WELCOME TO THE BEAST JAM - Eikþyrnir & Heiðrún Summons

It's finally time for the newest summoning report at the end of this month. This time, it's on the two Divine Beasts' banner, and I truly love their designs, especially in their beast forms which look very interesting & unique. Eikþyrnir's supposedly a deer-like minotaur, whereas Heiðrún turns out to be a goat centaur.

Also, both of them are amazing powerhouses in their own right, and if possible, I would like to get both of them. So, without further ado, let's dive into these amazing summons!

Report #14

26th July - I had saved up to a total of 341 orbs for this awaited banner. Although I want goat mamma and deer dude, my top priority would be on Mythic Loki for my Dark Defense since I skipped her lackluster debut banner before. Now that she's color sharing with Eikþyrnir, my chances of getting either of them had skyrocketed, and because of that, I would be sniping mainly on colorless.

Green is my second color-pick because getting a copy of Attuned Azura won't be bad, pray that Legendary Camilla didn't show up from elsewhere. In fact, I would pull for Heiðrún on spark if my summons were getting unfortunate. 

My main target is here at last: Mythic Loki after 5 summons! The only thing that would make her better is Still Water 4, since she's heavily dependent on her Res in order to shut down enemy bonuses. And then, Fae showed up as a 4 star special back-to-back. That's solid I guess.

From that point onwards, not a single focus unit showed up, so my pity rate raised up to 10%, which was shocking. But then, Brave Micaiah decided to comfort me a bit on the 28th summon, making her another merge for my existing build. Fae appeared again on the 31st pull, whom I felt reluctant to accept as WOM 3 fodder.

What a bummer! I got Dorcas on the 33rd pull, even though my pity increased by 0.50%. Seems like all of my hopes of getting both beast units went miserably lost.

Not so fast for disappointment, as I can't believe a turn of events occurred. Heiðrún appeared on the 37th pull, followed by Attuned Azura next! That's so unexpected, yet very exciting news for me as I got back-to-back focus units, and that they became new additions to my barracks! I was on cloud nine, feeling like the game chose to grant me a stroke of luck for the second and last time before CYL8.

Now, I can own Eikþyrnir on spark without doubts, and that left me a plenty of orbs to spare.

To wrap it up,

Words can't express my relief as my summoning session turned around, soaring back to good luck just when it apparently went downhill. I thought I was done after getting Loki, my sought-after unit, but no - FEH decides to give me everything I wanted. It was as if it aligned with my foreshadowing plan for CYL, where I'm expecting myself to acquire two of the Brave units.

Besides, there is a Double Special Heroes banner coming after hand, where Young Emmeryn could show up on colorless. I might as well have my eyes fixed on that, as I need her for AR-Defense. She's actually strong as a WOM 4 Beacon, even though many people are underestimating her value on release.

Finally, we're getting a new Legendary hero most likely color sharing with Emblem Ike, and I might spend on that banner for more Ike merges. It all depends on whether I have enough orbs to spare after the aforementioned banners.

Thank you for reading this unforeseen turn of my summons, and be sure to save your orbs whenever CYL approaches!

DIVINE DOUBLE TROUBLE - Eikþyrnir & Heiðrún Banner Review

We're finally getting a Double Mythic banner, in the form of Eikþyrnir & Heiðrún, whom I'm expecting to show up not long ago. But then, I don't know why they would put Blazing Blade's music in the first place. Are they trying to tease us because we've been desperately wanting Athos for so long?

Anyway, let's take a peek at these anticipated beasts!

Heiðrún

She's an Anima mythic and a green beast infantry, which isn't an ideal archetype for defense teams unless if they're ranged. 

Nectar Horn:

• Slaying

Inflicts the following on foes within 3R & 3C if their Res < unit's Res+5 :

• Atk/Def-7
• Discord
• Deep Wounds
• Miracle Neutralization

Inflicts the following on foe if foe initiates combat or foe's HP ≥ 75% during combat:

• Atk/Def-6
• Atk/Def-X = 20% of Unit's Res
• Dull Atk/Def
• Grants the following to unit:
• Flat DR = 20% of Unit's Res
• Special Acceleration
• When transformed. grants the following:
• Atk+2
• +7 Flat DMG when Special Triggers
• Tempo

It's a pretty solid weapon meant to counter omni-tanks, as it can shut down Miracle and Healing like Fatal Smoke 4. However, unlike the latter, anyone can benefit as long as they're in range, and that you can free up another team slot since you don't have to run Winter Yunaka. 

