Valentine Alm

Weapon: Scepter of Love 

Assist: Reposition / Flexible 

Special: Noontime / Sol

Passive A: Distant Counter 

Passive B: Close Call / Repel 

Passive C: Pulse Smoke / Atk Smoke 

Sacred Seal: Swift Stance / Steady Posture / Atk Smoke / Flashing Blade 

• This build aims to stack the duo’s Speed as high as possible to make them a supertank.

• Repel and Close Call reduce the amount of damage Alm takes by 4% for every point of Speed he has more of than the enemy. As such, Alm wants to increase his Speed as much as possible through his Duo Skill granting +6 Speed, a +SPD IV, Scepter of Love’s +3 Speed, and Swift Stance or Steady Posture (both of which also provide +4 Resistance or +4 Defense respectively to further increase survivability).

• Distant Counter allows Alm to counterattack against ranged units in order to apply Pulse Smoke (to prevent enemies from using Specials to cut through his defenses) and/or Atk Smoke to decrease the amount of damage Alm takes. Distant Counter also allows Alm to activate Noontime for sustainability.

• Alternatively, Alm can use Sol to heal 50% of damage instead of 30% from Noontime. However, in order to activate this on his follow-up attack (assuming the enemy does not have a guard effect), he will need Flashing Blade in his Sacred Seal slot.

Weapon: Scepter of Love 

Assist: Reposition / Flexible

Special: Lunar Flash 

Passive A: Flashing Blade 4 / Atk/Spd Push 4 / Swift Sparrow (2 or 3) / Fury (3 or 4)

Passive B: Desperation

Passive C: Even Atk Wave / Def Smoke / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Swift Sparrow / Flashing Blade 

• While this is a more cookie-cutter offensive set, Alm can still perform fantastically thanks to his great offenses, his Duo Skill Scepter of Love, and Lunar Flash.

• This set aims to drop Alm’s HP to ≤75% so he can activate Desperation, which allows him to perform his follow-up attack before the enemy can counterattack. In combination with Flashing Blade, Alm can activate Lunar Flash on his follow-up attack, allowing him to KO physically-bulky enemies he may not be able to KO otherwise. Def Smoke helps both Alm and his physical allies score KOs on especially bulky enemies, although it can be replaced by a self-buffing C slot such as Even Atk Wave to activate Scepter of Love's effects.

• Swift Sparrow, Atk/Spd Push, and Fury are all great alternatives to Flashing Blade 4 in Alm’s A slot, although Flashing Blade will need to be in Alm’s S slot if not in his A slot. The former 2 increase Alm’s offenses to bolster his damage and chance of performing a follow-up attack, while Fury makes Alm a more all-around unit, with its recoil helping Alm reach Desperation range.

• Scepter of Love’s effects of increasing Alm’s Attack by 25% of the enemy’s Defense and decreasing the enemy’s Attack by 25% of their Resistance is only active if Alm’s HP is ≥70% or he has a visible buff active. Given that this set aims to drop Alm’s HP to ≤75% so he can activate Desperation, there’s very little room in between 70-75% HP; as such, Alm will likely need a visible buff active to receive Scepter of Love’s benefits. While this already isn’t difficult to achieve, it’s especially easy given Alm’s Duo skill, which grants him +6 Atk/Spd, and self-buffing C slots.

Weapon: Scepter of Love 

Assist: Reposition / Flexible 

Special: Galeforce 

Passive A: Flashing Blade 4 / Swift Sparrow (2 or 3) / Atk/Spd Push 4 / Atk/Spd Solo

Passive B: Null Follow-Up / Repel / Close Call / Lull Atk/Def

Passive C: Def Smoke / Time’s Pulse 

Sacred Seal: Swift Sparrow / Flashing Blade / Quickened Pulse

• Alm is capable of dishing out high amounts of damage and consistently performing follow-up attacks thanks to 35/40 offenses that can be increased via +ATK/+SPD IVs, his Duo Skill granting +6 Atk/Spd, and Scepter of Love’s increased damage and survivability with a condition that can be activated through said Duo Skill. As such, he is an amazing Galeforcer that can consistently KO 2 enemies on Player Phase. 

• The combination of an Attack and Speed increasing skill and a skill that increases Special charge when Alm attacks fits wonderfully for his A and S slots. Flashing Blade 4 and Swift Sparrow in Alm’s Sacred Seal provides the most damage while increasing Special charge if his Speed is higher than the enemy’s, although this can also work if the slots are reversed. Alternatives for Alm’s A slot include Atk/Spd Push 4 and Atk/Spd Solo, with the latter being especially synergistic because Galeforcers tend to stray from their allies.

• Null Follow-Up ensures that Alm performs a follow-up attack if possible, making it key against enemies with skills that prevent follow-up attacks. However, Repel and Close Call are also strong options that increase Alm’s survivability so he does not get KO’d by the second enemy he targets. Lull Atk/Spd can also be chosen to secure Alm’s survivability and ability to KO the enemy.

• In some cases, Alm may not be able to activate Galeforce even with Flashing Blade because his enemy cannot counterattack. Time’s Pulse and Quickened Pulse both solve this problem, reducing Galeforce’s charge from 5 to 4. If Time’s Pulse isn’t available, then Def Smoke is a great alternative because Alm can inflict -7 Defense on nearby enemies, then immediately take advantage of that after activating Galeforce.