LordFrigid

Summoner Duels S1 was…pretty interesting. I got my point grind out of the way on day 1, taking Caeda: Talys’s Heart to 1k. After that I just played sporadically, trying out new things. I gave Ash+Far Save a shot, that was pretty fun. I had a couple opponents that tried to block my team by sticking someone in front of her. That didn’t work out so well for them. I felt a little obligated to have some in-season Legendary presence (Ephraim & Lilina), since my Ash’s only investment is Reposition, but she was still pretty effective. I also tried Caeda: Princess of Talys, with a Far Save back line. That was pretty fun, too. The best part was watching an enemy reposition their Legendary Sigurd or Brave Eirika at my team on T1, followed by a long pause as they realized that Feather Sword would slice right through their mitigations. It wasn’t super reliable against higher-investment variations, but it was still funny when it worked. I got deleted by a Hardy Bearing Reginn, though, because I don’t look at skills closely. I finished up by building and fine-tuning a high-pressure team captained by Caeda: Sea-Blossom Pair. The final variation ended up being: Caeda, Sea-Blossom Pair (+10/+10; +Atk/Spd): Dolphin-Dive Axe, Reposition, Moonbow, Atk/Spd Catch 4, Flow Guard 3, Panic Smoke 3, Hardy Bearing 3 Nott, Moon’s Elegance (+0/+0, Neutral): Hrimfaxi, Reposition, Dragon Fang, Distant Counter, Moon-Twin Wing, Atk/Spd Menace, Spd/Res Form 3 Yuri, Ashen Valiant (+0/+0, +Spd/-Def): Honorable Blade, Foul Play, Blazing Thunder, Life and Death 4, Special Spiral 3, Time’s Pulse 3, Quickened Pulse Lysithea, Gifted Students (+0/+0, Neutral): Sweet Yule Log, Reposition, Moonbow, Swift Sparrow 3, A/R Far Trace 3, C Feud 3, Swift Sparrow 2 Nils, Bright Bard (+0/+0, +HP/-Def): Frost Breath, Play, No Special, HP/Def 2, Even Pulse Tie 3, Infantry Pulse 3, Spd Tactic 3 The team forgoes a Save Armor in favor of increased pressure with Pathfinder, making it more difficult for the enemy to get an attacker in safely. Enemy Save Armors can usually be ignored by attacking at the range not covered by the Save skill, though I did run into one issue with an enemy team that was pretty bulky on the 2-range side and had an insane Near Save Sothis. It was effective within the very limited sample of matches I used the team for (3-1 record, with the one loss being to the aforementioned Sothis). I’m still trying to decide whether I like Lysithea more than Trace-less Legendary Sigurd. Overall, it’s a pretty fun mode in small doses, but I’m definitely not looking forward to another 1k grind-fest.

I’m not sure how effective it would be. It has pretty low starting range, and no refresher to assist with chasing down attacking teams. You’re giving up a lot with that combination. For instance, it looks like an attacking team could just place someone below the defense fortress, and threaten the right defense tile. That will draw fire from Faye and Iago without being in danger of the other units. Faye doesn’t even get Triangle Attack because Catria won’t go to the threatened defense tile with canto after rallying her. It’s also possible to do a hit-and-run on Faye (test Bolt Trap, then on the next turn, walk up and take her out from 1 range and walk away, ideally with Canto). Lack of a refresher will be especially detrimental for approaches like that, since it becomes much easier to get out of harm’s way.

It seems like a good setup to me. The biggest weaknesses I see are Isolation, and tanks that can handle Selena + Lyn + Byleth. Duo Lyn can also blitz the map if the team is set up for it. If the attacking team has enough open spaces on the bottom row, there are some baiting options, since they would only need to survive Selena (the map’s structures, and Selena herself, will block anyone else from attacking). Isolation seems like it should be relatively common, since Mila exists. I am personally of the opinion that a proper 2-range tank should at least not die to Selena + Lyn + Byleth, but I have no clue how common such tanks actually are in practice. The specific Duo Lyn setup I’m thinking of is not very common. Lots of open space on the bottom row is not common either. Ignoring any tweaks related to the above, do you have any thoughts on giving Nott a rally and removing the Inn (which, iirc, is a street lamp on the map in-game)? Some C Passive changes might be needed to prevent excessive rallying, but I think you would be able to cause the following interaction: (1) Eldigan refreshes Lyn, and if there’s an attacking unit in Lyn’s range: (2) Byleth rallies Lyn, (3) Azura refreshes Byleth, (4) Nott rallies from below Selena (if Selena herself isn’t eligible, Byleth is because anything that is in Lyn’s range is now in Byleth’s as well). That adds more pressure to the left corner. Total side note: the fact that stat changes from the A Passives work, but the changes from the seals don’t, completely baffles me. I wonder how they managed to pull that off…

