Special REM Review – June Bride

This REM has me questioning if there’s ever a point where it’s acceptable for the average player to roll in a seasonal REM from a value standpoint. For so long it was easy to just assume that these were full of garbage except for a chase card or two at the highest rarities, resulting in extremely poor value for one’s stones. Well, the June Bride REM is GungHo’s best attempt at proving that assumption wrong. While the REM is once again plagued with rehashes and palette swaps, there are a handful that are powerful enough to overlook the unoriginality — namely Eschamali, Gadius and Akechi. The fact that they’re great subs on Miru heightens the overall value as she’s farmable and currently one of the best leaders in the game. There’s even some value for new players in Bastet and Ra and to be honest, I wouldn’t mind more Ras for skill inheritance. With so many positives, is it enough to finally recommend rolling?

Well, once you actually see the rates, any ideas of value fly out the window. For an idea of the odds, Flandre’s post at PF is a good starting point. He documents his own rolling experience in the first post and follows it up with some Twitter testimonials from some JP whales. You’re free to interpret those numbers as you please, but it’s undeniable that rates are “shit, as usual”. Perhaps the nail in the coffin is that Akechi’s rarity appears to be more like a 6-star than a 5-star. It just feels like a huge ruse putting him at 5-star; if he was actually as common as the trash eggs Ruka and Kano then I might feel better about recommending rolling this REM. Different rates at the same rarity seems to be a trend as Sasuke seemed to be rarer than Theuriga in the Academy REM; similarly with Hanzo vs. Mitsuki in the New Year’s REM. Combining this with the fact that none of the silvers are must-haves, rolling this REM is too risky. GungHo might be getting better at making special REM lineups superficially more attractive, but in the end, the value still isn’t there due to the rates continuing to be horrendous and, quite frankly, misleading.

I’m scared and I wish those trying for Eschamali good luck.

8-Star Gold Eggs

Grades are given relative to monsters of the same rarity.

Eschamali – A+
	Pros Hard to go wrong with an Eschamali variant One of best per-sub damage increases in the game A viable leader with a few leader pair options Potential MZeus sub/SI (?) Cons Lacks a leader to fully showcase her abilities as a sub
	Notes Eschamali represents not only one of the largest damage increases that a single sub can contribute, but one that can fit on almost every type of team due to orb enhances being compatible with all other offensive mechanics. On some teams, her active is either counterintuitive — like on heart-based teams like Miru — or can destroy activation altogether — like on rainbow teams like Ra Dragon — but just the pure damage from her OEs can still make her an attractive option even if she’s not an ideal one. This combination of power and flexibility shouldn’t be underrated. However, PAD cards can’t be evaluated in a vacuum and most of their worth is predicated on their sub pool as a lead or available leaders and synergies as a sub, both in the context of the endgame. Unfortunately, while light Eschamali is every bit the powerhouse her dark original is, there aren’t many outstanding endgame applications as either a sub or leader. Sadly, today’s elite leaders don’t have much use for her mainly due to her active. She doesn’t fit on color-match teams like Ra Dragon, Sherias Roots, Sakuya, and Ra for obvious reasons. While you can make her fit on Miru, she’s only worth the work if you really need the extra damage which is unlikely save for places like Arena 3 and Annihilation dungeons. This leaves leaders like DQXQ and Xiu Min who are fantastic options, but aren’t exactly defining the endgame meta. Of course, she can see use on MZeus, but as I’m no co-op expert I’ll refrain from speculating. As a leader, she’s better than her dark counterpart due to the upgraded leader skill, but is far from outstanding. The match-five mechanic is still there, but her static buff now affects both machines and gods and boosts ATK and HP — instead of RCV — for them by 1.5. While I believe the swap from RCV to HP to be a slight downgrade, the inclusion of gods opens the door for a variety of leader pair and sub options which is the main selling point of this version. The obvious match-five pairs are Alcyone (1.5/30/2.5 for machines and gods) and the recently buffed light Izanagi (1.5/31.5/1.5 for gods) which results in solid, if unimpressive teams. When paired with herself, she’s at a bit of a disadvantage in longer, grindier dungeons due to the lack of an RCV multiplier. However, her greatest strength can help combat that weakness; being able to output consistently high damage thanks to the skyfall buff means she’ll rarely have to tank a hit since you can sweep every floor. In situations where she can’t, a full heal from Amaterasu will usually suffice. This leaves only the hardest dungeons in the game, like Arena 3 or even Arena 2, out of her reach. Certain situations like in Arena 1 can also be a bit awkward at times (think Lifive into DQ Hera preemptives). So, what we’re left with is an extremely powerful card with many potential homes, but no elite ones. For this reason I can’t give her the S rating that she otherwise deserves. However, it wouldn’t take much to raise her to elite status; since it’s almost inconceivable that she’d receive buffs herself, that change would likely come in the form of a new or updated leader. Even a slight buff to something like Xiu Min would do the trick. So if you roll her, but don’t have an immediate use for her, you can rest assured that she’ll almost certainly be relevant in the future. Eschamali is perhaps the best value that a seasonal REM has given us at 8-star to date.

