Should You Pull?
If you’re willing to support her with buffs and/or if you are a Yuyuko lover, then she is recommended. The swimsuits are back! They weren’t gone for long because of a certain Witch of Scarlet Dreams on Vacation, but like how they started 2023 this time last year thanks to the C3 Komeiji Sisters, we now have the C3 Netherworld duo to kick off the new year, one of those two being C3 Yuyuko Saigyouji (Seamless Swimsuit Ghost) from the Epic Prayer that is Starving Summer Spirit! Of course, this Epic Prayer comes with a limited Story Card of its own, and it might have its useful moments here and there, especially for Friends like C3 Yuyuko for example. But with that said, let’s devour everything there is to cover when it comes to C3 Yuyuko’s kit!
To start off, this is the first Destroy-Class Epic Friend in the game! Like other Destroy-Class Friends that came before, C3 Yuyuko will enjoy that special perk of not having to worry as much about their Killers on later lines not hitting as many enemies compared to other Friends with non-Destroy-Classes, and C3 Yuyuko actually doesn’t have a particularly impressive selection of Killers herself. With her access to CRIT Accuracy buffs and CRIT Evasion debuffs on enemies (and a potential benefit from Elastic bullets should enemies buff their offensive stats), she is sure to get those natural CRITs regardless! This on top of her naturally high Yang ATK stat at 1980, good mix of Slice and Hard Scaling, anomaly inflictions, damage to resisted elements getting a 30% boost in power via Ability and her Skill 3 providing one of two new mechanics: She grants the whole team a 30% increase in Effective Elemental Damage via Skill 3. C3 Yuyuko has many ingredients to hit enemies hard once everything falls into place for her.
Whether the elements are resisted or effective however, one thing to be sure of is her consistent and common spread of Water and Wood elements. Enemies weak to either/both will definitely be subject to elemental breaks and a large amount of damage for reasons above. If that’s not enough though, C3 Yuyuko also comes with some handy Freeze anomalies to inflict and break, only really requiring 2P on her All-Targeting attacks to break so overall, so her breaking potential is rather strong all things considered. Part of why Boosting isn’t a problem for C3 Yuyuko is because of her massive Spirit Power gain on her Skill 2 (2.50) allowing her almost guaranteed access to 3P no matter what, and with Spell Card 2 having what it takes to Stun an enemy at 3P, this also serves as a nice little trick for her to take advantage of too, also coming with a 1.75 Spirit Power return for her. She also comes with her own team Spirit Power support on Spell Card 1’s Post-ATK, with a full 1.00 at the end.
While C3 Yuyuko’s whopping 2.50 Spirit Power on Skill 2 is impressive at first, the 7 turn cooldown it has, sadly isn’t. While her sushi-serving swordswoman servant can turn this into a 6 turn cooldown, it can still be a pain to deal with, especially without her. It also comes with one of very few ways of ensuring C3 Yuyuko will land her bullets (the other being via Last Word Pre-ATK), leading us to the other issue with this gluttonous ghost. The top of the article saying “if you’re willing to support her” is because there are a few buffs that C3 Yuyuko is missing when it comes to reaching her full potential, such as her glaring lack of Accuracy buffs. This is made up for a little by some of the Evasion debuff access available, but as mentioned earlier, it won’t be coming often sadly, which is why Accuracy buffs from either Story Cards or other teammates are so important. She is also struggling a little bit with some other buffs like CRIT Accuracy (despite the CRIT Evasion debuffs and Freeze anomalies), Agility (with some bullet line Agility buffs) and Yang DEF, all potentially contributing to a recipe for disaster for her opponents once accounted for!
Now for an Epic Edition of Story Card Spotlight! There are two special cards to look out for on these Epic Prayers, the one we will be covering here will be Tropical Netherworld Sushi! This card’s effects look like they would benefit C3 Yuyuko rather well as it comes with 2 stages of Yang DEF debuffed on all enemies (2T), 2 stages of CRIT Accuracy (2T) and a 40% Boost in Water bullets. With cards out there like Beach Sanshoku Geidontei, it’s possible one could manage without this card, but it’s also possible to make use of this one in some niche scenarios.
Featured Story Card "Tropical Netherworld Sushi"!
So with all of that covered, how does our first Epic Destroy-Class Friend fare? Well C3 Yuyuko Saigyouji has strong potential to be just fantastic once she has all the appropriate buffs accounted for. Fittingly enough, her downsides can be noticeably mitigated by a certain C3 Youmu thanks to her own Accuracy and Agility buffs. If you are willing to make sure C3 Yuyuko won’t struggle with buffs like Accuracy, this is definitely a worthwhile Prayer to put your Seal Crystals in, especially if you have the Seal Crystals prepared for the worst possible luck, and even have the Epic Paper Dolls to Limit Break her. With L80 Sanae Kochiya’s Prayer leaving in 2024, Lr Flandre Scarlet sticking around for a little longer, her fellow backup dancing friend that is Lr Hata no Kokoro gearing up to arrive on January 11th, and Reimu Hakurei (Karma Speed) running in on January 18th, there are many options to have to choose from (present and future), but what we do know now is that C3 Yuyuko’s destructive power is not to be overlooked! If you are deciding on if you need Wood and/or Water breaks and you already have somebody like C3 Reimu to cover just that, you can probably manage without if you’re concerned about your resources. As for if you’re in a situation where you had to only choose between C3 Yuyuko and C3 Youmu however, it would probably have to go to the former, making C3 Yuyuko the more desirable overall, but should you find yourself having both Netherworld souls in swimsuits, they will work extremely well together!
