The HSR 3.8 Phase III Light Cone Banner featuring A Grounded Ascent runs January 28 - February 12, 2026. This Sunday signature Light Cone offers exceptional Energy regeneration and damage amplification, but only delivers value under specific conditions. With hard pity at 80 pulls (12,800 Stellar Jades) and F2P Phase 3 income reaching just 4,540-4,940 Jades, understanding when this justifies investment versus saving requires careful analysis.
Understanding A Grounded Ascent: Mechanics and Value
A Grounded Ascent is Sunday's signature 5-star Harmony Light Cone, designed to maximize support through Energy manipulation and damage amplification.
Base Stats and Passive Breakdown
At Level 80: 1,164 HP, 476 ATK, 529 DEF. Three-part passive system:
Energy Regeneration: 6 Energy (8 at S5) to ally after wearer uses Skill/Ultimate
Hymn Stacks: Each Skill/Ultimate grants one stack (max 3, lasts 3 turns). Each stack increases ally damage by 15% (S1) to 24% (S5). Max stacks = 45% damage (S1) or 72% (S5)
SP Recovery: Recovers 1 Skill Point every 2 ally Skill/Ultimate uses
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Sunday Kit Synergy
Sunday's kit creates perfect synergy:
Skill: Advances ally + summon 100%, grants 30% damage (2 turns), costs 1 SP
Ultimate: Restores 20% Max Energy (min 40) to all allies, grants CRIT DMG equal to 30% of Sunday's CRIT DMG + 12% (3 turns)
Talent: 20% CRIT Rate (3 turns)
Starts with 25 Energy
With A Grounded Ascent, Sunday becomes an Energy battery. Memory of Chaos 12-1 testing: 4-cycle clears versus 6-cycle with Memories of the Past—33% improvement from accelerated Energy generation.
SP recovery proves equally valuable. Sunday's Skill costs 1 SP, but Light Cone recovers 1 SP per 2 ally actions = net -0.5 SP cost per 2 rotations, effectively halving Sunday's SP burden.
Hymn Stack System
Each stack lasts 3 turns, requiring consistent Skill/Ultimate usage. Three-stack max encourages front-loading damage within amplification windows.
Best for burst damage characters who deal concentrated damage through Ultimates or follow-up chains. Sustained damage dealers gain less value since they can't capitalize on temporary amplification windows.
The Only Pull Scenario
Only one scenario justifies pulling over saving: you actively use Sunday as primary Harmony support and lack competitive Light Cone alternatives.
Scenario Analysis
Three critical factors:
Sunday Usage: Must occupy permanent slot in primary teams. Rotating between multiple Harmony supports = insufficient value
Current Light Cone Gap: Must have significant performance gap. Already owning Past and Future or other 5-star Harmony Light Cones = 15-25% marginal improvement only
Jade Reserves: Must exceed guaranteed threshold while maintaining reserves for upcoming banners. Need 12,800-25,600 Jades depending on pity. F2P Phase 3 income covers only 35-38% of hard pity
Character Roster Requirements
Maximum value requires specific DPS archetypes with three characteristics:
High Energy costs requiring frequent Ultimates
Burst damage patterns capitalizing on temporary amplification
Synergy with Sunday's action advancement
Aglaea (paired banner character) = ideal beneficiary. Lightning Remembrance with summon mechanics gains compounding value from Sunday's action advancement + A Grounded Ascent's Energy regen. Hymn stacks amplify burst damage when summon executes coordinated attacks.
Characters with lower Energy costs or sustained damage = proportionally less value.
Jade Reserve Threshold
Conservative strategy demands maintaining reserves for at least one guaranteed character (14,400 Jades) after securing Light Cone. Minimum threshold: 27,200 Jades for players at zero pity on both banners.
Phase 3 F2P income breakdown:
Daily Training: 840 Jades (60/day × 14 days)
Memory of Chaos: 1,200 (600 × 2 resets)
Nameless Honor: 500
Pure Fiction: 600
Apocalyptic Shadow: 600
Events: 800-1,200
Total: 4,540-4,940 (approximately 1/3 of hard pity)
Future Banner Impact
Light Cone banners rerun less frequently than character banners, but A Grounded Ascent will return. Question: does immediate performance gain justify potentially missing a limited character who may not rerun for 6-12 months?
For most players, character acquisition > Light Cone optimization. Characters expand gameplay options; Light Cones provide incremental improvements.
