Arknights: Should You Pull? Standard Banner: Mostima and Ch'en

The new Standard Banner features the following Operators:

Featured Operators:

Rarity	Operator
6★	Mostima - AoE Caster Ch'en - Dualstrike Guard
5★	Meteorite - AoE Sniper Leizi - Chain Caster Astesia - Arts Guard

• Based on previous patterns, it is likely but not 100% certain that the Operators for purchase in the Distinction store will be Ch'en and Leizi
• 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★

NO WAY.

This might be the worst Standard Banner of all time, and it is coming at one of the most unfortunate times. Not only does this banner “feature” two of the three notoriously lackluster “Moody Blues” Operators as the 6★ rate-ups, but the 5★s are similarly mediocre (Meteorite, who is passable at best, is probably the best unit for her rarity on the banner). This banner would be disappointing even if the legendarily broken “Ch’en the Holungday” banner wasn’t just around the corner. (Which it should be.)

As with all banners, a 5★ or higher Operator is guaranteed in the first 10 rolls. Should you pull for that? Definitely not. Leizi is pretty bad, Astesia has been massively powercrept by better Arts Guards, and Meteorite is fine at what she does but is by no means strong in the meta. There is no reason to dedicate resources to pulling any of these 5★ units (other than waifu/ husbando reasons, which as we all know are the most important reasons of all).

AoE Caster

+ E1 Talent increases rate of SP gain for allied Casters

+ E2 Talent passively Slows enemies within her attack range

+ S2 Stuns all enemies within her attack range for several seconds and deals damage over time

+ S3 massively increases her damage, range, and crowd-control for the duration

- Usual archetype weaknesses: High DP cost, slow ASPD

- Long Skill cooldowns and short durations, leading to terrible Skill cycling and uptime (her SP-gain Talent helps this a little, at least)

- Even for an AoE Caster and even for an AoE Caster focused on utility, her DPS is pretty bad

Dualstrike Guard

+ Talent 1 regularly generates SP for allies with the [Attacking Enemy] and [Getting Hit] SP charge types

+ S2 is a strong AoE burst damage strike that does both Arts and Physical damage and can hit aerial enemies as well. At M3, it has full SP on deploy, allowing Ch’en to use it immediately upon deployment.

+ S3 is good for assassinating one strong enemy or small groups

= As is typical for the archetype, Ch’en’s attacks hit twice, but she has lower ATK to compensate; this is good against low-DEF enemies but a drawback against high-DEF enemies

= Although her attacks hit twice, they still only recover 1 SP for her [Attacking Enemy] Skills

= Her burst damage potential is very high thanks to her Skills, but her sustained damage is less impressive

- The hybrid damage of S2 means it gets mitigated by both DEF and RES, so its output tends to fall behind single-type damage nukes; as such, her ability to one-shot targets with S2 falls off in later content with stronger enemies

- S3 has a relatively long charge time if she isn’t constantly attacking (even with her Talent) and low initial SP for its SP charge type, so it’s not usable as a helidrop Skill the way S2 is

- S3 doesn’t hit aerial enemies

AoE Sniper

+ Massive attack range and good damage potential with crit-chance Talent

+ S1 has increased splash range with a decent damage multiplier, offering fairly consistent AoE damage

+ S2 debuffs DEF of all enemies hit

- Usual archetype weaknesses: High DP cost, slow ASPD

- Can struggle against high-DEF targets, even with her S2

Chain Caster

+ Has “chain lightning” attacks that can jump up to 4 tiles if enemies are arranged correctly

+ Talent (bonus ATK when hitting unblocked enemies) and innate crowd-control from her Trait means she works well with no-Block strategies

= Better than a ST Caster when enemies are close together, and better than an AoE Caster when enemies are spread out, but worse when the opposite is true

- Usual archetype weaknesses: High DP cost; low base ATK and slow ASPD greatly reduces her potential DPS

- S2 suffers from poor cycle and uptime

- “Chain” range on her attacks is 1.7 grids, so fully utilizing the bounces can be difficult

Arts Guard

+ Very survivable; both her Skills increase her already-good base DEF, and as an Arts Guard she has innate RES

+ Turns into an AoE Arts Guard while her S2 is active

- Has mediocre base ATK and unimpressive ATK multipliers on her Skills 

- Can be inefficient on stages where her niche of melee Arts damage isn’t important

- Vastly outclassed by 6★ Surtr, who is widely available as a support unit, and 5★ Guard Amiya, who is free to acquire

Mostima uses her Originium Arts to control time itself: speeding up the SP gain of allied Casters, slowing down the movement speed of enemies, stopping enemies dead in their tracks, or even rewinding their movements back across the field. However, in addition to being her greatest weapon, time is also her greatest enemy, as she’s held back by low ASPD and long Skill charge times.

