In the July edition of the 'Goddess of Victory: NIKKE' Champion Arena, a new face has been making waves. The Burst 2 shotgun wielder, 'Arcana: Fortune Mate' (let's call it 'Scorching Arcana' for short), has climbed to a tie for 9th place in pick rate among the top 64 contenders. While the character only held the 11th spot back in May, rankers are increasingly finding uses for the kit. KookminTree has broken down the pick rates and squad compositions favoured by these elite 64 players.

July Champion Arena Ranker NIKKE Pick Rates

※ Data is based on 640 squad compositions from the top 64 rankers in the South Korean server's Champion Arena seasons 33-34.
※ Please note that the aggregation groups vary by season.

Welcome to our NIKKE Pick Rate column, where we dissect the meta. The trio of 'Jackal - Noah - Helm' remains omnipresent, maintaining a 100% pick rate for the third consecutive month since we started tracking. A quick word of advice: Helm's performance relies heavily on the 'Treasure' item, so if you haven't acquired it, you might want to bench Helm for now.

Let's dive into the Burst-specific stats. In the Burst 1 category, the top 5 are 'Mokdan - Anis: Sparkling Summer (let's call it 'Sparkling Anis') - Rosanna - Noise'. Sparkling Anis has seen a 13.3% point jump since May to take 3rd place. Rosanna also saw a 3.9% point increase, but the sheer volume of players opting for Sparkling Anis pushed the ranking order. Noise remains in 5th, though the pick rate climbed from 75.8% to 82%. It seems the Burst 1 top 10 list has been frozen since May, and unless a new meta-shifter arrives, these are the faces you'll keep seeing.

In the Burst 2 category, 'Biscuit - Blanc' share 2nd place, followed by 'Trina - Nayuta'. Trina previously tied with Biscuit in May but saw a marginal dip from 99.2% to 98.4%. Biscuit and Blanc essentially function as a package deal, so their shared ranking makes perfect sense. The former 9th and 10th place holders, 'Nero' and 'Anne: Miracle Fairy', have vanished, replaced by 'Silvergun: Tactical Up' and our Scorching Arcana, now sharing the 9th spot. While we initially pegged Scorching Arcana as purely a PvE shotgun specialist, it appears the rankers have discovered a new solution.

For Burst 3, the leaderboard remains dominated by 'Snow White: Innocent Days (let's call it 'Innocent Snow') - Scarlet - Vesti: Tactical Up (let's call it 'Tactical Vesti') - Emilia' in that order. Innocent Snow dipped slightly to 98.4%, while Scarlet climbed to 96.1%. Tactical Vesti held steady, and Emilia saw a minor 0.8% point increase to 78.1%. Below the top 5, 'Neon: Blue Ocean' and 'Maiden: Icy Rose' (let's call it 'Ice Maiden') have emerged, while 'Soda: Twinkling Bunny' and 'Cinderella' have fallen out of the top 10.

The most popular squad among July Champion Arena rankers is 'Scarlet - Rosanna - Trina - Emilia - Jackal'

Next, let's look at the top 10 most-used NIKKE combinations.The July leader, accounting for 15.6% of squads, is the 'Scarlet - Rosanna - Trina - Emilia - Jackal' setup. It's a bread-and-butter Arena composition often dubbed 'Scar-Tri' by the community.

Rosanna, a key member of this squad, received a Treasure upgrade on July 23rd that significantly bolstered performance. At Stage 1, the Skill 2 'Capo di Capi' deals 400% of final ATK to the highest-priority Firepower-type enemy when an ally falls. Now, whenever an ally goes down, Rosanna is there to snipe the opposing Firepower unit. Since other effects are primarily PvE-focused, players concerned only with PvP can comfortably stop at Stage 1 for the Treasure upgrade. Keep that in mind if you're agonizing over resource allocation.

Despite not cracking the top 10 in May, Sparkling Anis has surged into three different top squad compositions this month. Beyond the high burst generation, Sparkling Anis dishes out overwhelming damage even as a Burst 1. Reviewing the arena logs, it's not rare to see Sparkling Anis topping the damage charts.

Squads featuring Sparkling Anis include 'Sparkling Anis - Blanc - Privaty - Biscuit - Ice Maiden', 'Sparkling Anis - Blanc - Anis: Sparkling Summer - Biscuit - Ice Maiden', and 'Sparkling Anis - Blanc - Tactical Vesti - Biscuit - Ice Maiden'. Sharp-eyed players will have noticed the pattern: take out Sparkling Anis, and you're left with the 'Blanc - Biscuit - Ice Maiden' core.

Blanc grants 'Indomitable' to the lowest-HP ally for 10 seconds, while Biscuit's Skill 2, 'Tug of War', provides healing and a 5-second 'Invincibility' if a Defender ally is below 50% HP. With Sparkling Anis receiving both, the synergy is undeniable. Ice Maiden provides an ATK buff to Electric-code allies, further empowering Sparkling Anis, who also helps with burst generation as a launcher-type. This setup has even proven effective at countering 'Rei: Black' squads.

The 'Shotgun Squad' featuring Scorching Arcana is quite the eccentric choice. Composed of 'Noir - Bunny Soda - Drake - Scorching Arcana - Rosanna', it hit a 7.8% pick rate, tying for 7th. Excluding Rosanna, the squad is pure shotgun, with three members being 'Clip Shotgun' types known for high burst generation. It seems the raw firepower combined with Scorching Arcana's screen-wide burst skill provides a unique tactical answer.

Then there is the 'Tactical Deck', which has firmly established itself as a staple. This build utilizes Silvergun: Tactical Up, Emma: Tactical Up, and Tactical Vesti. Some commanders refer to this as the 'Absol Deck'. By pairing 'Mast' with Rosanna, the team significantly boosts Tactical Vesti's damage. Note that Mast grants Crit Damage and Crit Rate buffs to the two allies with the highest final ATK, so you need to ensure Tactical Vesti remains the highest-ATK unit. For optimal performance, players suggest aiming for a 'Charge Speed' of 21% or more, and a 'Max Ammo' count that is a multiple of 4—though some argue that keeping the base 8 ammo for faster reloading is superior.

The Ultimate Hero: Laplace Rising

Research is in full swing regarding the usage of the new NIKKE, 'Laplace: Ultimate Hero', released on July 23rd. Let's call the unit 'Wind Laplace' for short. Wind Laplace caught the eye of commanders for being a launcher-type, which is historically strong in the arena. However, critiques suggest the burst generation is lacking. That said, the burst damage is astronomical—2,953.84% at level 10, plus 'Over Energy Stage x 934.76% final ATK'. Some experimental tests have shown that despite power penalties,Wind Laplace's burst has managed to wipe out entire teams in a single strike.

Maxwell: Ordinary Mechanic, arriving on July 30th, features a Skill 2 that grants burst gauge charging to all allies, and uses a sniper rifle—a weapon type generally well-regarded in the arena. While pairing the unit with Wind Laplace sounds promising, it's difficult to say if Maxwell: Ordinary Mechanic is an arena-defining unit. The performance isn't quite at the level of the established Burst 2 powerhouses yet. We will have to wait for community verification after July 30th to see if the unit truly earns a spot in the arena meta.