SUPREME THICK - Thoughts on April 2024 FEH Channel + Mythic Loki Banner

So, I decided to write my thoughts on both the FEH Channel and the latest mythic banner in one post. Without further ado, let's jump right into it, and let me tell you: I have so many mixed feelings on this one.

Mythic Loki

Well, it seems that we get Loki as our next Mythic Hero, and (chuckle*) I just can't get enough of the covering of her...spheres. Considering how FEHTubers have dealt with it back then, YouTube's demonetization rules must be quite the minefield.

She's a Dark Mythic flier wielding her staff: Supreme Thokk which has Canto (1), Slaying and Wrathful Staff effects. At the start of turn, if her HP ≥ 25%,  she gets Special cooldown count -1, and during combat, she gets Atk/Res + X = 6 + 20% of her Res at start of combat. This looks similar to Pulse Up: Blades but it calculates Res instead of Spd. She also gets a guaranteed follow-up and deals true damage = 20% of her Res.

It's a shame that she can't run Guidance 4 or Soaring Echo, as Divine Deceit occupies her C slot. Basically, at the start of either phase, if any foes within 3 rows and 3 columns centered on Loki have Res < Loki's Res + 5, she will inflict Ploy and Exposure on them, potent debuffs indeed. After start-of-turn effects trigger, under the same proximity, she neutralizes any bonuses on foes who have 3 or more bonus effects. Again, it's a very strong ability akin to Summer Thorr's duo skill, albeit with a permanent activation and narrower range.

Then, she comes up with Dazzling Discord which is made to inflict Discord on foes within 5 spaces who have less Res. It's a very nice addition to premium stave skill options, especially for units relying on their Res.

All in all, Mythic Loki turns out to be a formidable support unit, particularly in AR-Defense and Summoner Duels. She poses a huge threat to omni-tank teams as they heavily rely on bonuses - exactly what Loki can neutralize within her vicinity. For better viability, you should consider replacing Atk/Res Catch 4 with Still Water 4 so that she can inflict the negative status effects in ease.

Banner Review

The overall quality of the banner is rather lackluster. None of the colors provide any top value, although there is a tie in between colorless and blue.

For colorless, we have Ginnungagap who has a solid Arcane weapon and Legendary Guinivere as a decent water legendary. However, they have minimal impact on the meta.

Then for blue, Veyle is still great as a versatile unit, offering Askr's Open Domain & Drive Scowl effects. While Nerthuz & Rearmed Reinhardt have dropped the overall value, they're still usable as units and the latter could serve as a fodder factory option.

Red has Legendary Nanna & Legendary Yuri, who were once prime choices, but now have been surpassed by several more powerful nukes along the way. Severa on the other hand, has Buffer 4 which could be useful in tanking options.

Lastly, green is just self-explanatory as there is zero viability & usability in any of these units. All three of them are awaiting their refines this year or two.

Merge Ordeals

It's a concept that seems promising at first - a better way to obtain Dragonflowers makes me excited, but not before I read again closely which says it's only for Legendary, Mythic, and Emblem Heroes released after Loki. What's thought to be a huge revelation has ended up a major disappointment for all players, especially with existing heroes come to mind. It feels like a wasted potential for me, when the game seems to be shifting towards P2W aspects.

Golden Week Events

We all see this coming. Historically, the Golden Week event brings back all Choose-Your-Legends banners, boasting a "generous" 5% focus rate compared to the usual 3%, complete with free summoning tickets. However, the spark system is locked behind FEH pass. Selfish as always, IS.

As of writing this, I've utilized all of the resources given, but my luck turn out to be abysmal: only Brave Marianne showed up out of 28 summons altogether (free + tickets). It serves as a reminder that increased rates are only there to entice us to spend more. 

Return of Rokkr Sieges?

This event is dormant for over a year, thanks to some mercenary effectively eliminating every weapon type. We're glad to see it back, but really do they take out orbs already, huh? While offering 1000 Dragonflowers for each movement type seems nice, I would prefer the usual reward system and have Dragonflowers as bonus rewards instead.

Anyway, it's good to see IS giving some attention to Rokkr Sieges, but I wonder if this is only a one-time occurrence in celebration of the Golden Week? 

