Mathilda

• Preferred IV: +RES or +ATK / -DEF

• Weapon: Berkut’s Lance+ (+Atk) / Berkut’s Lance+ (+Res)

• Assist: Reposition / Player Preference

• Special: Moonbow / Iceberg  

• Passive A: Distant Counter

• Passive B: Quick Riposte / B Tomebreaker  

• Passive C: Atk Ploy / Def Ploy / Cavalry Buff

• Sacred Seal: Distant Def / Def Ploy / Atk Ploy / Quick Riposte

This set is designed to make the most of Mathilda’s best feature and turn her into a very effective magical counter.

For her boon and bane, Mathilda will want either a Resistance or Attack boon with Defense bane. Both Resistance and Attack have their merits as a boon and are about equal in desirability, so this will be a personal choice. For the weapon, lance fighters have access to Berkut’s Lance. This lance grants extra Resistance when attacked and is a staple choice for any lance fighter designed to fight magical foes. Refining it for either Attack or Resistance is advised. The Assist slot is open with practically anything working. Reposition is a great general use Assist for cavaliers. Moonbow makes for a great Special thanks to its low cooldown which can activate very consistently. Iceberg is another good choice thanks to Mathilda’s high Resistance.

Distant Counter is the best choice of A slot for this build. This skill allows Mathilda to counterattack against ranged foes. While this build can theoretically work without Distant Counter, this build will lose a lot of its appeal without it as Mathilda will be unable to defeat any magical foe on Enemy Phase besides dragons. For the B slot, Quick Riposte allows Mathilda to perform a guaranteed follow-up attack against whoever attacks her so long as she’s above 70% HP, helping her against fast mages who easily outspeed her. Alternatively, B Tomebreaker allows Mathilda to prevent follow-ups from units such as Ophelia, Ishtar, and Linde, as well as prevent Lancebreaker Reinhardt from attacking her four times.

With her sky-high Resistance, Mathilda works fantastically with Ploy skills. Both Atk Ploy and Def Ploy make great options which both benefit Mathilda greatly. If she’s alongside other cavaliers, a cavalry buff is also a great choice. Last but not least, Distant Def is the ideal Sacred Seal for this build, granting her a strong defensive boost when attacked at a distance. Either of the aforementioned Ploy skills work great too. If something other than Quick Riposte is being used in the B slot, the Quick Riposte Sacred Seal makes for a strong choice as well.

• Preferred IV: +ATK / -HP or -DEF

• Weapon: Ridersbane+ (+Eff) / Ridersbane+ (+Atk)

• Assist: Reposition / Player Preference

• Special: Moonbow / Iceberg  

• Passive A: Fury / Distant Counter  

• Passive B: Renewal / Vantage / Cancel Affinity

• Passive C: Def Ploy / Cavalry Buff

• Sacred Seal: Attack +3 / Def Ploy

This set is designed to make the most use of Mathilda’s base weapon: the Ridersbane. With this weapon, she can become an effective anti-cavalry unit. This build is also relatively cheap to be effective with some more expensive alternative skills that are by no means required.

Mathilda will want the most Attack possible in order to give her the highest likelihood of defeating enemy cavaliers in a single hit, making it the overall best choice of boon. Either HP or Defense will make for fine bane choices. The Ridersbane is Mathilda’s base weapon and grants her effective damage against cavaliers. Refining it for the +Eff refine which allows her to ignore cavalry buffs is recommended, thought refining for Attack is also a decent choice. Any Assist can work here, with Reposition being the safe general choice for most cavaliers. Moonbow works great as a Special thanks to its low cooldown, but Iceberg is also a good choice thanks to Mathilda’s high Resistance.

In the A slot, Fury is a solid option that increases all of Mathilda’s stats, though at the cost of some recoil damage after any round of combat. While much more expensive, Distant Counter will allow Mathilda to retaliate against ranged units which of course includes the infamous Reinhardt. In the B slot, Renewal helps Mathilda to stay healthy and helps to offset the recoil damage effect of Fury. Vantage is another solid option, allowing a DC Mathilda to attack first against an attacking Reinhardt or simply allowing Mathilda to attack first against any attacking cavalier. Her default Cancel Affinity is also a nice choice, helping against any green unit that happens to be using Triangle Adept, such as the budget TA Raven Cecilia combo.

In the C slot, Mathilda’s high Resistance allows her to make easy use of Def Ploy in order to weaken the Defense of opposing enemies and thus help her to secure KOs easier. If she’s on a cavalry team, using a cavalry buff is a strong alternative. For the Sacred Seal, the simple Attack Seal will help Mathilda offensively and make it easier for her to secure OHKOs against enemy cavaliers. If she’s using a cavalry buff in her C slot, she can also use Def Ploy as the Sacred Seal instead.