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!