If you're looking for the most stubborn setup in 'Seven Knights Re:BIRTH' (hereinafter SKRB) PvP, the instant-death deck is impossible to ignore. While it's a bit too fiddly for a tight 5-man arena, it's a staple in 25-man Total War. Better yet, in the 'Real-time Arena' preseason, where you actually choose your own skills, its value skyrockets. Let’s dissect Kris, the star dealer of this rising meta.

Q. What skill upgrades do you recommend for Kris?
A. Any skill that contributes to the core 'Instant Death' effect is a must-have.

Why is Kris the go-to dealer for these decks? Simple. Every single skill triggers instant death, even basic attacks—provided you’ve upgraded them to unlock that 20% chance. To make this work, keep a close eye on your team's attack speed. You’ll want to set Kris with the highest speed to keep those basic attacks cycling as often as possible.

Next, let’s look at 'Dark Strike,' a single-target instant-death skill. It boasts the highest success rate in Kris's kit at 60%. The real magic happens at Transcendence 6; it adds an extra 30% chance for an independent instant-death trigger, meaning you can potentially land a double-stack in one go. It’s a brilliant strategy to delete an enemy or force them to burn a defensive cooldown right at the start of the match.

Q. How long does the 'Immortal' effect last when Kris dies?
A. It lasts for 2 turns by default, but hits 3 turns with skill upgrades.

Kris lives and breathes the 'Immortal' and 'Instant Death' mechanics. He’s essentially built around the concept of death. Note the duration of that 'Immortal' buff—while most heroes settle for 2 turns, Kris can stretch it to 3 with upgrades. Sure, heroes who strip buffs or reduce turn counts are his hard counters, but for anyone facing him, he remains a persistent headache.

Once you hit Transcendence 2, triggering 'Immortal' resets all of Kris's skill cooldowns. This shines in the Real-time Arena. Since Kris is a bit squishy, the strategy here is to let him take the heat, drop, and then rise again to unload a fresh rotation of instant-death skills. Unlike other SKRB modes, the ability to manually select skills makes this tactical playstyle viable.

Q. What equipment options do you recommend for Kris?
A. I’d suggest prioritizing 'Effect Accuracy' to pierce through the enemy's effect resistance.

Since instant death is treated similarly to status effects, it’s heavily influenced by the tug-of-war between your Effect Accuracy and the opponent's Effect Resistance. The 'Shaman' 4-piece set is a solid choice here, as it offers a 10% boost to effect application rates, giving your instant-death chances a necessary bump.

Alternatively, consider a defensive build. If you're aiming for an 'Instant Death Defense' comp, you can leverage the synergy of your teammates' defensive buffs. While Kris has his 'Immortal' state, he’s still a glass cannon; he needs to survive long enough to trigger the shields he gains upon killing enemies. Running a 'Guardian' 4-piece set with 'Damage Reduction' and 'Block Rate' mimics the survivability of a true defensive deck. Since Kris doesn't really need raw attack stats to finish off enemies, this defensive pivot works surprisingly well.