Should You Pull?
If you need a strong Earth-oriented Last Word, otherwise, feel free to save up. It’s 1 week after the Genic Genesis went into full effect, and we also saw some new faces from Hifuu: Code L?, one of those being Lr Aya Shameimaru (Pseudo Shikigami: Zendouki Gigaku) on the Red Shikigami Contract Ultra Festival Prayer. However, with the aforementioned Genics still sticking around for an extra week, plus the possibility of them taking out all your Seal Crystals, one could call this unfortunate timing for Lr Aya and Zenki…
Lr Aya doesn’t have a bad kit by any means, but it’s not groundbreaking either, although 2 new Genics last week are tough to compete with. That said, what we have here is a Technical-Class Friend with Skills reminiscent of a Supporter, heavy emphasis on Yin DEF debuffing on Spell Card Pre-ATKs and strong Slice Scaling especially on her Last Word. But let’s break it all down. When it comes to support, you see bits of Yin ATK, CRIT ATK, Accuracy and most importantly, Spirit Power in Lr Aya’s Skill set. 2 Stages of Yin ATK, CRIT ATK and Accuracy for the team and 2 Skills both providing 0.55 for the team. However, the support doesn’t end there because 0.85 Spirit Power is given to the team after using both Spell Cards 1 and 2 and Agility buffs are given to the team whenever Lr Aya performs a Boost or uses her Last Word. Needless to say, the Spirit Power buffs are the main draw here, especially when you consider how her Spirit Power support on her Skills also have a 3 turn cooldown.
As for offensive power, Lr Aya can actually hold her own in this regard. From those Yin DEF debuffs racked up on all the Pre-ATKs on Spell Cards 1, 2 and Last Word (Spell Card 2 is on a single target). She also comes with various Agility buffs on her bullet lines which will keep her personal Agility buffs from Boosting afloat. Alongside Burn anomaly inflictions on herself increasing Agility, Accuracy and Evasion, this also contributes to her Slice Scaling, which can be from 75% and 50% on Spell Card 1, to 25% and 50% on Spell Card 2, to a massive 150% on her Last Word. As for Killers, they aren’t too shabby overall when put together, including God, Beast, Fairy, Human, Parallel Presence, Tengu and Oni which if any land, can be taken advantage of via the aforementioned CRIT ATK buff on a Skill, as well as certain 3P bullet lines on either her Focus Shot, Spell Card 1 or Last Word, all increasing Lr Aya’s CRIT ATK by 2 stages which surprisingly helps her in terms of CRIT ATK. Lr Aya is definitely set to have high potential when it comes to damage, and it could get higher if her bullet lines of either Wood, Metal, Fire or Earth are resisted by said enemy, increasing its power by 25%. Speaking of which…
…On the elemental side of things, it can be hard to juggle 4 different elements, and it’s no different this time with Wood, Metal, Fire and Earth mixed up in Lr Aya’s kit. From her Shots being Metal/Wood oriented to mostly Earth Spell Card 2 and Last Word, to a mix of Wood, Metal and Fire on Spell Card 1, it’s awkward to say the least. However, this could be made up for when it comes to anomaly breaking, since Lr Aya’s Burn anomaly inflictions to targets on Skill 1 (2 layers) + Spell Card 1 (3 layers), making a total of 5 potential Burn anomalies inflicted can help out. These are broken by her Focus Shot, Spell Card 1 and Last Word (2P, 3P and 2P respectively) and are also backed up by additional Paralyze breaking as a bonus.
Going into more situational to weakness territory, while the Yin DEF Debuffing is very helpful on Lr Aya’s Spell Cards, it could go out of the window if you are relying on full breaking, and if so, she could be left with little Yin ATK buffs, only being from Skill 1 and leaving a little more to be desired. CRIT ATK buffs almost suffer a similar consequence but certain bullet lines really boost her CRIT ATK if they land. In addition, Lr Aya’s extensive Focus DOWN could mess things up for some allies, or it could be a benefit for some, or of course, not do much. That said, the Focus DOWN does appear enough there for you to want to take it into account if you so choose.
