[Game Rank Analysis] The monthly 'Champion Arena Hour' is here, dissecting the pick rates of top-tier PvP contenders in Goddess of Victory: NIKKE. As we predicted back in April, the 3.5 anniversary new Nikke, 'Annys : Star' (henceforth 'Dolnis'), made a spectacular entrance into Champion Arena. Her pick rate steadily climbed, and she's now practically a must-have. Her counterpart, 'Neon : Violet Eye', didn't quite crack the Burst Top 10, but secured a respectable spot. KookminTree has compiled the Nikkes and team compositions that dominated the May Champion Arena.

May Champion Arena Ranker Nikke Pick Rate

※ Based on the top 64 participants from Champion Arena Seasons 28-29 on the Korean server, analysing a total of 640 squads.
※ Please note that the data collection group changes each season.

This is the 'Ranker Nikke Pick Rate' corner, where we explore the Nikkes favoured by Champion Arena rankers in May. The Nikke duo used by all rankers throughout the season remained 'Jackal - Noah - Helm', identical to April. If you're aiming for the Arena, make sure to prioritise levelling these Nikkes.

Let's break it down by Burst tier. In Burst 1, Dolnis, the 3.5 anniversary Nikke, secured 4th place with an 82% pick rate. This is a significant jump compared to her counterpart, the 3.5 anniversary Nikke Neon: Violet Eye, who ranked 15th with 19.5%. As time goes on, we expect more rankers to complete Dolnis's Overload setup, potentially pushing her pick rate to 100%, rivalling Jackal. Dolnis's arrival bumped 'La Plain' to 11th place, while other Nikkes' rankings remain unchanged from April's Top 10.

In the Burst 2 category, we saw a joint second place, following the joint fourth place held by 'Trina - Nayuta' last season. 'Biscuit' and 'Trina' tied at 99.2%. 'Blanc', previously in second place, dropped to 4th with 97.7%, a 0.7% decrease from the previous week. Meanwhile, Nayuta, who was jointly fourth, surprisingly maintained 95.3% from the previous week, indicating that rankers are sticking with their tried-and-tested teams.

'Nero' also made it into the Burst 2 top 9. As a rare pure tanker in Goddess of Victory: NIKKE, she boasts 'damage taken reduction - taunt all - increased healing - increased max HP' abilities. While she was a common sight in Special Arena previously, only a handful of rankers utilized her in Champion Arena. However, her usage saw a notable increase in May, landing her the 9th spot.

While there are no new entrants in the Burst 3 Top 10, the rankings have seen considerable shifts. 'Scarlet', 'Snow White: Heavy Arms' (henceforth 'Snow White'), 'Vestia: Tactical Up' (henceforth 'Vestia'), and 'Emilia' have swapped positions. Additionally, 'Cinderella', who was previously 10th, climbed to 8th with an 11% point increase. This shift consequently caused a dip in the rankings for 'Laplace - Drake - Soda: Twinkling Bunny' (henceforth 'Bunny Soda').

The most frequently seen team composition in May's Champion Arena was 'Nayuta One-Hit Kill · Scarlet Shotgun'.

This is the 'May Champion Arena Team TOP 10' segment, where we analyse the actual team compositions employed by Champion Arena rankers. Compared to April, we observed a significant increase in joint rankings, with four such entries within the TOP 10.

The most frequently used teams in the May Champion Arena were 'Nayuta - Helm - Laplace - Red Hood - Emilia' and 'Scarlet - Bunny Soda - Trina - Rosanna - Noir'. The former is known as the 'Nayuta One-Hit Kill', and the latter as the 'Scarlet Shotgun'.

The Nayuta One-Hit Kill composition ranked 3rd in the April Champion Arena with 10.9%. Although its pick rate decreased to 8.6%, its overall ranking has improved. This is likely due to the emergence of new team compositions with Dolnis's arrival, expanding the strategic options. This team focuses on unleashing powerful area-of-effect attacks based on Nayuta's 'Indestructible' buff, supported by 'Helm - Laplace - Emilia' for Burst gauge charging and 'Red Hood's' buffs.

The Scarlet Shotgun strategy aims for a rapid full Burst by pairing 'Rosanna' with shotgun Nikkes. Rosanna's 'Burst Gauge charge upon Nikke's death' allows for instant Burst gauge refills whenever an ally or enemy falls. Furthermore, landing 10 normal attacks removes 5 buffs from the 'two enemies with the highest final attack power', enabling the elimination of units with 'Noah's' invincibility or indestructible effects.

Two of the jointly ranked 5th squads featured 'Jackal'. These were 'Jackal - Vestia - Maiden: Ice Rose - Blanc - Exia' and 'Jackal - Ash - Exia - Blanc - Helm'. Jackal was originally paired with Scarlet, dubbed 'Jackal-Scarlet', due to her 'Cheer Up Jackal' skill which grants a 'Damage Distribution' buff, crucial for triggering Scarlet's reflected damage. However, with the introduction of La Plain and a consistent stream of high-performance Nikkes, Scarlet's pick rate has declined, leading Jackal to be integrated into different team compositions.

Now, Jackal's 'Cheer Up Jackal' isn't solely for Scarlet's benefit but also serves to protect other damage dealers. These specific compositions appear designed to support Vestia and 'Exia' and 'Ash'. Concurrently, Exia provides an 'Armor Penetration' buff to the entire team, boosting the firepower of Vestia and Ash. For new commanders, it's unfortunate news that Exia is a limited-time character from the Biohazard collaboration and is currently unobtainable. Therefore, this particular team composition is not viable for commanders who joined after the 3.5 anniversary event, so please take note.

The composition that saw the most ranker usage in the April Champion Arena, 'Peony - Bay - Biscuit - Snow White - Cinderella', settled for a joint 3rd place with 7.8% this time. A similar setup, 'Peony - Bay - Biscuit - Snow White - La Plain', landed a joint 9th with 3.9%. La Plain is particularly effective against Scarlet and 'Cinderella', so remember this when considering its use. Its efficiency drops significantly unless facing Electric Code Nikkes.

A brief respite after the 3.5 Anniversary

The new May Nikke, 'Mint', failed to make a significant impact on the Arena meta. 'Pricca', whose skill details are yet to be revealed, requires further evaluation. While her Launcher type initially sparked expectations among commanders, she's currently assessed as potentially viable in Solo Raid environments.

With only the description 'Continuously heals allies to enhance squad stability' for Pricca, we'll need to await the full skill effect reveals and actual usage reviews. Her weapon being a sniper rifle, which offers lower Burst generation than a launcher, is also a drawback. If she possesses an effect like 'increases allies' Burst gauge charge speed' similar to Dolnis, she might receive a more favourable assessment.

Therefore, the focus shifts to who the new June Nikke will be. The May developer note teased, 'A pickup recruitment for a Nikke you'll be happy to see is planned.' With a three-week field event included, speculation among commanders suggests a high-performance Nikke is on the horizon. More details are expected just before the end of the 'BITTER SPICE' story event on June 11th. With a new Nikke or a variant anticipated, it remains to be seen if the Arena compositions will shift once again, following the 3.5 anniversary Nikke's impact.