Alfonse

This build’s entire purpose is maximizing the damge output of Ignis. During enemy phase, even without Wrath and Brazen A/D, the Benchlord will do at least 33 damage when Ignis procs. With Brazen A/D and Wrath, he will do a whopping 50 damage, before factoring in how much damage he does on his own.

Fólkvangr’s refine plays a vital role in this build, allowing Alfonse to get a +7 buff to his atk and def at a healthy 38 HP. For the sake of the build, a +def refine is most effective, but a +eff or +atk refine would serve just fine.

Ignis is the special I find to be most effective, as it maximizes damage output, but Bonfire works well if you want more activations.

This set use Brazen Atk/Def 3, as it stacks with Fòlkvangr, and it is easilt accesible, but there are other options. Steady Breath works well if you want Ignis to activate more often, or Steady Stance 4 to ward off an enemy’s Moonbow or the like, keeping this Benchlord alive.

Wrath is the B slot of choice, because the HP threshold for it works particularly well with Fòlkvanger’s and Brazen A/D’s HP thresholds, as it is only a 2 point difference. When the turn starts, it will cut one turn off the cooldown timer, and when the special procs, it does an additional 10 damage. Of course, Wrath is an expensive skill, and so Vantage or Swordbreaker will work in its place.

The C slot is flexible. I chose Def Wave just to increase damage output from a special proc on that turn, and also increase physical bulk. This isn’t necessary, and almost anything will do.

The Seal for this set is Close Def, which increases def and res by 6 when being attacked by a melee unit. The extra res can keep Alfonse alive from a potential attack from a dragon, but it isn’t recommended to let him duel them. The +6 def will increase his physical bulk, but also will count towards Ignis.

During enemy phase, and when at 38 HP or less, Alfonse’s atk will be at a solid 65, and his def stat will be at a massive 56, making him a tank in his own right.

Summoner’s Support, Water Blessing for Fjorm.

WARNING: DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS BUILD. UNLESS YOU ARE STUPID, LIKE ME.

This Alfonse was created to prove a point to my friend that Alfonse is not useless. He is mainly meant for use during Arena Bonus, where he reaches 41 Speed using this kit.
Swift Sparrow 2 helps Alfonse greatly on initiation, making him a huge threat on Player Phase. The A slot can be Darting Blow 3 if on a budget, or can also be substituted for Atk/Spd Bond 3 or Atk/Spd Solo 3 to further increase Alfonse’s middling Speed during both phases.
The B Slot’s best choice is Wrath 3. The additional +10 damage on Draconic Aura is very strong, and punches holes through bulkier reds. Other options can include Chill Spd 3, Chill Atk 3, and Quick Riposte 2 or 3.
The C Slot is run as Panic Ploy 3. During Bonus Season, he reaches 63 HP, and is able to debuff even top Armour Units. Odd Spd Wave 3 or Even Spd Wave 3 are also beneficial choices to keep Alfonse’s Speed at very high levels.
The S Seal must be Speed +3 (or one of its variants). This, along with refined Folkvàngr, puts him at 31 Speed. While not great, 31 prevents some doubles, especially when combined with buffs and other skills. With investment and proper teammates, Alfonse can reach upwards of 50 Speed.
As for the weapon, Folkvàngr is kept for the boost in Attack and Defence, though Wo Dao (+Spd) is another great choice to make his Special much stronger.

(Stats above are raw stats of a lvl 40 unit, it doesn’t count merges, weapon refinement or Summoner Support)

• IVs: NEUTRAL

Bench Prince of Askr can be stronger than it looks. Thanks to his weapon refinement he can use a triple Brazen set to boost his stats like crazy.

Taking advantage of Fólkvangr’s Brazen refinement, I decided to grant him 4 extra defense points as he can be quite tanky.
Having more defense will also work well with Ignis (or Bonfire) as his Special. When in Brazen range, he will deal a crazy amount of damage for a neutral unmerged unit.

Fólkvangr’s Brazen will give him +7 Atk/Def when in range; combined with the same Brazen skill in his A skill slot he can reach +14 Atk/Def. Not that bad huh?
If you add the new Brazen Atk/Res Sacred Seal he will gain +21 Atk, +14 Def and +7 Res as soon as he reaches Brazen range, for a total of 72 Atk, 50 Def and 29 Res (without allies’ buffs).
For a more defensive build, Brazen Def/Res 3 can be used in his A slot.

Triple Brazen can work very well and deal a monstrous amount of damage, but Alfonse still has a very low speed and its probably going to get doubled by everyone. To avoid dying in Enemy Phase, Vantage can help him. Quick Riposte is another option, though more expensive.

Threaten Def 3 is a budget option as his C skill, as it will help him lower his foes defense and hit them harder.

With the right team and buffs, Alfonse can be a very nice unit to use and it’s probably the best one of the Askrian Trio to use in Arena as a bonus unit.

The assist skill doesn't really matter, its more of a preference.

Inside of Brazen range Alfonse reaches a terrifying 74 attack, with 46 defense, before considering on field buffs.
And with the current Brazen seal out at the moment, Either Dragon Fang or Ignis do almost the exact same damage, (Increasing by .4 if opting for +def) dealing 120.8 damage with wrath, The addition of odd atk wave makes Dragon Fang deal 130 on odd turns.

With (+def) and a defense wave skill Ignis still deals 126 damage, and in the case of a Brazen atk/def seal is added the Ignis set will deal 131.6 out classing the Dragon Fang set.

To put this into perspective the hypothetical Ignis set would One-Shot a +10 Arden with Close Defense 6 and armor buffs.

An Enemy Phase that I made for Alfonse that makes him a physical tank. The refinery upgrade gives him Brazen attack and defense 3 to make him take a hit and becomes even more of a "fortress". Aether for sustain but can be substituted for Bonfire/Ignis to take advantage of his +41 def. Sturdy Stance for his A skill to make him tank and hit a little more but can subbed out for a Brazen or Fortress Def. Dull Close for his B skill makes it easier for Alfonse to survive/kill his targets easier but Chill/Breaker skills can also be used and also Wrath or Renewal. C skill is very flexible like for every unit but I chose Drive Def to make his allies take physical hits a bit better.
Fortress Def as his Seal to make his def go pass 40 naturally without his Brazen but can be subbed out with Quick Riposte to proc his special faster.