I'm SO obsessed with them.

After this I believe they are both equally as unhinged as the other, just opposite ends of a spectrum about it HAHAHAHAHA

Also...

More micro organisms.............. (FAVE PANEL TBH LOOK AT THEM)

Oh man.  GamePress apparently updated the offensive tier list to be AR exclusive, and boy have there been some changes.  You know I have opinions on this one.

Okay let’s start with the obvious part: how in the hell is any Legendary hero considered above Tier 2?  Like, are we not factoring in score?  Or are we only accounting for if they score well?  Because realistically, half the time, a legendary hero is an active detriment to the scoring.  Also it turns out this isn’t just offense, but both offense AND defense, since Mirabilis is Tier 1.  So that’s gonna be...honestly, a bit confusing.  I’m sure some people can tell which is which, but I’m willing to bet others aren’t clear.

Let’s start with the biggest changes at the top.  Eliwood and Brave Roy are now Tier 1, likely because Galeforce.  Nothing else is different that I can tell.  Maybe some demotion?  But nothing substantial.  Lysithea is finally recognized as Tier 1, and I’m certain it’s because of her power on AR-D.  Girl is obscene.  Otherwise, Fallen Julia is the only other T1 Red Mage, and damn good on her.  Idunn demoted, but honestly, fair.  AR is not for her.  Armor units are not hard to handle, and are pretty bad on offense.  Especially with Thrasir existing, armor dragons just have a rough go.  Spring Idunn and Tibarn alone are T1.  What I do find interesting is that Dancer Micaiah didn’t maintain.  I guess the Hardy Bearing effect isn’t as impressive anymore.  Also Karla stayed T2, that’s...astonishing, actually.  Duo Byleth is also T2, which kinda makes sense.  Defense can’t make use of her Duo skill, and her bulk is pathetic, so any typical ranged defense unit can handle her.  On offense, it’s going to be tough.  Desperation effect is good, but conditional on having a fast team, not to mention Galeforce sets can require the foe to retaliate, like with Eliwood/Brave Roy.  So I can’t say I’m surprised she’s not on top.

Lance seems to just be B!Lucina, Duo Ephraim, and Trio Palla.  Which is fair.  Blue mages, though?  Damn is this crowded.  L!Azura and Peony, because obscene dancers.  Ophelia, because bitch.  Duo Alphonse, because immortality.  Brunnya, because honestly Fimbulvetr is perfect for this game mode, and she’s got the infantry status and abilities to do whatever she wants.  And L!Julia.  I’m willing to bet she’s more AR-D focused.  Rafiel and L!Chrom are also T1, of course.  I think what really surprises me is that Reinhardt is T2.  Is anyone else surprised about this?  I guess he’s not the most threatening thing in the world anymore, but still.  Actually wait, what’s REALLY neat is that Naga is T3.  So clearly scoring considerations are not paramount.

Axes have V!Duo Alm, Annette, L!Edelgard, and B!Ike.  Because of course.  All of them are ridiculous.  Mages have L!Celica, Thrasir, and Fallen Lyon, with beasts/dragons having Reyson.  Which, again, makes sense.  I’m glad Surtr demoted to T2.  I really don’t think of him as the most threatening aspect of AR anymore, even on dedicated stall, so this feels overdue.  Yune’s also T2, which..okay, fair.  While I think she’s great, she’s a ranged flying unit who plays defense, and her debuff game is crippled severely by Eir’s bonuses.  It’s super weird that F!Kana demoted, though.  She was T1 before, and that was entirely based on AR potential, so...okay.  Guess the meta has shifted hard enough against her.  Also, big shoutouts to Julia for maintaining T2 status.  That’s my girl.

