'Goddess of Victory: NIKKE's high-performance Nikke, Little Mermaid, has surged to claim over 80% share in both Special Arena and Champion Arena. Having firmly established herself as an S-tier pick for PvE, her climb in PvP has been a slow burn—but it's been exactly four months since her release on April 24. Dive into our breakdown of the Arena ranker pick rates for the second week of August below.

Nikke Pick Rates for 64-Ranker Squads in Champion Arena

※ Data based on 320 squad configurations from rankers who qualified for the Champion Arena 'Top 64', tracked from July 31 to August 13.
※ Please note that the aggregation groups vary by season.

Noise, who once sat at a 100% pick rate alongside Jackal, has finally seen a dip. Aside from that, the roster of Burst 2 and 3 staples remains unchanged; Jackal, Noah, Biscuit, Scarlet, and Helm remain absolute essentials for every ranker out there.

Let's break this down by Burst. In Burst 1, Little Mermaid has clawed her way to an 82.8% share, pushing Red Hood down into the 70s. We also saw the return of Pascal and the debut of the new Nikke, Rupee: Winter Shopper, who appeared after a brief absence; it seems some were banking on the taunt mechanics embedded in their Bursts. As for Burst 2, more rankers have opted for Bay, likely because their 'Treasures' have finally reached a decent level of refinement—though not all Bays in play were fully equipped with them.

In Burst 3, the pick rates for Maiden: Ice Rose, Anis: Sparkling Summer, and Mana have slipped, while Laplace has gained some ground. Curiously, Trony surfaced below the 19% mark. With a kit as convoluted as hers, Trony is a tough sell for both PvP and PvE, yet one brave soul piloted Trony all the way to the top 64, even if the run ended before the round of 32. Honestly, these surprise picks are exactly what make the Champion Arena fun.

Let's look at the squad for 'K', the runner-up of this group. A final record of 2 wins and 3 losses meant the top prize slipped away, but considering 'K' only made the semifinals last season, this is clearly a step in the right direction.

The director of this squad opted for Bay with a Treasure. In the fourth match, Bay helped overcome the opponent's Burst in a nail-biting finish. Unfortunately, the raw power of the Nero/Mokdan deck proved too much in the end. After going from the semis to the final, here's hoping 'K' lifts the trophy next season.

Special Arena Ranker Defense Squad Nikke Pick Rates

※ Based on defense deck data from Top 10-40 rankers in the Special Arena (Servers 230-250) from July 31 to August 13.
※ Data reflects the 'defense deck' settings chosen by each individual at the time of tracking.
※ Some discrepancies with current live defense decks may occur.

The Burst 1 pool in Special Arena is shifting. Long-time mainstays Noise, Jackal, and Red Hood all saw their shares drop simultaneously. Conversely, Lumani climbed from the bottom, while Little Mermaid moved into the upper echelons. It seems Little Mermaid is finally finding her footing in Special Arena, joined by the newly surfaced Treasure-equipped Prim.

In Burst 2, the arrival of Nero and the rising popularity of Trony were the real highlights—both Nikkes are finally finding their place in the meta based on performance. For Burst 3, it was business as usual, with the only notable changes being the decline of Laplace and the rise of Drake.

Let's examine the defense deck of 'Toscan', who finished 11th this season. 'Toscan' maintained a consistent presence in the top 10 rankings and was one of the few to include Dorothy: Serendipity in their lineup.

The shotgun composition featuring Dorothy: Serendipity was quite unique. Usually, these shotgun decks are married to the Treasure-equipped Drake, but 'Toscan' went a different route. Instead, 'Toscan' slotted in Anis: Sparkling Summer to bolster the base stats. While it had the lowest combat power in the squad, it managed to retain the high-damage output typical of a shotgun build.

The squad utilizing Rapi: Red Hood as a damage dealer also caught our eye. Red Hood was positioned as a Burst 1 buffer and dealer, with Rapi: Red Hood as the sub-dealer, while Noah, Biscuit, and Rapunzel handled support and recovery. It packs a decent punch, but it's a risky setup against a Scarlet deck. Unless your combat power is exceptionally high, I wouldn't recommend it.

Arena Meta Analysis

The Difference Between Clip and Non-Clip

In the Arena, the name of the game is triggering Full Burst before your opponent. This makes launchers with high Burst generation rates incredibly popular. But did you know there's a hierarchy even among launchers and shotguns? It comes down to 'clip' versus 'non-clip' magazines. A clip system loads three rounds twice to fill a six-round capacity, while a non-clip system reloads all six in one go.

Representative clip-type Nikkes include SR Anis, Jackal, Centi, and Lumani—all of whom, you'll notice, sit at 100% or top-tier pick rates. Of course, non-clip launchers like Centi, Emilia, and Noah are also highly efficient at generating Burst. If you're prepping for the Arena, these are well worth keeping in mind.

Nikke Issues

Eunhwa: Tactical Up Recruitment Begins

Following Emma: Tactical Up, Eunhwa: Tactical Up recruitment opened on August 14. These two are a set type that really needs to be used together, so I imagine those who pulled for Emma have been counting down the days. With Eunhwa finally here, we can start analyzing the full viability of this squad. I'm genuinely curious to see how they perform in the field. Don't forget, the final piece of the puzzle, Vesti: Tactical Up, arrives on August 21.

User Poll - Which Arena do you participate in the most?

We held a poll last week regarding the latest updates, and it turns out most of you were looking forward to main scenarios 39 and 40. As it's been a while since the last story drop, the sheer volume of new information was overwhelming. The Solo Raid Museum took second place, followed by Absolute Tactical Up in third, and the Pinne and Nayuta narrative in fourth.

There are three types of Arena content, including the Champion Arena. You have the Rookie Arena (one deck), the Special Arena (three decks), and the Champion Arena (five decks). Aside from the Solo Raid, this is the only place you can really test your mettle against other players. Which one do you spend the most time in? Cast your vote, and I'll reveal the results in next week's Meca Ranking.