Mythic Hero - Askr

[Sunwoo]

Why are you not a dragon

[Naoshi]

There goes my hopes for three hopes.. anyway Big Bull has S!Maria Def damage reduction.

Edit: Light? so are we gonna have wait 12 months for our next Anima? Seriously?

Edited July 25, 2022 by Naoshi

[Sentinel07]

Kind of BS that he gets released right after he debuts yet Freyr is still being held back.

[Othin]

3 minutes ago, Sentinel07 said:

Kind of BS that he gets released right after he debuts yet Freyr is still being held back.

Personally I'm just glad he isn't another addition to the list of seasonal-only male OCs.

[Sunwoo]

It is definitely .... interesting, that Askr got added into the game so fast while Freyr and Fafnir's base versions are still nowhere to be found. Askr's probably the first male OC who got added this quickly after his debut. I don't even know what they're doing anymore, but at least he's playable.

Also, I wasn't kidding about the "why are you not a dragon" comment. I'm honestly not sure whether I want him to be a dragon more for "lore purposes", or I'm okay with him being a beast unit because there's a lack of proper beast unit candidates?

[Alexmender]

Now that's an absolute beast of a unit! Reminds me a bit of TP Ganon, except it's a bull and not a boar. It's interesting to see Askr being summonable so soon, but that's better than ending like Freyr, stuck in limbo forever with only a seasonal alt. 

Askr is pretty loaded as a unit. His prf has Slaying, Spectrum+5, guaranteed follow-up, S!Maria's Def based true dmg reduction and true dmg and the Tempo he gets for being an infantry beast. Opened Domain is a great support skill, it gives -1 CD to allies and a passive +4 to all stats in the form of the Resonance buffs which come with the added benefit of triggering any weapon that requires having an active buff to work. 

Atk/Def Bulwark 3 is meh. The skill feels more like IS has a grudge against Gatekeeper than wanting to make a good skill. The super Obstruct is the worst part of Detailed Report, and this skill doesn't make it any more enticing. 

[Aedan7479]

WHAT SORT OF ALTERNATE TIMELINE HAVE I BEEN MOVED TO.

4 minutes ago, Sentinel07 said:

Kind of BS that he gets released right after he debuts yet Freyr is still being held back.

Definitely agree there, of course there's also Fafnir. Still, glad we're getting him so quickly (guess this also means he's going to survive book 6, another win for men).

[Othin]

Thinking about the implications for later, since I don't have any colors I want to pull here. The only missing pre-Fallen New Heroes are now Hugh, Galzus, and Tine, so they'll probably round out August's banner along with the new blue. That actually will make both blue and red good options for me, since I'll be missing all units from both. Meanwhile September is probably green, October is probably colorless with an Askr rerun, and November is probably blue again with a rerun of August's legendary, whoever that is.

[Diovani Bressan]

7 minutes ago, Alexmender said:

Opened Domain is a great support skill, it gives -1 CD to allies and a passive +4 to all stats in the form of the Resonance buffs which come with the added benefit of triggering any weapon that requires having an active buff to work. 

Don't forget that Resonant Shield also grants "during unit's first combat in player phase or enemy phase, foe cannot make a follow-up attack".

[Sunwoo]

I ... just had a thought about something. If Eir does indeed get an ascended alt by the end of this TT+ story series, wouldn't it make sense for Peony to get one about her later? It would be the best opportunity to bring Freyr back in a similar way that they added Ymir, since Freyr is basically the deity that rules the domain Peony is associated with.

And yeah, it would be pretty bullshit if this meant that Freyr gets stripped of a blessing while his sister and equal, Freyja, got the full mythic treatment. But this is the best way to bring Freyr back into the story if they were going to release his base form. Fafnir could ... likely get something similar? I don't know. I tuned out the entirety of book 5.