She has Aegis to ensure survivability, even though it's not ideal. Then, we have Stronghold as a stronger variant of Fort Def/Res 3, which grants you an extra Def/Res at a cost of -1 Atk, as well as neutralizes Panic & Def/Res penalties similar to Verge of Death & Crystalline Water.

For her B skill, she has A/D Bulwark 4 which stops enemies from warping unless if they're Emblem Celica. Now here comes the fun part, and that comes from her preferred C skill.

Divine Nectar:

• At start of both phases, grants Divine Nectar to herself & allies within 2 spaces:
• Deep Wounds Neutralization
• 20 HP Healing Post Burn Damage
• 10 Flat DR on whoever initiates first combat
• Self-Refresh for Allies with Divine Nectar if using an Assist Skill (only activated once per turn)

Inflicts the following on foe during combat if unit is within 3 spaces of an ally:

• Atk/Def-5
• Guard

This skill has gone crazy! It essentially turns anyone into Duo Chrom, without actually running him on defense. It's making defense teams unstoppable, especially for Rally Traps because you can have one of your Rally Bots getting the extra action after rallying, and then deal some chip damage. 

What's even more insane for a support unit is that she has built-in Breath of Life 4, which sends Flared skills even further into the abyss. Unlike the actual skill, it prioritizes being able to heal fully over partial burn damage recovery, which isn't a lot but useful against Valentine's Lyon.

Overall, Heiðrún turns out to be an insane support unit. She could also tank decently because of the flat-DR based off her Res, yet it isn't her strong point. Outside of AR-Defense, she's going to be an excellent jack-of-all trades in Summoner Duels, where she can grant both the action-economy and BOL support, fitting for most team archetypes. Emblem Ike must have gained so much power since Attuned Micaiah's release!

Eikþyrnir

He's finally here, fortunate enough to escape male OC purgatory, as so many diehard fans have been waiting for this unit. But again, why make him an Astra season unit?

Quieting Antler:

• Canto (2)
• Slaying

Grants the following to unit & allies within 2 spaces for 1 turn after start-of-turn skills trigger at start of turn:

• Atk/Def+6
• Bonus Doubler
• Additional +3 to All-Stats

If unit initiates combat or is within 2 spaces of an ally:

• Inflicts Atk/Def-X On Foe = 6 + 20% Of Unit's Def During Combat
• Deals Flat DMG  (excl. AOEs) = Highest Total Stat Bonuses Among Unit & Allies Within 3 Spaces
• Flat DR From Attacks = 50% of Highest Total Stat Bonuses Among Unit & Allies Within 3 Spaces

When transformed:

• Grants Atk+2
• Inflicts Atk/Def-Y On Foe During Combat (Max: 6) = Clash Effect
• If Y ≥ 5: Grants 30% 1st Hit DR (excl. Braves)

It's the same weapon as in the main story, and from what I can recall, he's a direct counter to Emblem Ike because of the tremendous amount of debuffs to his Atk/Def. In fact, I won't forget about how many times I have to defeat this unit for good, who can hit quite hard thanks to flat DMG based on stat bonuses, and that he can tough himself up using half of the amount of bonuses. He can be quite annoying to deal with in general.

He also comes with an inheritable beast skill that works like No Quarter. This should speak for the eventual rise of beast unit usage in the future.

Fierce Beast:

• Boosts Special DMG = X% Of Unit's Atk
• X = 25 If Transformed; otherwise X = 20)
• Full DR-Piercing

Then, he has Atk/Def Excel, which I've seen coming, as well as Beast Threaten, nothing much to say here. Unfortunately, his preferred skill is in the B slot, which means he can't run WOM 4 which would take away some of the crucial aspects for being a good nuke.

Divine Strength:

• Removes the condition to transform
• Penalty Effect Neutralization On Both Phases After Start-Of-Turn Skills Triggered
• Inflicts Atk/Def-5 On Foe
• Guaranteed Follow-Up
• Restores 7 HP After Combat
• If Unit's Atk ≥ Foe's Atk - 5 & Unit's Def ≥ Foe's Def At Start of Combat:
• Inflicts Atk/Def-12 At Max On Foe (6 Each)

Being able to cleanse all Penalty effects for himself is amazing, though I wish it's a support-oriented move, as if he could have been the Astra version of Freyr. Together with more infliction of stat debuffs onto his enemies, they'll just crumble into dust in ease.

