Legendary Ike

• Preferred IV: +ATK or +SPD or +DEF / -RES or -HP
• Weapon: Ragnell
• Assist: Reposition
• Special: Radiant Aether
• Passive A: Steady Breath / Warding Breath
• Passive B: Quick Riposte / Guard / Vantage
• Passive C: Def Tactic / Flexible
• Sacred Seal: Close Def / Distant Def / Quick Riposte / Atk Smoke

Ike has returned once more with slightly more stats than his original incarnation, and a new, unique special. Radiant Aether is almost completely identical to Aether, except that it has a cooldown of 4 instead of 5. This cooldown reduction means that Legendary Ike can now go bananas by activating Aether in every single combat, as long as Quick Riposte is still active.

Steady Breath is chosen over Warding Breath because Defense is a significantly more useful stat to Legendary Ike than Resistance, as he is much better at handling physical threats than magical threats. On a budget, however, Warding Breath is perfectly serviceable. Either skill synergizes perfectly with his unique Special, Radiant Aether, as he will be able to activate it regardless of whether or not he is doubled.

Quick Riposte is an absolutely essential skill, as Legendary Ike simply does not have enough speed to double other units consistently without it. You can also run Guard instead of Quick Riposte in his B skill slot, but only if Quick Riposte is being run as a Sacred Seal along with it. Guard allows Legendary Ike to minimize damage taken from Special-reliant units, such as Ayra and Zelgius. It also allows him to safely handle armored units who are running Bold Fighter, as their Special activations can significantly damage, if not outright KO him. Vantage is another alternative option, as it can potentially allow Legendary Ike to fire off Radiant Aether before an enemy can finish him off. Vantage + Quick Riposte seal is a powerful combo that will make Ike have a powerful Enemy Phase regardless of his HP.

Def Tactic is Legendary Ike’s base C skill, and it works great when running a mixed composition team. However, his C skill can be replaced as needed to suit the team's needs.

For seals, Close Def, Distant Def, and Atk Smoke are all good options that complement Legendary Ike’s playstyle. Close Def makes him much tankier versus melee threats, allowing him to minimize damage even from heavy hitters such as Bold Fighter armors and dragons. This allows him to stay in Quick Riposte longer, particularly with his Radiant Aether activations providing healing. Distant Def is a decent seal for allowing Legendary Ike to function as a mixed tank versus ranged threats; however, keep in mind that he will struggle versus offensive mages (even if stacking Warding Breath and Distant Def). He can easily handle archers, but will struggle against Firesweep Bow or Brave Lyn (due to Sacae's Blessing). Atk Smoke’s debuff allows Legendary Ike to safely engage multiple enemies on a single turn; the main benefit to Atk Smoke over Close Def is that it also helps Legendary Ike against ranged threats. The Quick Riposte seal is essential if running Guard or Vantage as his B skill.

• Preferred IV: +ATK / -HP or -RES
• Weapon: Ragnell
• Assist: Reposition
• Special: Radiant Aether
• Passive A: Warding Breath
• Passive B: Wrath
• Passive C: Threaten Def / Flexible
• Sacred Seal: Quick Riposte / Quickened Pulse

This is a high-risk, high-reward build that aims to make the most of Legendary Ike’s unique Radiant Aether Special. While this build is functional as-is, it’s at its peak potential when Ike can start out with 2 cooldown instead of 4 on his Radiant Aether. Ideally, a team should run two allies that can both provide Infantry Pulse support to Legendary Ike, allowing him to run the Quick Riposte seal. Otherwise, Legendary Ike will need to run the Quickened Pulse seal, but will still need a minimum of one ally providing Infantry Pulse support. With the combined -2 to Special cooldown, Legendary Ike will be able to immediately activate Radiant Aether on his first counterattack after getting hit once (thanks to the extra charge gained from Warding Breath).

Wrath is the centerpiece of this build; it takes advantage of the fact that Legendary Ike is likely going to be taking enough damage in a single hit to place him within the HP threshold right before activating Radiant Aether. The +10 damage can result in a massive amount of damage, enough to KO a good number of units in a single hit, which results in 1) more healing, and 2) potentially reducing incoming damage as a result of avoiding a second attack. If Legendary Ike needs the second hit to KO his opponent, he will be ready to once again instantly activate Radiant Aether on the next combat.

The choice of seal is dependent on the amount of Infantry Pulse support available. Ideally, you want two allies providing Infantry Pulse support, allowing Legendary Ike to run the Quick Riposte seal. With only one ally providing Infantry Pulse, he will need to run Quickened Pulse. The Quick Riposte seal is a massive increase in effectiveness, as Legendary Ike will be able to counterattack twice in retaliation, instead of being entirely reliant on a single hit to KO. Despite the potent damage of Wrath-boosted Radiant Aether, Legendary Ike will not be able to one hit KO highly bulky units -- particularly when merged -- such as Zelgius and Nowi.