You might find this useful: https://vervefeh.github.io/FEH-AI/textguide.html. I’ve found it to be accurate so far. I wouldn’t bother memorizing it, just pop it open when you need to know something…eventually you’ll probably end up memorizing some of the more commonly applicable rules (like the answer to your second question) anyway. As for your specific questions: This decision would have fallen to the “damage ratio” tiebreak (see section VI.C). From the glossary, “damage ratio” is (((defender start HP) - (defender end HP)) * 3) - ((attacker start HP) - (attacker end HP)). So, your speculation is somewhat correct. It’s not quite “total damage dealt”, but a function of damage dealt and damage taken (which, in this particular case, is effectively damage dealt because she didn’t take any). Travel distance is not a consideration. This decision usually falls to the “distance from closest enemy” tiebreak, but in cases where those distances are equal, can fall to the “slot order” tiebreak (see section IV.M). I would guess that Lene had a longer path to the closest attacking unit to her. From the glossary, distance is calculated as the shortest path from point A to point B, includes the actual point B space, and factors in movement type/terrain.

That’s…weird. Here’s what I get: When you say “teams like my defense team”, does that just mean “maps with Nott and 2-range cavalry”? My personal preference is to initiate on Turn 1, if possible, because I don’t have to worry about how the enemies are going to move if most of them are dead. I usually don’t set foot in a map until I’ve planned through the first enemy phase of AI aggression, so I find that player phase strategies tend to take less effort. I think the only thing that would make me immediately pass on trying to find a player phase solution is a Far Save armor. Odd Recovery healers would give me pause, but I’d still try to see if I could work something out. So far, I’ve found that my team built around Elise: Budding Flower to be useful against these maps, taking out any Notts and Odd Recovery units, and isolating or baiting refreshers. That was one of the more niche strategies I mentioned in my first reply.

@XRay I threw my teams at it, and the map held up relatively well. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Isolation + 3 open bottom row spaces doesn’t mess it up as badly as I thought it would, since it’s difficult to get rid of enough threats on Turn 2 to not die horribly on the EP. By far the best result was with a Savior team, I was running a pretty basic Henriette/Gustav/Flayn for that. I also borrowed my Lyn: Ninja-Friend Duo team from Astra season, which worked well. The other two teams that succeeded are more niche, and I don’t think they’re worth worrying too much about. Overall I think it’s a solid setup.

Oh, yes, actually. I forgot about that. The other two checks before it are whether the assist is a positioning assist (which is a tie, since they’re both not; non-positioning assist users win this check), and whether the assister has a weapon (also a tie, since they both do; weaponless units win this check). So I guess there’s not much to be done there. I see that I’m late on this, but yeah, I think it’s helpful. I took another look, and it helps keep the pressure up in cases where the trap can be avoided. I think I felt the Tactics Room once or twice, but on the whole it didn’t seem to be very effective, no. Either of those switches would probably be fine.

@Ice Dragon Without another two-range cavalry to increase pressure on the attacking team’s “load-in” row (for lack of a better term), it’s possible to avoid Sigurd’s range on EP 1 entirely if you have three open spaces on the bottom row. From what I’ve seen, three open spaces isn’t a very common setup. I do run it myself, though, and I found that the big advantage was that with Sigurd in a more forward position, I was able to force him into attacking with a unit he dealt 5+ damage to. Because of that, Mirabilis was forced to give Seiros the Dance, after which Lif couldn’t actually Rally because Whimsical Dream grants an Atk buff (not sure if that makes it better or worse). Finally, Ophelia’s 3 Mov allowed her to rush out ahead of the rest of her teammates, leaving her completely exposed on the next turn. The good news is, of the four teams I succeeded with (Dragon Armors, Mareeta + Brave Lucina + Far Save Cecilia, Brunnya + Duo Micaiah, Duo Lyn), only the one with a Far Save armor was able to handle the first turn initiation, when it was allowed to go through. So, teams with two or fewer open spaces on the bottom row should have a much harder time. It’s also possible to initiate on Turn 1 with a Duo Lyn team, but the setup is a bit specific, and Edelgard can be a problem (mine got her Fury 4 from a Byleth: Proven Professor, so she also has Ruptured Sky; I suspect non-Ruptured Sky variants can’t KO Edelgard in two hits). I’m not sure if it’s worth fretting over. Hope that helps.