It’s also that time of the day for Story Card Spotlight! First, a returning 5★ Story Card known as Idola-Deus, boosting Earth Bullets by 40% which conveniently Lr Aya has in her Last Word, speaking of which, the new 4★ Card that is Dayuu’s Card Shop has a 30% Ofuda Boost and a little Accuracy debuff, the former effect rivaling some other 4★ Cards as well as having a use for Lr Aya’s Last Word, but on the other hand, we do have Chapter 4 Act 4’s Shrine Maiden Reborn to farm, so with enough warm waiting, we won’t need to go out of our way for this new card anyway!
Featured Story Card "Idola-Deus"!
Featured Story Card "Dayuu's Card Shop"!
And as we are near the end, while this Pseudo Shikigami isn’t irredeemable, there are also other Ultra Festival Friends that would arguably be better than her like T5 Tenshi, E1 Koakuma, B3 Seiran and more, but to add insult to injury, a pair of Genic Prayers are still available, one for LR1 Renko Usami and one for LM1 Maribel Hearn, strengthened by Shinki and Mima respectively. Due to their resonance Skills and strong impact with what they bring to the table, there is more incentive to go for them if you haven’t already, and on the off chance you may have spent a lot of Seal Crystals from them and have started recovering, it may as well be another week of just that. However, if you like Aya Shameimaru (and aren’t phased by the Pseudo Shikigami shenanigans with Zenki here), by all means go for the Pseudo Shikigami Scoop! Also, if you are lacking in strong Earth-based Last Words, this could also be the one to help with that, even if Earth breaks aren’t consistent across the board.
But with that said, best of luck to those who wish to summon a pseudo shikigami who will be at your service, scooping up the remains of your enemies!
Quick Overview
Lr Aya Shameimaru is a Technical-Class Friend who leaves her enemies in the dust with her solid team support mostly including Spirit Power, strong damage potential, and her ability to mainly inflict and break Burn barriers.
Pseudo Shikigami’s Speedy Spiritual Support
Mainly found in her Skills, Lr Aya is more than capable of providing the team some helpful buffs in short quick bursts, mainly with Yin ATK, CRIT ATK, Accuracy, and most commonly, Spirit Power. With both Skill 2 and Skill 3 providing 0.55 Spirit Power each, both with a 3 turn cooldown, on top of both Spell Cards’ Post-ATKs entailing a 0.85 Spirit Power increase for the team, this pseudo shikigami is one to watch when it comes to her supportive capabilities, especially in Spirit Power.
A Scoopful of Power
With a 25% increase in bullet power if the element is resisted, a plethora of Yin DEF debuffs, a strong Slice Scaling (especially on Last Word) and a serviceable Killer range including God, Beast, Fairy, Human, Parallel Presence, Tengu and Oni, Lr Aya does have what it takes to deal heavy damage given her Killers land, leaving enemies to feel the wrath of her mighty axe.
Awkward Quartet of Elements
While her ability to deal more damage if said element(s) are resisted by that enemy, unfortunately, having 4 elements to juggle isn’t exactly convenient for Lr Aya. With Earth appearing 4 times on Spell Card 2 and Last Word, Wood and Metal scattered across both Shots and Spell Card 1 (Metal appearing once on Last Word) and Fire slightly appearing on both Spell Cards twice and 1 time on Last Word, there is going to be that layer of awkwardness when it comes to breaking, although it is at least mitigated by her Burn break potential.
Focusing in Plain Sight
Appearing frequently in her bullet lines is a good chunk of Focus DOWN. This doesn’t do much in terms of offensive power, but Lr Aya will find herself not so much in the firing line, taking less damage from All-Targeting attacks and being less likely to be hit from Solo attacks. This is also a bit of a double-edged sword since it can put other allies in danger if they can’t get away with Grazing or preventing an enemy’s attack in that turn in some way.
Limited Offensive Buffs
Despite her supportive capabilities including Yin ATK as well as having lots of Yin DEF debuffs to work with, Lr Aya’s Yin ATK buff only has 2 Stages of it on Skill 1 which is handy, but can only go so far, especially if said target ends up being fully broken, thus losing all buffs and debuffs. CRIT ATK falls in a sort of similar situation, although not as bad from a selfish standpoint if certain 3P bullets on either Lr Aya’s Focus Shot, Spell Card 1 or Last Word connect, increasing her own CRIT ATK by 2 stages.