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Gadius – B+
	Pros Comes with upgraded leader skill, basically Xiang Mei-lite An important utility option for Miru teams Now has a skill boost Cons Traded in a devil killer for that skill boost It’s still Gadius
	Notes When you consider the upgraded Gadius leader skill — now grants 1.35x HP to dragons — I believe this light version of Gadius is a slightly better leader than the original fire one. Outside the classic light-has-no-elemental-weakness argument, I believe light has the superior sub pool. Both forms have access to similar heartmakers — Uriel, Yamato and Sanada vs. DQXQ, Wukong and light Akechi — and two-color board combinations so they’re pretty much at parity in that respect. However, the DQXQ + Apocalypse orb change combination is particularly attractive because they both have dragon type to qualify for the HP multiplier. On top of that, DQXQ can also combo with Gadius’s board change. Fire can emulate this with Uriel, but Saria either needs to be inherited or run off-color. Light also has better utility options in shields, gravities and bind clearers. Despite these small gains, Gadius is still Gadius and he’s still far from making waves in the endgame. As a sub, light Gadius is a great utility option for Miru teams, providing both bind clear utility, respectable awakenings and a usable active, similar to the role fire Gadius plays on Xiang Mei. Although outside of that, he won’t see much use as four-color board changes are difficult to utilize effectively.

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7-Star Gold Eggs

Grades are given relative to monsters of the same rarity.

Satsuki – A-
	Pros Comes with upgraded leader skill One of the strongest light-TPA subs A good sub option for Cloud and Superman farming teams Cons Still an underwhelming leader even if her sub pool has improved Lacks an elite endgame home outside Miru
	Notes Similar to Gadius, Satsuki also got a leader skill upgrade. Instead of subs needing to be both dragon and attacker to get both leader skill bonuses, they now only have to be one of those types. While this significantly increases the number of cards that can sub for her effectively, the main problem still remains: combining TPAs with an underwhelming ATK multiplier yields poor results. At best she’s a farming lead, but is far from optimal in that respect. There’s also the possibility of pairing her with Superman or Cloud to give them a bit of sustainability through her RCV multiplier, but it also restricts both teams to attackers only. As a sub, she has more applications than her dark counterpart due to light being more TPA-friendly. Similar to Eschamali, she’s not all that compatible with light’s rainbow teams due to breaking a critical color, but she’s a good fit on farming teams that can be built around TPAs like Cloud and Superman. She gets extra credit for being able to combo with Superman’s board change; light already had good water to light orb change options in Baal and Wukong, but Satsuki presents a good TPA option.

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6-Star Gold Eggs

Grades are given relative to monsters of the same rarity.

