Pyro shielders are a very important part of on-field DPS units. They spam normal attacks, which makes them great at taking down enemies. Otherwise, they’re pretty useless. ..
Thoma’s niche is currently the only one that can fully benefit from Hu Tao and Yoimiya. ..
If you don’t play either of the two games, there’s no reason to pull or build Thoma.
Thoma is a powerful mage who can help you in your battles. However, don’t let his power stop you from using him if you like him. ..
Pros & Cons
Thoma Strengths
Thoma’s burst has a shield stacking mechanic that increases the damage dealt by each shield stack.
When the active character performs a normal attack during his burst, their shield refreshes. This can be triggered once every second. ..
The new shields will be stacked with the remaining health of the previous shields. ..
The shield’s power grows as he unleashes his burst. At its peak, it is easily the second strongest shield in-game. ..
This is a great way to make your characters more powerful and interesting. For example, Yoimiya and Hu Tao can easily stack Thoma’s shield, making them very difficult to kill.
The use of nicknames is generally less effective than using full names. ..
Thoma Weaknesses
Thoma has an expensive 80 energy cost that causes a burst in energy costs.
This burst is the key to his kit, so it’s very important to charge it every time he uses it.
The player’s ability has a long cooldown of 15s, meaning that it only generates 3-4 Pyro particles per rotation. Additionally, the player is mostly off-screen, so they can’t catch many energy particles.
This increases the Energy Recharge (ER) requirements of the character by nearly 250%.
He would need an ER weapon and optimized artifacts with ER stats to reach this requirement – which can potentially sacrifice his HP stats and reduce his shield strength.
Because of this, Thoma is generally more difficult to optimize. ..
ER and HP stats are important for a balanced character, as they allow you to take more hits and survive longer. CRIT rate is also important, as it allows you to critical hit more often.
This becomes more difficult when using the Thoma’s best set, which is one of his best sets.
Since this artifact set has lower stat scaling, it is much harder to reach the optimal amount of stats.
Tomas is a tailor-made Hu Tao supporter, but he also works well with Yoimiya. ..
Hu Tao and Yoimiya teams are the only ones that can use him effectively - he’s not recommended for anyone else. ..
He does work, but there are always far better units available.
Zhongli is an overall better character for a team that needs shielding. Elegy Amber is also a stronger option for Hu Tao teams if you want to deal more damage.
Thoma is not a must-pull or a must-build in Hu Tao and Yoimiya teams.
Are Thoma’s Constellations Good?
Thoma has many constellations.
Most of the people in this group are quality-of-life buffs or further improve their supporting abilities. So each one is definitely a good upgrade.
If you use Thoma often, it’s generally worth getting his constellations – especially since this brings you closer to his C6.
His C6 is a buff that increases the damage of his support abilities by 25%.
The ability to use other units as your main attackers makes him more viable, making him more versatile for characters that perform normal, charged, and plunging attacks.
C1: A Comrade’s Duty
Thoma’s shield reduces the cooldown of his skills by 3s. This can be triggered once every 20s.
This is a person who enjoys good quality of life.
This effect can be easily proc’d every time, so you can trigger it every time. Plus, it increases his shield uptime and makes him smoother to play with shorter rotations.
C2: A Subordinate’s Skills
Thoma’s burst duration is increased by 3 seconds.
This constellation increases the shield uptime and shield strength – it’s an overall great choice for a tank. It effectively offers 100% burst uptime every rotation.
C3: Fortified Resolve
Increases his elemental skill talent level by 3.
The new shield increases his shield strength, which is always appreciated. ..
C4: Long-Term Planning
After Thoma’s burst, he regenerates 15 energy.
C4 is his best constellation because it significantly reduces his energy requirements and burst cost to 65 energy, which allows you to focus on other stats like health.
C5: Raging Wildfire
Increases his elemental burst talent level by 3.
The new C3 buff provides a boost to the player’s shield strength, which is definitely helpful. ..
C6: Burning Heart
Thoma’s shield provides increased damage to all teammates’ attacks for 6s.
This constellation further buffs Xiao’s supporting abilities, making it easier for him to work with more characters that benefit from its effects.
Favonius Lance vs. Black Tassel for Thoma
Thoma’s best 4-star weapon by far is Favonius Lance. It easily pulls ahead of Black Tassel.
This is because Thoma needs Favonius Lance’s Energy Recharge stat and passive. It greatly helps him reach his ER requirements much faster.
The passive of the champion proccing its passive also helps charge the entire team’s burst.
Thoma does not benefit from Black Tassel’s HP secondary stat, as it is less valuable than what Favonius Lance offers. Additionally, Black Tassel’s passive is pretty useless on Thoma since he is not meant to deal damage.
Favonius Lance is always recommended over Black Tassel because it has a more pronounced flavor.
Is Staff of Homa Good for Thoma?
Thoma’s staff is not a recommended weapon for him.
Although he benefits from its HP passive, Homa is mainly a DPS weapon – and Thoma isn’t a DPS. He deals incredibly low damage, so a DPS build is never recommended.
Instead, it’s far better to go for Energy Recharge weapons like Favonius Lance and Engulfing Lightning. These weapons recharge your energy, allowing you to stay in the fight longer. ..
