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Analysis by lordhelpme
Draug - Gentle Giant

3-4

Obtainable as a 3 - 4 only

Hero Stats

Max Avg Total Stats at Lvl 40
169
HP 50
ATK 30
SPD 32
DEF 39
RES 18

Stat Variations

Level 1 Stat Variation
5★
4★
3★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 23 7 5 12 2
Middle 24 8 6 13 3
High 25 9 7 14 4

Level 40 Stat Variations
5★
4★
3★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 47 26 29 36 15
Middle 50 30 32 39 18
High 53 33 35 42 21

IV Sets

Key stats worth increasing through nature if possible.
Complementary stats that matter, but not to the point of picking them over key stats for nature increase.
Relatively worthless stat that can safely be decreased through nature.
HPATKSPDDEFRES

Skill Sets

Doga will choke this point. (Defensive Tank)

Build by lordhelpme
Recommended
Stalwart Sword (+Eff) A Distant Counter
Swap B Special Fighter 3
Noontime
Alternate: Moonbow
C Pulse Smoke 3
Alternate: Atk Smoke 3
IVs

+ATK or +RES / -HP

SMirror Stance 2

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Stalwart Sword (+Eff) 

Assist: Swap / Flexible

Special: Noontime / Moonbow

Passive A: Distant Counter 

Passive B: Special Fighter

Passive C: Pulse Smoke / Atk Smoke / Spd Smoke / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Mirror Stance / Warding Stance / Fierce Stance / Quick Riposte 

  • The strong defensive capabilities of Stalwart Sword combined with Draug’s solid overall statline makes a tank build a natural fit for the Gentle Giant. If aiming to utilize him in Aether Raids, a +RES IV (alongside outside assistance to this stat and a considerable amount of investment) is crucial to help mitigate his otherwise poor durability to magical attacks -- the likes of which are extremely common in Aether Raids. Alternatively, a +ATK IV may be taken for a more universal choice to help boost his middling damage output and healing potential. 
  • A healing Special is ideal here to further enhance his survivability, with Noontime being his best option since it can activate on every counterattack thanks to Special Fighter. Should one feel confident enough in Draug’s tankiness to prevail without this, Moonbow can be taken instead to supplement his damage since it can be somewhat lacking otherwise, sharing an identical activation rate to Noontime. 
  • Special Fighter is a necessary component of this build to hasten Draug’s Special activation and allow him access to either obtain consistent sustain (if Noontime is taken) or damage (if Moonbow is taken). It also comes with a highly useful Guard effect to safeguard him from enemy Specials; pairing this with Distant Counter makes him well adept at tanking damage from all enemy types. 
  • Smoke skills inherently go well with a defensive playstyle. For Aether Raids, Pulse Smoke is ideal to delay otherwise deadly Special activations -- AoE Specials from mages are especially lethal given his abysmal Resistance -- and shut down Infantry Pulse setups. Otherwise, one can use Atk Smoke or Def Smoke depending on what’s available. 
  • To finish off, a defensive seal that increases Draug’s key stats are recommended. Mirror Stance and Fierce Stance seals are excellent options to help him secure OHKOs in the Enemy Phase, though Warding Stance or Distant Def are also potential considerations for their better tanking ability. Quick Riposte seal is always another great choice that ensures his follow-up attack should one want some safety.

Draug is “Guard” Backwards (Physical Tank)

Build by lordhelpme
Stalwart Sword (+Eff) A Distant Foil
Alternate: Sturdy Stance (2 or 3)
Swap B Special Fighter 3
Noontime
Alternate: Ignis
C Atk Smoke 3
Alternate: Def Smoke 3
IVs

+ATK or +DEF / -RES

SQuick Riposte 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Stalwart Sword (+Eff)

Assist: Swap / Flexible

Special: Noontime / Ignis / Aether / Moonbow

Passive A: Distant Foil / Sturdy Stance / Steady Stance

Passive B: Special Fighter / Vengeful Fighter

Passive C: Atk Smoke / Def Smoke / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Quick Riposte / Sturdy Stance

  • This build retains a defensive playstyle similar to the first but focuses more on Draug’s performance against physical units -- an area he innately excels at.Thus, a +ATK IV or a +DEF IV are his best options to either augment his damage output or to fortify his durability respectively. 
  • For his A slot, Distant Foil provides a solid boost to his two most important stats while also allowing him to counterattack against dagger units and archers. Alternatively, if the ability to counterattack against ranged units is not necessary or if it’s simply unavailable, a Stance skill (either Sturdy Stance or Steady Stance in this case) may be considered instead to provide a strong boost to Draug’s stats in the Enemy Phase; using Sturdy Stance 3 or Steady Stance 4 also comes with a built-in Guard effect. 
  • Special Fighter is once again recommended for its ability to accelerate Draug’s Special activation and avoid enemy Special activations simultaneously; however, this latter effect can be somewhat redundant if using a Stance 4 skill since they overlap. Another option is Vengeful Fighter to guarantee Draug’s follow-up attack in the Enemy Phase (which frees up his seal) and also hastens his Special activation, though to a lesser extent compared to Special Fighter. 
  • Smoke skills are recommended to debilitate opposing foes and improve the quality of Draug’s subsequent match-ups, with Atk Smoke and Def Smoke being his best options here. Quick Riposte should be taken if using Special Fighter as his B slot to guarantee his follow-up, but if Vengeful Fighter is taken (or on a budget, Quick Riposte) as his B slot then a defensive seal that increases his stats can be used.

