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Eldigan, Lionheart [WIP]


Vajra
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Overview

Rarities: 5*

Hero Type: Red Sword

Movement Type: Cavalry

Origin: Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War

Eldigan is designed as a bulky, defensive sword cavalier. Thanks to his natural ability to move up to three spaces per turn, he is able to take advantage of powerful buffs exclusive to cavalry units, such as Hone Cavalry. He is often compared to Xander due to both having nearly identical stat lines, with the latter possessing a few more points in defense but with slightly less HP and resistance.

Since Eldigan's greatest drawbacks are his mediocre speed and vulnerability to magical attacks, it is strongly recommended to use him primarily as an enemy phase unit against physical attackers. Players should build his kit in a way that capitalizes on his physical bulkiness in order for him to bait enemies more effectively while retaliating with as much punishment as possible.

A common solution for players to remedy his low speed is to use Quick Riposte for his B slot; while it does not prevent faster units from doubling him, this ensures Eldigan can have a follow-up attack, granted that he survives both attacks and that his HP is within the activation threshold when the enemy initiates. Another viable, albeit less flexible, option for offsetting his speed deficiency is to use Swordbreaker, which can be useful for countering the faster sword units that are considered meta, such as Ryoma. 

Sadly, unlike Xander, Eldigan is unable to retaliate when attacked at range without inheriting Distant Counter for his A slot. What sets Eldigan apart from Xander, however, is the special property granted by his personal weapon, Mystletainn. The reduced cooldown charge for Specials often play a pivotal role in deciding match-ups, even against certain blue units. This is Eldigan's trump card. When paired with other skills like Quick Riposte and Quickened Pulse, 3-turn charge Specials such as Bonfire can be unleashed immediately after a foe makes the first attack. Heavy Blade can also be a neat option for abusing the Special cooldown trigger, especially if the Eldigan was +Atk. With such synergy between his weapon and skills, it is not uncommon to see high cooldown Specials being used on Eldigan, such as Galeforce. 

Aside from Mystletainn reducing the time it takes for Specials to trigger, Eldigan's access to multiple merges and various IVs are a few advantages he has over Xander. Before Weapon Refinery was introduced, it was widely debated whether Eldigan or Xander is the stronger red cavalier. Now that it is possible for Eldigan to use Distant Counter together with Fury, the answer becomes ever so clearer. 

LV. 40 Stats

HP: 42 / 45 / 48
Atk: 29 / 32 / 35
Spd: 21 / 24 / 28
Def: 31 / 34 / 37
Res: 15 / 19 / 22

Total: 153 ~ 155

Standard Skills

Weapon: Mystletainn

Assist: N/A

Special: Growing Light

Passive A: Fury 3

Passive B: Lunge

Passive 😄 N/A

Weapon Refinery Options

To upgrade Mystletainn to any of the following, the player must have at least 400 SP, 500 Arena Medals, and 200 Divine Dew. 

  • Fury 3, +3 HP
  • +5 HP, +2 Mt
  • +5 HP, +2 Spd
  • +5 HP, +2 Def
  • +5 HP, +2 Res

Sample Builds

Paragon Lionheart

Spoiler

Recommended IVs: +Atk, +Def / -HP

Weapon: Mystletainn (Fury 3)

Assist: Reposition / Flexible

Special: Ignis

Passive A: Distant Counter

Passive B: Quick Riposte 3 / Swordbreaker 3 / G. Tomebreaker 3

Passive 😄 Hone Cavalry / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Quickened Pulse / Heavy Blade 3 / Distant Def 3

Description:

One of my objectives upon first acquiring Eldigan was to create a more versatile Xander. By pairing together Distant Counter with Mystletainn, you have a unit that can not only counterattack at any range, but one that can proc high-cooldown Specials sooner as well. The latter effect is further augmented when combined with either the Quickened Pulse or Heavy Blade seals, alongside B skills that enable follow-up attacks, such as Quick Riposte. Depending on the user's playstyle, one may choose to build Eldigan as a specialized counter versus certain unit types, such as with Swordbreaker to help fend off the many swifter sword units in the meta, or as a dedicated mage counter to better fare against green mages via G. Tomebreaker. 