Deer boy could work as a very bulky tank, allowing him to survive most physical units like Emblem Ike. However, stacking heavily on Def bonuses would leave him vulnerable to mages due to his low Res. He's meant for heavy melee nuking, followed by Bonus Doubler support in Summoner Duels, so I think he's going to do well in that role instead.

For AR-Offense, I can't think of a place for him, as he's a pure combat Mythic. If you're opting him as your merge project, it's very tough slotting him in as he doesn't quite fit into the most commonly used strategies outside of hit-and-run. Even so, you can run Galeforce on him so that he acts as a clean up unit for your team, while providing some decent support.

In conclusion, Eikþyrnir proves to be a fun jack-of-all trades in various game modes, yet when it comes to Mythic units, Heiðrún is clearly the better pick.

Returning Units & Color-Share

Overall, this banner offers some nice value on the green pool, where Heiðrún is color sharing with Attuned Azura and Legendary Camilla. The former provides you opportunities to duplicate fodder whilst being a great refresher herself. While Legendary Camilla has fallen off a bit due to BOL 4, she's the first unit to have Deadly Miasma, which is still solid for your fliers.

Colorless has some nice options, with both Legendary Alear (M) and Mythic Loki rerunning for the first time. Now it's a good chance to acquire a copy of each if you're interested in either of these units. Plus, Legendary Alear (M) got better with High Dragon Wall, making him the best Earth Legendary for now.

Red is okay, but it's not the best. It has two Legendary units from different seasons, so if you're having merge projects on Elincia or Nanna, you can give this color a go. Kvasir is not that good for a unit, yet she provides Incite Atk/Spd fodder.

Lastly, I would rank blue in the same regard to red, because of two seasonally different Legendary units as well as Mozu with Bonus Doubler 4. Even so, most players would rather avoiding it since Caeda and Deidre are already outclassed. 

Final Thoughts + Will I Summon?

To sum it up, this is an okay banner, but I can't deny that Heiðrún has some amazing support, and it's worth getting a copy of her if you want to strengthen your team for AR-Defense, or if you don't have BOL 4. I know Eikþyrnir is a beloved character, so many fans would like to get more copies of him. At the same time, he's an offensive Mythic, so that's a substantial bonus for them.

Most people have considered this as a bait banner, as it's released before CYL8, which is on the horizon. Even so, I think there's a fair gap in between the days, because we usually get similar banners exactly at the end of the month. This one for example, is released 4-5 days earlier, and it lasts until the 15th August. Therefore, you still have plenty of time for your decision.

When it comes to reruns, it appears that both Heiðrún & Eikþyrnir are returning in October. With colorless fully occupied, looks like we're getting a Light Mythic on the green pool. Thus, if you want Heiðrún, perhaps it would be wise to wait instead, as she's also color sharing with Legendary Corrin (M), who has High Dragon Wall.

For me, I adore both of these OCs as characters, followed by their amazing designs, so I'm eager to get both of them, though I should prioritize on goat mamma just in case when misfortune strikes my summoning session. Besides, Loki is also my main target, and I'll go after her as well.

Let me know if you're excited for these two OCs, and be sure to save your orbs from falling into the Rally Action Economy Trap!

NCD ECHO?! SIGN ME UP - Magvel New Heroes Review

So, here comes this month's New Heroes banner, featuring some long awaited favorites from Sacred Stones. Besides, I expect Niðavellir to appear as well because of the story from Tempest Trials, so without further ado, let's get into it.

Ascended Amelia

I can't even remember how many years has Amelia ever received an alt, besides her resplendent status, yet here she comes. Unfortunately, she's an armored unit, and I wish she could be a cavalry or infantry instead. For FE veterans and fans alike, her return is a call for rejoice. It's a shame that we don't have a Tier 4 Save skill just yet.

