Meta Naito
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13 Min read Sparkle is a Quantum Harmony character that can give the team excess skill points. She also gives a bunch of CRIT DMG, DMG%, and can Action Forward her allies, albeit with some caveats. She faces fierce competition in the harsh environment of HSR supporters, and has been in the depths since Sunday’s release and the HP DPS meta onslaught.
However, with 3.4’s release, a certain Quantum Hunt DPS named Archer has brought new life to her, giving her a place to shine as one of his best teammates.
Sparkle’s banner will rerun in the first half of Version 3.4, releasing on July 1st, and will run until July 23rd.
Sparkle has a very simple yet effective kit that focuses on giving the team more Skill Points.
Sparkle’s Talent increases the max number of SP by 2, totalling to 7. She also increases all allie’s DMG by 6% whenever they consume a Skill Point, stacking up to 3 times. This lasts for 2 turns.
Sparkle’s Ultimate recovers 4 Skill Points and gives allies Cipher. Cipher increases the DMG boost of her talent by 10%, also lasting 2 turns.
Sparkle’s Ultimate duration does not tick down on the turn it is used. In order to maximize this, her Ultimate should be cast when the DPS’ turn starts to squeeze an extra turn.
Sparkle’s Skill increases CRIT DMG of one ally equal to 24% of Sparkle’s CRIT DMG plus 45% for 1 turn. She also action advances the ally forward by 50%.
50% AA is different from 100% AA like Bronya or Sunday. Sparkle cannot always guarantee to push up a DPS immediately after her, and due to this has some high speed requirements to maximize her potential.
Borderline useless since Sparkle should always be Skilling on her turn to push up her DPS.
This trace is huge since it means the DPS’ buffs do not fall off immediately when their turn is over like Bronya. This lets characters enjoy the same buffs where their damage is not tied heavily to their turn, such as an Ult-centric DPS and/or follow-up characters.
Makes Sparkle’s supportive capabilities more potent for Quantum heavy teammates, giving up to 45% ATK with 3 Quantum characters, including Sparkle.
Sparkle’s technique makes her invisible in the overworld to enemies for 20 seconds and when entering battle starts with 3 extra Skill Points. Her technique is really nice for exploring when you don’t want to deal enemy encounters to get chests or other objectives.
Playstyle:
Sparkle’s Action Advance is different from other harmonies such as Bronya or Sunday, as it only advances by 50%; therefore she requires different speedtuning, often played at a higher speed than others. Her buffs don’t expire like Bronya’s, letting various characters with follow-ups to still be buffed by her CRIT DMG or let DPS use their Ultimate out of turn.
Sparkle’s advantage over other harmonies is her ability to frontload SP for DPS that gobble up Skill Points, such as Archer or Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae. Other harmonies may have better amp and supporting capabilities, but she is the only one that can increase the max number of SP the team can use, her unique niche.
Basic Attack – Monodrama: Deals Quantum DMG equal to 100% of Sparkle’s ATK to a single target enemy.
Skill – Dreamdiver: Increases the CRIT DMG of a single target ally by 24% of Sparkle’s CRIT DMG plus 45%, lasting for 1 turn(s). And at the same time, Advances Forward this ally’s action by 50%.
When Sparkle uses this ability on herself, the Action Advance effect will not trigger.
Ultimate – The Hero with a Thousand Faces: Recovers 4 Skill Points for the team and grants all allies Cipher. For allies with Cipher, each stack of the DMG Boost effect provided by Sparkle’s Talent additionally increases by 10%, lasting for 2 turns.
Talent -Red Herring: While Sparkle is on the battlefield, additionally increase the max number of Skill Points by 2. Whenever an ally consumes 1 Skill Point, all allies’ DMG dealt increases by 6%. This effect lasts for 2 turn(s) and can stack up to 3 time(s).
Technique – Unreliable Narrator: Using the Technique grants all allies Misdirect for 20 seconds. Characters with Misdirect will not be detected by enemies, and entering battle in the Misdirect state recovers 3 Skill Point(s) for the team.
Stat Boosts: 28.0% HP, 24.0% CRIT DMG, 10.0% Effect RES
Almanac: When using Basic ATK, additionally regenerates 10 Energy.
Artificial Flower: The CRIT DMG Boost effect provided by the Skill will be extended until the start of the target’s next turn.
Nocturne: Increases all allies’ ATK by 15%. When there are 1/2/3 Quantum-Type allies in the team, additionally increases Quantum-Type allies’ ATK by 5%/15%/30%.
Sparkle’s Eidolons are decent, with her notable one being E2.