And for those who want to kick off 2024 by picking up a hungry ghost from the world of Eternal Summer, best of luck to those going forth with their endeavors on this Prayers!
Happy New Year everybody!
Quick Overview
C3 Yuyuko Saigyouji is a Destroy-Class Friend who eats away at the competition thanks to her special Party Effective Element mechanic as well as a mastery of Freeze anomalies, team CRIT ATK buffs, a team CRIT ATK II buff, debuffs in CRIT Evasion and Evasion and of course, large damage potential.
Destructive Power One Can’t Stomach
As the first Epic Destroy-Class Friend, C3 Yuyuko’s damage potential is definitely not to be underestimated! Of course, her Killers aren’t the most impressive but with enough CRIT Accuracy, she can ensure she will get some guaranteed CRITs regardless, especially with Elastic if enemies like buffing their ATK stats! She also comes with massive Slice Scaling accompanied by strong Hard Scaling too, but with a naturally high Yang ATK stat at 1980, the Freeze anomalies that give her offensive buffs like Yang ATK, CRIT ATK and CRIT Accuracy, a 30% increase in resisted elemental damage via Ability and of course her way to give the party a 30% Boost in Effective Elemental Damage! With everything falling into place, this hungry ghost in a swimsuit will feast on the damage inflicted on her enemies!
Swimming in Breaks
With every bullet in C3 Yuyuko’s kit either being Wood or Water, and both having a strong amount each, the elemental focus on both is rather handy for her all things considered. If she can’t use those elements to break enemies’ Barriers due to not being weak to Water/Wood, there are also Freeze anomalies to fall back on. Skill 2 inflicts 2 layers on all, Spell Card 1 Pre-ATK inflicts 3 more on all, and the same applies to her Last Word Pre-ATK, with breaks on all enemies at 2P through Spread Shot, Spell Card 1 and Last Word.
Stunning Summer Spirit
Gaining a whopping 2.50 Spirit Power for herself through Skill 3 is a massive jumpstart for C3 Yuyuko since it’s an easy way for her to access full power at 3P immediately. This can also give her access to denying an enemy their chance to attack via 100% Stun on her Solo-Targeting Spell Card 2 at 3P. The Post-ATK here also allows C3 Yuyuko to recharge well with 1.75 Spirit Power, with Spell Card 1 also giving her team 1.00 Spirit Power. This also helps with stacking up team CRIT ATK boosts thanks to the mix of Skill 1’s 4 Turn duration in team CRIT ATK buffs and constant Boosting via Ability.
Average Killers, But Destroys Regardless
Ironically, the ghost capable of manipulating death doesn’t have the strongest Killers to go with. Should she rely on them, they aren’t the most effective, but there’s more than meets the eye, since being a Destroy-Class Friend means her 3P bullet lines especially will have a higher CRIT Rate. With enough CRIT Accuracy buffs and possibly enemies possibly being vulnerable to all of C3 Yuyuko’s Elastic Bullets, the Killer issue will most likely be heavily mitigated.
Needs Help Hitting the Sweet Spot
The main issue for C3 Yuyuko is her lack of Accuracy buffs whatsoever. While this is mitigated somewhat through the Evasion debuffs at her disposal, this is unfortunately not enough all the time with there being additional issues with that as will be explained below, but regardless, she will need help with Accuracy buffs whether it be from Story Card or from allies such as a certain Half-Human Half-Phantom in a Swimsuit. To maximize her CRIT rate, it doesn’t hurt to have even more CRIT Accuracy buffs, and as some extra food for thought, if you want to get even more out of her Hard and Slice Scaling, it may be worth considering Agility and Yang DEF buffs for her in some way.
Mochiko Chicken Takes Longer to Cook
Of all her delicious Skills, the one that sticks out for its 7 Turn Cooldown, and while it could be justified with a strong 2.50 Spirit Power boost, it also has one of few Evasion debuffs on enemies which while helpful for hitting enemies, it will be tough for C3 Yuyuko to ensure she lands her hits once the Evasion goes, assuming she is still missing some form of Accuracy buff. Again, a certain Half-Human Half-Phantom in a Swimsuit can slash the cooldown rate from 7 to 6 Turns with her own special Skill. If only she wasn’t so reliant on her hardworking servant…
