Special Heroes (Risk and Reward)

[Othin]

Sothe has Canto 1, which suggests the same will go for Rickard. Nina's Canto is called Recall, while Cath and Leila have their own new takes on Canto.

[Diovani Bressan]

Interesting banner, for sure.

My reasoning for Def/Res Smoke 3 having Pathfinder is because after you make foes weak by debuffing them you open the path for your allies to reach and finish them.

Pretty interesting these new types of Canto. If I cared about competitive Duels I would be more interested. But since I don't play Duels R/S, I don't care enough.

Good thing this is a skip to me. And Rickard will be so dead once I get him.

[Some Jerk]

Yeah, my Silvia is absolutely mugging T!Rickard for that Florid Cane the second he sets foot in my barracks, and Larum and S!Dorothea will also be tag-teaming T!Sothe for a pair of Florid Knives. Actual Canto instead of Canto Rem. is actually quite an improvement since Infantry units usually use up all of their movement just getting in range.

Sadly I can't say I'm skipping however, because I wasn't expecting to find food for Phina on this banner too, courtesy of T!Leila. I've been praying for a Def Smoke upgrade so Phina has a more modern C Skill, and my prayers were answered in the form of Def/Res Smoke 3. Not only will she Vantage tank even harder by buffing her own Atk, but she can proc the Pathfinder buff on EP and then run around with it on PP.

Edited August 7, 2022 by Some Jerk

[Tybrosion]

Yeah, I'm still not a fan of this banner. At most, I'm just going to pull for Sothe (to stay perfect on having every 4* Focus seasonal) and probably make a couple of attempts at Nina & Kagero. I'm absolutely not sparking on this banner.

Not even shit like these new Canto types or inheritable Pathfinder can get me to care even slightly about a Leila alt or a Cath alt. It's honestly insulting how Sothe got shafted just to prop those two up, and I say this as someone who is just lukewarm on Sothe.

[Sil/phire]

I was most interested in Laila, but knowing how she is the second character to appear in the banner, i was afraid she may not be getting much. Sadly, that's exactly what happened. It's hard to say i'm disappointed when i already expected to be disappointed, but here i am. about the only notable thing i see in her weapon is the possibility to stop counter attacks. at least she gets a slaying effect.

not interested in anything else on the banner. imo laila and sothe have the best designs in this banner and its a shame sothe is getting done in by the demote curse, which is only a thing for none-3Houses demote lords. and kagero getting idk how many alts by now is just absurd. did kaze or saizo get any yet? soleil? forrest? selena? beruka? whatever i guess.

[Ice Dragon]

Def/Res Smoke 3 is really nice. I wasn't expecting Pathfinder as its secondary effect status, but it's perfect for it, especially with Leila's weapon's Canto effect.

The new Canto types are pretty cool, particularly because Unit n×n and Ally n allow the unit to ignore terrain. Recall also seems like it could be really fun to use with a teleportation skill.

As expected, the inheritable weapons have Canto (1), which is fair.

Nina's Duo skill looks like it's designed specifically for Arena (which it should be). Quite solid. Her weapon is basically Blizzardblade.

Canto Control's value increased significantly with this update. All of the ranged units have their Canto completely disabled by Canto Control. If I'm reading the description of Canto Control correctly, it will also prevent melee units from moving more than 1 space away (the wording in Japanese is different from Gravity and should presumably also apply to warping).

 

If I get lucky, I might try to +10 Nina because she looks really fun to use, but I won't force it. I need to save my gacha budget for CYL and FGO's summer event.

Leila having both Sweep and Pain+ is also really tempting, but not enough to go for a +10 unless I somehow get the same insane luck as I got on the Thorr/Nifl summer banner.

 

EDIT: Rickard's weapon has Canto (Rem.+1) on it.

Edited August 7, 2022 by Ice Dragon

[Ice Dragon]

And the usual translation notes:

 

The name of the banner, "Risk and Reward", is "危ないお宝対決" (abunai otakara taiketsu), "Dangerous Treasure Showdown".

Cath's epithet, "Caper Captain", is "怪盗団団長" (kaitō-dan danchō), "Leader of the Phantom Thieves".

Lofty Leaflet is "気高き怪盗の予告状" (kedakaki kaitō no yokoku-jō), "Noble Phantom Thief's Calling Card". The word "予告状" (yokoku-jō) literally translates as "letter of advance notice". Given the context, I think "calling card" is more fitting than the literal translation.

