Arknights: Should You Pull? Standard Banner: Phantom and Magallan

The new Standard Banner features the following Operators:

Featured Operators:

Rarity	Operator
6★	Phantom - Fast-Redeploy Specialist Magallan - Summoner Supporter
5★	Leonhardt - AoE Caster Mayer - Summoner Supporter Ayerscarpe - Ranged Guard

• Based on previous patterns, it is likely but not 100% certain that the Operators for purchase in the Distinction store will be Magallan and Mayer.
• 6★ Rate-Ups have a 50% chance of appearing when pulling a 6★
• 5★ Rate-Ups have a 50% chance of appearing when pulling a 5★

If you know that you really want one of these units, then yes. Otherwise, probably not.

This banner is pretty much the definition of “Because Niche is Nice.” Phantom, Magallan, and Mayer are all extremely powerful examples of niche archetypes, while Leonhardt is one of the stronger examples of a bad archetype and Ayerscarpe is one of the weaker examples of a good archetype.

All five Operators can pull their weight, and if you’re a big fan of one of these archetypes (or one of these character designs) then it’s not a bad banner for them. However, none of these Operators are vital for clearing current content, so most Doctors would probably be better off saving their resources for a stronger banner.

Even if these Operators don’t really appeal to you, you may want to do Headhunt x1 on this banner until you pull a 5★ or higher Operator, since one is guaranteed in the first 10 rolls.

Fast-Redeploy Specialist

+ He gives you two Fast-Redeploy units for the cost of one Squad spot (him and his clone)

+ Versatile Skills allow him to provide damage avoidance/ soaking, burst DPS, or AoE crowd-control

+ Has the highest DPS of Fast-Redeploy Specialists, making him the best Fast-Redeploy assassin (especially if you can drop his clone on the same target)

- Typical archetype weaknesses: stats are unimpressive compared to other 6★ Operators

- He and his clone both cost DP, so he can burn through your DP quickly if used repeatedly

Summoner Supporter

+ Usual archetype strengths: Great for “Limited to a smaller Squad of Operators” Challenge Modes, Contracts in CC events, or the “Integrated Strategies” roguelike event

+ Incredibly versatile; covers various roles and types of damage depending on her Skill

+ Currently one of the strongest crowd-controllers in the game with S1

+ Offers heavy ST and AoE Arts damage with S2

+ Provides physical AoE damage with S3

+ Gives her drones camouflage when they are deployed, allowing them to attack enemies undetected for several seconds

= Her drones have Block-0 regardless of what Skill she uses, which is sometimes useful and sometimes inconvenient (contrast with Mayer, whose summons have Block-1)

= S2 drones can only be deployed on ground grids and S3 drones can only be deployed on ranged grids, which can limit their usefulness on some stages

- Usual archetype weaknesses: Monopolizes DP and deployment slots to deploy her drones

- Drones are fragile and easily killed off by ranged enemies after the camouflage wears off

- Cannot recover drones that are killed by enemies unless she retreats and redeploys

AoE Caster

+ High potential AoE burst damage because his S2 can store multiple charges

+ Has exceptionally wide AoE because his S2 increases his attack range for one hit and targets all enemies within that range (it’s a true AoE, not splash damage)

+ Talent increases his ATK when multiple enemies are within his range; this is ideal, since AoE Casters are usually used to counter swarms

+ S2 debuffs enemy RES, enhancing his own damage and that of other Arts-DPS Operators

- Usual AoE Caster weaknesses: slow ASPD and high DP cost

Summoner Supporter

+ Usual archetype strengths: Great for “Limited to a smaller Squad of Operators” Challenge Modes, Contracts in CC events, or the “Integrated Strategies” roguelike event

+ Can deploy multiple mechanical minions called Meeboos to block and attack enemies

+ Massive Arts damage potential with well-timed S2 activations

+ S2 recycles her Meeboos, allowing her to redeploy them in new spots with full health

- Usual archetype weaknesses: Monopolizes DP and deployment slots to deploy her Meeboos

- Cannot recover Meeboos that are killed by enemies unless she retreats and redeploys

Ranged Guard

+ Talent increases the ASPD of nearby allies

+ A melee Physical attacker who can do Arts damage to multiple targets with his Skills, which can be useful in some situations

+ S1 is a relatively rare melee Slow option and is multi-target

- S2 requires enemies to be blocked to be dealt bonus damage, but heavy blocking strategies are not common in the current meta, especially for high-level content

- In most cases is inferior to Lappland, who will typically do better damage and provides the Silence debuff

Phantom is an inversion of the Phantom from The Phantom of the Opera. While Erik the Phantom was terrible to look upon but had the voice of an angel, Rhodes Island’s Phantom is a debonair bishounen whose Originium-warped voice inspires madness in those who hear it. One thing that both versions have in common, however, is their prowess at assassinating the unwary.