Character Synergy Analysis
Optimal Users
Sunday = singular optimal user. Light Cone designed specifically around his kit. Energy regen, Hymn stacks, SP recovery all align perfectly.
Other Harmony supports gain partial value but lack comprehensive synergy:
Bronya: Benefits from SP recovery but doesn't leverage Energy regen as effectively
Sparkle: Hymn stacks provide damage amp, but her kit already provides substantial CRIT DMG buffs = diminishing returns
Path Restrictions
Harmony path restriction prevents equipping to Hunt, Destruction, or other paths. Can't serve as universal damage tool.
Even among Harmony characters, defensive-focused supports gain minimal value. Light Cone's offensive mechanics require pairing with supports who actively amplify team damage.
Team Composition
Peak effectiveness in double-Harmony compositions where Sunday pairs with another Harmony support. Maximizes SP recovery benefit and compounds Energy regen value.
Single-Harmony compositions still benefit but face tighter SP economies. Work best when DPS operates as Basic Attack-focused units generating SP.
Damage Comparison vs Alternatives
vs Past and Future
Past and Future provides 16% damage increase when wearer uses Skill, with additional HP-based effects. Continuous amplification versus stacking mechanics.
In sustained damage: Past and Future's 16% competes with A Grounded Ascent's average Hymn uptime. In burst windows: A Grounded Ascent's 45% (3 stacks) = nearly triple Past and Future's output.
Energy regen provides additional value Past and Future can't match. SP economy: Past and Future offers no recovery; A Grounded Ascent reduces Sunday's net SP cost by half.
vs Memories of the Past
Most accessible 5-star alternative (Herta's Store, 600 Herta Coins). Provides 28% Break Effect + 4 Energy when wearer attacks.
Memory of Chaos 12-1 testing: A Grounded Ascent = 4-cycle clears; Memories = 6 cycles. 33% performance difference from:
Slower Energy regen (4 vs 6-8)
No Hymn stack amplification
No SP recovery
For F2P: Memories represents pragmatic choice despite gap. Zero Jade cost allows allocating resources to character acquisitions.
vs 4-Star Options
Phase 3 boosted 4-stars: Geniuses' Greetings, Trend of Universal Market, Dance! Dance! Dance!
Dance! Dance! Dance! most relevant: 16% damage to all allies when wearer uses Ultimate. Lower amplification (16% vs 45% max stacks), lacks Energy regen and SP recovery.
Geniuses' Greetings: 16% ATK + 8 Energy on Ultimate. Energy regen matches S5 but triggers less frequently. ATK increase = minimal value for Sunday.
Performance gap between 4-star and A Grounded Ascent: 40-50% in optimal scenarios. However, 4-stars require fewer resources and serve as viable budget options.
Investment Analysis
Pity Mechanics
Light Cone Event Warp:
Hard pity: 80 pulls (12,800 Jades)
Soft pity: ~65-70 pulls
Featured rate: 75%
Off-banner = 25% of 5-star acquisitions
Losing 75% rate = second pity cycle with 100% guarantee, potentially requiring 160 total pulls (25,600 Jades).
Pity carries between Light Cone banners but operates independently from Character Event Warp.
Average Pull Cost
Statistical average: ~107 pulls (17,120 Jades) for guaranteed acquisition accounting for 75% rate. Players with existing pity reduce this proportionally.
Conservative planning: assume hard pity to avoid resource shortfalls. For guaranteed acquisition regardless of luck: maintain 25,600 Jade reserves.
Opportunity Cost
12,800-25,600 Jade investment = 89-178% of single character hard pity (14,400 Jades). Pulling A Grounded Ascent potentially delays next limited character by one full banner cycle or more.
Character acquisitions provide fundamentally different value:
New characters = expand gameplay options, enable new team comps, access new mechanics
Light Cones = optimize existing characters, don't create new gameplay
For most players: character diversity > individual character optimization.
F2P Budget Strategy
F2P Phase 3 income (4,540-4,940) covers only 35-38% of hard pity. Pulling for A Grounded Ascent relies almost entirely on accumulated reserves.
Optimal F2P strategy: prioritize character acquisitions over Light Cone optimization. Well-built 4-star Light Cone provides 60-70% of A Grounded Ascent's performance while preserving resources.
