Bean Build Channel - episode #2x - Axe Fliers {Grail Edition}

[Sir_of_Coffee]

Hell-o and welcome back.
The last episode had a nice sweet arrangement of units. All feeling really unique.
Let’s ruin that with Cherche 0.5 and 0.6 shall we?
And Narcian.

Let’s just call the Narcian channel, because he clearly is the main draw here

If you think this one’s weird, just wait until we get to blue mages.

To be more serious…
For those new, here’s I’m diving into common charactes, grails for this one.
They will be rated together and with the 3-4* units.
I won’t penalize their higher cost, but do remember that 3-4* units are cheaper.

For the ones returning, there’s a small change to builds.
Every unit will now have a budget build and a premium build. They will be labled as such for clearity.
I might also throw in a bonus build, but 1 cheap and 1 pricy are the standard.

Tank

Michalis

One of the first wave of GHB and Refines, Michalis has been here a while.
While simple, his weapon allows for good special bombs and he can be a neat special spammer.
However if you’d like to switch his weapon, you’re better off switching characters

Strengths
Slayer + Wo Dao weapon
Good hp/atk/def

Flaws
Poor spd
Terrible res
Needs his weapon to stand out

Biggest standout factor
Hauteclare. It may not seem impressive but this weapon is nice, just nice. Nothing groundbreaking but it can help deal some real damage.

Rating
3,5/5

Builds
You want power and you want defence. How you go about it is up to you. Close def may seem wierd and not budget, but Joshua is there with it for a fee of grails. As is H!Dorcas with sturdy stance.
For more premium, Steady Stance 4. A blessing on a unit without skills like steady breath or wary fighter.
More than most, it allows Michalis to freely charge specials by just getting hit a lot. A lot of the individual components are interchangable here. So if you like another special, A skill or seal better, go for it.

Budget

Premium

Gerome/Haar

Yes I will be combining Nightwing and the one eyed mailman together in a single entry. It’s a bit lazy and cheating maybe, but really… They’re interchangable.
+1 atk/res (Gerome) vs +2 def (Haar)
Personally favor Haar: 1 more copy, more in the future, and the def. But pick the ‘skin’ you like most.
Their biggest problem is being outmatched. Offence is covered by Cherche, Beruka is a better pure tank and Michalis is them with a unique weapon. They do have higher bst than the rest, but with too much wasted on spd and hp, they don’t stand out much.

Strengths
Great Hp/Atk
Good Def

Flaws
Poor Speed and Res
Can’t stand out

Biggest standout factor
Probably the combo of their hp, atk and def. At the very least, they’re the most bulky duo who can also deal damage. But I’m trying to be generous here.

Rating
2,5/5

Builds
Let’s keep things simple and use Gerome for one and Haar for the other.
You want bulk, you want atk, you and enemy phase. It’s really quite simple, the builds speak for themselfs.
I’ve thrown in an extra build, for fun. One I really like but I can’t say is ‘amazing’ or anything.
Just a fun little build that looks hella badass
The budget build might not seem budget, but the weapon + A skill can be taken from H!Dorcas as long as you kill a Silas for steady stance 1 first. The panic ploy is optional.
The premium option is a bit wierd, seeing how I’ve said for them and Michalis that their spd is useless. Haar/Gerome have a bit more freedom with their weapon than Michy, so it is an option.
Ofc, Steady Stance 4 is surely also very useful on them.

Budget

Premium

Extra

Narcian (Allround)

Narcian

The man, the myth, the disappointment.
We can meme all day, but Narcian isn’t that great.
Why is really simple, he tries to be everything. It’s very easy to get all his stats above 30.
But that costs his overall usability.
A unit like this needs some unique tool to work with, but until we get there…

Strengths
Allround statline
Good mixed bulk

Flaws
Nothing stands out
Damage output especially suffers

Biggest standout factor
Mixed bulk with spd you can build is his saving grace. With the right builds he can take a hit and avoid doubles. But don’t expect anything special.

Rating
2/5

Builds
So yeah, best way to go is to try and make him somewhat allround. It won’t make him strong, but it could give him a niche. Budget means mostly going for short fights but more freedom, while going a bit more premium goes the way of full bond. The bonds can be switched around depending on preference.
I didn’t include it, but handbell/sack o’ gifts are good weapons for him as well, giving allround stats.
Stances can help him too, as can close def.

