The Echops strat is quick, yes… it’s ‘risks’ are easily calculable, just like with any other boss. You gain a cunning strike and because of that, you don’t have to deal with the extra RNG of crits… that’s precisely why that raid is so safe.
Because of MF, you have removed the minions from the equation. Yet more RNG you don’t need to deal with because Thor KO’s them before they can attack. It’s a “good” raid move because it ends in victory at very high probability, not the other way around. So again, not sure what you’re going on about except maybe a lack of imagination in where it can be used effectively.
And… it doesn’t matter that a boss is resistant. They’re pretty much resistant to everything to some degree. Only matters that a) you can remove their chance to crit and b) that you can reduce their damage to the point it’s easily healed through for the next round. Case and point, the triple carry (Enteloceros, Para, Skoola, Thor) strat for Gorgotrebax.
The problem with Tryo is that he’s a 3-turn option… and nothing wrong with 3-turns but when you’re carrying dozens of people a night through Apex raids, it does add a lot of time and opportunity for human error. IF you can do the same raid in 2-turns safely, at a comparable degree of success… then you may have to question the efficiency of a 3-turn.
That leaves Irritator who is the right tool for some jobs… just not any where you might utilize the speed increase and/or damage/crit reduction… and we’ve been through one of those scenarios.
WRT Cunning or cunning-fierce or cunning-resil raid viability… let’s use an example.
The Eremoceros example I used earlier but before anyone is triggered, let’s call it Premoceros. Has Camouflage, Mutual Fury, Cunning Rampage and Dig In… 126 speed (just right) and 10% armour.
MF to start the round… or perhaps, reduces boss damage to some degree with Camo… say, in case boss attacks lowest HP on its first move. Now it’s doing so with reduced dmg and against dodge. Or a more traditional scenario where… speed is boosted with MF, Thor takes out minions and/or Para finishes them up applying cunning strike to the boss. Next turn, Cunning Rampage to further reduce dmg… boss has no crit chance and deals significantly less damage, which is likely easily recovered with Para’s heal.
So yes… I believe there;s some lack of imagination here because that seems extremely practical to me. And, only having 2 “practical” options seems very limiting, which takes a lot of fun out of the planning phase.
