Harsetti changed everything. When Smilegate dropped the Abyss Monarch into the arena, the "speed is king" meta didn't just stumble—it fell off a cliff. For years, the community complained about 310+ Speed Ran and Peira openers making the game unplayable for anyone without god-tier gear luck. Harsetti was the answer. But now, we're all staring at our screens wondering how to deal with a unit that forces every single hero on the map to cap out at 90% of her speed. It’s frustrating. It feels like the rules of the game were deleted overnight.
If you’re trying to find a consistent Epic Seven counter Harsetti strategy, you have to stop thinking about outspeeding. You literally can't. Her passive, Abyssal Eye, ensures that no one—not your Zio, not your Ran—is going first if she’s built right. She dictates the tempo. To beat her, you have to lean into the mechanics she can’t touch: combat readiness pushes, out-of-turn attacks, and pure, unadulterated bulk.
Why Your Standard Cleave Fails
Most players get tilted because they try to "finesse" the speed cap. They think if they just tune their units to be exactly 90% of her speed, they can still combo. The problem? Harsetti players usually build her with high effectiveness and HP, or they go the "Casino" route with high damage. Because she forces the speed limit, the turn order becomes a muddy mess of RNG based on the 5% starting CR variance.
Standard openers are dead weight here.
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Instead of trying to win the turn one sprint, you need to look at units that thrive when the game slows down to a crawl. We're talking about the "Second Turn" kings. The units that don't care if they are slow because their kits are designed to punish the opponent for taking a turn.
The Best Units to Counter Harsetti Right Now
Honestly, some of the best answers are units that were falling out of the meta.
Abyssal Yufine is a nightmare for Harsetti. Since Harsetti’s speed cap applies to everyone, Yufine’s lower base speed isn't a liability anymore. Once Yufine goes into her Holy Flame state, she can solo entire teams. Harsetti’s AOE attacks also feed Yufine’s fighting spirit, which is a massive tactical error for the opponent.
Then you've got Lionheart Cermia. Harsetti teams often pair her with other units that trigger extra attacks or counters. Roana and Lionheart Cermia turn Harsetti’s "control" into a battery for your own team. Every time Harsetti or her teammates do something out of turn, Cermia gets closer to that S3 nuke that ignores defense.
Don't sleep on Death Dealer Ray either. If you can protect him, his ability to spread injuries and sleep can dismantle a Harsetti team that relies on dragging the match out. Since everyone is moving slowly, the venom stacks have more time to tick down and devastate the enemy's max HP.
A Quick List of High-Value Picks:
- Elena: Using Magaraha’s Tome, she can cut in after Harsetti’s S3 and cleanse the team while providing invincibility.
- Ocean Breeze Luluca: Her passive allows her to gain CR when the enemy uses a non-attack skill (like many of Harsetti’s common teammates).
- Edward Elric: If Harsetti lands debuffs, Ed just throws them back. Simple.
- Jenua: He’s still a menace. Even with the speed cap, his immortality and high burst damage can delete Harsetti before she gets a second cycle.
The Gear Gap: It’s Not About Speed Anymore
The biggest shift in finding a reliable Epic Seven counter Harsetti is the gear. Stop rolling for speed subs when you see her in the draft. Start looking at Protection sets and Resistance sets.
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A high-resistance Christy or Destina can be the difference between a win and a loss. If Harsetti lands her debuffs on your entire team, you're done. But if your soul weaver resists and cleanses, the Harsetti player usually doesn't have a "Plan B." They’ve bet everything on you being stuck in the mud.
You should also look at Blood Moon Haste. With the prevalence of Harsetti and her tanky friends, his S3 true damage is one of the few ways to reliably one-shot a 30k HP unit. Since he doesn't need 300 speed to function in this meta, you can pump every single stat into HP and Defense.
Draft Strategy: Baiting the Pick
In RTA, Harsetti is a "force multiplier." If you see her picked early, you have to pivot immediately. Do not pick speed-reliant units like Peira, Lua, or Nahkwol. You are just handing them the win.
Instead, draft "The Wall."
Mix in units like Belian to stop their soul gain and Candy (Navy Captain Landy) for the anti-crit protection. Harsetti struggles against teams that she can't easily chip away at. If she can't kill you in the first two rotations, her value drops significantly. Many Harsetti players are also running her on Abyssal Crown or Fairy Tale for a Nightmare. This makes her annoying, but not lethal. Use that to your advantage by bringing heavy sustain.
Misconceptions About the Speed Cap
A lot of people think Harsetti's passive means speed is useless. That's not true.
The cap is 90% of her speed. If she is 220 speed, everyone else is capped at 198. However, if your units are built at 150 speed, they are still going to be slower than the 198 cap. You still want some speed to ensure you aren't being "lapped" by a Harsetti that has self-CR push or teammates like ML Politis. The goal is to be at the cap, not way below it.
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The Artifact Factor
If you're struggling, look at your artifacts.
- Proof of Valor: Put this on your carry. It stops Harsetti's initial burst from ruining your run.
- Azure Comet: If anyone dies, your unit gets a massive CR boost that ignores Harsetti's speed cap.
- Guide to a Decision: Great for rangers to keep them shielded and cycling.
Actionable Strategy for Your Next Match
To consistently beat Harsetti, follow this flowchart. First, check if you have a cleanser ready. Mediator Kawerik or Lone Walker Furina are excellent because they can't be easily reset or locked down. Second, pick a "Punisher." This is a unit like Martial Artist Ken or A Ravi who loves being hit.
Finally, focus your damage. Harsetti is tanky, but she isn't invincible. Most players neglect her defense in favor of HP and Effectiveness. Use defense penetration or high-scaling single-target nukes to remove her from the board early. Once she’s gone, the speed cap vanishes, and your team will suddenly "jump" forward in the turn order if they were built faster than her.
Stop trying to out-race the queen of the Abyss. Build for the long haul, stack your HP, and let her teammates trigger your counters until there’s nothing left of their frontline.
- Check your Effect Resistance: Ensure your primary cleanser has at least 200% ER to ignore Harsetti's base effectiveness.
- Pivot to HP Scaling: Use units like Alencia or Choux who benefit from the longer, slower matches Harsetti creates.
- Ban the Enablers: Often, it’s not Harsetti who kills you, but the ML Senya or ML Luna paired with her. Ban the follow-up, and Harsetti becomes a minor nuisance.