Ignis was chosen for this set since it reaps the most benefit from Eldigan's naturally high defensive stat, which goes up to over 40 when accounting for Mystletainn's innate Fury 3 effect, a +Def nature, merges, and Summoner Support bonuses. With the cooldown reduction properties of both Mystletainn and Quickened Pulse stacked, Ignis becomes a 2-turn charge Special that allows Eldigan to unleash devastation within the first enemy phase encounter, usually resulting in either an instant KO or a significant amount damage dealt. Several blue units, especially blue mages lacking Triangle Adept, do not survive.   

Being a mounted unit, Eldigan's potential is best realized in cavalry team comps that also feature a mix of both offensive and defensive buffs exclusive to cavalry. These will amplify his already high attack stat to an absurd level as well as prolong his survivability. Although he is best utilized in a cavalry team, that does not mean he is not useful outside of one. Teams that are composed of frail or defensively weak units, for example, can have Eldigan serve as a physical wall against foes that would otherwise pose a major threat to them. 

This is one of the few instances when a -Res nature should be avoided as Eldigan will lose 4 points from this stat as opposed to the usual 3, which can hamper his ability to withstand and counter magical attacks, even from green tome wielders. An +Atk nature helps to secure more KOs across an even wider range of match-ups. 

Heavy Blade Lionheart

Spoiler

Recommended IVs: +Atk / -Res

Weapon: Mystletainn (Fury 3)

Assist: Reposition / Flexible

Special: Aether / Galeforce

Passive A: Heavy Blade 3

Passive B: Quick Riposte 3 

Passive 😄 Threaten Atk 3 / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Quickened Pulse / Attack +3

Description:

Fast and Furious Lionheart

Spoiler

Recommended IVs: +Spd / -HP,  -Res

Weapon: Mystletainn (Fury 3)

Assist: Reposition / Flexible

Special: Bonfire / Ignis

Passive A: Fury 3 / Life and Death 3 / Swift Sparrow 2

Passive B: Desperation 3

Passive 😄 Hone Cavalry / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Brash Assault 3

Description:

Impervious Lionheart

Spoiler

Recommended IVs: +HP, +Def / -Spd, -Res 

Weapon: Mystletainn (Def)

Assist: Reposition / Flexible

Special: Bonfire / Ignis

Passive A: Earth Boost 3 / Close Def 3 / Steady Stance 3

Passive B: Quick Riposte 3

Passive 😄 Threaten Atk 3 / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Close Def 3 / Defense +3

Description:

Conclusion

Eldigan has come a long way since his introduction to the game. At the time of his first banner appearance, he was a highly sought after sword unit, especially for those who were creating cavalry teams. Once Xander became available, Eldigan slowly faded into obscurity, mainly due to the former's ability to counter at any distance being deemed extremely valuable at the time. The arrival of Sigurd did him no favors either as his role as a defensive cavalier was further overshadowed.  

In spite of an ever changing meta, not all hope was lost for Eldigan. The introduction of Weapon Refinery, Summoner Support, and new skills all benefited him considerably as more and more players are devising new ways to build the character. A highly invested Eldigan can become a very formidable threat. 

Fun Facts

  • Eldigan is one of the very few sword units in Fire Emblem Heroes whose fourth tier weapon is preceded by Killing Edge, instead of Silver Sword, alongside Mia and Joshua. 
  • Eldigan's voice actor in Fire Emblem Heroes, Greg Chun, also provided voice work for Ephraim, Lukas, and both variants of Ike. 

Revision HIstory

Spoiler

01/03/2018: Analysis created with first three builds.
01/05/2018: Minor updates with the addition of a fourth build, titled "Impervious Lionheart".
01/11/2018: Description added for "Paragon Lionheart" build.

 

Edited by Lord Quan
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No mention of L&D3 or Swift Sparrow? With a speed boon he can hit 35-36 speed, 38-39 with speed seal, and 55-56 attack while still maintaining fairly decent defense (32) even with L&D. The speed isn't amazing, but it's certainly not terrible and can let him double fairly well with even minor cav boosts. His res is garbage (13 or 17), but he was never very mage tanky to begin with.