[Baron the Shining Blade]

8 minutes ago, Alexmender said:

Atk/Def Bulwark 3 is meh. The skill feels more like IS has a grudge against Gatekeeper than wanting to make a good skill. The super Obstruct is the worst part of Detailed Report, and this skill doesn't make it any more enticing.

True, but on the bright side, now we finally have another inheritable post-combat healing B Skill besides Mystic Boost.

[Use the Falchion]

I probably should have expected this, but I didn't for some reason. Fortunately, I have enough orbs for this. If I'm lucky, I'll pull Askr early and then can spend the rest on hunting for Ymir. 

[Florete]

Wow, the first offensive male mythic. Kinda wish he was Astra, though, since we already have the colorless infantry beast light mythic Ash.

Bulwark skills could push in an Obstruct meta. Obstruct (especially with the range boost) can be a pretty valuable effect, it's just never seen because the B slot skill is in the B slot and only has that really basic effect, and Gatekeeper isn't built to take advantage of that kind of effect. But an inheritable skill family with Obstruct+, two stat debuffs, and post-combat healing would make the effect worth running.

That plus true damage, true damage reduction, and everything Opened Domain does makes Askr look pretty crazy.

Oh, also, Three Hopes is not coming to FEH.

Edited July 25, 2022 by Florete

[Fire Emblem Fan]

So, Askr joins Ymir for the "fastest addition to game after reveal" award. I feel odd saying this, but I'm kinda okay with it? I actually like Askr's design, and he looks like a good unit? Weird, since I usually don't care for Heroes OCs at all. I guess Askr is gonna join Helbindi in the group of ones I'm actually okay with.

[Medeus]

Odd to get him so quickly, but I'm not complaining as he's one of my favorite designs in recent years. I'll try to get him as I have no problem getting more merges for Medeus and Ashera along the way, though I hope he doesn't break me since CYL is around the corner. 

37 minutes ago, Sentinel07 said:

Kind of BS that he gets released right after he debuts yet Freyr is still being held back.

Fafnir as well, though at least with him if they won't give him as a Mythic he has a Fallen option in the Dragon form.

31 minutes ago, Alexmender said:

Atk/Def Bulwark 3 is meh. The skill feels more like IS has a grudge against Gatekeeper than wanting to make a good skill. The super Obstruct is the worst part of Detailed Report, and this skill doesn't make it any more enticing. 

I'll take it considering they refuse to give Beast units anything new to play with.  

[Xenomata]

Slaying, Spectrum +5, guaranteed follow-up, Def-based damage boost/reduction on his weapon... neat.
He grants Resonance: Blades and Resonance: Shields (AKA the effects from some Harmonic skills), totaling to all stat +4 and enemy follow-up denial during units first combat in a phase, to himself and allies as long as he is near any ally who is not from Fire Emblem: Heroes. I have to wonder if this effect will trigger even on Harmonic units, where half comes from FEH but the other half doesn't? Or maybe the passive is only looking for the FEH tag to know who not to give it to? Also Ostian Pulse II effect on these same units (plus himself)

Bulwark is just a better Detailed Report, minus the Warp Denial effect (which arguably wouldn't affect anyone taking these skills anyway). Defensive Infantry units get something extra to play around with... neat. As for the rest of the banner:

• LegNanna is a strong unit to have around, Plumeria is an Astra Mythic who dances, and Asc.Mareeta is the only source of Vital Astra right now (plus the Floret if not claimed yet) while still being a good unit in her own right. Pretty good offerings if you need them.
• LegDimitri is strong, Seiros offers Dragon Wall and is an Anima Mythic, and Peony... doesn't have much to offer that isn't already owned because she's a freebie. I guess she makes inheriting B Duel Flying 4 easier?
• Pent and Otr both have B Duel skills (and some other skills to I guess), with Otr also being a Mythic. LegCelica is... honestly not in a good spot considering her Ascended form just came out, but her Remix is... somewhere on the earths curvature?
• Colorless by default is the color to aim for, but Ashera is one of the only supportive sources of Null panic while Medeus is highly bulky and the only source of En Garde.

