Gunzo/Strategy

(This page is for Gunzo strategy guide. For the standard Gunzo page, click here.)

Overview

☆3/☆4 Gunzo

Gunzo has an outdated skill set. He can do some decent damage with Berserk+ATK Up by 1.3x ~ 2.6x, DEF Down by 1.3x for 4 turns (Buff) and give Acceleration+8CP/turn for 3 turns (Buff) to himself and allies by moving, but none of this is particularly remarkable. His Charge Skill is also mediocre in both range and effect, giving his purpose mediocre results. His variant might actually be better than his just on account of being a better CP battery through giving allies Arousal+10CP/turn for 1 turn (Buff), but his normal variants are overall lackluster and outdated.

☆5 Valentine Gunzo

Gunzo (Valentine) occupies a specific niche as a CP battery, being able to give +20CP and Acceleration+8CP/turn for 3 turns (Buff) to himself and allies one square away from him on move. Along with his increased vertical movement, this allows him to quickly charge his allies' CS. Furthermore, his own CS has the ability to give at least 10CP to himself and allies one square away for every enemy hit, allowing for frequent CS activation. Finally, due to his access to both Berserk+ATK Up by 1.3x ~ 2.6x, DEF Down by 1.3x for 4 turns (Buff) and VigorATK Up by 1.2x ~ 2.4x for 3 turns (Buff), his damage output can be fairly strong if his buffs activate properly.

With his skill evolution, Valentine Gunzo now has the ability to mitigate damage to the team for the first two turns through EvasionDEF Up by 0.01x ~ 0.005x for 1 turn (Buff) to himself and allies horizontally adjacent to him. This is a great boost in his capabilities since it alleviates his previous issues of being frail and gives him a fairly unique niche. As his gameplay style tends to favor quick phase clears through having his allies CS, the two turn restriction is not too limiting, but his earlier issues of defensive frailty crop up. Likewise, the trade off for using him instead of someone who gives offensive/defensive buffs on moving is still something to consider. Finally, Valentine Gunzo's skill evolution also gives him Glint+10% skill activation rate for 2 turns (Buff) which is a nice touch to make him more consistent.

Highlights

☆3/☆4 Gunzo

Class: Glass Cannon, Offensive Support

Gameplay role: CP Battery, Damage Dealer

Pros

+ Berserk+ATK Up by 1.3x ~ 2.6x, DEF Down by 1.3x for 4 turns (Buff) gives his damage a nice boost and has a long duration

+ Can give himself and allies Acceleration+8CP/turn for 3 turns (Buff) on move for CP

+ variant can also give Arousal+10CP/turn for 1 turn (Buff)

Cons

- Berserk+ worsens his durability, which is a problem in his variant which encourages getting hit

- CP boost from Acceleration by moving is mediocre compared to other CP batteries

- Charge Skill is unremarkable and scales poorly with SALV

☆5 Valentine Gunzo

Class: Glass Cannon, Offensive Support

Gameplay role: CP Battery, Damage Dealer

Pros

+ Berserk+ATK Up by 1.3x ~ 2.6x, DEF Down by 1.3x for 4 turns (Buff) and VigorATK Up by 1.2x ~ 2.4x for 3 turns (Buff) can make him do decent damage

+ Gives a nice +20 CP and Acceleration+8CP/turn for 3 turns (Buff) to allies one square away on moving, an excellent range for a CP battery

+ Increased vertical movement allows for strategic positioning

+ Charge Skill acts as CP battery, leading to potential constant refilling of CP for the entire team

+ Gives EvasionDEF Up by 0.01x ~ 0.005x for 1 turn (Buff) to himself and allies horizontally adjacent to him upon moving for the first two turns of a phase

Cons

- Durability becomes an issue past first two turns of a phase; Berserk+ worsens durability, Vigor requires being hit

- Needs to move for CP battery effects outside of CS

Gameplay Role

Valentine Gunzo

CP Battery

There are three aspects to Gunzo (Valentine) which make him stand out as a CP battery despite his legacy kit. First, the range of bestowal of CP and Acceleration+8CP/turn for 3 turns (Buff) in his LB3 is at an excellent range of one square away, effectively giving +28 CP per turn. Numerically, this is one of the largest CP gains from a CP battery on move and has the advantage of being consistent and not dependent on the number of enemies, unlike other methods of CP charging. Secondly, his extra vertical range like Wakan Tanka allows him to shuffle teammates to the back row allowing for strategies involving positioning. Finally, his CS charges CP to himself and allies one square away. This is a great ability to have since it means that activating Valentine Gunzo's CS can lead to an effective CS charge loop for himself and allies. In fact, if he were to hit four enemies with his CS, he would gain on paper 56 CP himself while spreading 40 CP to allies. This can easily lead to him CSing every two turns, making his damage higher than what it is on paper.

