HSR 3.8 Sunday Light Cone Guide: Why A Grounded Ascent Wins

Phase 3 Banner Overview (Jan 28 - Feb 12)

Phase 3 features simultaneous reruns: Aglaea (5★ Lightning Remembrance DPS) and Sunday (5★ Imaginary Harmony support). Signature Light Cones: Time Woven Into Gold (Aglaea) and A Grounded Ascent (Sunday).

4★ Light Cones: Geniuses' Greetings, Trend of Universal Market, Dance! Dance! Dance! 4★ Characters: Tingyun, Yukong, Dan Heng

Banner Economics:

• Light Cone hard pity: 80 pulls (12,800 Jades)
• Character hard pity: 90 pulls (14,400 Jades)
• Light Cone soft pity: 65-70 pulls
• Both: 75% featured rate, 160/180 pulls max for guarantee

F2P Phase 3 income: 4,000-5,000 Jades from dailies, events, MoC, PF, AS.

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SP Economy: The Hidden Meta

Skill Points govern combat efficiency. Teams start with 3 SP, gaining 1 from Basic Attacks, consuming 1 per Skill. SP depletion forces DPS into Basic Attacks, killing damage output.

Sunday's SP Hunger:

• Skill: Advances ally + summon 100%, +30% DMG for 2 turns, costs 1 SP
• Ultimate: Restores 20% Max Energy (min 40), grants CRIT DMG (30% of Sunday's CRIT DMG + 12%) for 3 turns, no SP generation

SP Bottleneck Impact: MoC 12-1 testing: Sunday + Memories of the Past clears in 6 cycles due to SP starvation. Same team with A Grounded Ascent: 4 cycles—33% faster.

This gap widens in PF and AS where wave encounters punish inconsistent Skill usage. SP economy isn't convenience—it's a fundamental DPS multiplier.

A Grounded Ascent: Complete Breakdown

Core Mechanics:

• Regenerates 6 Energy to ally after Sunday's Skill/Ultimate
• Grants 1 Hymn stack: +15% DMG (max 3 stacks)
• Recovers 1 SP every 2 passive triggers

S1 Stats:

• Hymn stacks: +12% DMG each (45% max)
• Max CRIT DMG: 54%
• Net SP cost: -0.5 per 2 rotations (vs -1 without cone)

S5 Stats:

• Hymn stacks: +18% DMG each (54% max)
• Max CRIT DMG: 90%

Performance Data: Sunday + A Grounded Ascent + Aglaea + Robin + Gallagher: MoC 12-1 in 4 cycles vs 6 with Memories of the Past = 12-15% team DPS improvement.

Why Alternatives Fail

Memories of the Past (4★): Energy regen, no SP recovery, no DMG amp. Performance gap: 30-40% longer clears.

Other Harmony Cones: But the Battle Isn't Over (Break Effect, irrelevant), Past and Future (SPD only, no SP fix).

No 4★ replicates SP recovery—A Grounded Ascent is functionally irreplaceable, not just optimal.

Phase 3 Character Analysis

Aglaea (Lightning Remembrance DPS):

• Lv80: HP 1241, ATK 698, DEF 485, SPD 102
• E1: +25% DEF ignore, 18-22% personal damage boost
• Requires heavy support investment

Sunday (Imaginary Harmony):

• Battle start: +25 Energy
• Skill: 100% action advance
• Talent: +20% CRIT Rate for 3 turns
• No alternative replicates his kit

Long-term Value:

• A Grounded Ascent: Permanent upgrade for all Sunday teams, meta-proof
• Aglaea dupes: Roster-specific, depreciates with power creep
• Sunday's cone applies universally; character pulls only benefit when fielded

The Math: Light Cone vs Character ROI

Costs:

• Light Cone worst-case: 12,800 Jades (80-pull pity)
• Character worst-case: 14,400 Jades (90-pull pity)
• Difference: 1,600 Jades (25-30% of patch F2P income)

Performance Gains:

• A Grounded Ascent: 12-15% team DPS, applies to all Sunday teams
• 4→6 cycle reduction = 33% faster clears = 50% effective DPS increase
• Aglaea E1: 18-22% personal damage only, doesn't fix team issues

Efficiency Calculation:

• S1 acquisition: 853-1,067 Jades per 1% DPS
• Character E1: Higher cost, lower team-wide impact

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When Sunday's Cone Wins

Team Archetypes:

• Hypercarry comps: Sunday + DPS + sub-DPS + sustain = constant SP drain
• Summon teams: Character + summon = doubled SP consumption (Aglaea, future Remembrance units)
• PF wave clears: Sustained Skill usage across 8-12 turns

Roster Conditions:

• Own Sunday, lack signature cone: Immediate 12-15% DPS gain
• Multiple built hypercarries: Compounding value across all DPS options
• Struggling with MoC 12/PF Stage 4/AS 4-5: Solves systemic SP bottleneck

Future-Proofing: Version 3.8+ introduces more Remembrance/summon units. Sunday remains premier support, A Grounded Ascent appreciates with each release. Character investments depreciate via power creep.