I like the changes you’ve made so far, removing the ability to bait just Nowi, and making it harder to hit-and-run Bramimond and escape unscathed were both nice. I wonder...if you have a Triandra, she might be more effective than Hel here, especially since you’ve moved Hel off the front line (I personally find her more annoying there). Other than that, maybe a different C Passive on Nowi? Selena doesn’t get anything out of Ground Orders unless she’s hit by a Tactics Room (or is that the idea?).

@Alexmender The way it is now, I see no reason not to use the approach Othin mentioned, even if Eldigan resists Isolation. With the Rally on Selena there’s no way the enemy doesn’t have to deal with only Nowi on that first enemy phase of AI aggression. The Ruse helps her a bit, but I’d be surprised if it stops a well-built tank. After that, it’s a matter of responding to the remaining units’ movements. Edit: it’s also susceptible to hit-and-run on Bramimond; if no rallies occur, Hel gets Eldigan’s refresh, and I doubt she can do much with it.

Yes, there must be an enemy in range for the rally to occur. One thing you can do to help force that is to use a dancer with a warp skill, or Duo Sigurd, and position your units so they have to jump out in front of the 7th slot unit. Note, though, that starting a rally trap like that doesn’t necessarily make the AI aggressive. If the AI doesn’t start the turn in the aggressive state, it will only become aggressive if a unit becomes forced to attack. As far as an example, I actually ran into a decent one last season. The map looked like: Example interaction:

Pirate Veronica, who was at the very top of my "want" list from that pool, so that was pretty nice. Eventually I'll give her Galeforce.

I’m waaaay overdue on these replies... @Maaka EP-ing Freyja by blocking her in was perfect. I was wondering how you’d get around her speed and mitigation, turns out the solution is to just hit really, really hard. Nice job! @LoneStar Thanks, and nice clear, yourself! I see Freyja has discovered Dark Spikes. @Diovani Bressan Seteth. That is all. Ok, seriously though, very nice opener, taking out both bosses turn 1, with WoM shenanigans allowing Altina & Seteth to keep out of harm’s way afterward. I liked that game of ring-around-the-stone-wall with the Lance flier at the end, with Altina serving as TA-bait. Nice work! @Landmaster It took me way too long to figure out what “double SS” was. I always approve of WoM shenanigans. I had also never actually seen the Elise’s staff animation...it’s official, we now live in a world where gods can be deleted by small princesses with exploding hearts. Nice job! @daisy jane Wow, Edelgard was very effective there. Another Freyja discovered Dark Spikes, as well...I was quite surprised that the healer at the end was too weak to deal an 8 to Lysithea. Nice work! @SatsumaFSoysoy Ooh, EP Celica this time. I was worried when I noticed the Blue Fafnir had Pass, and had a nice laugh when Repel said “nope”. I honestly expected Freyja to go down more easily than she did, since the Axe Armor decided it would be a good idea to mess with her Solo effects. Nice job! @Unknown Gamer11 That’s a nice Raigh you have there. I really liked the use of Peony’s warp-granting power, and of course two Cav effective tomes came in handy as well. Some close matchups, too, between Freyja almost living and Rhajat almost dying. Nice work!

Knock Back OP. Also, whoever decided to put that random rock column in the middle of the chasm, thank you.

@Maaka Fir and the Bartres made short work of that one. Clever, going around the left to avoid Mr. Guard and his “I can’t counterattack you” buddies. Nice job! @Diovani Bressan I wouldn’t have expected to see Nowi in one of these...Or a 3x two-range team, for that matter. I was also pretty surprised to see Bernadetta survive two hits from Leif. Nice work! @Landmaster Ooh, WoM shenanigans, I approve. For some reason his clear reminds me of some approaches I did on the post-time skip Gronder battle in actual 3H...funnel across the left bridge and work from there. Nice job! Didn’t your Sophia analysis thread have a Spd stack set on it? Hm, I see an honorary Caeda too, good enough for me. Seriously though, Sophia put in some good work there. Who needs a special activation when you can just OHKO everything that comes close, right? Nice work! ~ Edit: I totally forgot to post my own. That green bow was surprisingly difficult to eliminate.

Ok, time to get caught up. @Landmaster I really liked how Elise’s first two hits were perfectly synced with the music. They were able to camp the upper left corner pretty easily. Nice job! @SatsumaFSoysoy Despite Lif’s best efforts, everyone made it out alive, I see. That Trilemma cleric really did not do her allies any favors. Nice work!

