VANAHEIMR BAIT - 1st Summer Banner Review

The first part of the Summer banner is already up, with some interesting unit choices. So, without further ado, let's dive into each of them. 

Summer Nerþuz

I'm utterly shocked to find that goat auntie gets an alt so soon after New Year's. I mean, both Freyja and Freyr got their Summer alts 3 years ago, so this one is kind of expected, yet it shouldn't be that early for this year. Does that mean her brother is getting in for next month?

Love of Nerþuz:

• Slaying
• Omni + X (Max: 14) = No. of allies within 3 rows & 3 columns × 3, +5
• Null Follow Up
• 40% DR from foe's 1st attack (incl. Brave effects)

Grants the following effects to herself at 25% HP or above and allies within 3 rows and 3 columns:

• DR-Piercing (Max: 100%, excl. AOEs) = Max Special cooldown count value × 30, +10
• Accelerates Special by 1 when Special cooldown count value ≥ 3, and it can be triggered

Grants the following effects when transformed:

• Atk+2
• Clash Atk/Def-X on foe (Max: 6); if X ≥ 5, grants additional 30% DR from 1st attack.

Her weapon is decent for a combat unit, but the full DR-piercing support gets really awkward as it forces you to use high cooldown Specials like Aether in order to be effective.

Just like all of her iterations, she gets a new preferred B skill, in the form of Under the Sun. It's a shame because she can never be a Galeforce unit in AR-Offense.

Under the Sun:

• Canto (2)
• Inflicts Spd/Def -5 on foe
• Null Guard
• Deals True Damage (excl. AOEs) = 20% of her Spd
• Flat DR from foe's 1st attack (incl. Braves) = 25% of her Spd
• Next attack reflects damage = amount reduced from 1st attack
• 7 HP Healing after combat 

Also, she gets Atk/Spd Excel not long after Bridal Sharena, and finally, we have Beast Threaten as a new C skill for beast units. It first inflicts Def-7 and Panic on foes within 3 rows and 3 columns, and if any foe is within that proximity, she'll get Atk+6 and Time's Pulse 3, which is great for triggering Specials at ease.

Overall, Nerþuz can be decent as a dual role unit in all game modes, being able to tank hard and grant support. However, her kit doesn't quite fit in any of the most commonly used strategies.

Summer Hrid

After 5 years of neglect, Hrid finally gets a summer vacation with the rest of his siblings, completing the Nifl summer lineup. Will he able to redeem himself this time, after his lackluster refine? Let's find out

Prince's Lance:

• Canto (2)
• Slaying

Grants the following if unit initiates combat or is within 2 spaces of an ally:

• Omni+X (Max: 14; Min: 5) =  25% of foe's Atk at start of combat - 4
• Opposite Grand Strategy effect
• 40% DR from foe's attacks (excl. AOEs)
• Heals X HP when using Special (Max: 100%) = 10 + Max Special cooldown count × 20

Weapon looks mediocre to me, but it's not complete without his brand new preferred B-skill:

Ice Prince's Seal:

• Inflicts Spd/Def-7, "Frozen" & "Guard" on foes and closest foes within 2 spaces of them

Grants the following at start of combat if HP ≥ 25%:

• Inflicts Omni-5 on foe
• Guaranteed Follow-Up
• Deals True-Damage = 20% of his Def
• Flat DR from foe's attacks = 20% of his Def

Frozen is a pretty unique effect that makes Hrid easier to do follow-up attacks, while making it harder for the afflicted foes i.e. the foe needs X more Spd while your unit needs X less Spd. The flat value depends whether Hrid meets the Def check,, in which X is multiplied by 2, and then added by 10. Otherwise, X = 10. It seems a bit confusing, but interesting as it breaks the usual Spd rules like Diamant's preferred weapon does.

Then, we begin to have Tier 4 versions of Wave skills, starting with Odd Def Wave 4. It now grants Def+6 to your allies at start of turn instead of odd-number of turns, which still grant you additional +6 in Def for 1 turn. Also, if you meet the Def check, you'll get a Tempo effect which is pretty crazy for a Cav unit.

