Mage PVP Builds
These are my RTA builds with some GW/arena splashed in although not all of them are currently in use. There is a short description of their use and build. This includes both current and old builds for your reference. If there’s multiple builds then the one closest to the top is current.
Kawerik: Similar use as Kise where his main role is to disrupt someone with his S2 and do damage. Good pick when opponent is not speed contesting. Book or damage artifacts work but I strongly prefer book. Swap imprints depending on opponent.
Mercedes: She's mainly for earth expedition but wanted to show a destruction set build.
Mercedes: Counter build mainly for GW defense but works fine for RTA as well. She's more usable now that there's more earth units picked like Alencia and Violet.
Mercedes (+15): Injury works well on defense to give you an advantage against tanky teams with Roana in particular.
Mercedes (+15): Great AOE hero against Landy or Stene but prone to RNG. That RNG is great on GW or arena defense though.
Melissa - Great DPS for Cavel cleave as she has an extra turn mechanic. She's also a good option against ER BBK as she can ignore ER strip.
Milim: Made her a high damage bruiser. She pairs well with Landy to deny the opponent the pick. She can 2-shot a destina with S1->S3 combo. S1 heal EE works well with this build but S3 EE is better with a faster Milim.
Milim (5/5/5): With this speed she's a great anti-Landy pick but still serves her role against Violet/Arby/etc as well.
Politis: My default DPS so I can block my opponent from picking her. She helps stop War Horn/Dilibet/etc from cutting and is another way to deal with non-degen Arby.
Researcher Carrot: Another unit that's revived due to the shift in meta. There's a lot more earth units being picked and STene is still very prevalent. Abyssal Crown or Etica's Sceptre can work as well.
Roy Mustang: Lifesteal enables him to 1v4, particularly good with Adventurer Ras. Chatty is a must to make him almost unkillable - solo ARavi no problem.
Roy Mustang: Mr. Book Abuser. Soul burn twice and he can activate his S3. Pen is a must to maximize his damage.
Aria: If you ban higher eff strippers like Arowell then Aria can easily 1v4 the other team. Speed isn't an issue, focus on the other stats. You can put her on her own artifact or Proof of Valor instead.
Aria: I call her "The Wall". With soul burn she can keep the team stealthed permanently and carry the game. The little bit of ER helps protect again STene and other non-dedicated strippers like Handguy.
Eda: Very good last pick with any of the popular openers but works with mid speed hero like Handguy. She's a great way to deal with Dilibet as well. Recommend building her 80% of your opener's speed.
Fairytale Tenebria: Powercrept by CLilias but a good niche pick when there's no speed contest. Another hero that needs book.
Fumyr: Another good cleave option. This is a good speed but I'd prefer more EFF - 200 EFF is minimum.
Angel of Life Angelica: High EFF builds enables her to even control units like Destina. Immunity is back to help against Laika and friends.
Angel of Light Angelica: My 2nd AOLA on a slower build to counter Handguy. You can essentially hold his S3 hostage. Ideally I want her on book as well but I don't have anymore MLB copies.
Angel of Light Angelica: Good counter to Rimuru and general annoying unit overall. I really only draft her when I'm not cleaving. The speed can surprise people and give you 1st turn advantage.
Architect Laika: Another one-shot hero to add to the collection. If you can go first, she's a great pick to take out a key hero. Book is a must to ensure her S2 -> S3 combo.
Gloomyrain: Great speed imprint as she also carries book. Even with such good gear her damage is quite low. Hope she gets a SC!
Silver Blade Aramintha: She's great with Ran in arena cleave in particular especially against Senya and LAdin defenses. Make her 230+ spd depending on the speed of your opener to ensure she cuts.
Solitaria of the Snow: Injury to deal with all these HP heroes. Requires high speed to protect herself.
Solitaria of the Snow: Great pair with Death Dealer Ray and can often hard carry a game. The ER helps her stay in stealth.
Sage Baal & Sezan: Anti-cleave hero particularly against Ran. You want high ER to prevent Zio pushback/silence if possible.
Sylvan Sage Vivian: Some ER along with Bastion really helps to cover her greatest weakness. Really need high GS to pull this off, otherwise she doesn't do enough data to carry.
Sylvan Sage Vivian: Another 1v4 hero with her damage mitigation stacks. Can easily solo most popular bruiser heroes such as Alencia or ARavi. Chatty is best here for add an additional layer of safety. Very similar role to Aria.
Archdemon's Shadow: Damage build with good bulk. Full bulk build just doesn't bring enough aggression. Fairytale artifact is BIS but Iela or Abyssal Crown is viable as well.
Auxiliary Lots: The original cleave is back mainly for arena. As his push is 100%, he can push Giselle past any Ocean Breeze Luluca. Spirit's Breath enables him to S2 endlessly.
Challenger Dominiel (+15): She's a very strong single target DPS right now with both Ran, Peira, Pavel and Cerise. Ideally she would be higher CC to deal with Politis/Celine but I don't want to sacrifice her damage and speed to kill ARavi/Hwayoung.
Eternal Wanderer Ludwig: Cleave's best DPS. He should be 80% of your opener's speed to ensure one soul burn can push him enough. Book is a must to help trigger the soul burns. I will put better gear on him for RTA.
Specter Tenebria: Moved her to destruction with more speed to match my aggro play style.
Specter Tenebria: Changed her to pen set with a bit of bulk to outright kill someone turn 1. Enough bulk to survive 1 AOE essentially. Still one of the best neutral DPS picks.
Specter Tenebria (+15): Almost full damage build primarily for cleave. Although with the amount of single target DPS in the meta, this will work well for standard as well.
Specter Tenebria (+15): Standard LS build better suited against AOE drafts.
Top Model Luluca: Not very good right now due to all the ways she can be outsped but can work to bridge in cleave.
Zio: Ideally I'd like him 270 speed. High EFF enables him to CC troublesome units like Destina and setup Jacko/Yufine. Book is best here.