@SatsumaFSoysoy I’m not sure what I plan to do with her yet, tbh. Currently she’s only fielded consistently in AA, but I might be interested in using her in AR at some point. It’s hard to say, though, both my seasons’ teams are pretty stable right now. I think I’ll go +Spd just in case. I’m not too concerned about compromising her AA performance, and on the whole I usually lean +Spd, I just wasn’t sure in this case. Thanks for your input!

@SatsumaFSoysoy Can I trouble you for your opinion on +Atk vs +Spd for Brave Celica?

The 2x Guard looked kind of rough for a while. The Axe armor was surprisingly annoying. I wanted to use Lilith, but during trial-and-error runs Dimitri hit her for a 63, so that was out.

Both I kid, of course. Probably Spd/Def, but it depends a little on what you use her for. Spd/Def Rein is optimal for securing KOs no matter what you’re doing. Atk/Spd Rein is a situational pick that can help her take multiple rounds of combat on an EP set. I use her primarily as a mixed phase Galeforcer & tank in AR. I currently run Atk/Spd, but I might switch her over to Spd/Def, since I find that she doesn’t need the Atk penalty most of the time.

Updating Caeda:

@Maaka He really rolled that same line three times in a row, impressive. It was neat seeing both Bartres and both Firs together. Nice work! @Diovani Bressan Wait, is there a setting to turn the back units of Duo/Harmonics off? I didn’t realize that. It was interesting to see another Tiki user. I was wondering whether/hoping that Caeda was there to cut through Nemesis with effective damage, but alas...neat ending formation, though. Nice job! ~ Having recently completed a Golden Deer run, this was pretty neat. I couldn’t get Caeda to 2HKO Nemesis with Galeforce+Quickened Pulse. Actually, maybe I could have done something with Reyson and Goad on Tibarn, I forget how close it was. Oh well, I kind of like what I actually did better anyway.

Well. My day just got a whole lot better. Not that it was going badly, just...consider me excited. Can October 25th be moved to tomorrow?

@Diovani Bressan I was not expecting Est to 2HKO Plumeria with that kit, dang. Celica’s refine continues to impress, even without Double Lion in play. Nice job! @Maaka That Bartre has one heck of an Atk stat. I also liked the maneuvering with the WoM chain at the end. Nice job! @Some Jerk I was fully expecting you to throw Titania at the Lance Armor, but I like Eldigan flexing his ridiculous Def much better. Silvia really put in work at the top of the map, I thought it was really funny when you eventually just pulled everyone up to the upper section after cleaning it out. Nice work! This one’s a “yes, but...” for me. I didn’t make any adjustments for Plumeria specifically; after I got Caeda to take out the Lance Flier the numbers on the Plumeria matchup just worked out. As it turns out, there was actually a little bit of wiggle room. By the time I remembered that Brazen seals existed, Azura had already equipped the Drive Atk seal. After the Brazen and the Rein, Caeda didn’t actually need that +3 Atk boost, so Azura could’ve run Chill Res instead to get a -3 Def reduction from Pegasus Flight. @SatsumaFSoysoy What’s not fair? Celica rushing the LHS, taking out an armor and the boss on the PP, then surviving 2 Abyssal enemies, including one blue TA mage on the EP? idk, that’s probably one of the most fair and balanced things I’ve ever seen. Royal Sword/Double Lion craziness is fun and all, but I really liked that Guidance maneuver near the end. I don’t see enough cool Guidance maneuvers these days. Nice job! @Landmaster *reads blurb* Wait...the problem was that you couldn’t get your units far enough away, and the solution was...to get them far enough away? *watches clear* Ah, I see, that’s one crazy WoM chain. Although I have to say, my favorite part was easily the way the cavalry Elises were screwing with the Rally enemies at the top of the map just by existing. That was hilarious. Nice work! @daisy jane I’m not sure what I was expecting when you hit all those duo skills T1, but I definitely didn’t see Norne OHKOing Plumeria coming. Jeez. I thought you might end up finishing the battle before the last two waves of reinforcements even spawned, but Micaiah and Alm had mercy on their opponents. I was a little surprised that Alm took that Brave Sword Cav so well. Nice job! ~ In an unusual twist, Celica was the one who rushed the boss and took control of their starting area this time around. Thrasir needed a lot of steady chip to get Plumeria to the point where she would actually go down. Luckily this map has no healers. I guess Corrin’s LHB last month stole them all.

Thank goodness the blue flier was a low-Def Pegasus Knight.