Bows have L!Alm, L!Leif, V!Faye, and Duo Marth.  I can’t speak for Duo Marth, I don’t have him, but I feel like the fact I’ve never faced one means he’s at least not good on AR-D.  I can vouch for V!Faye, though, holy shit.  In fact can we establish Tier 0 for the primordial beings that break the world over their knees?  Anyway, Bernadetta and B!Lyn are T2, and I’m betting that’s for hit-and-run offense teams.  Also Norne’s T2 now, which is super correct.  I’ve felt this for a while, and the forum backs me up pretty hard on it: Norne’s the best common archer by a mile.  But of course, you all know what I’m going to say.  There is no way Faye is T3.  I have played her ranged defense game long enough to know that she is really strong at it.  While some threats like Lysithea can blow past her, and Thrasir isn’t always one-shot with my current supports, she is very capable of performing better than T3.  Also, poor Clarisse.  Finally gets a kickass refine that’s just not particularly great for AR, and instead of climbing the ranks of the offensive tier list, they change the conditions on her.  Girl can’t catch a break.

Dagger/Mage combos have, of course, Bramimond, Leila, Eir, and Duo Micaiah.  Absolutely no surprises here.  What is surprising, maybe just to me, is that Winter Cecilia is down to T3.  She was considered T2 for a long while, and I’d guessed that was based on AR potential.  I guess Duo Micaiah is causing substantial problems for armors across the board?  But man, Larum is T2.  LARUM.  Larum sucks, what could she possibly be doing that’s useful?

Dragons/Beasts have Fallen Female Corrin, Leanne, Mila, and Velouria.  I love everything about this.  Leanne makes sense for Defense teams, Velouria is a great Galeforcer, Mila is probably the best Light mythic for supertank strategies, and Fallen Female Corrin makes me happy because Fallen Male Corrin is only T2.  Get fucked, loser.  Your higher BST does nothing for your shit ass.  I do think there’s an argument for Caineghis in T1 for an offensive supertank, but honestly, he struggles.  To a degree I’d say he’s worse than Faye.  We don’t have any beast Mythics, and the only offensive dragon is Mila.  His DC is conditional on transforming, and he’s an armor unit.  He can’t run Null C-Disrupt, or Null Follow-Up like she can, so there are defense teams that can beat him by exploiting this.  I feel like Faye’s a lot better, but hey, what do I know.

And finally, staves.  Bridal Fjorm is the only one in T1.  Brave Veronica actually dropped, which is funny because she was T1 before solely on AR.  She doesn’t place in Arena.  I guess the meta has shifted away from Brave Veronica lately.  I haven’t been scared of one in a long time.  And hey, Maribelle is T2 as well, and Forrest got pushed up to T3!  Unfortunately, Brave Camilla was reduced to T3, so she’s still below B!Veronica.  Which in this game mode I guess is fair.

Now for the opposite end of the spectrum.  There are now 6 tiers, which I like.  I feel the subdivisions are appropriate, we have enough units that categorization was tough.  T4 for lances and swords was like 60 units before, I’m glad it got cleaned up a bit.  For red stuff, Alfonse remains at the bottom, but is no longer alone.  NY!Camilla, Chrom, V!Conrad, Beach Fiora, Hinata, and NY!Hrid are also down there.  Haha, Hrid, get fucked you loser.  That’s for January 2019, you fuck.  Mages here include Canas, Julius (ouch), Leo, Beach Leo, Raigh, and Beach Lorenz.  No surprises.  There are no dragons, daggers, or bows for red down here, the lowest they go is T4.  Hysterically, every form of red Tiki is in T4.  Also, maybe this is me not understanding something, but NY!Anna and NY!Eir in T4 surprises me.  I thought their weapons were considered great team support.  Are their stats just not optimized for it? 

T6 lances are many.  Too many, I’m not listing all of that.  What I will say is, tell my Forma Finn running on the double cav Galeforce defense team that he’s T6.  Considering I only lost two matches at all last season, and only 38 Lift, I’d say he’s doing alright.  But there are probably better options out there, I’m just working with what I have.  Mages are just Oliver and M!Robin.  Man, I hope M!Robin goes up with the resplendent.  Leave Oliver to die.  No dragons, bows, or daggers, they’re all up in T4 where...where...no.  No, there’s no way.  Lilith has warp abilities from anywhere.  NAESALA is considered T4, despite being paired with Tibarn for some of the nastiest offensive AR-D strategies out there.  Mordecai has the Smite thing.  I don’t agree with this at all.  And Ninian is T3?  Even though she’s one of the top picks for Infantry Pulse AR-D dancers?  I know Nils exists and is better in every way pretty much, but that’s a bit much to me.  I think the blue dragon/beast section is the most ridiculous by far.