Instead of hanging his foes from the rafters of an opera house, Phantom prefers to slide a knife into their heart. The stacked ATK buffs granted by his S2 can make quick work of a vulnerable target, at which point Phantom can vanish from the field like a ghost and use his Fast-Redeploy Trait to reappear like a bad dream. Assassination is not Phantom’s only raison d’etre, however: he can use the Physical Dodge of his S1 to tank enemy attacks, or the random AoE ailments of his S3 to debilitate incoming targets. And best of all, he’s not alone in these endeavors. After being deployed, Phantom can craft a clone of himself that deploys with the same Skill that Phantom is currently using. Enemies don’t just have one stalling, Stunning, assassinating Phantom spiriting across the field: they have to deal with two.

When it comes to class and coolness factor, Phantom obviously gets top marks. But is he worth using? Well… yes and no. Gravel is better at stalling, and Projekt-Red and Waai Fu are more reliable debuffers. Phantom’s real claim to fame is his DPS, but in many situations, Duelist Guards or DP-on-Kill Vanguards can fill his assassin role fairly comparably. However, they lack Phantom’s Fast-Redeploy time. If you urgently need to kill multiple enemies on different parts of the battlefield (i.e., any map that has predeployed enemy Casters), Phantom and his clone can do the job like nobody else.

I don’t recommend pulling for Phantom unless you really like the idea of having a Fast-Redeploy assassin (or are a diehard Phantom of the Opera fan).

Magallan has an army of flying drones at her beck and call, and she’s equipped them to handle a wide variety of tasks. With S1, they exude some of the most consistent CC in Arknights. With S2, they drill into enemies’ vulnerable pates with powerful melee Arts damage. And with S3, they open fire on enemies from afar with ranged AoE missiles.

Magallan takes the strengths of a Summoner Supporter to a whole new level, but her complex robotics are not easy to utilize. Her drones are aerial, so they can’t Block, and each one uses both DP and a unit slot when deployed. Her Skills are very powerful, but they recall all of her active drones when the duration ends, forcing you to deploy them again. And the only way to recover drones that are killed by enemies is by retreating and redeploying Magallan herself, so making a mistake with her can really screw you over.

There are a lot of fine details to learn and remember when using Magallan. Is the effort worth it? Absolutely.

I recommend pulling for Magallan, but only if you understand how Summoner Supporters play and are interested in using them.

Leonhardt uses his Originium Arts for two purposes: exploding anything in his way to smithereens, and keeping those smithereens away from his designer wardrobe. If he’s got enough talent to keep dirt, mud, and monster parts off his expensive sneakers, you’d expect his Arts to be pretty strong… and you’d be right! Leonhardt is an AoE Caster who becomes stronger the more targets he has in his attack range, and he uses his S2 to blast all enemies in that range simultaneously while also reducing their RES in preparation for his next assault.

AoE Casters are a famously undertuned archetype—strong in the early game, usually unable to keep up later on—but Leonhardt is one of the better examples of the type. His kit is perfect for an AoE Caster’s specialty—blowing up hordes of weak units—and he brings some much-appreciated support to other Arts Operators by reducing enemy RES. He still suffers from the usual AoE Caster issues of slow ASPD and outsized DP cost, but he pulls a lot more weight than most of the archetype and can be a surprisingly viable Operator.

I don’t recommend pulling for Leonhardt.

Mayer is literally a one-woman army, bringing her host of robotic otters—the Meeboos—to cover every avenue of the battlefield with one squad slot. The Meeboos are simple Block-1 ground units, but like any good mad scientist, Mayer has programmed them to self-destruct! When Mayer activates her S2, all deployed Meeboos explode and retreat, dealing colossal Arts damage to their unsuspecting foes and returning to Mayer’s hand to be redeployed fresh. Used intelligently, Mayer can solo entire battlefields with her Meeboos (as long as there aren’t too many flying enemies, that is!)

I recommend pulling for Mayer, but only if you are very sure that you like Summoner Supporters and want to raise her.

Ayerscarpe has a gun and a bunch of swords. An ordinary person would probably use the gun for ranged attacks and the sword for melee attacks. Not Ayerscarpe: he uses the gun to fire the swords and the swords to fire electricity. His fellow Operators are confused.

Regardless of what Ayerscarpe is choosing to throw at his opponent today, you can’t argue that he gets results. Both of Ayerscarpe’s Skills do multi-target Arts damage, and his S1 also Slows the affected targets. His S2 is one of the more unusual Skills in Arknights: in addition to making his attacks Arts damage for the duration and increasing his attack range, it projects an electric field around adjacent allies that damages all opponents that those allies are Blocking. And don’t forget about his Talent, which grants a rare ASPD buff to all nearby allies.

Ayerscarpe can be a potent asset, between his multi-target Arts damage and the ASPD buff he brings to the table. However, this usually isn’t enough to stand out in comparison to other units in his archetype. There are a lot of extremely strong Ranged Guards, and Ayerscarpe’s limited utility and awkward S2 have trouble standing out from the crowd. The S2 is his real issue: successfully Blocking enemies in high-level content can be very difficult, and its effects aren’t really worth the effort to make it work. In a vacuum, Ayerscarpe can perform admirably, but in practice, there are usually better Operators to bring to the field.

I don’t recommend pulling for Ayerscarpe.