Chaos Zero Nightmare (CZN)AmirBuild and Guide

• Metallization: Metallization is Amir’s unique stackable resource, which can be tracked either through the buff tracker or her resource bar under the Team’s HP bar. Metallization is a buff that causes Amir to launch an extra attack, dealing 80% of Defense-Based DMG each time a shielding card is used at the cost of reducing the Metallization stack size by 1. It is also used as fuel for a number of her other cards.
• Defense Scaling: Like other Vanguards, all of Amir’s damage-dealing abilities scale off of her DEF stat primarily. This allows her to improve her damage and shielding capabilities all at once, on top of improving the team's general tankiness.

4

Steel Resolve

Ego Skill

Gain Shield 120% per Metalize.
Remove Metalize. At the start of the next turn, gain Metalize 3.​

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Steel Resolve

Costs 4EP and removes all Metallization on use, granting 120% shield for each stack sacrificed, then at the start of the next turn, grants 3 Metallization. A potent defensive cooldown and one of Amir’s only ways to shield as a Vanguard. Definitely worth using, but must be balanced with Amir’s other Metallization consuming abilities and timed correctly.

1

Rapier

Attack

100% Defense-based Damage.​

Rapier

Amir’s basic attacks scale off of Defense and deal decent damage, thanks to the fact that they scale with Potentials but aren’t an integral part of her Metallization playstyle.

1

Steel Barrier

Skill

100% Shield.

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Steel Barrier

Amir’s basic shield is one of the few ways she has of applying shield to herself despite being a Vanguard, something that’s essential for triggering Metallization. Amir’s potentials also cause Steel Barrier to generate 1 Metallization on use.

1

Hovering Metal

Skill

3 Damage Reduction.
2 Metalize.​

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Hovering Metal

One of Amir’s best ways to access Metallization. Costs 1 AP on use, grants 2 Metallization, and most importantly, also offers 3 damage reduction stacks for a nice mix of set-up and protection.

1

Metal Pierce

Attack

90% × 2 Defense-based Damage.
If in Metalization state, -1 Metalization, 2 Vulnerable.

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Metal Pierce

One of Amir’s Metallization spenders and payoff cards. Deals Defense-Based damage twice to a single target, then, if Metallization is active, will consume one stack to apply two stacks of Vulnerable to them. Deals solid damage itself, but more importantly is a great damage amplification tool for the team.

1

Metal Extraction

Skill

2 Metalization.
2 Resolve for 1 turn.​

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Metal Extraction

Amir’s other core Metallization generator, which similarly generates two stacks on use but also grants two stacks of Resolve for 1 turn. Not as powerful as Hovering Metal at a baseline, but it is a valid choice if you need more Metallization stacks with the added bonus of improved shielding for the turn.

2

Full Metal Hurricane

Attack

200% Defense-based Damage to all enemies.
For 1 turn, all enemies are targeted by Metalization effect, +20% Damage.​

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Full Metal Hurricane

Amir’s strongest attack card that costs a high 2AP to use, but deals Defense-based damage to all enemies and buffs Metallization with an additive +20% increase for the turn. Its high cost makes it hard to use alongside triggering multiple Metallization in a turn, but when aligned just right, it can form the basis of a solid damage combo. Doesn’t offer any defensive benefits baseline, though.

1

Iron Skin

Skill

[Exhaust][Finale]

For 1 turn, -20% Damage taken.
Metalization -4.
Maximum -20% Damage taken for that amount.

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Iron Skin

Amir’s strongest defensive buff, which reduces damage taken by -20% for 1 turn on use. Then it consumes up to 4 Metallization stacks to increase the damage reduction by a further -20% per stack consumed (e.g., 20% Base + 20% x 3 stacks = 80%). An incredibly potent defensive card, but only while Metallization is available to consume. Also has the Exhaust tag, meaning it can only be used once, and the Finale tag that forces you to end your turn after it’s played.

Amir’s Potentials are more important than most characters and they either grant her new mechanics or enhance the values of core parts of her kit.

• 3-1: Grants Steel Barrier the ability to generate a stack of Metallicize on use, boosting its value tremendously.
• 5-1: Improves Rapier’s damage multiplier by +5% with an additional +5% bonus available after Amir’s defense is higher than 250.
• 7: Increases Metallization's damage multiplier by+10%, with a further +10% granted if her defense is higher than 400

Standard Playstyle

Amir’s playstyle is simple but can be challenging to execute in practice. At a base, her plan is to generate Metallization efficiently, then focus on either consuming it via her spenders at opportune times or triggering it as much as possible via AP efficient shielding cards. What makes Amir challenging to play is her own lack of shields and, therefore, ways to trigger that Metallization. This, combined with the fact that much of her defensive capabilities are tied to temporary and usually one-use mitigation cooldowns, makes her far less easy to survive with as a solo sustain than other vanguards. A solution to this is to add more neutral shielding cards to Amir’s deck or to pair her with another shielder.

Note

For every Epiphany, we're colored their name based on how useful we think it is compared to the other variants. Here's the key to the colors:

• Epiphany Name - the best variant,
• Epiphany Name - a good variant,
• Epiphany Name - a niche variant.

Important!

CZN is a game of randomness; sometimes you’ll be offered generic or Divine epiphanies that are stronger than a character's standard five options. In these cases, breaking the listed build can result in an even more powerful save. Adjust as you see fit!

Card Removal Priority

• Rapier: Amir wants to get to her Metalize stacks and payoffs as fast as possible. Rapier does nothing to help with that plan and is essentially a dead card when you draw it.

Card Dupe Priority

Dupe Priority

Highest Metalize Generator = Iron Skin

Depending on which EPI you land on, duping whatever provides you with the most Metalize is the priority. Without Metalize, Amir just doesn’t function properly, so your goal is to always have as many stacks as possible to use.

You can also dupe Iron Skin if you’re able to reliably keep Metalize stacks up, as it is a powerful damage mitigation tool.

Epiphany Alternatives

• Metal Pierce III: Metal Pierce V spends a Metalize to add more Vulnerable and also add Weaken to targets. This helps set your DPS up for harder hits and also helps Amir fulfill her role as a damage mitigator.
• Metal Extraction III: Metal Extraction II can be just as good when played with another shielder on the team. Without one, it’s hard for Amir to take good advantage of the Resolve buffs.
• Full Metal Hurricane V: Full Metal Hurricane III is a good option if you can’t get V or if you want a more hands-off playstyle. This EPI will consume up to 2 Metalize stacks per turn to dish out big AoE damage. The highs are lower for this choice, but the payoff is still good if you can keep Metalize up.

Haru

• Haru, or any other character with a lot of 2+ cost cards, pairs well with Amir if you go the route of grabbing her Heaven EPIs. This will allow many of Amir’s cards to be played for free while your AP is used on DPS cards instead.

Any Shielder

• Amir likes to gain shields, but doesn’t have a lot of ways to gain it consistently in her own kit. Pairing her with another defense character that can reliably generate shields lets her get more out of her kit.

Important!

If you’re losing runs when playing a damage-focused composition either to sanity or dying, consider using a team with more defensive characters - so including both a shielder and healer. This is especially important in the Zero System mode.

Double Shielder

Damage

Any DPS

Shielder

Shielder

Tripple Shielder

Shielder

Shielder

Shielder