Corrin: Fateful Princess

[LordFrigid]

General

Base Stats

HP: 37 / 41 / 44
Atk: 24 / 27 / 31
Spd: 31 / 34 / 37
Def: 31 / 34 / 37
Res: 18 / 21 / 24

Corrin is a breath user, sporting decent HP, high Def, and a solid Spd stat (the highest of the breath users, at the time of writing). With a weapon refinement, she gains the ability to target the weaker defense stat of 2-range enemies, an absolute score given her low Atk stat.

As a blue breath user, Corrin finds herself at the mercy of Julia and Deirdre's dragon-effective Naga. Additionally, her low Res makes it difficult for her to duel magical units in general. She takes effective damage from Falchion, but this is less of an issue due to Corrin's triangle advantage and high Def. She also has a very low Atk stat (the second lowest of the breath users, at the time of writing), though breath upgrades mitigate this somewhat.

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Suggested Skill Sets

• When multiple options are available, my personal recommendations (if any) will be in bold.
• Budget options will be colored red

Dark Breath

Spoiler

Usage intention: Arena defense, or general blue tank for non-Arena play. Allied Fortify Dragons user preferred, but not necessary.

Asset/Flaw: +Atk/-Res
Weapon: Dark Breath+
    Weapon Refinement: Atk or Spd
Assist: Flexible
Special: Bonfire
A Passive: Fury 3, Steady Breath, or Fierce Breath
B Passive: Windsweep 3 or Vantage 3
C Passive: Savage Blow 3, Def Smoke 3, Res Smoke 3, or Flexible
Sacred Seal: Quick Riposte, or Flexible

Overview

The idea behind this set is to attack something to get the Dark Breath debuff and Savage Blow area damage, and watch the crippled enemies walk into her and die on the Enemy Phase.

Asset/Flaw and Skill Choices

+Atk gives her a +4 boost, to a much more palatable 31 base. -Res is mostly benign, sacrificing her already low Res stat.

Dark Breath+ is the centerpiece of the build, allowing her to potentially apply a -7/7 Atk/Spd debuff to the entire enemy team, depending on how they are grouped. Either the Atk or Spd refinement can be used. The Atk refinement gives her greater KO power. The Spd refinement helps Windsweep Corrins, and helps her double attack faster foes on the enemy phase after the Dark Breath debuff has been applied.

Her assist is flexible, I personally recommend the user's positioning skill of choice.

Corrin's special should be Bonfire, especially if she is run on a team with a Fortify Dragons user (for a total of 40 Def).

Fury 3 provides Corrin with a solid all-around stat boost. If Windsweep is used, it provides an increased chance for it to apply, in addition to increases to her Atk and defenses. While I personally prefer Fury for these benefits, other EP-oriented skills are viable as well. Notably, Steady Breath and Fierce Breath give her additional KO power for engagements against bulkier foes. Distant Counter is worth a mention as an option, but is only really useful against Bows and Daggers, because Corrin’s low Res makes it difficult to justify fighting a mage on the Enemy Phase.

Windsweep allows Corrin to safely apply Dark Breath to physical enemies. Quick Riposte guarantees double attacks against faster foes, which can be relevant in modes with high stat inflation (such as the Tempest Trials). It is actually pretty hard to break once the -7 Atk debuff is applied, especially if she takes minimal or no damage from her initial engagement. If the enemies are sufficiently weakened (through the use of Savage Blow), Vantage is also a viable option to guarantee her ability to finish off enemies.

Savage Blow is a solid pick for her C Passive, as her low Atk otherwise makes it hard to land KOs on the counterattack. Def or Res Smoke can also be effective, providing additional debuff power on top of Dark Breath itself. Other buff or aura skills can be used to help her team if these options are deemed unnecessary.

Corrin can make use good use of Quick Riposte in her seal slot, allowing her to more easily KO weakened enemies on the enemy phase. She can also make use of Savage Blow and Phantom Spd (if Windsweep is used).

Credits

• Thank you to BANRYU for the suggestions & input regarding Windsweep, Fury, and Fierce Stance!

Standard TA Dragon

Spoiler

Usage intention: General red counter. Dragon team strongly recommended.

