Ideal
CRIT Rate > CRIT DMG
Desire
Justice DMG%
Imagination
DEF%
Chaos Zero Nightmare (CZN)MagnaBuild and Guide
Introduction
Best guide and build for Magna from Chaos Zero Nightmare (CZN). Magna is a 5✦ character from the Vanguard class and Justice attribute, who belongs to the Stella Familia [White Altair] faction.
Update tracker
Last review update
Season 2
Last build update
Season 2
Last profile update*
15.03.2026
*Profile update means updates done to reviews/builds/gear within a season - showing the last date we changed anything on this page.
To learn more about Magna check the sections below. Use the tabs to quickly switch to the kind of information you're looking for.
Profile
Review
Epiphanies
Gear
Deck & Teams
Profile
Cards
Starting Cards:
1
Frozen Fist
100% Defense-based Damage.
1
Frost Shield
100% Shield.
Show Effects
1
Ice Fragment
2 Crystallization.
At the start of the turn, 1 Counterattack
At the start of the turn, 1 Counterattack
Show Effects
Epiphany Cards:
2
Glacial Iron Fist
300% Defense-Based Damage.
Gain Fixed Shield equal to 50% Damage dealt (cannot exceed 20% of Max HP).
Gain Fixed Shield equal to 50% Damage dealt (cannot exceed 20% of Max HP).
Show Effects
2
Ice Wall
180% Shield.
2 Counterattack.
For 1 turn, Counterattack applies to all enemies.
2 Counterattack.
For 1 turn, Counterattack applies to all enemies.
Show Effects
1
Frost Charge
100% Shield.
2 Vulnerable to all enemies.
2 Vulnerable to all enemies.
Show Effects
1
Storm of Bitter Cold
When gaining Shield by an ability, 1 Counterattack.
Show Effects
Ego Skill:
6
Absolute Zero
Ego Skill
300% Defense-based Damage.
Increases Damage Amount by 20% for each Counterattack on this unit
Increases Damage Amount by 20% for each Counterattack on this unit
Show Effects
Epiphany Variants:
Epiphany cards are special evolutions for the cards you can obtain while playing the roguelike mode. Only some cards in the character's deck can get Epiphany effects. Since there's quite a lot of them, we don't display them by default - press the button below to show them. There are also Divine variants of Epiphany cards, but we're still working on gathering them.
1
Ice Fragment I
4 Crystallization.
At the start of the turn, 1 Counterattack
At the start of the turn, 1 Counterattack
Show Effects
1
Ice Fragment II
2 Crystallization.
At the start of the turn, 2 Counterattack
At the start of the turn, 2 Counterattack
Show Effects
0
Ice Fragment III
2 Crystallization.
At the start of the turn, 1 Counterattack
At the start of the turn, 1 Counterattack
Show Effects
2
Ice Fragment IV
2 Crystallization.
At the start of the turn, 200% Defense-based Damage to all enemies.
At the start of the turn, 200% Defense-based Damage to all enemies.
Show Effects
2
Ice Fragment V
4 Counterattack.
Increases Damage Amount of the next Counterattack by 30%.
Increases Damage Amount of the next Counterattack by 30%.
Show Effects
2
Glacial Iron Fist I
450% Defense-Based Damage.
Gain Fixed Shield equal to 50% Damage dealt (cannot exceed 20% of Max HP).
Gain Fixed Shield equal to 50% Damage dealt (cannot exceed 20% of Max HP).
Show Effects
2
Glacial Iron Fist II
300% Defense-based Damage.
3 Vulnerable.
3 Vulnerable.
Show Effects
2
Glacial Iron Fist III
450% Defense-Based Damage.
When Shield is held, increases Damage Amount by 50%.
When Shield is held, increases Damage Amount by 50%.
Show Effects
2
Glacial Iron Fist IV
300% Defense-Based Damage to all enemies.
Gain Fixed Shield equal to 50% Damage dealt (cannot exceed 20% of Max HP).
Gain Fixed Shield equal to 50% Damage dealt (cannot exceed 20% of Max HP).
Show Effects
2
Glacial Iron Fist V
400% Defense-Based Damage.
Gain Fixed Shield equal to 50% Damage dealt (cannot exceed 20% of Max HP).
For 1 turn, Retain Shield 1.
Gain Fixed Shield equal to 50% Damage dealt (cannot exceed 20% of Max HP).
For 1 turn, Retain Shield 1.
Show Effects
2
Ice Wall I
270% Shield.
3 Counterattack.
For 1 turn, Counterattack applies to all enemies.
3 Counterattack.
For 1 turn, Counterattack applies to all enemies.
Show Effects
2
Ice Wall II
270% Shield.
3 Counterattack.
For 1 turn, Counterattack applies to all enemies.
3 Counterattack.
For 1 turn, Counterattack applies to all enemies.
Show Effects
2
Ice Wall III
Counterattack applies to all enemies.
Show Effects
2
Ice Wall IV
180% Shield.
Damage to all enemies equal to Shield owned.
Damage to all enemies equal to Shield owned.
Show Effects
2
Ice Wall V
180% Shield.
