Introduction
If you care about the Corrosion team at all, yes, you should definitely get Leilani. She remains a strong main carry for the foreseeable future, and although Caroline is arguably the best Corrosion Leader for now, Leilani doesn’t stay far behind in that role either. Plus, Solbyrd is right around the corner, and it won’t take long for Long to arrive after that (no pun intended). What makes Leilani so great for the Corrosion team is her ability to trigger Corrosion Blasts with her combo, thus partially eliminating the random or micro-managing factor from the team and making this element more suitable for speedruns than before.
Review
Leilani is a rare case of a Skirmisher who not only remains useful after spending all her combos, but she also benefits from that. Thanks to the passive of her second skill, “String Shadow”, after her first skill runs out of uses, she gains 100% ATK SPD in addition to the splash auto-attack every few seconds.
Going back to the first skill for a moment, “Moon Patrol”’s main utility is to trigger a Corrosion Blast, allowing the player to better control the flow of the corrosion team. Since it creates a Burst Window, it’s advised to use “Moon Patrol” in tandem with Leilani’s own Seed Skill, “Arrow of Promise”, and other abilities who rely on burst windows and intensify them at the same time, such as Lorelle’s Seed skill, “Night-long Aria”. Long story short, one possible play is: Fill Corrosion Gauge -> Night-long Aria -> Moon Patrol -> Arrow of Promise -> String Shadow.
The logic behind this order for skill uses, is to maximize quick filling Corrosion Blasts. Lorelle’s “Night-long Aria” records all DMG dealt by allies and converts a percentage of the recorded amount into True Damage at the end of the casting. Then, Leilani comes in, with “Moon Patrol” triggering the Corrosion Blast, followed by her ultimate, “Arrow of Promise”, which in addition to the burst damage, also triggers the passive from “String Shadow”, greatly increasing Leilani’s attack speed and converting her attacks into AoE. Finally, skills like the active version of “String Shadow” or any other from Leilani’s teammates further enhance this deadly combo. The same logic can still be applied to any team where Leilani is placed, and will also synergize well with the mechanics added later by Solbyrd and Long.
Leilani is all about seizing control of her destiny. She has the right tools to control exactly when she wants to trigger Blasts or her passive. However, her biggest strength is also her biggest downside. By being so focused on controlling her own mechanics and those of her element, she binds herself to the path of Corrosion, and becoming lackluster when placed in any other team. This is the path she chose, and the one she’ll have to stick to if she wishes to make use of all her potential. Despite all this, she’s still a viable backseat pick if you need an anti-air Echomancer or a duo-carry, but we have plenty of options for that.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Self-reliant kit, can decide when to trigger passives and mechanics;
- Doesn’t become semi-useless after running out of skill uses, instead gaining an ATK SPD buff;
- High burst damage but can also work well in long battles.
Cons
- Not very versatile;
Gameplay Tips
Dupes
For casual players, Leilani functions perfectly fine with zero dupes. Her first dupe, however, is a great cost-benefit and worth getting if you have the resources. Her third dupe is highly recommended if you main the Corrosion team and want to use it for speedruns and higher difficulty content.
General Tips
- “String Shadow” can be used to interrupt most enemy actions and buy some time before they close in, thanks to its knock back and the way its AoE hits the targets.
- “Moon Patrol” is a great tool to kite enemies, allowing Leilani to move freely twice.
- Prioritize dumping “Moon Patrol” early when dealing with bosses. It deals additional damage based on the enemy’s HP, with the output increasing the higher their current HP%. If you have dupe 3 Leilani, this synergizes well with that passive, gradually increasing her damage as the target’s HP% goes down.
Skill Upgrade Priority
- Skill 1, “Moon Patrol” is the priority. It’s her main source of damage (aside from her fast ‘n furious auto-attacks). Besides, “String Shadow”’s bonuses from the passive don’t increase with the skill level.
Team Recommendation
NOTE: Remember you can mix and match Echomancers among all suggestions and alternate options, adjusting based on who you have available.
Team 1
Leader: Caroline (or Leilani)
The Corrosion team is very simple and straightforward to play. With the addition of Leilani, you can now trigger a Corrosion Blast whenever you want instead of relying on randomness or convoluted micromanagement. If you wish to optimize this team, however, there are a few extra steps. To charge Inspire stacks faster, you can bring Hassel or Sephonis (Secret Melody) or Longqing (Nightmare, Born from Ashes) and swap them out afterwards. Another option, particularly good when dealing with bosses, is Thea with “Curiosity of a Hailinian” in order to charge inspire stacks faster and place a Fire Zone. Then, use Begonia to trigger Melt and add ASPD buffs and swap them out. You can replace Thea if your build requires a faster Melt stacking instead of Inspire stacking. In that case, use Cyros dupe 1 as preferred option or Reid.
Back-up Options:
CORE NEXUS SKILLS: Devotion, Bonus Time, Winning Chase, Starry Trail or Class Link (Triangle)
Memory Traces
- [SSR] Emptiness
- [SR] Muscle Building
- [SSR] Born From Ashesor[SR] Curiosity Of A Hailinian(if using Thea)
- [SSR] Karmaor[SSR] Nightmare(If using Longqing)
- [SR] Secret Melodyor[R] The Weight of Life
- [SSR] Invisible Mirror
Alternative Memory Traces:
- [R] The Weight of Life
- [SSR] My Vision Is Clear!
- [SSR] Behind The Curtains
- [SR] Illusion of Flowers
Team 2
Leader: Caroline (or Leilani)
This is a budget option for those who only have Leilani as their six-star or don’t have a Corrosion team built but want to play around with it and decide to borrow her. Caroline can be swapped for any other DPS or Support, depending on your needs. In that case, Leilani is favored as the leader. The idea here is to capitalize on the damage bonus from “My Vision is Clear” to keep Leilani as strong as possible even without the rest of the Corrosion team. Simply create a water zone with Changyao, place Yuqi there and have fun. If you have or can borrow Furray & Furney or Uni, that ’s even better for water zone placement, and they can be swapped later for a stronger support.
Back-up Options:
CORE NEXUS SKILLS: Devotion, Bonus Time, Winning Chase, Starry Trail or Class Link (Triangle)
Memory Traces
- [SSR] Beneath The Deception(Awakening skill lv 1 only)
- [SR] Muscle Building
- [SSR] Born From Ashesor[SSR] Hidden Blade
- [SSR] My Vision Is Clear!(Core)
- [SR] Secret Melodyor[R] The Weight of Life
- [SSR] Invisible Mirror
Alternative Memory Traces:
- [SR] Illusion of Flowers
- [SSR] Behind The Curtains
- [SSR] Karma
- [SR] Happy Hours
- [SR] Lucky Find
- Err
Future Synergies
Solbyrd will temporarily take the Leader position of the Corrosion team away from Caroline after several months. A well built Solbyrd brings much needed speed to the team, and transforms it into a spam of ultimates and explosive blasts.
The first support to truly rival Freda, Long is the current Leader of the Corrosion team in the CN version. She adds even more buffs to the table, completing the triad of ATK SPD (Leilani), Bonus DMG (Solbyrd) and Critical (Long). Her healing and support style are very aggressive, perfect for the chaotic and expansive game play style that the Corrosion team took in.