dive-Bomb and have a 2HKO-or-bust playstyle. If both Maria and the enemy’s HP is ≥ 80%, she will perform her follow-up attack before the enemy can counterattack. In tandem with the combination of a two-cooldown Special and Heavy Blade in her Sacred Seal, Maria can effectively attack twice with a Special on her follow-up before the enemy can counterattack, allowing her to safely secure KOs. However, it should be noted that Maria has neither a guaranteed follow-up nor a way to neutralize Guard effects.
  • Spd/Def Rein inflicts -4 Spd/Def on enemies within two spaces, improving Maria’s follow-up consistency and raw damage. It also synergizes well with Flow Flight, as decreasing the enemy’s Def increases the gap between their Def and Maria’s, thus increasing Flow Flight’s true damage and damage reduction.
  • If not using the combination of Dive-Bomb and Heavy Blade, Sacred Seals that increase Maria’s offenses such as Atk/Spd Solo and Blade Session are most valued. The former simply grants +6 Atk/Spd during combat if Maria is not adjacent to an ally, while the latter grants Atk/Spd depending on how many allies have already moved: +3 if 0, +6 if 1, and +9 if ≥ 2.

Bunny blockade! (Enemy Phase Generalist)

Build by Chibi_Chu
Pastel Poleaxe A Distant Countering A Slot
Positional Assist B Wyvern Flight 3
Alternate: Quick Riposte 3
Noontime
Alternate: Moonbow
C Atk/Spd Rein 3
Alternate: Spd/Def Rein 3
IVs

Flexible

SAtk/Spd Solo 3
Alternate: Mystic Boost 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Pastel Poleaxe 

Assist: Positional Assist 

Special: Noontime / Moonbow

Passive A: Distant Countering A Slot

Passive B: Wyvern Flight / Quick Riposte / Mystic Boost

Passive C: Rein Skills 

Sacred Seal: Solo Skills / Mystic Boost / Quick Riposte

  • From neutralizing Flier effectiveness to granting +5 to all stats to true damage and damage reduction equal to 20% of Maria’s Def to healing 7 HP to Maria and allies within two spaces, Pastel Poleaxe has a goodie bag of effects that make an Enemy Phase generalist set viable. Since generalist sets make use of all stats, Maria can make any IVs work.
  • Since Maria lacks Special cooldown or additional Special charge, low-cooldown Specials such as Noontime and Moonbow are best for consistent activations. The former provides healing equal to 30% of damage dealt while the latter ignores 30% of the enemy’s Def, so players can choose between sustainability and extra damage.
  • Distant Countering A Slots such as Distant Stance and Distant Counter allow Maria to counterattack against ranged enemies, which is vital for a generalist set given that she likely will not have a Far Save ally with her to receive ranged attacks instead.
  • B Slot options include Wyvern Flight, Quick Riposte, and Mystic Boost.
    • Assuming Maria passes the lenient condition of having ≥ -10 visible Spd compared to the enemy, Wyvern Flight inflicts Atk/Def debuffs equal to 50% of the gap between Maria and the enemy’s visible Def stats, with maximum debuffs being -7. This helps her damage output and survivability, and given her 40 base Spd/Def, she should have little issue inflicting at least some Atk/Def debuffs.
    • Quick Riposte helps break through follow-up prevention via a guaranteed follow-up on Enemy Phase. While the 70% HP condition is strict, Pastel Poleaxe’s healing (and potentially Mystic Boost in Maria’s Sacred Seal) can heal her back to that condition if necessary.
    • Mystic Boost provides a variety of effects, from 6 HP healing post-combat to neutralizing Wrathful Staff to neutralizing effects that target the lower of Maria’s Def/Res. All of these improve Maria’s overall survivability, with the middle effect being particularly helpful because it neuters otherwise threatening Staff units such as Young L’Arachel and Brave Veronica.
  • Atk/Spd Rein, Spd/Def Rein, and Atk/Def Rein are all strong C Slots, inflicting -4 in their respective stats to enemies within two spaces during combat. Which is chosen depends on availability and preference.
  • Unlike most Fliers, Maria neutralizes Flier effectiveness with her Pastel Poleaxe. This frees her Sacred Seal (which would normally be Iote’s Shield) for stat-increasing options such as Atk/Spd Solo and Spd/Res Solo, both of which grant +6 to their respective stats if Maria is not adjacent to an ally. Alternatives include the aforementioned B Slots of Quick Riposte and Mystic Boost, for the same reasons noted above.

Strengths

Strong Attack, Speed, and Defense

37 Atk, 40 Spd, and 40 Def are strong starting values that allow Maria to deal high damage, consistently perform/avoid follow-up attacks, and soak physical hits well.

Pastel Poleaxe

Taking a page from her siblings’ books, Maria wields her very own Axe for the Spring festival that, funnily enough, puts Hauteclere to shame.

  • Pastel Poleaxe grants Maria an unconditional +3 Def and Iote’s Shield effect, neutralizing Flier effectiveness.
  • Additionally, if Maria’s HP is ≥ 25% at the start of combat, she gains +5 to all stats during combat, deals true damage equal to and reduces damage taken by 20% of her Def, and heals 7 HP to herself and allies within two spaces after combat.