Lance of Grado

• Slaying

If unit is within 2 spaces of an ally, grants the following to herself and allies within 2 spaces:

• Def/Res+6
• Special Acceleration
• Foe Bonus Neutralization

If unit is within 3 spaces of an ally, grants the following:

• Omni+X (Max: 14) = 5 + No. Of Allies Within 3 Spaces × 3 
• Penalty Neutralization
• 40% Brave DR from 1st Hit
• 7 HP Healing 

Looks pretty solid for a tank, together with Armored Beacon for some unpierceable DR. Let's take a look at her preferred A skill.

Obsidian Tactics:

If foe initiates combat or is above 75% HP, grants the following:

• Omni+9
• Pseudo-Prime i.e. X = No. of Bonus Effects Active On Unit & Allies Within 2 spaces
• If X ≥ 1, inflicts Atk/Def-(X×2) on foe (Max: 12);
• If X ≥ 3, Distant Counter;
• If X ≥ 5, 50% DR-Piercing

Her skill essentially works like Prime skills, but sadly like all of them, it's feels weak and would bring problems for Amelia in general. Prime skills have lost their value, now that Nergal can steal all Bonuses, and Loki shutting them down permanently. Besides, having 5 Bonus effects just for additional 50% DR-piercing sounds ridiculous, give that it's more accessible via support units.

Then, we have Clever Fighter as Savy Fighter 4 on crack, with built-in NFU & Spd Rule modification similar to Summer Hrid's weapon. It also grants 10 flat Brave DR from the 1st hit, as long as the user meets the Spd check. This skill is worth the investment for certain fast armored units to perform follow-ups in ease.

Overall, I think Amelia feels underwhelming as a Save unit because she's heavily dependent on Bonus effects to get the most of it. She will continue to struggle, now that we have units who can take away Bonus effects easily. Even though she's usable in certain areas, I can't fathom enough that Save units will ever earn their place.

Forde

Another unit whom I don't recognize at all, nor will I care. He's plainly forgettable after a while.

Wild Wind Sword

• Inflicts Spd/Def-4 on Himself At Start of Both Phases

At start of combat, if unit's HP ≥ 25%:

• Omni+5
• All-Stats Unity
• Flat DMG (excl. AOEs) = Total Penalties on Unit × 1.5
• NFU
• 40% Brave DR from 1st Hit
• 7 HP Healing

What can I say about this dud? He literally has nothing, as if it isn't ironic enough to show him finishing off some sort of generic armored unit. What's utterly disappointing? He does not have No Quarter, which means that I have to sacrifice more Dimitris and Sylvains. Huge missed opportunity for bring No Quarter into the pool

I don't care he has Spd/Def Unity or Trace 4, and I don't even care he has flat DMG when there are so many better alternatives in terms of melee nukes. As I said, there's nothing I can do to him for inheritance, or as a unit, and don't you dare wandering off nowhere and break my pity rate in my future summons, with your sly little grin!

Niðavellir

He's not a Rearmed, nor an Attuned unit this time. Maybe IS starts to get desperate and invite more pity breakers for the profit. Anyway, Daisuke Izuka's art style is a spot on as always.

Niðavellir Ballista

• Slaying
• Flier Effectiveness
• Canto (Dist. +1; Max 4) Between Turns 1 & 4

Grants the following during the first 4 turns:

• To Unit: Special Cooldown Count -3
• To Allies Within 2 Spaces: Special Cooldown Count -1
• To Both Unit & Allies: Hexblade

Grants the following at start of combat, and unit's HP ≥ 25%:

• Atk/Spd+6
• Atk/Spd+X = 20% of Unit's Spd
• True DMG (incl. AOEs) = 20% of Unit's Spd
• 30% Brave DR from 1st Hit

This unit is clearly built for spamming AOEs, and that explains why he comes with an AOE Special. After all, Verge of Death is perfect for dealing Spd-based true DMG which applies to AOEs, and that makes him a very formidable nuke. His weapon makes him quite strong as a support as well, where he can charge his allies' Specials and they can become AOE spammers too.

Unfortunately, he does not have a preferred skill, which is surprising for an OC, but you can easily offer him Def/Res Smoke 4 so that he can retreat after combat while granting the Pathfinder support for himself. You could also swap out Seal Def/Res 3 for something like Physical Null-Follow to deal with the follow-up shenanigans.