Canto (Unit 3×3) is "再移動(自分中心に縦横３マス以内)" (sai-idō (jibun chūshin ni jūō san-masu inai)), "Move Again (within 3 spaces horizontal and vertical centered on self)". This is about as literal of a skill effect name as you can possibly get. And long. As before, "再移動" (sai-idō), "Move Again", is the Japanese name of the Canto skill.

Atk/Res Snag is "攻撃魔防の干渉" (kōgeki mabō no kanshō), "Atk/Res Interference".

Leila's epithet, "Keen Lookout", is "密偵怪盗" (mittei kaitō), "Spy Phantom Thief".

Soothing Scent is "影潜む密偵の香水瓶" (kage-hisomu mittei no kōsuibin), "Perfume Bottle of the Spy Hiding in the Shadows".

Canto (Ally 2) is "再移動(周囲２マスの味方隣)" (sai-idō (shūi ni-masu no mikata tonari)), "Move Again (next to an ally within 2 spaces)".

Def/Res Smoke is "守備魔防の紫煙" (shubi mabō no shien), "Def/Res Smoke". The word "紫煙" (shien), "smoke", literally translates as "purple smoke", hence the purple color of the icon.

Sothe's epithet, "Rushing Dawn", is "暁の疾風" (akatsuki no shippū), "Gale of Dawn".

Florid Knife is "薔薇のナイフ" (bara no naifu), "Rose Knife".

Nina's epithet, "Shadowy Figures", is "闇に舞う影" (yami ni mau kage), "Shadows Dancing in the Darkness".

Shadowy Quill is "双夜舞う怪盗の羽根" (sōya-mau kaitō no hane), "Feather of the Phantom Thieves that Dance in the Two Nights". The word "双夜" (sōya), "paired nights", refers to Hoshido and Nohr, which are "白夜" (byakuya), "white night", and "暗夜" (an'ya), "dark night", respectively, in Japanese. This was also used for Hinoka: Fair Pirate Pair, whose epithet was "双夜の海賊王女" (sōya no kaizoku-ōjo), "Pirate Princesses of the Two Nights".

Canto (Recall) is "再移動(移動前)" (sai-idō (idō mae)), "Move Again (before movement)".

Chill Def/Res is "守備魔防の封印" (shubi mabō no fūin), "Def/Res Seal". For comparison, the Seal skills are named like "守備封じ" (shubi-fūji), "Def-Sealing", using a gerund (from "封じる" (fūjiru), "to seal") instead of a regular noun.

Rickard's epithet, "Carefree Culprit", is "お調子者怪盗" (ochōshi-mono kaitō), "Easily Carried-Away Phantom Thief". The word "お調子者" (ochōshi-mono) refers to a person who is easily flattered, likes to chime in, or gets easily carried away. Derived from "調子に乗る" (chōshi ni noru), "to get carried away", which literally translates as "to ride on the mood".

Florid Cane is "薔薇のステッキ" (bara no sutekki), "Rose Cane".

Dist. Counter (D) is "遠反・竜専用" (enhan: ryū senyō), "Distant Counter: Dragon Exclusive Use". "遠反" (enhan) is an abbreviation of "遠距離反撃" (enkyori hangeki), "long-range counterattack", which is the name of the Distant Counter skill.

Edited August 7, 2022 by Ice Dragon

[Some Jerk]

The Tempest Trial notes have hit the notice board and we have a verdict on the Florid Cane. It is not Canto 1 like the dagger version -- the melee version gets Canto Rem+1 instead.

[Humanoid]

Hopefully the only time I see these units in action is in their Paralogue.

[Tybrosion]

Before anyone gets too excited about that second Sacred Seal we’re getting, it’s apparently only for dragons according to its Japanese name.

[Humanoid]

That's probably a good thing, because if it were just straight DC, we'd only ever have one DC seal for the entire barracks. This opens up the possibility of having multiple DC seals with different restrictions in future.

[Ice Dragon]

Added the new Sacred Seal from the Tempest Trials to the translation notes to keep things together.

1 hour ago, Ice Dragon said:

Dist. Counter (D) is "遠反・竜専用" (enhan: ryū senyō), "Distant Counter: Dragon Exclusive Use". "遠反" (enhan) is an abbreviation of "遠距離反撃" (enkyori hangeki), "long-range counterattack", which is the name of the Distant Counter skill.

[Florete]

It was obvious from the name that it wasn't just the standard Distant Counter skill. It's still a pretty big win for armored dragons in particular.