2 Counterattack.
For 2 turns, Counterattack applies to all enemies.
2 Counterattack.
For 2 turns, Counterattack applies to all enemies.
Show Effects
1
Frost Charge I
150% Shield.
2 Vulnerable to all enemies.
For each enemy, +50% Shield gain.
2 Vulnerable to all enemies.
For each enemy, +50% Shield gain.
Show Effects
1
Frost Charge II
150% Shield.
3 Vulnerable to all enemies.
3 Vulnerable to all enemies.
Show Effects
1
Frost Charge III
To targets that Counterattack, 2 Vulnerable.
Show Effects
1
Frost Charge IV
100% Defense-Based Damage x 3 to random enemies.
To struck targets, 1 Vulnerable.
To struck targets, 1 Vulnerable.
Show Effects
1
Frost Charge V
2 Vulnerable to all enemies.
2 Counterattack.
2 Counterattack.
Show Effects
Potential
Epiphany Bonus
Potential 1
When entering Chaos, obtain 1 random Rare Card with an activated Epiphany.
Basic Card Upgrade
Potential 2
Increase Damage, Shield, and Healing Amounts of Basic Cards by 2/20%.
Common Card Upgrade
Potential 3
Increase Damage, Shield, and Healing Amounts of Common Cards by 2/20%.
Basic Card Proficiency
Potential 3-1
Add 1 Counterattack effect to Frozen Fist and Frost Shield cards.
Unique Card Upgrade
Potential 4
Increase Damage, Shield, and Healing Amounts of Unique Cards by 2/20%.
Critical Chance Proficiency
Potential 5
+2/10% Critical Chance.
Basic Card Proficiency
Potential 5-1
Increase the Shield gain of Magna’s Frost Shield by +5%.
If Magna’s Defense is higher than 250, the value is further increased by +5%.
If Magna’s Defense is higher than 250, the value is further increased by +5%.
Divine Epiphany Adaptation
Potential 5-2
Increases the chance for a Divine Epiphany to appear by 25%.
Health Proficiency
Potential 6
Increase Health by 1.6/8%.
Unique Stat Upgrade
Potential 7
If Magna’s Defense is greater than 300, +5% Justice Attribute Damage.
For every 10 Defense exceeding that value, +2% (up to an additional +10%).
For every 10 Defense exceeding that value, +2% (up to an additional +10%).
Manifest Ego (dupes)
Sleeping Memory
Manifest Ego 1
Adds Initiation to the Storm of Bitter Cold card.
Awakening Memory
Manifest Ego 2
Magna’s counter inflicts 1 Freeze on the target.
Freeze: When taking damage from Magna’s Attack Card, adjacent monsters take 50% Defense-based Damage, Freeze is removed upon the effect’s activation.
Freeze: When taking damage from Magna’s Attack Card, adjacent monsters take 50% Defense-based Damage, Freeze is removed upon the effect’s activation.
Vivid Memory
Manifest Ego 3
The Damage increase for Counterattack from Absolute Zero is changed to 30%.
Inner Memory
Manifest Ego 4
Change Magna’s Counterattack so it no longer reduces Vulnerable.
Complete Memory
Manifest Ego 5
Increase the level of [Basic Card Upgrade], [Unique Card Upgrade], and [Common Card Upgrade] in Potentials by 3.
Liberated Memory
Manifest Ego 6
At the start of the turn, gain 1 Enhanced Counterattack.
Enhanced Counterattack: Increase Counterattack Damage Amount by 30%.
Enhanced Counterattack is removed upon the effect’s activation (max 2 stacks).
Enhanced Counterattack: Increase Counterattack Damage Amount by 30%.
Enhanced Counterattack is removed upon the effect’s activation (max 2 stacks).
Stats (level 60)
HP
423
DEF
183
ATK
407
Gallery
Review
Introduction
Magna is a Justice Vanguard who wants to protect her team via huge shields and clapping back at enemies via Counterattacking.
Magna has almost everything you want from your tank. She offers multiple different ways to passively generate shields, which in turn will also generate stacks of Counterattack. Counterattacks occur when you're struck by an enemy unit. When this happens, any unit that holds a stack of Counterattack will immediately retaliate with an attack of their own - dealing 100% Defense-Based damage. If the damage dealt by the enemy when this happens is completely blocked by your team's shield, the damage dealt increases to 200% Defense-Based damage instead.
Magna also has consistent ways to inflict multiple Vulnerable stacks on her enemies via "Frost Charge" to further increase her team's damage output. Magna also has the unique ability to allow her Counterattacks to hit all enemy units, opposed to just the enemy unit attacking.
Unfortunately, Magna does boast higher-than-usual card costs across the board; fortunately, some of these cards feature the [Lead] tag, which gives any card holding this tag a 50% chance to have their cost reduced by 1 at the start of the turn until another card is used. This can help alleviate some of the high costs that come with Magna.
Magna can act as an extremely passive character as well, as quite a few of her cards are Upgrade cards - once these have been played, Magna can simply sit back and passively help her team thanks to having access to Crystallization.
If you’re looking for a character that can apply debuffs whilst protecting your team and even providing some decent damage. Magna is one of the best options.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Good shielding with reasonable damage output after set-up and when being attacked frequently.
