Asvatthaman

“Rage makes justice, and strikes evil! I’m aware that’s biased. But hey, I decided to run that path!”

“Against unreasonable stuff, you gotta rage, rage, rage! It’s fine, I’ll rage with you!” - Asvatthaman, after trying to roll himself in the gacha alongside Guda

Said to have half the body of Shiva himself, Asvatthaman is the personification of anger, whose wrathful vengeance had massacred thousands of soldiers in a single night. A warrior reputed to be as powerful as the celebrated heroes Arjuna and Karna, Asvatthaman is a single-target Buster-type damage dealer who also possesses affinity towards Quick cards and criticals.

Asvatthaman’s primary source of burst damage comes from his NP Sudarshana Chakra Yamaraj, which deals extra damage based on his remaining health. It also removes the enemy’s defensive buffs, though this unfortunately happens after damage is dealt. Aside from the active card performance buffs provided by his Violation of Chivalry and Revered Soldier (which buff Buster and Quick cards respectively), Asvatthaman is notable for the offensive benefit of his passives. Independent Action increases his critical damage by 12%, with a further 10% given to Buster crits thanks to Fury Incarnate (which also buffs Buster Performance by 5% and provides immunity to Mental Debuffs). Rounding up Asvatthaman’s kit is his first skill, Mystic Gem of Mani, which charges his NP and grants him a 1-turn Invincibility.

As varied as Asvatthaman’s skillset may be, its less focused nature results in less on-demand damage, unless he’s at low health or has had the opportunity to apply some Defense debuffs beforehand. Defensively, the fact that his only survival tool is tied into an NP Charge skill poses a potential problem, as using it for the latter might mean that the Invincibility wouldn’t be ready in time to defend against an enemy NP.

Asvatthaman’s criticals result in good sustained damage, and his varied methods of boosting his damage makes using him more interesting. While his burst damage can be slightly tricky to pull off, he is definitely capable of dealing pretty impressive damage if the conditions are met.

Good Sustained Damage

As an Archer, Asvatthaman’s high Star Weight synergizes well with his powerful critical-oriented passives. Furthermore, he also boasts multiple buffs with 3-turn durations, and is even capable of stacking multiple Defense debuffs on a single enemy through his second skill. All these factors allow him to deal a respectable amount of damage spread over multiple turns.

High Damage Ceiling

Asvatthaman’s theoretical damage ceiling is pretty impressive thanks to his NP’s secondary effect, which increases the damage it deals based on Asvatthaman’s remaining HP. His second skill’s aforementioned Defense debuffs also add to this equation, potentially increasing his damage by a significant amount.

NP Charge & Decent Utility

The NP Charge of Mystic Gem of Mani gives Asvatthaman faster access to his NP, potentially allowing him to perform an NP on the first turn with the help of NP Charge supports or Starting NP CEs. Asvatthaman also has a couple of tools in regards to utility, with his immunity against Mental Debuffs (e.g. Charm and Terror) as well as his NP’s removal of Defense debuffs.

Weaker On-Demand Damage

Sudarshana Chakra Yamaraj’s HP-based extra damage as well as Violation of Chivalry’s Defense debuffs are among Asvatthaman’s main sources of damage boost, but both require some kind of setup from the player’s side and can be rather unreliable. As such, it can be more tricky for Asvatthaman to eliminate higher HP threats without prior planning.

Conflicting Survival Skill Effects

Although Asvatthaman nominally has a survival tool in the form of Demon Jewel’s Invincibility, the fact that the skill also has an NP Charge component means that it would often be used for the latter, which in turn can cause the Invincibility to be unavailable in emergency situations.

All of Asvatthaman’s skills benefit his damage dealing capability, and it’s recommended to max them eventually if he is to be used in an extensive manner. Aside from potentially his first skill, however, the two remaining skills aren’t particularly crucial to his playstyle, and can generally be leveled at the Master’s discretion.

• While Mystic Gem of Mani B is not a direct damage boosting skill, the skill’s NP Charge component and the potential for a makes it just as, if not more important than the other two skills. It is recommended to level this skill first up to the point where Asvatthaman can reliably perform a first-turn NP with the help of CEs and supports accessible to the Master, after which Violation of Chivalry should be prioritized instead.
• Violation of Chivalry A acts as Asvatthaman’s primary damage boosting skill, as it boosts his Buster Card Performance for 3 turns and allows said Buster cards to apply Defense debuffs for 3 hits. This skill should be prioritized over Mystic Gem of Mani at higher levels.
• Revered Soldier A+ has a similar structure to Violation of Chivalry, containing a 3-turn Quick Performance buff with a second effect which increases their Critical Damage for 3 hits. As Asvatthaman only has two Quick cards, this skill is less important compared to the other two skills and should be leveled last.

Starting NP Gauge Craft Essences, including hybrid variants, are Asvatthaman’s best CE choices in most situations. Secondary effects of Buster Performance Up and Attack Up are great choices, as well as NP Damage Up and Critical Damage Up ones.

• Kaleidoscope / The Imaginary Element (MLB): These CEs help Asvatthaman perform a 1st turn NP without external aid. In general, they should be used for situations where NP Charge supports are not readily available, or when Asvatthaman is used as a backrow damage dealer.
• Aerial Drive / Golden Sumo: Boulder Tournament / Holy Night Supper / Partake with the King / Starry Nights / Sweet Crystal: These CEs sacrifice a bit of Starting NP for longer-term offensive or utility benefits. They are solid choices in general, even more so when the stage does not require a very early NP to be fired.
• The Black Grail: This CE invests more into Asvatthaman’s NP damage at the expense of his other command cards and criticals, as well as slightly reducing his HP every turn. It is best used against single bosses with high HP, and especially with a higher-NP level Asvatthaman.
• Limited/Zero Over / Joint Recital / Hero Elly’s Adventure / Victor of the Moon / Verdant Sound of Destruction: These CEs offer direct damage increase in a more balanced manner compared to the Black Grail. They perform better compared to the latter in easier stages where Black Grail’s NP damage benefit would be overkill, and are best used in compositions with high NP Charge support.