Welcome back to the Meca Ranking for 'Seven Knights Re:BIRTH' (hereinafter SKRB). The Arena, which had finally found some stability following the release of Colt, has been thrown into chaos once again—this time by the arrival of Platon. Pick rates are swinging wildly, and even the seemingly impregnable formation meta has started to crumble. Mind you, it is not a simple case of one new hero dominating the charts; rather, the landscape has become a tapestry of competing combinations, making high-level tactical maneuvering significantly more complex. Let us dive into the stats and see how Platon fared in its debut.

'Platon' hits the Arena with a 39% pick rate

Just as the Colt-led physical and status-effect meta was settling in, Platon arrived to act as a catalyst. In its first outing, Platon secured the top spot among Support types, landing at 3rd place overall with a 39% pick rate. It missed 2nd place, held by Melcure, by a mere 0.5 percentage points.

Platon's arrival saw a surge in the popularity of Magic-type heroes. Rin, Melcure, Yeonhee, and Yushin all saw their shares climb, with Vanessa being the only notable exception to experience a decline—though it still managed to hold its ground at 5th place.

Conversely, the Attack-type faction took a bit of a beating. Colt, Teo, and even the old guard Seven Knights hero Pavi saw their usage drop by 5 percentage points. However, it is far too early to write them off. The top-tier adventurers are currently juggling Attack, Magic, and Defense parties interchangeably, opting for a flexible approach based on the specific match-up rather than clinging to a single rigid setup.

'Platon' shakes up the Attack formation meta

The balance of the formation meta, which had been slowly solidifying, has been well and truly shattered. As more high-ranking players incorporate Platon, the pick rate for the Attack formation—perfectly suited for this hero's kit—has skyrocketed. It has broken the 0% 'unwritten rule' that held since we began tracking Meca Ranking, jumping by a staggering 13 percentage points. It would be fair to say that the Attack formation effectively made its debut alongside Platon.

The biggest casualty of this shift is the Balanced formation, which dipped 11 percentage points to 46%. It still clings to the top spot, though. The Protective formation fared slightly better, suffering only a 2-percentage-point decline, which is practically a win in this climate.

Alongside the shifting tide in formations, pet popularity also saw significant volatility. Erin tumbled 6.5 percentage points, slipping to 3rd place, which allowed Pike and Yeonji to share the top spot. This is a direct consequence of the rise in Magic-based parties pairing with Platon. Aside from Cree at 5th, the rest of the pack is seeing fairly balanced distribution.

Pick of the Week

Survival meets firepower! 'Platon' Attack formation

This week's top pick is the latest setup incorporating the newcomer, Platon. The user opted for the Attack formation to maximize the utility of Platon's passive. To hedge against the possibility of Platon being taken down early, the backline is reinforced with Melcure’s 'Magic Backflow' operation, utilizing Melcure, Rin, and Yushin. To round out the team's sustainability, the classic Seven Knights hero Rozi is included.

While Platon stands at the front, the engagement is orchestrated by the Magic dealers in the rear. Rin’s confusion, Melcure’s stun, and Yushin’s paralysis are deployed early to disrupt the opponent's planned skill rotations. As Platon tanks the incoming fire, it dishes out consistent fixed damage. Once Melcure’s Magic Backflow effect kicks in, victory usually follows. It turns every moment—regardless of whose turn it is—into a potential opening.

Note that you can swap out the Magic heroes for Defense or Support types if you prefer. In that scenario, a more defensive, survival-oriented strategy is recommended; check the All-Out War ranker combinations mentioned later for more on that.

All-Out War Pick of the Week

9th Round 1st Place 'Yasinida'

As we enter the 9th round of this All-Out War season, the top contenders are finally making their mark. We investigated the 4-team lineup of 'Yasinida', who currently holds the sole 1st place position. Even before the 5-team Legendary tier expansion, the new hero Platon has already found a spot. From top to bottom, the teams are: Instant Death Defense, Colt Attack, Melcure Magic, and Platon Defense.

Let's look at the contrast between the 2nd and 3rd teams. The 2nd team uses a Protective formation with Colt as the main dealer, placing Eileen and Dellons in the front to maximize physical attack buffs. This ensures that Pavi and Teo, acting as sub-dealers, hit with surprising force. I expect Pavi's priority skill to be set high, neutralizing the enemy's survival passives before Colt plants bombs to clean house.

The 3rd team, meanwhile, is all about Magic. Yeonhee and Vanessa mirror the roles of Eileen and Dellons, providing constant magic attack buffs and enemy defense debuffs. If the raw damage isn't enough, Melcure and Yushin are ready to step up. Melcure's Magic Backflow acts as a secondary win condition, while Yushin’s paralysis can effectively neutralize the opposition.

The Platon team is the defensive setup we highlighted in our Best Pick section. Rudy provides the defense in the rear, while Lina, Karma, and Lucy offer the healing necessary to keep Platon alive. With Platon standing alone in the front, the goal is to soak up as much damage as possible while inflicting fixed damage in return. Regardless of what the opponent brings, the fixed damage ensures that the longer the fight lasts, the more the scales tip in Platon's favour.

SKRB User Poll

Our last poll focused on the newly added Rare-grade rings. We asked which ring players wanted to acquire first, and it was a neck-and-neck race between the Annihilation Ring and the Suppression Ring. The former took 1st place by a margin of 8.4 percentage points.

The ring's effect increases damage dealt to 4-5 targets. Given it raises the damage ceiling, it seems highly useful for PvE content like mob farming, adventure stages, or the Infinite Tower. Depending on the meta, it might even see some use in the Arena. It seems the players value versatility quite highly.

The 2nd place Suppression Ring offers a boss damage increase. As mentioned in the official 'Sena-li Connect' broadcast, new difficulty levels for boss raids are on the horizon. It seems 40% of the adventurers who voted for the Suppression Ring are planning ahead for that.

Our next poll subject is the new 'Sena Chess' content. The goal is to open 80 reward tiles one by one to find the Legendary hero you've placed on your wish list. Players are currently calculating and sharing the most efficient ways to clear the board. Some adventurers cleared all 80 tiles on day one, while others prefer to leave it to fate, opening only one tile per day.

We are curious about your plans for Sena Chess. Read the poll options carefully and vote for your preferred style. We will share the results in next week's Meca Ranking. Adieu!