#dagger unit

Okay so I actually wrote this post a few days ago but tumblr deleted it just before I went to post it since I accidentally touched the edge of my screen while leaning for the post button, so, you know I’m not too happy, but please check out my other stuff if you like this!

Cecilia: Festive Instructor

Summary:

Cecilia is an incredible woman, she has some superb potential, but suffers a little bit because of her need for some premium skills to really help her meet her potential.

Without Skill Inheritance:

Cecilia’s build has some really good synergy, with distant defence she can reach 47 defence and 51 resistance, that’s incredible and means that she’s gonna be able to take on literally any ranged foes on the field, but it will need you to keep her surrounded by allies.

With Skill Inheritance:

Now this is where things start to get fun, Cecilia can run some intense builds like close counter with vengeful fighter and close defence, genuinely she can just sit in front of her enemies and pick them off one by one. I saw a beautiful build with starfish+ and bold fighter (acting as desperation with a guaranteed double on every enemy). 

Strengths:

She’s free! Cecilia is a super strong armoured unit and she fills that hole that your armour team has, plus if you build her in the way that fits your needs she’ll be a superb ally.

She’s got insane bulk, with the crazy defensive stats I’ve mentioned above and the ability to use armour skills, which are some of the strongest in the game, it means that she can take on both physical and magical foes!

Weaknesses:

She’s not gonna be able to get merges for a while, you’ll have to wait until she’s a heroic grail unit, and even then it’s gonna take a long time to get enough grails.

You’ll need 200,000 feathers to actually make a +10, that’s a damn lot, that’s ignoring the premium skills from 5 star exclusives that you’ll need to make her as strong as you’ll want her to be.

Build Suggestions:

Gentle Tutor:

Okay so this lets Cecilia do some gentle support work and literally just float in and take on your enemies if an ally gets in a pinch, it really helps her to be a support unit without costing much.

Mid-level Inheritance:

Okay so this has some budget skills that aren’t from 5-star exclusive armour units, meaning you can at least have a chance of being able to slap these skills on and get some use out of your Cecilia, she’s a ranged tank and can take on literally anything apart from dragons.

Oh Dear God:

Quick overview

I'm personally very happy that Linde is finally getting the recognition she deserves! Along with also being our first cavalry dagger unit which is very exciting.  She also has amazing offences with 34/35 being solid by dagger unit means and being the only dagger unit as of now with 3 move means she has a niche no other dagger unit has. Combine this with an amazing weapon and she's one of the best dagger units around.

Base kit

Linde brings her friend Stella the starfish (If you get that reference hit me up) which is a free desperation for her. Fantastic skill as it frees up her B slot in the future. As for other skills, Linde also comes with Brazen Atk/res which the atk is nice, the res maybe not as much but allows her to tank magic hits slightly better. Speaking of magic hits, she also comes with cancel affinity which allows her to destroy raven tome units who dare oppose her. A solid skill especially due to her weapon. Finally ardent sacrifice helps her get into desperation range and the brazen range so it's a really nice skill to have.

As for the C slot really anything works but horse teams should be using horse buffs. As for specials Iceberg can be used on a Linde in the brazen range or who is +res ,but typically it's safe to go with Luna, or Moonbow.

Pros + Cons

+ Solid offences by dagger unit standards

+Amazing weapon

+Unique niche in the dagger class sets her apart from other dagger units.

-Lowish overall bulk means she will find it hard to fight high atk foes.

-Limited time unit means hard to get set ivs or merge

-Suffers the bst loss of Horses + ranged units.

Partners

Linde excels on a horse team despite their being Brave Lyn and Valentines Roy in the mix due to her weapon and the ability to destroy a teams defence due to stat drops. Ideally Linde needs physical walls to protect her so units like Eldigan, Ares, Xander, Frederick and Camus all help a lot.

Suggested set(s)

I'm a little Linde fish in the deep blue sea

Suggested ivs: +atk/spd -hp/def

Starfish+, reposition, Moonbow/glimmer/luna

Slot A = Brazen atk/spd / atk/res, swift sparrow, fury

Slot B = cancel affinity, sword breaker

Slot C = any c slot

Sacred seals: Heavy blade, atk+3, spd+3, atk/spd smoke

Weapon refinery: Go +spd ideally though if +spd you might find +atk will do more for you.