Bastet – A-
	Pros An amazing starting roll More valuable the newer you are Cons Far past her endgame prime Still useless as a sub Not great for those that already have her
	Notes I’m disappointed that both Bastet and Ra are straight palette swaps. It would’ve been exciting for them to get buffs and be endgame relevant again, but I guess we can’t expect much else from 6-stars if they aren’t even willing to give notable upgrades to 7-stars. Bastet is long past her prime, but having a light reskin is certainly intriguing. Light has been slowly accumulating quality TPA options, perhaps this REM’s Satsuki being the best, but there’s also Apollo, Kanna, Mini Valk, Ariel, and even something like Wukong or Orpharion; the list goes on and on. Nothing quite on Vishnu’s level, but still a solid pool. Light also has better utility options than wood, especially in the form of gravities and shields. No one will consider her a desirable roll on the merits of her stats alone, but just being a great leader is way more than one can usually say about most 6-stars from a special REM.

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Ra – A
	Pros One of the most useful utility actives in the game Fire makes him more valuable for farming Enables roller to be carried in MZeus Cons Fire-main is slightly worse as a leader
	Notes Ra is pretty much in the same situation as Bastet, but where both Bastets are basically on the same level, I’d say this Ra is slightly worse as a leader. The main reason would be the lack of a fire equivalent of LKali (although that can change if we get Horus Ace); while Ra has always run off-color subs and thrived, it’s still a slight disadvantage that the cards that do much of the heavy lifting damage-wise are now off-color. Although one could say that disadvantage is offset by the fact that RKali is on-color. It’s unfortunate that Gainaut isn’t a god or devil, but he’s still a decent farmable option. Anyways, Ra is still a great leader, even in this form. However, at least for a player like me, his main value is in his active skill for skill inheritance. I have five Awoken Ras, use all of them frequently and wish I had more. If anything, if I pick up a few Ras en route to what is hopefully a light Eschamali, that’s virtually free value as most 6-stars from this type of REM that aren’t immediate sold usually just collect dust. There’s also value in this version having fire as his main element. Fire has long been the element of farming and this makes him all the more valuable in that capacity, especially since he’ll now deal more damage off of a full-fire board. One last, somewhat niche factor to consider is his potential compatibility with the MZeus carry team. Directly rolling an Awoken Ra can serve as a huge kickstart for a new account, enabling it to acquire MZeus with that much less effort. This might be a good opportunity for those looking to restart or make an alt. It might actually be worth it for a brand new player to reroll this REM, too, and Bastet only sweetens the pot.

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5-Star Gold Eggs

Grades are given relative to monsters of the same rarity.

Akechi – S
	Pros Perhaps the best 5-star from a seasonal REM ever Relevant skill for Miru and MZeus teams Cons Limited to four awakenings (albeit good ones, but uevo when?)
	Notes I’m always thankful when GungHo gives us a great card at 5-star or lower, but this time they gave us an amazing one in light Akechi. The original Akechi’s been an all-star in dark for a long time now despite lacking a uevo. Mainly due to the dark orb enhance on top of his orb change. His light version might be even more valuable, proving to be a good sub and even better skill inheritance assist on teams like Miru and MZeus. Being able to create a full enhanced light board with Ilm looks like it could be quite valuable for MZeus, kind of like how Mori and Sanada already are. He also combos well with Superman and Saria board changes. The presence of this card alone makes rolling this REM worth considering; just remember if you’re rolling specifically for him that he’s likely less common than his other 5-star brethren (it appears he’s closer to 6-star in rarity).

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Ruka – C-
	Pros None Cons A slightly upgraded sticker girl is still bad
	Notes The sticker girls haven’t been relevant for a long time, if they ever were, but unlike New Year’s Mitsuki who got some very respectable upgrades with her 5-star, seasonal REM version, Ruka and Kano barely got anything. Auto-heals have always had questionable value and while the skill boost is nice, it’s nowhere close to what Mitsuki got with her machine killer and one turn of haste. Her most relevant use might be as a poverty sub for heart-based leads like Sumire and Lakshmi.

