Standard Banner: Hellagur & Suzuran
The new Standard Banner features the following Operators:
Featured Operators:
Suzuran
Hellagur
Chiave
Warfarin
Shamare- Based on previous patterns, it is likely but not 100% certain that the Operators for purchase in the Distinction store will be Suzuran and Warfarin
- 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★
Should You Pull?
Probably not. You may be getting tired of hearing it by now, but the upcoming limited banner is likely a better use of your resources than this Standard banner.
That being said, Suzuran, Warfarin, and Shamare are all extremely strong support units who shine in high-difficulty content. If you’re a new player who plans to do high-risk CCs someday, or if you’ve been struggling with high-difficulty content, these Operators might be useful additions to your roster. None of the Operators on the upcoming limited banner are gamechangers like Ch’en the Holungday was, so if you don’t care about getting the limited unit, you may have some leeway to throw pulls at this banner.
(Keep in mind that Suzuran, Warfarin, and Shamare are not very useful unless you already have strong DPS units to utilize their support. If you don’t have superstars like SilverAsh, Exusiai, or Ch’en the Holungday already, then saving your pulls for DPS units may be a better idea than gunning for these support units.)
As with all banners, a 5★ or higher Operator is guaranteed in the first 10 rolls. Should you pull for that? Maybe. If your squad is lacking in buffers and/or debuffers, Warfarin and Shamare are some of the better choices for the job, so it might be worth it to take a chance on the guaranteed 5★ roll. Chiave is largely a gimmick unit, but even he can be useful if you don’t have Texas.
Quick Overview
+ Usual archetype strengths: Extremely high HP and ATK
+ Good for Contingency Contract (CC) events
+ Can 1v1 various kinds of enemies with no help, even big nasties like Avengers and Worldcursers (if RNG is on his side)
= Has Block-1 (typical of Enmity Guards)
= Somewhat RNG-dependent if using S2
- Usual archetype weaknesses: Can't be healed directly (although regen does work) and has a high DP cost
- Multiple duelist-types that are as good or better have been added to the game since his release, i.e., Mountain, Surtr
- Tends to be less important in regular content, where healing/ Operator choices are less limited and 1v1ing is less valuable
Slower/ Decel Binder Supporter
+ Incredibly potent support unit; one of the best sources of Fragile in Arknights so far (S3)
+ Talent charges [Per Second] SP for other Supporter allies
+ E2 Talent inflicts Fragile (take increased damage) on enemies who are in her attack range and inflicted with Slow
+ S2 is a great multi-target Slowing ability and also does decent DPS
+ S3 covers a huge range, Slows all enemies within it (triggering E2 Talent), increases the strength of her Fragile debuff, AND constantly heals all allies within range
- Her strength is amplifying the DPS of her allies, but she can’t do this until E2 (Fragile is on her E2 Talent and her S3), so she needs a LOT of investment
- S1 triggers automatically and S2 has a relatively long charge time (though her own Talent shortens it)
Skill-DP-Recovery/ Pioneer Vanguard
+ Talent gives Chiave an ATK and DEF buff for every deployed 1★ Operator and gives all 1★ Operators greatly reduced redeploy time
+ S1 generates a lot of DP (the same amount as other 5★ Skill-DP-Recovery Vanguards)
+ S2 instantly generates DP, deals Arts damage to nearby enemies, and reduces the RES of all damaged enemies
= Compared to popular 5★ Vanguard Texas, Chiave does slightly more damage (especially when buffed) and inflicts a RES debuff, but he can’t Stun enemies
- Usefulness falls dramatically if you’re not using 1★ Operators and/or aren’t utilizing the RES debuff
+ Talent gives SP to Warfarin and a random ally for each enemy that dies within Warfarin’s healing range
+ S1 gives a BIG boost to Warfarin’s healing that synergizes beautifully with bulky units like Defenders
+ S2 grants a large ATK buff to Warfarin and one random ally within her healing range
- Maximizing her Talent/ S2 effects requires careful positioning, which can impede her healing coverage
+ Usual archetype strengths: wide attack range, high base RES, cheap DP cost
+ Talent inflicts Fragile, increasing the damage taken by nearby enemies when they are low on HP
+ S1 makes her Fragile debuff even stronger, helping to burn through meaty targets
+ S2 deploys a cursed doll that reduces ATK and DEF of enemies within its range; a great way to reduce enemy DPS and make bosses/ elites less of a threat
- Usual archetype weaknesses: her direct DPS is so low that she is sometimes less effective than fielding another DPS unit (especially in the early game)
- Her S2 does not increase the damage dealt by Arts DPS Operators, since her doll only lowers DEF, not RES
Hellagur
Hellagur is a ferocious one-on-one killing machine. His crazy HP and ATK stats are backed up with powerful DPS Skills, healing every time he attacks, and HP regeneration when he isn’t Blocking to top him off before his next duel. Be careful, though: all this power comes at the cost of not being able to be directly healed by allies.
Hellagur can single-handedly defeat most enemies he comes across, and he doesn’t need the help of a Medic to do it, which makes him incredibly self-sufficient. He does have his limitations, however. Having Block-1 limits how many enemies he can realistically duel in one map, and the fact that he can’t be directly healed makes it difficult for him to fight enemies whose DPS outstrips his healing.
