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Genshin Impact 3.5: How does new character Mika compare with other supports for Eula?

Mika won't be the first character designed to support Physical DMG teams in Genshin Impact.

Mika is making his debut in the second half of Genshin Impact version 3.5 and is marked as the dedicated support for Physical DPS characters like Eula. Does that make him worth pulling for? (Photos: HoYoverse)
Mika is making his debut in the second half of Genshin Impact version 3.5 and is marked as the dedicated support for Physical DPS characters like Eula. Does that make him worth pulling for? (Photos: HoYoverse)

The second half of Genshin Impact version 3.5 is finally here! Alongside the reruns for 5-star characters Kamisato Ayaka and Shenhe, this half's event banner also features the debut of 4-star Cryo character Mika.

Mika is a Cryo polearm user that provides healing and buffs to Physical DMG for his allies, marking him as the dedicated support for Physical DMG DPS characters, especially Eula (HoYoverse where is she?).

However, Mika isn't the first character with designed to support Physical DMG teams, with Rosaria and Xinyan notably filling that niche already, not to mention the omnipresent Bennett (unless he's C6!).

So, how good is Mika as a Physical DMG support? Is he worth pulling for in this banner, especially with many Eula mains still saving up for her eventual (hopefully) rerun? Read on to find out.

How does Mika support Eula?

Before we can judge how good Mika's kit is, we first have to understand what it does.

His skill, Starfrost Swirl, can be used by tapping or holding the skill button, and gives the active character the 'Soulwind State' that increases their attack speed by 25% at max level for 12 seconds.

His burst, Skyfeather Song, heals all party members upon use and will heal the active character every time their Normal Attacks hit opponents. Skyfeather Song's healing is based on Mika's max HP.

While Mika's skill and burst don't do much by themselves, his kit comes together once you take into account his passives.

Mika's A1 passive, Suppressive Barrage, gives characters affected by his skill stacks of the 'Detector' effect, which increases their Physical DMG by 10%. Detector gains stacks whenever enemies are hit by the held version of his skill.

Meanwhile, Mika's A2 passive, Topographical Mapping, lets the active character gain additional Detector stacks when they score a Crit hit while affected by his skill and burst. It also increases the maximum amount of Detector stacks to 5.

In ideal conditions, Mika can buff someone like Eula with 25% increased attack speed and 50% Physical DMG bonus on top of healing. One thing you have to keep in mind is that Mika can only buff the active character, so switching Eula out to pop her burst early will prevent it from getting buffed.

Of course, being a 4-star character, Mika will shine more with constellations. And like the other dedicated supports, you want him at C6, which increases the maximum Detector stacks you can gain to 6 while also giving a whopping 60% Physical Crit DMG bonus.

As for Mika's other constellations, C1 lets you heal more while C4 alleviates his energy requirements.

Is Mika Eula's best support compared to Rosaria or Shenhe?

So, how does Mika stack up to the other 4-star Physical DMG supports? We'll be using Eula as our benchmark, comparing how much Mika helps her compared to Rosaria, Bennett, and Xinyan, among others.

In ideal scenarios, Mika buffs Eula with 25% increased attack speed, up to 60% Physical DMG bonus, 60% Physical Crit DMG bonus, and healing.

It looks great on paper, especially that juicy Physical Crit DMG bonus, but you first need to have a C6 Mika.

On top of that, you also need to be facing more than one enemy to reliably gain multiple Detector stacks. When facing single targets, gaining stacks from Crit hits is too unreliable, especially when considering the window of time Eula needs to maximise the damage from her burst.

By comparison, Rosaria's buffs are more reliable. Using her burst automatically gives you up to 15% Crit Rate while also decreasing the Physical RES of enemies by 20% (assuming you have her at C6).

On top of the Cryo Resonance bonus, Rosaria effectively provides 30% free Crit Rate while also being a better battery to help solve Eula's energy problems.

While Bennett isn't exactly designed to buff Physical DMG, the universal ATK buff from his burst is still nigh unbeatable, not to mention the additional healing.

Assuming you don't have him at C6, the only caveats to using Bennett is that you need to stay within the area of his burst to get buffed and that he is also needed in many other teams.

Xinyan is another support often ran with Eula, as she provides a DEF-scaling shield with her skill that also increases Physical DMG by 15%. At C4, her skill also decreases the Physical RES of enemies by 15%. Nothing to scoff at.

Lisa is another good option, especially at low investment. Her burst decreases the DEF of enemies by 15% and she can also carry the Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers to provide a massive ATK buff.

Kuki Shinobu can also reliably buff Eula's ATK with her skill and the 4-piece Tenacity of the Millellith set on top of providing healing.

And while we're mainly comparing Mika to other 4-star supports, 5-star characters that synergise well with Eula bear mentioning too.

Arguably the best among them all is the Raiden Shogun, who can reliably proc the Superconduct reaction for Eula while solving her energy problems. While the Raiden Shogun can take over as the DPS in a Eula team once the latter is done using her burst, the former can also be shifted more towards support by running with a 4-piece Tenacity of the Millellith set.

Zhongli provides an unbreakable shield with a universal 20% RES shred. He can also be a reliable 4-piece Tenacity of the Millellith set carrier.

Meanwhile, Shenhe can decrease the Physical RES of enemies by 15% while also buffing Eula's skill, burst, and Normal Attacks with her own skill.

So, where does Mika rank among the best supports for Eula, or really any Physical DPS character?

At C0, we reckon that he really only beats out Xinyan. But once he's at C6, Mika is a bit better than Lisa, Kuki Shinobu, and Shenhe while matching C6 Rosaria and (non-C6) Bennett. We argue only Raiden Shogun and Zhongli bring more to the table.

So instead of being the be-all, end-all Physical DMG support, Mika is more of a sidegrade for the best Physical DMG supports, assuming you have him at C6. It's best to combine him with other top supports in your Eula team to maximise her damage output.

Should you pull for Mika?

Since we see Mika as more of a sidegrade for Eula's best supports, only pull for him if you don't have her other best teammates already. Let's say you already have Bennett at C6 or don't have a C6 Rosaria, then such a case makes Mika worth pulling.

However, you have to keep in mind that Mika is not running alongside Eula, unlike other DPS-dedicated support tandems like the Raiden Shogun and Kujou Sara that always run together. It's hard to justify pulling for a dedicated 4-star support if the character they're dedicated to supporting isn't on the same banner.

So, unless you don't mind getting Ayaka or Shenhe, then by all means go pull for Mika. If not, then best to wait for the eventual Eula rerun (HoYoverse when is she coming back?!) and hope that Mika will be re-running alongside her.

Genshin Impact version 3.5 is expected to run until early April, with its second half featuring reruns for the 5-star characters Kamisato Ayaka and Shenhe as well as the debut of 4-star character Mika.

If you're still torn on whether you should pull for Ayaka, Shenhe, or their signature weapons, we've got you covered.

After version 3.5 comes version 3.6, which will feature the debuts of Baizhu and Kaveh.

Yan Ku is a full-time dog parent, part-time (gacha) gamer, and part-time writer.

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