Teasers for Legendary Remixes

The fact that we're getting refines for Legendary & Mythic heroes at a quicker pace is gratifying, yet at the same time, I can't help but feel that they should put more emphasis on older Special & New Heroes from Book 4. As expected, Legendary Sigurd & Legendary Byleth (M) are getting remixed, and here are their skills unveiled.

Legendary Sigurd now has Holy-Knight Aura II (shortened to Holy-Knight II) as his special which grants 40% flat DR from foe's first attack at the start of turn. It also amplified his special by 30% of his Atk, and after combat, if this special is triggered, he grants an additional Atk/Def +6 to himself and all allies for 1 turn. 

To be honest, I'm very disappointed with this special, as it feels lacking in comparison of what it has to offer. Back then, they attempt to make him as a mixed phase cavalry, when he's better as a support unit in practice. I would propose a half-DR piercing support to his allies, and when he dies, everyone gets full DR-piercing which would have been insane. For his passive, it should have been Def/Res Smoke 3 instead of Seal Def 4, because the Pathfinder effect synchronizes very well with his allies' extra movement. 

Meanwhile, for Legendary Byleth (M), he gets Sublime Heaven II which stands out more with its built-in Time's Pulse effect, providing a substantial 30% Atk boost, that doubles to 60% when facing off against a beast or dragon foe. With full DR-Piercing, it's shaping to be a formidable special, and I'm looking forward to the details of his weapon refine. Also, Atk/Spd Oath 4 seems a promising choice for a C skill.

Overall, I'm terribly concerned of Sigurd's refine at this point, while I'm excited for Byleth due to his potential. Details of their weapon refines will be released in next month.

Update on Weekly Revivals

What's the reasoning behind this? The 4-star Special pool is already ridiculously bloated, and now they decide to add a third Revival Banner into the mix? It feels like an unnecessary addition that would make the current issue of summoning worse. Are Ascended Heroes next on the list already?

Final Thoughts + Will I Summon?

This FEH Channel feels such a letdown, and it's confusing why they'd even put it in the first place? The time spent on these minor unnecessary tweaks could have been allocated better towards a substantial update in the future - one that actually shifts the game in a meaningful way.

Regarding to the Mythic banner, my best move is to skip it for now. Loki's next rerun in July, where she's colorsharing with Legendary Alear (M) and possibly a new mythic hero, provides a better opportunity down the line. 

With the Fallen Heroes banner just around the corner, it's worth noting that these banners have historically delivered some truly enticing opportunities indeed. Therefore, we should have our fingers crossed for what skills and units do these banners have in store.

Thank you for the time to read through my lengthy rant about the FEH Channel. Hope you can save as many orbs as you could, before Loki swoops them all away.

CALL OF THE ASHEN DEMONS - DSH April 2024 Summons

The DSH Banner for this month is quite tempting for most players, as every color has great value, except for green of course. Blue in particular, is quite insane, because you get the best Galeforce initiator being Winter Edelgard as well as blessable Seidr 2.0 with her ridiculous end-action mechanic. 

However, I got one other hero in mind, and that is Winter Byleth, who's currently the best far savior in the game and he's colorsharing with Summer Fjorm. So, without further ado, it's time to hunt for the jolly professors.

11th April - Having 267 orbs in hand, my time had come, as I couldn't wait to bring the Ashen Demons home, especially from this enticing banner. As usual, I aimed for full circles, hoping to secure Byleth before the spark. 

First summon in, and Brave Lysithea showed up. She continues to be a decent nuke, even after her refine, but has gotten lackluster in terms of fodder.

Reaching the 8th try, I got Summer Fjorm, whom I already own. Now that we got Emblem Ike's Laguz Friend 4, she's certainly enjoying the feast. Another combat manual worth saving for Time's Pulse 4 fodder.

Zero 5 stars upon reaching 27 summons, and I almost reached the end with 7.50% pity rate. As I found myself with only one red orb, and given that I gambled the other colors earlier, I was hoping that I can break this streak of bad luck.

And my prayers were finally answered at the 28th pull: the converted Ashen Demons emerged from their rabbit holes, boasting neutral IVs. I never felt more relieved than that, and I can't wait to deploy them in modes like Aether Raids & Summoner Duels.

