Surtr

• Preferred IV: +ATK or +DEF / -SPD

• Weapon: Sinmara

• Assist: Swap / Pivot

• Special: Bonfire

• Passive A: Distant Counter / Breath Skill

• Passive B: Bold Fighter

• Passive C: Surtr’s Menace / Armor March

• Sacred Seal: Quick Riposte / Quickened Pulse

This build takes advantage of Surtr’s status as an armored unit in order to make him an unstoppable force during both Player and Enemy Phase. For his IVs, Surtr appreciates boons in key stats such as Attack and Defense. A boon in Attack makes for a strong overall option by boosting his raw damage significantly while a boon in Defense further adds to his already incredible physical bulk as well as the damage from Defense-scaling Specials such as Bonfire and Ignis.

The choice between Distant Counter and a Breath skill for the A slot depends on what type of opponents Surtr is likely to take on. Distant Counter grants Surtr much more general coverage by allowing him to retaliate against ranged opponents while any choice of Breath skill make him much stronger in handling melee threats thanks to the increased Special cooldown charge as well as the stat boost that they provide during Enemy Phase.

Bold Fighter is a crucial part of this set, as it grants Surtr a strong presence during the Player Phase. Not only does it guarantee his follow-up attack on initiation, the Special cooldown acceleration it provides allows Surtr to potentially activate Bonfire every single round of combat. Surtr’s exceptional Attack coupled with the sheer power of his Special activation will cleave through just about any opponent he initiates on.

Surtr’s Menace is a unique and incredibly powerful skill that seldom needs to be replaced. Not only does it give Surtr a +4 buff to all his stats, it also reduces the stats of any opponent within 2 spaces by 4 as well, creating a total stat difference of 8. However, due to armored units being naturally restricted to only one movement, it can be difficult to get consistently get Surtr into a position where he can initiate on his opponent. This makes Armor March a good choice of C skill for him to carry should another teammate not be using it already.

Both the Quick Riposte and Quickened Pulse Sacred Seals are key in maximizing Surtr’s Enemy Phase potential. Quick Riposte guarantees Surtr’s follow-up attack as well as his Special activation when initiated on at the cost of being more susceptible to follow-up attacks. Meanwhile, Quickened Pulse lowers the initial cooldown of Bonfire to 2. When combined with a Breath skill, Surtr can activate his Special on his very first counterattack, allowing him to take out opponents in a single hit before they have the chance to double him. In particular, this can be the deciding factor in his matchups against Ayra and Legendary Eirika

• Preferred IV: +ATK or +DEF or +RES / -SPD

• Weapon: Sinmara

• Assist: Swap / Pivot

• Special: Bonfire / Aether

• Passive A: Distant Counter / Breath Skills / Steady Stance

• Passive B: Wary Fighter

• Passive C: Surtr’s Menace

• Sacred Seal: Distant Def / Close Def

Surtr’s unique skills synergize extremely well with his high durability by brutally punishing opponents that can’t take him out in a single round of combat. With both Sinmara and Surtr’s Menace, any opponents within 2 spaces of Surtr will take 20 damage and a -4 reduction to all their stats. If that wasn’t crippling enough, Surtr will also gain a buff of +4 to all of his. This set focuses on elements from Surtr’s base kit in order to make him a wall that strikes down any opponent that so much as comes near him.

In addition to Attack and Defense, Resistance can also make for a good choice of boon in order to even out his overall bulk as well as making it harder for strong magical attackers to defeat Surtr in a single round of combat. As for his Special, Bonfire remains a very strong choice of Special for sheer damage alone. Alternatively, Aether can also make for a good option by giving Surtr self-sustainability through its healing aspect at the cost of a longer cooldown.

Distant Counter is still the best all-around option by giving Surtr coverage over ranged units while Breath skills help significantly against other melee opponents. If neither are available, Surtr’s native Steady Stance 4 makes for a great alternative to Breath skills. At the expense of lowering his Special cooldown, Steady Stance 4 grants Surtr an unparalleled +8 boost to his Defense when initiated on while also preventing his opponent from activating their Special.

Wary Fighter is the crux of this set, as it greatly reduces the amount of damage that Surtr takes in a single round of combat by preventing his opponent’s follow-up attack. Since very few units have any hope of defeating Surtr in a single hit, the opposing team will often be stuck in the AOE of Surtr’s skills during the next turn. Finally, both the Distant Def and Close Def Sacred Seals complement this Enemy Phase-oriented playstyle perfectly by further reducing damage taken from physical and ranged opponents respectively when initiated on.