Saizo

• Preferred IVs: +DEF or +ATK or +SPD / -RES
• Weapon: Barb Shuriken+ (+Def) / Smoke Dagger+ (+Def)
• Assist: Reposition / Swap / Pivot
• Special: Bonfire
• Passive A: Steady Stance / Fury
• Passive B: Bowbreaker
• Passive C: Atk Smoke / Spd Smoke / Drive Skill
• Sacred Seal: Distant Def

Due to how common Brave Bow users in the arena and the new options the weapon refinery offers to daggers, Saizo presents an opportunity to not only bait Brave Bow archers, but to also apply wide-range debuffs to the other team as he does so.

Since buffs are so prevalent (especially on Calvary teams), Saizo’s high Defense even at neutral along with the penalties the Barb Shuriken or Smoke Dagger apply after combat provides a unique function of safely baiting a brave archer while also levelling the playing field against Fortify and/or Hone skills. Barb Shuriken also has the added bonus of a -1 cooldown effect, boosting Saizo’s damage output. Moreover, since he’s a dagger unit, the effects of Sacae’s Blessing do not apply to him, making him a good choice to counter Brave Bow or Mulagir Brave Lyn.

Preferred IV’s on this set are variable – +DEF allows Saizo to soak up more physical damage if he needs to take a hit from a melee foe to protect an ally, but +ATK boosts his potential damage output once the enemy’s archer(s) have been neutralized. +SPD denies follow-ups from any unit with less than 42 Speed, adding to Saizo’s survivability. Reposition allows Saizo to extend the movement of an ally as an assist or to swoop in and rescue a low-Defense unit from being obliterated by an archer or melee foe. Swap or Pivot helps him retreat to safety if he is caught in the range of a magical enemy, though Swap also has the added bonus over Pivot of allowing Saizo to extend an ally’s movement range by one if he’s in front and swaps with them.

Steady Stance, the higher cost investment, greatly adds to Saizo’s physical tanking ability by increasing his Defense by six whenever he is initiated on. Since this bonus applies regardless of the foe’s weapon type, this skill allows Saizo to take a hit or two for a teammate who needs protection during enemy phase with greater flexibility. Fury is another lower cost option that also serves to increase Saizo’s offensive capabilities, although he does struggle slightly with the six damage he’ll take after combat due to his relatively low HP. Bowbreaker continues to be excellent on any high-Defense unit who has a ranged counterattack, and along with Bonfire allows Saizo to KO any Brave archer who initiates on him. 

If using the Barb Shuriken, Atk of Spd Smoke are Saizo's ideal C-slot skills due to their ability to provide additional debuffs to the enemy. If Smoke Dagger is being used, however, Atk/Spd Smoke would be redundant. Therefore Drive Atk or Spd are the preferred C skills for this build, as they provide +3 Attack or Speed to allies within a two space range. This means that Saizo can still provide in-combat support even if he stays out of the direct line of fire, and additionally aids him in staying out of the range of mages.

• Preferred IVs: +DEF / -RES
• Weapon: Barb Shuriken+ (+Def) / Smoke Dagger+ (+Def) / Poison Dagger+
• Assist: Reposition / Swap / Pivot
• Special: Bonfire
• Passive A: Close Counter
• Passive B: Poison Strike
• Passive C: Atk Smoke / Savage Blow
• Sacred Seal: Close Def / Savage Blow

This build takes advantage of Saizo’s excellent Defense and the AI’s tendency to group enemy units together in order to enable an offensive blitz the moment Saizo attacks or is attacked.

With any refined dagger (+Def) and the Close Def Seal, Saizo effectively has 45 Defense against melee units. Without Close Def, Saizo can comfortably tank a hit from any melee unit that doesn’t have a brave weapon with less than 39 Speed. Poison Dagger is also a potential option and boasts increased damage output against infantry foes, but the lack of refinement options slightly reduces Saizo’s physical bulk and nullifies his wide-range debuff capabilities.

Close Counter is the essential component of this build, as it lets Saizo counterattack against melee units on enemy phase to take advantage of the Barb Shuriken or Smoke Dagger’s debuff on the player phase. A debuff to Defense and Resistance softens even the most mighty defensive units, and the additional debuff to Attack and Speed the Smoke Dagger offers greatly reduces the likelihood of units being KO’d once they are able to go on the offensive -- though the Barb Shuriken only debuffs Defense and Resistance, this can be mitigated by using Atk Smoke as a C-slot. It is this skill allows Saizo to really shine, as his Defense and decent Speed enables him to trade hits with mid-Speed non-Brave melee units, charge Bonfire, and debuff not only his target but also any enemy units that are nearby.

Poison Strike and/or Savage Blow allows Saizo to chip away at both the unit that is attacked and the entire enemy team whenever combat is initiated. Combined with the Barb Shuriken + Atk Smoke or Smoke Dagger’s effect, this gives free reign to use other units to completely wipe out the weakened opposing team. Reposition or Swap enable Saizo to ferry an ally out of the way if they’ve already attacked or moved that turn, giving him the chance to bait and apply debuffs to the other team. Pivot is another option that adds to Saizo’s baiting ability, allowing him to sling himself forward if an ally is near and he’s not in a melee foe’s range.

While using this build, it would be advisable to bring a unit with a Firesweep weapon or the Hardy Bearing seal equipped in order to to deal with enemies pushed into Vantage range.

• Preferred IVs: +SPD / -RES or -HP
• Weapon: Barb Shuriken+ (+Spd) / Smoke Dagger+ (+Spd)
• Assist: Reposition / Swap / Flexible
• Special: Moonbow / Bonfire
• Passive A: Life and Death / Darting Blow
• Passive B: Watersweep / Windsweep
• Passive C: Drive Atk / Drive Spd / Spur Atk / Spur Spd
• Sacred Seal: Phantom Spd

Since Saizo’s Speed reaches a respectable 37 with a boon, the intent of this build is to deal damage to a target during the player phase while piling on debuffs and preventing counterattacks.

With a Speed boon, refined dagger, Life and Death or Darting Blow, and the Phantom Spd seal, Saizo can safely initiate on most units. If he uses Watersweep, this allows him to make a sizeable dent in speedy low Defense magic users and archers like Life and Death Nino or Bride Cordelia, debuffing them and the other team and allowing for other units to perform a clean sweep.

If Windsweep is chosen instead, Saizo can engage fast threats like Distant Counter Mia and slower threats like Ike without taking damage in return, weakening them to allow for an easy KO. Drive Atk / Spd or a Spur helps him support his allies to ensure the weakened enemy is defeated during both player and enemy phase.