There are also a lot of axes down in T6, but I agree with all of them.  The green mages make me sad, though.  Picnic Leo, Cecilia, and Female Robin.  I do think F!Robin has a lot of utility within the game, but...honestly they’re super right, she cannot possibly compete in AR.  Defense teams have no use for her, and offensive teams using her as a support are a bad idea with Panic Manor around.  Mostly Cecilia makes my heart hurt.  Come on, IS.  Null C-Disrupt Raven Tome when?  As with the other tiers, all dragons, bows, and daggers of this color are higher ranked.  That said, L!Lyn in T5.  Get fucked.  There’s also...absolutely nothing controversial about their T4 picks.  Green’s pretty well sorted, good job team.

The only colorless option with units in T6 are healers, where we have Azama, Mist, Wrys, Sakura, and Lissa.  Nothing controversial here.  In fact, nothing controversial in T5, either.  What is sad but super true, is that F!Grima’s here.  All the other colorless beasts and dragons are clustered in T1 and T2, but she’s down in T5.  Expiration refine when?  Felicia and Jaffar are the lowest ranked daggers, to no one’s surprise.  None of the bows are shocking either, except I’m kinda surprised Niles isn’t at least a little higher.  I feel like his massive Res must account for something when attempting to tank out the many ranged magic threats on AR-D, right?

Overall, I...actually agree with the majority of this.  It’s a solid tierlist for Aether Raids.  There are some things I don’t entirely agree with, but would have trouble arguing in their favor in the current meta.  Like Micaiah.  As we move entirely away from armor units, Micaiah becomes less and less significant.  I do think the blue dragon/beast section could take some revisiting, given that goddamn Naesala is down in T4, but one area that seems off isn’t bad when you have so much to organize.  I like it.  Definitely a lot better than the previous list, because at least now we’re specialized.  Before, there was always an argument that a certain unit was better or worse based on performance in a specific area.  But here, it’s more stable.  I’m not sure if there’s intent to make an Arena one, or if that’s even necessary since scoring is a lot more specific for Arena, but we’ll see.

Bunbun Deal

 He wonders how he got roped into this.  In all honesty, Alfonse wants nothing more than to hide in the darkest corners of the castle. Granted, he might bump into some of the spies or ninjas in hiding, but even that seems plausible than standing out in the open in this – Gods, shivers run down his spine – horrendous bunny outfit again.  Why did he ever agree to wear this getup again?

 Ah, as if the voice in his head is a hammer to his brain, Alfonse cocks his head upwards, you know absolutely why. Eyes squeezed shut, the Askrian prince stifles a groan that threatens to slips out of his mouth anytime soon. ---    The offer is absolutely ridiculous!

