It is time for the [Meca Ranking] of 'Seven Knights Re:BIRTH' (hereafter 'SKRB'). Following the debut of Freya, the arena meta has finally taken a breather for the week. We haven't seen a massive shift in pick rates, as the usual suspects in the Universal and Attack types continue to dominate. Top-tier rankers have been busy testing out new parties built around Freya while bracing for the next update, which arrives two days earlier than usual—a clear sign they are laying the groundwork for the incoming heroes.

Freya: Rising in the Arena

Freya, who debuted with a solid 43.3% pick rate, has managed to push that up by another 4.7 percentage points. She is knocking on the door of the 50% threshold, though her overall ranking remains stagnant. While the presence of Freya has dented the pick rates of some nearby heroes, the sheer versatility of the Universal type means they are unlikely to fall off anytime soon. In a way, they are just holding the fort for the arrival of Gelidus, Melia, and Sun Wukong.

Beneath the surface, a new meta is brewing outside the top 15. The old Seven Knights hero Rosie has clawed her way into 15th place, forming a deadly duo with Nia. Much like the 'Kyle - Kagura' synergy in 3rd or 'Rudy - Alice' in 12th, the 'Rosie - Nia' pairing is becoming a staple for specific deck archetypes. I will dive deeper into the details in our 'Weekly Forum Highlight' section.

The Rise of the 'Protection Formation'

While the Balanced formation continues its reign at 59.7%, the Protection formation has surged by 5.7 percentage points. A rise in this formation almost always signals the arrival of a new main dealer. Looking closer, it is not just the usual favourites like Trude and Kyle; quite a few rankers are now incorporating Freya into these setups.

However, pet pick rates tell a different story. Yeonhee, favoured by Magic types, dropped by 1.7 percentage points, while Paike climbed by 3.7. These fluctuations are open to interpretation, but I suspect Freya’s rising popularity is the culprit. Since she provides an 'Effect Accuracy' buff to the entire team and leans heavily on bleed debuffs, players are likely turning to Paike to leverage his 'Effect Resistance' to counter the influx of Freya teams.

Weekly Forum Highlight

The Ultimate Counter: 'Rosie & Nia' Magic Deck

The highlight this week is the Freya-led main dealer party that is rapidly gaining traction among top rankers. While Freya grabs the spotlight, the real MVPs here are Rosie and Nia. These two, usually reserved for 'Instant Death' decks in Total War, are now poised to shake up the entire arena meta.

The secret sauce is Nia’s 'Time Manipulation' skill. It increases the skill cooldowns of all enemies, effectively locking them out of their abilities for a crucial window. At Transcendence 6, this hits with a 70% probability, a figure that is pushed to the absolute max by Freya’s effect accuracy boost and Rosie’s probability buff.

The key to this operation is, quite simply, speed. You must ensure Nia’s 'Time Manipulation' fires before the enemy’s skills, meaning you cannot afford to lose the initiative. Once it lands, not only are their cooldowns extended, but their queued skills are wiped clean. It turns the opponent’s carefully laid strategy into a disaster, making this deck an absolute nightmare to face if you lose the opening move.

Total War Picks of the Week

Rank 2 of Round 20: 'Tosiltosil'

Just before the meta shifts due to the new hero influx, the Total War season has wrapped up. I took a look at the 5-team composition of 'Tosiltosil,' who secured 2nd place just before the start of Round 20. The lineup included a Trude Defense deck, Platon Magic deck, Freya Magic deck, Kyle Attack deck, and Chris Instant Death deck.

Tosiltosil’s strategy is all about spreading the wealth to maintain a consistent win rate. By distributing high-performance heroes like Trude, Platon, Freya, and Kyle, they ensure that the win rate floor remains comfortably high.

For instance, putting Trude in Kyle’s Attack deck would guarantee a win there, but it would leave the Defense deck in shambles. Instead, they opted for Colt—who, while not quite Trude, still guarantees wins—in the Attack deck, saving Trude to anchor the Defense deck. It is a masterful balancing act, considering the power of all 25 heroes across 5 teams.

Seven Knights Re:BIRTH User Poll

We recently polled players on their excitement for the three new heroes. Despite the long-awaited arrival of the Four Lords' Sun Wukong, he had to compete for votes against two highly anticipated 'Old Seven Knights' heroes.

The results? Gelidus took the lead, followed by Sun Wukong, and then Melia. It is quite surprising that Sun Wukong managed to edge out Melia, securing 42.3% of the vote. We will see how these three original icons perform in the arena in next week's Meca Ranking.

With two new 'Old Seven Knights' heroes dropping, SKRB has launched the 'SKRB Festival Summon.' It is a special chance to select up to two heroes—from the original three to the two new arrivals—on a wishlist to guarantee them. The game is even providing enough summon tickets to hit the 100-pull pity mark through events.

I imagine you are all sweating as you make your pulls for your desired heroes. I am curious to see who you have put on your wishlists. Do take part in the poll, and stay tuned for the results in next week’s meta report!