Asset/Flaw: +Atk/-HP
Weapon: Lightning Breath+
    Weapon Refinement: Res
Assist: Flexible
Special: Bonfire
A Passive: Triangle Adept 3
B Passive: Quick Riposte Or Flexible
C Passive: Flexible
Sacred Seal: Distant Def or Quick Riposte

Overview

Standard Triangle Adept set, geared toward hard-countering Red foes.

Asset/Flaw and Skill Choices

The +4 Atk from a +Atk nature is vital to her ORKO potential, even against red units. Triangle Adept users aim to take minimal damage from enemies they have triangle advantage over, so -HP is a relatively safe nature to take, allowing her to preserve what Res she has.

After the +Atk nature, Corrin does not require further Atk-stacking to KO red units. Lightning Breath's Res refinement brings her up to a modest 25, which goes up to 31 with a Fortify Dragons buff.

Bonfire and Triangle Adept are standard options on a TA Dragon. Her C Passive is flexible; I recommend either Fortify Dragons for a Dragon team, or a buff/aura skill to support her allies. Quick Riposte should be in the skill set as either a B passive or a Seal. If the user elects to use it in her Seal slot, another B passive such as Renewal (sustain), Guard (stop Special-focused sets in their tracks), or a -breaker (adding in some Player Phase presence) can be used.

If Quick Riposte was not used in Corrin’s B slot, it should be used in the seal slot. Otherwise, the Distant Def seal further increases her Res to a respectable 37 (on a Dragon team) against tome and staff wielders, and enemy Red tomes will require 62 Atk before triangle modifiers to deal even 1 damage to her. It also brings her Def to 46 against bow and dagger users.

Standard Defense (Lightning Breath, Water Breath)

Spoiler

Usage intention: General defense set. Significantly better at physical tanking. Allied Fortify Dragons user preferred, but not necessary.

Asset/Flaw: +Atk/-Res or -HP
Weapon: Lightning Breath+ or Water Breath+
    Weapon Refinement: Def
Assist: Flexible
Special: Bonfire or Moonbow
A Passive: Steady Breath, Fierce Breath, Warding Breath, or Distant Counter
B Passive: Quick Riposte 3, Wrath 3, or Guard 3
C Passive: Flexible
Sacred Seal: Distant Def, Close Def, or Quick Riposte

Overview

This set uses defensive stat stacking for EP purposes.

Asset/Flaw and Skill Choices

+Atk is used to boost her Atk to a more usable 31 base. She is ideally used as a physical tank, and -Res is fine for this role. If the user wants to have her tank hits from both damage types, she can take -HP.

Corrin can take either Lightning Breath+/[Steady, Fierce, or Warding] Breath or Water Breath+/Distant Counter for this set. It's a trade between near-guaranteed Bonfire activations (Lightning Breath+), and some stat points and an unpenalized Special cooldown count (Water Breath+). I personally prefer the Defense focus and one-round Bonfires afforded by Lightning Breath+/Steady of Fierce Breath.

Her assist is flexible, and depends on what the team needs. Reposition is a fairly standard option for movement utility.

Bonfire is the preferred choice for Lightning Breath+ sets. Water Breath+ sets may opt to use Moonbow (likely in combination with Wrath) for one-round activations, or use Bonfire anyway (lower frequency, but higher power).

Quick Riposte and Guard are both solid choices for Corrin's B Passive slot. Quick Riposte will guarantee double attacks on the EP when she's at or above 70% HP, and should be in her set somewhere (either in her B or Seal slot). Guard will prevent foes from charging specials on her, lowering her damage taken, especially against such red threats as Ayra and Bold Fighter Zelgius. Water Breath users may also opt for Wrath to boost the power of Moonbow for better ORKO capability; it is mostly overkill for Steady or Warding Breath/Bonfire sets.

Her C Passive slot is fully flexible, and should align with the team's needs. Dragon teams would benefit greatly from a dragon field or combat buff.

If Quick Riposte was not used in Corrin’s B slot, it should be used as her seal. Otherwise, she can choose between Distant Def and Close Def, depending on which range the user wants her to wall more effectively.