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Kano – C
	Pros None Cons A slightly upgraded sticker girl is still bad
	Notes Everything that applies to Ruka also applies to Kano. In this case she can be a poverty sub for heart-based leads like Kaede or Parvati (or Fafnir). She also isn’t the worst Astaroth sub, those auto-heals being at their most useful on a team with high HP, but no RCV multiplier.

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4-Star Silver Eggs

Grades are given relative to monsters of the same rarity.

Dark Izanami – A
	Pros DIza’s skill is amazing no matter what the card is… Cons …unfortunately she’s only a 4-star, meaning we still can’t use it for inheritance
	Notes Izanami is about as good as it gets for a silver egg. Her original, dark form was once one of the best subs in the game, but her value has dwindled over time with less teams needing the shield due to innate tankiness or relying on the co-op HP bonus instead. However, it’s not like those situations where she was great have disappeared from the game so there’s still use for her, it’s just that an upgraded version isn’t as exciting as it would’ve been a few months ago.

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Sopdet – B+
	Pros A good chance to pick up this leader skill before Halloween Cons Very few uses outside niche leader roles
	Notes Halloween Thoth & Sopdet are one of my favorite special REM silvers of all time and this is a simple recolor. One of their best uses was for taking on no-awakening dungeons, the time extension in their leader skill being exempt from the restriction and time making the experience at least bearable. That’s a fairly niche use, though, one that is having less relevance as the game seems to be avoiding overbearing restrictions (and there’s also Miru now). I also use them for clearing 7×6’s and S-ranking random dungeons with an Anubis pair. There’s also something to be said about the resist awakenings, but in what seems to be a growing theme, the extra tankiness of leaders and the co-op HP bonus makes them less relevant.

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Echidna – B-
	Pros An improved Echidna Can go with your June Ra for MZeus carries Cons Echidnas have waning value, especially with skill inheritance
	Notes Another Echidna? This one is more offensive-oriented than the Christmas version, trading in the heart enhances for fire orb enhances. It’s hard to deny the usefulness of a delay, but considering how easy it is to get her farmable form, I can’t say this version represents good value even if she is upgraded. For those that roll Ra and want MZeus carries, it’d probably be a good idea to keep a few of these around for that purpose.

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Cinderella – B
	Pros Solid for a silver Cons Making a slight change to her leader skill doesn’t make her anymore exciting
	Notes Speaking of familiar faces, we just got another Cinderella in the Academy REM. Once again, she’s pretty useful as a sub for a silver, but is unexciting since any experienced player likely rolled her original already. Perhaps the most annoying thing is that NA still has no skill up fodder for her. At the very least she’s a good Miru sub considering she’s a silver.

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Lilith – C
	Pros None Cons Basically an attacker Lilith with a changed leader skill that still sucks
	Notes When I first started the game, I remember valuing poisoners due to their ability to farm the various high-defense monsters in the game. However, times have changed and it’s no challenge for a newbie to have a leader capable of piercing that same defense with the various powercreeped leaders. She would’ve been much more appealing had she been given a skill boost, but I guess that’s asking too much.

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Conclusion

After taking a look at each card in depth I still believe this is still the best seasonal REM lineup we’ve ever gotten, but it seems like no lineup can overcome the horrendous rates. When a godfest gives you about a 70-80% chance at a gold egg and a 40-50% chance at a featured god, but a seasonal REM has less than 15% chance of yielding any gold egg, the only point where it makes sense to roll is if at least one of these applies to you: a) you have everything from the normal REM already, b) you IAP or c) something is critical for a team. For those considering rolling because of (c) and it’s for Akechi, just know that he may be more difficult to obtain that his 5-star rarity might lead you to believe. For those where it’s Eschamali, well, good luck.

I’m conflicted on how much I’m going to roll. I usually put at least two packs into every seasonal REM, but I could easily see this one getting away from me in the inane chase for Eschamali. I’m hoping I can cap this at five packs, hopefully saving some money for the Summer REM and picking up a few Akechis and Ras along the way. Eschamali is highly desired, but I won’t travel too far down the rabbit hole chasing her (hopefully).