Ayra, One Year Later

[Jingle Jangle]

By today, Arya have been in the game for over a year since her infamous introduction. 

Is she still the best?

I would say currently she still up there for the top units in Heroes, but not the best. Over a year stronger dragons and armor units took some her crown. She still tear apart most units in the game with her power specials. In the red sword category Karla and LegMarth can give her a run for me money.

Unique Specials:

In the past year only two other characters got a unique specials that being certain legendary (Fjorm, Ike, and Marth). So I believe the devs knew how tricky that is to implement and instead the route of giving more personal skills.

 Surprise debut/new character on a separate banner:

The only other character than was introduced on a different banner was Rhajat for the voting gauntlet, unlike Ayra the trailer directly stated that she was on a different banner.

Overall while her launch was an experimentation of how powerful can a unit be at that time and how will the players react to it. I still hope that that was a one time thing.

Edited October 19, 2018 by Jingle Jangle

[Mercakete]

I'm not sure if he's the only one, but didn't L!Ike also get a unique special in the last year in the form of Radiant Aether? If that's the case, then the list would be L!Ike, L!Marth, and Fjorm, but there could be others I'm not thinking of.

Other than that, nice piece. It's cool to show appreciation like this every once in a while, I think.

Edit: Also, I have never gotten her. She is not in my barracks.

Edited October 19, 2018 by Mercakete

[Punished Dayni]

Ah Ayra, I got her in the first legendary banner, where she proceeded to be pretty useful in general. She's not a must deploy, but her good stat spread allows her to be a good sword option among the many, many sword lords. She's not perfect and in some maps is closer to a liability (where she doesn't quite work like L!Tiki), but she's put in a good bit of work and is one of the units who's easy to bring in as needed. I also got a second copy, which is my current and likely permanent base at +Spd/-Res. Man if only she had Karla's speed stats, but she's at 44 right now. I mean, I've seen people arguing Slaying Edge, but she's just fine at player phase with her bae base weapon and I think I'd take others for their defensive capabilities instead (though 31 Def is nothing to sneeze at).

As for the controversy, it's only happened once since as far as I remember and it did lead to a poor practice being stopped.

Edited November 7, 2018 by Dayni

[Othin]

https://fireemblem.gamepress.gg/arena-offense-tier-list

This list puts her in Tier 2, alongside Alm, BK, Brave Celica, Karla, Legendary Marth, Flying Olivia, and Legendary Ryoma among sword units, and below Zelgius. So among sword infantry, she's part of a 5-way tie for the top spot.

Personally, I was never that concerned about her one way or another, and I'm glad things have settled. I never intentionally pulled for her, although I considered it, and ended up getting her off-focus on the CYL 2 banner.

[Alkaid]

She's still really good, just armors and continued score creep bumped her out of high tier arena usage. You really don't see her anymore ever since Zelgius took the spot of top sword unit with armor BST, a unique special of his own and access to broken armor skills.

Score and armored units aside, I think she still hasn't really been outclassed. Karla, L. Marth and some others are on par with her, rather than outright powercreeping her. It feels like anybody who +10'd her back then because she was so strong still got a good and very long-lasting investment out of it.

[Azu3r]

She is still one of the best, if not the best red unit in the game IMO. The only red units that can be put in the conversation with Ayra are Zelgius and Karla.  Zelgius's lack of res to deal with dragon units which is favored by current meta has significantly diminished his presence in high tier arena. While Karla performs better when it comes to raw power, her lack of defensive capabilities has prevent her from breaking that glass ceiling of taking down all-buffed armor units. Ayra is kinda in-between who can produce consistent result under all scenarios. 

[JSND Alter Dragon Boner]

The Ayragate is probably one of the better moments in the game to look back to, if only because one of the biggest complaint about her ended up being somewhere between neutral towards GOOD in the long run. Ranged unit was heavilly overpowered, so a BST boost for melee is overdue and neccesary. Color Sharing turns out to be a good practice for the player benefit

To be clear, Ayra release marks the addition of around 5 out of 13 stats that Melee unit now have in comparison to their past selves

 

Just about her continued problem right now is Regnal Astra:

1. It hits the EXACT value where Speed Based special could be built on.... and it fucking doesn't

2. It was a call forward to how hyper cancerious Slaying R! ended up to be in the future, what with Regnal Astra being essentially Luna with built in Slayer and then it further become even stupider with actual Slayer R!

 

Its not the most well executed thing ever but now that i think about it, the sucker punch nature of the banner is the only thing i genuinely hate about it.

