Okita Souji (Alter)

Okita’s skills are for the most part vanilla, and can be raised in order of effectiveness. The only one which must be raised to max is Persistence, as a 30% gauge boost provides much more utility than a 20% (allowing for a 50% starting gauge CE, a Helena/Merlin, and a self-charge to reach 100%). 

• Kyokuchi A is Okita’s primary sustain steroid, boosting 4 of her 5 cards (all except her single Arts card) as well as her NP. The cooldown reduction to 6-turns may be worth considering for longer fights, but if Masters are short on supplies they can get away with leaving this at level 6-9. As this affects more cards than Muhen, level this second.
• Persistence B is Okita’s NP charge skill, and also provides a turn of increased Critical Star gathering. As a 30% charge provides far more utility than 28%, Masters should level this to max and level it first. Masters can also opt to activate this on the turn they wish to unleash Critical damage as the charge remains through the fight, although in most cases the Star Gather boost is secondary to the NP charge in usefulness. 
• Boundless A provides Okita with a three-turn Noble Phantasm buff and a 1-time 3-turn evasion. Masters looking to loop will use this both turns 1 and 2, stacking it for the final wave. In a rare situation where the evasion is needed turn 3, the second cast can be left for later. This should be leveled last. 

"Majin-san daishouri!”

Answering the question all Shinsengumi fans asked, the Counter Force has decided to recreate Okita as an Alter Ego to represent who she could have become without tuberculosis, with all the daishouri still around for her victories. With her high hit counts and a decent loopable Buster AoE Noble Phantasm, she is a welcome addition to teams, particularly when her Alter Ego class proves useful, such as mixed Cavalry nodes.

Okita is primarily used as a strong damage option with the potential to loop. As Persistence B has a 30% charge on a 6-turn or less cooldown, she can cast three Noble Phantasms in three turns with two Koyanskayas, Oberon, and a CE which provides 50% charge. This is doubled on the final turn as Kyouchi A and Boundless A have 3 turn boosts to damage on less than a 6-turn cooldown after interlude boosts. All these damage boosts, along with her innate high attack value, give her great sustained damage potential. 

On the flip side, Okita is an Alter Ego who receives a 1.5x boost to damage against Cavalry classes instead of the 2x other Servants with single-class advantage receive, so she has much less usage against single-class nodes. She also suffers from some durability issues with one of the lowest 5-star HP values, while also not benefiting from class damage resist (receiving 1x damage instead of 0.5x in almost all cases) and only having a 1-hit 3-turn evasion to survive on pre upgrade. 

Overall, Okita tends to suffer from her class typing by not being the ideal choice for mono-class nodes, as well as being relatively fragile. However, she is a great choice when faced with a multi-class Cavalry or Berserker node with her Buster AoE Noble Phantasm. Daishouri!

Good Sustained Damage

With Okita now having a 3-turn boost to noble phantasm damage, she has become great at looping against all cavalry type nodes. As this damage is boosted and has the much desirable NP damage up twice to benefit from Oberon, she is sure to lop off quite a few heads!

Good Hit Counts

With two 5-hit Quick cards, a 3-hit Arts, and a 5-hit Extra, Okita has great hit counts overall. This can allow her to produce a decent sum of stars for her team, or for herself if the need arises. 

Alter Ego Classing

Thanks to her Alter Ego classing, Okita can land 1.5x damage on any Cavalry mob, and in turn receives neutral damage from all classes except Berserkers. She also has class advantage against Foreigner class, dealing 2x damage and receiving 0.5x damage. Granted, enemy Foreigners are rare, and waves of 2-3 Foreigner enemies even more rare, although she is good to keep in mind for the rare occasion they do pop up.

Low Durability

With low HP and only a 1-hit 3-turn evasion to rely on, Okita will need support to survive more than a couple of rounds if she doesn’t manage to decimate the enemy beforehand. 

Poor NP Gain

Despite her hit counts, Okita has a low NP gain modifier and only a single Arts card. She will be very reliant on her 30% charge to unleash her true form.

Alter Ego Classing

Unfortunately, Alter Egos are “Jack of All Trades, Master of None.” With only 1.5x on Cavalry, she will often do less damage on a wave of Cavalry than a traditional counter-class who can do 2x. The only time she really shines is when a wave has multiple classes of Cavalry mobs, or against Foreigner mobs, which are rare.

With a 30% charge at max, Okita benefits the most from Mixed Damage / Starting Gauge CEs for looping. If she cannot, Critical Damage CEs provide the best bang for her buck, boosting her common Critical Hits to a higher level. If one needs an easy-access Noble Phantasm, Starting Gauge CEs could also work.

• Aerial Drive  / Holy Night Supper / Partake with the King / Golden Sumo: Okita Alter has come a long way, but her best CEs are still those with mixed damage. Those with NP damage up are preferable as a composition running with Oberon will double this damage on the final wave.
• Starry Nights / Victor of the Moon / Joint Recital / Conversation on the Hot Sands: Okita will wind up producing and gathering plenty of stars, so CEs which boost her Critical damage are a good idea.
• Kaleidoscope / The Imaginary Element / Dragon’s Meridian: Sometimes, one just wants to unleash a Noble Phantasm, and simply providing Okita with a starting gauge will do exactly that.