Pull A Grounded Ascent only when meeting all three:
Sunday = primary Harmony support across multiple teams
Lack any 5-star Harmony Light Cone alternatives
Maintain sufficient reserves for at least one guaranteed character after securing Light Cone
When to Skip: Red Flags
Insufficient Reserves
Players with <27,200 Jades face significant risk. Threshold accounts for worst-case double pity (25,600) + buffer.
Risk compounds at zero pity. Bad luck on 75% rate forces difficult decisions: continue pulling and exhaust resources, or stop mid-pity and waste invested pulls.
Calculate worst-case before committing. If losing 75% rate exhausts reserves and prevents pulling next priority character = skip.
Lack of Compatible Characters
Don't actively use Sunday or use him only in secondary teams = insufficient value. Harmony path restriction = zero value when Sunday sits unused.
Even Sunday owners who prefer other Harmony supports (Bronya, Sparkle, Ruan Mei) in main teams should skip.
Planning to pull Sunday in future reruns? Pulling Light Cone before owning Sunday = speculative investment tying up resources for uncertain future value.
Upcoming 3.9 Priorities
Future banner considerations significantly impact current decisions. Meta impact of new characters typically exceeds Light Cone optimization impact.
New limited 5-star might enable entirely new team comps or solve specific endgame challenges. A Grounded Ascent improves Sunday's performance but doesn't fundamentally change his role.
Maintain priority list ranking upcoming characters and Light Cones. If any upcoming character ranks higher = preserve resources for that character.
Already Own Alternatives
Already possess Past and Future or other 5-star Harmony Light Cones = minimal relative improvement (15-25%). Marginal improvement rarely justifies 12,800-25,600 Jade investment when resources could secure new character.
Even with 4-star Light Cones: if current Sunday build already achieves comfortable clear times, upgrading provides minimal practical benefit.
Exception: specifically struggle with Energy management or SP economy in Sunday teams. If these issues prevent desired clear times, A Grounded Ascent directly addresses bottleneck. But first verify Light Cone optimization rather than relic quality/team comp = actual limiting factor.
Alternative Strategies
Memories of the Past
Most accessible 5-star Harmony Light Cone (600 Herta Coins). Zero Stellar Jade cost = default F2P recommendation.
Provides 28% Break Effect + 4 Energy on attack. Break Effect = minimal value for Sunday, but Energy regen offers partial overlap with A Grounded Ascent.
Prioritize acquiring before considering premium investments. Performance gap (~33%) matters less than resource efficiency. Zero Jades for 70% performance > 12,800-25,600 Jades for final 30%.
Battle Pass and Events
Nameless Honor periodically features Harmony Light Cones. Battle Pass Light Cones offer good performance relative to cost = efficient mid-tier options.
Event Light Cones occasionally include Harmony options. Prioritize claiming when available (cost only event currency).
Key principle: maximize Light Cone quality while minimizing Jade expenditure. Exhaust all non-Jade sources before considering premium gacha.
4-Star Alternatives
Phase 3 banner features three boosted 4-stars. Pulling for Aglaea/Sunday on character banner naturally accumulates 4-star Light Cones.
Well-refined 4-star (S3-S5) often outperforms S1 5-star. Allow natural accumulation through character banner off-rates to gradually improve performance.
Works best for patient players willing to accumulate copies over multiple cycles without forcing refinement through dedicated Light Cone pulls.
Long-term Building
Successful progression doesn't require signature Light Cones for every character. Many top accounts achieve max-difficulty clears using primarily 4-stars supplemented by selective 5-star acquisitions.
Sunday performs core support functions effectively with alternatives. A Grounded Ascent provides optimization, not enabling fundamentally new capabilities.
Long-term strategy: build character roster diversity first, then selectively optimize high-impact characters when resources permit. For players investing in A Grounded Ascent, buy HSR oneiric shards recharge online through BitTopup for competitive rates and instant delivery.
Refinement Considerations
Damage Per Refinement
Each superimposition improves three mechanics:
Energy regen: 6 (S1) → 8 (S5) = 33% more generation
Hymn stacks: 15%/stack (S1) → 24%/stack (S5) = 60% per-stack improvement. At 3 stacks: 45% (S1) vs 72% (S5) = 27 percentage point improvement
SP recovery: constant across all levels (no improvement)
Practical performance: ~15-20% damage increase S1 to S5 in optimal scenarios. Matters most in high-difficulty content where small gains determine cycle count thresholds.
Whale vs Low-Spender
Whales: Can pursue refinement but should evaluate if optimal allocation. 51,200 Jades for S1→S5 (4 copies × 12,800) could instead secure 3 guaranteed limited 5-stars (14,400 each).
