Table of Contents
Character Overview
Ichika is a Permanent 3* Sonic Striker student who will be having an upcoming banner event "Trip-Trap-Train", alongside another new student Kasumi. Since her release in JP, Ichika has found usage in Kurokage Torment as a hyper-carry damage dealer. She has mostly been relegated to being a backup pick due to other alternatives like S.Hanako being a better damage dealer
If you are reading this on her banner, you may be wondering whether she is worth pulling. In general, No. Even if your goal is to clear Kurokage Torment, she is not required in most team compositions. Additionally, there are other high-priority banners to pull for like Kikyou.
Strengths
- High Single Target DPS
- Strong self buffs
Weaknesses
- Better alternatives
- Accuracy buff is a dead stat in PvE
Skill Review
EX Skill
To start things off, we have Ichika’s EX Skill, which deals damage to enemies in a fan-shaped AoE. There isn’t much to talk about with this skill, outside of its high damage multiplier. Since this skill cost 6 to activate, we recommend having a cost support in the team to make the skill rotation more manageable.
Basic Skill
Moving onto Ichika’s Basic Skill, every 30s, it provides her a Sonic Effectiveness buff that lasts for 25s. Similar to most damage effectiveness buffs, this skill effectively increases her damage by around .5x. To make the most out of this skill, you will want to pay attention to when it is activated to ensure that you are landing your EX Skill inside its buff window.
Enchanced Skill
Without Enhanced+ unlocked, Ichika’s Enhanced Skill is underwhelming only providing an Accuracy buff. In PvE, this is a dead stat since most enemies have low evasion. Its secondary effect increases ATK, which further bolsters her damage output. We recommend raising this skill last, as her other skills provide better benefits.
Sub Skill
Lastly, Ichika’s Sub Skill deals an additional instance of damage to enemies that aren’t taking cover. In raids, enemies do not take cover, which guarantees this effect triggers. Keep in mind that the damage this skill deals is a separate source of damage and is not added to other attacks.
Gameplay Progression
Early game: For the early game, Sonic students can struggle to find usage as there are no Elastic armored stages. However, Ichika can still find a spot in teams that are lacking AoE Mystic students. Note that her high EX Skill cost can make it difficult to fit into rotations if you are trying to clear a stage within the time limit.
Late game (High Investment): In the late game, Ichika mainly finds usage in the upcoming raid Kurokage as a damage dealer. If you plan on bringing Ichika to raids, we recommend building a team around her. This usually means having your usual damage buffers like Himari, Ako, or NY.Fuuka and some cost support due to the high EX Skill cost. Note that in lower difficulties (INS and below), it is unlikely Ichika will find usage as those difficulties can be cleared with 1 team and S.Hanako is usually the better option as a damage dealer.
- Minimum Required Investment: UE 40 or 50
- Skill Leveling Priority: Basic > Sub > Enhanced
Conclusion
Ichika is in somewhat of a common position most damage dealers face. She is usually an afterthought when forming a team for Kurokage. This mostly comes down to other alternatives being stronger and easier to use. Despite this, Ichika has still found usage in rosters that are lacking or need a secondary AoE Sonic damage dealer. Note that while Ichika is nice to have, she is not a student who you can expect to do well without a team built around her and has low.
investments. How Much Should I Invest?: If you are low on Elephs then UE40 is a good stopping point to unlock Enhanced+.
