Soren Lysander

Alright, personal opinion time, this banner was a tiring one to even see the trailer for, so I’m just gonna throw my opinion out there because holy fuck is this one a letdown. But first let me break down why I hate this banner, armor units and most of the new dragon units in general.

First, armored units, I hate using most armored units mainly because they can only move one space at a time and the only skill that lets them move more than one space is 5★ locked(and Armored Boots only works at 100% HP). Not only that but let’s be real for a second, the only reason to use armored units is for arena scoring, and I personally stopped caring about the arena when the Christmas banner came out and my interest in arena has only continued to sink with the advent of Tier 21.

This unfortunately means that there’s likely going to be no end to the armored and dragon unit cash grabs, especially when IS isn’t even attempting to hide their blatant favoritism towards both these unit and movement types. And before anyone tries to tell me that I have no right to complain about the whale baiting, consider for a moment that I regularly spend money on FEH(as of this moment I’ve spent well over $1000 over the course of the games first year alone and that number has only gone up since the start of this year).

Second, the characters chosen are weird to say the least. I don’t mind any of the characters that were put on the banner, aside from Niles because he’s an asshole and I really don’t like him as a character(if you like Niles then good for you, I’m happy for you being happy). I am aware that Dorcas is going to be the TT reward this time around so that’s a plus(unless he’s also armored, in which case I’ll just get him and then never use him). Also Myrrh being another goddamn armored dragon is just nauseating, especially since she’ll likely have the trainee BST boost.

Third, the skills for these units are bland and exactly what I expected to see. Mia being a flying healer while unexpected, is not surprising. We already have flying dancers so a flying healer was an inevitability. Spd/Res Bond is “eh” and Hone Fliers on another seasonal unit just feels insulting at this point, especially when you remember that Hinoka is the only unit in the normal summoning pool with this skill, and she is still 5★ locked for some ungodly reason.

Kagero having Bold Fighter right out of the box is beyond boring because that’s what all armored units run if they aren’t running DC+Vengeful Fighter, and her having Even Atk Wave does not make up for it. 

And on that note let’s look at Myrrh, whose A-Skill is so basic that it’s 100% going to be replaced with DC by anyone who is chasing arena scores. And since she already has VF in her base kit, you don’t even have to try when you use her. And of course she has armor march, because why the fuck wouldn’t she?

And then there’s Niles, sporting the usual Swift Sparrow for fast units with above average attack stats as well as Atk/Spd Link which I have mixed feelings on. 

All in all, I dislike this banner because it encompasses everything I think is wrong with the game right now. A constant flow of high BST armor and dragon units that are tailor made for people in high arena tiers with nothing new or even interesting for players like myself who don’t give a flying fuck about arena and just want to build their favorite units for PvE content. But hey, I’m just one person who spends a moderate amount of money on FEH so why would IS give a fuck about what I have to say? 

Aside from all the free orbs, this was fairly underwhelming. I don't think it was bad by any means, it just left me wanting more(but maybe I'm just being greedy). I wasn't expecting to be blown away by this Feh Channel, but I expected something more significant than one Awakening banner(at least Libra is finally coming, so yay there)and a Walhart GHB.

The only things to really get a reaction out of me were the Askr Trio refines, and even then I couldn't help but feel let down. Alfonse at least gets Brazen Atk/Def with whatever refine he takes, but TA3 of all things as a unique refine is "blech" to me, so I'll be giving him a Def Refine for his weapon. Sharena getting Spd/Def Bond alongside the ability to neutralize visible buffs is pretty decent. But Anna, ohhh Anna I'm sorry but I'd rather just give you a Def Refine on your Noatun.

I do like that they appear to be addressing the issue with TT units, and I can only hope it becomes an occasional occurrence with TTs going forward, at least.

And as for the Arena "Update", I'm not T20 nor will I ever be so it can go right into the trash. The amount of effort required to even get to T20 is ridiculous enough on its own, and the rewards for getting to and staying there, in my opinion, aren't worth it. If the only incentive for reaching T20 is slightly more orbs and feathers+bragging rights, then it's not good. Arena hasn't been fun for the longest time, so why torture myself trying to be the best at a game mode that won't even let me use my favorite units to get to the top? Arena is no longer a game mode, it's a chore.

Lilina, bane of overprotective fathers! This is a build I’ve been trying to finish ever since since I remembered my Lilinas IVs were +Atk -Def. I only decided to expedite the build when L!Hector was announced.

Axebreaker allows her to take out even +10 Hectors in the arena modes(assuming she doesn’t ORKO them, which does happen occasionally), which I encounter almost every time thanks to the shitty arena scoring system. 

Hardy Bearing, however, is for the Hectors that are running Vantage, something which is entirely too common.This has great synergy with her AoE Special, as it allows her to activate it without having to fear any preemptive counterattack. And to clarify, Hardy Bearing only works on skills that change Attack Order Priority(so Desperation and Vantage)and has no effect on breaker skills, as those only effect the number of attacks in combat and not the order in which they occur.