Standard Banner: Eyjafjalla & Rosa
The new Standard Banner features the following Operators:
Featured Operators:
| Rarity | Operator |
| 6★ |  Rosa - Sniper [Heavyweight / Besieger]
 Eyjafjalla - Caster [ST / Core]
|
| 5★ |  Kirara - Specialist [Ambusher]
 Ptilopsis - Medic [AoE / Multi-target]
 Sora - Supporter [Aura / Bard]
|
- Based on previous patterns, it is likely but not 100% certain that the Operators for purchase in the Distinction store will be Rosa and Ptilopsis
- 6★ Rate-Ups have a 50% chance of appearing when pulling a 6★
- 5★ Rate-Ups have a 50% chance of appearing when pulling a 5★
Should You Pull?
If you don’t have Eyjafjalla, then maybe.
Eyjafjalla is one of the premier Arts DPS Operators in Arknights, and even after so many powerful new Operators have been released, she’s retained her spot at the top of the pack. Whether you need ST or AoE damage, consistent DPS or big burst, Eyjafjalla has been one of the best options since launch. She’s still terrific and she’s still worth pulling for, especially if you’re having trouble with this Contingency Contract.
Rosa is not at the same level as Eyja, but she’s still decent, combining an enormous attack range, DEF-ignoring properties, and fast-charging multi-target Bind into one extremely stylish package. She’s probably not worth the Gold Certificates to buy out of the shop, but she can certainly be useful. If you’re a player who’s looking for Eyja and/or doesn’t own either of these Operators, this can be an attractive banner to pull on.
As with all banners, a 5★ or higher Operator is guaranteed in the first 10 rolls. Should you pull for that? Probably not. Ptilopsis is a very good AoE Medic and her SP charge ability can be a helpful tool (even if its impact is generally overrated by many players). However, the other 5★s on the banner really bring it down. Sora is mostly used for fun or Sleep shenanigans, and Kirara is just plain bad. (Here’s hoping she gets buffed in the future! She needs it.)
Quick Overview
+ Burns everything
+ Moonlights as an AoE Caster, but still has the DP cost/ attack speed of a ST Caster
+ Powers up other allied Casters with her Talent
+ Can provide consistent AoE damage with S2 or heavy AoE burst damage with S3
- Uh…
+ Prioritizes heavy enemies and is able to ignore a large portion of DEF when attacking enemies above a certain weight class
+ S2 attacks multiple targets and lasts for a long time, giving her great sustained DPS
+ S3 charges very quickly, does great burst damage, and Binds multiple enemies for several seconds
= Wide and unique attack range, but the “blind spot” directly around her can be troublesome
- Much less effective on enemies that are too lightweight to trigger her Talent
- Slow attack speed reduces her overall DPS
+ Trait passively heals allies within her attack range, including Summons and Enmity Units that cannot typically be healed by other units.
+ Very low DP cost
+ S1 puts enemies to Sleep (cannot act but also cannot take damage), giving you time to charge Skills and run down redeploy timers
+ S2 is an amazing AoE ATK buff—perfect for Operators with low base ATK or high multiplicative ATK modifiers (i.e., Exusiai)
- Has no damage potential whatsoever; relies on her allies to affect the field
- Limited attack range makes it difficult to deploy her on some maps
+ As an AoE Medic, heals up to three friendly units at a time
+ Passively increases SP-per-second regeneration for all allies on the field
+ Incredibly powerful S2, granting rapid-fire healing to allies within an increased range
+ The preferred AoE Medic for many Doctors in situations where there are no Arts-DPS enemies on the field
- S2 has a very long cooldown, so use it carefully
Controller/ Ambusher Specialist
+ Usual archetype strengths: true AoE attacks, reduced enemy aggro, and 50% Physical/ Arts Dodge
+ Talent constantly regenerates her HP (the regen is increased if there are no allies adjacent to her)
+ S1 inflicts both Physical and Arts damage, and S2 deals Arts damage over time
+ Can survive well deep behind enemy lines and without support due to her high regen with Talent + S2, and the Dodge from her Trait
= Block-0 means she cannot receive melee damage, but also means she can’t Block enemies
- Usual archetype weaknesses: Very slow ASPD, which reduces overall DPS (and the charge time for S1, which has the [Attacking Enemy] SP charge type)
- Unimpressive damage from Skills
- Has no crowd control to keep enemies in her range for her slow attacks
- S1 inflicts hybrid damage; hybrid damage in Arknights is typically not very useful, as it is reduced by both DEF and RES
- S2 has terrible uptime
Eyjafjalla
Eyjafjalla, ladies and gentlemen. At this point, is anybody unaware of the phenomenal cosmic power that this gentle goat vulcanologist wields? She’s technically a ST Caster, with the attack speed and DP cost to match. However, her gamebreaking S2 and S3 give her unparalleled AoE Arts damage that can bring the toughest of opponents to their knees.