Overall, Hrid turns out to be both a solid nuke and support that makes your team easier to do follow-ups, but I feel like NFU could hinder that ability, as it's getting common. However, his fodder is definitely useful for your Def-based cavs, who would want to run No Quarter.

Summer Olivia

Then, we have Olivia, who's also due for an alt after 5 years, and she's a colorless demote, adding an another inheritable colorless tome to the pool.

Sea Tambourine+:

• Atk/Spd+6 to unit and allies within 2 spaces at start of turn

Grants the following at start of combat:

• Atk/Spd+5 during even-numbered turns; Atk/Spd+11 during odd-numbered turns
• Null Follow-Up if unit meets Spd check

Besides the fact that it's better than Niime's weapon, there's not much to say, but Far Trace 3 and Atk/Spd Rein 3 are decent inheritable options for a demote.

Summer Gullveig + Seiðr

Here she is! Everyone saw this one coming for months. She's accompanied by Seidr, and she has a snake floatie which looks pretty cute, after Freyja has one resembling her brother's. Unfortunately, she's a cavalry unit, that's not from what her sprite looks, and I thought she's a flier in the first place.

Golden Sunlight:

• Slaying
• When unit initiates combat or foe's HP ≥ 75%, grants Omni+X (Max: 14 on 2nd combat) = 5 + no. of allies within 3 rows & 3 columns × 3
• True Damage (excluding AOE's) = 20% of Spd
• Half DR-Piercing
• 70% DR from foe's first attack (incl. Braves) during player phase
• Self-Refresh after combat but Gravity

It's a slight upgrade from her Mythic counterpart, now that she can hit harder thanks to true bonuses to all stats, and being able to cut DR in half is what she lacked beforehand.

Time & Light:

• Boosts damage = 30% of Spd
• Null Guard
• Self-Refresh after Special triggers, but Gravity

It's basically similar to her previous Special "Time is Light", but with less Special cooldown in exchange for less true damage, so that she can act again as she should. 

Then for her passives, besides Flared Sparrow and S/R Far Trace 4, she has Odd Spd Wave 4 as another variant for Wave 4 skills. This time, it grants Spd bonuses to both the unit and allies within 2 spaces, and if the Spd check is met, she'll get NFU during combat. Since NFU is getting frequent, it doesn't have that much utility compared to the Def variant.

Lastly, her Duo skill grants another action to herself, which allows her to act for a total of 4 times in one turn.

Most of the community has been excited for this unit because of her insane action economy and her strong potential as a Galeforce initiator. In my opinion, however, they really need to take a chill pill. While Summer Gullveig is not inherently a bad unit, being a cavalry means that she can't get mobility support from Guidance, and she can't pass through difficult terrain like her Brave counterpart could. 

Unlike the latter though, she can run WOM 4 in her B skill, as she can still refresh herself via her weapon and exclusive Special. So, I personally think she fits better in that role as a warp unit.

In essence, I can see this unit having a significant influence on Galeforce strategies, but she'll struggle to take down most of the omni-tanks in the game. Therefore, you have no choice but to replace her Special with AOE, together with units who can accelerate Specials such as Bridal Embla and Gerik.

Final Thoughts + Will I Summon?

Overall, this banner has some decent units, but it doesn't really live up to the hype. If any of these units are your absolute favorites, then go ahead and acquire as many copies as you like. Gullveig and Nerthuz are side-grades of each other, and while Hrid's "Frozen" gimmick seems strong, it could get redundant like Diamant's niche last year.

Keep in mind that we may get more enticing offerings from the second part of Summer next month, so I'll be waiting for that one. Also, the DSH banner is coming soon, and it most likely has Valentine's Myrrh from colorless, whom I don't have yet. Thus, I'm so ready to take her home on Spark, as granting Warp Bubble support is so strong.

Let me know if you're pulling for any of these units. Thank you so much for reading my thoughts on this banner and be sure to save your orbs and resist the 4-action temptation!