After some screwiness with the NA stream a couple weeks ago, it turns out that we're getting the fairly anticipated FMA collab after all. What a nice surprise! At first this might appear to be a pretty decent machine; with four diamond rolls among just ten cards total, the odds of pulling something decent must be at least passable, right?Well, I wouldn't fault anyone for assuming that, but sadly it's not quite how GungHo's rates work. As more and more official rates become revealed, we're getting a better look at how they're actually assigned. It appears that higher rarity rolls are assigned whatever low rate GungHo deems appropriate (typically around 2% for the highest rarity in a collab) and then the rest is simply filled in with the lowest rarity cards.This isn't inherently bad; it's actually kind of nice if a machine has a diversity of reasonably good low rarity cards, for instance. Unfortunately,, meaning that the non-diamond rate is a massive. To make things worse, the low-tier rolls all push the lower end of mediocrity and are even more useless in dupes. If you specifically want one of the six five-star cards (Scar in particular is pretty nice for farming) this can be sort of nice, but the average value of this machine is, to put it bluntly, poor. It's slightly cruel to make a machine this top-heavy without even aof low-star cards.It's not all bad, though; if you do manage to brave the awful rates, Edward is quite the prize. Our short Elric brother stands out as one of today's best leaders. None of the other diamonds are quite in his league, though they do all have their uses. I'll personally be tossing in a few rolls regardless since I'm a fan of the franchise. This should really be the only reason for most players to roll this machine anyways.

You can click on a rarity or a card's name to jump to the corresponding section of analysis. The arrow ↑ at the bottom right of each analysis will take you back up here. Please see this page for an explanation of the rating criteria.Rate data is provided by GungHo.* denotes substantial or unique (or both) farming usage.

Riza Hawkeye [ Sub: D+ | Lead: C- | Assist: B* | Overall: C ]

HP: 3238 | ATK: 1394 | RCV: 307 | WT: 704 | Balance LS: 2.5x ATK when 5 combos, 3.5x when 7+ combos; 2x ATK for matched Att. when erasing 5 Orbs with 1+ enhanced. [1/49/1] AS: Recovers Awoken Bind for 3 turns; 40 fixed damge to an enemy 3 times. [CD: 7]

Overview. The seemingly terrible active actually has a few awfully convenient usage cases, but Hawkeye isn't very good aside from them (and certainly not particularly usable in most other roles).



Sub. Her weighted stats are extremely mediocre even for a low-rarity collab roll, and this holds her back from nearly all serious purposes. Strange awakenings -- dark resist and team RCV are both quite nice but also quite situational -- and a generally subpar base active hamstring her even further. Not quite as kickass in PAD as she was in FMA proper, sadly.



Lead. Hawkeye's passable leader skill for newer players is overshadowed by the inconvenience of Hawkeye herself not bringing any OE to the table. Her awakenings are just minimally passable and this isn't something you'd want to be using for an extended period of time; most likely you can do better anyways.



Assist. Though an active like this obviously lacks general usage, there are a few situations where it can come in handy. Notably, this will one-shot any instance of Dark Metatron TAMADRA (such as in



In something like a longer one-shot challenge, you may be able to take advantage of this skill's very low cooldown to squeeze even more utility out of it. There are a handful of monsters that preempt a short awakening bind, and so Hawkeye's skill can be used there and then recycled later to deal with one of the aforementioned void spawns (or vice versa). All of these uses are pretty niche and none are necessary pretty much anywhere; still, this active thankfully isn't quite as useless as it first appears.