Edited October 19, 2018 by JSND Alter Dragon Boner

[Landmaster]

I can say she's not as annoying to face in Arena as a couple months back~ I'm glad we've at least gotten some units to help deal with her~

[Roflolxp54]

Ayra, while still a more than solid unit, hasn't been as good as she used to be mainly because of the introduction of units that can compete with her or otherwise score-creep her and other updates.
Karla and Mia: they play very similar roles though they don't have Regnal Astra.
Fir: with her getting the Nameless Blade in a refinery update, she can be built like a discount Ayra thanks to her 3-4* availability.
Winter Tharja, Zelgius, and Halloween Myrrh: they're all post-Ayragate red armored units, therefore scoring higher than Ayra could. Zelgius has Black Luna, which has the same SP cost as Regnal Astra, and Myrrh can have 180 BST with the proper IVs.
Legend Ike and Legend Ryoma: because of their blessings-based scoring, they can easily be more useful than Ayra is in Arena in certain seasons.
Laegjarn: she brought in Red Duel Flying, which means that red fliers that had inherited it from her can score higher than Ayra could in Arena.
Male Corrin: male Corrin got the Supportive Yato in a refinery update, which later became much more immediately useful in Arena's cheerleader meta. ORKO builds on any unit that isn't the bonus unit means lost points that could've been scored by the bonus unit for those who care about scoring in Arena. Corrin also has better availability than Ayra does (Corrin was formerly 4-5* available and is now 3-4* available).
Lon'qu: Lon'qu got the Solitary Blade in a recent refinery update, allowing him to potentially minmax his stats in a similar manner to Raven after he got the Basilikos. He also has much better availability (he's 3-4* available) than Ayra does.

[Khid]

She pity broke me and although I don’t use her much, she’s still really good. Mia and Karla pity broke me as well and after using all three of them, I think I still prefer Ayra. Her decent defense comes in handy when in a pinch, but all three are good.

Also, I dislike how people seem to associate the start of BST inflation with Ayra, when it started with Sigurd, if you ignore the special treatment Lyn and Ike received.

[Lewyn]

She was unfairly made a scapegoat cause people expected she was going to be a free unit, and then she debuted on a TT banner which had never been done previously and only once afterwards (Rhajat though they made sure to give ample warning).  Her art is topnotch, as is her lines.  She is still one of the best if not best sword infantry units with her optimal distant counter build, while her cheap player phase build is still remarkably effective.  

Ayra is one of the best releases cause player phase infantry swords were abysmally weak at that time.  Essentially it power creeped a super weak type of unit that needed it.  Regnal astra and her good stat spread with surprisingly decent bulk have allowed her to stay strong even after all this time.  

She's awesome.

[Johann]

She's good but not a game breaker. You can get just as much from most other sword infantry units. I can't recall ever having a problem facing her, and I never use her myself despite having her.

[Magical Glace]

The only real issues with Ayra was honestly the "surprise!" release which IS has taken great care to not do again after the massive backlash (Rhajat had warning, and also released before the rest of the Fates kids, so she was far from the same boat), and being the true herald of the BST creep (with which the true problem is the lack of retroactive buffs in this regard for Gen 1's caught behind).

Her stats make her a good player phase swordie, her sword is worse than refined slaying, and... that's about it.  A decent blue mage or dragon will kill her easily and always has.  

[Thinks Their Own Way]

She's one of my favourite infantry sword units to use; and she has her base kit for me(with the exception of reposition and drive speed 2). 

[Fire Emblem Fan]

Ayra was great when she came, and she remains one of the best sword users in the entire game. The only fellow sword-wielders who can compare to her are Karla, Legendary Marth, Zelgius, and MAYBE Mia. A year later and Ayra is still at the top of the game.

[NekoKnight]

She's still one of if not the best Sword infantry in the game, which makes her a good choice for that niche even if some dragons or armors can score better.

Her damage potential with Regnal Astra is impressive to say the least and can pair well with Slaying Edge and Wrath, not to mention pulse teams for an easy 1st turn special. You need to do something special as a sword infantry (such as Lyn's brash desperation kit) to get a slot on one of my teams. I'd really love to pull an Ayra for my L!Hector team.

[Hilda]

4 hours ago, Johann said:

She's good but not a game breaker. You can get just as much from most other sword infantry units. I can't recall ever having a problem facing her, and I never use her myself despite having her.

not game breaker but regnal astra and black luna sure are rule breakers and slightly OP if you can go up against unfavourable color matchups and still ORKO the other unit. the only other skill that can do that are -Blade weapons but they need massive buffs from teammates compared to those 2 skills, which are self sufficent.

Make Regnal astra and black luna inheritable and see what happens... a total catastrophy in my eyes.

Leg Marth and Leg Ikes personal special skills are imho more in line.

[Johann]

16 minutes ago, Hilda said:

not game breaker but regnal astra and black luna sure are rule breakers and slightly OP if you can go up against unfavourable color matchups and still ORKO the other unit. the only other skill that can do that are -Blade weapons but they need massive buffs from teammates compared to those 2 skills, which are self sufficent.

Make Regnal astra and black luna inheritable and see what happens... a total catastrophy in my eyes.

Leg Marth and Leg Ikes personal special skills are imho more in line.

You mean like if we got inheritable skills that were Black Luna but with a cooldown of 4, or Regnal Astra with a cooldown of 3? The damage they'd put out would be comparable to specials of the same cooldown in that case, I suppose.