[Some Jerk]

Dist. Counter (D) sounds like a bit of a trade-off though. While it does open up the A slot, it also means the seal will be fighting for real estate with the Breaths and Quick Riposte, which are both things that Dragons commonly need for peak performance.

...Or at least, that's the case for typical Infantry and Armored Dragons. Fliers and Cavalry Dragons have less to worry about since they can't equip Breath seals, and a bunch of them are fast enough to not need Quick Riposte.

Basically, this is your reminder (and also mine) that Summer Young Tiki exists and has a strong refine.

e: I will also be very, very surprised if Brave Tiki's kit isn't tailor-made to accommodate Dist. Counter (D).

Edited August 7, 2022 by Some Jerk

[Mercakete]

At least they're seasonal, so they won't be as much of a pain as Yuri in regular modes. I don't get why the characters are contradicting themselves so much, either... "With style! And stealth." Like, if you succeed in your stealth, no one will notice your style. Pick a goal! And Leila talking about how not being detected is important...while wielding perfume, which ups the chance of detection by giving people another sense to use to find you with. Also, half-masks can be cool, but it feels like if your goal is to get away with stuff, then you'd want to cover your face more than a hollowed-out eyepatch can do. If they wanted to do masks that badly, they could have run a masquerade ball like they half-did with the FE4 dancing banner. That would've been cool.

Anyway, I'm glad Sothe's the demote if only that means that the odds of getting him are higher (mathematically, anyway) than not. And I'm glad Rickard is the TT+ unit so I can get him, too. My orbs will continue to go towards Nifl and Muspell, though.

[Ice Dragon]

23 minutes ago, Some Jerk said:

Dist. Counter (D) sounds like a bit of a trade-off though. While it does open up the A slot, it also means the seal will be fighting for real estate with the Breaths and Quick Riposte, which are both things that typical Dragons commonly need for peak performance.

...Or at least, that's the case for Infantry and Armored Dragons. Fliers and Cavalry Dragons have less to worry about since they can't equip Breath seals, and a bunch of them are fast enough to not need Quick Riposte.

The problem I see with Distant Counter (D) is not the fact that it competes with other Sacred Seals, but the fact that Distant Stance comes with enough stats to often be strictly better, even with the Sacred Seal slot not having access to tier-4 skills (assuming you have the resources for Distant Stance). If you aren't using Quick Riposte in the Sacred Seal slot, Distant Stance + Def/Res Form 3 is just flat-out better than Distant Counter (D) + any A skill except in the Arena where Distant Counter (D) + Distant Def 4 is better due to the Dull effect on Distant Def 4 being reliably useful.

Fast infantry and armored dragons should probably still be running Distant Dart / Distant Pressure + the Spd-boosting Sacred Seal of their choice over Distant Counter (D). For cavalry and fliers, since it's easier to maintain the full +9 Atk/Spd with Catch than Ideal, it's potentially worth giving up 2 Spd to gain 3 Atk by running Atk/Spd Catch 4 + Distant Counter (D) instead of Distant Dart / Distant Pressure + Atk/Spd Solo 3. It's a bit harder to justify, however, if you can consistently get the full boost from Atk/Spd Form 3.

 

My tentative conclusion is that Distant Counter (D) is very good for the average player, but its usefulness decreases the more resources you have for premium skills.

 

29 minutes ago, Mercakete said:

I don't get why the characters are contradicting themselves so much, either... "With style! And stealth." Like, if you succeed in your stealth, no one will notice your style. Pick a goal!

Since they are intended to be the phantom thief trope, stealth is only necessary on the way in. The exit should be stylish because they're supposed to taunt the bumbling police chief.

 

1 minute ago, Mercakete said:

And Leila talking about how not being detected is important...while wielding perfume, which ups the chance of detection by giving people another sense to use to find you with.

As long as she isn't wearing her own perfume, it's fine.

Dropping perfume bottles on opponents' heads seems like it would be a viable strategy. If the bottle breaks, the target is drenched in perfume, which would make their sense of smell worthless due to everything being overpowered by the smell of the perfume.

 

2 minutes ago, Mercakete said:

Also, half-masks can be cool, but it feels like if your goal is to get away with stuff, then you'd want to cover your face more than a hollowed-out eyepatch can do. If they wanted to do masks that badly, they could have run a masquerade ball like they half-did with the FE4 dancing banner. That would've been cool.

Reminder that wearing a mask instantly makes it impossible to discern your identity.

