Tobias is a unique addition to the Wind Roster, being an adventurer who continues to experiment with different co-abilities instead of being tied to his weapon type, blade. Normally, I’d say that trading a blade’s 10% Strength Co-ability for anything else would be a terrible choice, but this works out in Tobias’ favor as he gains a Buff Time bonus, and his S1 is a 30% Strength buff. Having a different co-ability allows Tobias to easily be run alongside Victor in Wind comps, and he has the potential to surpass even Noelle as a Wind buffer.

A problem, however, should be apparent to anyone who’s run a lot of HMC. Namely, that while Tobias’ buff is mostly just superior to Noelle’s as their SP cost is roughly the same for their S1’s and Tobias offers a 5% higher rate, Noelle’s ability to be an optimal buffer is tied to her ability to attack from range, allowing her to bait bubbles, spits, and other abilities away from her team. Her 15% Skill Damage co-ability is also nothing to be sneezed at, and it’s questionable as to if teams would want to run both Noelle and Tobias, though thanks to their differing co-abilities and play styles it’s entirely possible to do so.

That is where Tobias’ S2 comes into play. Sacred Blade has a whole lot of text, so let’s break it down. Essentially, it is a fill over time skill that changes Tobias from a medium range melee Adventurer into a pseudo ranged turret, as he cannot move while it is active, and it lasts 10 seconds. This means no Force Strikes or dodges, though you can still use skills to i-Frame many attacks. While this skill is active, your S1 will fill over time, though your regular attacks still fill it so it becomes fairly spammable. Additionally, you can activate the skill again to end the stance early, which unleashes a damaging attack that also Poisons. Tobias’ passive’s are excellent, with 25% Buff Time and 30% Poisoned Punisher that synergize with the rest of his kit.

That poison is huge. I can’t say for certain who Tobias will replace on a HMC team, whether he’ll replace Noelle (either taking the baiter role himself or passing it off to a Wedding Elisanne) or a W!Eli or even Victor, but I can say that his kit is potent enough that he will see play. Having a powerful buff along with the ability to poison the foe turns Tobias into hands down the best support Adventurer in Wind.

The main thing holding Tobias back is his rarity. Noelle is relatively easy to acquire, whereas Tobias is far more difficult. That definitely makes summoning for him on this banner a good prospect, but it does mean that it might take a while for him to really prove his worth. Plus, Noelle will still have her niche, though what it will be moving forward is unsure.

Verdict: Yes. As both a powerful buffer and a Poison enabler, Tobias is certain to make his way onto the best Wind teams.