Anyway, as good as Black Luna/Zelgius and Regnal Astra/Ayra are, there are a fair amount of methods and strategies you can use to survive or prevent those attacks. I personally value Aether more than most other damaging specials since being able to heal yourself is valuable in all game modes, more so if the unit is facing multiple foes. Not to say that I'd give Ayra or Zelgius Aether, but that the most revered builds for both units are amazing for Arena (more so on Defense teams) and not as much elsewhere.

[Hilda]

21 minutes ago, Johann said:

You mean like if we got inheritable skills that were Black Luna but with a cooldown of 4, or Regnal Astra with a cooldown of 3? The damage they'd put out would be comparable to specials of the same cooldown in that case, I suppose.

Anyway, as good as Black Luna/Zelgius and Regnal Astra/Ayra are, there are a fair amount of methods and strategies you can use to survive or prevent those attacks. I personally value Aether more than most other damaging specials since being able to heal yourself is valuable in all game modes, more so if the unit is facing multiple foes. Not to say that I'd give Ayra or Zelgius Aether, but that the most revered builds for both units are amazing for Arena (more so on Defense teams) and not as much elsewhere.

No i am saying exactly as they are inheritable and see what happens... I am not saying there arent countermeasures to those, but it requires on units a big sidestep (and I am not talking AA, because you can pick the counter there for it) in Regular Arena. And I mean purely for Arena. for PVE I dont mind at all because you can allways build your team around specific tasks/obstacles. Now people might say Reinhardt and BLyn were also a pain in the arse, but to that i say: none of them could run an enemy and player phase built at the same time in Arena, bait them be done with them.

On the other hand i have to say that Arena would be even more boring if it wouldnt impose those challenges on you.

Edited October 20, 2018 by Hilda

[JSND Alter Dragon Boner]

1 hour ago, Hilda said:

not game breaker but regnal astra and black luna sure are rule breakers and slightly OP if you can go up against unfavourable color matchups and still ORKO the other unit. the only other skill that can do that are -Blade weapons but they need massive buffs from teammates compared to those 2 skills, which are self sufficent.

Make Regnal astra and black luna inheritable and see what happens... a total catastrophy in my eyes.

Leg Marth and Leg Ikes personal special skills are imho more in line.

 

I mean isnt Orkoing blue in general a thing that many any special red can? With proper use of special manipulation.... L!Marth can just run pseudo Ayra. Karel can ORKO Hardin easilly and is considered terrible for some reason. 

 

Mind Ignis with built in Killer(Black Luna) and Bonfire with built in Killer(Regnal Astra) is imo a dumb thing that shouldnt exists. 

[MacLovin]

ayra's stronk but there's ways around her....

well as long as you got that blue unit for PP or EP....

[Hilda]

1 hour ago, JSND Alter Dragon Boner said:

 

I mean isnt Orkoing blue in general a thing that many any special red can? With proper use of special manipulation.... L!Marth can just run pseudo Ayra. Karel can ORKO Hardin easilly and is considered terrible for some reason. 

 

Mind Ignis with built in Killer(Black Luna) and Bonfire with built in Killer(Regnal Astra) is imo a dumb thing that shouldnt exists. 

I am not talking about them in the hands of the player. Because you can do all kinds of things when you control the units yourself. I am talking purely when faceing them in Arena (not AA). Some Bonus kills become near impossible due to those specials. I mean my Clair can deal with both of them easy due to her special weapon and guard atm, but that is not really the point, i need to get the kill with the bonus unit. I mean try to get the Bonus kill on Alfonse against Ayra when she is running a Slaying edge, wrath, quickened pulse, DC combo (or running just with Leg. Hector and a Wo dao weapon on top of that...) and still try to score high. Unless you have someone that can soften her up with windsweep high BST that still outspeeds her/or wary fighter you are kinda fucked. And ranged units arent a thing because well BST calculation garbage.

Well luckily the answer is here in the form of witch staff/wand. We just need now the Duell A skill for healers (actually you can then just run gravity and weaken them them up).

Again i like to point out those skills arent a thing when in AA or PVE, but for Arena its kinda dumb with the current calculation system factoring in BST and haveing to get kills with a bonus unit.

[Othin]

Well, I got a second Ayra as my 4.5% pity breaker while pulling for Halloween Myrrh, so now I have reason to be mad at her.

I'd at least appreciate the Swift Sparrow fodder if my duplicates pile didn't already have Lyn, Ishtar, and Eirika.

[Rezzy]

Ayra's powercreep was a harbinger of things to come.  Until the first CYL, BST was always fixed and people said it would be a one-off for the winners, but I said it would get worse, and it did.

[Johann]

9 minutes ago, Rezzy said:

Ayra's powercreep was a harbinger of things to come.  Until the first CYL, BST was always fixed and people said it would be a one-off for the winners, but I said it would get worse, and it did.

This might be unrelated to the focus of the thread, but I just wanna tell you that your Titania withstood and counter killed an Inernal+ Ayra just now in my GC fights