Quetzalcoatl (Samba/Santa)

“We're giving out presents at the rhythm of samba~! Mucho mucho!”

Although Quetzalcoatl’s transformation into a Santa was the result of a misunderstanding, she nevertheless takes up both roles without hesitation, performing samba while also distributing presents like a proper Santa should! The Ruler-class Quetzalcoatl is an offensive Buster Servant, with a critical-oriented kit which also features some supporting capabilities.

Quetzalcoatl’s offensive foundation comes from her easy access to NP5, complemented by her high ATK stat and the Ruler class 1.1x damage modifier. She builds upon these factors through her skillset, which contains various offensive buffs both critical-oriented and otherwise. What differentiates Samba/Santa, however, is her respectable supporting capability, being able to buff the entire party’s attack (Sambista) and Critical Damage (Yucatán Regalo de Navidad), as well as having targetable Star Gather Rate Up and Star Drop Rate Up (Gift of the Goddess). While not as impressive defensively, she boasts the innately high survivability of the Ruler class, as well as a whooping 46% passive debuff resistance from Magic Resistance and Core of the Goddess.

Unfortunately, being summoned into the Ruler class also proves to be Quetzalcoatl’s curse as a damage dealer, as it offers no offensive class advantage save against Berserker and Moon Cancer. This means that Quetzalcoatl is rarely an optimal damage dealer choice when compared to others with proper class advantage, especially considering her AoE NP (which fares worse against bosses). Furthermore, her fully offensive skillset leaves her vulnerable to bosses’ NPs, which oftentimes deal enough damage to be fatal even considering her Ruler advantage.

Quetzalcoatl may not always be optimal, but reliable she definitely is, and that is what is ultimately important for a welfare Servant. With admirable offense and her supporting capabilities, she is sure to bring the joy of samba and the love of Christmas to the battlefield.

Easy Access to NP5

As with all welfares, Quetzalcoatl’s virtually guaranteed access to NP5 remains one of her greatest strengths, as it brings her NP damage to a sufficiently high level even with lower skill levels.

Self-Sufficient Critical Damage Dealer

Quetzalcoatl (Samba/Santa) has nearly every kind of critical oriented buff, from Star Drop Rate Up, Star Gather Rate Up, Critical Damage Up to even Star generation per turn. Furthermore, her natural star generation is also pretty noticeable thanks to a combination of high hit count as well as the Star Drop Rate buffs from her NP and second skill. With all these factors in mind, it is fair to say that she is capable of performing critical hits in a consistent manner even with limited external support.

Decent Support

Quetzalcoatl provides sizable attack and Critical Damage buffs to the party through her first skill and NP, respectively, and while these are already valuable enough, her second skill applies a targetable Star Gather Rate and Star Drop Rate Up buff, which can be used to ensure a fellow damage dealer’s critical hits in conjunction with the passive critical stars gained from her first skill.

Tankiness and Passive Debuff Resistance

Quetzalcoatl benefits from the Ruler class’ nearly-universal defensive class advantage, which coupled with her considerable HP allows her to endure many hits from her opponents. Her high Magic Resistance also works with her Core of the Goddess passive to provide an impressive total of 46% passive debuff resistance, which allows her a fair chance to evade incoming debuffs altogether.

Limited Offensive Class Advantage

Offensive class advantage effectively doubles the damage a Servant deals; as a Ruler, Quetzalcoatl only enjoys this benefit against Berserkers and Moon Cancers, the latter of which is a relatively rare class to be found among enemies, much less so in groups. While Samba/Santa does well enough in terms of neutral damage, it is rarely the case that she would be a recommended option over other Servants when the aforementioned class advantage is brought in, which severely hurts her long-term value in terms of resource investment.

Lacks Hard Defensive Skill

While Quetzalcoatl is able to shrug off most normal hits without so much as a sweat, NPs, especially those of bosses, are an entirely different case, as they often deal high enough damage to eliminate her even at full health and factoring in the Ruler-class defensive class advantage. Without any sort of Invincibility or Evasion skill, Quetz is forced to rely on her allies to cover her defenses in this regard.

In terms of personal damage dealing capability, Quetz’s first and third skills are high in value, and it’s recommended to have these skills at higher levels for the increased effect and reduced cooldown. Meanwhile, her second skill can generally be left at a lower level.

• Sambista B is a simple, yet very powerful skill. Not only does it provide respectable ATK up to the entire party, it also provides critical stars every turn for 3 turns, which makes for an impactful combination in critical-oriented teams. This skill should generally be leveled first due to the attack buff’s party-wide nature and increase in critical stars, though Masters who seek to focus on Quetz’s personal damage dealing capability might benefit from focusing on her third skill first. 
• As the skill name would suggest, Gift of the Goddess A is a targetable skill which applies a Star Gather Rate Up (1 turn) as well as a Star Drop Rate Up (3 turn) buff on its target. It can be used on an ally when necessary, but Quetz herself can also benefit from the skill, granting her a lot of flexibility in regards to dealing critical damage. Nevertheless, it is more situational compared to her other two skills, and as such should be leveled last.
• Christmas Tactics EX is Quetz’s personal Buster Performance buff, which has lower magnitude compared to Mana Burst type skills but lasts for 3 turns. It also has the added benefit of increasing her Buster cards’ Star Gather Rate for one turn, helping ensure that they would be able to benefit from her NP’s Critical Damage Up buff. This skill may be leveled first if the Master wishes to focus on Quetz’s personal damage dealing capability, and second otherwise.

Quetzalcoatl (Samba/Santa)’s CE picks are in line with that of most other Buster damage dealers, with a preference towards Starting NP Gauge and pairing well with offensive effects such as Buster Performance Up, Attack Up, NP Damage Up and Critical Damage Up. When used in a more supportive role, she can also equip passive Star generation CEs to double down on her first skill’s effect.

• Kaleidoscope / The Imaginary Element: With no NP Charge skill to speak of, these pure Starting NP CEs are Quetzalcoatl’s most reliable way to access her NP early in the fight without help from NP Charge supports. Naturally, they should be used in stages where her AoE NP (or its Critical Damage Up buff) is desired early on.
• Aerial Drive / Holy Night Supper / Golden Sumo: Boulder Tournament / Starry Nights / First Sunrise / Partake with the King: Hybrid Starting CEs which also provide long-term offensive benefits, these CEs are recommended for situations where Quetz has some NP Charge support from her allies, or otherwise to guarantee access to her NP in stages with more limited turns. 
• Joint Recital / Hero Elly’s Adventure / Limited/Zero Over / Demon King of the Sixth Heaven / Kaleid Ruby / Verdant Sound of Destruction: These are CEs provide direct damage increase through Buster Performance Up, in some cases combining it with other secondary offensive effects. They can be used in lieu of the above categories when Quetzalcoatl’s NP is not needed, or when ample NP Charge support is brought along.