Strong access to the Vulnerable debuff.
Nice AoE Potential while Ice Wall is active.
Grants Crystallization for constant shielding without needing to draw or use AP for it.
Cons
Has many expensive cards and is incredibly AP hungry.
Counterattacks (and damage) are far less effective in fights where enemies are not often hit.
Ratings
The ratings below are based on the Season Save Data modes and the Chaos Manifestation mode. Each of the modes values different mechanics, so some characters may shine in one of the, while being underwhelming in the other.
Key Mechanics
Defense Scaling: Like other Vanguards, all of Magna’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.
Crystallization: A stackable and persistent defensive buff that grants 20% Fixed Shield (not modifiable with bonuses) to the team at the end of the turn per stack.
Counter: After taking damage and while the stack of the Counterattack buff is active, the owner of the buff performs a Counterattack on the assailant equal to 100% Defense-Based damage and if the damage dealt by the enemy is completely blocked via your shield, the damage increases to 200% Defense-Based damage. After each Counterattack a stack of the buff is lost. A max of 10 stacks of Counterattack can be held at a time.
Note: Multi-hit enemy attacks trigger multiple instances of Counterattack as long as you have the stacks.
Potential
Magna’s Signature Potentials are must-haves for improving her performance in her role and for the additional functionality they provide.
3-1: Adds the Counterattack effect to her starter Attack and Shield cards, boosting their power and her access to Counterattack considerably.
5-1: Increases the Shield gain of her basic Shield Skill card by 5%. Increases by another 5% if her Defense is higher than 250.
7: Increases her Justice Attribute Damage by 5% if her Defense is higher than 350, increasing by 1% per 10 points of Defense up to a total of 15% at 450.
Dupes Review
E0
Base
E1
Ego 1
This node grants Magna’s “Storm of Bitter Cold” card the [Initiation] tag. An okay first point for consistency, but overall doesn’t increase her power substantially.
E2
Ego 2
Her second Ego point grants Magna a passive effect that triggers whenever she Counterattacks an enemy. When Magna Counterattacks, she inflicts 1 stack of “Freeze” on the target. “Freeze” is consumed whenever a target affected by Freeze is dealt damage from Magna’s Attack Cards. Monsters adjacent to that target take 50% Defense-Based Damage. This is a decent node for Magna that further enhances her AoE damage.
E3
Ego 3
The third Ego point increases the amount of damage her Ego skill deals per stack of Counterattack from 20% to 30% per stack held. A fairly substantial damage increase, as this is a multiplicative buff.
E4
Ego 4
This node changes the way her Counterattack interacts with Vulnerable. Whenever Magna Counterattacks an enemy unit affected by Vulnerable, it will no longer remove a stack. This is an amazing point for Magna that helps maintain Vulnerable on enemies to ensure that her allies can take advantage of the debuff instead of consuming it when not necessarily wanted.
E5
Ego 5
This node increases the base and maximum level of their [Basic Card Upgrade], [Unique Card Upgrade] and [Common Card Upgrade] Potentials by 3. A solid node that provides a sizeable increase to the shielding and damage from her attack/skill cards, however will not affect her shielding/damage from Crystallization or Counterattacks.
E6
Ego 6
Her 6th and final Ego node grants Magna 1 stack of “Enhanced Counterattack” at the start of each turn. Enhanced Counterattack increases the damage amount of Counterattack by 30% and is removed whenever she Counterattacks. A strong node that overall improves her damage output when Counterattacking.
Cards & Ego Skill
6
Absolute Zero
Ego Skill
300% Defense-based Damage.
Increases Damage Amount by 20% for each Counterattack on this unit
Increases Damage Amount by 20% for each Counterattack on this unit
Show Effects
Absolute Zero
Magna’s Ego Skill is called Absolute Zero. Low base damage, expensive, eats up your Counterattack stacks for a measly 20% extra damage each, which is less than what you’d get for triggering those Counterattacks. Avoid using it unless you need the damage to kill an enemy and other options are worse.
1
Frozen Fist
100% Defense-based Damage.
Frozen Fist
Magna’s Basic Attack deals solid damage, but more importantly, after Potentials also grants 1 stack of Counterattack after each use.
1
Frost Shield
100% Shield.
Show Effects
Frost Shield
Magna’s basic Shield isn’t special outside of the fact that it also grants 1 Counterattack stack thanks to Potentials on use, but is still one of her most important cards due to her role as a shielder and vanguard.
1
Ice Fragment
2 Crystallization.
At the start of the turn, 1 Counterattack
At the start of the turn, 1 Counterattack
Show Effects
Ice Fragment
An upgrade card that grants 2 [Crystallization] stacks on use one time. Magna also gets 1 Counterattack stack at the start of every turn thereafter. Great for deck thinning, which helps with deckbuilding and provides some passive shields and damage.
2
Glacial Iron Fist
300% Defense-Based Damage.
Gain Fixed Shield equal to 50% Damage dealt (cannot exceed 20% of Max HP).
Gain Fixed Shield equal to 50% Damage dealt (cannot exceed 20% of Max HP).