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Change Log

Spoiler

• 11 Dec 2017: Initial Release.
• 11 Dec 2017: Rebranded the Dark Breath set as PvE pending further testing. Retooled the build options and description to include Fury, Windsweep, and Fierce Stance.
• 16 Jan 2018: Added the Quick Riposte seal to the write-ups.
• 10 Feb 2018: Minor wording changes for clarification.
• 4 Apr 2018: Added Def and Res Smoke as considerations for the Dark Breath set.
• 8 Jul 2018: Repurposed the Standard Steady Breath set as a "Standard Defense" set. Added Water Breath+ to the list of considerations.
• 14 Oct 2018: Added Fierce Breath to the list of A Passive considerations.
• 31 Dec 2018: Terminology updates.

 

Edited December 31, 2018 by LordFrigid

[BANRYU]

Solid standard sets for her, all's good there.

Have we considered doing something like a Dark Breath + Windsweep + SB debuffing build for her? With how high her speed and low her attack is, she seems like the best dragon to be built specifically for consequence-free (during player phase at least) AoE debuffing, and with her speed pumped up with seals/refinements/etc and enemies debuffed, she stands a very high chance of doubling most foes on defense the turn afterward as well, non? 

With let's say Fury, Spd boon, Spd+ seal, and a speed hone, the statline we're looking at is 44 Atk / 46 Spd, or 46 Atk / 43 Spd for an Atk hone or boon. That's gotta be pretty good right? ....actually looking at the sims it looks like +Atk and Atk hone are the superior options lol.

Fierce Stance is also a great option for this stance or any of the EP sets it seems (better results than Fury by a fair margin, tied with Steady Breath). 

[LordFrigid]

28 minutes ago, BANRYU said:

Solid standard sets for her, all's good there.

Have we considered doing something like a Dark Breath + Windsweep + SB debuffing build for her? With how high her speed and low her attack is, she seems like the best dragon to be built specifically for consequence-free (during player phase at least) AoE debuffing, and with her speed pumped up with seals/refinements/etc and enemies debuffed, she stands a very high chance of doubling most foes on defense the turn afterward as well, non? 

With let's say Fury, Spd boon, Spd+ seal, and a speed hone, the statline we're looking at is 44 Atk / 46 Spd, or 46 Atk / 43 Spd for an Atk hone or boon. That's gotta be pretty good right? ....actually looking at the sims it looks like +Atk and Atk hone are the superior options lol.

Fierce Stance is also a great option for this stance or any of the EP sets it seems (better results than Fury by a fair margin, tied with Steady Breath). 

Windsweep is a solid option, sure. That was my original consideration, but I worry a lot (perhaps needlessly) about Spd-stacked enemies, so I ended up going with QR. It was definitely an oversight on my part to not include Windsweep at all, though. I’ll get that corrected.

I’ll have to look more into Fierce Stance before drawing any conclusions. Although...if you have a set and/or write-up I’d gladly include it.

~

Barring strong objections to the contrary, I’ve rebranded the Dark Breath set as PvE, pending testing in AA. Basically, I’m worried about -blade mages and Reinhardt. I’ve got the skill fodder and am working on the SP for the set now...though I’m short 12 Refining Stones.

[BANRYU]

3 minutes ago, LordFrigid said:

Windsweep is a solid option, sure. That was my original consideration, but I worry a lot (perhaps needlessly) about Spd-stacked enemies, so I ended up going with QR. It was definitely an oversight on my part to not include Windsweep at all, though. I’ll get that corrected.

I’ll have to look more into Fierce Stance before drawing any conclusions. Although...if you have a set and/or write-up I’d gladly include it.

~

Barring strong objections to the contrary, I’ve rebranded the Dark Breath set as PvE, pending testing in AA. Basically, I’m worried about -blade mages and Reinhardt. I’ve got the skill fodder and am working on the SP for the set now...though I’m short 12 Refining Stones.

Oh yeah personally I'd definitely want to have her be dedicated melee counter, that Res is ouch. ATM I'm starting work on Sophia's analysis, but I'll toss a mini writeup for the Windsweep build your way if/when I get a chance. 

Edited December 12, 2017 by BANRYU

[LordFrigid]

27 minutes ago, BANRYU said:

Oh yeah personally I'd definitely want to have her be dedicated melee counter, that Res is ouch. ATM I'm starting work on Sophia's analysis, but I'll toss a mini writeup for the Windsweep build your way if/when I get a chance. 

I’m totally fine with Windsweep, I actually went ahead and retooled the write-up to recommend it, since I feel that I don’t have to worry about Spd-stacked enemies as much in a non-Arena setting. I was curious as to what you’d build around Fierce Stance, and about it’s impacts on her survivability (though I guess in TT, healers are always a thing). No worries if you don’t get around to it, I can check it out tomorrow.

