Arknights: Should You Pull? Standard Banner: Hellagur and Shining

The new Standard Banner features the following Operators:

Featured Operators:

Rarity	Operator
6★	Hellagur Shining
5★	Platinum Firewatch Mayer

• The Operators for purchase in the Distinction store are Shining and Firewatch.
• 6★ Rate-Ups have a 50% chance of appearing when pulling a 6★
• 5★ Rate-Ups have a 50% chance of appearing when pulling a 5★

Probably not. There’s nothing wrong with this banner, but it’s not a very exciting one either. These Operators are all very usable, but none of them are major game-changers.

On the other hand, this is a pretty solid spread of Operators. If one of them is a particular favorite of yours, this is a good banner to pull for him or her because all of the available Operators are worthwhile if you pull them.

Even if you’re still broke thanks to the Nian banner, it might be worthwhile to do Headhunt x1 until you pull a 5★ or higher Operator, since one is guaranteed in the first 10 rolls.

Enmity Guard

+ Very powerful and very self-sufficient

+ Great for soloing tough enemies or working around Contingency Contract limitations

+ Awesome self-healing and Dodge capability

- High DP cost; can only Block-1

- Can’t be directly healed (can be passively healed, i.e., Perfumer’s Talent)

- Somewhat niche unit; can be tricky to use effectively

ST Medic

+ Potent ST healer who also dramatically increases survivability of her allies

+ Increases the DEF of allies within her healing range (Talent, S3)

+ Can provide shields that absorb any kind of damage (S2)

- Her added defenses are not helpful against enemies that are much stronger or weaker than your Operators; in such situations, the utility of other Medics can be more appealing

- Despite her S2 shields, she’s not as good as Nightingale at mitigating incoming Arts damage for her allies

Anti-Air Sniper

+ Becomes an uber-Sniper once her S2 activates (permanent ATK boost and attack range increase)

+ Punches through all but the highest-DEF enemies with her Talent + S2

+ Has longer attack range than any other Anti-Air Sniper once S2 activates

= Just got a really stylish summer skin in CN

- Long activation time on S2, and until it procs, she is noticeably weaker than other 5* Snipers

Long-Range Sniper

+ Wider attack range than most Sniper archetypes and very high base ATK

+ Due to her archetype Trait, she prioritizes enemies with the lowest DEF in her range

+ Her Talent deals bonus damage to ranged enemies

+ Massive damage potential with her S2

- Slow attack speed hampers her DPS despite her high ATK

- S2 is slow to charge, and getting maximum damage out of it takes skill, luck, and Mastery

Summoner Supporter

+ Can deploy multiple mechanical minions called Meeboos to block and attack enemies

+ Massive Arts damage potential with well-timed S2 activations

+ S2 recycles her Meeboos, allowing her to redeploy them in new spots with full health

+ Can solo or duo multiple stages if used well

= The unique gameplay of Summoner Operators can be an entertaining new challenge

- Monopolizes DP and deployment slots to deploy her Meeboos

- Basically demands a team built around her needs in order to be effective

When a soldier has lived through as many battles as Hellagur has, you know they must be a force to be reckoned with. A lone wolf who refuses direct healing from his Medic allies, Hellagur dices up enemies with his flashing katana and shrugs off injuries with his incredible regenerating willpower.

Hellagur is a wrecking ball on the battlefield, but his fighting style is not without weaknesses. That whole “can’t be healed directly” thing is the biggest one, but his high DP cost and Block-1 can be downsides as well. Hellagur can crush most enemies in a one-on-one, but he’s not always well-equipped for a teamfight.

I don’t recommend pulling for Hellagur, but he’s well worth investing in if you pull him.

Shining combines unparalleled defensive buffs for her allies with the strongest single-target heals in Arknights. She can mitigate any kind of damage with the shields from her S2, and her S3 renders all allies within her range virtually impervious to physical damage.

Shining is an outstanding choice for a single-target Medic, especially if you’re trying to punch into content above your weight class. Her defensive buffs and strong ST healing can help Operators survive beatings that would surely kill them without her aid. However, in some cases the best defense is a good offense, particularly against certain bosses or elite enemies who can kill you even with Shining’s protection. In these cases, a Medic with offensive buffs—such as Warfarin or Ptilopsis—can be a much more appealing option.

I recommend pulling for Shining if you need a strong ST Medic.

If you’ve already raised a strong ST Medic, then I don’t recommend pulling for Shining, but she’s still worth investing in if you pull her.

For about a minute after she’s deployed, Platinum doesn’t seem particularly special. Then, just as the enemy forces are taking her off their “Scary Operator” list, her S2 activates and she turns into a ballistic missile launcher, firing supercharged arrows into her foes with tremendous range and tremendous force.

Platinum’s value is predicated entirely on the activation of her S2. She is very powerful once it activates, but being reliant on an ability that takes so long to charge has its risks. Platinum is not very efficient for short stages, and she has to recharge her S2 if she is killed or retreated. If you’re not careful with where you place her, Platinum may not perform as desired.

I recommend pulling for Platinum if you need a strong Anti-Air Sniper; every player should have at least two.

If you’ve already raised at least two strong Anti-Air Snipers, then I don’t recommend pulling for Platinum.

Firewatch has a lot of interesting quirks. She has enormous attack range, she prioritizes the lowest-DEF target within her range, she deals bonus damage to ranged enemies, and she’s one of the few Snipers with a defensive Skill (her S1 makes her Invisible). But does anybody remember these quirks, or do they just remember that Firewatch is the one who can drop nuclear missiles on the battlefield and blow her enemies to kingdom come? Geez, you call in the remote missile strike one time….

On paper, Firewatch’s damage potential is off the charts, but in practice, she’s less of a delete button than you might hope. Her high ATK is held back by her slow attack speed. Ranged enemies are somewhat uncommon, so her Talent isn’t always useful. And while her S2 is ungodly powerful, it is also subject to RNG.

I don’t recommend pulling for Firewatch, but she’s well worth investing in if you pull her.

Mayer makes up the entire population of the Lutra workshop all by herself, and she’s ready to take on the entire battlefield all by herself too! She confronts the forces of Reunion using her special-made robot otters, the Meeboos, which can fight, Block, and—of course—self-destruct for massive Arts damage.

If you’ve seen a video of Mayer soloing stages (or even duoing them with fellow Summoner Magallan) you might be all ready to jump on the Mayer bandwagon, but be warned: it’s not for everyone. Mayer demands lots of DP, lots of deployment slots, and very precise timing to be effective.

I recommend pulling for Mayer, but only if you understand what it means to use a Summoner in Arknights. Mayer can be both fun and effective, but she can also be difficult. You don’t want to spend all your Orundum on pulling Mayer only to find out you don’t like using her!