Scene Simulation
The opposing top team definitely has Agility Attack System, and they'll be targeting He Caitou immediately. Xu Sanshi has to be distracted and block for a while.
Xiao Xiao is going to give He Caitou a shield, which means that one of the enemy's agile attackers will restrain one of our defenders and one of our support.
Then, He Caitou and fired a heavy shot. The opposing defensive Soul Master raised his shield to block it, and the damage was negligible.
As the battle progressed into the mid-game, both sides exchanged skills, and our health and Soul Power began to decline without any recovery, making us increasingly weaker as the battle progressed.
In the end, they could only gamble on Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong'er's Martial Soul Fusion Skill; if they won, they won, if they lost, they would lose everything.
Switching to a life support character:
At the start, the support should buff everyone and apply shields. Huo Yuhao uses Spiritual Detection, Xiao Xiao controls the field, Jiang Nannan charges in, Wang Dong'er unleashes her burst, Bei Bei pushes forward, and Xu Sanshi defends.
When the enemy's agile attackers try to cut through the backline, Xu Sanshi doesn't need to be distracted because the support has a shield, can heal themselves, and can even give Xu Sanshi a shield, making the frontline more stable.
During team fights, the support provided continuous group healing and mana restoration, keeping our team at full strength and making us stronger as the fight progressed, while the enemy team grew increasingly vulnerable.
Even if someone is low on health, a single heal can bring them back to life, so there will be no casualties.
By the end, our entire team was in top form, while the opposing team was completely exhausted. It was a sure win, and there was no need to gamble on Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
Which is better? It's obvious.
Scene 2: Deep into the core area of Star Dou Forest, they encounter a war of attrition with multiple waves of Soul Beast attacking them.
The situation regarding retaining He Caitou:
During the first wave of Soul Beast, He Caitou was able to fire a couple of shots, consuming a significant amount of cannonballs and Soul Power.
With the second wave of Soul Beast, we didn't have many cannonballs left, and half of our Soul Power was used up, resulting in a significant drop in output.
The third wave of Soul Beast left them with no ammunition and no Soul Power, rendering He Caitou useless. He could only hide in the back, meaning the team was down to one person and needed someone else to protect him.
The more they fought, the more exhausted they became. In the end, even when they encountered the target Soul Beast, they lacked the strength to capture it and had to retreat, resulting in their failure.
Switching to a life support character:
After each wave of attacks, the support heals the entire team, restoring everyone's health and mana to full, so that they can continue fighting at full health in the next wave.
Fighting ten waves is no different from fighting one wave; your condition is always online. Even if you encounter several Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, you will have enough stamina and Soul Power to hunt them down.
With its extended battery life maximized, the team's combat radius and duration are doubled.
Scene 3: A positional battle of long-range bombardment against the Soul Engineer Legion of the Sun Moon Empire.
The situation regarding retaining He Caitou:
The two sides exchanged fire, He Caitou, with only one cannon, was no match for the dozens or even hundreds of cannons on the other side.
Our side had to charge under artillery fire. Without any recovery time, even a glancing blow from a shell would result in injury. The more we charged, the fewer men remained. Before we even reached the enemy base, most of our men had already been killed or wounded.
In a corps-level artillery duel, He Caitou's cannon fire was like a tickle, completely ineffective.
Switching to a life support character:
The support character provides a constant group shield and group healing, charging forward under enemy fire. When shells come at them, the shield blocks some of the damage, and they are immediately healed if they get hurt. The entire team remains connected and in good condition.
After rushing close, Huo Yuhao took control of the field, Wang Dong'er unleashed her power, and Bei Bei cleared the field, directly dismantling the opponent's soul guidance formation and achieving a complete victory.
In legion-level battles, the effect of a top-tier group healer is greater than that of a hundred Soul Engineer.
Scene 4: The Seven Monsters split up to carry out their missions, a solo combat scenario.
The situation regarding retaining He Caitou:
He Caitou was acting alone, without a team to shield him, without enough high-level Soul Tool to replenish his supplies, and with a weak Martial Soul, he was instantly killed in close combat by Agility Attack System Soul Master of the same level, without even a chance to fire a shot.
Their individual combat skills are extremely poor, making it impossible for them to carry out missions independently.
Switching to a life support character:
The support character has a shield, healing, speed boost, and invisibility, making them extremely survivable. If they can't win a fight, they can run away, and if they encounter danger, they can hold out until their teammates come to their rescue.
It can even support other teammates, healing injured teammates, greatly improving the team's overall margin for error.
After comparing the four scenarios, the conclusion is very clear:
He Caitou can only provide a negligible amount of output when the game is going well, for a short period of time, and with someone protecting him.
He becomes useless and may even hold the team back if the situation turns against him, if the battle drags on, or if he is left unprotected.
Life support provides a stable positive contribution in any scenario. It can accelerate victory in a favorable situation, stabilize the situation in an unfavorable situation, wear down the opponent in a protracted battle, and ensure survival in a one-on-one battle.
One is something that's optional and only adds to existing comforts; the other is a necessity that provides essential support in times of need.
There's absolutely no need to hesitate when choosing.
After reviewing the comparison of the four scenes, Gu Yuena gently shook her head.
The difference is indeed too great.
Even someone like her, who doesn't study human team battles much, could see the world of difference between the two at a glance.
The role of He Caitou is too limited; it can only play a small role in specific scenarios, and it is completely useless in real battles.
Life support is a core role applicable to all scenarios, serving as the team's "second life."
There can be many ways to deal damage, and there can be many ways to defend, but top-tier healing is always a scarce resource.
Shrek Academy's choice of He Caitou was like picking up a sesame seed and losing a watermelon.
In order to cater to the so-called "Soul Tool trend," they abandoned the team's most critical weakness: endurance. It may seem like they've kept up with the times, but in reality, they've picked up the superficial aspects and lost the essence of team battles.
Of course, besides life-type support, some people have suggested other alternatives, such as space-type Soul Master, poison-type control Soul Master, and second-agility attack Soul Master, etc.
However, none of these approaches are as adaptable as life-based support systems, and each has its own problems.
For example, you could switch to a space-type Soul Master.
Space-based abilities are indeed very strong; they can teleport, create space, cut off the backline, and save teammates, offering maximum tactical versatility.
However, space-type Martial Soul are extremely rare, one in ten thousand, and extremely difficult to find. They belong to the category of "theoretically very strong, but impossible to find anyone to practice with."
Moreover, space-based systems offer more of a tactical upgrade than a complete systemic improvement.
The core weakness of the current team is its survivability, not tactical versatility. Space-based systems cannot solve the survivability problem, nor can they replace the role of healers.
For example, you could switch to a poison-type control Soul Master.
Poison can indeed increase attrition capabilities, forming a double control and double debuff combination with Huo Yuhao's ice.
The problem is that Xiao Xiao and Huo Yuhao already have dual control abilities. Adding another control ability would cause the control capacity to overflow, which would be a waste.
Furthermore, poison cannot solve the problem of self-healing, and if the opponent also has a healer, the effect of poison will be greatly reduced.
It's more of a bonus than a necessity. Besides, while poison sounds powerful, in actual team battles or even competitions, it can be neutralized or suppressed with certain elixirs.
The poison attribute isn't as powerful as one might imagine.