A new banner has come for Blue Archive and we’re finally getting into the meat and potatoes of the new students.

For the past few weeks we’ve mentioned that we’re catching up to the Japanese servers and that new meta-defining students were on the way.

That time has finally come with this first wave of event students: Haruna (New Year) and Fuuka (New Year). So should you pull?

Kurodate Haruna (New Year)

The chief gourmand from the Gourmet Research Club is back in a fancy kimono. While normal Haruna is a Tsubaki-killing machine in PvP, her New Years version leaves a lot to be desired. She passively applies defensive debuffs but otherwise is basically an Explosion version of Hinata.

Aikiyo Fuuka (New Year)

Fuuka is getting a big upgrade. Normal Fuuka is a semi-decent group healer and reposition specialist. But New Years Fuuka is a beast of an offensive support, combining the perks of Ui and Ako. Her ability reduces the EX cost of a Striker’s ultimate by up to 50%. Unlike Ui this discount only applies once. However to compensate she also gives a huge CRIT Damage boost and even stacks with Ako.

Should I Pull?

Fuuka (New Year) combines Ako and Ui which are both great support units, and she does it all while taking a Support slot (Ui takes a Striker spot). She might not be super flashy in the backline but she’s invaluable. Haruna is just kind of there.

To sum it up: Pull for Fuuka, you won’t regret it. The only world where you don’t pull for Fuuka is when you’re desperate for Pyros for the upcoming Mika banner. If you -have- to choose between the two, consider that Fuuka is generally more valuable but Mika will allow you to comfortably clear most Yellow raids with little difficulty.

Blue Archive is available now on mobile devices! You can check out our review here! (as far as mobile games go, we still recommend it!)