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Analyzing Special Fighter

In a nutshell, it's the armoured upgrade of guard. Special fighter is to guard as vengeful fighter is to QR.

In general, it's one step above wary fighter for aggressiveness or activity (the opposite of which is passivity) and one step below vengeful fighter.
Listed from most aggressive to least aggressive / most passive:
Bold fighter
Vengeful fighter
Special fighter
Wary fighter

It's really good on units that have other ways to double or who take very little damage and don't mind sitting around a bit longer to launch their ignis on player phase. For example:

Zelgius +spd -res
Alondite
Black luna
Swift sparrow, atk/spd bond, or brazen atk/spd (L&D and fury are not preferred because it hurts his ability to maintain special fighter)
Special fighter
Ward armour
Quick riposte to handle all the super-fast units like B.Celica

He'll double any slow unit naturally and black luna them unless they have wary fighter; fast units he can take on enemy phase and black luna them using QR. He's not afraid of bold fighters thanks to 38 def and special fighter's guard effect.

Sheena, any conventional IV
Slaying axe+def or +res
Aether
Distant counter
Special fighter
Hone or goad armour
Quick riposte

Probably Sheena's new preferred build. Now even the bold fighters can't blast through her using slaying ignis or other explosive stuff. If someone else wants the QR seal, she can just wait for her own turn to unleash the ignis. And she'll probably tank forever, because her mixed defenses go into the 40s and she's nearly impossible to special.

Generally, I don't think anyone is better with this skill at the moment than brave Ephraim because the guy has forced doubles on both phases. However, it is fairly good on any armour using QR, which includes original Hector thanks to Armads and our new Hector, who has QR5 on his weapon.

Other suggestions for ways to use this new skill?

Asked by Seeker4 months 1 week ago

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Answers

Does the cooldown boost apply only to your attacks (like Blade and Fighter skills) or to all attacks (like Breath skills)? Do we even know?

I wouldn't go by the text on this one, btw. IS has no ability to consistently template.

EDIT: Scratch that last part, it appears IS updated the special cooldown abilities to be consistent. Blade and other Fighter skills now say "per unit's attack", while Breath says "per attack". And since Special Fighter says "per attack", it's a Breath effect. Guard Breath. As a B skill. Jesus.

I believe it only applies to the unit's attacks (unlike steady breath) because Ephraim comes with draconic aura.

Actually the description doesn't specify "unit's attack" it only says "per attack", meaning it is a mixed phased breath with guard built in. :D

Cannot be assumed. The wording in vengeful fighter also says "per attack" and doesn't specify "unit's attack."

...actually, that's not true anymore. I just checked and Vengeful Fighter says "unit's attack" now.

It has always been "unit's attack" for VF in the game, I guess GP made a mistake. In the summoning video Special Fighter says "per attack" so it should be a mixed phased breath.
Edit: I can't be sure, maybe IS corrected/changed it, and I remembered wrongly. I don't have the best memory :P

I don't think GP made a mistake; I think IS updated the description. Gamepedia has the same description.

Either way, I find it very strange that they give him draconic aura if it really is a breath skill on both phases. Also, that seems OP. Not that it's impossible to fight against, but it makes things way too easy.

Actually I don't play FEH in English so I can't be sure, but in Chinese and Japanese they do make it clear that those 2 are different, and since they might have updated the game now I can't speak for English description anymore. In anyway SF is worded slightly different in the Japanese summoning video so I can't be 100% sure but it does not specify "unit's attack" like BF/VF.
Though your draconic aura theory is quite convincing.

If the Japanese suggests it's a dual phase breath skill I'm not sure what to think. I definitely give a lot of credit to that, as much as I still find the special-derived guess to be strong logic. I guess we'll have to find out in an hour or so.

Yeah you can ignis every round of combat against other melee units with brave Ephraim or charge it for next combat against ranged enemies who cannot charge their specials against you. Crazy good. Seems good on any fast armor like amelia or zelgius to me.