Overall, Niðavellir turns out to be excellent at AR-Defense, especially on a cav-line. I feel like he can synergize with Fallen Ursula pretty well, allowing him to hit harder with the Desperation status, just in case when the damage dealt by his AOE doesn't reduce his foes' HP to 1. Also, there's no doubt that he's an amazing hit-and-run nuke in Summoner Duels and other game modes.

Attuned Eirika

Yup, I saw this one coming, and she's a godaxe this time. Looks like she's taking a break from being a cheerleader for Lyon, and swoops in with another alt.

Sisterly Axe

• Slaying
• Phantom Spd
• Atk/Spd +6 & Dodge to Unit & Allies At Start of Turn

Grants the following if unit is within 3 spaces of an ally:

• Omni+X (Max: 14) = 5 + No. Of Foes Within 3R & 3C × 3
• Flat DR (excl. AOEs) = 20% of Spd
• 50% DR-Piercing
• 7 HP Healing

We have a new Special that's inheritable, and that's Gust which has 3 CD. It basically boosts damage by 50% of Spd when it triggers, and the user gets 40% DR from the next attack onward. It only triggers when the Special is ready or triggered on either sides, before or during combat, and that the user meets the Spd check. 

It shares some similarities with Godlike Reflexes, but it only activates when the user attacks. However, it cannot be used on Laguz Friend 4 because of Slaying, yet it's still a decent Special for some of your older units to deal massive damage whilst taking advantage of some damage-reduction.

Like all other Eirikas, she has a preferred B-skill in her kit, and if you look at the original Moonlight Bangle, you'll see a significant difference.

Moonlight Bangle Q

• Vantage, if Unit's Spd ≥ Foe's Spd - 4
• Atk/Spd/Def-5 On Foe
• True DMG (excl. AOEs) = 25% of Foe's Def
• Special Acceleration Before Unit's 1st Hit & 1st Follow-Up
• Null Guard

Being able to trigger Vantage without having to initiate combat is quite a big deal, yet I'm afraid that this skill could age fast as we're leaning towards more fast units in the future. After all, you need to keep an eye on Hardy Bearing, which can shut it down easily.

Eirika needs to have her Special ready to make good use of Gust, so having Special acceleration on her 1st attack and her follow-ups is really crucial. So does Time's Pulse 4 in her kit after combat.

She has D Bonus Doubler after Attuned Caeda, and what really sets her apart and makes her a better fodder factory is that one echo skill. Null C-Disrupt Echo is here at last, and oh boy, I know Brave Dimitri is going to enjoy this! Bonus Doubler 4, Laguz Friend, BOL 4 support and NCD Echo combine together pretty well and you'll eventually have the Ultimate Dimitri. Imagine how insane is that?

It's is a must have for any tank without a preferred-skill in order to deal with Sweep effects, which are getting common. I'm confident that people who are investing their favorite omni-tanks, no matter old or new, are going to be excited about this unit, only to get that skill alone. It's such a game changer.

Anyway, Eirika is a very formidable Vantage frontliner, and proves to be a strong contender for omni-tanking in AR-Offense, Summoner Duels and Arena. She has what she needs to be an effective omni-tank and Vantage unit. However, bear in mind that Spd creep could lead her to her downfall as time goes on. Her support is fine at best, but Dodge is kind of irrelevant nowadays.

Final Thoughts + Will I Summon?

Overall, Eirika is clearly the flagship unit of this banner, who can do what Vantage units couldn't, albeit not at Emblem Ike's level. Niðavellir opens the gate to more cooldown support options, and while Amelia is apparently an underwhelming Save unit, she still retains some value for being an Ascended unit as you can get the Floret. And finally, that one sword cavalry is just utter garbage, and I swear that I don't want him to ruin my pity rate!

However, I feel like this banner is not impactful enough to justify wasting a few orbs, but still, I wouldn't stop you from getting NCD Echo if you want to improve your omni-tanks a bit. My girl Caeda is going to love this, because she's missing NCD in her kit, and that I can now swap out Guard Echo thanks to her Attuned privilege. 

We're getting a Mythic Hero banner at the end of this month, and I think it's going to be both Heiðrún and Eikþrnir on green & colorless respectively. They have joined the protagonists' side based on the story, and I can't wait to see their potential as units. Therefore, I've saved enough orbs for them to show up, and needless to say, it's best for me to wait for a while.