↑ The seemingly terrible active actually has a few awfully convenient usage cases, but Hawkeye isn't very good aside from them (and certainly not particularly usable in most other roles).Her weighted stats aremediocre even for a low-rarity collab roll, and this holds her back from nearly all serious purposes. Strange awakenings -- dark resist and team RCV are both quite nice but also quite situational -- and a generally subpar base active hamstring her even further. Not quite as kickass in PAD as she was in FMA proper, sadly.Hawkeye's passable leader skill for newer players is overshadowed by the inconvenience of Hawkeye herself not bringing any OE to the table. Her awakenings are just minimally passable and this isn't something you'd want to be using for an extended period of time; most likely you can do better anyways.Though an active like this obviously lacks general usage, there are a few situations where it can come in handy. Notably, this will one-shot any instance of Dark Metatron TAMADRA (such as in Sevenzard's dungeon ) or Reincarnated Zeal (especially in Machine Athena's descend , where Zeal has 110 HP and cannot be buttoned any other way). Riza is singular for these purposes as the extremely low damage of her multi-nuke allows her to slip past the damage voids of these otherwise slow (and potentially dangerous) spawns. Quite handy for farming as well, as this is one of the only single-button solutions for Dark Metatron TAMADRA (the other one messes up your board and is in an arguably even worse collab).In something like a longer one-shot challenge, you may be able to take advantage of this skill's very low cooldown to squeeze even more utility out of it. There are a handful of monsters that preempt a short awakening bind, and so Hawkeye's skill can be used there and then recycled later to deal with one of the aforementioned void spawns (or vice versa). All of these uses are pretty niche and none are necessary pretty much anywhere; still, this active thankfully isn't quite as useless as it first appears.

Winry Rockbell [ Sub: C- | Lead: D+ | Assist: B- | Overall: C+ ]

HP: 2843 | ATK: 1058 | RCV: 626 | WT: 704 | Healer/Machine LS: 1.5x HP, 2x ATK for Healer & Machine Type; 2x ATK & RCV on the turn a skill is used. [2.25/16/4] AS: Recovers 30% of max HP for 4 turns; Reduces damage by 30% for 4 turns. [CD: 14]

Overview. Winry is unimpressive overall, but has a respectable niche with her somewhat unique active, which can be a lifesaver for tanky teams with no RCV multiplier (such as



Sub. These days, Winry is just outclassed by virtue of her awful weighted: her damage contribution is awful (mitigated somewhat by her ability to take Dragon Killers) and there exist cards with literally triple her HP stat or more. The only place she might be slightly useful is on a Rushana team if you happen to lack better subs, as her minimalistic but passable awakenings and stat distribution are both appropriate for Rushana, and the base active happens to fit the team surprisingly well too. Still, Winry's rarely going to be the best choice for a sub slot.



Lead. This would be barely passable without the active skill clause. Said active skill clause happens to make her straight-up terrible. Do not lead with this.



Assist. Although seemingly numerically insignificant, this active is better than one might think. A 30% shield might seem too weak for any kind of reasonable usage, but can actually help high HP, low RCV teams such as the two previously mentioned to tank and recover from repeated hits or preemptives. 30% healing might not seem like much, but will add up to well over 100,000 HP over the four-turn duration when used on a Rushana team. The active fits this team archetype very well, though two weaknesses are numerical inferiority (a 30% shield is okay but not standout by any means, especially when compared to



Note that because your team's damage is calculated and dealt before the heal goes off, this active is not as useful as you might think for teams such as do get healed before the enemy attacks, so the autohealing effect is potentially relevant for leader skills with HP-conditional damage reduction, such as Edward Elric, Odins.

↑ Winry is unimpressive overall, but has a respectable niche with her somewhat unique active, which can be a lifesaver for tanky teams with no RCV multiplier (such as Light Hera Dragon or Rushana ).These days, Winry is just outclassed by virtue of her awful weighted: her damage contribution is awful (mitigated somewhat by her ability to take Dragon Killers) and there exist cards with literally triple her HP stat or more. The only place she might be slightly useful is on a Rushana team if you happen to lack better subs, as her minimalistic but passable awakenings and stat distribution are both appropriate for Rushana, and the base active happens to fit the team surprisingly well too. Still, Winry's rarely going to be the best choice for a sub slot.This would bepassable without the active skill clause. Said active skill clause happens to make her straight-up terrible. Do not lead with this.Although seemingly numerically insignificant, this active is better than one might think. A 30% shield might seem too weak for any kind of reasonable usage, but can actually help high HP, low RCV teams such as the two previously mentioned to tank and recover from repeated hits or preemptives. 30% healing might not seem like much, but will add up to well over 100,000 HP over the four-turn duration when used on a Rushana team. The active fits this team archetype very well, though two weaknesses are numerical inferiority (a 30% shield is okay but not standout by any means, especially when compared to Awoken Raphael ) and a very high cooldown (again, compare Raphael's 13 turns to Winry's 14). On the whole, not fantastic for general use, but certainly not unredeemable.Note that because your team's damage is calculated and dealtthe heal goes off, this active is not as useful as you might think for teams such as Yog . However, youget healed before the enemy attacks, so the autohealing effect is potentially relevant for leader skills with HP-conditional damage reduction, such as Edward Elric, Nergigante , and the Green