Do Not Pass Go (Mixed Phase)

Build by lordhelpme
Stalwart Sword (+Eff) A Distant Counter
Alternate: Steady Breath
Swap B Bold Fighter 3
Bonfire
Alternate: Luna
C Armor March 3
Alternate: Def Smoke 3
IVs

 +ATK / -RES

SQuick Riposte 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Stalwart Sword (+Eff) 

Assist: Pivot / Flexible

Special: Bonfire / Luna / Moonbow

Passive A: Distant Counter / Breath Skill 

Passive B: Bold Fighter 

Passive C: Armor March / Def Smoke / Odd Atk Wave / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Quick Riposte

  • Although Stalwart Sword definitely has more of a defensive lean, Draug can still make relatively good use of a standard mixed phase setup nonetheless -- it’s worth noting as well that the conditional +5 Attack/Def and debuff immunity it provides is not locked to a specific phase and activates as long as Draug has an ally within two spaces. Since this set is centered on maximizing his damage output, a +ATK IV is ideal. 
  • To maximize his effectiveness and overall versatility, Distant Counter makes for Draug’s ideal choice of A slot skill; however, should his poor magical durability be a concern, one can take a Breath skill instead to focus on boosting his performance against melee opponents. If Distant Counter is taken, Bonfire or Luna should be taken for his Special but if a Breath skill is chosen instead, one can use Moonbow for instant activations. 
  • Utilizing Bold Fighter and Quick Riposte in conjunction allows Draug to present a strong offensive threat in both phases, ensuring his follow-up attack regardless of who initiates combat.
  • The C slot is largely flexible here, though Armor March (for improved Player Phase maneuverability) and Odd Atk Wave (for greater self-sufficiency) remain standout choices. Otherwise, feel free to use any C slot that most appropriately complements his team composition

Strengths

Stalwart Sword

At base, Stalwart Sword applies a significant -6 Attack debuff on incoming opponents during combat when Draug is attacked, but upon being refined it also provides a conditional boost to his Attack and Defense and debuff immunity. This debuff immunity is especially valuable given how common penalties are in enemy team compositions, but overall Stalwart Sword is useful in fortifying his physical tankiness while also helping massively in mitigating his poor magical resilience -- this makes him well adept at taking on a defensive role. 

Fantastic Physical Bulk

Draug’s physical durability is simply fantastic -- with a base Defense stat of 39, he will have no trouble in shrugging off physical attacks and can still survive for quite a while even when damaged due to his ample HP pool of 50. This is only amplified further by the effects of his PRF, which provides what is effectively a +11 boost to his defense when all aspects are active.

Armored

Draug’s armored status provides him with the strong advantage of boasting access to the formidable Fighter skills (such as the powerful Special Fighter), as well as other benefits such as a hefty boost to his overall BST. 

Decent Speed 

While not especially fast, Draug’s base Speed stat of 32 is still reasonable enough to avoid follow-up attacks somewhat frequently with sufficient support and investment. 

Great Availability

Draug is currently available in the 3-4* pool, making acquiring merges and ideal IVs for him a relatively easier task in comparison to most of his direct competition

Weaknesses

Poor Resistance

Draug’s magical durability suffers massively due to his abysmal base Resistance stat, making him quite weak to incoming mages despite his high HP stat. However, the introduction of his Stalwart Sword did help mitigate this weakness to an extent which can be further helped with the appropriate skills, merges, and IVs, though this comes at a high cost to one’s resources. 

Poor Mobility

Like all other armored units, Draug has very low mobility due to being unable to move more than one space at a time. This can be mitigated through the use of Armor March (or potentially the Armored Boots seal), but this does require that one sacrifice a skill or Seal slot that could otherwise be used for something else.

Effective Damage

Draug also comes with a debilitating weakness to sources of effective damage — and given the prevalence of such sources, this can make it rather difficult to field him in comparison to other units without this concern

Weapon Skills

Weapons SP Rng. Mt.
Iron Sword
Learns by default at 1 ★
Unlocks at 1 ★
Only Inheritable by Sword Units.
50 1 6
Steel Sword
Learns by default at 3 ★
Unlocks at 2 ★
Only Inheritable by Sword Units.
100 1 8
Brave Sword

Spd-5. Attack twice when initiating combat.

Learns by default at 4 ★
Unlocks at 3 ★
Only Inheritable by Sword Units.
200 1 5
Brave Sword+

Spd-5. Attack twice when initiating combat.

Learns by default at 5 ★
Unlocks at 5 ★
Only Inheritable by Sword Units.
300 1 8
Stalwart Sword

If foe initiates combat, inflicts Atk-6 on foe during combat.

Unlocks at 5 ★
Non-Inheritable skill.
400 1 16
Weapon Evolution
Weapon Upgrades
Weapon Upgrades

Special Skills

Special Skills SP Turns
Buckler

Reduces damage from an adjacent foe's attack by 30%.

Learns by default at 4 ★
Unlocks at 3 ★
Restricted to melee units.
100 3
Pavise

Reduces damage from an adjacent foe's attack by 50%.

Unlocks at 4 ★
Restricted to melee units.
200 3

Passive Skills

Passive Skills SP Slot
Lunge

If unit initiates attack, after combat, unit and targeted foe swap places.

Restricted to melee units.
Unlocks at 3 ★
150
B
Spur Def 1

Grants Def+2 to adjacent allies during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
50
C
Spur Def 2

Grants Def+3 to adjacent allies during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 2 ★
100
C
Ward Armor

Grants Def/Res+4 to armored allies within 2 spaces during combat.

Only inheritable by armor units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
200
C

Other Info

Origin
Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light

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