“That offer is absolutely ridiculous!” Stating the blank obvious, Alfonse takes a deep breath in order to restrain himself from snapping so suddenly.  The storm in his heart isn’t the least bit calm when all he can hear is a weak whimper.  “But,” Never the one to give up, Kiran snaps her head in his direction, “the portal to the next tempest trial will open soon, and I need you to be in this team!”  Her voice is slowly shaking the wall he had slowly taken forever to build. A groan pitifully choked back inside his throat, Alfonse looks at her.  Gods, this is extremely unfair when her eyes grow wide. Quickly he looks away, arms now securely crossed against his chest. “I’m deeply flattered that I am able to assist you in this quest.” He casts a peek. She is still pouting. He looks away. “But why can’t I assist you with my Folkvangr? Won’t it be much more helpful?”  “Because Laslow has that covered,” she sighs, breathing heavy and drips with sorrow.  Gods, she is playing a dirty game.  “I need an axe user.” Unaware of the endless turmoil she had given him, Kiran once again looks at the tall prince. “I’d love to ask Prince Marx, but I need someone with a horse.” Her head tilts to the side. Her pout still present in plain sight. “And when I think axe-user and horse, the first thing that comes to mind is you.”  As…weird as that sentence goes, Alfonse rues at the fact that it actually made him flattered.  “Still…” Contemplation bitterly forms cracks in his wall. “Can I just…use the axe and horse without being in such a…questionable outfit?” Gods, even the memories of months ago still prickle his skin. An answer isn’t given immediately, but Alfonse still hesitates to look at the petite summoner.  Silence now haunts between them, and this places concern in the prince.  Slowly the pair of sharp blue eyes glance to the side.  And by Gods, he truly regrets it.  She doesn’t say a word. Her pout is missing too. But Alfonse finds the latter even more agonizing to bear for all he can see was the weak quiver of her pretty pink lips. Her head was down. Strands of thick, black hair cascades to the sides of her face. Though emotion is barely visible due to such a fluffy curtain, the Askrian prince can physically feel the heartbreak he had caused.  Gods, he truly hates himself for making her sad.  But most of all, “I…fine…” he hates himself for falling deeper and deeper for her.  Voice still vivid with hesitance. But apparently, that was more than enough to spark hope in Kiran’s eyes.  Once she looks up at him, Alfonse swears, all air is robbed from his lungs to see such radiance in a pair of deep browns.  “Thank you, Alfonse!” Unable to hide her cheer, the summoner hops up and down. “You won’t regret this! I have a new weapon for you and tons of new builds for you to practice in your Easter getup! You won’t regret it!” Truly she is joyous without words. How can she not be? After all the trials she and the selected team had gone through, Kiran finally has the chance and confidence to let Alfonse prove to everyone what he is made of.  While Kiran relishes in her victory, Alfonse silently drowns in a mixture of regret over his agreement and awe over the cuteness of his—THE summoner.  Gods… His face starts to grow red. He feels pathetic enough as it is. ---  “Alfonse!”  Her voice breaks his train of thoughts. Blinking in a brief moment of stupor, the Askrian prince looks forward.  He then flinches a little to realize the petite summoner standing before him. “Kiran!” Her name slips out so comfortably, so naturally. Coughing once to hide the embarrassment, Alfonse takes a single breath. “How long have you been standing there?”  Her giggles are dangerous.  “Long enough.” Smile as bright as sunshine, she tips her head to the side. “You look amazing by the way!” Though the compliment is honest and sincere, it doesn’t stop her from feeling warmth kissing her cheeks.  She did manage to stifle another giggle to hear his groan.  “I don’t know how to feel about that.” Blue eyes avert away. Heart still pounds like a jackhammer, Alfonse grinds his mind on any change of topic. Thankfully, his gaze then drops to the new weapon in his grasp. “Thanks for the slaying axe plus, Kiran. I truly appreciate it.” Truly, he is. As adorable as it is about the weapon that comes with the Easter outfit, Alfonse can’t bear to wield it against the powerful unknown enemy they will face soon.  He isn’t afraid that the weapon won’t kill them. He’s just afraid that the weapon will kill the enemy from laughing too much.  Well, at the moment, the only laughter he doesn’t mind – in the least – is hers.  “You’re welcome.” Cheeks a cheeky swirl of red, Kiran scans the Easter outfit. Truly, absolutely, she adores the costume. As much as Alfonse rues over the garish clothing, Kiran is anything but delighted at the outfit.  