I recommend pulling for Eyjafjalla.
Rosa
Rosa noticed how much trouble other Snipers were having with high-DEF targets, and she decided she was going to do something about that. Her solution was her Talent, Bone Piercer, which allows Rosa to ignore a large percentage of her target’s DEF as long as her target is above a certain weight class. Combined with her S2, it allows for sustained multi-target damage; combined with her S3, it becomes a burst of painful, long-lasting crowd-control. But no matter what, it makes Rosa a force to be reckoned with.
Many high-DEF enemies are also heavy, and many Contingency Contract effects involve increasing the weight of nasty enemies so they’re harder to push away with Specialists. Rosa is perfectly built to take advantage of these factors, giving her an easily identifiable niche on the battlefield. Outside of her niche, however, she loses her luster; due to low ASPD, her damage is unimpressive if she isn’t taking advantage of Bone Piercer. At least her S3’s crowd control is useful against any enemy composition, giving her some much-needed flexibility.
I don’t recommend pulling for or buying Rosa, but she’s well worth raising if you pull her.
Sora
Sora is an idol singer, so it’s to be expected that she’s no great shakes at combat. Instead, she supports her allies with the power of her singing voice! She passively regenerates HP to nearby allies rather than attacking, and her S2 grants a percentage of her ATK to allies within her range, amping up their damage output to 11 for the duration.
The damage spike that Sora’s S2 grants the rest of your team is enormous. However, the Skill’s duration is pretty short until it’s at M3, and even then it’s shorter than you’d prefer. Because Sora can’t Block or attack enemies herself, the rest of your team needs to be able to handle enemies in between her S2 activations without her help. It can be a bit tricky to time at first, but once you get the rhythm down, Sora’s song will sweep the critics off their feet.
I don’t recommend pulling for Sora.
Ptilopsis
Ptilopsis is one of the most popular AoE Medics in Arknights, and for good reason. In addition to skillfully covering the healing needs of her team, Ptilopsis increases the SP regeneration rate of [Per Second] SP charge Skills, helping her allies use their Skills more quickly and more often. And don’t forget her Enkephalin Skill, which unleashes AoE healing at ridiculous speed across an increased range, helping her allies survive even the most determined of enemy assaults.
I recommend pulling for or buying Ptilopsis.
Kirara
Kirara is a marathon MMO gamer who owes her extensive video game collection to teams of ninjas, who would smuggle the illegal electronics over the border into her hometown (no, we’re not kidding). How she translated her video game skills into “hitting enemies with anchors and harpoon traps” isn’t really clear, but it certainly serves as an example to anybody who thinks video games can’t teach you any applicable real life skills. Look out below!
If you’re thinking, “A high school gamer doesn’t really sound like the best addition to a team of secret agents,” well… you’d be right. Kirara has a lot of flaws that severely limit her potential. Her archetype is notable for two things:
- Slow ASPD. This hurts Kirara’s DPS in multiple ways. Obviously, she attacks slowly, so she takes a long time to do damage—but in addition, her S1 charges [When Attacking], so slow ASPD means her S1 charges very slowly. Most Ambushers have some kind of CC so they can keep enemies in range and continue launching their slow-but-powerful attacks, but not Kirara. To date, she is the only member of the archetype who has no CC whatsoever.
- Great evasion. Ambusher Specialists have innate Physical and Arts Dodge and have naturally low aggro from enemies as part of their Trait. It is therefore odd that Kirara’s Talent gives her HP regeneration. Because of her evasion and low targeting priority, Kirara will rarely be targeted in most circumstances, which means the HP regen largely goes to waste.
Furthermore, Kirara’s S1 does hybrid damage—meaning its damage potential is reduced by enemy DEF and RES simultaneously—and her S2 has a ridiculously short duration considering its lackluster effects.
In summary, Kirara suffers on offense because she is slow to act, deals hybrid damage, and can’t keep enemies in her attack range without help (she can’t even block, since Ambushers have Block-0), and she suffers on defense because her unique survivability doesn’t kick in unless she gets hit, yet her archetype has built-in mechanics to prevent this from happening.
I don’t recommend pulling for Kirara.
