Cryo Catalyst

Citlali

Obsidian Opalstar

TierS
RolesSupport · Shielder
Release5.3

A living legend of the Masters of the Night-Wind, Citlali is the best Cryo support for Melt. Her Skill shields the active character and summons Itzpapa, which applies Cryo off-field for a long time, while her passive shreds Pyro and Hydro RES after Melt or Frozen. Everything she does scales with Elemental Mastery, and she remains Mavuika's go-to partner in 7.1.

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Citlali

Cryo support (EM)

Weapons

Starcaller's Watch BiS
5★ · Elemental Mastery
Signature and best in slot: lots of EM, and her shield gives the active character +28% DMG.
+100 Elemental Mastery; creating a shield grants the active character +28% DMG for 15s (once every 14s).
Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers
· HP%
3-star, but +48% ATK for the next character at R5: the top pick for ATK carries like Mavuika, and it can even beat her signature in long rotations.
On switching, the incoming character gains +24% ATK for 10s (once every 20s at R1, 48% at R5).
A Thousand Floating Dreams
5★ · Elemental Mastery
High EM plus a party EM buff: great in Melt teams.
Teammates grant +32 Elemental Mastery (same element) or +10% Elemental DMG (other element) each; the party gains +40 Elemental Mastery.
Favonius Codex
4★ · Energy Recharge
Solves Energy for her and the team, at the cost of EM.
CRIT hits have a 60% chance to generate particles that restore 6 Energy (once every 12s).
Wandering Evenstar
4★ · Elemental Mastery
EM and a party ATK buff based on her EM.
Every 10s, grants ATK equal to 24% of Elemental Mastery, and 30% of that bonus to the party.
Sacrificial Fragments
4★ · Elemental Mastery
EM secondary stat, and its chance to reset her Skill cooldown can let her cast E twice instead of using her Burst.
Elemental Skill hits have a 40% chance to reset the Skill's CD (once every 30s).

Artifacts

Scroll of the Hero of Cinder City ×4
Best set: up to +40% Cryo and Pyro DMG for the party after she Melts.
Set effects
2pWhen a nearby party member triggers a Nightsoul Burst, the wearer regenerates 6 Energy.
4pWhen the wearer triggers a reaction involving their own element, the party gains +12% DMG for the elements involved for 15s, plus another 28% if the wearer is in Nightsoul's Blessing (does not stack).
Instructor ×4
+120 party EM on reactions: the pick for Lunar reaction teams, where DMG% is useless, or when someone else holds Scroll.
Set effects
2pElemental Mastery +80.
4pTriggering an Elemental Reaction gives all party members +120 Elemental Mastery for 8s.
Noblesse Oblige ×4
+20% party ATK after her Burst, which she casts every rotation anyway, when someone else holds Scroll.
Set effects
2pElemental Burst DMG +20%.
4pUsing a Burst grants all party members +20% ATK for 12s (does not stack).
Tenacity of the Millelith ×4
+20% party ATK on Skill hits and a stronger shield; slightly behind Noblesse, but better in E → E setups with Sacrificial Fragments.
Set effects
2pHP +20%.
4pWhen an Elemental Skill hits, all nearby party members gain +20% ATK and +30% Shield Strength for 3s, even while the wearer is off-field.

Main stats

Sands of Eon
Elemental Mastery / Energy Recharge
Goblet of Eonothem
Elemental Mastery / Cryo DMG Bonus
Circlet of Logos
Elemental Mastery / CRIT Rate

Substat priority

1Energy Recharge 2Elemental Mastery 3CRIT Rate 4CRIT DMG

Stat targets

  • Energy Recharge 170–220% as the only Cryo unit (KQM 170–195%, Prydwen about 220% with Scroll; roughly 20% less per Favonius holder)
  • About 145–150% with Xilonen and another Natlan teammate
  • Then as much Elemental Mastery as possible
  • CRIT Rate only with Favonius Codex

Talent priority

Elemental Skill
Elemental Burst
Normal Attack

Her Skill level drives Cryo application damage and shield strength, so it comes first; the Burst is second. In Skirk teams, only her Skill matters: switch to an Energy-light build with Thrilling Tales and Scroll.

Teams

Recommended teams

Premium Mavuika Melt

Mavuika
Citlali
Iansan
Bennett

Mavuika's best team: Citlali Melts her big hits and shreds Pyro RES, Iansan and Bennett stack ATK.

Skirk Cryo

Skirk
Escoffier
Furina
Citlali

Her shred does not help Skirk's Cryo damage, but Thrilling Tales and Scroll bring big buffs for almost no field time.

Arlecchino Melt

Arlecchino
Bennett
Sucrose
Citlali

As the only Cryo unit, she lets Arlecchino Melt her Normal Attacks consistently.

Guide

How to play

How she works

  • Dawnfrost Darkstar (Skill) deals Cryo DMG, deploys an Opal Shield (scales with EM) and summons Itzpapa, who follows the active character. She gains 24 Nightsoul points and enters Nightsoul's Blessing.
  • At 50 Nightsoul points or more, Itzpapa enters Opal Fire and whips up a Frostfall Storm around the active character, applying Cryo while it drains her points.
  • Edict of Entwined Splendor (Burst) deals big Cryo DMG, restores Nightsoul points and drops up to 3 Spiritvessel Skulls that explode for more Cryo DMG and Nightsoul points: it is what pushes Itzpapa into Opal Fire at C0.
  • Mamaloaco's Frigid Rain: when the party triggers Melt or Frozen, affected enemies lose 20% Pyro and Hydro RES for 12s, and she regains 16 Nightsoul points (once every 8s).
  • Itzpapalotl's Star Garments: her Frostfall Storm and Burst gain DMG from her Elemental Mastery, and she gains 4 Nightsoul points whenever a teammate triggers a Nightsoul Burst.

Rotation

  1. E, then Q right away to reach Opal Fire.
  2. Swap to your carry: Itzpapa follows them and keeps applying Cryo.
  3. In Skirk teams, E alone is enough: her Burst is optional there.

Her shield absorbs Cryo DMG at 250% efficiency and briefly applies Cryo to herself: handy against Pyro enemies.

Strengths

  • Strong, long-lasting off-field Cryo application with very short field time
  • Pyro and Hydro RES shred and a shield in the same kit
  • Only needs Elemental Mastery and Energy Recharge
  • Triggers Nightsoul Bursts and consumes Nightsoul points for Natlan teammates like Mavuika

Weaknesses

  • Needs her Burst every rotation at C0, so Energy Recharge requirements are high
  • Her RES shred only helps Pyro and Hydro damage
  • The shield is decent but not strong enough to replace a dedicated shielder in hard content

Notable dupes · Constellation

C1
Solid upgrade

10 Stellar Blade stacks that add 200% of her EM to the active character's hits: a solid buff at any stage.

C2
Big upgrade

+250 EM for teammates, a shield for the active character and an extra 20% Pyro/Hydro RES shred: the best stopping point.

C6
Big upgrade

Permanent Opal Fire and up to +60% Pyro and Hydro DMG for the party: a whale-only upgrade, but a huge one.

Community

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Updated September 25, 2026 · Version 7.1
Sources & references
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