'Seven Knights Re:BIRTH' (hereinafter 'SKRB') Meca Ranking time. Every time a new hero drops, the meta swings wildly between Magic and Attack types like a game of hot and cold. This time, the release of Branz & Bransel has tilted the scales in favour of Attack-type heroes. Three units with rock-solid synergy have climbed to the top with similar pick rates, effectively pushing out the three Magic-type heroes that previously dominated. Meanwhile, the versatile Sun Wukong and Elisha have soared to the pinnacle. Let's dive into the data and see how the arena meta has shifted.

Attack-type heroes gain momentum with the arrival of 'Branz & Bransel'

Arena pick rates have been nothing short of volatile. Following the debut of Branz & Bransel, Attack-type heroes saw a sharp 40% surge, while Magic types suffered a bitter decline. Amidst this chaos, Universal-type heroes maintained their ground. Sun Wukong climbed 6.3 percentage points, eyeing a 90% pick rate, while Elisha rose by 14.7 percentage points, keeping pace in the high-altitude rankings.

Even in the fiercely contested arena, defensive heroes held their own. Rudy and Alice, effectively a package deal, saw a slight increase to secure 9th and 10th place. Meanwhile, Gelidus at 12th is being actively researched for defensive builds, recording a 14.7% pick rate. It’s a respectable performance—better than Phai, though still trailing behind Ace.

The 'Basic Formation' continues to hit new heights

Regardless of whether they lean Magic or Attack, top-tier rankers are increasingly opting for the Basic Formation. It gained 16.3 percentage points in just one week, becoming the go-to choice right after the Balance Formation. Consequently, other formations are seeing a decline, with the Balance Formation taking the hardest hit—dropping 11.7 percentage points. Still, it retains its top spot with a 62.7% share.

Pet picks are following the same trends as hero selections. Irin, the representative for Attack types, rose by 21 percentage points, while Yeonji, the mainstay for Magic decks, plunged by 32.7 percentage points. Slipping through the cracks of this rivalry is 'Yu', who is widely used to counter enemy health recovery regardless of the specific deck theme. It has become a key pick for the top-tier players.

Best Pick of the Week

Research begins on hybrid arena combinations!

Following the buff to Ace, rankers are experimenting with diverse combinations. This week's best pick is a hybrid setup centred on Attack-type synergy. It takes the existing 'Kyle & Kagura' base, slots the new Branz & Bransel into the final Attack-type spot, and uses Ace to stifle enemy recovery. Interestingly, they've added Freya—a Magic type—to exploit the 'Health Conversion' effect for massive area-of-effect damage.

This setup is currently a favourite among top-tier rankers in both standard and high-level arenas. Players are also customising by swapping in Universal heroes like Sun Wukong, Trude, or Elisha to test matchups. Changes to these combinations often flip combat outcomes 180 degrees depending on item sets and skill ordering. We are currently in a phase where everyone is hunting for that 'golden' setup that covers all variables.

Total War Pick of the Week

The undisputed leader of the 11th round, 'Tosiltosil'

When top-tier rankers reach the Legend rank of 6,000 points in Total War, ties are inevitable. However, the player 'Tosiltosil' is an exception. By maintaining the highest win rate among the elite, they consistently clear mid-round challenges, a secret method that keeps them at the top of the pile.

Given their consistent success, we were curious about how they use the new hero. Now that we are in the 11th round of Total War, we got a detailed look at their best 5-team setup. Branz & Bransel has predictably found a home in the 'Kyle & Trude' Attack deck.

Previously, they used a Balance formation with 'Kagura, Phai, and Elisha' in the front. With Branz & Bransel joining, Phai was dropped. By switching to the Basic formation, they established a 3-dealer system featuring 'Branz & Bransel, Trude, and Kyle.' It’s a more aggressive pivot than the previous build. Branz & Bransel uses an 'Execution' effect much like Phai, but the advantage lies in the ability to narrow the target to the enemy's backline. Keep an eye on Phai—if backline-heavy metas become popular, she might just make a comeback.

Seven Knights Re:BIRTH User Poll

In our last poll, we asked about the difficulty of the recently expanded 15th stage of the Growth Dungeon. The results confirm that our players are quite the skilled bunch: 43% of respondents found all the growth dungeons to be easy. It was the clear winner, followed by the Dark, Water, and Light Element dungeons.

If you are struggling to clear the growth dungeons or have yet to conquer stage 15, try using 'Baekgak', who was released in the last update. They are particularly useful in the Dark Element dungeon, which was voted the most difficult. Their ability to handle both bleeding effects and debuff removal makes the content significantly more manageable.

As analysed, Branz & Bransel made quite an impact immediately upon arrival in the arena. Naturally, higher transcendence levels offer an advantage, but with the meta shifting so rapidly, it's a heavy burden to transcend every single hero. Our next poll asks for your recommended transcendence level for Branz & Bransel. We've set options from 0 to 6, so please cast your vote. We'll share the results in next week's [Meca Ranking].