Shez (M)

Weapon: Crimson Blades

Assist: Ardent Sacrifice / Positional Assist

Special: Godlike Reflexes / Ruptured Sky / Vital Astra / Moonbow / Miracle

A Passive: Distant Dart / Distant Countering A Slot

B Passive: Vantage

C Passive: Time’s Pulse / Atk/Spd Oath 4 / Joint Drive Atk

Sacred Seal: Brazen Atk/Spd / Atk/Spd Solo

• As with many other Dual Phase Brave weaponry, one of the better and more effective approaches in the current metagame is a Distant Counter + Vantage set as many units are opting out of the likes of Hardy Bearing and Firesweep due to the prevalence of Saves. As such, you can effectively sit around in most cases and have enemies launch themselves to their deaths. Many Dual Phase Brave weaponry also come in all sorts of facets, whether that’s Valentian Palla with her Adaptive Damage, Altina & Winter Altina with Twin Blades, or in Shez’s case, being extremely fast and not having to run the likes of Breath skills or support as it’s built into Crimson Blades. That, combined with his sky-high base Atk stat of 43, he’s going to be hitting quite hard in general and is effectively one of the few units that can take advantage of Spd-based effects or Specials. As such, this set will be here to highlight some of the best skills you can run for his Vantage set.
   
• To get the most out of the Vantage set, Shez will want to have it ready out of the gate so that he isn’t playing with RNG to hopefully fall into the right HP threshold. So, running Ardent Sacrifice will allow him to dictate how much HP he wants and should dispose of so that he can Vantage will maintain the additional benefits that come with Crimson Blades. However, given that it does have 40% Damage Reduction, you could always gamble it and simply run any other Assist instead. Just keep in mind that it won’t always work out in your favor that way.
   
• In terms of notable Specials, Shez is able to take advantage of the likes of Godlike Reflexes quite well as he can simply set up the charges in the Enemy Phase and have a bigger safety net on the off-chance he has to take a hit from an opponent and the innate Damage Reduction isn’t enough. However, if you feel confident in the amount of Damage Reduction he already has, he can simply run a low-cooldown Special such as Ruptured Sky, Vital Astra, or Moonbow. Ruptured Sky, while less consistent than Vital Astra, can help out dramatically against Medeus and Seiros matchups that he could potentially struggle with otherwise. However, beyond those specific threats, Vital Astra will be a lot better. That being said, given how expensive these Specials are, he could always keep his innate Moonbow, which should be fine enough, or run Miracle for a failsafe.
   
• Since Shez will be acting as a Vantage unit, he’ll naturally want to counter against any foe so that he isn’t prone to damage or death. As such, Distant Counter is his only viable option in this set, and in terms of best options, Distant Dart will be the go-to. He could always opt for Distant Storm, but given that it does have chip damage attached to it, he could end up falling out of Crimson Blades’ HP thresholds and be less effective in the long run. Regardless, it’s not a bad option for him but just be wary of his HP throughout multiple combats.
   
• For the most part, Shez can simply keep his innate Atk/Spd Oath 4 as it does grant Atk and Spd during combat in addition to the visible buffs it grants at the start of every turn. However, depending on where and/or which Aether Raids season you use him in, having an external first charge may be important, especially if he has to take a hit or two initially. As such, if there aren’t any external support options that can grant him some form of Quickened Pulse, then he’ll want to run Time’s Pulse instead, especially if running Godlike Reflexes, as he wants to have that failsafe ready to go as soon as possible. Beyond that, he could opt for Joint Drive Atk and while that’ll mostly be a considerable downgrade from Atk/Spd Oath 4, it does grant one more point of Atk during combat which can help for securing kills in general. He’s really fast as is, so perhaps ditching three points of Spd may be worth it for the extra point of Atk but more often than not, it won’t make the grandest difference.
   
• Lastly, given that he already has a Breath effect present in his weapon, the best thing he can run in his Sacred Seal would be anything that significantly boosts his overall Atk and Spd. Brazen Atk/Spd is a perfect choice for him in particular as it synergizes amazingly with Vantage in general. However, if you want immediate Atk and Spd bonuses, Atk/Spd Solo is a good alternative.

Weapon: Crimson Blades

Assist: Positional Assist / Reciprocal Aid

Special: Galeforce

A Passive: Fury (3 or 4) / Atk/Spd Boosting A Slot

B Passive: Velocity / Spd/Def Tempo / Frenzy / Windsweep / Watersweep / Desperation / Null Follow-Up

C Passive: Time’s Pulse / Odd Tempest / Even Tempest

Sacred Seal: Fury / Blade Session

• Crimson Blades having an innate Breath effect, on top of Shez being Infantry, means he can opt for a solid Galeforce set. What’s also beneficial is that his HP is relatively balanced, sitting at a base of 40, and also contains a superbane, so setting him up as a Wings of Mercy beacon is more than feasible. As such, this set is here to highlight notable passive options that can synergize with the role in mind. Just keep note that once he falls below 20% HP, he will lose the Breath effect but this won’t matter too much since the idea is to have allies teleport in and clean up the rest.
   
• The Assist doesn’t matter too much in the grand scheme of things but you could always have him ready out of the gate as a Wings of Mercy beacon if he’s running Reciprocal Aid and an ally that inflicts chip damage at the start of every turn (Winter Bernadetta & Brave Lysithea). That being said, it’s relatively easy to set up via two combats so it’s not that necessary. Regardless, it’s worth mentioning.
   
