'The King of Fighters AFK' (KOF AFK) has seen the simultaneous arrival of Goenitz, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, and the leader Orochi himself. Goenitz is particularly noteworthy as the first new fighter to join the struggling 'Rush' synergy. Usually, when a new face hits the scene, the usage frequency of their synergy counterparts spikes, often shaking up the PvP meta. Naturally, players are watching closely to see if Goenitz can spark a revival for the archetype. KookminTree has stepped in to run the numbers on his performance.

Q. Just what kind of fighter is Goenitz?
A. He is a fighter who triggers his 'Normal/Active' skills in sequence immediately after using his Finisher.

Goenitz belongs to the Moon attribute. His Normal and Active skills are single-target, while his Finisher hits the entire enemy team. A cheeky advantage here is that his Normal skill and Finisher are projectile-based, meaning they don't trigger counter-attacks. His Normal skill, 'Manpaku Sawa', and Active skill, 'Amatsukoku', are fairly standard fare without any extra bells or whistles.

The real meat of his kit is the Finisher, 'Shikitsui Eisei'. Upon use, he gains a 'Rough Wind' buff, boosting his Attack by 20% for 2 turns. He then pummels the entire enemy team and applies a 'Survival Effect Nullification' debuff. This effectively wipes out one survival buff from the target, severely hampering their sustainability. As of now, this is a unique effect exclusive to Goenitz. At 7-star promotion, 'Rough Wind' gets a glow-up to 'Attack +30% and Crit +10%'.

His passive, 'Howling Wind', is triggered by the Finisher. Once that Finisher goes off, he cycles through his Normal and Active skills up to two times consecutively, scaling to three times at 5-star promotion. The attack order is always 'Normal then Active'. Furthermore, at 10-star, if he targets the same enemy during these follow-up attacks, the damage dealt increases by 25%.

Q. How should I build a team around Goenitz?
A. I would recommend using a Rush-type pet, or pairing him with Kim Kaphwan or Yamazaki.

The Rush synergy, when active, pumps up the Normal/Active skill damage for Rush fighters by 50% to 60%. It’s essentially giving wings to Goenitz, who relies on those skills following his Finisher. However, the roster of Rush fighters is quite thin, making it tricky to activate this synergy without relying on a pet.

While Rush fighters like Shun'ei, Jeon Hoon, and Ramon do trigger extra attacks, they offer absolutely nothing in terms of team buffs or enemy debuffs. Kim Kaphwan and Yamazaki are the exceptions, opting for utility over raw damage: Kim reduces the target's Crit Damage Resistance by 60%, while Yamazaki strips 40% of their Defense.

Therefore, if you're dead set on activating that Rush synergy, I'd suggest using a Rush-type pet. This leaves you four slots to fill alongside Goenitz. A '1 Special - 3 Fury' or '1 Special - 2 Wedge - 1 filler' setup is your best bet. If you really want to fill that final slot with a Rush fighter, Kim Kaphwan or Yamazaki are your go-to guys.

For Fury fighters, Mai and Kyo are locked in, and I recommend Orochi Leona for the Special synergy. Her 'Frenzy' synergy allows her to charge PG for her teammates when she uses a Finisher, and vice-versa. It makes firing off Goenitz's Finisher significantly easier. As it happens, to celebrate the addition of the Orochi clan, there is an event running now that boosts Premium Summon points by 30% and increases drop rates. Don't miss your chance to recruit Orochi Leona.