Valentine's Ike

• Preferred IV: +SPD or +ATK / -HP
• Weapon: Heart’s Blade+ (+Spd) / Wo Dao+ (+Spd)
• Assist: Swap
• Special: Radiant Aether
• Passive A: Distant Counter
• Passive B: Special Fighter
• Passive C: Armor March / Even Spd Wave / Flexible
• Sacred Seal: Atk/Spd Bond / Quick Riposte / Darting Stance

This build is almost entirely just Valentine’s Ike’s base kit, which just goes to show how powerful it is. Having access to Radiant Aether and Special Fighter means that Valentine’s Ike has no need for a Slaying Edge, and can opt to use his base Heart’s Blade. Wo Dao offers slightly more damage, but the net effect of Heart’s Blade is that Valentine’s Ike deals an extra 6 damage over two attacks in addition to the rest of the bonus stats compared to simply dealing an extra 10 damage with a Special with Wo Dao. However, this does require that he stay adjacent to an ally, so Wo Dao does offer a bit more flexibility in that regard.

The combination of Distant Counter and Special Fighter gives Valentine’s Ike full flexibility in dealing with both melee and ranged threats; he can counterattack at any range, shut down enemy Specials, and accelerate his own Special charge all at once. Because Special Fighter works on both phases, Valentine’s Ike can even initiate combat on Player Phase (thanks in part to his fantastic Speed). Armor March is recommended to help facilitate this (as well as support other armor allies), but isn’t strictly necessary; his base Even Spd Wave or any other skill to suit the team can work.

The Atk/Spd Bond Seal synergizes fantastically with Heart’s Blade since both will activate when Valentine’s Ike is standing adjacent to an ally. It works best with a +SPD asset though; otherwise, Quick Riposte may be a better option to ensure that Valentine’s Ike can double even the fastest enemies as well as those who would otherwise prevent doubles with skills like Wary Fighter or Sturdy Impact. If neither of those Seals is available, then Darting Stance can also work.

• Preferred IV: +ATK or +SPD / -HP
• Weapon: Slaying Edge+ (+Atk/+Spd)
• Assist: Swap
• Special: Radiant Aether
• Passive A: Distant Counter
• Passive B: Bold Fighter
• Passive C: Armor March / Even Spd Wave / Flexible
• Sacred Seal: Quick Riposte

This is a standard mixed phase setup for armor units. Valentine’s Ike has more than enough Speed that he can easily double most opponents without the need for skills like Bold Fighter and Quick Riposte (in fact, this is what makes his base kit so good). However, one strong perk of these skills is that it gives him a way of breaking through enemies with skills that otherwise prevent doubles such as Wary Fighter (Surtr comes to mind with his base kit).

A Slaying Edge will reduce Radiant Aether’s cooldown to 3, allowing Valentine’s Ike to activate it on either phase; note that he will not be able to activate it on Enemy Phase unless he gets doubled, which is fairly unlikely with his high base Speed (and even more unlikely if adding a +SPD asset or +Spd refine on his weapon). However, it can be worthwhile to prevent the double as Valentine Ike’s defenses aren’t quite at insane levels; this results not only in less incoming damage, but also allows him to have Radiant Aether prepared for immediate activation in his next combat allowing for maximum healing and sustain.

Armor March is fairly important for this build as otherwise, it’ll be pretty difficult for Valentine’s Ike to engage on Player Phase due to his poor mobility. It’s not strictly necessary, however (particularly if an ally is running it), and can be replaced by his base Even Spd Wave or any other skill to suit the team.