Ifa Preview: Can Genshin’s Newest Anemo Catalyst Compete?

With Ifa officially becoming playable in Genshin Impact 5.6, players are buzzing with curiosity over this rare Anemo male four-star. First seen in Version 5.5, Ifa enters the scene as a Catalyst user from Natlan—a region now steadily unfolding its character roster.

In a detailed preview from The Genshin Scientist (TGS) on YouTube, we get a thorough breakdown of Ifa’s beta kit, his unique mechanics, team roles, constellation potential, and even his unexpected synergy with units like Wanderer and Fiorina. So—is he just another four-star filler, or could Ifa be the low-rarity Anemo driver we’ve been waiting for?

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Ifa’s Core Kit – A Reaction Driver With Passive Healing

Ifa is an on-field Anemo driver, similar in design to Sucrose and Mizuki, but with a twist—healing and passive reaction scaling.

Elemental Skill – Pistol Flight

• Enters Nightsoul State, flying around and shooting pistol blasts for 10 seconds.
• Hits up to 12 times per skill use.
• Each hit heals the entire team—scaling partially with Elemental Mastery, but the skill itself scales with ATK.

💡 At C0, healing is low (400–500 per hit), totaling ~6,000 per rotation.

Elemental Burst – Grouping and Reaction Boost

• Launches an Anemo projectile that pulls enemies in (minimal crowd control).
• On contact with another element, infuses and creates a secondary explosion.
• Both parts scale with ATK—not EM—so not the best damage source in EM builds.

While his healing isn’t game-changing, Ifa brings consistent reaction triggers, great EM synergy, and energy particle generation, helping him function in teams like Electro-Charged or Swirl-focused setups.

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Cinder City & EM Scaling – An Anemo Buff from Natlan?

As the first Anemo unit from Natlan, Ifa can activate the Cinder City artifact set, which buffs damage based on elemental reactions. This immediately makes him interesting for:

• 🌪️ Swirl reactions
• ⚡ Electro-Charged (EC) setups
• 🌊 Taser comps with Fiorina, Fischl, Oruron, or Beidou

He also has a passive that increases the damage bonus of Swirl and Electro-Charged reactions based on Nightsoul Points consumed by the team, maxing at:

• 180 Points at C0
• 230 Points at C2

📌 With only 80 personal points per skill use, he needs teammates like Oruron to reach full potential.

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Constellations – C6 Is a Game Changer

Most of Ifa’s constellations are minor until you hit C6, which unlocks a 50% chance to fire an extra shot with every pistol hit in Nightsoul State. These extra shots:

• Deal additional damage
• Trigger healing
• Contribute to reaction frequency

🧠 The effective result is ~50% more procs for healing and reactions.
However, recent beta changes nerfed C6’s damage, bringing it down to “2020-level” DPS, according to TGS.

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Ifa vs Mizuki and Sucrose – Who’s Better?

In the Electro-Charged archetype, Ifa is effectively a Sucrose-style Anemo driver, but he trades Sucrose’s EM buffing for healing and personal damage.

Compared to Sucrose:

• ❌ Slightly worse damage at C0
• ✅ Better healing (Sucrose has none)
• ✅ Can use Prototype Amber to help with team sustain
• ✅ Triggers coordinated attacks from units like Yanfei and Fischl

Compared to Mizuki:

• ✅ Team-wide healing instead of self-heal
• ✅ Easier synergy with Fiorina and reaction units
• ❌ Worse off-field utility and personal scaling until C6

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Best Teams for Ifa

Electro-Charged (Taser) Teams

• Ifa + Fiorina + Fischl + Beidou
• Ifa + Oruron + Yelan/Xingqiu + Fischl
• Can replace Fiorina with Xingqiu for better survival

📌 These teams benefit from AoE, which Ifa’s pistol shots and Swirl reactions help scale.

Wanderer Buff Team

• Ifa + Wanderer + Faruzan + Bennett
• Uses Thrilling Tales or Cinder City to buff Wanderer

He’s surprisingly viable here as a TTDS or artifact buffer who also generates 4–5 Anemo particles per rotation, helping Wanderer cycle faster.

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Weaknesses and Limitations

Despite the utility, Ifa has some notable issues:

• ❌ No interruption resistance in skill mode (like Wanderer)
• ❌ Can’t dodge during skill
• ❌ Healing is very low at C0 (Sucrose + Prototype Amber is comparable)
• ❌ Minimal grouping from Burst
• ❌ C6 damage nerfed recently

⚠️ TGS warns that Ifa may struggle to keep high-HP teams alive (like those with Fiorina), and his C6 doesn’t push the archetype much beyond what’s already been done with Sucrose or Mizuki.

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Final Verdict: Is Ifa Worth Pulling or Building?

At C0, Ifa is serviceable, but doesn’t drastically change the Electro-Charged meta. If you’re just looking for an Anemo driver who can heal, swirl, and support in EC teams, he’s fine—but not standout.

At C6, Ifa becomes significantly more consistent, thanks to:

• Increased reaction frequency
• Higher healing output
• More viable offensive builds (though still not meta-breaking)

✅ Great for casual Taser teams, F2P Swirl builds, and as a support for Wanderer.
❌ Not essential for meta players or anyone already using Sucrose, Faruzan, or Mizuki.

For more deep beta dives and team-building analysis, check out The Genshin Scientist (TGS), and visit ExploreGenshin.gg for more builds, rerun reviews, and patch insights.

Frequently Asked Questions About Ifa in Genshin Impact