Show Effects
Glacial Iron Fist
A 2-cost Attack Card that deals 300% Defense-based damage and converts 50% of the damage dealt to Fixed Shields up to a cap of 20% of the team's max HP. A great mix of offense and defense that makes great use of damage buffs, but can be a little hard to use baseline due to its very high cost.
2
Ice Wall
180% Shield.
2 Counterattack.
For 1 turn, Counterattack applies to all enemies.
2 Counterattack.
For 1 turn, Counterattack applies to all enemies.
Show Effects
Ice Wall
A 2-cost Skill card that grants some shield, 2 Counterattack stacks, and more importantly, converts all Counterattacks into AoE attacks for the turn. Magna’s main source of AoE. Very expensive for a 1-turn buff, but well worth it if you’re using her as a Counterattack-based DPS.
1
Frost Charge
100% Shield.
2 Vulnerable to all enemies.
2 Vulnerable to all enemies.
Show Effects
Frost Charge
A 1-cost Skill card that shields and applies 2 stacks of Vulnerable to all enemies. A very powerful utility card that can boost the team’s damage considerably.
1
Storm of Bitter Cold
When gaining Shield by an ability, 1 Counterattack.
Show Effects
Storm of Bitter Cold
A strong upgrade costing just 1 AP to use, but which grants Magna 1 Counterattack stack every time shield is gained via an ability. Ensures Counterattack stacks are always high and thanks to the [Lead] tag, this card can even be free to use to help retain tempo.
Best Epiphanies
Best Epiphanies
Note
We have given a star rating for each Epiphany, showing how strong and useful it is - with 1★ being the lowest rating and 5★ the highest.
Card 1
Neutral Epiphany
Err
Err
Err
Err
Err
Epiphanies:
- Neutral - No specific Neutral Epiphany is recommended, but the base Epiphany is more or less the same strength as most of its Upgrades.
- Err- Now 4 Crystallization instead of 2. This is great for getting a lot of passive shielding via Crystallization, so the go-to choice if that’s what you want.
- Err- Now gain 2 Counterattack at the start of every turn. This is a great choice for applying a lot of Counterattack and the go-to choice for Counterattack-based builds. The only reason it isn’t recommended higher is that it can end up being somewhat detrimental to Vulnerable builds without her E4 (which makes it so Counterattack does not consume Vulnerable from Magna).
- Err- Now is 0-cost and gains [Initiation]. This is an amazing QoL option that achieves a similar effect to most other Epiphany options, so it is worth considering if you don’t want to have to draw it on Turn 1.
- Err- Now a 2-cost that does a decent AOE def-based damage attack. This is extremely expensive and will likely net worse utility and damage than its Counterattack alternatives since she has many ways to add utility or damage to her Counterattack effects.
- Err- Changes to a Skill Card that gives 4 Counterattack and gives an additive buff to all Counterattacks that turn, but costs 2. This is the highest potential generation of Counterattack, but it is VERY expensive to utilize and hard to justify over completely passive options that also have high Counterattack generation, like Icy Fragment II.
Divine Epiphanies:
Which Divine Epiphany to go for will depend on what your team needs and which Epiphany you chose, but here are the main ones to look out for if you have spare Save Data: -1 Cost Reduction, Morale/Resolve, Draw 1 (Icy Fragment V).
Card 2
Neutral Epiphany
2
Glacial Iron Fist I
450% Defense-Based Damage.
Gain Fixed Shield equal to 50% Damage dealt (cannot exceed 20% of Max HP).
Gain Fixed Shield equal to 50% Damage dealt (cannot exceed 20% of Max HP).
Show Effects
2
Glacial Iron Fist II
300% Defense-based Damage.
3 Vulnerable.
3 Vulnerable.
Show Effects
2
Glacial Iron Fist III
450% Defense-Based Damage.
When Shield is held, increases Damage Amount by 50%.
When Shield is held, increases Damage Amount by 50%.
Show Effects
2
Glacial Iron Fist IV
300% Defense-Based Damage to all enemies.
Gain Fixed Shield equal to 50% Damage dealt (cannot exceed 20% of Max HP).
Gain Fixed Shield equal to 50% Damage dealt (cannot exceed 20% of Max HP).
Show Effects
2
Glacial Iron Fist V
400% Defense-Based Damage.
Gain Fixed Shield equal to 50% Damage dealt (cannot exceed 20% of Max HP).
For 1 turn, Retain Shield 1.
Gain Fixed Shield equal to 50% Damage dealt (cannot exceed 20% of Max HP).
For 1 turn, Retain Shield 1.
Show Effects
Epiphanies:
- Neutral - No specific Neutral Epiphany is recommended, but the base Epiphany is more or less the same strength as most of its Upgrades.
- Glacial Iron Fist I- Gains around 1.5x base ratio (Pre-Potentials: 450% from 300%). This makes it a much better damage card on top of it being a decent shield; however, its 2-cost makes it hard to justify this as a shielding option when Maribell has a 1 or 0-cost (Shelter Mk.II) that does less damage but provides the same amount of shielding (because all dmg-based shields have the same cap).
