If you’ve spent any time at all scrolling through theorycrafting sheets or watching Cyno mains lose their minds over damage numbers, you’ve seen it. That weird, paddle-looking thing. It’s officially called the Staff of the Scarlet Sands, but most of us just call it the "Cricket Bat" or "Cyno’s Paddle." Honestly, when it first leaked back in the 3.1 cycle, people weren't entirely sure what to make of it. It looked specific. Too specific. But here we are, years into the Sumeru and Fontaine cycles, and this weapon remains one of the most mathematically "broken" pieces of gear HoYoverse ever released.
It’s a stat stick. But not just any stat stick.
Most five-star weapons give you a bit of Crit and maybe a generic attack buff. This thing? It turns your Elemental Mastery into raw, unadulterated Attack power. It basically tells you that you don't need to choose between reactions and raw hits. You can have both. It’s the ultimate "have your cake and eat it too" weapon for any character that even breathes near an Elemental Mastery (EM) buff.
The Math Behind the Madness
Let’s talk about that $44.1%$ Crit Rate. That is a massive number. To put that in perspective, a standard Crit Rate circlet only gives you $31.1%$. By just equipping the Staff of the Scarlet Sands, you are already doing better than a maxed-out artifact piece before you even look at your sub-stats. This makes building characters infinitely easier. You can just stack Crit Damage and EM until your eyes bleed.
The passive, "Heat Haze at Horizon's End," is where things get funky. Basically, the person holding it gets an Attack bonus based on $52%$ of their EM. Then, when their Elemental Skill hits an opponent, they get a "Dream of the Scarlet Sands" stack. This stack increases that bonus by another $28%$ of their EM. You can have three stacks.
If you do the math, at three stacks, you’re looking at a total Attack conversion of $136%$ of your Elemental Mastery. If you have 500 EM—which is pretty easy to hit in a Dendro team—you’re getting 680 flat Attack. That’s more than some weapons provide as their entire base stat. It's wild.
Who Actually Uses This Thing?
Obviously, it’s Cyno’s signature weapon. It was literally made for him. Without it, Cyno feels... okay. With it, he becomes a relentless lightning god. Because his kit already wants EM for his "A4" passive (Authority Over the Fiendish Winds), the Staff of the Scarlet Sands double-dips into those stats. He hits harder because he has EM, and then the staff gives him more Attack because he has EM. It’s a closed loop of destruction.
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But here is the secret: it’s actually better on Xiangling.
Yeah, I know. Everything is good on Xiangling. It’s a running joke in the community. But seriously, in a National Team setup (Xiangling, Bennett, Xingqiu/Yelan, Raiden/Kazuha), Xiangling is constantly triggering Vaporize. She needs EM. She needs Crit. She needs Attack. This polearm gives her all of it. Because her Pyronado "snapshots" (it keeps the buffs it had when you cast it), if you trigger the stacks with her Gouba hits before casting her burst, she stays buffed for the entire duration. It’s arguably her best-in-slot weapon, even beating out some Refinement 5 four-stars like "The Catch."
Hu Tao is another weird one. Most people swear by the Staff of Homa. And rightfully so—Homa is legendary. But if you are running Hu Tao in a double Hydro team with plenty of EM buffs (like from Nahida or Sucrose), Staff of the Scarlet Sands can actually out-damage Homa. It sounds like heresy, but the math doesn't lie. The sheer amount of Crit Rate it provides allows you to run a Crit Damage circlet with zero regrets.
A Quick Breakdown of Synergy
- Cyno: Absolute best. No competition. It solves his split-scaling issues.
- Xiangling: Terrifyingly strong in Vaporize teams.
- Hu Tao: A genuine side-grade to Homa if your EM is high enough.
- Rosaria: Surprisingly decent for a Reverse-Melt build where she’s the one triggering the reaction.
- Candace: If you're one of the six people playing Main DPS Candace, this is your holy grail.
Why Some People Struggle With It
It isn't a "plug and play" weapon like the Primordial Jade Winged-Spear. You can't just slap it on a character with 0 EM and expect them to carry your account. If you aren't building for reactions, the Staff of the Scarlet Sands loses its luster. It becomes just a high Crit Rate stick with a mediocre base Attack of 542.
That base Attack is actually the lowest among five-star polearms. That’s the trade-off. If you don't have the EM to back it up, your Attack stat will look pitiful. You’ll be sitting there wondering why your "five-star" weapon is hitting like a wet noodle. You have to commit to the bit. You need EM sands. You need Dendro resonance or an instructor set on your support.
The Lore You Probably Skipped
The desert of Sumeru is full of sad stories, and this staff is no exception. It belonged to King Deshret (Al-Ahmar). The description talks about the "seven pillars" and the "eternal dream." It’s basically a relic of a lost civilization that tried to defy the heavens.
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The "Scarlet Sands" refers to the blood-soaked history of the desert tribes and the king's descent into madness after the death of the Flower Goddess. When you're swinging this thing, you're technically swinging a piece of a dead god's bureaucracy. Kind of metal when you think about it.
Is It Worth Your Primogems?
Look, weapon banners are a trap. We all know this. The "Epitomized Path" is a cruel mistress. However, if you are a Cyno main, it’s non-negotiable. The gap between this and his next best option is a canyon.
For everyone else? It depends on your artifacts. If you have amazing Gilded Dreams or Flower of Paradise Lost pieces with high EM, this weapon will skyrocket your value. If you’re a casual player who just wants to poke things until they die without thinking about "Internal Cooldowns" or "ICD," maybe stick to something simpler.
The value of the Staff of the Scarlet Sands actually goes up as more EM-buffing characters are released. When Nahida dropped, this weapon got a shadow-buff because she can just hand out 250 EM for free. Any future character that buffs EM will inadvertently make this "paddle" even stronger. It’s future-proof in a way most weapons aren't because it scales with a fundamental game mechanic rather than just raw numbers.
How to Maximize the Staff Right Now
Stop ignoring your EM sub-stats. Most people see EM on a piece and think "trash" unless it's for Kazuha. If you have this staff, an EM roll is basically an Attack roll.
If you’re running this on Xiangling, make sure you let Gouba hit an enemy at least twice before you press Q. You need those "Dream of the Scarlet Sands" stacks to kick in. It takes a second to ramp up, but once it’s at full power, the damage difference is noticeable.
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Also, don't sleep on Bennett. Since the staff has low base Attack, Bennett’s flat Attack buff is even more valuable here. He fills the hole that the weapon leaves behind, while the weapon provides the Crit and Reaction damage that Bennett can't give you. It’s a perfect synergy.
Final Practical Steps for Owners
Check your current Crit ratio. If you’re over $100%$ Crit Rate because of the $44.1%$ boost, swap your circlet to Crit Damage immediately.
Aim for at least 200–300 EM before buffs. This is the "sweet spot" where the conversion passive starts to outweigh just using an Attack% weapon.
If you are using it on a character who isn't Cyno, verify they can actually proc the passive. The character must be on-field for the Elemental Skill hits to grant stacks. You can't just drop an ability and swap out if you want the full three-stack buff. Hit the skill, wait for the procs, then swap or burst.
Lastly, keep an eye on your team resonance. Double Dendro is great, but don't sacrifice a hydro applicator if you're running a Vape or Hyperbloom team. Balance is everything. The Staff of the Scarlet Sands rewards players who understand the "Genshin Chemistry" of elemental interactions. It’s a sophisticated tool for a more civilized age of theorycrafting.