I'd also think if you want to run brash desperation with Eldigan, you'd want anything but a speed boon, except health since then he'd need more than 2 rounds of double fury to get to 50% health. Brash assault guarantees the double making speed irrelevant so you're probably best dumping that into another stat, most likely attack to help with damage output.

DC Eldigan could also run vantage to one-shot some squishier green mages before they could kill him and mess people up with bonfire or ignis especially due to the reduced cooldown.

Edited by bottlegnomes
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47 minutes ago, bottlegnomes said:

No mention of L&D3 or Swift Sparrow? With a speed boon he can hit 35-36 speed, 38-39 with speed seal, and 55-56 attack while still maintaining fairly decent defense (32) even with L&D. The speed isn't amazing, but it's certainly not terrible and can let him double fairly well with even minor cav boosts. His res is garbage (13 or 17), but he was never very mage tanky to begin with.

I'd also think if you want to run brash desperation with Eldigan, you'd want anything but a speed boon, except health since then he'd need more than 2 rounds of double fury to get to 50% health. Brash assault guarantees the double making speed irrelevant so you're probably best dumping that into another stat, most likely attack to help with damage output.

DC Eldigan could also run vantage to one-shot some squishier green mages before they could kill him and mess people up with bonfire or ignis especially due to the reduced cooldown.

Your input is most appreciated. I'll remember to note the suggestions once I get to updating. ^-^

As for me recommending the +Spd nature for the Brash Assault/Desperation build, while it is true Brash Assault will ensure consecutive follow-ups when paired with Desperation, I figure that an emphasis on speed would allow Eldigan to consecutively double slower enemies as well during the instances that his HP falls within 50% to 75%. The latter means of activating Desperation may be impractical for a naturally slow unit like Eldigan, but it is certainly doable when factoring in offensive cavalry buffs and other stat boosting sources such as the 2 extra points in speed via Summoner Support. 

Edited by Zhu Qiao
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Makes sense. Doesn't hurt to try to get him doubling from the get go when he can.

Always like to see Eldigan get some love; he's one of my favorite characters and the one I'd like to get most. Despite not having one, he's probably the unit I've spent most time on running sims and theory-crafting, especially after the refinery in part because of how much I like him and in part because built in Fury 3 seemed super sweet.

Edited by bottlegnomes
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1 hour ago, bottlegnomes said:

Makes sense. Doesn't hurt to try to get him doubling from the get go when he can.

Always like to see Eldigan get some love; he's one of my favorite characters and the one I'd like to get most. Despite not having one, he's probably the unit I've spent most time on running sims and theory-crafting, especially after the refinery in part because of how much I like him and in part because built in Fury 3 seemed super sweet.

Eldigan is a favorite of mine as well, which is what mostly inspired me to create an analysis page for him. I wish you the best of luck drawing him one day, off-banner or not. 

I added a fourth build to his analysis just recently, focusing almost exclusively on his physical defense and bulk. Feel free to leave any further feedback and/or criticism. 

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15 hours ago, Zhu Qiao said:

I added a fourth build to his analysis just recently, focusing almost exclusively on his physical defense and bulk. Feel free to leave any further feedback and/or criticism. 

I'm currently running a hybrid version of your build (no refine yet on mine, but the rest is done):

Eldigan [+Atk, -Res] (Mystletainn [unique], Bonfire, Fury 3, Quick Riposte 3, Close Def 3) or
Eldigan [+Atk, -Res] (Mystletainn [unique], Ignis, Fury 3, Quick Riposte 3, Heavy Blade 3)

Base stats: 45 HP / 57 Atk / 30 Spd / 40 Def / 21 Res

While Mystletainn's unique refine and Fury 3 seem to contradict the use of Quick Riposte 3, this build is specifically designed to be run on a cavalry team with a staff user to keep Eldigan topped off after every turn (because cavalry staff users are amazing now). Considering it's not difficult to ensure that opponents will attack you one unit per turn in the Arena (especially at higher point ranges where opponents use dual Rallies instead of mobility skills, and melee units are more prevalent than ranged units), you generally won't need to fight another round of combat after Quick Riposte is deactivated before having a chance to top him off again.