- Glacial Iron Fist II- Now applies 3 Vulnerable. This is a great option to consider if you want to apply a lot of Vulnerable, but its 2-cost can make it hard to justify for that reason, when a simple Divine Vulnerable will give almost the same value and can be on a random 0-cost attack.
- Glacial Iron Fist III- Loses its dmg-based shield but gains a 50% multiplicative boost if you own any shield. This is the best option for doing damage with this card.
- Glacial Iron Fist IV- Now hits in AOE. This is a great option to consider for AOE scenarios where you are using Magna.
- Glacial Iron Fist V- Card gains [Exhaust 2] and applies ‘Retain Shield’ to you for 1 turn. This is an incredibly strong effect that would likely be rated as her go-to… if it didn’t have [Exhaust 2]. Retain Shield is an effect that gets the most value in longer engagements, as it will let you maintain max shield over multiple turns, but the card having the [Exhaust] tag on it makes it extremely hard to use in scenarios where it would be valuable.
Divine Epiphanies:
Which Divine Epiphany to go for will depend on what your team needs and which Epiphany you chose, but here are the main ones to look out for if you have spare Save Data: Vulnerable 2, -1 Cost Reduction.
Card 3
Neutral Epiphany
2
Ice Wall I
270% Shield.
3 Counterattack.
For 1 turn, Counterattack applies to all enemies.
3 Counterattack.
For 1 turn, Counterattack applies to all enemies.
Show Effects
2
Ice Wall II
270% Shield.
3 Counterattack.
For 1 turn, Counterattack applies to all enemies.
3 Counterattack.
For 1 turn, Counterattack applies to all enemies.
Show Effects
2
Ice Wall III
Counterattack applies to all enemies.
Show Effects
2
Ice Wall IV
180% Shield.
Damage to all enemies equal to Shield owned.
Damage to all enemies equal to Shield owned.
Show Effects
2
Ice Wall V
180% Shield.
2 Counterattack.
For 2 turns, Counterattack applies to all enemies.
2 Counterattack.
For 2 turns, Counterattack applies to all enemies.
Show Effects
Epiphanies:
- Neutral - Neutral Epiphanies are not recommended as the base card of this is rather weak and can be hard to play around.
- Ice Wall I- Now gives 3 Counterattack instead of 2. The expensive 2-cost and the fact that there is an alternative option (Ice Wall III) that effectively gives the same primary effect while being passive and permanent with a 1-time cost make it hard to justify using this in most builds. Moreover, in Counterattack-based builds, you will likely already be hitting the cap of max 10 Counterattacks, so the extra Counterattack is unlikely to get high value in any optimized Magna build.
- Ice Wall II- Now gives additional shielding based on Counterattack held. This is a very high shield potential card, but extremely conditional, expensive (2-cost), and requires set-up for it, which is awkward for a Supportive card.
- Ice Wall III- Is now an Upgrade that gives the ‘Counterattack is AOE’ effect for the entire battle, passively. This is the go-to Epiphany, as most recommended Magna builds are passive via Upgrades like this, Icy Fragments and Frost Charge III–when this is combined with the other Upgrades, it can allow passive AOE Vulnerable to enemies.
- Ice Wall IV- Now does damage in AOE based on held shield. This is basically a worse version of Maribell's Shelter Strike (in single-target, with E1 Maribell) but a better version in AOE/multi-target. It can also be used WITH Maribell for 2 shield-based damage dealers, instead of one.
- Ice Wall V- Now applies the ‘Counterattack is AOE’ effect over 2-turns instead of just 1. The expensive 2-cost and the fact that there is an alternative option (Ice Wall III) that effectively gives the same primary effect while being passive and permanent with a 1-time cost make it hard to justify using this in most builds.
Divine Epiphanies:
Which Divine Epiphany to go for will depend on what your team needs and which Epiphany you chose, but here are the main ones to look out for if you have spare Save Data: -1 Cost Reduction, Morale/Resolve (Ice Wall III).
Card 4
Neutral Epiphany
1
Frost Charge I
150% Shield.
2 Vulnerable to all enemies.
For each enemy, +50% Shield gain.
2 Vulnerable to all enemies.
For each enemy, +50% Shield gain.
Show Effects
1
Frost Charge II
150% Shield.
3 Vulnerable to all enemies.
3 Vulnerable to all enemies.
Show Effects
1
Frost Charge III
To targets that Counterattack, 2 Vulnerable.
Show Effects
1
Frost Charge IV
100% Defense-Based Damage x 3 to random enemies.
To struck targets, 1 Vulnerable.
To struck targets, 1 Vulnerable.
Show Effects
1
Frost Charge V
2 Vulnerable to all enemies.
2 Counterattack.
2 Counterattack.
Show Effects
Epiphanies:
- Neutral - Target Neutral Epiphany: Draw 1.
With a strong Neutral option, like Draw 1, this can have a high QoL equivalent to Divines without incurring save data point cost, making it a premiere option (if not taking Frost Charge III). - Frost Charge I- Now gains an additional shield based on the number of targets. This is a very conditional but very high shield card, with it having uncapped shield potential as its dependent, only on the number of targets – tho the number of targets you are facing is a variable out of player control, making this context dependent.