Edit: I guess there isn’t much to look into though, with stats in PvE modes straying wildly from the actual unit’s stats the way they do. I might as well just go ahead and list it.

Edited December 12, 2017 by LordFrigid

[BANRYU]

17 minutes ago, LordFrigid said:

I’m totally fine with Windsweep, I actually went ahead and retooled the write-up to recommend it, since I feel that I don’t have to worry about Spd-stacked enemies as much in a non-Arena setting. I was curious as to what you’d build around Fierce Stance, and about it’s impacts on her survivability (though I guess in TT, healers are always a thing). No worries if you don’t get around to it, I can check it out tomorrow.

Edit: I guess there isn’t much to look into though, with stats in PvE modes straying wildly from the actual unit’s stats the way they do. I might as well just go ahead and list it.

TBQH Fierce Stance was just a sub-in I used for the Windsweep build to see how it performed on defense against Dark Breath-debuffed foes, and it (along with Steady Breath) yielded the best win/loss ratio, though I'll admit I didn't look at the actual matchups themselves that closely when I probably should have. That's the main reason I mention it; either it or SB would be the optimal non-DC option, with Fury being a very solid budget option, I think. 

[BANRYU]

Sorry for the double-post but in my defense it has been a while. 

So, any thoughts on Water Breath for this cornball? I feel like Water Breath DC is probably pretty decent, right?

Edited July 5, 2018 by BANRYU

[LordFrigid]

57 minutes ago, BANRYU said:

Sorry for the double-post but in my defense it has been a while. 

So, any thoughts on Water Breath for this cornball? I feel like Water Breath DC is probably pretty decent, right?

Relative to a Steady or Warding Breath set, she’d be trading 1 special charge rate for 4 Def or Res, 2 Atk, and no special cooldown count penalty. The big part is the 4 Def or Res though, since the 2 Atk and unpenalized special cooldown count are mitigated by the virtually guaranteed Bonfire from a Breath A Passive.

As far as actual matchups, it looks like it’s a little better than Steady Breath on red, and a little worse on blue. It’s on par with Warding Breath on red, and worse on blue.

Looking a little deeper, the red matchups that Water Breath swings in her favor compared to Steady Breath aren’t exactly what I’d call winning matchups. It’s just that Water Breath’s Res bump leaves her hanging by a thread instead of KO’d outright. I suspect that her blue matchups with Water Breath are suffering from the lack of punch provided by Bonfire.

It’s definitely a usable set, so I may just add it on that alone. I’ll have to think over the “if”s & “how”s.

Edited July 5, 2018 by LordFrigid

[BANRYU]

1 hour ago, LordFrigid said:

Relative to a Steady or Warding Breath set, she’d be trading 1 special charge rate for 4 Def or Res, 2 Atk, and no special cooldown count penalty. The big part is the 4 Def or Res though, since the 2 Atk and unpenalized special cooldown count are mitigated by the virtually guaranteed Bonfire from a Breath A Passive.

As far as actual matchups, it looks like it’s a little better than Steady Breath on red, and a little worse on blue. It’s on par with Warding Breath on red, and worse on blue.

Looking a little deeper, the red matchups that Water Breath swings in her favor compared to Steady Breath aren’t exactly what I’d call winning matchups. It’s just that Water Breath’s Res bump leaves her hanging by a thread instead of KO’d outright. I suspect that her blue matchups with Water Breath are suffering from the lack of punch provided by Bonfire.

It’s definitely a usable set, so I may just add it on that alone. I’ll have to think over the “if”s & “how”s.

Right on, appreciate the consideration. 

[LordFrigid]

On 7/4/2018 at 10:21 PM, BANRYU said:

Right on, appreciate the consideration. 

Alright, I ended up adding it to the "Standard Steady Breath" set, and renaming that to "Standard Defense", since the sets are similar in intent and performance. I do prefer and recommend Lightning Breath+/[Breath A Passive], however, based on her performance. Water Breath+ also looks like it can benefit from Moonbow/Wrath, so I threw that in there too (it's mostly overkill for Steady or Warding Breath sets though).

Edited July 9, 2018 by LordFrigid