[DefyingFates]

1 hour ago, Humanoid said:

That's probably a good thing, because if it were just straight DC, we'd only ever have one DC seal for the entire barracks. This opens up the possibility of having multiple DC seals with different restrictions in future.

Yeah, that's a surprisingly generous approach to take and I'm curious to see how quickly they'll make the other DC/ CC variants - and if they'll have any drawbacks or reduced SP costs, for that matter. If not, it'd be nice to get T4 updates to existing Seals too.

As for the banner, it's fun to see IS experimenting with different kinds of canto, but at the same time I dread actually facing them in any game mode. Rickard's sword being Canto (Rem. + 1) is a huge deal too, since that's just a Near Trace skill in weapon form, but it also makes me more suspicious of inheritance restrictions.

Also as @Some Jerk said, I'm sure DCD was made with Brave Tiki in mind, since she's releasing later this month (I'd still like to see other such Seals though, of course). I guess even IS didn't have the heart to give her DC as well as the essays they're no doubt already giving her for a Prf weapon and skill.

Edited August 7, 2022 by DefyingFates

[Xenomata]

Speaking as someone who has run low on premium-Distant Counter fodder, I appreciate the freely transferrable source of DC, even if it's just for dragons.

Atk/Res Ideal is also being added, in case anyone cares. I know it's not necessarily an ideal skill (lol), but it's still a mostly-free Atk/Res +5.

[Fire Emblem Fan]

Sothe was seriously shafted. Cath should have been the demote. Honestly, Rickard is one of the best things about this batch, because he's at least a new character that may not have gotten into Heroes otherwise.

[XRay]

Cath: Caper Captain can deal a bit of true damage, steal bonus buffs, and Canto Warp a short distance. Nothing too major in my opinion.

Leila: Keen Workout is reminiscent of Leila but on a horse. She got Slaying, Spd based Sweep, Pain, and Canto Warp to nearby allies. She als got Def/Res Smoke to simulate being a dagger unit, and it is real interesting with Pathfinder built in.

Florid Knife is kind of interesting with Canto, but I do not think it is a game changer.

Nina: Shadowy Figures targets the lower of Def/Res, uses the higher of Blade/Blizzard, and, more importantly, can fly back to safety without needing a Dancer/Singer. She seems pretty fun, but I am a bit iffy on her as a nuke, since she does not have any kind of Sweep or Null Follow-Up (for running B slot Sweeps). I think her combat performance is better than Yuri's, but I am not sure if it is strong enough to give up Sweep and Null Follow-Up in favor of mobility, at least in Summoner Duels.

Oh, and Distant Counter (D) is cool. You can run Guard on A and offload half-Breath to Hilda: Deer's Two-Piece.

Edited August 7, 2022 by XRay

[GrandeRampel]

2 hours ago, Fire Emblem Fan said:

Sothe was seriously shafted. Cath should have been the demote. Honestly, Rickard is one of the best things about this batch, because he's at least a new character that may not have gotten into Heroes otherwise.

If Cath was the demote she would have been the demote in both her versions and we all know that only Xane is allowed to do that.

Leila should have been the demote.

[Othin]

59 minutes ago, GrandeRampel said:

If Cath was the demote she would have been the demote in both her versions and we all know that only Xane is allowed to do that.

Leila should have been the demote.

Looking at the list of seasonal demotes, the ones who have multiple appearances as common units but none as rare units are Cecilia, Lachesis, Ogma, and Xane. If GHBs count, Conrad and Narcian also join that list.

[Sunwoo]

Wasn't Sothe also the demote on his own banner though? Being Micaiah's backpack doesn't really count for an alt.

[Othin]

43 minutes ago, Sunwoo said:

Wasn't Sothe also the demote on his own banner though? Being Micaiah's backpack doesn't really count for an alt.

Good point, it works out the same either way.

[Some Jerk]

Numbers have been acquired.

Spoiler

Def/Res Smoke 3: prereq is either Smoke 3, Staff not allowed, 300 SP
Chill Def/Res 3: prereq is 2, no restrictions, 300 SP
Dist. Counter (D): obviously Dragons only, 300 SP

T!Nina: 38-/37+/43+/18/32; 168 BST
T!Cath: 39-/37+/43+/21/22; 162 BST
T!Leila: 40-/38+/43+/20/25+; 166 BST
T!Sothe: 41/39+/41+/28-/23; 172 BST, Swift Sparrow 2 at 4★
T!Rickard: 38+/38+/42+/33/25+; 176 BST, Flier Formation at 4★