Mastery Priority Guide - Updates for Break the Ice

FAQ and Banner Discussion

Q: Should I pull?

A: It's pretty reasonable to do so, though it isn't a must pull banner and you may be better off saving instead. Gnosis ends up being quite a balanced unit. He has some good niches and is quite strong in them, but he doesn't end up being quite a must-have. His Freeze is very situationally powerful and he is dominant in the upcoming Splatter event as well as the new tower mode, but short uptime on his S3 debuff skill and the necessity of enemies being freezable (and many enemies you would want the Fragile on, are freeze immune) are fairly significant shortcomings. Pretty average (being generous) 5★s plus several more attractive banners on the horizon, further contribute to a banner which isn't quite as necessary to pull on as it could be.

Q: I have (or don't have) Suzuran. Does that change the assessment of Gnosis?

A: Yes. Gnosis exists somewhere between Suzuran and Angelina, but his more important niche closer aligns to Suzuran. Although they act as side-grades to each other, with strengths in different areas, Suzuran tends to be the stronger option for the role thanks to her longer duration on both the stall and the Fragile effect. Gnosis can still have a use in teams with Suzuran due to his powerful Freeze niche and much stronger damage, but her presence does hurt his value quite a bit.

Q: Why isn't Aurora's S1 graded? Wasn't it used in high risk CC#8?

A: It was, however these guides have never been about specific CCs. CCs tend to lend themselves to very niche and specific circumstances that may never be used again, which is exactly the case with Aurora's S1. It just doesn't make sense to grade the skill based on a single event when it has otherwise found no use in the rest of the game.

Q: Should I raise Kjera over Click?

A: Probably not. Kjera is more than a reasonable unit, but a lot of Click's appeal is in her very cheap upgrade costs. Being a 5★, Kjera already costs quite a bit more, but on top of that, Kjera ends up being one of the most expensive 5★ promotions in the game due to the materials she uses. Her DPS is only marginally better, so as a return on investment it makes more sense to stick with Click and Amiya for your low rarity caster needs.

That said, if you are intending to make regular use of Gnosis, then Kjera becomes a more appealing option. Kjera can nearly permanently freeze an enemy alongside Gnosis' basic auto attack. It's not a combo that's worth going out of one's way to accomplish, but can be an appealing addition if you're using the units anyway.

Q: Any thoughts on the new modules? Will they affect grades in the future?

A: Although I do have some criticism, I'm a big fan of the new modules. HG has finally created a way to legitimately buff some under utilized units, and for any other flaws and power creep, that is a very welcome addition.

However they are relatively unlikely to significantly affect my Mastery grades, except perhaps a few small scenarios. The primary problem is that they cost too much. People will have to carefully decide who it is they want to focus on for promotions. That polarizes the meta options, so although, for example, Mostima has gotten a tremendous module, she is still a luxury investment. Most people should focus on Phantom or Bagpipe (just to name a few examples). Only a few modules elevate the unit to the next level and thus justify a difference in investment advice.

The modules are still relatively new so we luckily have some time to reflect on the changes and see how they shake out. And indeed, some units will get improved grades (as far as the grades go, I'm particularly interested in Skadi's S2, Eunectues S3, and Mostima's S3), but don't expect any huge swings either.

Q: Any thoughts on the new game mode? Will it affect grades like IS#2 did?

A: The new game mode is the biggest victim of my real life schedule as I know very little about it. However from what I do know, it's unlikely to have a meaningful impact on the Mastery grades.

Mastery Guide

Break the Ice - Edelweiss' Vow

Gnosis

There is a lengthy discussion to be had on the relative value of Gnosis compared to Suzuran (and Angelina) though that tends to be somewhat out of the scope of what this guide covers. In short, he trades significantly improved damage and a greater Fragile effect for worse duration and a worse stall compared to Suzuran. This, on top of his reliance on no Freeze immunity, leaves Gnosis slightly weaker in the meta-game, though his S3 Masteries are more important to his usage than Suzuran's are to her usage.

Although Mastery only improves his S3 uptime by 3 seconds, his short uptime is his biggest drawback, making it a large value in terms of percentage and usability. Gnosis' S2 presents another very important Mastery.

The skill doesn't have anywhere near the meta value of his S3, but the gains on it are very important to using it effectively which results in a grade a bit higher than the skill's value. It is a very good skill so it's well worth pursuing Mastery on if you intend to make regular use out of Gnosis, though you would be likely fine passing on it should you only be looking to use him in more meta scenarios.

Aurora

Aurora fixes a few of the issues with her Duelist Defender archetype by having significantly lower associated SP costs. However, being a 5★ hampers her numbers compared to Eunectes, who is already not a mandatory promotion.

Her big hits can be quite satisfying, but her 5★ stats and reliance on other Chillers who may otherwise be suboptimal picks leaves her a luxury promotion.

If you do choose to raise her, her S2 is the better option. Her S1 is a decent defense skill that has found some small niches, but her low Block count means those niches are far and few between and the attached stun and drawbacks of the archetype will make it frustrating to use in general content.

Kjera

Kjera, although a decent unit, is probably not one worth raising. When considering promotion costs, there are better options for lower rarity Casters that people will already have available, such as Amiya and Click. That makes the investment value of Kjera quite a bit lower. Given her very high promotion and Mastery costs, it's difficult to give Kjera a grade here, though her S2 is her standout skill should you choose to raise her anyway. Keep in mind that the Mastery gains here are deceptively good (though still not amazing).

Although they look mediocre at first glance, remember the increased attack applies to both herself and both drones. They still aren’t the most impressive Mastery gains, but are at least better than they appear at first glance.

It's worth noting that if you plan to regularly use Gnosis, she can pretty reliably Freeze enemies for her S2 duration which is a pretty powerful combo. However that doesn't ultimately change the suggestion or her grades.

Pramanix

Please note that Pramanix is not a new operator but is a shared rateup on the banner, so her information is included here for reference. Pramanix is a powerful debuffer, but not everyone will find what she brings to be particularly useful.

Advanced players will find decent value in her, and she is a component of many buff comps due to a higher DEF debuff than Shamare, and a quite rare RES debuff. Story and Roguelike players won't find anywhere close to the value though, especially if you have Shamare already.

In Story content, the debuff values tend to be overkill, while her general weakness outside of debuffing is a problem in the Roguelike. Although Shamare is generally the better investment, if you did want to pursue Pramanix, S2 is her best skill for Mastery. The defensive debuff improvement is significant, but most of her Mastery value lies at M3 with the RES debuff improvement.

Source: Reddit