Hm... without wishing to be down on a mythic banner, especially since Askr seems cool, some of the offerings on other colors just don't really do it for me... even Colorless having Ashera isn't that appetizing, but the other two offerings would be nice to get some fodder of either way. Shame I'm short on orbs to freely be spending.

[Jotari]

1 hour ago, Baron the Shining Blade said:

True, but on the bright side, now we finally have another inheritable post-combat healing B Skill besides Mystic Boost.

Flow Refresh was a post combat healing skill. Though it's locked to mounted melee units, meaning my boy conquerer Alm can't use it.

[Hilda]

Didnt see this one comeing so soon o.O

[Baron the Shining Blade]

20 minutes ago, Jotari said:

Flow Refresh was a post combat healing skill. Though it's locked to mounted melee units, meaning my boy conquerer Alm can't use it.

I did forget about Flow Refresh. I also forgot to say "dual-phase", whereas Flow Refresh only heals on PP. I'm just glad that we no longer have just Eir (and less likely, Duo Micaiah) to fodder for this sort of skill. Whether Bulwark will have unit type restrictions remains to be seen, but at least we know infantry (like your boy Brave Alm) can use it. In fact I have my own Brave Alm I'd like to give either Mystic Boost or Bulwark to reduce Scendscale's recoil damage from 7 to 1.

Edited July 25, 2022 by Baron the Shining Blade

[XRay]

Askr is cool. He is basically Maria: Sunny Smile with a more versatile B slot, but in exchange he cannot get Mythic stats. I am not convinced Bulwark is good enough to be usable. Stats and healing are nice, but you are competing with the likes of various guaranteed follow-up or Null Follow-Up on the B slot, and those B skills also come with Guard or other effects. 

Edited July 25, 2022 by XRay

[Florete]

1 hour ago, Xenomata said:

Bulwark is just a better Detailed Report, minus the Warp Denial effect (which arguably wouldn't affect anyone taking these skills anyway).

Despite having that one similar effect, Bulwark in practice is going to be very different from Detailed Report. Warp blocking is the primary feature of Detailed Report to stop things Orders and Wings of Mercy, while Bulwark looks like it's designed for a unit who's not an armor to mimic being a save unit.

In short, Bulwark is definitely not "just a better Detailed Report." I use Gatekeeper all the time and could never be convinced to lose warp blocking for Atk/Res -4 and post-combat healing.

[Jotari]

1 hour ago, Baron the Shining Blade said:

I did forget about Flow Refresh. I also forgot to say "dual-phase", whereas Flow Refresh only heals on PP. I'm just glad that we no longer have just Eir (and less likely, Duo Micaiah) to fodder for this sort of skill. Whether Bulwark will have unit type restrictions remains to be seen, but at least we know infantry (like your boy Brave Alm) can use it. In fact I have my own Brave Alm I'd like to give either Mystic Boost or Bulwark to reduce Scendscale's recoil damage from 7 to 1.

Atk def Bulwark isn't most optimal for Alm though, as he doesn't receive counter attacks. It'll be a little useful for enemy phase tanking, but I think I'd rather def/spd Bulwark for him when it eventually comes as it'll increase his player phase damage output.

[Ice Dragon]

Holy shit, that absolutely glorious mane of hair on his transformed sprite. My only disappointment is that he isn't a laser cow like his retainer.

Unfortunately, I have very little budget to spend on this banner, so unless I get extremely lucky with my pulls, I'm probably not getting too many merges on Askr. I'm also a bit sad that I have to pass up on pulling for Nanna and Plumeria since I still need merges on both of them.

 

Bulwark looks like it'll probably be melee infantry only. Or infantry only if they're willing to let other ranged units step on Gatekeeper's toes a bit, but ranged units typically don't get access to defensive skills. Atk/Def Bulwark looks pretty nice, effectively granting +4/0/4/4, which is pretty typical for a stat-boosting B skill, and granting healing after combat, which is nice for keeping both stacks of Ideal active. Like Detailed Report, it's basically a pseudo-Save skill for infantry.