Maes Hughes [ Sub: D+ | Lead: D- | Assist: C- | Overall: D+ ]

HP: 3281 | ATK: 1270 | RCV: 370 | WT: 705 | Balance LS: 4x ATK for Balanced Type; extends time to move orbs by 2 secs. [1/16/1] AS: Removes lock status on Orbs; add 1 combo for 1 turn. [CD: 6]

Overview. This is just terrible at its niche and inferior to other options in pretty much ever way. Not awful if you don't happen to have another unlocker, though. Sorry, Hughes.



Sub. The triple SBR might have some kind of niche if there were actually anywhere good to use this in the first place.



Lead. Just terrible, even for the newest of players. Do not use this. It is not redeemable in any way. (No, do not sub Dioses and use this as a farm lead. I will find you and cry.)



Assist. There are probably more useful unlocks, but this one does get an honorable mention for being low cooldown while still being usable for delay protection in a way that



... yeah, this isn't a very nuanced active. I'm not ultra impressed either, but it's at least usable enough.

↑ This is just terrible at its niche and inferior to other options in pretty much ever way. Not awful if you don't happen to have another unlocker, though. Sorry, Hughes.The triple SBR might have some kind of niche if there were actually anywhere good to use this in the first place. Raguel , despite not having a Skill Boost, does this job better for most farming purposes; for most actual teams, you will want to simply teambuild properly for a distributed 5 SBR instead of subbing this incredibly mediocre card.Just terrible, even for the newest of players. Do not use this. It is not redeemable in any way. (No, do not sub Dioses and use this as a farm lead. I will find you and cry.)There are probably more useful unlocks, but this one does get an honorable mention for being low cooldown while still being usable for delay protection in a way that Diaochan , for instance, is not. Probably also one of the easiest unlocks to roll, though at the same time probably not worth rolling for.... yeah, this isn't a very nuanced active. I'm not ultra impressed either, but it's at least usable enough.

Ling Yao [ Sub: C | Lead: C+ | Assist: B+ | Overall: B- ]

HP: 3031 | ATK: 1442 | RCV: 341 | WT: 705 | Balance LS: 2.5x ATK for Wood Att.; 3x ATK & 35% reduced damage received when matching 5 Heal orbs in a cross formation. [1/56.25/1, 57.75% shield] AS: Void all damage for 1 turn; 2x ATK for Wood & Dark Att. for 1 turn. [CD: 18]

Overview. Ling's active is not bad at all, though the cooldown is slightly over the top. Nothing else about him is particularly standout; he suffers from the typical low-rarity collab problem of awful stats.



Sub. Wood is not really lacking in Devil Killers, already possessing both



Lead. This is actually not awful, but it's worse than the farmable dead set on experiencing this sort of playstyle, just make a Myr instead.



Assist. The combination of damage void and spike can be quite useful in content as high-level as Alt. Arena, and so this isn't a bad active at all. Even in lower-end content, such as the regular Arenas, this active can be used to ensure survival on the Kalis and act as a nice dual duty all around. Although most of today's combo leaders are not particularly choosy about color, dark is a great color for combo teams, featuring powerful subs such as



Remember that the upcoming and extremely nice



In all, Ling's active has a good blend of utilities, with the only real complaints being the limited colors and an extremely long cooldown -- compare with