When to Pull Characters Instead

Critical Gaps:

• Don't own Sunday: Prioritize him over cone (base kit = 80-85% performance with 4★ cone)
• Missing role coverage: No Imaginary/Lightning DPS, insufficient sustain
• New players (Account Lv <50): Need roster breadth over optimization

Alternative Viability:

• Non-SP-intensive teams (single-DPS + SP-positive supports): Performance gap narrows to 5-8%
• S5 4★ Harmony cones: S5→S1 5★ gap = 8-12%, not worth 12,800 Jades

Phase 3 Pull Strategy

Decision Framework:

1. Assess Sunday Ownership

   • Own Sunday + no cone → A Grounded Ascent
   • No Sunday → Pull Sunday
   • Own both → Evaluate Aglaea or save

2. Evaluate SP Issues

   • Fail content due to SP depletion → Cone fixes root cause
   • Clear comfortably → Characters add variety
   • Run hypercarry/summon → SP recovery = measurable gains

3. Calculate Resources

   • Current Jades + Phase 3 income (4,000-5,000) + pity
   • 140+ pulls banked → Commit to priority
   • <100 pulls → Consider saving

4. Check Pity

   • Light Cone 60+ pity → High early 5★ chance
   • Character 70+ pity → Approaching soft pity
   • Fresh pity (0-20) → Needs full commitment

Player Type Recommendations:

F2P: Prioritize A Grounded Ascent only if you own Sunday + run SP-intensive teams solving progression barriers. Otherwise save for 3.9+.

Low Spenders: Pull A Grounded Ascent if Sunday is core, allocate remaining to future banners.

Whales: Acquire both. Consider S1→S5 only if Sunday appears in every endgame team (15-20% additional DPS, 51,200 Jades worst-case).

Light Cone Refinement Worth?

S1→S5 Scaling:

• Hymn DMG: +12%/stack → +18%/stack
• Max DMG: 45% → 54%
• Max CRIT DMG: 54% → 90%

Performance vs Cost:

• S1→S5: 8-12% additional DPS for 51,200 Jades
• Cost efficiency: 4,267-6,400 Jades per 1% DPS (4-6× worse than S1)

Refinement Strategy:

• Stop at S1: F2P/low-spenders—opportunity cost = 3-4 character banners
• Consider S2-S3: Moderate spenders using Sunday everywhere, own all desired characters
• Pursue S5: Whales only—enables hypercarry optimization, not required for clears

SP recovery mechanic identical across all refinements—functionality doesn't change.

Real Gameplay: SP Economy in Action

MoC Floor 12 Case Study Team: Sunday + A Grounded Ascent + Aglaea + Robin + Gallagher

Cycle 1:

• Sunday Skill: -1 SP, triggers cone
• Aglaea enhanced Basic: 100-200% ATK primary, 45-90% adjacent
• Robin Skill: -1 SP
• Gallagher Basic: +1 SP
• Net: 3 - 1 - 1 + 1 + 0.5 (cone) = 2.5 SP

Cycle 2:

• Sunday Ultimate: +0.5 SP (cone), restores 20% Energy to Aglaea
• Aglaea Skill: -1 SP
• Robin Ultimate: 0 SP
• Gallagher Skill: -1 SP
• Net: 2.5 + 0.5 - 1 - 1 = 1 SP

Cycles 3-4: Maintains 1-2 SP via cone recovery, consistent Skill usage. Clears in 4 cycles.

Same team with Memories of the Past: SP hits 0 by Cycle 3, forces Basic Attacks. Clears in 6 cycles.

PF Analysis: Wave structure (3-4 waves, 8-12 turns) accumulates 4-6 additional SP from cone = 4-6 extra Skills = 40-60% more Skill damage. Teams without recovery resort to Basic Attacks during final waves.

Fast Stellar Jade Sources

Phase 3 Income (14 days):

• Daily Training: 840 Jades (60/day × 14)
• Nameless Honor (Free): 500 Jades
• MoC: 1,200 Jades (600 × 2 resets)
• PF: 600 Jades (1 reset)
• AS: 600 Jades (1 reset)
• Events: 800-1,200 Jades
• Total: 4,540-4,940 Jades

Optimization Tips:

• Prioritize time-limited events (expire Feb 12)
• Focus Trailblaze Power on ascension/relics for endgame mode full clears
• Each mode = 600 Jades per reset

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FAQ

Is Sunday's light cone worth pulling in HSR 3.8 Phase 3? Yes if you own Sunday and run SP-intensive teams (hypercarry, summon comps). A Grounded Ascent provides 12-15% team DPS boost via SP recovery and DMG amp—outperforms most character constellations. Skip if you lack Sunday or run SP-positive teams.

How much better is Sunday's signature cone than alternatives? 12-15% higher team DPS than Memories of the Past (best 4★). Performance gap widens to 30-40% cycle reduction in endgame (MoC 12-1: 4 vs 6 cycles) as SP recovery prevents forced Basic Attacks.

What are the stats on Sunday's signature light cone? Regenerates 6 Energy after Skill/Ultimate, grants Hymn stacks (+15% DMG each, max 3), recovers 1 SP every 2 triggers. S1: +12% DMG/stack (45% max), 54% max CRIT DMG. S5: +18%/stack (54% max DMG), 90% max CRIT DMG.

How many Stellar Jades needed for Sunday's light cone? Worst-case: 12,800 Jades (160 pulls, 80-pull hard pity). Soft pity at 65-70 pulls. Average: 100-120 pulls (8,000-9,600 Jades) with normal luck.

Should I pull Sunday's cone or wait for new characters? Pull A Grounded Ascent if you own Sunday and struggle with SP management in endgame. Solves systemic issues, remains relevant across patches. Wait for characters if you lack Sunday, need roster diversity, or clear content comfortably.

Does light cone refinement matter for Sunday's cone? S1→S5 adds 8-12% team DPS but costs 51,200 Jades—poor efficiency vs S1. Stop at S1 unless whale using Sunday everywhere. SP recovery (core function) identical across refinements.