Bonfire is used because Eldigan has 36 Spd after Hone Cavalry, which is fast enough to avoid being double attacked by the slower, bulkier units that will survive taking two hits without a special skill activation. He can run Ignis with the new Heavy Blade 3 Sacred Seal due to his massive 63 Atk after Hone Cavalry if Close Def 3 isn't needed, which, oftentimes, it isn't with his 40 Def.

Edited by Ice Dragon
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On 1/5/2018 at 5:01 PM, Ice Dragon said:

I'm currently running a hybrid version of your build (no refine yet on mine, but the rest is done):

Eldigan [+Atk, -Res] (Mystletainn [unique], Bonfire, Fury 3, Quick Riposte 3, Close Def 3) or
Eldigan [+Atk, -Res] (Mystletainn [unique], Ignis, Fury 3, Quick Riposte 3, Heavy Blade 3)

Base stats: 45 HP / 57 Atk / 30 Spd / 40 Def / 21 Res

While Mystletainn's unique refine and Fury 3 seem to contradict the use of Quick Riposte 3, this build is specifically designed to be run on a cavalry team with a staff user to keep Eldigan topped off after every turn (because cavalry staff users are amazing now). Considering it's not difficult to ensure that opponents will attack you one unit per turn in the Arena (especially at higher point ranges where opponents use dual Rallies instead of mobility skills, and melee units are more prevalent than ranged units), you generally won't need to fight another round of combat after Quick Riposte is deactivated before having a chance to top him off again.

Bonfire is used because Eldigan has 36 Spd after Hone Cavalry, which is fast enough to avoid being double attacked by the slower, bulkier units that will survive taking two hits without a special skill activation. He can run Ignis with the new Heavy Blade 3 Sacred Seal due to his massive 63 Atk after Hone Cavalry if Close Def 3 isn't needed, which, oftentimes, it isn't with his 40 Def.

Sorry for the late response. Busy work life kept interfering. 

Anyway, those are some very potent builds, especially the second one. I have just recently started experimenting with the Heavy Blade seal on my +Atk Eldigan as well, and I think this might end up serving him better than Quickened Pulse in the long run since the former can work indefinitely instead of only once per battle.

Also, I have just finished the "Paragon Lionheart" build description. The remaining builds will be updated later down the road. 

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2 hours ago, Zhu Qiao said:

Sorry for the late response. Busy work life kept interfering. 

Anyway, those are some very potent builds, especially the second one. I have just recently started experimenting with the Heavy Blade seal on my +Atk Eldigan as well, and I think this might end up serving him better than Quickened Pulse in the long run since the former can work indefinitely instead of only once per battle.

Not sure if you saw, but I finally finished my Eldigan with the Heavy Blade build in game and posted his +10 stats with full cavalry buffs in the big projects thread.

The man literally gives zero fucks about anything physical that he can counterattack (so long as it cannot activate its own special skill) or Gunnthra, and landing Ignis for 40 additional damage is so immensely satisfying. He's easily the ace of my second Arena Assault team (which is saying something because my decked out Firesweep Peri is on the same team), and I have Elise glued to him at all times.

Spoiler

FDpukWm.jpg

 

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On 1/5/2018 at 1:14 AM, Zhu Qiao said:

Eldigan is a favorite of mine as well, which is what mostly inspired me to create an analysis page for him. I wish you the best of luck drawing him one day, off-banner or not. 

I added a fourth build to his analysis just recently, focusing almost exclusively on his physical defense and bulk. Feel free to leave any further feedback and/or criticism. 

Looks good to me. It seems like he'll really enjoy this new QR seal we've gotten.

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  • 10 months later...

I would like to suggest a player phase abyssal-oriented build which utilizes Dark Mysteltainn and AoE specials:

Recommended IVs: +Atk / -HP

Weapon: Dark Mystletainn

Assist: Reposition / Flexible

Special: Blazing Flame/Thunder/Wind

Passive A: Fury/L&D

Passive B: Sword breaker/Desparation*/Flexible

Passive C: Hone Cavalry / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Quickened Pulse / Atk 3 /Brash Assault*/Flexible 

*Paired together for use

Example videos:

Lucina Abyssal

Hrid Abyssal

Ryoma Abyssal

Robin Abyssal

 

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