- Frost Charge II- Now applies 3 Vulnerable (previously 2). This is a nice card as it can allow for more Vulnerable applications than just a Divine Epiphany, making it a strong 1-cost for applying Vulnerable quickly.
- Frost Charge III- Changes to an Upgrade that applies Vulnerable 2 on Counterattack. This enables Magna’s most popular use in meta teams, which is a passive Vulnerable application via Upgrades. This use is upgraded significantly with E4 (Counterattack does not consume Vulnerable), but it is still popular and usable even at E0.
- Frost Charge IV- Becomes an attack that does Defense-based damage x3 to random enemies and applies Vulnerable 1 to each enemy hit (max 1 per enemy). This is a great card, not for its Vulnerable, but because it can allow Magna to be used as a Defense-based multihitter which can scale very well off of a lot of generic buffers she otherwise couldn’t (Narja, Rei, Cassius, etc). It’s worth considering if wanting to force carry Magna.
- Frost Charge V- Loses the shield but gains 2 Counterattack. In Counterattack-based builds, you’re likely already hitting the Counterattack cap, so this is an option that basically loses the shield or passive utility of alternative options.
Divine Epiphanies:
Which Divine Epiphany to go for will depend on what your team needs and which Epiphany you chose, but here are the main ones to look out for if you have spare Save Data: Draw 1, -1 Cost Reduction.
Gear
Memory Fragments
The Memory Fragments & Equipment suggestions below are based on calculations we did. If you want to check the damage formula and how scaling the damage works in CZN, check this guide.
Recommended Loadout
1
[2-PC]: +25% Critical Damage.
[2-PC]: +12% Defense.
Flex
For more damage use 2P Cursed Corpse (if you can keep Agony on targets at all times) or 2P Black Wing (only a minor damage increase but more consistent). Alternatively for stronger Chaos starts try 2P Seth's Scarab, or if you want more survivability use 2P Healer's Journey. If none of that appeals, you can use any 2 strong sub/main stat pieces instead of a final 2P set bonus as well.
Main and sub-stats
In a lot of cases, flat sub-stats are better than percentage ones when it comes to HP, ATK and DEF. The reason behind this is that in CZN the characters stats are pretty low and you get more value from flat bonus rather than percentage one based on calcs.
DPS-Lite
Substats:
CRIT Rate% > CRIT DMG% > DEF > DEF%
When playing Magna with a focus on damage, it's important to max out the value from her Potential 7 to gain as much Justice DMG% as possible. To start with, aim at getting to 301 DEF in the character screen, but later, with proper gear, get as close to 350 as you can to fully cap out the potential.
Support
Ideal
HP%
Desire
HP%
Imagination
DEF%
Substats:
DEF > DEF% > EGO Regen = HP > HP%
Partners
Our best Partner recommendation try to balance both the raw damage boost they provide based on our calculations with the additional utility provided by the skill - combined with how it interacts with the characters's kit. We have rated each Partner based on how much additional damage and the utility they provide. Read the comments under each Partner to better understand our reasoning.
No calculations in Chaos Zero Nightmare are completely accurate for all scenarios, including the ones below. What team, decks, epiphanies, gear, equipment, and enemies you’re facing all impact them. Because of this, take the results as guidelines and combine them with the explanations to make your decisions. Calculations use endgame save data set-ups, including 5 turns of combat using the whole deck with all Ego skills unless otherwise stated.
1
Passive - No Speeding!
Increase the assigned Combatant's Defense by 16–24%
The assigned combatant's Counterattack damage increases by 15/30%.
When the assigned combatant uses a Skill or Upgrade Card, there is a 50/100% chance to gain Counterattack.
Skill - Fin Funnel of Suppression - 2 EP cost
Deal 200% Defense-based Damage to all enemies.
Gain 1 Counterattack. If any enemy's Anticipated Action is attack, gain 1 Counterattack.
For builds aiming to maximize their damage from Counterattacks and ensure they're always at max stacks so that every enemy attack triggers a hit, Erica is the go-to option for Magna thanks to her Counterattack generation effect and the fact that her Passive actually boosts Counterattack damage, something which is rare across Partners. However, if all you care about is survivability or shielding, Wilhelmina may be preferable instead.
2
Passive - Battle Command
The assigned combatant's Defense is increased by 12/24%.
When the assigned combatant targets a Vulnerable enemy, +10/20% Defense-based Damage of Attack cards.
Skill - Tactical Command - 2 EP cost
For 1 turn, gain 2 Morale.
For 1 turn, gain 1 Fortitude.
E4 Wilhelmina can't compete on damage when compared to E4 Erica in Counterattack Magna builds in most circumstances, but the one advantage she does have is that she offers higher Combat Defense, which does claw back a bit of lost damage but, more importantly, means she offers better shielding and survivability. In addition to that, Wilhelmina also boasts higher damage boosts for Magna's card damage, which, while won't help for Counterattacks build, but if you're playing a card damage focused build willl be another potential reason to choose her over Erica. Last but not least and most importantly, E4 Wilhelmina is F2P accessible while E4 Erica most certainly is not, so in most cases, unless you already have a high Ego level Erica E4 Wilhelmina should be the go-to option.