Damage Dealer

Unit	(Effective) HP		Base ATK		ATK per square		CS ATK per square (SALV1)		Notes
	Unseeded	Seeded	Unseeded	Seeded	Unseeded	Seeded	Unseeded	Seeded
	5667	6979	12826	17967	7467	9882	15205	20123	With Berserk+ATK Up by 1.3x ~ 2.6x, DEF Down by 1.3x for 4 turns (Buff)
	5667	6979	30125	43121	17920	23716	36493	48295	With Berserk+ATK Up by 1.3x ~ 2.6x, DEF Down by 1.3x for 4 turns (Buff), VigorATK Up by 1.2x ~ 2.4x for 3 turns (Buff)

Concerning Valentine Gunzo's damage output, his damage output is mostly fair, sitting at around 7.5k damage per square unseeded with Berserk+ATK Up by 1.3x ~ 2.6x, DEF Down by 1.3x for 4 turns (Buff) up. However, due to his role as a CP battery as noted before, Valentine Gunzo will in practice be using his CS frequently, so his damage output is more skewed to that of a Magic unit with 15k damage per square when he CSes. If he also procs VigorATK Up by 1.2x ~ 2.4x for 3 turns (Buff), his damage will also increase considerably, which is now very easy to accomplish due to his skill evolution allowing him to have EvasionDEF Up by 0.01x ~ 0.005x for 1 turn (Buff) for the first two turns.

Stats and Seed Usage

Unit	(Effective) HP		Base ATK		ATK per square		CS ATK per square (SALV1)
	Unseeded	Seeded	Unseeded	Seeded	Unseeded	Seeded	Unseeded	Seeded
	6303	8303	3567	5139	1962	2826	3924	5653
	7006	8976	4192	5784	2306	3181	6917	9544
	7144	9072	5222	6910	2872	3801	5848	7740

Since the main issue of Gunzo in any of his variants is his sustainability, it would be ideal to prioritize HP seeds first and foremost. The most important part of his skill set, the CP charging, also has guaranteed rates, so forgoing skill seeds for later is certainly a fine option. Therefore, if any seeds were to be used on him, it would preferably be in the order of HP/ATK seeds, Skill seeds, and Level Seeds with the last two depending on priorities given the amount of coins available at disposal.

Team Synergy

Valentine Gunzo

Units with good Charge Skils

As a CP battery, Gunzo (Valentine) benefits from allies who have good Charge Skills. These can be units with All range CSes such as Typhon (Make Sail) and Tangaroa (Canaan) or units with good effects like bestowing EvasionDEF Up by 0.01x ~ 0.005x for 1 turn (Buff) to allies such as Takemaru or Seth. In particular, since Valentine Gunzo's CS also acts as a CP battery, it would be nice to pair him with units with Charge Skills that also do the same thing like Thunderbird.

Damage mitigators/healers

While Valentine Gunzo's defenses are not as frail as before, he would still benefit from some passive protection against enemies. Units such as Chernobog (Beachside) and Choji are possible choices. It's worth noting that these units would likely be CSing regularly since Valentine Gunzo is a CP battery, so passive defenders like Triton might not be ideal.

AR Equipment

Valentine Gunzo

ARs which heal or provide weapon resistance such as Sunset Youth, Senpai and Kouhai Moment, and Those Days When I Was Wild are nice to have since long term sustain is Gunzo (Valentine)'s weakest area. Since frailty is generally a concern, a low cost option is also Double Hero of the Holy Eve! which will at least ensure survival once during the first three turns. For more offensively oriented options, Shooting Stars and Oath of Infinitude are potential choices to consider.

