'Goddess of Victory: NIKKE' Champion Arena Season 33 has concluded. While a new champion has ascended, one particular unit’s performance has caught everyone's eye. Leona, the counter to Electric code units, actually folded against an Electric deck. Seeing a unit that was supposed to shake up the dominance of Scarlet get dismantled by the very composition it was meant to counter? That is the kind of irony we live for. KookminTree has broken down the data.

Champion Arena Top 8 Ranker Squad NIKKE Pick Rates

※ Based on the squad data of 40 rankers who reached the Top 8 in Champion Arena Season 33.
※ Please note that the aggregation groups vary by season.

Taking a look at the current meta for the Top 8, the most popular category among the units with a 100% pick rate was Burst 2. With a total of six units including Noah, Biscuit, Trina, Blanc, Centi, and Nayuta, it eclipsed both Burst 1 (three units) and Burst 3 (four units). Nayuta and Blanc bring 'Indomitable' to keep the team standing, while Noah, Biscuit, and Trina provide 'Invincibility' against everything but status effects. Centi remains the gold standard for pure burst generation. It is evident that in this meta, survival is everything. Meanwhile, a ranker who dared to field Leona managed to climb to the Top 8 and actually took the crown for their group. More on that in a moment.

Cinderella: Crystal Wave made a surprise entrance in the Round of 64 but failed to crack the Top 8. It seems the machine gun type and PvE-focused kit are just too clunky for this arena environment. Similarly, Marciana: Marine Study appears destined for PvE—specifically solo raids targeting Iron weakness—rather than the arena. We will have to see if the new units arriving on July 23 or beyond bring anything more competitive to the table.

Let’s look at the winning setup from the group champion, 'Hyunranhansonnolim'. They were the only Top 8 player to field Leona, and they rode it all the way to victory. Their path from the quarterfinals to the finals was a rollercoaster—'Loss-Win-Loss-Win-Win', followed by a sweep, and finally a tight 'Win-Win-Loss-Win-Loss' finish—proving they had the grit to survive the grind.

Leona was slotted into a squad featuring Scarlet, Trina, Ada, Leona, and Jackal. It is inherently ironic that a unit designed to counter Scarlet is now fighting alongside her. While Leona’s ability to dampen Electric code damage was meant to hold Scarlet and Cinderella in check, it simply didn't hold up against the new Electric meta. The squad fell to a team running Neon: Blue Ocean (hereafter 'Neo Neon') and Dolla. Unlike the 'one-shot' glory of Scarlet, Neo Neon and Dolla provide a relentless, sustained barrage that Leona just couldn't mitigate. The flaw? Leona’s damage reduction only triggers in the first five seconds of battle or while the 'Delusion' buff is active. Still, a win is a win, and the rest of the squad carried the day. Cheers on the victory; hope to see you back next season.

Union Raid TOP 20

※ Based on the TOP 20 rankings for the Union Raid running from July 10 to July 16.
※ Data represents the standings as of DAY 1.

Checking in on the titans of the game, the Union Raid TOP 20 shows 'Byeori' holding onto the top spot, a position they have defended since May. 'Nisocks' and 'Lilith' round out the top three, keeping the order identical to the May results. The average Synchro levels for the top three guilds have climbed to 926, 880, and 891 respectively, a significant jump from May's 899, 861, and 872. The elite of the Korean server clearly never sleep when it comes to growth. Byeori hit a staggering 7 trillion points, leaving the rest of the top three in the high 6-trillion range. The gap is widening.

HERETICS held the line at 4th place, keeping the 6-trillion mark, while 5th to 7th hit 5 trillion, 8th to 16th hit 4 trillion, and 17th to 20th hovered in the high 3 trillions. Interestingly, only one union in the top 20—'CurD-dan' at 10th—is not running a full roster of 32. They managed to climb one spot since the May rankings despite the empty seat. Whether they decide to recruit or ride it out remains to be seen in the August raid. With a roughly 500 million point gap between them and the 9th place 'JeongukKkungdiAssociation', that extra member might be the key to closing the distance.

Solo Raid Meta Analysis

Island Eater Demands Cover

Official details for the July 16 'Island Eater' Solo Raid are live. The weakness, as expected, is Iron, and machine guns are the recommended weaponry. Given its resemblance to the 'Land Eater', expect familiar mechanics. The official guide explicitly warns to 'take cover to defend against attacks,' suggesting that some patterns are unavoidable without it. If you are looking for Iron machine gunners, your current options are limited to Crown and Cinderella: Crystal Wave. Note that Rapi: Red Hood, while being Burst/Fire, remains viable against Iron weaknesses due to its dual-attribute nature. Also, the 'Homing Laser' can be cancelled by focusing fire on the interruption parts. Check the boss details from July 16 for the full breakdown and start prepping your Iron code units now.

NIKKE Issues

Jump into the Mini-game and Grab Your Recruitment Tickets

The new mini-game 'POP! ISLAND!' kicked off on July 10. You can access it via the pop-up window when logging in, or if you missed that, there is a direct link in the 'Community Event' board on the official lounge. The objective is simple: knock your opponents into the water to win. The rewards are generous, including 300 Gems, two Recruitment Tickets, 300,000 Battle Data Sets, 300 Core Dust, and unlockable mini-game characters. The event ends on July 23, so make sure to get your tickets and gems before they vanish.