Let me know if you're looking forward to pulling for any of these units, and be sure to save your orbs from getting NCD'ed!

WISHES GOT WARPED - Emblem Celica Summons

It's time for another recent summoning session, and this time, it's on Emblem Celica's banner. After feeling disappointed of what Summer Part 2 has to offer, I've decided to get Emblem Celica instead. 

She's quite insane as a warp nuke, and she's by far the only unit to have built-in Pass, which can bypass Warp Bubble. Additionally, her Emblem ring provides the same effect as Warp Ragnarok does at a cost of 1 less space, making it extremely useful for nuking and especially Galeforce. 

So, without further ado, let's jump right into it.

4th July - I saved up 192 orbs just for this moment, and my goal was to pull for Celica in 155 orbs on spark. Perhaps I could get Ivy or Caeda for fodder, despite missing out the right skills to offer (thank me for wasting the Laguz Friend fodder on merging Emblem Ike).

Unfortunately, my summons did not go well at all, after reaching 10% pity rate in 22 pulls. Upon the 22nd pull, I got teased by Owain from the 4-star Special pool. Talking about adding insult to injury from my summoning session!

The pity rate increased by 0.50%, but at least I received some focus units this time. However, they are not the ideal units I would like to pull for. Gotoh & Embla are decent at best, but with the former meant for tanking support and the latter used in defense, I don't think they need merges. After all, their fodder is already lackluster.

For the second-last pull, and upon reaching 8.50% pity rate, I got teased by yet another 4-star Special unit, who was Innes. 

Well, I might as well accept my loss and take Emblem Celica home.

To wrap it up,

Overall, this summoning session ended up horrible, and if it's not because of the Spark from FEH Pass, I would have gone broke. In fact, it could have been better, if either Ivy or Caeda appeared in the middle of my pulls.

Now that I have the unit I'm looking for, I can't wait to pass Celica's ring to Winter Edelgard for my Galeforce team, allowing her to warp and initiate Fury directly without relying on support. In the meantime, I'll be saving for deer dude, whom I hope will debut at the end of this month.

As always, thank you for reading today's report of summoning, and be sure to save your orbs.

SUMMER GOLDMARY IS REAL! - Thoughts on Summer Part 2

We have the second part of the Summer banner not long ago, and it certainly includes some fan-favorites. So, without further ado, let's dive into each unit.

Summer Alear (F)

We've gotten so many Alear alts within a span of a year and a half, as IS wants to promote the Engage propaganda. The artist does a good job making her cute in a ponytail though, not to forget the Sommie reference (Sommie debut when?).

Maritime Arts:

• Slaying
• Unconditional Brave
• Adaptive DMG

Grants the following if unit is within 3 spaces of ally:

• Omni+5
• Dull-X on Foe (Max: 10) = No. of Different Titles Among Allies Within 3 Spaces × 3, + 4
• Flat Damage (excl. AOEs) & Flat DR from 1st hit (incl. Braves)
• X (Max: 15) = 5 × Total No. of Allies from Different Titles & No. of Engaged Allies
• Null Guard

It looks like an improvement to her Legendary counterpart as she benefits a lot from the flat damage-reduction when dealing with Brave threats. Also, having Null Guard definitely helps to trigger her Special in ease.

Bond Blast:

• Boosts DMG by 50% Spd

If team has no support partner:

• Grants "Bonded" to Allies With The Highest Atk Within 2 Spaces

If team has a support partner or ally has "Bonded":

• Full DR-Piercing For Unit, Support Partner & Allies Within 2 Spaces

If within 3 spaces of a support partner or "Bonded" ally, and unit or foe's Special is ready:

• Unpierceable 40% DR after 1st Hit (once per combat)

The description for the Bonded status is so vague, that I fathom why IS couldn't simply tell us what it does exactly in the first place. After watching other analysis videos, it's revealed to grant full DR-piercing to allies with the "Bonded" effect, and it's not just Alear and her support partner. Again, some refinement to her support capability.

She has Spd/Res Finish 4 and Null C-Disrupt 4 as her passives, and we have another Wave 4 skill in the form of Even Res Wave D. This skill is restricted to dragon units since D stands for dragon, and it has built-in Scowl which is nice. However, you still have to meet the Res check.