Linde's niche as a 3 move dagger unit is amazing and easily abused further due to the help of the smoke seals, and with the right C slot she can debuff every stat at once. However the fact she gets horse buffs means she can boost her offences further while increasing her bulk too to become a hard starfish to knock off its perch. You can use her default brazen to make her matchup vs mages better but brazen atk/spd is nice. Fury offers all around utility and hp loss to get into desperation. Cancel affinity is ideal due to it being budget and nice to have vs raven units but swordbreaker is a solid option vs fast sword units like Karla, Ayra and Mia.

A day at the races

Suggested ivs: +Atk/spd -def/hp

Lethal carrot/Kagami mochi/Barb shuriken+,  reposition, Moonbow

Slot A = swift sparrow, brazen atk/spd

Slot B = desperation

Slot C = Any C skill

Sacred seals: heavy blade

Weapon refinery: Go +spd ideally though if +spd you might find +atk will do more for you.

Quick overview

Legault is erm half what I predicted, he’s really fast, like fastest dagger unit in the game fast but I was kinda hoping for high res, and worse off the cleaner doesn’t work with dulled ranged. but Legault is decent except he still struggles to find a niche like all dagger units unless your non-infantry, a dancer or straight out Felicia.  Legault has a really broken skill though so there’s that shining light at the end of the tunnel, oh and like I said speed.

Base kit

The cleaner is really interesting, it adds damage based on the foes buff in combat. As in Physical buffs. This is an amazing weapon for a lot of units, both offensively and physically. Legault is one of the offensive users. 24 def and 19 res leave him barely hanging after an attack from any 50 or higher atk unit, especially with no colour advantage. Still if Legault is on the offensive then it can help a lot. As for a special, glimmer is well underwhelming without his weapon in effect, 31 atk +12 might is not enough to justify glimmer without bonus damage and considering you can never guarantee if you fight spurs or bonuses in arena it’s not worth the risk. In story mode where you see a use ? Maybe. As for swift strike, more speed is nice, but the res isin’t really on initiation. How about his final skill? One of the best in the game, atk tactic is gross in the right hands and can what enables mixed teams to thrive in a buff meta game. Know this if Legault does get demoted, he’s either going to have the 2 or 3 tier version at 4 stars.

As for a B slot the no-brainer is desperation, going with his amazing speed.

Pros + Cons

+Amazing speed enables him to avoid doubles and doubles foes consistently

+Comes with atk tactic one of the best C skills.

+His weapon has a solid niche behind it

-It’s either doubles or none

-Very fragile, without desperation or sweeps most DC units will one shot him.

-His atk could stand to be higher

Partners

Really Legault works well on teams with blade tomes in the mix thanks to atk tactic, and can be used to break through a wall which may block said bladetome. Otherwise there’s not a lot of noticable units who appreciate his place on the team in particular.

Suggested set(s)

Rock you like a hurricane

Suggested ivs: +atk/spd -def/res/hp

Lethal carrot, Barb shuriken+, reposition , moonbow/glimmer

Slot A = swift sparrow, life and death

Slot B = desperation

Slot C = atk tactic, or any c skill

Sacred seals: spd+3,atk+3, quickened pulse

Weapon refinery: +spd or +atk 

The common sweeper build for most dagger units, with Legault being one of, if not the best lethal carrot abuser with the highest speed among dagger units. Combine this with a quick fire special and you’re ready to roll. This set can work with the cleaner but generally it’s best to replace his weapon with this set.

Mopping up

Suggested ivs: +atk/spd -def/res

The cleaner+, reposition , glimmer/moonbow

Slot A = life and death

Slot B = wind/watersweep

Slot C = atk tactic or any c slot

Sacred seals: savage blow, poison strike, spd+3, phantom speed

Weapon refinery: +spd or +atk are fine options

Summary: Elincia is a pioneer, as the first green dagger unit she has a niche that few units can fit. However her effectiveness is uncertain, mainly due to her mediocre attack, low health and poor defences, but what else do you expect in a dancer? Her dragon effectiveness is nice for finishing them off, but has no real point as she’s too fragile to benefit from it

Without Skill Inheritance: The base kit Elincia comes with is pretty solid. With A, B, and C slots all having a 240 SP skill Elincia doesn’t necessarily need to inherit much apart from a special. She works in her own little way, and thanks to atk/spd push she does actually have some capability.