For Vertical investment players, players won’t feel a huge difference unless they E2 her, at which her buffing capabilities for one ally becomes very good.
Earthly Escapade: Increases the wearer’s CRIT DMG by 32% / 39% / 46% / 53% / 60%. At the start of the battle, the wearer gains Mask, lasting for 3 turn(s). While the wearer has Mask, the wearer’s teammates have their CRIT Rate increased by 10% / 11% / 12% / 13% / 14% and their CRIT DMG increased by 28% / 35% / 42% / 49% / 56%. For every 1 Skill Point the wearer recovers (including Skill Points that exceed the limit), they gain 1 stack of Radiant Flame. And when the wearer has 4 stacks of Radiant Flame, all the stacks are removed, and they gain Mask, lasting for 4 turn(s).
A great statstick to have, but not necessary to use her, as there are many alternatives. Especially good for padding out low CRIT on DPSes, as this gives 10% CRIT Rate and an excess amount of CRIT DMG for her allies.
A Grounded Ascent: After the wearer uses Skill or Ultimate on one ally character, the wearer regenerates 6 / 6.5 / 7 / 7.5 / 8 Energy and the ability’s target receives 1 stack of “Hymn” for 3 turn(s), stacking up to 3 time(s). Each stack of “Hymn” increases its holder’s DMG dealt by 15% / 17.25% / 19.5% / 21.75% / 24%. After every 2 instance(s) of Skill or Ultimate the wearer uses on one ally character, recovers 1 Skill Point.
An excellent Light Cone for Sparkle, arguably better than her Signature as it gives Energy, Skill Point refund, and high DMG%, whereas Sparkle’s only gives CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG. The extra Energy can net 2 turns for Sparkle’s Ultimate with some hit RNG. The one caveat is that Sunday’s LC buffs only one ally, compared to Sparkle’s teamwide.
But the Battle Isn’t Over: Increases the wearer’s Energy Regeneration Rate by 10% / 12% / 14% / 16% / 18% and regenerates 1 Skill Point when the wearer uses their Ultimate on an ally. This effect can be triggered once after every 2 uses of the wearer’s Ultimate. When the wearer uses their Skill, the next ally taking action (except the wearer) deals 30% / 35% / 40% / 45% / 50% more DMG for 1 turn(s).
Really nice LC for Sparkle, especially with higher superimpositions. The buff from the LC only lasts 1 turn, so doesn’t work for all DPS.
Dance! Dance! Dance!: When the wearer uses their Ultimate, all allies’ actions are Advanced Forward by 16% / 18% / 20% / 22% / 24%.
We all know how broken Action Advance is, and Sparkle with proper speed tuning can give her DPS 1-2 more turns when utilized properly, at the cost of her buffing.
Planetary Rendezvous: After entering battle, if an ally deals the same DMG Type as the wearer, DMG dealt increases by 12% / 15% / 18% / 21% / 24%.
Good situational LC for assisting allies that are also Quantum.
Past and Future: When the wearer uses their Skill, the next ally taking action (except the wearer) deals 16% / 20% / 24% / 28% / 32% increased DMG for 1 turn(s).
Provides a slightly higher buff than S1 Bronya Signature LC, minus the Energy Regen and Skill Point refund. Usable LightCone that’s available in the MoC shop.
Sparkle’s Skill scales based on her own CRIT DMG, similar to Bronya and Sunday; therefore you want a CRIT DMG body. Sparkle especially benefits from being faster than her DPS, which is why you want Speed boots on her. Rope is Energy Regen for consistent Ultimate rotation, and Orb doesn’t matter so invest in her bulk.
Speed is paramount for Sparkle. Sparkle’s CRIT DMG scaling is not that crazy, so don’t stress too much about it. With her Signature she should be around 200 CRIT DMG or more.
Goals & Speedtuning: Sparkle’s speedtuning is often called wheelchairing, where the DPS is at low base Speed, and Sparkle is around 160+. When Sparkle action advances by 50%, she will be “wheelchairing” her DPS as if they are the same speed as her. Sparkle cannot do a -1 setup effectively.
Target is 160+ as it gives Sparkle 2 turns in both the first and second cycle. This is recommended if you are just playing her casually and/or using Sacerdos.
Now if you want to get real sweaty..you have to farm Wind set for her. Typically you need 200 SPD to act 3 times in one turn. This is borderline impossible to reach normally. That’s where Action Advance comes in! With the help of Dance! Dance! Dance!, the SPD requirement comes down to 180, and 167.33 if Sparkle is using the Eagle of Twilight. These speed requirements are still difficult to hit, and only recommended for 0 cyclers or min-maxers.
