Genshin Impact Version 3.1 is finally out and Cyno enthusiasts have been on a high testing him out these past few hours. Cyno has been a long-awaited Sumeru character ever since he was teased ages back and now his banner is finally live. He was leaked to be an Electro hypercarry and since he was from the region of Sumeru which buffed the Electro element in general through Dendro, players had high expectations from this Anubis cosplayer.
In this article, we will briefly discuss his kit which might look scary and complicated at first glance but is really very simple in practice. Additionally, we will give our personal first impressions of his gameplay design and his viability in the Genshin meta. A comprehensive guide on how to build him is also included.
Cyno’s Basic Kit and Talents
Cyno is an Electro DPS from Sumeru who, partially, scales off of EM for his damage. His E skill performs a short dash dealing Electro DMG and generating 3 particles. His elemental burst is the main bulk of his kit and outputs the damage numbers that qualify him as a hypercarry.
In his Q, his normal attacks get converted to Electro DMG as he slashes and claws through his enemies using his very cool Anubis-themed gauntlets. This is the part of his kit that resembles Razor and led many to assume that Cyno was Razor’s elder brother or blood family.
In his Q state, Cyno’s E skill’s CD is reduced and he generates 1 energy particle with each use provided he damages at least one enemy. This also in turn increases the duration of his burst which means more damage. Through this demanding process, Cyno can not only continue being in the field to deal damage but he also manages to generate an impressive 6 energy particles for himself- to the point he can even fill up half the energy meter by the end of his rotation.
His A4 Passive allows him to enter the Endseer Stance during the duration of his Q and in this brief moment, Cyno’s E skill’s damage and range are increased to deal a huge chunk of Electro DMG to nearby enemies. His A1 Passive allows him to buff his DMG values based on his EM.
Cyno’s basic Passive allows him to give double the materials when he’s sent on a 20hr Expedition in Sumeru. This ties into his abilities as the General Mahamatra of the Akademiya who oversees the use of Knowledge in Sumeru and tracks those who misuse it. In his pursuits, he often catches more than what he set out for.
How to Build Cyno in Genshin Impact 3.1
Since his kit and talents have already been briefly explained, his best artifacts and weapons aren’t hard to guess. As for the stats you want to be looking for- Cyno’s primary needs are going to be EM.
This is followed closely by ER and all the rest of the offensive stats- including CRIT. As for his ER (Energy Recharge) needs, about 120% ER should be enough provided you have another Electro member in the party. If not, about 160% ER is enough for Cyno’s smooth gameplay.
Artifacts
While you can definitely run him with 3 EM pieces, his best build includes an EM Sands, Electro DMG Goblet and CRIT Circlet. With that out of the way, here are her best 4-piece artifact sets ranked in order:
- Gilded Dreams
- Thundersoother
- Thundering Fury
- Gladiator’s Finale
While Gladiator’s Finale often seems to out-damage Thundering Fury, the reason Thundering Fury still ranks above is due to its ability to buff all Electro reactions and also reduce Cyno’s E skill CD in the process- allowing you to thus land more hits.
Weapons
His 5 best weapons are ranked as follows:
- Staff of the Scarlet Sands
- Primordial Jade Winged-Spear
- Staff of Homa
- Deathmatch (R5)
- White Tassel (R5)
If you need a weapon to fulfil his energy needs, then the Favonius Lance is his best option. His best F2P option surprisingly remains the 3-star White Tassel which not only gives him a decent CRIT RATE bonus but also buffs his normal attacks which Cyno uses a ton.
His other F2P-friendly options include the Inazuma craftable Kitain Cross Spear (R5), the upcoming free event weapon Missive Windspear (R5) and finally Sumeru’s craftable Moonpiercer (R5). You can also use other 5-star weapons like Calamity Queller, Vortex Vanquisher and Skyward Spine but these are better used on other units instead.
Team Comps
Cyno’s best two teammates are the Dendro Traveler and Zhongli. His team comp options are limited and restrictive but he functions well in both Aggravate and Hyperbloom teams so at least in that regard- he’s a strong unit.
The fourth slot here is a flex slot which can either be filled by Electro units for battery and Electro resonance or can be filled by Anemo units for the RES shred of Viridescent Venerer. Good Electro teammates would be Beidou and Fischl while good Anemo supports would be Kazuha or Sucrose.
The Problem with Cyno
Cyno is a decent- maybe even a good unit but he’s not the best. It will be hard to top a C2 Raiden Shogun as an Electro DPS and Cyno certainly doesn’t succeed. While he may be a good unit at first glance, he does have his own share of problems that become glaring once pointed out.
As someone who heavily relies on normal attacks (NAs) and demands a ton of field time to be optimal, Cyno desperately needs survivability. Cyno’s in-built RES to interruption in his burst mode is terrible- nothing compared to Raiden Shogun or Itto’s interruption resistance during their bursts. Cyno gets knocked around easily which can be devastating for his damage output and the overall rotation of the team.
There are many shielders in the game but a majority of their shields don’t last as long as Cyno’s burst- which can last up to a maximum of 18 seconds. The only exception is Zhongli who seems to be a definitive staple needed to play Cyno smoothly. If you don’t have Zhongli, maybe even Thoma could come in clutch due to his refreshing shield based on NAs and taking DMG.
While Cyno’s personal damage is average to decent, his damage numbers increase exponentially by almost 200% when Dendro reactions are involved. This is a good thing and a bad thing. It’s good because the damage increase is so high but it’s bad because this makes his playstyle a tad limited.
Is Cyno Worth Pulling in Genshin Impact Version 3.1
In short, a solid yes. Cyno is worth pulling provided you don’t mind his selfish playstyle or already have workarounds for it. As of now, his only reliable Dendro support is the Dendro Traveler but maybe things will change with Nahida’s confirmed release in Version 3.2.
Cyno’s current teambuilding options are very limited due to his selfish playstyle but maybe with future updates and more characters from Sumeru, we’ll eventually get fitting support units to complement his gameplay. At the end of the day, we must admit that most of us are going to be pulling for him mainly due to his sick design anyway so his meta ranking really doesn’t matter all that much.