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Leona Heidern is the final unlockable character in Metal Slug Tactics. You can’t recruit her until you’ve achieved victory with every other character at least once, but she’s worth the wait. Her playstyle is easily the most advanced in the game, but by the time she’s on your roster you’ll be more than up to the challenge.
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Mastering Leona’s combat abilities will definitely take practice, but once you’ve got a handle on her skillset she’s a fierce fighter with almost-limitless versatility. Here’s everything you need to know about this blue-haired brawler.
Leona’s Core Ability – Afterimages
Many of Leona’s powers allow her to create Afterimages, illusory copies of herself, on the battlefield. She can further upgrade and interact with Afterimages, but the basic version has the folloiwing characteristics:
- Afterimages cannot be targeted or damaged.
- Characters can move through Afterimages, but can’t occupy the same tile as one.
- Afterimages can’t be given orders, either to move or attack.
- Afterimages will contribute to Sync Attacks for targets within range, dealing three damage. They ignore obstacles and elevation when targeting.
- Afterimages disappear at the start each turn.
Hyperfocused
Leona always has access to the Hyperfocused Passive. This causes her to create an Afterimage whenever she contributes to a frag, spawning in on the spot where the defeated enemy was standing. In most builds, this is her primary means of creating Afterimages.
Leona’s Special Actions
Leona’s abilities are centered around interacting with and empowering her Afterimages, sometimes drastically altering their capabilities.
|
Name |
Cost |
Range |
Effect(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Convergence |
3 |
1-5 |
Moves an Afterimage within range to another tile that is also within range. The Afterimage becomes Solid and applies Spolight to all squadmates nearby, taking damage for them the next time they are hit. |
|
Flare |
5 |
1-4 |
Moves an Afterimage within range to another tile that is also within range. After the Afterimage moves, it is destroyed, dealing 4 damage to all enemies and objects within its attack range. |
|
Glint |
3 |
1-5 |
Targets an Afterimage and a unit (friend or foe), both within range, and swaps their positions. If the targeted unit was an enemy, they take 4 damage. |
|
Light Speed |
4 |
1-6 |
Deals 3 damage to a single target within range. Repeats the process on the same target for every Afterimage currently in play. |
|
Moon Drop |
5 |
1-4 |
Creates an Afterimage on an empty tile within range. The Afterimage immediately becomes Solid. If an Afterimage created by Moon Drop is attacked, it deals 4 damage to all adjacent units. If the Afterimage created by Moon Drop is the only Afterimage in play, Leona gets a Bonus Action. |
|
Overkill |
4 |
1-6 |
Deals 4 damage to a single target within range. If the target dies, Leona gets a Bonus Move, and the next time she moves, she creates an Afterimage on her previous position. |
|
Refraction |
2 |
1-4 |
Moves an Afterimage within range to another tile that is also within range. The Afterimage becomes Solid, and Leona gets a Bonus Action. |
|
Refuel |
3 |
1-4 |
Leona grants up to two Afterimages within range the Afterglow status, with prevents them from disappearing at the start of the next turn. Leona gets a Bonus Action. |
Solid Afterimages
An Afterimage that becomes Solid as a result of an ability can be attacked, loses its invulnerability, and has 4 HP.
Leona Classic Loadout
It’s a good idea to stick with Leona’s basic loadout for your first few outings with her. Timing and order of operations are critical to winning battles with Leona, so you need to master the fundamentals before you try to get fancy.
The first thing to learn is to use Moon Drop before attacking or Synchronizing. This lets you get an extra Afterimage on the field, since it only allows a Bonus Action if the clone it creates is the only one that exists. Once the Moon Drop Afterimage is in place, fire away, either with other squadmates or Leona’s handgun. Any frags that Leona or the Afterimage contributes to will generate more Afterimages.
Leona’s Laser Rifle only has eight shots, so you’ll want to be sparing with its ammo. However, if you can line up a bunch of Afterimages and then send a laser burst down the line and trigger several Syncs all at once, it will result in a devastating combo.
Recommended Passives
- Versatility leverages the Bonus Action from Moon Drop, netting you a Bonus Move at the same time.
- Magnify increases the attack range of Afterimages, and can be used to offset the range penalty of Flash, which lets them attack in an area.
- Team Player should generate plenty of Adrenaline to power Leona’s Special Actions, which is especially handy once she starts learning more than just Moon Drop.
Team Snipes Loadout
Once you’ve beaten Morden with Leona at least once, you’ll be able to use Team Snipes, a variant of her standard loadout that takes better advantage of Synchronizing with Afterimages. The Molotov Cocktail has a much shorter range than the Handgun, but its area damage is better at triggering Sync Attacks and it has the added bonus of starting fires.
The Light Rifle, despite its name and appearance, fires physical bullets rather than laser beams. That means it can only hit a single target. On the plus side, it has more shots than the standard Laser, and its Max Sync ability lets Leona save tons of Adrenaline as long as she triggers at least two Sync Attacks… which shouldn’t be a problem with help from the Afterimages.
Recommended Passives
- Since Moon Drop is part of the starting loadout, Versatility remains a strong selection.
- Prism allows Afterimages to start fires as well, adding to the inferno that you’ll be starting with the Molotov Cocktail.
- As always, Magnify and Flash are exceptional for the amount of extra value they provide each and every Afterimage.
Burning Light Loadout
Burning Light has the shortest range of Leona’s loadouts, but its potential for raw damage is a sight to behold. Her melee weapon, the Punisher, is an honest-to-goodness meat cleaver, which ignores cover and deals damage not only to the target, but to anyone standing behind the target as well. Leona also has a Flamethrower with a surprising reach and a wide spread, letting her bring the heat almost anywhere she likes.
Given that this loadout starts with Overkill, you’ll be spoiled for choices when it comes time to attack. Burning Light might actually be an instance of having too much of a good thing!
Recommended Passives
- Special Rush is practically mandatory, as it allows Overkill to provide a Bonus Action in addition to a Bonus Move. You can move, drop an Afterimage, then Overkill again, or use the Bonus Action to swing the cleaver or unleash the flames.
- Parkour ensures that there’s nowhere to hide from Leona and her Punisher.
- Beacon helps Afterimages stick around by giving the first one you spawn each turn Afterglow.
- Prism, like with Team Snipes, adds more burning tiles beyond just what your Flamethrower can produce.
Explosive Radius Loadout
This loadout has Max Sync on its primary weapon, potentially allowing for Leona to trigger Motivation multiple times in a turn. It’s worth swinging for the fences and taking Special Actions like Flare and Refuel, since you can usually recoup your Adrenaline costs by getting Afterimages in on Sync Attacks.
If all else fails, the Core Blaster lets Leona deal heavy damage to nearby enemies, with or without Afterimage support.
Recommended Passives
- Special Rush is even more vital, as you’ll be relying on more than just Overkill as Leona levels up.
- Magnify and Flash are essential for triggering Max Sync off of your handgun shots at every opportunity.
- Beacon keeps the pressure on by helping Afterimages stay on the board.