When it comes to crowd control, Mostima brings a lot to the table: Slows, Stuns, and Knockback all help impede enemies as they try to move across the field. However, high SP costs and short durations on her Skills means that her CC won’t be available as much as you’d like, and having to pick between a Stun (S2) or everything else (S3) further cuts back on her usefulness. It doesn’t help that Mostima’s damage is absolutely terrible, between low ASPD and low Skill uptime.

To add insult to injury, there are lots of other Operators who can provide comparable crowd control (and often better damage) at cheaper DP costs. If you’re not utilizing all of Mostima’s kit to its utmost, she may not be the most efficient pick for your team.

I don’t recommend pulling for Mostima.

Ch’en is a very popular character, and she’s also very fun to use. Her regular attacks strike twice; she generates SP for all allies who have [When Attacking] or [Getting Hit] Skills; and her Skills are big, flashy strikes that dish out massive burst damage to your unwitting foes. In particular, she’s known for her S2—at full mastery, her S2 has maximum SP as soon as Ch’en is deployed, allowing her to nuke multiple targets at a moment’s notice.

In certain team compositions and against certain enemy compositions, Ch’en can be quite powerful. However, the double-hit nature of her attacks is a disadvantage against high-DEF enemies, and her sustained DPS isn’t as impressive as the burst from her Skills. Early in Arknights, Ch’en is an overwhelming force, but in high-level content, it can be difficult to unleash her full potential.

I don’t recommend pulling for Ch’en.

Meteorite is very simple to understand. Point at enemies. Watch enemies go boom. This isn’t a bad thing, either. Between her crit-chance Talent and her automatic S1, Meteorite is beautifully low-maintenance and terrifyingly effective.

Meteorite’s only issues are those inherent to the AoE Sniper archetype: high DP cost and very slow ASPD. Her slow ASPD in particular is a problem, making her generally inefficient against tough solo enemies and bosses. When swarms appear, however, Meteorite is one of the best in the business for taking them out.

I don’t recommend pulling for Meteorite, but she can be worth raising if you pull her.

Leizi is a Chain Caster, an archetype whose attacks bounce across the field from enemy to enemy, inflicting damage and a Slowing effect. Between her archetype’s innate Slow and her Talent’s bonus damage to unlocked enemies, Leizi is a natural fit for a no-Block strategy, and her “chain lightning” attacks give her unique reach compared to other Caster Operators.

“Unique” does describe Leizi, but “unique” does not mean “good.” Chain Casters fall between a ST Caster and an AoE Caster, and unfortunately, they suffer the downsides of both. Her ATK is lower than an AoE Caster, her ASPD is slower than a ST Caster, and her attacks become less powerful every time they bounce (except when her S2 is active), so her DPS is very low. Her Talent doesn’t make up the difference, especially with her low base ATK, and she has no utility other than the brief Slow from her Trait.

On some stages, where steady streams of enemies are funneling through long chokepoints, Leizi’s attacks can bounce up the enemy ranks and give her pretty impressive range. Otherwise, it’s too easy for the chain lightning to end its chain prematurely, and the overall low damage output means it’s rarely worth the effort anyway.

I don’t recommend pulling for Leizi.

Astesia fills her elegant rapier with the power of the stars, striking down her enemies with melee Arts damage attacks rather than physical. Melee Arts damage is not usually necessary in regular stages (although it is often still helpful), but it’s a godsend in Challenges or Contingency Contracts that ban Casters or Supporters.

Astesia used to be particularly good for this niche thanks to her sturdy base defenses and her useful Skills (her S2 basically turns her into an AoE Guard). However, 6★ Arts Guard Surtr is so unimaginably powerful that Astesia can barely hold a candle in comparison. To add insult to injury, because Surtr is so popular, she’s easily found as a support unit, further reducing Astesia’s opportunities to be helpful on the battlefield.

I don’t recommend pulling for Astesia.