Before Wrapping it Up,

Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with my pulls, now that I have Winter Byleth as a big catch. As of writing this, I have already seen the FEH Channel not long ago, and frankly, I felt disappointed with the announcements. But hey, let's not forget that our newest Mythic hero has brought something crazy into the table. Therefore, I'll be covering that seperately after posting my not-so-great thoughts on the FEH Channel.

Thank you for your time to read today's summoning report, and may your summons turn out succulent!

WOM ECHO ALREADY?! - Fates New Heroes Review 2024

Sorry for the late review. Got occupied with a ton of stuff recently. The New Heroes banner is out for a while, and I thought we're supposed to get Tellius. Nonetheless, its Fates this time, and I have mixed feelings about it. Let's dive into it, shall we?

Mozu

I don't remember this character at all, even though I've played Revelation before.

She comes with slaying, and if her HP ≥ 25%, she grants Def/Res +6 and Special acceleration to herself and allies within 3 spaces. She also grants grants Omni+5 during combat, as well as additional stat bonuses = no. of allies within 3 spaces × 3, + 1. max 10. What's interesting is that she gets further +10 to all stats as long as she lands on Divine Vein terrain effects & trenches. Using the same value, she gets flat-DR including braves and heals after that.

Lastly, she comes with Atk/Spd Bulwark 4 as new fodder, yet has no value when we already have Potent & Laguz Friend as top tier alternatives for a B skill. In the end, Mozu is pretty decent for a frontliner, but I think Emblem Ike does better in that role. Maybe getting a copy of her is worthwhile if you're desperate for more tanks in your barracks.

Yukimura

I remember this one from the story. Now, I know people have been wanting Scarlet for a long time, but this one has been in my personal wishlist. 

"Perspicacious", a weapon that takes us a while to pronounce it right. Other than Slaying, it is support-oriented: granting allies Atk/Def/Res +4 and 30% DR-piercing if they're within 7 rows and 7 columns. Much like Legendary Camilla's effect, but you get less piercing in exchange for a wider scope. When it comes to combat, it inflicts penalties to foe's Atk/Def based on the number of allies within the same range × 3, + 6; max 15. And also, Yukimura gets 50% DR-piercing for himself.

There is Sabotage A/D 3 as another decent Tier 3 Sabotage skill. The support effects are nice, nonetheless, it's all about positioning your units. I'd rather have more DR-piercing than giving it to the entire map, so to me, it's not going to have any effect on the competition.

Hayato

Finally, he's in the game, but another red demote? Is red getting closer to being the second-worst color to summon on?

His inheritable weapon grants the ability to bypass terrain effects and Special acceleration, but other than that, it's nothing. I feel like Valentine's Selena's weapon has the most impact of all red tomes combined (no thank you, Ophelia). In terms of fodder, I wish he has Atk/Spd Finish 3 instead of Ideal because it's much more accessible nowadays.

Attuned Azura

It has been a while since Azura received an alt, so I guess it's a W for all of her fans out there. Her Corrin outfit looks great.

She's an axe-cav which isn't ideal for duplicating fodder. I'm not a big fan of investing them as cavs usually score the lowest in Arena. Her weapon, Tri-Path Splitter grants Canto Dist+1; Max 4 and Spd+3 to herself. At the start of turn, if she's within 2 spaces of her ally, she gets Atk/Spd +6, Null-Follow Up and Null Panic to herself and other allies within 2 spaces for 1 turn. If she's within 3 spaces however, she gets Omni+5 during combat. 

As a refresher, she has Changing Waters as a new preferred assist, which allows the target to move 1 extra space. It also grants Incited to her target ally and anyone within 2 spaces of target This is a great upgrade to her skill because anyone can get the extra movement other than ranged cavs for obvious reasons. This new Azura is really up to something more broken.

When the game decides not to give Wings of Mercy the Sacred Seal treatment, but as an Echo skill instead, it feels utterly stupid. Right now, we have Mercy-Winged Echo which has the WOM 3 effect. It's not WOM 4, but still very strong. It may give Galeforce strats the advantage as the B slots can be reserved for something else. But for those who often rely on WOM 4, it's not their cup of tea (myself included). 

This Echo skill is not ideal for Mythic units in AR-Offense. Take Askr for example, in Light season as he cannot run his preferred skill if he has Mercy-Winged Echo, and that takes away his support capabilities. Putting the problems aside, it's a decent skill for max investment units.