Budget

Premium

Overal ratings

Ratings

5
4,5 - Cherche, Reyson
4 - Camilla
3,5 - Michalis
3 - Beruka
2,5 - Haar, Gerome
2 - Narcian
1,5
1

Edits

Edit Log

Haar, Gerome and Beruka rating -0,5

Previous Episodes

#1 - Lance Cavaliers

Bean Build Channel - Class Comparison episode #1 - Lance Cavaliers

#1x - Lance Cavaliers {Grail Edition}

Bean Build Channel - Class Comparison episode #1x - Lance Cavaliers {Grail Edition}

#2 - Axe Fliers

Bean Build Channel - Episode #2 - Axe Fliers

[myrrhder]

How long does it take for you to finish these BBCs?

[Sir_of_Coffee]

A little while.
I think about 60 minutes if I’d work on it in one go, but I usually make em in little segments all across the day.

[Eflakis]

I completely forgot Michalis’s existence

And thank you for not abbreviating the name this time

Pretty interesting builds, I hope Gerome, Haar, and Narcian can get refines that can compete with Michalis, but seriously, how rare is it that the first unit released of these 4 ends up being the best(or was Narcian first?)

[myrrhder]

So you work on each character separately?

[Razeus]

I was thinking a gerome build, and i think this is a very good one, thanks

[Sir_of_Coffee]

Basicly, that’s the easiest way to keep track.

I make the layout first, then write the parts in each tab seperate from eachother. And I finish one character before I move on to the next. Though at times I will go back and edit a bit.
In this one I realized 2,5 would be a tad low for Haar/Gerome so I changed it to 3.

@Eflakis Yeah, it’s easy to forget but he’s a tad overlooked I’d say. Not super amazing, but a fine unit.
He might seem high, but that’s because the 3-4* units clearly win here. Even if you ignore cost.

[myrrhder]

Makes sense. I’m the type of person that will try and compile the information, and then comparatively work on them at the same time. Either way, it’s a good read.

[KupicZR]

Here’s the thing. If going full defensive, Cherche doesn’t stand out anymore. Also, you don’t have to constantly try your luck to merge up a grail unit. The process will be slow, but certain, but will also grant the time for new skills or even a new prf to release for that character.

[Krazytre]

Sees Narcian rated so low

[Sir_of_Coffee]

I can’t rate Haar and Gerome higher than this, but I’d totally surgest them for defence while I push Cherche for offence. Make the most at what they’re best at.

But overal, I think Beruka is the most likely to get a refine.
With Narcian on the second place.

@Krazytre One day he’ll get the Rune Axe he deserves.
Ofc, I did try to make a super special stalker build for him. Hope that makes up for things

[KupicZR]

Agreed. Who needs Atk when you can just stand there and use Bonfire/Ignis/Aether?

[Dan]

You do good work my friend. I’ll be reading all of these.

[Krazytre]

I could actually argue that he could ignore speed and just go with mixed bulk.

Hack O’Lantern pretty much takes care of Specials unless they’re running something like Flashing Blade, so he doesn’t have to worry about taking Specials to the face.

Also, why Fury and Quick Riposte? I feel like I may have missed something on that one.

[Sir_of_Coffee]

Thing is, using spd is the only way to justify using him over Beruka.
A +res beruka is basicly a Narcian who trades spd for more def and hp.
So to make him stand out, he has a need for spd.

The budget had one goal: Maximize his effectiveness is a single round of combat. Giving him mixed bulk and spd to survive single combat even if it means he won’t do much after that. There are modes where he’d benifit off that.
I guess you could give him steady poisture if you want him to survive somewhat longer.

But I stand with the fact that I’d give him spd.

Edit: If you compare Beruka +res with Narcian both at +1
Beruka has +3 hp and +4 def.
Narcian has +6 spd and + 1 atk/res
While not miles ahead, Beruka is the better tank if you don’t build spd.

[Krazytre]

If Narcian is rated so low because of Beruka,then why is Gerome rated so high if Cherche is better than him in every possible way?

Edit - On closer inspection, Gerome has 3 more resistance

[HeavenlyTempest]

Lovely as always. Out of curiosity, any idea which unit group you’ll cover next?

[Sir_of_Coffee]

Because their stats are still fine, even if they’re not special.
But I’m really on the edge of 2,5 vs 3

@HeavenlyTempest
Thx. Dunno who’s next, any surgestions are welcome.
Probably a red or colorless group, to spread my coverage a bit more.

[HeavenlyTempest]

Infantry healers could be interesting, as well as archers I’d say.

[sawtuis]

Narcian is 2
But he so epic.

Poor Narcian, I think he is honestly one of the worst units in the game.