With Skill Inheritance: Getting some more optimised skills for the play style you have will turn Elincia into a much more vicious opponent. With a more offensive play style she can do well, especially given her weapon advantage over blue units - the most prominent in the meta. With the right skill set she can take on top tier enemies, including dragons, notorious for their bulk.

Strengths:

Effective against Dragons: this boosts Elincia’s offensive capabilities, especially since she won’t have to worry about vantage, and given the prevalence of dragons in the meta it’s pretty useful. 

Dancer: being able to support allies as her primary function, Elincia can be handy in a close fight, allowing you to get the edge over an enemy with that extra movement of your stronger allies. 

Unique Typing: Elincia outclasses other dagger units thanks to her neat weapon, colour, and ability to dance. With blue prominence having an extra green unit can definitely help.

Weaknesses:

Fragile: Elincia doesn’t have physical or special bulk, and on top of that has low health, she really can’t take hits. 

Mediocre: Elincia is outclassed by many other dancing units, notable examples are both green Azuras and YT Olivia. Her spot on a team could easily be replaced by a stronger green ally.  

Needs High Investment: to make a strong offensive unit you’ll need to get good IVs, inherit some more offensive skills, and have weakened enemies for Elincia to come away unscathed, given that it’s her job to weaken opponents this isn’t exactly ideal.

Build Suggestions:

Low Investment: - 

Running Elincia’s base set isn’t too bad, her first attack is boosted by her A slot so she can dish out some damage, and her focus on supporting allies means she can get away without copious amounts of skill inheritance. Moonbow and Luna help her to hit bulkier enemies, since she doesn’t have the stats to run other offensive special skills. Smoke skills have great synergy with dagger units. 

Weapon: Cloud Maiougi+

Assist: Dance Special: Moonbow / Luna

A: Atk/Spd Push 3 

B: Rockslide Dance 2 

C: Drive Res 2 

SS: Quick Riposte 3 / Attack Smoke 3 / Speed Smoke 3 

High Investment: 

This needs a +Atk or +Spd Elincia, but massively improved her offensive potential. With a dagger that boosts her damage output and with a speed boon and summoner support reaching 47 base speed, Elincia can really take on her enemies. Her bulk really suffers, but if you go for fury her synergy with desperation and her low health can help her to beat opponents before they know what hit them. 

Weapon: Barb Shuriken+ / Lethal Carrot+ (+Spd) 

Assist: Dance 

Special: Moonbow / Luna 

A: Life and Death 3 / Fury 3 

B: Desperation 3 

C: Drive Res 3 

Quick overview

So do people recall when Kagero was on literally every arena team, you had to have a counter to her or just not use infantry units to actually stand a chance against her, and thus most people were convinced she was s+ tier? So how is she like A+ now? Well honestly not much has changed for Kagero, infact she’s gotten better for sure, but Kagero is a unit who quite frankly bobs up and down in usage on how the meta is doing. And normally she’s her own downfall, and arguably partly responsible for Horse emblem. Basically what I’m getting at is that she’s always going to be good, just some weeks she might be better than others, don’t underestimate her power just because she’s not used as much.

Base kit

Poison dagger is what made Kagero the best dagger unit for a long time. Being effective against infantry units is amazing, the only downside is its horrid might, which to be fair Kageros offences are amazing as is so she won’t worry too much. Reprisal is a nice special, and to be fair Kagero won’t care were her hp is but in general its unreliable in its damage output still its better than some things. Warding blow is just in general strange, its meant to make her a mage killer but she’ll normally one shot them if they’re infantry units and she doesn’t want to go against other unit types. Finally dagger breaker is extremely situational in the current meta, consider its either her, Halloween sakura, Felicia or Performing Olivia seen.

If you need a c Skill well threaten defence aint bad but a hone or spur is the best bet. As for assists healing specials can be nice to work with Reprisal otherwise reposistion or draw back.

Pros + Cons

+ Solid attack of 35 and her speed of 32 make her a nice offensive unit

+Poison dagger destroys infantry units, including mages and dancers.

+Very common and comes with a great weapon

-Besides her weapon her base kit wants a rework

-Her dagger didn’t get a buff with refinery which is sad

-Meta reliant, one week she may wreck house the other she might be surrounded by Reinhardt's.