3
Passive - No Speeding!
Increase the assigned Combatant's Defense by 16–24%
The assigned combatant's Counterattack damage increases by 15/30%.
When the assigned combatant uses a Skill or Upgrade Card, there is a 50/100% chance to gain Counterattack.
Skill - Fin Funnel of Suppression - 2 EP cost
Deal 200% Defense-based Damage to all enemies.
Gain 1 Counterattack. If any enemy's Anticipated Action is attack, gain 1 Counterattack.
E0 Erica loses her guaranteed Counterattack generation and now instead only has a 50% chance, which isn't nearly as good but still workable. However, she still stands as one of the few available ways on Partners to scale Counterattack generation, so if that's what you're after, she's still a worthwhile pick unless you have E4 Wilhelmina, whose 24% Combat DEF will usually outdo the benefits of E0 Erica even for Counterattack builds.
4
Passive - Battle Command
The assigned combatant's Defense is increased by 12/24%.
When the assigned combatant targets a Vulnerable enemy, +10/20% Defense-based Damage of Attack cards.
Skill - Tactical Command - 2 EP cost
For 1 turn, gain 2 Morale.
For 1 turn, gain 1 Fortitude.
Much weaker at E0 than at E4, but it is really the only accessible Vanguard Partner available that actually grants meaningful stats to Magna, so she's the default baseline option for that reason.
Equipment
In the Zero System, it’s incredibly easy to access all items acquirable via the shop thanks to the five free refreshes you get each shop node - that's why the recommendations below are limited to them only. ATTENTION! Area-specific items can sometimes be more powerful than shop items, but are far less consistent to get or require running a specific world or giving up certain event options. Use the shop list as a starting point for building up your deck saves.
The equipment recommendations are based on items obtainable in Season 2’s Chaos - Burning Life. If you’re running content outside of Season 2, it’s possible some options may not be available for acquisition, or that other options not obtainable in Burning Life may be better.
DPS
- Dagger That Tricked the Shadow
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- Sword Reflected in the Lake
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- Obsidian Sword
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Support
- Tentacles of Chaos
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- Harp of Conflict
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- Harpoon Case of Broken Resolve
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DPS
- Announcement of Catastrophe
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Shell of Aberration![Equipment]()
- Fairy King's Crown
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- Mask of Flames
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- Victor's Laurel
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- Phytotype Synthetic
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- Immortal Scale
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Support
- Star-Lit Cloak
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- Error
- Vine Camouflage
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DPS
- Amorphous Cube
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- Rage Potion
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- Quantum Collector
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Support
- Multifaceted Parallel Universe Nexus
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- Sphere of Randomness
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- Absolute Zero Tetrahedron
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Comments - Weapons
- - 12% Crit DMG is always a competitive option if you can find it in your runs and nothing better turns up or is required for your build.Dagger That Tricked the Shadow
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- - A generic weapon that provides a large 25% (Multiplicative) damage boost but only while you hold 6 cards or more. This is a strong legendary equipment providing you can satisfy its conditions while using the majority of your highest damaging abilities, but this is much easier said than done making it only situationally good in certain decks.Sword Reflected in the Lake
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- - Very easy to find and grants 12% (Multiplicative) damage to everything. It's never the best, but if you have nothing else you should definitely grab it.Obsidian Sword
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- - Provides 8% Combat Attack to all operators in the team making it the go-to support weapon for most characters not acting as the main DPS when supporting Attack scaling carries providing the Mythic slot isn't required elsewhere.Tentacles of Chaos
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- - A rare but powerful supportive option that grants the entire team 15% (multiplicative) card damage for 1 turn after you've both shielded, healed and dealt damage in the turn. This conditional effect isn't easy to activate for all teams, plus this weapon only comes from Arena Events in S2. When combined this leads to this weapon being strong but both hard to get and only useful in certain teams.Harp of Conflict
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- - An Arena Event exclusive weapon which grants you a card every other turn which costs 0, deals some damage but more importantly applies a stack of Vulnerable, Agony and Weaken enabling many set and equipment effects while also boosting damage. Usually not a competitive pure damage option but a solid supportive pick-up for the debuffs it provides assuming you have the hand space.Harpoon Case of Broken Resolve
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Comments - Armor
- Announcement of Catastrophe
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- Both Armours provide 12% combat defense a rare and powerful stat for any defense scaler making it a top choice which can even beat out other damage focused armours and be worth taking over other mythics.Shell of Aberration![Equipment]()
- - The Crit Rate this armour provides is almost always in demand and a competitive option making it a piece worth seeking out unless you're able to obtain better more specialized options.Fairy King's Crown
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- - Provides a 35% (Multiplicative) damage boost against enemies which are vulnerable. Powerful on characters that value multiplicative damage boosts (less so on those that don't) but only so long as you can consistently keep Vulnerable applied.Mask of Flames
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- - A rare but powerful specialised Legendary Armour option that works as good damage boost for combatants that deal the majority of their damage via Counterattacks thanks to its 40% (multiplicative) boost to all Counterattack damage.Victor's Laurel
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- - Grants a 20% (multiplicative) damage boost to the next attack of the wearer of this equipment after they shield. This effect can trigger twice and due to its restrictions is only usable by damage focused characters also capable of shielding making it quite a niche option. But if these conditions are fufilled and you can play around the consumable buffs it can be a fine option due to how rare damage armor equipment is.Phytotype Synthetic
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- - A niche but potentially powerful choice for counterattackers who need help with counterattack generation and are ok giving up other armor choices in order to get it.Immortal Scale
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- - A generic defensive option usable by all combatants making it a fine supportive addition if no other options are found. However not generally as enticing as direct damage or more immediate utility options for most builds.Star-Lit Cloak
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- Error - An easily accessible option for shield based characters to boost the output of their shields by the equivalent of +30% (additive) each ability use. Usually never best in slot but always fine to slot in.