As far as Askr's exclusive skills, granting both Resonance buffs to both himself and allies is really nice. He really has everything he needs in his base kit to just stack Def. It might even be worth swapping out Atk/Def Ideal for Def/Res Ideal (which conveniently comes from Mediuth on this banner) if you aren't running full Save support.

 

Anyways, the usual translation notes:

Askr's epithet, "God of Openness", is "開神" (kaishin), "God of Opening". Possibly pronounced "kaijin" and possibly also interchangeable, but "kaishin" feels more positive, namely because it's a homophone with "会心" (kaishin), "satisfaction" or "affinity", and "快心" (kaishin), "good feeling". But "kaijin" has its own interesting homophones, namely "怪人" (kaijin), "strange person", and "灰塵" (kaijin), "ash and dust", not to mention it's the more common pronunciation of "海神" (kaijin, kaishin, or watatsumi), "god of the sea", usually referring to Poseidon in Western mythology or Watatsumi in Japanese mythology when used without additional context.

Illuminating Horn is "絶光の角" (zekkō no tsuno), "Horn of Unparalleled Light".

Atk/Def Bulwark is "攻撃守備の防壁" (kōgeki shubi no bōheki), "Atk/Def Bulwark".

Opened Domain is "みんなが繋がる世界" (minna ga tsunagaru sekai), "A World Where Everyone is Connected".

 

Also, since I probably didn't do them when they were first released:

Resonance: Blades is "双界効果・刃" (sōkai kōka: yaiba), "Paired-Worlds Effect: Blade". "双界" (sōkai), "paired worlds", is the terminology used for Harmonized Heroes and their associated mechanics.

Resonance: Shields is "双界効果・盾" (sōkai kōka: tate), "Paired-Worlds Effect: Shield".

[jameslove001]

They had to go and do Askr looking enough like a buffalo that I have to go for it. Freaking high school mascot lookalike must be a part of my barracks. That and I only have Peony and no one else. Time to go finish those paralogues, chain challenges, etc. for the orbs.

[Mercakete]

I agree with the poster of this thread: Why is he not a dragon? But DANG he is one fluffy and GIGANTIC bull. I also love how encouraging he is, even to foes he's ripping to shreds. "You can do better. :)" I'd say he works perfectly with Ymir, but he may benefit more from the Herons' HoT pulses more than Ymir's since the herons would also activate his c passive. Colorless is STACKED for me this time (even though I already have Ashera, I do not have Medeus and I feel like I kind of NEED Askr. ...But I have so few orbs this is going to be painful as heck...) But, I don't get it... Why does the god of openness have a skill that blocks movement? Seems more like an Embla thing.

Another thing I feel like I need to mention: this is the first Heroes founding deity (meaning there is a country named after him) besides Hel who has been granted mythic status (unless I'm forgetting someone.) Like, what are Nifl, Muspell, and Ymir, then? As for deities who aren't founders, Loki makes sense because I feel like she hasn't revealed her true power yet, so we'll probably get a full on deity form for her someday (for now, she's not taking anything seriously and playing around) and I believe Thorr is a mythic hero. I think Freyja is mythic, too, but I'm not 100% on that (and Freyr only gets to exist on the beach and in our dreams I guess.)

But yeah, I can't help but feel that the Askrans need a lesson on the difference between dragons and bovines. I wonder if this means Embla's also a beast unit... No, actually, I'm sure she is...

Edit: Yeah, I have 18 orbs after going through the daily quests and all that and I don't know if I can squeeze much more out of any of this. So... Yeah, I'm in a pickle and have to just hope I basically summon Askr immediately (and maybe grab a Medeus along the way, if I'm super lucky.)

Edited July 25, 2022 by Mercakete