Table of Contents
Sunshower Heathcliff is the second Identity to primarily use negative coins in the game, right after Sinclair, though it seems the way you play around with his SP seems different.
Umbrella ThwackSkill 1: Well, this is kinda sad. Theoretically speaking, 6+6+6 damage is pretty decent for a skill 1. The problem is that since Heathcliff is a tails coin Identity, there's no way he can guarantee getting those tail flips as consistently as positive coin Identities.
As for its clash prowess... Yeah, no, you're probably not going to be winning any clashes with this one. 6 for its maximum power is beyond terrible, and the fact that each heads flip subtracts 2 power to eventually reach 0 is just rubbing salt in the wound.
What about its effects? It gives 1 Sinking Count for Heathcliff which is... better than nothing at least, while its third coin inflicts Sinking potency and can also inflict Sinking count if it hits tails. Not much to write home about there.
If it's any consolation, it can at least fuel his EGO and his passive. In any case, either use it for unopposed attacks or don't use it at all.
Puddle StompSkill 2: Heathcliff's skill 2 looks terrible on paper, and it kinda is early on while you're still setting him up. If he's not below -15 SP, the maximum power of this skill is a measly 10, but it does have 4 coins to go through. If you can somehow manage to flip tails on them all, that's 10+10+10+10 damage right there. Average clash prowess, but high potential damage dealt.
It gets better when below -15 SP. It gives the skill better clash values of a maximum power of 12 while having 4 coins to go through, so that's potentially 12+12+12+12 damage. Now we're talking.
As for its effects, the second and third coin inflict Rupture. You can treat it as bonus damage. The fourth coin makes Heathcliff spend Sinking to deal additional damage. Pretty nice to have, but it's a bit difficult to build Sinking for Heathcliff to use in the first place.
Spread Out!Skill 3: Skill 3 is Heathcliff's best skill, as it actually has respectable clash values with no setup required while also giving himself a good amount of Sinking Count and Potency.
Its additional effects potentially inflict Paralyze and Fragile if the first and third coin hits tails, while having an on hit effect of inflicting Rupture for the third coin. Pretty nice debuffs, especially if the tails flip requirement for coin 1 and 3 can be met.
Defense (Warning, Counter, Pierce): The first Counter in the game to use 2 coins instead of 1. It has a base power of 10, and deducts 5 per heads flip.
You'll likely be using this skill a lot early on, especially when Heathcliff's skill 1 drops down, Heathcliff has no Sinking, or Heathcliff's passive hasn't activated yet.
Its first coin gives Heathcliff 1 Paralyze for the next turn, but only if it flips tails. Paralyze for a negative coin user is always good.
The second coin has an on hit effect of inflicting 5 Sinking and 5 Rupture. Nice bonus effects more than anything.
Passive (Rain of Tears, 3 Owned Envy): ”At the start of the combat phase, spend 1 Sinking Count and lose SP by the current amount of Sinking.
Before being hit by an attack, gain Protection equals to this unit's Sinking. (Up to 5 Protection can be gained per turn).
When hit, gain 1 Blunt DMG Up next turn. (3 per turn)”
Heathcliff practically needs this passive to stay afloat because of how difficult it is for him to lose SP and gain Sinking. Luckily, he can provide Envy by himself with his skill 1, even if its overall clash prowess and power leaves much to be desired.
The Protection gained from the amount of Sinking he has makes it easier for him to use his Counter especially since he'll likely be tanking a lot of hits early on.
Finally, the Blunt DMG Up buff is a nice final bonus for his skill 2.
Support (Ragged Umbrella, 3 Owned Envy): “1 ally with the least SP loses 10 SP when hit by an attack and gains 1 Blunt DMG Up next turn. (Once per turn)“
A great Support for N Corp. Sinclair, who uses negative coins and only Blunt skills. Not so good for everyone else.
Strengths
- High damage potential when set up properly with a team that can fund his EGO.
- Skill 2 is decent at clashes and deals heavy damage when below -15SP.
- Passive when activated helps support Heathcliff's Counter usage by making him more tanky while also giving him Blunt DMG Up when he gets hit.
Weaknesses
- Skill 1 has very bad clash values with negligible effects inflicted on Heathcliff himself or his enemies.
- Skill 2 is mediocre until Heathcliff manages to go below -15 SP.
- Takes some time to set up and needs a team to support his passives and EGO.
- Requires using EGO (costing EGO resources) or Counter (meaning Heathcliff needs to get hit) to lower SP directly or give himself Sinking (when his skill 3 is unavailable) respectively.
Potential Sinner Synergies
Don Quixote - W Corp. L3 Cleanup Agent,Hong Lu - Tingtang Gang Gangleader,Meursault - Rosespanner Workshop Fixer,Ishmael - R Corp. 4th Pack Reindeer,Ishmael - Shi Association South Section 5,Rodion - Rosespanner Workshop Rep,Ryōshū - R.B. Chef de CuisineAnalysis
Look how they massacred my boy.
Okay, he's not that bad. In fact, when built properly, you can still deal a lot of damage with him. But he really needs a team that can support him and he needs a couple of turns to actually ramp up.
His skill 1 just flat out sucks. His skill 2 is mediocre in clashing, but can at least become better if he manages to hit -15 SP somehow. His skill 3 is the only good clashing skill in his kit, having good clash prowess while also inflicting Sinking to himself. His defense skill is a Counter which also inflicts Sinking on himself. You will likely be using this skill a lot early on, especially if Heathcliff's SP values are a bit on the higher side.
You want to get him to activate his Passive as early as possible to make use of the Sinking on him, so you'll want to bring in Sinners with Envy skills. Chef Ryoshu, Tingtang Hong Lu, and R Corp. Ishmael for instance would help fuel his passive early. Unfortunately, even then, Heathcliff is going to have trouble retaining his SP at negative values, so you'll want to use his EGOs to drop his SP and keep him in the fight. AEDD in particular is a really good EGO for Heathcliff, since the EGO resources can be provided by him (it uses Envy and Gloom) while also having a passive at Uptie II that heals him when he gets hit, which helps make his Counter more effective.
All in all, Heathcliff can be seen as quite the downgrade compared to N Corp. Sinclair, but he is by no means a bad Identity. He simply needs to have the right tools and team to help build his SP to negative levels with a combination of Sinking, his EGOs and his passive, and the game gives you more than enough tools to pair him with so he can deal good damage.
He probably would have been even better if the OG sanity changes were kept though.