Checks and Counters

Valentine Gunzo

CS Prevention

Since a team using Gunzo (Valentine) is likely to be using Charge Skills as the foundation of their team, things which prevent charge skills from activating are particularly damaging. Status effects such as DarknessATK Down by 0.9x ~ 0.45x, block CS activation for 3 turns (Debuff), FearCannot move at will, -10CP/turn for 5 turns (Debuff), CS LockBlock charge and CS activation and for 3 turns. (Debuff) are all difficult statuses to overcome for such teams. Enemies who decrease CP by other means will also achieve similar effects.

Movement Inhibition

On a similar note, movement inhibiting statuses such as Fear and OppressionCannot move at will for 2 turns (Debuff) will also effectively clamp down on Valentine Gunzo's ability as a CP battery so these are also detrimental effects. It also prevents him from accomplishing his niche as a unit with extra vertical movement.

Skill Locking

Since Valentine Gunzo is not immune to skill locking effects, statuses such as BindCannot activate skills, ATK Down by 0.9x ~ 0.45x for 4 turns. CS effects still apply. (Debuff) will stop him as well like other units.

Teambuilding Options

This section consists of user-submitted builds that may not necessarily be viable for high level quests.

CP Charge

Team Details (submitted by milk)
Chernobog 【Healer, CP Battery】	Thunderbird 【Damage Dealer, CP Battery】	Astaroth 【Mixed Buffer, CP Battery】	Gunzo 【Moveslut, CP Battery】
Cost: ≥50

The main idea of this team is to use Gunzo (Valentine) for his CP charging abilities to get his teammates to CS. Due to Valentine Gunzo and Thunderbird having charge skills which bestow CP to self and allies for every enemy hit, this makes them ideal partners for getting charge skills back to speed. Similarly, Astaroth can effectively charge CP after activating their CS by becoming None type and having access to ComboATK Down by 0.6x (excepting charge attacks), attack twice each turn for 2 turns (Buff). Finally, Chernobog (Beachside) acts as a release valve for CP, quickly gaining his CS back by the previously listed CP charging from his allies.

As Valentine Gunzo's primary weakness is a lack of sustainability past the first two turns of a phase, Beachside Chernobog and Astaroth exist to patch up said areas while respecting Valentine Gunzo's moveslut status. Specifically UnctionDEF Up by 0.85x ~ 0.425x, +150~300HP every turn for 2 turns (Buff) from Beachside Chernobog and DEF UpDEF Up by 0.9x ~ 0.45x for 4 turns (Buff) from Astaroth help mitigate damage, and both units are able to heal through flat healing and through Unction again and Blessing+300~600HP/turn for 4 turns (Buff). These combined effects are enough to support Valentine Gunzo's weaknesses.

Thunderbird is particularly chosen here in this team for his LB3's effect which gives him a guaranteed +14CP for every enemy hit to himself. This is a really large amount of CP charging so any extra amount of CP from his allies makes it easily possible to CS every other turn. His access to extra horizontal movement and the ability to bestow CritATK Up by 2x ~ 4x for 1 turn (Buff) to allies are also nice bonuses. His CS also gives out Reflect DebuffReflect debuff once for 4 turns. Vanishes after use. (Buff) to the entire team, allowing for some form of debuff prevention which is nice.

Offensively, this team deals quite a bit of damage due to Beachside Chernobog's application of ArdorATK Up by 1.2x ~ 2.4x, +5CP/turn for 2 turns (Buff) and Astaroth's ATK UpATK Up by 1.1x ~ 2.2x for 4 turns (Buff) stacking with Thunderbird's innate ConcentrationATK Up by 1.1x ~ 2.2x, skill activation rate +10% for 2 turns (Buff) and Valentine Gunzo's Berserk+ATK Up by 1.3x ~ 2.6x, DEF Down by 1.3x for 4 turns (Buff) and VigorATK Up by 1.2x ~ 2.4x for 3 turns (Buff) if it procs. Lastly, CritATK Up by 2x ~ 4x for 1 turn (Buff) can be applied from Beachside Chernobog's CS and from Thunderbird's regular attack for the benefit of their later allies.

On one final note, this team is better suited for vertically long maps (6x3 and 6x5). Due to Valentine Gunzo's extra vertical movement, he can ferry Astaroth to the back line in order to proc their when missing skills regardless of weapon type which is a nice ability to have that is unable to be performed in shorter maps.

Gameplay examples

• Example external link