Summary: 160+ Speed for normal, 167.33 for 3 turns w/ Eagle + DDD, 200+ CRIT DMG w/ Sig.
A general relic set for buffing CRIT DMG. Since Sparkle’s Skill targets one ally, this works great for her. Not to mention the extra SPD from the 2pc bonus lowers the Speed burden.
The bread and butter for all 0 cyclers and min-maxers. Action Advance when properly utilized is the strongest mechanic in this game. The Wind Set with proper setup will let Sparkle act more frequently, and in extension her DPS.
Any other supportive planar: Planars are quite flexible, especially for supports. Broken Keel is not mandatory, as there are other good options such as Lushaka and Penacony that also buff the team.
Sparkle is a flexible hyper carry teammate, and can slot into many teams with ease. She works with most CRIT DPS, but with the release of Sunday, is usually not their first choice as a support.
Archer: The Quantum DPS that Sparkle has been waiting for. Archer’s Skill uses 2 Skill Points, so Sparkle’s extra SP is very helpful for frontloading his damage. Archer also benefits from Sparkle’s A6 that gives extra Attack for Quantum teammates.
Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae: DHIL can use up to 3 Skill Points in one turn, making Sparkle’s excess SP very welcome.
Qingque/Seele: Both Quantum DPS are notorious for using a lot of SP. Qingque’s gambling habits can guzzle up SP, and Seele’s multiple resets/turns also put a heavy toll on the SP economy. Qingque/Seele also benefits from Sparkle’s A6 that gives extra Attack for Quantum teammates.
Follow-up /Out of turn DMG: Sparkle’s Skill lasts until the next turn, which lets the DPS enjoy their DMG out of turn, unlike say Bronya where it expires immediately. Some examples that benefit from this are Jing Yuan’s Lightning Lord, Yunli/Clara’s counters, or even Acheron’s Ultimate.
Sparkle doesn’t have any impressive synergy with her supports, as she is mostly there for the DPS. She does benefit teams that have heavy SP usage, which can extend to many supports.
Silver Wolf/Cipher/Tribbie: All these support units are Quantum that contribute to Sparkle’s A6 trace (More ATK for more Quantum units). Silver Wolf uses her Skill more often than the other two, which Sparkle can help with managing Skill Points.
Tingyun: Tingyun’s main strength is her ability to hold Dance! Dance! Dance!, being one of the best users as her Speed is naturally high, enabling Sparkle’s 3 turn build. Tingyun should also be able to give Benediction to her ally since the SP economy is plentiful with both Sparkle and Tingyun.
Fu Xuan/Lynx: These are Quantum sustains therefore work with her A6 trace. Fu Xuan with her E1 would also provide CRIT DMG for Sparkle’s amp.
Huohuo: Huohuo uses her Skill more often than other sustains. Sparkle’s own Ultimate refunding SP and Huohuo’s Energy Regen from her Ultimate bring fairly good synergy to not run out of SP.
Mono Quantum’s Revival (ft. Gallagher): Every teammate in Archer’s team is SP positive, letting Archer use as many Skill Points as he needs to dish out damage. Triple Quantum will provide more ATK thanks to Sparkle’s A6 trace. We all know Gallagher’s insane SP economy from his Ultimate giving him an extra turn to Basic Attack, and Cipher sits idly for the most part until Tally is high enough from Archer’s constant barrage to go for the finishing touch.
Yunli: Yunli’s damage is mostly out of turn, but thankfully Sparkle’s buffs stay around till her next turn, letting her parry worry free. Yunli is also one of the slowest characters, which works great with Sparkle’s wheelchair playstyle. Robin’s buffs need no explanation, and Huohuo’s Energy Regen is always valuable to cycle Yunli and Sparkle’s Ultimates. Both Huohuo and Robin are SP negative, which Sparkle helps a ton with.
Sparkle has largely been forgotten and was considered to be superseded ever since Sunday and RMC’s release. Sparkle has found a new teammate though! Archer, a free Quantum Hunt unit from the Fate Collab, is a more than capable DPS, but he also uses 2 Skill Points that’s spammable. Sparkle’s SP positivity is not that amazing, but she is the only one that can frontload a bunch of Skill Points to a team, which is exactly what Archer wants.
That being said, should Sparkle be pulled on rerun? I would side with No, when Tribbie and Sunday are also on the banner, who without question are more valuable pulls and benefit far more teams. Sparkle only buffing ATK scaling DPS to its full is a big downside, as HP scaling DPS for some reason don’t consume much SP and her ATK buffs from her trace do nothing.
Pulling for just one character is not efficient, but if you really like Archer’s playstyle, it’s worth considering after you secure Tribbie at least.
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