Thread: HBC's FKG 6* Tier List

I have waited for this discussion cause we don't talk about SB much. I have got Dogwood a month ago and have a little bit experience using her. Just to say it right now: I see enormous potential in her!!!

Before i talk about Dogwood as a Unit i want to talk about Solarblast in general cause this section will play a big role in her Final Grading.

About Solarblast:

In my opinion SB is one of the strongest Archetypes in the entire game. Especially for Dolphins or Sharks cause for all other Archetypes you'll need Skill Levels and Equipment Slots to achieve their Full Potential. You don't need those for Solarblast Teams (still helps the girls increasing their damage outside of the Solarblast Phase) cause their Damage isn't dependant on stats. Getting Equipment Slots etc. might not be a problem for whales but for us dolphins it definetely is.

Here is a picture demonstrating how much damage a dedicated Solarblast Team can cause:


Here is the damage formula btw:
[ (Overall Force of your parties) / (10 * Number of your own parties [1 ~ 4]) - (enemy's defense / 4) ] * [1.01 + 0.01 * (Number of your own parties [1 ~ 4]) ] * (Ability Multiplier)

SB Girls are also really helpfull on Whaleship battles (which are some of the hardest maps in the entire game especially the new Maps where Whaleship Bosses attack 4 times in a row) cause they fill your Gauge much faster (optimum is 300% of course) allowing you to fire of a devastating SB at the start of each Whaleship Boss Encounter. That allows you to fill the stagger meter much faster.
The only real downside of SB Teams is that you can't use them on Raidboss Battles. But is that really worth mentioning?
I don't think so cause it doesn't really matter how good your team performs on simple Raid Bosses. You don't get anything if you nuke them.

But now let us begin with Dogwood's Grading, shall we?

Stats: (S-Tier)

20186 HP, 8164 Atk and 3190 Defense. WOW. Dogwood's stats are freakin amazing and balanced. Good HP, high Attack (which is usefull for her Ability set) and nice defense. She has one of the highest Total Power in the entire game.

Skill Damage and Skill Activation: (B-Tier)

Deals 3.8x damage to 2 enemies
24% (Lv1) → 34% (Lv5)

Her Skill Damage is pretty good for harder maps if you encounter two bosses at the same time. Her Skill Activation is nothing worth mentioning to be honest. 24 % on Level 1 and 34 % on Level 5 is the weakest Act. Rate amongst Rainbows. This section is good, not amazing though.

Abilities: (S-)

Starts the subjugation with the Light Gauge 100% filled.
Remember how often we criticised this Ability??? Well on a dedicated SolarBlast Girl this Ability is a godsend. Starting with 100 % Light Gauge means you only need another 200 % from other girls and you can fire the strongest possible Solar Blast at the start of each Map.
She is the only girl granting you 100 %, all other girls fill the meter only by 50 %.

Increases Attack for party members by 25% per 100% Solar Drive used (Up to 75%).
Other than Choco Lily's Ability this Ability works for the whole map. Remember that in the best case Scenario you have 300 % Light Gauge at the start of each map making this Ability an instant 75 % Atk increase for the whole party!!!

Increases Solar Drive's effectiveness by 70%.
Another Staple for SB Girls. Increases the effectiveness of your SB.

Increases Skill Activation Rate for party members up to 1.2x based on each member's affection.
Nice to have especially if you use a First Turn Skill Activation SB Squad.

In all honesty the only real downside of her Ability Package: She only has four Abilities. However The sheer power of those Abilities compensates for that.

Teambuilding:

The basic premise is to pair her up with other SB-Girls which have the following Abilities:

Increases Solar Drive's effectiveness by 70%. Bread and Butter for SB. Without it SB doesn't function properly.
Starts the subjugation with the Light Gauge 50% filled. If you want to maximize SB you want to be sure to fire it off (at 300%) asap. This Ability enables that.
Increases Shine Crystal drop rates for party members by 25%. It's nice to have this Ability. Collects necessary Shine Crystals faster which allows you to use SB more frequently.

Recommendation: Dogwood+Scotch Broom make an excellent SB Core. Scotch Broom also has the "increased Atk per Solar Blast" Ability. It's a little bit worse though.
After a 300 % Solarblast these two girls alone buff your group atk for 155%!!!

Another Recommendation:
Coral Bush for First Turn Action.

Conclusion:
Dogwood is the queen of SB. In my opinion one of the strongest Archetype in the entire game.
You could argue that she ain't broken by herself but she is the stable in every SB Team and contributes the most to the success of this broken Archetype (Remember Solar Blast deals insane damage).
This might shock some of you but i wholeheartedly believe Dogwood belongs to S-Tier and i stand by it.

Final Verdict:
S-