Like other older Operators (pun not intended), Hellagur has also been challenged by the powercreep of newer Operators in Arknights. Mountain and Surtr bring even more dueling power to the table, while Bagpipe and Phantom perform similarly against weaker foes but also boast utility and flexibility that Hellagur cannot match. To give him credit, Hellagur’s combination of self-sustain, high damage, and Physical Dodge can still be leveraged to great effect, especially in Contingency Contracts, where his self-reliance is a massive boon. There are just fewer situations where he’s the best choice for the job.
I don’t recommend pulling for Hellagur, but he’s worth leveling if you lack other duelist-type Operators.
Suzuran
Suzuran is the ultimate damage amplifier for her allies. She Slows enemies to keep them in attack range for a longer period of time, and while they’re Slowed she afflicts them with the Fragile debuff, increasing the amount of damage her allies deal. The combination is simple but effective, especially during her S3, which increases Suzuran’s range as well as the effect of her Fragile debuff. It doesn’t matter if you’re facing a massive wave or a single mighty boss: once they hit the gravity well of Suzuran’s S3, they move like molasses and tear like tissue paper.
The problem with a “damage amplifier” unit is that they need someone else to provide damage for them to amplify. Suzuran’s direct damage potential is negligible, especially in comparison to a powerhouse like Angelina. If the rest of your team doesn’t have decent damage to bring to the table, Suzuran can’t do much to help them. Furthermore, as a young and inexperienced Operator, Suzuran needs a lot of training. Her big selling point is the combination of Slow and Fragile, but she can’t actually cause Fragile until she’s promoted to E2. That’s a long time to wait for an Operator to do their job.
I recommend pulling for Suzuran, especially if you don’t have Angelina.
Chiave
Chiave loves tinkering with machines and robots, so it’s no surprise that his Technical Expertise Talent involves working with Rhodes Island’s Robot Operators. Technical Expertise gives Chiave bonus ATK and DEF for every 1★ Operator on the field, and it also gives all 1★ Operators dramatically decreased deployment time. Would you like to use Castle-3’s Tactical Configuration buff every minute? How about Lancet-2’s global Support Spray healing? Chiave makes this possible!
Chiave can be a pretty potent fighter when boosted by enough 1★ units (especially with the AoE Arts burst of his Blazing Wire Stripper S2). However, this is more of a gimmick rather than something worth focusing on longterm. Chiave wants the Robots to stay on the field so he gets his buffs, but because he reduces their redeployment time, you want to retreat them and use their on-deploy Talents again later… and doing so will remove Chiave’s buffs.
It doesn’t help that Chiave is in direct competition with similar 5★ Pioneer Vanguard Texas, whose S2 has a Stun effect that is much more widely useful than Chiave’s tricks. It’s easy to get full value from Texas on pretty much any map, while Chiave is extremely situational at best and a much more limited Texas at worst.
I don’t recommend pulling for Chiave, even with a fourth Robot Operator hitting the field for the upcoming Near Light event.
Warfarin
Warfarin is one of the relatively small pool of Operators that can massively amplify another Operator’s damage. Her S2 grants a terrific ATK buff, and her Talent generates SP every time an enemy dies within her attack range. When she focuses her attention on a suitable Operator (Exusiai is particularly popular for this), the map quickly becomes bathed in blood. Just the way this vampire likes it.
Unfortunately, applying Warfarin’s powers to the correct Operator can be tricky, because her Talent and her S2 affect random Operators within her range. The ideal situation is to have only one Operator within Warfarin’s range, so you can guarantee who she buffs, but this also means she can only heal that one target, creating a tradeoff between how much Warfarin can heal your team versus how much she can buff your DPS.
I recommend pulling for or buying Warfarin. Placing her correctly to maximize her effectiveness can take some effort, but the benefits are worth it.
Shamare
Shamare may or may not owe her unsettling voodoo powers to her doll, Morte, but she unquestionably owes her status as a potent Supporter Operator to his participation in her S2. Shamare’s S2 allows her to place Morte on the field to decrease the ATK and DEF of all enemies around him—a deceptively simple effect, but one with devastating results.
Debuffing ATK and DEF together gives Shamare a hybrid role: she makes enemies squishier by lowering their DEF, yes, but lowering enemy ATK also makes your frontliners much more survivable. Furthermore, because Shamare’s S2 is tied to the location of her doll rather than her own placement, Shamare is very versatile with her positioning. She can sit far away from the action and still use Morte to debuff enemies at the frontlines.
These are very appealing qualities, but Shamare’s life is too cursed not to have a few stumbling blocks. Firstly, while Shamare can deploy Morte at a great distance, her Talent’s Fragile debuff is still tied to her location, so placing her too far away from the action limits her effectiveness. Secondly, Shamare has no way of reducing enemy RES. If your strategy revolves around Physical damage, then Shamare is very potent, but if you’re focusing on Arts damage, Shamare’s usefulness noticeably drops. Finally, Shamare has virtually no offensive or defensive presence on her own. She can create misfortune for her enemies, but she needs strong allies to take advantage of the opening she provides; otherwise, her efforts will be wasted.
I don’t recommend pulling for Shamare specifically, but she can be well worth leveling for high-end content if you pull her.
