Magvel Valentine's Banner Review

 The Valentine's banner is already out for a while, so I would like to give my opinions on every unit being released.

Valentine's Myrrh

She does better than her Legendary counterpart could, as she grants Warp Bubble to herself and her support partner. What this effect does is to prevent foes from warping into the team's range, making her a hindrance to Galeforce teams since Edelgard cannot use "Charge", and that units with "Wings of Mercy" cannot warp to an initiator unless Myrrh is defeated. In addition, she's also excellent as a far save unit, with true damage reduction based on 40% of her Res, followed by a bonus Atk that depends on the number of allies within 3 spaces of her. Her preferred C skill also has a built-in Savior effect, Guard infliction and a half DR-piercing effect. In terms of fodder, she has a new form of Scowl which grants Def/Res +7 this time, and Canny Fighter is an alternative to Weaving Fighter which still remains valuable for your older armored units. I think Myrrh is definitely a tough wall to keep an eye out for.

Valentine's Ephraim

We already have an Ephraim alt not more than a year (Sacred Stones lord popularity syndrome as always), and he's a near save unit this time. Anyway, his weapon grants bonuses to Atk & Def as well as a healing effect after combat to his allies within 3 spaces. During enemy phase, he would inflict his foe's Atk/Def based on the number of his nearby allies as well. He can also neutralize Guard. "Sunlit Bangle D" is his enhanced preferred B skill which basically lets his foe to counterattack first if he starts combat first, and that would grant him an unconditional brave effect, as he doesn't have to stay away from his allies. It will also inflict Guard and Atk/Def penalties, and the latter is not a Clash effect which makes sense. Luckily, we have Earthfire Boost 3 as the final tier of Earth Boost, and it can be inherited to a lot of omni-tanks that have more Def. Valentine's Ephraim is an excellent unit for a majority of teams using save-ball strategies. 

Valentine's Selena

Selena once again, receives the Altina treatment as she has a yet another alt, given that she's a background character in her game. She's the demote for this banner, and I did not expect an absurdly powerful weapon that can be inherited. It can deal some pre-combat damage based on foe's Atk, but she doesn't have impressive fodder as usual. I'm pretty sure many people would summon her just for the weapon, and it would be interesting to see certain fast red tome units putting this to good use.

Valentine's Lyon + Eirika

I absolutely adore this pair. This feels like a happy ending for Lyon if he isn't possessed by the Demon King at all. After diving into his kit, I've come to a resounding conclusion that this unit is the "delete button" for everything. He gives a middle finger to FEH's balance like it's game over already🤣🤣 

By the way, his weapon has Canto (1) and it deals pre-combat damage based on foe's Atk, and the percentage is the same as Legendary Camilla's. He also has a half-DR piercing effect, which is getting more prevalent in the meta, as well as grants bonuses to his Atk, Def & Res based on 20% of his Res. His preferred A skill, "Gray Illusion" has stolen Fomortiis' niche, yet in turn, becomes better. It activates on player phase instead of enemy phase and not only does it grant additional Atk/Def/Res bonuses to himself, but it also has a sweep effect if Lyon meets the Res check. After he destroys his target, during the next phase, any nearby foes of the target will automatically have their actions ended. That's very absurd, and you know what's even worse? Their duo skill can instantly end foe's actions in cardinal directions when they're next. Talk about OP, like this unit is going to ruin so many players, especially in Summoner Duels. Does he secretly have the Demon King's powers up his sleeve all the time? Lyon is definitely going wild this time. 

Final Thoughts

Duo Lyon is undeniably the star of this banner, as he has devastated the FEH meta with his ridiculous pre-combat damage and end-turn ability, indulging in more powercreep that makes me question if the developers simply didn't care at all. You know what? Forget about Wind Tribe Claude, because I have obligated myself to summon for him, right before or during spark. He's going to be a cornerstone of my cavalry line in Anima season. Both Myrrh & Ephraim are great, as both are great save units that play different roles. And finally, Selena has a good non-preferred weapon. However, A Hero Rise banner is on the horizon, so you may save orbs for that particular banner instead.

Thank you so much for reading my thoughts on this banner. I've already spent orbs on this banner anyway, and I'll be writing about my outcomes tomorrow. Also, the final AHR results have already released, and I'll be posting after that. May your summons turn out great.