Top 5 Cosmics (Gauntlet)

[Puntwothree]

[Some stuff that got construed as self-important. Redacted.]

This thread was started to compliment a companion thread I wrote months ago entitled, “Top 5 5-Sets (Gauntlet).” You can still see it on this Sub-Forum (if you squint).

My opinions from that thread have changed very little. Shout out to Metal (which is situationally very good), Babylon, and Prudence (for last season alone)... I had none of these when I wrote that last article... but, yeah: the Talis I mentioned are solid choices, and the order I put them in still very much makes sense to me. And... these three ^^ aren't technically 5-sets. So... there?

Now, for Cosmics. If I'm going to advise you what 5-sets to play, it makes sense to FINALLY compliment that advice with what Cosmics might make sense with them. Alright. Ready? In reverse order... here we go!

(A quick note: I've only included Cosmic Talismans I currently own, which includes none of the ones which could be purchased (i.e. Clover, which I envy with all my heart) or have yet to be released (Grail, maybe? Fortune, definitely!). With more and better effects coming out as Cosmics all the time, the timing of this article is and/but always will be silly. Yet there is a very good reason I chose to write it now, which will be revealed by the credits.)

5) HP +15%.

Huh?

Yep, it's a completely ridiculous choice, which I type for you now for a very specific reason: many of the effects that have been released as cosmics are fairly specific. They are not ubiquitously good, and sometimes they require you to land perfect hits, or rely on chance triggers, etc. I don't intend to have my winning or losing determined by exactly when I click or what RNG chooses to give me. Some effects I really like, i.e. Present, are likely to see you dead if you go second (no Def, MR, or HP), and some (i.e. Limbo) I simply haven't played with enough to judge the value of.

So, why HP +15%? Because stats matter. Defense particularly, because you better bet that other team is going to get a turn. And my HP +15% (which I would normally toss) just happens to be of the T3 Red variety, with high Mag and high HP. It does a pretty great job keeping me alive in conjunction with Artifact (see previous article). No messy mucking about in hyperspace.

4) Siege

It is a crime this is so high. Or, low. Or, you know what I mean.

Siege was the first head-scratching 4-set I saw as a Cosmic, if you don't count the Fortune Cosmic P2W Talismans I saw on a couple Lucifers a couple gauntlet seasons ago. Sets of this caliber shouldn't be cosmics. It is a properly weighted 4-set, and saving three slots for a talisman is just too good.

Siege makes my list while Gate doesn't for two reasons: 1) it can strip + effects, including golden effects, and 2) its stats line up very well. Siege gives you immunity from Physical Damage and boosts your MR significantly. Between these two things, it makes the toon wearing it very hard to kill whilst also offering some nice upside. Don't get me wrong...: Gate is situationally good, and even sometimes game-winning. But it isn't as ubiquitous as Siege. Ubiquity makes the list.

3) Bespoke P. Dog/Banshee/Russian Family/Lilith

Remember how I just discussed ubiquity? Like my HP +15% selection, this one is a little silly and kind of feels like cheating. However, all of these cosmics can be affixed to at least 4 different toons and give you access to effects that are very powerful (or even essential) in gauntlet matches. P. Dog and Banshee Bespoke Cosmics are solid choices pretty much always. The Russian Family Cosmics and Lilith are great in specific match-ups that happen often enough (read: every season, without fail) to deserve mention. I usually take a Lilith to fight Moonchild so I don't have to land perfect hits (and get at least a little bit of Doom immunity, although it seems like this Cosmic can still be disabled). The Russian Family you want on hand against most Odins, A. Werewolf, and now (in particular) Redan... because if you can't keep Crave up on Redan reliably she'll never die through all her revenge-healing.

The other reason I added Bespokes to this list is to emphasize exactly how good these last two selections are.

2) Serenity

Serenity was already excellent, and then it began to drop from common souls with Mag. to go along with its Att. and HP. That particular variation isn't *better* than the original (HP/Att./Sp.), but being different gives you more options to play with.

It seems like every team worth its Gauntlet salt can Doom you eventually, which is one reason Serenity gets the nod. But if it can't Doom you, it can inflict Perfect Disable on your everybody. Or even Perfect Stun or Perfect sleep. There are so many bad effects you simply don't get with Serenity on. There have been so many times... SO MANY... that I lose a Gauntlet battle and think, "I would have won that with Serenity." This is a mistake I will hopefully no longer be making.

Literally better than most Bespoke Cosmics, most of the time.

Kidding, not.

1) Alchemy

This one was a mistake. By which I mean, creating it was a mistake. It is also the reason for this article.

Refer to my previous article. Please? No? It's OK, I don't blame you. Well so anyway, in my previous article (...grumbles...) Alchemy makes my list over Celestial. And after Celestial gets boosted, Alchemy will still top Celestial IMO. And also Niflehiem, which did not exist when that article was written. Alchemy is not only a 5-set (giving you 4 slots of value), but it is a 5-set that I believe is still meta-relevant, at least in Gauntlet. It is one of the very few sets that has lasted as long as it has and is only a little worse for wear.

The worst way to lose a gauntlet match is to get bogged down by negative effects. Between Serenity and Alchemy, every single one of your toons can now be battle-ready for every Gauntlet match. And unlike Angel, which has mediocre stats and cleanses only the toon you put it on, Alchemy fixes your whole team if you can find a safe place to put it (and without blue slots!). I can't overstate how fortune-changing this Cosmic can be.

Let's be real. Top 5-five sets was an article about how good Yggdrassil was (And is, still. That was a good call. Way to go, me.). This is an article about Alchemy. The rest of the analysis or whatever doesn't really matter.