Subaki

Preferred IV: +ATK or +SPD / -RES

• Subaki prefers to improve his raw damage output or his ability to perform and avoid follow-up attacks with an Attack or Speed asset respectively. Resistance is the chosen flaw as it does little to impact Subaki’s performance overall.

Weapon: Golden Naginata(+EFF)

• Subaki’s exclusive Golden Naginata is his weapon of choice, as it heavily compensates for Subaki’s lacking damage output by granting a +3 boost to all of his stats if his Attack is lower than that of his foe, in addition to granting him permanent -1 Special cooldown and +7 damage if his HP is equal to or higher than 70%, which greatly improves Subaki’s combat overall.

Assist: Reposition / Preference

Special: Bonfire / Ignis

• Defense Scaling specials are Subaki’s best choice of special, as they scale incredibly well thanks to his stellar Defense. Of the two, Bonfire is superior due to its good damage output in conjunction with its reasonably fast cooldown, but Ignis remains a solid alternative if one wants a harder hitting Special at the cost of a longer cooldown.

Passive A: Steady Stance 4 

• Steady Stance 4 grants Subaki a massive +8 Defense in addition to the Guard effect on Enemy Phase, allowing Subaki to check Physical threats with greater ease, particularly if they’re reliant on Special activations.

Passive B: Quick Riposte / Mystic Boost

• Subaki’s innate Quick Riposte remains a solid option despite Subaki’s high Speed, as it allows him to negate follow-up prevention effects such as Impacts on Enemy Phase while also allowing him to secure follow-ups on Enemy Phase regardless of the foe’s Speed.

• Mystic Boost is also a great choice, granting him some much needed self sustain by restoring 6 of his HP after every combat, in addition to nullifying Adaptive Damage and Wrathful Staff, reducing the damage he takes from Staff users.

Passive C: Atk Smoke / Preference

• Atk Smoke increases Subaki’s Enemy Phase durability further by inflicting a -7 Attack debuff on all foes within 2 spaces after combat, but his C slot choice is mainly dependent on the needs of the team and player preference.

Sacred Seal: Close Def / Iote’s Shield / Steady Stance

• The Close Def sacred seal rounds out Subaki’s defensive build nicely, granting Subaki a +6 boost to both his Defense and Resistance when attacked by melee foes.

• The Iote’s Shield Sacred Seal is also an excellent choice as it nullifies Subaki’s crippling Bow weakness, allowing him to tank bow users easily thanks to his High Defense.

• Finally, Steady Stance can also be used in the Sacred Seal slot to grant Subaki an additional +6 Defense during Enemy Phase.

Preferred IV: +RES / -HP

• Due to the widespread presence of mages in Aether Raids, a Resistance asset is taken to improve Subaki’s durability against magical damage. HP is chosen as a flaw despite its 4 point reduction, as the rest of Subaki’s stats are of greater importance.

Weapon: Golden Naginata(+EFF)

• The Golden Naginata is once again an excellent choice, as it greatly bolsters Subaki’s combat ability by granting him a +3 bonus to all of his stats provided that Subaki’s Attack is lower than that of his foe, in addition to permanent -1 Special cooldown and a +7 damage bonus as long as his HP remains equal to or above 70%.

Assist: Reposition / Preference

Special: Noontime

• Noontime is Subaki’s special of choice for an AR Distant Counter build, as it activates after every hit thanks to the Golden Naginata’s Slaying effect, granting Subaki a consistent source of self healing, provided he deals enough damage.

Passive A: Distant Counter

• Distant Counter is essential to this build, as it grants Subaki the ability to counterattack KO ranged foes, allowing Subaki to serve as a potent Ranged check(although vulnerable to Bow users such as Legendary Alm)

Passive B: Quick Riposte

• Quick Riposte is also crucial, as it allows Subaki to perform follow-up attacks through the effects of skills such as Sturdy and Mirror Impact during Enemy Phase, skills that are common in the higher tiers of Aether Raids.

Passive C: Pulse Smoke / Preference

• Pulse Smoke allows Subaki to disable potentially dangerous Specials by increasing the cooldown of all foes within two spaces by 1, which is especially useful when facing Special Based Defense teams.

Sacred Seal: Swift Stance / Warding Stance

• Swift Stance grants Subaki additional Speed and Resistance during Enemy Phase, increasing his ability to tank magical damage while also improving his resistance to Enemy follow-up Attacks.

• The Warding Stance Sacred Seal can also be used to give Subaki a greater Resistance bonus than Swift Stance,  although it does not increase Subaki’s Speed.

Preferred IV: +ATK or +SPD / -RES

• Assets in Attack and Speed remain ideal for to increase Subaki’s offensive potential. Resistance remains the best choice of flaw, as Subaki prefers to keep his other stats in tact.

Weapon: Golden Naginata(+EFF)

• The Golden Naginata remains Subaki’s weapon of choice, as it greatly enhances Subaki’s offensive capabilities while still functioning as a Slaying Lance.

Assist: Reposition / Preference

Special: Bonfire

• Bonfire remains Subaki’s ideal choice of Special due to its consistent damage output coupled with a reasonably fast cooldown.

Passive A: Swift Sparrow 2 or 3 / Atk/Spd Solo

• Swift Sparrow is one of the best offensive A slot options available, granting a massive boost to Attack and Speed during Player Phase with no drawbacks. In addition, due to Swift Sparrow being an incombat buff, it does not interfere with the Golden Naginata’s Attack based activation condition, as it only factors visible Attack into its calculation.

• Atk/Spd Solo serves a similar purpose to Swift Sparrow, with the upside of being active during Enemy Phase as long as no allies are adjacent. Its positioning requirement can be strict at times, however.

Passive B: Chill Spd / Desperation

• Chill Speed inflicts a -7 Speed debuff to the foe with the highest Speed, allowing Subaki and his team to perform follow-up attacks more easily on the afflicted foe.

• Desperation is also a good choice of B slot as it grants Subaki the ability to Attack twice before the Enemy can counterattack, although keeping Subaki’s +7 damage bonus active while reaching Desperation’s HP threshold can be difficult without the use of skills such as Ardent Sacrifice.

Passive C: Even Spd Wave / Preference

• Even Speed Wave grants Subaki a +6 Speed boost on even turns, allowing him to perform and avoid follow-up Attacks more consistently when the buff is active.

Sacred Seal: Sturdy Blow 

• Sturdy Blow is an excellent choice of Sacred Seal, as it grants Subaki a sizeable buff to his Attack and Defense when attacking, granting him a much needed boost to his damage output without interfering with his weapon’s activation conditions.