Hi everyone! Today’s guide is on the first male and female lords of the series: Marth and Celica.
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| HP | 999 |
| Str | 125 |
| Mag | 12 |
| Skl | 147 |
| Spe | 141 |
| Lck | 153 |
| Def | 114 |
| Res | 109 |
Marth’s got a pretty good stat spread. He’s solidly bulky, has good Skill and especially Luck, and has pretty good Strength. His magic is poor, but it’s not like he needs it for anything. Overall there isn’t much more to say: It’s a good spread for a well-balanced character.
Never
Exalted Falchion: Dracoslayer in 7th slot, True Power in 8th
Paragon: doubles EXP gain. An aside, here: this is a great skill for grinding, but I have never and will never suggest it for a build, as my builds are entirely combat-focused.
Pair up bonus as support: Str/Skill/Speed (+5 if A/A+, otherwise +3)
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| HP | 934 |
| Str | 119 |
| Mag | 119 |
| Skl | 132 |
| Spe | 132 |
| Lck | 144 |
| Def | 107 |
| Res | 107 |
What an interesting looking stat spread. Compared to Marth, the main difference is her much lower HP and her much higher Magic. In fact, of all the currently released sword units, she has the highest magic, making Topsy-Turvy a very appealing option for her. Aside from those two, her stats are all slightly lower than Marth’s, but not to a particularly noticeable degree.
Always
Lady Sword, no 7th slot, True Power in 8th
Luck +20: Increases Luck by 20.
Mag/Res/Luck (+5 if A/A+, otherwise +3)
Note that C1 gains 3 charges by using uncharged C1.
C1 (Uncharged): The unit raises their sword in the air, dealing damage in a very small area around them. The damage is just to keep close enemies away from you as you refresh your charges.
C1 (Charged): The unit dashes forward and then jumps while slashing upward. While airborne, they can use “Y” to slash on their way down, or use “X” to dive forward, ending their airtime and dealing damage near the landing spot. This is a pretty good gapcloser, and by ending the airtime with X, it has a ton of forward momentum. You can use this to clear enemies while crossing the field.
C2: The unit jabs forward and leaps upward, launching enemies hit. The combo renders the unit airborne, where they have the same options as detailed in C1. It’s kinda hard to use this as a juggle setup since you also get launched, but it’s a launcher nevertheless.
C3: The unit spins forward a short distance while slashing. This is a nice short range crowd clearer, especially considering how much forward momentum most of their combos have. C6 hits a wider area, but this one comes out fairly quickly.
C4: The unit stabs forward and slashes a few times, exposing the stun gauge on any foe that doesn’t have WTA over them. This is a nice combo to use vs officers, as its relatively low momentum allows the unit to stick to whatever target they are fighting.
C5: The unit touches their sword to the ground, causing a pillar of light to appear. The unit then slashes upward twice, the second slash rendering the unit airborne, where they have the same options as detailed in C1. This is a great combo to break stun gauges with… IF the light pillar connects. The range on that is deceptively small, requiring the unit to be very close to their target for it to hit. This is another combo with immense forward momentum, especially if you use X while airborne.
C6: The unit blinks forward and to the right, then horizontally to the left, then backwards to the right, then horizontally to the left, gathering up enemies hit in the center of the four points. They then blink to the center, slash a few times, and raise their sword to the sky, dealing damage to enemies in a wide area. This is a wonderful crowd clearer. The AoE is absolutely huge, and it does some respectable damage. It tends to drop stun gauges, so do be wary of that.
C6 is their strongest combo, so definitely boost that up, and then either buff both of the officer killing combos or take one + Antitriangle. I personally strongly recommend Antitriangle as there aren’t too many sword units with the slot space to run it in the first place. Marth can only take one slayer, and I personally recommend Mountslayer should you choose to run Antitriangle. For your last slot, it is standard fare, though given Marth’s high Skill, Critical is a more tempting option than usual.
Topsy-Turvy is a deceptively important skill for Celica, as it allows her to carve out a distinct niche from Marth. I strongly recommend taking Strong VI as she is skipping out on an officer killer and C6 can be a substitute for that. Choose two of those three slayers, Wingslayer and Mountslayer having the best synergy with Topsy-Turvy. Pair Up+ is the best choice as usual, but Critical and Warrior are acceptable substitutes.
| Skill | Hero | PC | AI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Astra | Ryoma | M | M |
| Luna | Chrom | M | M |
| Trample | Camilla | M | M |
| Armored Blow | Tiki | O | – |
| Pass | Lyn | O | – |
| Luck +20 | Celica | O | O |
| Str + 10 | Lissa | O | O |
| Skill +10 | Takumi | O | – |
| Aegis | Xander | O | – |
| Awakening | Lucina | O | – |
| Potent Potion | Rowan | O | O |
| Solidarity | Robin | O | O |
| Dracoshield | Corrin | O | O |
Astra (Ryoma), Luna (Chrom), Trample (Camilla)
Armored Blow (Tiki), Pass (Lyn), Luck +20 (Celica), Str +10 (Lissa), Skill +10 (Takumi), Aegis (Xander), Pavise (Frederick), Solidarity (Robin), Dracoshield (Corrin), Potent Potion (Rowan), Awakening (Lucina)
Luck +20 (Celica), Str +10 (Lissa), Aegis (Xander), Pavise (Frederick), Solidarity (Robin), Dracoshield (Corrin), Potent Potion (Rowan)
| Skill | Hero | PC | AI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Astra | Ryoma | M | M |
| Luna | Chrom | M | M |
| Trample | Camilla | M | M |
| Armored Blow | Tiki | O | – |
| Pass | Lyn | O | – |
| Luck +20 | Celica | O | O |
| Mag +10 | Leo | O | O |
| Skill +10 | Takumi | O | – |
| Aegis | Xander | O | O |
| Pavise | Frederick | O | O |
| Solidarity | Robin | O | O |
| Dracoshield | Corrin | O | O |
| Live To Serve | Lianna | O | O |
Astra (Ryoma), Luna (Chrom), Trample (Camilla)
Armored Blow (Tiki), Pass (Lyn), Luck +20 (Celica), Mag +10 (Leo), Skill +10 (Takumi), Aegis (Xander), Pavise (Frederick), Solidarity (Robin), Dracoshield (Corrin), Live to Serve (Lianna)
Luck +20 (Celica), Mag +10 (Leo), Aegis (Xander), Pavise (Frederick), Solidarity (Robin), Dracoshield (Corrin), Live to Serve (Lianna)
Marth and Celica have the largest focus on airborne attacks of the sword units, with 3 combos that render them airborne. Couple this with their high speed and forward momentum, and they can seem hard to control at times. Timing and positioning are key when it comes to playing them, but they are great at crossing large areas while dealing damage.
For characters with a rapier-based style, they ironically struggle at close quarters 1v1s, as their movement heavy combos will often take them away from officers. In this sense they play rather similarly to the Pegasus Knights, of all things, being great hit-and-run fighters with a focus on airborne combos.
They are both solid, but if you were only to invest in one and don’t have a preference in terms of personality, I would go with Marth. His stats are slightly better and Exalted Falchion has a more versatile build path due to having Dracoslayer in the 7th slot.