- - An easy to get and nice inclusion for teams that have use for a powerful (but conditional) survival mechanic. Usually not the most optimal choice within the armor slot for most characters but if you miss no all other options is very easy to pick up as a fall-back.Vine Camouflage
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Comments - Trinkets
- - The go-to generic damage accessory for most characters that is trivially easy to use and always for the most part a solid addition for any character that can make use of additive damage. Wont beat out more specialized options but always a great fallback.Amorphous Cube
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- - A rare to get Arena exclusive Accessory, but one which is a top option for characters that appreciate Multiplicative damage scaling over additive when played around correctly. Still a usable option for characters that prefer additive scaling, but usually there are better and easier to access alternatives.Rage Potion
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- - Grants 20% (multiplicative) damage to the wearer any time any combatant uses an upgrade card (no limit) but only for 1 turn. In specific teams targetting low turn count kills this can be the best accessory available, but in longer fights, or low upgrade teams it loses a lot of its appeal.Quantum Collector
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- - An exceptionally niche but powerful accessory that allows a card with Lead to be played at the start of each turn making it an effective way to cheat AP each turn on characters with either expensive or replayable lead cards. For characters this accessory works for, is usually one of, if not the best in slot option.Multifaceted Parallel Universe Nexus
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- - An exceptionally powerful generic support trinket that grants both 1 draw and 1 AP at the start of battle turbo charging your early game. Is a Mythic item meaning it wont be suitable for every character, but on those who can afford to run it and don't need other accessories in this slot is well worth slotting in if it comes up in your runs.Sphere of Randomness
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- - Boosts all shielding generated by the equipped combatant by +20% (additive). This accessory is absurdly common meaning finding each run is basically guarenteed. It's almost never the best in slot choice, but if you can't find anything else it's defeinitely better than nothing so long as the wearer is able to shield at all.Absolute Zero Tetrahedron
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Deck & Teams
Recommended Build
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Build Comments
- Shield Retainer - Magna is one of the main ways of getting the [Retain] Shield effect. The build essentially uses Glacial Fist to [Retain] shield once per turn for up to 8 total turns (because each is [Exhaust 2].
- Vulnerable Debuffer - A build utilizing Magna’s upgrades and effects that allow her to passively apply Vulnerable via counter-attack. This is a lot stronger once you get her Ego Manifestation (dupe) that stops her from consuming Vulnerable stacks on counter-attack.
- Counter-Attacker - This build utilizes making counterattacks passively through the upgrade to generate high amounts of counterattacks. It is effectively the same as the passive vulnerable debuffer build but makes more counterattacks via the upgrades, which can be costly to play in first few turns and may not be worth it for supportive builds without E4+ (does not consume vulnerable on counterattack with E4).
Removal
- Frozen Fist- Removed in basically any Magna deck.
- Frost Shield- Removed in most Magna decks.
Conditional Removal
- Glacial Iron Fist- If you don’t need its retain shield effect, or its damage, it is generally removed as it is very high cost and hard to play.
- Ice Wall- Can be removed in builds that don’t need its AOE counter-attack or shield effects.
Copying
- Glacial Iron Fist- Most builds of Magna don’t use or need excessive copies, but the Glacial Iron Fist builds do copy it, so it’s worth looking out for.
- Frost Charge- Various Epiphanies of this can be copied such as the Vulnerable application or its multi-hit; however, it might be hard to see success off copying it without Divine Epiphanies as it costs 1 and has no draw (especially with her E4 and upgrade version).
Best Synergies
- Nine is a popular option for Counterattack-based builds. These builds can be quite conditional and hard to get consistent value out of, but their Counterattacks can work well together in theory.
- She can provide her Vulnerable, which Nine can have trouble getting in her base kit without seasonal effects.
- Maribell is a popular option for Counterattack-based builds. These builds can be quite conditional and hard to get consistent value out of, but their Counterattacks can work well together in theory.
- Magna can also act as a shielder for Maribell’s shield-based damage scaling. On top of having her own shield-based damage (that’s lower scaling but AOE).
Best Teams
Chaos Teams
Generic - Chaos
DPS
Flex
Support DPS
Healer
Flex
Save Teams
Counter-Attack
Support DPS
DPS
DPS
Base performance of the character.