Just like the Legendary version, Summer Alear (F) proves to be a solid jack-of-all-trades in certain game modes like Arena and AR-Offense as she can be blessed. Her full DR-piercing support is great, yet when it comes to tanking, she's not as insane as Emblem Ike, and she will never be, unfortunately.

Summer Petra

A unit foreshadowed by everyone for her appearance as a silhouette. Huge congratulations to all the Petra fans for getting a well-deserved alt.

Breaker Bow:

• Slaying
• Flier & Beast Effectiveness
• Canto (1)
• Aerial Maneuvers

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

• Pseudo-Lull Spd/Def
• Omni+5
• Atk/Spd+X × 6)
• X (Max: 3) = No. of  Allies with Atk ≥ 55 +  No. of Allies with Spd ≥ 40 in 3R & 3C
• Accelerates Special by A Before 1st Atk
• A (Max: Special Cooldown Value) = X (same value from True Bonuses) + 1
• Accelerates Special by B Before 1st Follow-Up
• B (Min: 0) = X (same value from True Bonuses) + 1

Welp, there goes another Aerial Maneuvers ranged-unit who can hit harder than my girl Tana, and she can run Guidance support. Sadly, she's a bow version of Wind Tribe Claude, as being heavily reliant on spamming Deadeye leaves her vulnerable to Scowl effects. 

Additionally, she has Spd/Def Crux as a somewhat lackluster skill, given that NFU is prominent. As long as she's not facing Fallen Veyle, having Desperation 4 allows Deadeye to be triggered at least once. 

Overall, she's functions as a better Tana in AR-Offense, where she has good synergy with Winter Edelgard via Guidance. But again, when the first unit covering a similar niche fell off, I can't help but watch as Petra faces the same fate, and that both of them will eventually lose relevance.

Summer Clanne

After Framme, here comes her twin-brother in alt-hell, who's also predicted from the silhouette. Judging by the braid, wouldn't it be nice if we have Mamori and others from TMS instead? That game has been forgotten for too long, and seriously needs more attention.

Anyway, there's nothing worth mentioning for a demote like him, other than having Atk/Spd Finish 3 and Spd/Def Tempo 3 for building up fodder.  After all, "Small Spade" feels underwhelming like the rest of the daggers, even though it borrows some of the effects from Petra's weapon.

Summer Goldmary + Bernadetta

At last, the moment I've been waiting for, yet it turns out quite unexpected. It's very exciting for me that Goldmary finally shows up in FEH, and she's paired up with...Bernadetta? Well, they serve as comic-relief characters in their respective games, and they have contrasting personalities, so why not? Also, a nice little treat for Bernie fans before CYL approaches.

Diva-Pair Parasol:

• Slaying

For foes within 3R & 3C, and if unit meets Def check:

• True Atk/Spd Penalties = 15% of Foe's Atk
• Lull Atk/Spd

Grants the following if unit's HP ≥ 25%:

• Omni+X (Max: 14) = (No. Of Allies Within 3R & 3C × 3) + 5
• True DMG (excl. AOEs) = 15% Atk
• Inflicts Guard
• 7 HP Healing

Ugh, that weapon does not meet my expectations, and I'd argue that even Mozu's weapon does better than that. She lacks damage-reduction in any form, no damage reflection, and Guard especially is useless nowadays when it can be nullified by so many units.

Yes, she has Godlike Reflexes and Laguz Friend 4 to compensate that, but why would I run her if I could just use a generic melee infantry with all of her skills?

Even Atk Wave N is yet another Wave 4 skill built for melee units, and it now deals flat DMG, more Atk bonuses and some healing. Great! Another skill that I don't care in general.

Lastly, her Harmonic button grants "Resonance: Shields", Def/Res+6, "Bonus Doubler", and "Bulwark" to allies from the same title for 1 turn. This could have been a good support, but granting Anti-Warp support for 1 turn feels underwhelming, as Valentine's Myrrh does a lot better than this! Why not just incorporate it into her weapon for permanent Bulwark support instead?

As a Goldmary fan, I'm so disappointed that she fails to impress me as a unit, and I can't think of any game mode she would be good at as support units are highly competitive. In fact, there goes another omni-tank who gets overshadowed by Emblem Ike, and he's enjoying the best vacation for now.

Final Thoughts + Will I Summon?

