It is time for the 'Seven Knights Re:BIRTH' Meca Ranking. The Arena meta has been completely turned on its head following the arrival of the Four Lords' Sun Wukong and the Old Seven Knights, Milla and Gelidus. Consequently, the former meta staples—the Trude and Kyle offensive deck, Karma defensive deck, and Platon magic deck—have seen their pick rates plummet. The most intriguing aspect of this shift is the timing gap between Sun Wukong's release and the conclusion of the 'Sena Festival Summon'. Let's dive into the detailed analysis alongside the Arena team composition statistics.

Arena meta shifts following new hero arrivals

The first turning point in this seismic shift was the release of Sun Wukong. Known for his immense firepower and staying power, Sun Wukong thrives in the late game. Conversely, Kyle, who relies on early-game dominance, found himself helpless. While Trude, with her own late-game resilience, occasionally offered a solution, the overall win rate clearly skewed in Sun Wukong's favour.

At this juncture, most adventurers hit the 100-pull milestone for the Sena Festival Summon. Given that many prioritised the new Old Seven Knights on their wishlists, Milla and Gelidus began flooding the Arena. They synergised with the already-established Sun Wukong, effectively shaking the foundation of the meta. You could say Sun Wukong provided the initial tremors, while Milla and Gelidus triggered the full-scale tectonic shift.

If we have to pick the most influential of the Old Seven Knights, it has to be Milla. Even though the data collection period coincides with her very first days of arrival, she has already clocked in a 48% pick rate. The current Arena feels as though anyone who snagged Milla via the Sena Festival Summon is obligated to field her. We expect her pick rate to hit at least 70% next week.

Amidst this chaos, the former Arena titans, Platon and Colt, saw their pick rates collapse, falling out of the top rankings. Both dropped by 22% and 27% respectively, leaving them stranded in 17th and 18th place. It is a clear sign that their era has come to an end. For context, the 16th spot above them is occupied by Lina, a key figure in defensive decks. The trio of Rudy, Lina, and Alice used to move as a set, but the combined pressure of Sun Wukong, Milla, and Gelidus has dragged them to the bottom.

The 'Offensive Formation' returns to the top

The offensive formation, once dubbed the 'Platon-exclusive' setup, has reclaimed its throne as the meta standard. In just one week, its pick rate surged by 26.3% points. However, the face of the formation has changed; it is Milla leading the charge, not Platon. I suspect this trend won't last long, though. While early adopters used Milla as a primary tank, the trend is shifting towards distributing her across the front lines of a balanced formation.

Thanks to the rapid growth of magic-type heroes, Yeonhee's pick rate has skyrocketed. She added 24.7% points to her share, instantly vaulting to 1st place. The rise of Lu and Yudo, both versatile in various situations, solidified the pet rankings around the 'Milla and Sun Wukong' magic-type combo. Conversely, the former top pet, Erin, suffered a 47.3% drop, landing in 5th place.

Best Pick of the Week

The standard for Milla magic decks: 'Milla and Sun Wukong' magic backlash combo

The 'Milla and Sun Wukong' magic backlash combination, favoured by top-ranked players who have added Milla to their rosters, is our Best Pick of the Week. It fulfils Melkior's passive requirement of three magic-type heroes while employing 'Elysia' as a reliable utility pick for survival. It is essentially an evolution of the previous Freya-led main damage party, now bolstered by the inclusion of Sun Wukong and Milla.

While Milla's passive and skill effects lean towards the tank role, her identity as a magic-type hero is her true selling point. This allows for the magic backlash synergy with Melkior. The core consists of 'Melkior - Freya - Milla', though a high-transcendence Yuri can swap in for Freya. Just keep in mind that Yuri’s win rate fluctuates wildly depending on the match-up, making Freya the more stable choice for most.

Total War Pick of the Week

11th Round solo leader 'BEO3'

The shock we witnessed in the Arena caused nothing short of chaos in Total War, where players must assemble five distinct teams. The influx of new heroes has made deck construction significantly more complex. Our protagonist this week is the adventurer 'BEO3', who claimed sole possession of 1st place in the 11th round. They have split Sun Wukong and Milla across their five teams. The lineup, in order, is: Trude/Kyle offensive deck, instant-death defensive deck, Freya magic deck, Sun Wukong defensive deck, and Milla magic deck.

Looking at the Sun Wukong defensive deck in the 4th team, Karma has been swapped out for Sun Wukong. While the 2-healer, 2-tank, 1-main damage dealer structure remains, Sun Wukong’s superior combat sustain seems to be yielding better win rates. If a hero as essential as Karma is being benched for him, there really isn't much room to debate Sun Wukong's effectiveness, is there?

The Milla magic deck features five magic-type heroes to maximise Milla's 'Magic Bond'. Since Milla provides a substantial shield to all allies every time she attacks, it allows for a strategy similar to a defensive deck. Despite having no dedicated tank or support heroes, it is a new meta composition capable of handling long-drawn-out battles.

Seven Knights Re:BIRTH User Poll

Did everyone manage to snag their desired Old Seven Knights from the Sena Festival Summon? In our last poll, we asked who you placed on your wishlists. Since you can select two, I expected the new heroes Milla and Gelidus to sweep the votes, but the results were a surprise: 'Pai' took 1st place. It seems players prefer proven, high-performance Old Seven Knights over the new heroes who are still in the research phase. Milla followed in 2nd place with 22.7%, while Gelidus stayed in 4th.

There is one more new hero being overshadowed by the Old Seven Knights: Sun Wukong. For our next poll, we will investigate the recommended transcendence level for Sun Wukong before his pickup summon ends. As a tip, Sun Wukong gains guaranteed critical hits at transcendence level 6, significantly boosting his output. His performance is undeniable, but summoning always requires careful selection and focus. We look forward to your participation, and we will reveal the results in next week's meta ranking. Best of luck!