Partners

Kageros defence is just awful, it’s best to pair her with a tank who can rescue her or defend so that she can finish them off next turn. Dancers however allow her to be extremely offensive taking two units out or one then retreating. If not running cancel affinity it’s suggested to have a team which can handle raven tome users as she struggles against them.

Suggested set(s)

In-before you realise-fantry

+Atk/spd -def/hp

Poison dagger+, ardent sacrifice/reposition/draw back, moonbow/glimmer

Slot A = death blow, life and death, swift sparrow

Slot B = desperation, cancel affinity

Slot C = any c skill

Sacred seals: atk+3, spd+3

The standard Kagero and yes for once I am actually saying glimmer is viable here, but only because of her weapons effectiveness against a good majority of the game, and that she’ll do little against horses, armours or fliers, so if you wish for true infantry focus use glimmer, otherwise moonbow is a safer option. Basically just focus on Kageros attack, its the most important stat by far. Extra speed is nice so life and death and swift sparrow are options. Desperation is mainly used if you have speed above 35 with the help of skills or a iv. Cancel affinity however lets her destroy the few infantry mages who hard block her along with the odd non infantry mages. It is worth noting if +res she can use iceberg well due to it passing 30. You can use vantage on her but in general the other two options for a b slot have better synergy

Kitty Ninja

+hp/res -def (This is a very specific iv set)

Kitty paddle+, reciprocal aid/reposistion, Moonbow/Iceberg

Slot A = distant defence, warding stance

Slot B = guard, cancel affinity

Slot C = any c skill

Sacred seals: deflect magic 3

Quick overview

Okay I’m not going to lie here.... I’ve never seen the fondness for Gaius? And yet I love Asugi I’m a strange man to be honest, and so I never really used him a  lot in awakening. I feel the devs felt the same as me though because frankly they kinda gave him a rag tag set of skills and boom we have gaius a unit who became salvageable through SI. Basically he’s going to need work, and if you know people who use gaius my hat goes off to them because clearly this man stole their heart, or filled it with sugar.

Base kit

Gaius has rouge dagger a strange weapon to begin with but it gets weirder because here’s the thing. Even with its upgrade Gaius gains nothing from +5 to his defences. He’s not like Matthew who has at least one decent defensive stats, gaius plainly suck and its better to forgo defence for offensive with him. Defiant attack suggests this too giving him 35 when active at neutral which with his speed is amazing. Pass is useless just don’t use it please. Finally rally speed is a solid support option if need be.

If you’re looking for C skills hone attack pairs well with rally speed. Luna is also his best special.

Pros + Cons

+ Amazing speed tier, 36 is solid and above desperation thresholds

+he has a lot of hp making him a choice for infantry pulse and panic ploy

+Daggers just got better so there’s that

-His attack could be higher

-Has arguably the worst dagger for him

-needs a lot of investment

Partners

Gaius appreciates tanks to shield him from damage, while also units who can finish off super bulky armour tanks. So ideally having a def tank, res tank and a mage, the latter two can be done by one unit, will see gaius happily stealing candy from people.

Suggested set(s)

Hershey heart stealer

+Atk/spd -def/res/hp

poison dagger+, reciprocal aid/ardent sacrifice, luna

Slot A = Life and death, swift sparrow

Slot B = Cancel affinity, desperation

Slot C = Any c skill

Sacred seals: atk+3, spd+3

Gaius basically runs a slight copy cat set of Kagero, however he has more speed which is somewhat invaluable. However Kageros higher attack means it balances out. Ideally to set him apart life and death ditches any defence he had for offence letting him reach insane speeds of around 44 if +spd, though +atk is better but he can still reach with the spd seal. For reference thats enough to avoid doubles from most units including +10 Nino. Desperation of course is a no brainer while cancel affinity takes care of raven units.

Tooth decay

+Atk/spd -def/hp/res

smoke dagger+, reposistion, Moonbow/luna

Slot A = Death blow, swift sparrow, darting blow

Slot B = watersweep, poison strike

Slot C = Savage blow

Sacred seals: Savage blow, phantom speed

Weapon refinery: Speed is the best bet here, it pairs well with watersweep, avoids doubles and in general the stat he’ll use the most.

Chiffon it's okay to thing your husband is cute

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Day Twenty-Six: An Interaction