Overall, the real star of the banner in my opinion, is female Alear, who has improved significantly with better DR-piercing support and better tanking abilities. Even so, I think she might age like her Legendary counterpart in the future. Petra is just a bow-version of Wind Tribe Claude, and Goldmary is straight up accessible Laguz Friend fodder. What a shock that the second part of Summer appears to be even worse than the first part, but it's good that we can take a short break from this unending powercreep.

It's a shame because Goldmary is one of my favorites from Engage, but I feel like it's not worth spending 155 orbs on full circles, merely to get a copy of her on spark, when she's already lackluster on release. It's not like Emblem Celica's banner, where you get Celica on spark, and she impacts the game beneficially, which is worth the cost. So for me, I'm going to skip this before I would regret spending on it.

Nevertheless, I believe that fans have been waiting for a Petra alt for a long time, so I would encourage you to summon only if any of these units are your absolute favorites. We're getting a Mythic Hero Banner at the end of this month, and I bet it's Eikþrnir color-sharing with Loki & Alear. For sure, he's going to come out incredibly busted, and I want Heiðrun for green as well.

Thank you so much for reading my thoughts on this somewhat underwhelming banner, and be sure to don't fall for the Summer orb trap! Up next, I'll be sharing my summoning session on Emblem Celica's banner, which was done after the reveal of Summer Part 2.

ARCHANEAN COUPLE SHINES - Completing Hall of Forms (Mystery of the Emblem)

The Hall of Forms for last month is coming to a close, and I want to share you some exciting Forma builds over the course of this event. This time, they are Legendary Marth and Legendary Caeda, the most well-known pairing of the franchise.

Both of them are struggling to keep up with the meta, whereas the latter is about to be remixed next year. After getting the premium skills they need, I believe that they still can be put to use, with minimal issues.

Legendary Marth

His weapon as well as his Special are already outdated, but I decided to keep them nonetheless. Hope we're getting a strong Arcane sword to compensate that, even though Shining Emblem grants Omni+6 to himself and all allies. Also, his Spd is not high enough to justify using Godlike Reflexes.

I tried to improve his tanking capabilities a bit by putting Laguz Friend 4 in place of his preferred B skill, which is awkward to trigger due to the Spd creep. His Def is not that high, but surprising enough, he can survive against most Chamber threats.

Then, I gave him Bonus Doubler 4 for his A skill, a must have for a premiere omni-tank heavily dependent on stat bonuses. He could use D Bonus Doubler instead to deal with ranged threats, but alas, I'd rather save a few more torches for his fiancé.

Finally, he has Pulse Up: Blades as his C skill, which makes him faster for every turn while he can spam his Special.

He may not be tanky like Emblem Ike, but Laguz Friend 4 is too good to ignore. Mr. Fire Emblem is certainly cooking with his new toys.

Legendary Caeda

I'm surprised that she's part of the HOF, given that she's not remixed yet. As I just mentioned, she's next in line for the Refine gamble, and I'm not sure what they'll do to her. Her kit is built for mixed phasing, which is kind of awkward for a melee flier. However, I really hope that she gets some form of DR-piercing or True DMG to enhance her nuking prowess.

I gave her No Quarter as it benefits her armor-effectiveness, yet she doesn't have Slaying, and that she'll get KO'ed before she could trigger her Special. Initially, I gave her Potent 4, but maybe they'll incorporate it in her refine. So, I swapped it with Aerial Maneuvers to boost her mobility, followed by Guidance 4.

Lastly, I don't know what to choose for her A skill. Right now, Flared skills are hard-countered by BOL4, while Prime skills are starting to age, so they aren't that good for Caeda. So as a safe bet, I gave her Fireflood Boost, just in case her refine opts for her tanking capabilities. Ideally, if not for the torches, I would have given her Firestorm Boost to match her Boon in Spd.

Caeda could work as a solid mobility support, albeit lacking some offenses. Let's pray that the weapon refine does some justice to my beloved girl, like Seliph once was.

To warp it up,

That's a solid batch we've got, and I can't wait to use my newly overhauled Marth and Caeda after it ends, as I have a few spare Forma souls. They may not excel in their niches, but the characters themselves are my favorites. After that, I'll be writing my analysis and thoughts on the Summer Part 2 banner, where Goldmary is finally here! I'm so excited!

Thank you so much for checking out my HOF builds, and be sure to save your orbs!