Low-spenders: Avoid intentional refinement entirely. 15-20% improvement = poor value vs expanding character roster. Treat additional copies from lucky early pulls as bonuses, never pull specifically for refinement.
Refinement relevant only for players who have: secured all desired characters, possess optimal Light Cones for all primary team members, seek marginal optimization for competitive leaderboards. For 99% of players = wasteful allocation.
When to Stop
Optimal stopping: S1. First copy provides access to all three core mechanics. Subsequent copies offer only incremental improvements with steep diminishing returns.
S2 from lucky early pulls = meaningful improvement (4-5% performance) for minimal cost. Acceptable if natural, but don't pursue intentionally.
Beyond S2: progressively smaller improvements rarely justify 12,800 Jade/copy.
Exception: targeting cycle count records in leaderboards. These competitive contexts reward marginal optimization providing no practical benefit in normal gameplay.
Decision Framework
Pull Decision Checklist
Sunday Usage: Use Sunday as primary Harmony support in ≥2 team comps? If no → skip
Current Light Cone: Using 3-star or low-refinement 4-star? Already have 5-star Harmony? If yes → skip
Jade Reserves: Have ≥27,200 Jades, or ≥12,800 with guaranteed featured status? If no → skip
Future Priorities: Any must-pull characters in 3.9/4.0? If yes → skip
Performance Gap: Current Sunday struggles with clear times due to Energy/SP limitations? If no → skip
Opportunity Cost: Willing to potentially delay next character by one banner cycle? If no → skip
Answer yes to all six → consider pulling. Answer no to any → skip.
Account Profile Assessment
New Players (Level <50): Skip entirely. Focus exclusively on character roster diversity.
Mid-Game (Level 50-65): Skip unless meet all checklist criteria. Still need character acquisitions to fill roster gaps.
Late-Game (Level 65+): Consider if meet all criteria and have diverse roster. Gain more relative value from optimization.
F2P: Skip unless 35,000+ Jades and meet all criteria. Resource constraints make Light Cone optimization a luxury.
Low-Spenders (Monthly Pass): Skip unless Sunday = absolute favorite and prioritize his optimization over efficiency.
Whales: Pull if use Sunday regularly, but prioritize characters and other signatures first.
Final Verdict
Pull if:
Sunday = primary Harmony across multiple teams
Using 3-star or low-refinement 4-star
Have 27,200+ Jades
No upcoming characters take priority
Struggle with Energy/SP management
Accept potentially delaying next character
Skip if:
Sunday not primary Harmony
Already have 5-star Harmony alternatives
<27,200 Jades
Upcoming characters take priority
Current build achieves comfortable clears
Prefer character diversity over optimization
For most players: skip = optimal decision. Performance improvement, while meaningful, rarely justifies opportunity cost of delayed character acquisitions.
FAQ
Is A Grounded Ascent worth pulling in 3.8 Phase III?
Worth pulling only if: use Sunday as primary Harmony, lack 5-star alternatives, maintain 27,200+ Jades, and have no higher-priority upcoming characters. For most, skipping and using Memories of the Past provides better efficiency.
How does it compare to Memories of the Past?
~33% better performance (4-cycle vs 6-cycle clears in MoC 12-1). Superior Energy regen (6-8 vs 4), damage amp via Hymn stacks (up to 45% vs none), SP recovery. But Memories costs zero Jades = more resource-efficient.
Should F2P pull on Light Cone banners?
Generally no. 12,800-25,600 Jade cost = 89-178% of character hard pity. Characters expand gameplay; Light Cones provide incremental optimization. Use Herta Store and naturally accumulated 4-stars instead.
What's the pity system?
80-pull hard pity (12,800 Jades), 75% featured rate. Soft pity ~65-70 pulls. Losing 75% = 100% guarantee next, potentially requiring 160 total pulls (25,600 Jades). Pity carries between Light Cone banners, independent from Character Warp.
How much Jade does Phase 3 provide F2P?
4,540-4,940 Jades via Daily Training (840), MoC (1,200), Nameless Honor (500), Pure Fiction (600), Apocalyptic Shadow (600), events (800-1,200). Represents ~35-38% of hard pity.
Is refinement necessary?
No. S1 provides all three core mechanics. S1→S5 = ~15-20% improvement but costs 51,200 additional Jades. Most should stop at S1 and redirect resources elsewhere.