Well, to be honest, when she first saw him in such an attire, the summoner had to excuse herself so quickly so that she could jump and squeal in indescribable glee. She was so damn sure Matthew and some of the other stealthy Heroes were around as witnesses. But given the emotions that boiled in her at that time, she couldn’t give a rat’s ass.  So much of her plan of trying to get over the Askrian prince.  Deep brown eyes then stay on his cape. It was clear and splattered with tiny sparkles. From the first time she’d seen him, the cape caught her attention.  Well, actually, the ears and that…questionable section in his clothing were what caught her attention the most, but Kiran would rather not think about that right now.  “Hey Alfonse,” she called, eyes flicker to him and mouth curling a sweet smile. “Can I uh…” Gods, thinking about it now, she feels completely stupid and childish.  To hell with it. “Can I touch your cape?”  Shock was obvious in a pair of brilliant blues. Speech is void from his gaping mouth. As seconds feel like hours, Kiran wonders if she has enough energy and time to sprint away from this shame—  “I…i-if…if you want to.”  Well, that’s a shocker. “Really?!” Once again, glee overtaking her shame, Kiran claps both palms together.  Gods, give him strength. “You did ask.” Voice, albeit clear and calm, the emotions in him are anything but. Alfonse bites his tongue, then bites it harder once Kiran wastes no time and approaches closer. Nervous eyes only watches as she timidly reaches for the satin clothing.  “It’s so soft…” Wonderment beams from both her beautiful eyes and lovely voice. “It’s a wonder how you keep it clean and stitched properly after all the times you went to battle in these.”  A defeated chuckles slips without realization. “I’d have Oboro to thank for that.”  A sweet giggle peeps between her sunshine smile. “I’ll thank her later too.” Their eyes meet for a while – just for a short while – before Kiran focuses back on the satin cape. It feels soft on her fingers. It feels smooth across her palms. For a brief moment, Kiran wonders if it would be a stupid question to ask him to let her borrow as a blanket.  Yes. Definitely yes. It is a stupid question and she should learn how to control herself from asking stupid things.  So comfortable silence lingers around them. Kiran admires the cape. Alfonse admires her.  It is until Kiran’s peppy “Oh!” that brings the stunned prince back to reality.  He wanted to ask if everything was okay. But alas, the question died as a heaving breath when he saw Kiran tug and place the cape on top of her head.  Carefully she drapes the piece of clothing until cascades down the back of her head. “It’s soft on my hair too!” Considering that the hood of her Askrian robe is draping backwards instead of usually covering her head and face, the silky cape smooths gingerly across thick, black, locks.  The sight wipes any oxygen from the prince’s lungs. The sight beams light into wide, baffled eyes. His feet is planted to the ground. His heart stops before resuming in frantic beats. No matter how much he wants to look away, he just can’t.  “Well,” Obliviousness is truly a part of her, “what do you think?” Carefully holding the sides of the clear cape, Kiran tilts her head to the right and curves a sheepish smile.  If Alfonse didn’t know any better, he would think she looks like a b-br—  Gods!  “A-Ah, Kiran!” Feeling the last of his walls crumbling to dust, Alfonse huffs a weak wheeze before swiftly cups his face. “You look—adorable, as always.” Voice sharp and at the brink of breaking, the prince looks away and squeezes his face with one hand.  His compliment gives butterflies into her stomach, but his weird reaction that followed brings concern into her brain. “Are you okay, Alfonse?” One foot slides forward, body leans closer with the cape still nicely draped over her head.  Gods, he is truly a weak moron.  “I am, Kiran.” Left hand now sliding down to his nose and mouth, Alfonse quickly waves his right hand in her direction. “Just…I was having thoughts about what’s to come in the next trials, is all.”  “Oh.” Thankfully, she is just as dense as him. Her body straightens, but the distance between them does not diminish. “Don’t worry so much, Alfonse. We’ll do fine!”  Heat now burns his face. Right hand slowly clenches to a fist, Alfonse peeks at her.  And boy, was that a mistake when she cheerfully continues, “As long as we’re together, we can do anything!”  Alfonse actually ponders about using the slaying axe+ on himself when he could hear wedding bells.  “O-O…” He is an idiot. “O-kay…” He is truly a love-struck idiot in a bunny costume. END