Genshin 5.7 Banner: Skirk vs. Mavuika – Who Should You Pull?

Today I'll be sharing Genshin Impact version 5.7 pull advice for our fellow Travelers. This update has four limited 5-star characters: Skirk and Shenhe feature in the first half banners, while the Pyro Archon Mavuika and Emilie take over the second half. Now let's walk through each character's strengths and specialties to get complete advice!

1. Genshin Impact Skirk Pull Advice

Skirk is a flexible on-field DPS who can either stay in front dishing out normal attacks or swap in for quick bursts before dipping off-field. But here's the kicker: you have to have three Hydro/Cryo characters in the party to fully trigger her talent buffs and get that +1 Elemental Skill level boost. This team comp lock is her biggest pain point. Pure freeze teams also get hard-countered fast - feels awful when the Abyss rolls anti-Cryo mechanics or straight-up bans ice.

Plus, since Skirk's crew's locked to Hydro/Cryo, Escoffier's literally the only character who shreds Cryo RES in those elements. No Escoffier? Congrats, your damage just got kneecapped. Besides RES shred, she peppers enemies with off-field damage nonstop, and her self-healing lets you ditch a healer and slot in a sub-DPS or buffer to juice up Skirk's squad.

Therefore, whether to pull Skirk HONESTLY rides on whether you already own Escoffier.

So, when Skirk's Hydro/Cryo team gets fully set up, the team's total damage becomes seriously strong. To make up for the downside of Skirk's limited party choices, her numbers are intentionally stacked. Also, her talent that boosts teammates' skill levels helps the other three deal more sub-DPS damage, so stronger teammates make the whole squad stronger. But overall future-proofing is average - with the game's number bloat, a stronger Cryo DPS without party restrictions will surely come later.

Pull Advice: If you don't have a Cryo DPS with high constellations AND own both Furina and Escoffier, pulling for her C0 is recommended.

2. Genshin Impact Shenhe Pull Advice

As a specialized support for Cryo characters, Shenhe has stayed in the background ever since Cryo teams got targeted. Now with Skirk's release, Shenhe's sharing the banner spotlight. For Kamisato Ayaka - once the top-tier Cryo DPS - Shenhe boosts damage, shreds resistance, and adds damage through her Icy Quills.

But does she work the same magic for Skirk? Not really. First, Skirk must stay on the field consistently, while Shenhe's Icy Quills only trigger 5 times (or 7 with hold skill). Each rotation forces you to swap Shenhe in twice for quick taps or once for a hold + one tap - interrupting Skirk's rhythm.

If you swap characters during Skirk's field time, she loses her elemental infusion. Skipping Shenhe means capping at 7 Icy Quill hits, barely boosting Skirk or other off-field Cryo units. Her main value shrinks to her burst and minor talent buffs, which don't hold up in today's meta. Shenhe's actually less impactful for Skirk than Yelan, Mona, or even 4-star Dahlia-unless you have C6 Shenhe.

Pull Advice: Meta-focused players can skip with no regrets.

3. Genshin Impact Mavuika Pull Advice

Mavuika packs the strongest burst damage in the whole game, but she's extra demanding with team support - especially needing Xilonen. Without Xilonen, you'll have to slot in two extra Natlan characters to fuel her energy needs or at least get her C1 to ease the issue. Second, she's stuck relying on elemental reactions and can't really shine in mono-element teams. Using her for Overloaded or Burning is honestly wasting her high damage potential. The best approach is triggering Melt reactions, which now makes you ask, do you have Shenhe? Other Cryo substitutes feel awkward to play.

Besides being a main DPS, Mavuika also boosts other Natlan damage dealers on her team. Units like Mualani, Kinich, Chasca, and Varesa sync well with her thanks to her off-field Pyro application and damage buffs - she's a crazy versatile filler.

For open-world travel, she's top-tier in Natlan with seamless land/water/air movement. Outside Natlan, Phlogiston buffs wear off fast, but she's still faster than most characters.

Constellation-wise, her C2 massively spikes her personal damage (around 40% more). When amplified by reactions, the gap turns ridiculous. That said, C0 Mavuika is already powerful in a full team. But since she's just a numbers-focused DPS, her investment value won't last too long - pulling more copies now isn't as cost-effective as her debut.

Pull Advice: Get her C0 if you have Xilonen. If sitting on spare Primogems and already at C1, consider pushing for C2.

4. Genshin Impact Emilie Pull Advice

Emilie depends completely on Burning reactions to work properly. Right now, the only character who interacts well with Burning is Kinich. Unless you specifically want to improve your Kinich team, it's not worth pulling Emilie. For everyone else? Not advised.

Pull Advice: Only consider pulling if you play Kinich.

5. Other Questions about Skirk and Mavuika

I know lots of Travelers are trying to decide whether to pull for Skirk or the Pyro Archon - after all, both are strong main DPS units. If you're stuck, stick to these basic principles:

① If you have neither Skirk at C0 nor Pyro Archon at C0, who to pull?

This heavily depends on your existing team options. Both DPS units really need specific teammates. If you've got Escoffier and Furina (maybe even Yelan), grab Skirk first. If you own Xilonen and Shenhe, pull the Pyro Archon instead. Just having Xilonen alone already leans toward pulling her.

② When you lack high-constellation Cryo DPS but have Pyro Archon at C0/C1, pull Skirk or go for Pyro Archon's C2?

Again, check your roster. With Furina or Escoffier on hand, choose Skirk. Even in lower-investment setups, Skirk teams beat older low-constellation Cryo DPS. Plus, future Abyss cycles will have at least one Cryo-favored half-building a strong ice team pays off big time.

③ If you already run a top-tier Cryo team (e.g. C3+ Ayaka with Shenhe/Furina/Escoffier), Skirk C0 barely adds value. Here, Pyro Archon C2 gives much stronger upgrades.

Honestly? If you're in this third scenario, holding onto your wishes is the smartest move.

That's the full breakdown for this guide - we're sure it helps make your pulling plans way clearer now! As for weapon banner recommendations, we'll cover those in a follow-up piece later. Stay tuned! And keep checking for more Genshin guides and fresh merchandise drops!