Cyno, the General Mahamatra

Rarity	(5-Star Limited)
Element	Electro
Weapon	Polearm
Best Role	Hyperbloom/Aggravate Carry
Stat Priority	EM = CRIT > ATK% > ER
Tier	A (With Premium Supports)

Cyno is the General Mahamatra, a fearsome enforcer of the Akademiya. He is a "Selfish Carry" whose kit revolves around his Elemental Burst, entering the Pactsworn Pathclearer state to deal continuous Electro damage. His gameplay is rhythmic, requiring precise timing of his Elemental Skill to match the "Eye" visual indicator.

Pros

Excellent damage floor in Quickbloom/Hyperbloom teams.
Extremely engaging and rhythmic playstyle (QTE mechanics).
High resistance to interruption during Burst.
Scales extremely well with Elemental Mastery (EM).
White Tassel (3-star weapon) is surprisingly competitive.

Cons

Burst Reliant: Does negligible damage outside of Burst.
Long Field Time: Requires ~18s on field, outlasting most buffs (e.g., Bennett, Kazuha).
High Energy Recharge requirements without a battery.
Cannot swap out during Burst without ending it early.

Quick Guide (TL;DR)

Cyno demands a specific team structure to support his long on-field duration.

Best Artifact: 4pc Thundering Fury (Best Gameplay/Energy) or 4pc Gilded Dreams (Stat Stick).
Best Weapon: Staff of the Scarlet Sands (Signature).
Alt Weapon: Primordial Jade Winged-Spear or Staff of Homa.
F2P Weapon: White Tassel (R5 3-Star from Liyue Chests) or Kitain Cross Spear.
Main Stats: SANDS: EM (Preferred) or ATK% | GOBLET: Electro DMG | CIRCLET: CRIT.
Talent Priority: Elemental Burst > Elemental Skill > Normal Attack (Ignore NA).
Top Team: Cyno + Furina + Nahida + Baizhu (Premium Quickbloom).

Pro Tip: The Eye of the Storm: During his Burst, a giant eye symbol will flash on screen at intervals. You MUST use your Elemental Skill (E) exactly when this eye appears. This triggers the "Judication" effect, dealing 35% more damage and firing off 3 Duststalker Bolts.

Ascension & Talent Materials

Category	Material Name	Source
Ascension	Scarabs	Sumeru Desert (Rolling balls in sand)
Boss Drop	Thunderclap Fruitcore	Electro Regisvine (Sumeru)
Talent Books	Teachings of Admonition	Steeple of Ignorance (Mon/Thu/Sun)
Common Mob	Samachurl Scrolls	Samachurls (Everywhere)

Talent Breakdown & Mechanics

Normal Attack: Invoker's Spear

Usage: Rarely used outside of Burst. You should NOT level this talent as his Burst uses separate scaling.

Elemental Burst: Sacred Rite: Wolf's Swiftness

Transformation: Cyno enters the Pactsworn Pathclearer state. His Normal, Charged, and Plunging Attacks are converted to Electro DMG (cannot be overridden).
EM Buff: He gains 100 Elemental Mastery during this state.
Duration: Lasts 10s base, but can extend to 18s by using his Elemental Skill.

Elemental Skill: Secret Rite: Chasmic Soulfarer

Normal Form: A simple thrust forward. Generates particles.
Burst Form (Mortuary Rite): Unleashes a thunderous slam.
A1 Passive (Featherfall Judgment): While in Burst, an "Eye" symbol appears on screen at intervals. Using Skill during this window triggers "Judication," increasing damage by 35% and firing 3 Duststalker Bolts that deal 100% ATK as Electro DMG.
Thundering Fury Synergy: If wearing 4pc TF, you can use the Skill in between the Eye windows to generate extra energy and damage.

Talent Priority Order:

Elemental Burst (Level 10) - Primary damage source.
Elemental Skill (Level 9) - Duststalker Bolt damage.
Normal Attack (Level 1) - Can be left unlevelled.

Stat Requirements & ER Thresholds

Cyno has an 80-cost burst and generates few particles during his Burst mode if not playing 4pc TF perfectly. ER is critical.

