Table of Contents
Character Overview
Saki is a Permanent 3* Piercing Special student, who is currently having a rerun rate-up banner alongside her other clubmate Miyako, and a new student Minori. Recently, Saki has become a less popular choice for a CC student. With the introduction of Torment difficulty, she may once again see a resurgence in usage.
Strengths
- High ATK Stat
- Long duration Crowd Control with AoE
Weaknesses
- Extremely Niche
Skill Review
EX Skill
Starting things off, we have Saki's EX Skill. It deals damage in a circular AoE and then applies a Crowd Control effect, this is the main highlight of the entire skillset it has allowed her to carve out a niche in HOD. Its AoE is wide enough to target the pillar and boss in phase 2.
Basic Skill
Next, Saki's Basic Skill deals damage to the enemy with the lowest HP and applies a Burn effect. The Burn on this skill is treated as a DoT, which can be helpful in niche content such as JFD stage 13.
If you want to maximize the damage dealt in a raid, you can consider raising this skill slightly. However, the damage increase does not justify the skill material cost therefore, we recommend leaving it at level 1.
Enchanced Skill
Saki's Enhanced Skill provides her a decent boost in ATK. However, this skill does not need to be prioritized, over her Sub Skill. As it does not affect the team and her personal damage output is nothing to write home about .
Sub Skill
When paired with her extremely high ATK stat, Saki becomes a potent ATK statstick on par with Karin at high investments.
We recommend raising this skill first, as its effects help with the team's damage.
Gameplay Progression
Early game: During this stage of the game, Saki does not find a lot of usage as her niches aren't required for general content. if you are lacking or want an ATK statstick/buffer to boost your team's damage, then Saki can be a good option if Kotama is already in a different team.
Early game alternatives:
Students listed here are only some of the notable options available.
Late game (High Investment): In the late game, Saki mainly found usage in HOD to apply CC effects on the bosses and pillars. When compared to Saki's other alternatives (namely Chihiro), she can apply CC effects in an AoE, which allows her to target both the pillar and the boss. In addition to this, Saki is more damage/buff-oriented by increasing the team's ATK.
- Minimum Required Investment: 3* or Unique Equipment 40 (statstick)
- Skill Leveling Priority: Sub > Enhanced > Basic
Conclusion
Overall, Saki is a niche but strong support student with unique utility attached to her skillset. However, nowadays with the introduction of Himari in hyper-carry teams, the current strategy to clear HOD has shifted away from bringing CC application with Specials to Strikers. In addition to this, HOD Insane+ highly favors students with CC Power in their skillset, making Kayoko a popular option to fill the CC role alone.
How Much Should I Invest?: 3* or Unique Equipment 40 (statstick), we highly recommend leaving her at 3* as Karin is always farmable via hard stages if you need an extra ATK statstick.
Should you pull on her banner?: If you have her alternatives like Chihiro or a built Kayoko, No. She is not a must-have to clear HOD, as there are other students with CC effects.
