When assembling a party for the arena or 'Total War' in 'Seven Knights Re:BIRTH' (hereinafter SKRB), strategists must weigh hero synergy and potential victory conditions. The most common, albeit irritating, tactic is the use of status effects, which remains a reliable formula from the opening bell to the final moments of a long-drawn-out battle.

Landing a status effect early on can disrupt the opponent's queued skills, effectively throwing their entire game plan into disarray. This creates a bottleneck in the opponent's skill rotation mid-game, and late-game, it allows players to bypass the need for 'turn-based buff reduction' when dealing with immortal heroes. It is a persistent strategy that keeps the opponent under constant pressure.

To counter this, the hero Lucy has emerged as a key player. Lucy is seeing a sharp rise in pick rates within PvP content, and many adventurers are taking note of Lucy's utility, particularly as top-tier rankers begin to favour this hero. Let's delve into what makes Lucy such a compelling choice.

Removing up to 3 debuffs for the entire party

Following our previous analysis of Rudy and Hellenia, Lucy stands out as a rising star in debuff removal for PvP. As a rare-grade hero, Lucy is relatively easy to cultivate and boasts a versatility that fits perfectly into defensive parties. Moreover, Lucy possesses recovery abilities based on defence, making the gearing process quite forgiving.

The core ability here is debuff removal. Using the 'Divine Descent' skill, Lucy removes up to 3 debuffs from all allies. Regardless of the party concept, this skill is universally useful in the current arena meta. Simultaneously, Lucy grants a '22% increase in defence' to all allies, which synergizes brilliantly with defensive setups. Even in offensive parties, this provides a nice little bonus to overall survivability.

If you prefer a magic-attack party, keep an eye on the 6-transcendence effect. 'Mystical Dance' provides recovery while granting '15 seconds of skill cooldown reduction' to magic-type heroes in the back row. While this is limited to 'magic-type' heroes, it opens up strategic possibilities for faster skill rotations. The best approach is to let a defensively geared Lucy hold the front line while providing fire support from the rear.

Shining in the PvE Raid 'Steel Predator'

Lucy's original claim to fame wasn't the arena, but raids. In the 'Steel Predator' raid, the boss frequently applies a poison debuff that threatens low-HP main damage dealers. Lucy's passive, 'Spiritual Ability', solves this with ease. While debuff removal is primarily for PvP, poison immunity is a massive boon for PvE.

Successful passive skill enhancement grants Lucy self-recovery. Upon triggering a skill, Lucy recovers HP equal to 92% of their defence. This is a universally useful effect regardless of the content. In the arena, Total War, and guild battles, this prepares Lucy for long-term engagements, and in raids, it prevents sudden deaths. Situations where one must use recovery skills solely for personal survival are greatly reduced thanks to this passive.

Prioritizing 'Effect Resistance' for Lucy to protect the team

If there is one potential pitfall in operating Lucy, it is the hero's own survival. There is nothing more troublesome than the healer falling first. Therefore, prioritize defensive stats, and consider equipping the 'Gatekeeper' or 'Guardian' set bonuses.

By the same token, maximize effect resistance. Even if Lucy is not the first to fall, being hit by a status effect makes it impossible to assist the team. If your defensive gear lacks effect resistance, the 4-set 'Coordinator' bonus is an excellent alternative. The equipment effect grants 'Immunity to Crowd Control' for 1 turn, which smoothens out the early stages of combat. If your goal is PvP, prioritize survivability first, then look to increase attack speed via sub-options.