By boosting her damage output, improving her survivability, and even providing allies some support, Pastel Poleaxe helps Maria stand out amongst her peers. It’s also really cute!

Weaknesses

Concerningly Low HP and Resistance

35 HP is startlingly low for a Gen 6 Melee Flier. While Maria’s excellent 40 Def saves her physical bulk, her 25 Res does not save her magical bulk, leaving her susceptible to being OHKO’d by magical enemies even after Pastel Poleaxe’s +5 Res and damage reduction during combat.

Somewhat Unwieldy

Although Pastel Poleaxe and Maria’s Flier status have their strengths, they also come with notable and/or set-specific drawbacks that can make Maria an awkward unit to use.

  • Enemy Phase Fliers are, at the time of writing, severely lacking in Enemy Phase B Slots. Wyvern Flight, Quick Riposte, and Mystic Boost are Maria’s best B Slots, all of which are…unimpressive, especially compared to Infantry and Armored units.
  • Pastel Poleaxe’s post-combat healing and lack of both Special acceleration and additional Special charge make Galeforce strategies shaky. Healing can interfere with Wings of Mercy strategies centered around Maria’s and/or allies’ HPs dropping to ≤ 50%, and no Special acceleration/charge can make it difficult for Maria to activate Galeforce at all. Lacking access to Flashing Blade is the icing on the cake, as Maria’s Attack may not exceed the enemy’s for her to receive additional Special charge from Heavy Blade.

Weapon Skills

Weapons SP Rng. Mt.
Iron Axe
Learns by default at 1 ★
Unlocks at 1 ★
Inheritable by Axe users only.
50 1 6
Steel Axe
Learns by default at 2 ★
Unlocks at 2 ★
Inheritable by Axe users only.
100 1 8
Silver Axe
Learns by default at 4 ★
Unlocks at 3 ★
Inheritable by Axe users only.
200 1 11
Pastel Poleaxe

Grants Def+3.

Neutralizes "effective against flying" bonuses.

At start of combat, if unit's HP ≥ 25%, grants Atk/Spd/Def/Res+5 to unit during combat, deals damage = 20% of unit's Def, reduces damage from foe's attacks by 20% of unit's Def (excluding area-of-effect Specials), and restores 7 HP to unit and allies within 2 spaces after combat.

Learns by default at 5 ★
Unlocks at 5 ★
Non-Inheritable skill.
400 1 16
Weapon Evolution
Weapon Upgrades
Weapon Upgrades

Support Skills

Support Skills Rng. SP
Rally Defense

Grants Def+4 to an adjacent ally until the end of the turn.

Learns by default at 4 ★
1 150
Rally Spd/Def

Grants Spd/Def+3 to an adjacent ally until the end of the turn.

1 300
Rally Spd/Def+

Grants Spd/Def+6 to target ally for 1 turn.

1 400

Passive Skills

Passive Skills SP Slot
Atk/Def Push 1

At start of combat, if unit's HP = 100%, grants Atk/Def+3, but if unit attacked, deals 1 damage to unit after combat.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 2 ★
60
A
Atk/Def Push 2

At start of combat, if unit's HP = 100%, grants Atk/Def+4, but if unit attacked, deals 1 damage to unit after combat.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 3 ★
120
A
Atk/Def Push 3

At start of combat, if unit's HP = 100%, grants Atk/Def+5, but if unit attacked, deals 1 damage to unit after combat.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
240
A
Atk/Def Push 4

At start of combat, if unit's HP ≥ 25%, grants Atk/Def+7, but if unit attacked, deals 5 damage to unit after combat.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
300
A
Flow Flight 1

If unit initiates combat and unit's HP = 100% at start of combat, neutralizes effects that prevent unit's follow-up attacks during combat, and also, if unit's Spd ≥ foe's Spd-10, deals damage during combat = 30% of difference between Def stats (unit's Def minus foe's Def) and reduces damage from foe's attacks by 30% of that difference. (Excluding area-of-effect Specials. Min: 0, max: 3.)

Flying Sword, Lance & Axe Only
Unlocks at 1 ★
60
B
Flow Flight 2

If unit initiates combat and unit's HP ≥ 50% at start of combat, neutralizes effects that prevent unit's follow-up attacks during combat, and also, if unit's Spd ≥ foe's Spd-10, deals damage during combat = 50% of difference between Def stats (unit's Def minus foe's Def) and reduces damage from foe's attacks by 50% of that difference. (Excluding area-of-effect Specials. Min: 0, max: 5.)

Flying Sword, Lance & Axe Only
Unlocks at 2 ★
120
B
Flow Flight 3

If unit initiates combat, neutralizes effects that prevent unit's follow-up attacks during combat, and also, if unit's Spd ≥ foe's Spd-10, deals damage during combat = 70% of difference between Def stats (unit's Def minus foe's Def) and reduces damage from foe's attacks by 70% of that difference. (Excluding area-of-effect Specials. Min: 0, max: 7.)

Flying Sword, Lance & Axe Only
Unlocks at 4 ★
240
B

Other Info

Origin
Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem

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