Team Context	Artifact Set	ER Requirement
Double Electro (Fischl)	Thundering Fury	130% - 140%
Double Electro (Fischl)	Gilded Dreams	140% - 150%
Solo Electro	Any	180%+ (Avoid this)

Substat Priority:

ER% (Until requirement met - DEADLY IMPORTANT)
CRIT Rate / CRIT DMG
Elemental Mastery (Very high value, often equal to Crit)
ATK% (Lower priority than EM with Signature Weapon)

Best Artifacts Comparison

Set Name	Role	Reasoning
4pc Thundering Fury	Best Gameplay	Reduces Skill CD, allowing you to use Skill between the Eye intervals. This generates significantly more energy, lowers ER requirements, and feels very fast-paced.
4pc Gilded Dreams	Stat Stick	Provides massive EM and ATK stats. Generally higher raw damage per screenshot, but requires higher ER substats than TF.
4pc Gladiator's Finale	Generalist	Buffs Normal Attack DMG. Good if you already have great substats, but worse than TF/Gilded in reaction teams.

Weapon Rankings

Weapon	Type	Performance	Notes
Staff of the Scarlet Sands	CRIT Rate	S+	Tailor-made. Converts EM to ATK. Makes EM Sands indisputably better than ATK Sands.
Primordial Jade Winged-Spear	CRIT Rate	S	High Base ATK and Crit Rate. Stacks passive easily with Cyno's fast attacks.
White Tassel (R5)	CRIT Rate	A (3-Star)	Found in Liyue Chests. 48% Normal Attack DMG bonus at R5 is massive for Cyno. Better than most 4-stars.
Ballad of the Fjords	CRIT Rate	A (BP)	Battle Pass weapon. Provides lots of EM when 3 different elements are in the party (common in Hyperbloom).

Constellation Value

Cyno functions well at C0, but his C2 is a massive damage spike.

C1: Ordinance: Unceasing Vigil - (Attack Speed) Increases Normal Attack SPD by 20% during Burst. Makes gameplay smoother and allows more combos.
C2: Ceremony: Homecoming of Spirits - (Electro DMG) Normal attacks grant 10% Electro DMG Bonus, stacking up to 50%. This is his best constellation (~20-25% DPS increase).
C6: Raiment: Just Wages - (Extra Bolts) Burst attacks trigger extra Duststalker Bolts. Machine gun lightning gameplay.

Top Team Compositions

1. Premium Quickbloom

Main DPS: Cyno
Hydro: Furina / Yelan / Xingqiu
Dendro: Nahida / Baizhu (Baizhu is preferred for multi-wave content)
Healer/Flex: Baizhu / Kuki Shinobu / Zhongli

Why it works: Cyno triggers Hyperbloom seeds created by the Hydro+Dendro supports while maintaining Quicken uptime for Aggravate. Furina's long buff duration matches Cyno's field time perfectly.

2. Aggravate Carry

Main DPS: Cyno
Sub-DPS: Fischl (Essential Battery)
Dendro: Nahida / Kirara / YaoYao
Anemo/Shield: Kazuha / Zhongli

Why it works: Pure Electro damage. Requires high investment on Cyno's personal damage stats (Crit/ATK). Fischl helps fund his expensive burst.

Rotations & Combos

Standard Thundering Fury Rotation:
Support Setup > Cyno E Q > N2 E > N4 E (Eye) > N4 E (TF Cooldown) > N4 E (Eye)...

Tip: The "N4 E (Eye)" indicates you should perform 4 normal attacks, and then use your Skill exactly when the visual Eye appears on screen. With Thundering Fury, you can fit an extra Skill use between the Eyes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I swap out during his Burst?
No. If you swap characters, Cyno's burst ends immediately. This makes him awkward with short buffers like Bennett or Kazuha.

Is EM or ATK Sands better?
EM Sands is almost always better, especially with his signature weapon or in Hyperbloom teams. Only use ATK Sands if it has vastly superior substats and you are not playing Hyperbloom.

Data Source: KQM Standards. Last Updated: December 2025

Cyno Guide: The Definitive Build & Analysis