↑ Ling's active is not bad at all, though the cooldown is slightly over the top. Nothing else about him is particularly standout; he suffers from the typical low-rarity collab problem of awful stats.Wood is not really lacking in Devil Killers, already possessing both Shazel and Mito ; furthermore, both Shazel's and Mito's collab machines are returning to NA within the next couple of months. In a pinch, the five OEs can come in handy, but it's likely that another card (perhaps one with SBR?) would make a greater contribution to your team than Ling's somewhat dismal 705 weighted.This is actually not awful, but it's worse than the farmable Myr in just about every way. Myr has over 50% more weighted, is unbindable, and gains substantial value in the future with a FUA Super Awakening, so if you'reon experiencing this sort of playstyle, just make a Myr instead.The combination of damage void and spike can be quite useful in content as high-level as Alt. Arena, and so this isn't a bad active at all. Even in lower-end content, such as the regular Arenas, this active can be used to ensure survival on the Kalis and act as a nice dual duty all around. Although most of today's combo leaders are not particularly choosy about color, dark is a great color for combo teams, featuring powerful subs such as Nohime Uranus , and the farmable Azathoth . There are relatively fewer relevant green subs currently in NA, but Ragnarok Dragon and Odin Dragon are common and important exceptions that maintain the relevancy of this spike. All parts of the active also come together perfectly as a situational option to enable Kamimusubi teams to burst and tank a gigantic preemptive or resolve hit.Remember that the upcoming and extremely nice Green Sonia has these colors as well, and really appreciate a bit of a damage boost.In all, Ling's active has a good blend of utilities, with the only real complaints being the limited colors and an extremely long cooldown -- compare with either Ganesha's 13 turns.

Alex Louis Armstrong [ Sub: C- | Lead: C- | Assist: C | Overall: C- ]

HP: 4020 | ATK: 1505 | RCV: 5 | WT: 704 | Physical LS: 2x HP & ATK for Physical Type; 3x ATK for matched Att. when erasing 5 Orbs with 1+ enhanced. [4/36/1] AS: Enhanced Orbs more likely to appear by 50% for 3 turns; changes Jammers & Poison Orbs to Light Orbs. [CD: 5]

Overview. Fireblaze's kind suggestion for this overview was "shining muscle of garbage", and that's disappointingly accurate here. While I wouldn't go so far as to say "garbage", Armstrong does turn out to be one of those collab cards who's both extremely straightforward and extremely lackluster.



Sub. This is actually better than a lot of the other five-stars for having respectable HP, a base active that's plausible to inherit over, and both SB and SBR. Two Team HP awakenings are also pretty nice. Unfortunately, beyond this, he's just really, really minimal. Bad typing (and subsequently bad latent killer selection) only hurts his potential uses further. The base active is a nice low-cooldown hazard clear, but even this is a consolation prize at best.



Lead. This would be somewhat acceptable without the typing restriction, but only being allowed to use Physical types kind of kills it. At least



Assist. Low cooldown hazard clear and enhanced skyfall are the only interesting features of Armstrong's active. Even so, it's not strong enough to be worth taking into most longer dungeons. This sort of active only has two real uses as an inherit: farming (enhanced skyfall can give the damage boost necessary to surpass a team's ordinary limitations) and very short dungeons where the hazard clear is needed early (such as a monthly challenge dungeon).

↑ Fireblaze's kind suggestion for this overview was "shining muscle of garbage", and that's disappointingly accurate here. While I wouldn't go so far as to say "garbage", Armstrong does turn out to be one of those collab cards who's both extremely straightforward and extremely lackluster.This is actually better than a lot of the other five-stars for having respectable HP, a base active that's plausible to inherit over, and both SB and SBR. Two Team HP awakenings are also pretty nice. Unfortunately, beyond this, he's just really, really minimal. Bad typing (and subsequently bad latent killer selection) only hurts his potential uses further. The base active is a nice low-cooldown hazard clear, but even this is a consolation prize at best.This would be somewhat acceptable without the typing restriction, but only being allowed to use Physical types kind of kills it. At least FUA Paimon is on type. Better hope you have a heal active somewhere, though.Low cooldown hazard clear and enhanced skyfall are the only interesting features of Armstrong's active. Even so, it's not strong enough to be worth taking into most longer dungeons. This sort of active only has two real uses as an inherit: farming (enhanced skyfall can give the damage boost necessary to surpass a team's ordinary limitations) and very short dungeons where the hazard clear is needed early (such as a monthly challenge dungeon).