Composition
Riposte Wall
Hit Me Back
Partyrank 1 → 4
1Man-at-Arms
Retribution (self-mark + counter-attack), Bolster, Guard party
2Highwayman
Duelist's Advance riposte, Open Vein bleed, Pistol Shot backline
3Jester
Battle Ballad for riposte crit, Dirk Stab for ranks 2–3, Inspiring Tune
4Arbalest
Sniper Shot priority target, Rallying Flare mark + stress heal, Battlefield Bandage
+ Strengths
- Every incoming front-rank attack gets punished — MAA Retribution and HWM Riposte together make every enemy hit a trade
- Battle Ballad crit bonus applies to ripostes — counter crits are frequent and delete 1-HP enemies
- Arbalest's Battlefield Bandage covers sustain without a Vestal
− Weaknesses
- Enemies that attack the backline bypass the counter-engine entirely
- Slow to close fights where the enemy turtles
- No stun suite — stress-heavy fights drag to affliction territory
How to play
MAA opens Retribution, Highwayman opens Duelist's Advance — both counter buffs must be up before enemies act. From turn 2, every front-rank attack on the party triggers a free hit. Jester runs Battle Ballad (crits on ripostes feel cheap in a good way) and rotates to Inspiring Tune the turn stress crosses 60. Arbalest snipes the biggest backline threat or Bandages MAA preemptively; if no backline exists, she flares for the stress heal. The anti-pattern: never spend MAA's turn on an offensive skill the round Retribution expires. Retribution's buff runs 3 rounds — refresh it on turn 4, then turn 7, without fail. Miss the refresh and the whole comp collapses into a slow melee wall.