• Given that the idea is to have Shez fall below or equal to half of his max health, he’ll naturally want to run passives that inflict chip damage after each combat. As such, Fury in the A Slot and Sacred Seal will allow him to fall into the Wings of Mercy range within two combats, regardless if it’s Fury 3 or 4. However, if you plan to go down the Reciprocal Aid route, he can simply run any A Passive and Sacred Seal that boosts his overall Atk and Spd.
   
• The B Passive is where Shez has some of the most variety. The goal, first and foremost, is to get an initial Galeforce off, so having any form of Tempo effect will be the best possible approach. The recently released Velocity, which also grants Damage Reduction, is a fantastic option especially for helping him securely fall into range. He could also run Spd/Def Tempo if Velocity isn’t an option. That being said, he could always run external support to further charge his Galeforce on Turn 1 so that he won’t need Tempo in his kit. If that’s the approach you choose, he can instead opt for Frenzy or Windsweep/Watersweep, the former allowing him to quad before the foe can counter while also providing Damage Reduction, and the latter allowing him to negate counterattacks based on certain weapon types.
   
• Time’s Pulse will be convenient for helping Shez get Galeforce going safely. However, if you can provide enough external charges to him so that he can securely trigger Galeforce without the need of Time’s Pulse, he can instead opt for either Odd Tempest or Even Tempest for ease of entering combat. A simple Infantry Pulse support should suffice but if you want to be extra secure, you can also pair him with Velouria.

Weapon: Crimson Blades

Assist: Positional Assist

Special: Dragon Fang / Noontime / Ignis

A Passive: Atk/Spd Unity / Steady Posture 3

B Passive: Spd/Def Bulwark / Null C-Disrupt / Velocity / Atk/Def Bulwark / Null Follow-Up

C Passive: Atk/Spd Oath 4 / Pulse Smoke

Sacred Seal: Mystic Boost / Atk/Spd Form

• Shez has quite a lot of flexibility when it comes to what roles he can enter, and the Melee Specialist role is no exception. He already comes with Bulwark so the initial investment won’t be as bad compared to other kits he would otherwise run. It’s a relatively simple role in the grand scheme of things as the idea is to stack up bulk and healing properties so that he can prioritize one-ranged foes and have Far Save support in the back protecting him from any two-ranged threat. And despite having a Def and Res penalty built into Crimson Blades, his Def stat after that point isn’t exactly the worst, and if you are worried about incoming damage, he has innate Damage Reduction and can run Spd-based Damage Reduction skills in his B Passive. As such, it could be a worthwhile endeavor, especially if you want more build variety.
   
• Because Crimson Blades has innate Breath, either running a four-cooldown Special or a fast-charging healing Special will be the way to go. His defensive stats aren’t nearly as high as his Atk stat, and more often than not, Specials that scale on his Atk stat will deal more damage than Specials that scale off his Def. However, depending on which stats you decide to stack, he could always interchange the Special between Dragon Fang and Ignis. Otherwise, he can run Noontime for instant healing on retaliation.
   
• Depending on the tanking route you want to go down, Shez can either run Atk/Spd Unity or Steady Posture 3. The former helps against skills and effects that would otherwise hinder his ability to get damage out while the latter can bolster his Def and Spd, thus double-dipping into the tanking niche and making him a much more effective physical tank. In some niche cases, it can also help against units that have a Brave-Esque weapon as the Guard effect can prevent Specials they’d otherwise trigger.
   
• Akin to the previous set, Shez has quite a lot of options for his B Passive. Spd/Def Bulwark and Atk/Def Bulwark are some of his best options as they not only protect the backline and make him a much more effective Melee Specialist but they also debuff for their respective stats and heal his HP after each combat, thus keeping his Crimson Blades’ conditions easier to manage. Atk/Def Bulwark will probably be the better of the two as it cuts down on the foes’ Atk. Of course, if you would rather run something else, he can instead either opt for Null C-Disrupt, if you want to prevent any form of Firesweep effect, Velocity if you would much rather rely on Spd-based Damage reduction and have the ability to secure Specials, or Null Follow-Up if you’re worried about missing a kill and the foe having some form of guaranteed follow-up.
   
• In terms of notable C Passives, Shez already has Atk/Spd Oath 4 which will do well enough for him. It not only boosts his visible Atk and Spd but also provides Atk and Spd during combat. The former effect can also pair well with Atk/Spd Unity and essentially secure his ability to double in most, if not all, scenarios. Of course, you could always replace it with Pulse Smoke if you want to prevent instant Specials from foes but more often than not, Atk/Spd Oath is going to be a lot more consistent since there’s never a guarantee that the foe will have an instant Special and/or if it can simply be recharged with a Slaying weapon and Time’s Pulse.
   
• Beyond that, if running any Bulwark, Shez will want Mystic Boost as his Sacred Seal so that he can keep his sustainability consistently high. With Bulwark and Mystic Boost, he’ll heal back 13 HP after each combat, which is very convenient for maintaining Crimson Blades’ conditions. However, if you would rather run a healing Special instead for consistent sustain, he can instead opt for any Sacred Seal that boosts his Atk and Spd (mainly Atk/Spd Form since it’ll be the most consistent).