We get premium Cantrip skills this time, in the form of A/D Cantrip 3, which now inflicts Sabotage on foes in cardinal directions of unit. It's not as good as Rockslide/Firestorm Dance 3 though.

As an Attuned Unit, Azura can excel in any game mode outside of Arena, as both a support and refresh unit. That enhanced extra movement buff shall not be underestimated at all.

Final Thoughts + Will I Summon?

The units of this banner are quite decent, yet they face intense competition with others in their respective roles. I would like to get Mozu because of her hilarious special quote alone, but alas, I must resist. Neither I'm into WOM Echo, nor do I need another refresher, if I have plenty to choose from. After all, I've just spent orbs on the Double Special Heroes banner which offers better value. It's all for Winter Byleth, the best far savior, and I'll be writing that later before the newest Mythic Hero drops.

Let me know if you're excited for any of these units. Thank you so much for reading my thoughts and have a great summoning session!

IKE SHOWS NO SYMPATHY - Emblem Ike Summons

It's Emblem Ike time! He's really bringing out the cool stuff into the meta, and as an Ike fan, I feel happy for him. So without further ado, let's dive deep into the latest report of summoning.

30th March - I started off with 156 orbs, which are enough for getting Ike on spark. However, I would personally love to get a copy of him before reaching 40 summons so that what was left will be saved. I didn't mind getting someone from green or colorless as they provide valuable fodder.

With 15 summons in, I got Attuned Nino, right after the final orb. She's pretty decent as a hit-and-run dagger unit, not to mention Spd/Def Tempo 4 & Fleeting Echo for inheritance. Thanks to the skill cap update, it's possible to get both of these skills simultaneously. I might consider offering them to my +10 Gaius, as he desperately needs some new tools for Arena. But in the meantime, I save that thought for later.

Grandpa Mycen showed up on the 24th summon. He's personally one of my sought-after units for my Echoes themed team. Sadly, he does not have a B skill, but I think A/D Near Trace 4 would be decent for him. So, I'll just have to wait for its introduction. 

I received back-to-back focus units on the 26th & 27th summons, with Safy & Seidr respectively. The former, whom I have pulled for twice before this banner. Again, she offers nothing really, but Freyr at home as well as Still Water and Ploy 4 fodder for tanky mage units. 

For the latter, I rarely use her on Aether Raids because I think her New Year counterpart does functionally better. At least I can use a merge.

Without any luck after 40 summons, I stick with the plan right away - choosing Ike on spark. Looks like I've made the calculations correctly.

Conclusion

Overall, I'm satisfied with the outcome, but it could have been better if Ike showed up beforehand. There's a lot coming in April, and I believe we'll be getting a back-to-back Double Special Heroes as usual. Here, I'm saving for Winter Byleth, who's the only great option for far saves and I don't have him yet.

How did it go with your summons? Thank you so much for reading today's report and have a nice day.

AWAKENING BIAS DOES NOT STOP - Young Banner Review 2024

 Judging from the silhouettes yesterday, it looks like we're getting an Awakening baby banner this year. To be honest, I feel very disappointed, given that the series gain so much attention from IS. Getting Awakening that early and again, after we got the Book 8 banner not long ago? I thought it's time for Echoes already. Mae and Boey have not received anything at all after their debut.

Anyway, let's dive deep into these units.

Young Robin (M)

An obvious pick for the backstory. Fell War Tome grants Spd+3 to himself, and it has a built-in Flared Sparrow effect, which is nice. He also grants Omni+X = 16 - (foe's max Special cooldown count value × 2); min = 8. He gets 30% Brave DR from the first hit, neutralizes Guard and a full DR piercing effect when special triggers if its max cooldown count is 3 or more. 

We also get Magic Gambit, a new type of Gambit restricted to magic users. It's not as good as the original Gambit 4 as the values are a bit reduced, with 3 less true damage and 10% less DR compared to the latter.

Young Robin (M) is built partially for both offense & support, as he retains his preferred C skill like his Brave counterpart. Basically, he's just Brave Robin but with a side upgrade and he's ranged.

Young Emmeryn

When it comes to lore shenanigans, Emmeryn has to be here, and it's the first alt she's ever gotten. Her weapon, Exalt's War Staff grants both Slaying and Dazzling effects. And for the next part, I thought it's a pseudo-Guidance effect, but it's actually a unique WOM 4 effect that allows allies to warp to 2 spaces within Emmeryn if her HP is 60% or less, or she heals, or she initiates combat. Also, for those allies within her proximity, they gain Omni+4 & restore 7 HP after combat.

