Bloodline Guide: Kyuko-sei
Kyuko-sei is a Ninjutsu-focused A-Rank Bloodline that gives the user access to the basic elements of Wind and Earth, with Dust as its Special Element.
This Bloodline is focused on high-damage plays and burst potential. Because of this, its biggest counters are players who can out-sustain its damage or tankier players who utilize a lot of Damage Reduction.
Thought Process
When building a Kyuko-sei loadout, the goal is to support its burst potential without overcommitting your entire loadout in one direction. Your Items, 40 AP Jutsus, and 60 AP Jutsus should work together to create pressure while still giving you answers when your opponent disrupts your game plan.
40 AP Jutsus
It's tempting to go fully into debuffs, but your 60 AP Jutsus and Items should be doing the heaviest lifting when it comes to debuffing.
I'd recommend running only one major debuff option, such as Aegis. I would also highly recommend Hollow Veil because of its ability to provide both layering and debuff pressure.
Adamantine can be a good option for wasting your opponent's AP and protecting yourself during critical moments. Echoing Rift can serve a similar purpose if you want to run a double-Stun setup.
For tankier builds, consider Earth Armor.
Seal of Nullification is highly recommended. It adds another layer of pressure that can make opponents hesitate to use their Tags, especially when combined with Mirror.
Your choice of buffs is ultimately up to you, but some options worth considering include:
- Chakra Overflow
- Eclipse Drain
- Crimson Vein
- First Chakra Gate
60 AP Jutsus
Cleave is necessary for this Bloodline, but Blazing Fang Strike is not.
For Forbidden Jutsus, some of the strongest options to consider for Kyuko-sei are:
- Fury of the White Tiger
- Dragon King's Impact
- Gaze into Yomi
Resonance
There are two primary ways to use Resonance effectively:
1. Tempo Swing
The most obvious use of Mirror is to get ahead on Tags and force your opponent into a bad position.
This is best achieved by combining a powerful 40 AP buff, such as Chakra Overflow, Bastion, or Renewal, with Resonance.
You get to Mirror the debuffs back from Forbidden Jutsus, while Stun—especially when going second—can further restrict your opponent's options by putting pressure on their Cleanse.
You can, of course, fully commit to debuffs if your opponent has already wasted their Cleanse. Otherwise, avoid adding unnecessary debuffs when you're using Resonance.
The idea is to layer your buffs while forcing your opponent to choose between Clearing and Cleansing. At the same time, Resonance helps ensure that the opponent's potentially enormous Tag advantage is wasted by Mirroring their pressure back at them.
2. Free Cleanse
If your opponent is being clever and only layering Item debuffs onto you, or is avoiding debuffs altogether, Resonance can instead function as a get-out-of-jail-free card for extremely early or minute Cleanse situations.
Your opponent also cannot simply respond by dumping a massive amount of debuffs onto you, because Resonance threatens to Mirror those effects right back.
Important Notes
If you feel like you need another debuff alongside Resonance to make your debuff pressure impactful, you probably shouldn't be using Resonance that round.
Resonance should be capable of standing on its own. Understanding when to use it—and when to hold it—is an important part of playing Kyuko-sei effectively.
Singularity is replaceable. This is especially true with the newer Forbidden Jutsus available. Dropping Singularity for something that provides more value to your specific loadout is routinely a good option.