We have a new Assist skill called Magic Shield+, and it's inheritable. Basically, it restores true HP = 50% of unit's Atk, and the target ally gets Atk/Res +6 and penalty neutralization for 1 turn. If this skill is used from turn 2 onward, the user grants another action while inflicts Gravity to herself. This is insane, considering it can be equipped to all staff units.

The kit seems pretty interesting, and I heard that she can be used in Galeforce strats. She doesn't have to reach below the HP threshold in order to become a warping beacon, as long as she does something other than moving. A very potent support unit in AR-Offense. 

Young Lissa

We can all agree that Lissa looks adorable in her young age. In fact, we get another preferred weapon for a demote, which is New War Axe. It has Slaying, and at the start of combat, she grants true bonuses to Atk/Def/Res based on a quarter of her foe's Atk - 4. There is also Tempo, half-Deep Wounds cleansing and 80% DR from foe's follow-up attack, including braves. If her HP is 70% or more, she deals true damage = X% of her's Def if her special is triggered, and she heals by the same value. X = (unit's max Special cooldown count value × 10) + 10. 

She can be a decent tank if you want to invest on her. For the percentage amount, I would swap out Bonfire for Aether to get the full effect. Not to forget that she has valuable fodder, with Def/Res Finish 3 & Time's Pulse 3.

Young Robin (F) + Chrom

(Sigh) Must you put Robin & Chrom together for the second time as a duo unit? By the way, Draconic Pacts has Slaying, and when an Assist skill is used, both units get Special acceleration and it inflicts Hush Spectrum to foes within 3 rows and 3 columns. 

Hush Spectrum is the opposite of Rally Spectrum, as it inflicts Omni-5 during combat. Not only that, the affected foe does Self-Scowl, and unit gets Special acceleration before foe attacks. This looks utterly ridiculous since there's no Isolation, and that Robin can use her Assist twice.

If Robin uses the Assist, she gets another action like To Change Fate. If she initiates combat or is within 2 spaces of an ally, she inflicts Omni-X = 16 - foe's max Special cooldown count value × 2; min 8). Besides, Robin gets 30% DR from the first attack, including Braves, and she can neutralize Guard.

Fell Wyrmscale (not very excited about the Grima reference) is her new preferred A skill. It grants Omni+8 to herself, neutralizes foe's bonuses during combat, and it deals true damage based on 15% of her Atk. Once her Special triggers, she gets full DR-piercing. And after combat, she restores 7 HP if the threshold is 25% or more.

Moreover, we get Atk/Spd Link 4 as the final tier of Link skills, which now grants Canto (1) to the unit & target ally for 1 turn. It inflicts Spd-4 & Def/Res-2 on foe and unit deals flat damage based on the highest total Atk/Spd bonuses among unit & allies with Canto 1 active. I find it relatively tame in the first place, because the amount of bonuses are restricted to Canto 1 users. As a result, you can't get the maximum possible damage if there are only two units with Canto 1, unless you have Legendary Lilina for her drive support.

Last but not least, their Duo Skill grants Rally Spectrum & Dual Strike to herself and all allies within 7 rows and 7 columns, which sounds ridiculously strong. It's like everyone has both Brave Robin's (M) & Winter Cordelia's support effects at the same time.

Overall, Duo Robin (F) is great as both a player phase nuke & support, especially in Aether Raids & Summoner Duels. As a blue infantry mage, she totally surpasses Duo Mark in this aspect.

Final Thoughts + Will I Summon

The units featured are quite interesting, but they are not as game-changing as you would want to spend orbs on. Historically, the Young banner has been the worst selling banner of all Special banners, with most units being outclassed by stronger alternatives after release. However, Duo Robin (F) could be a worthy investment in all game modes. 

After an arduous orb-spending on Emblem Ike's banner, which I'll be writing on later, it's safe to say that I can finally skip this one. Who knows if Brave Robin (F) can do whatever the duo couldn't do when CYL8 comes.

Let me know if you're excited to summon on this banner. Thank you so much for reading my thoughts on the units above. Have a nice one!