Citlali’s name is back in the leak cycle not because of a new datamine or beta push, but because the original source briefly vanished. When a high-traffic rumor post throws repeated 502 errors, the community instinctively assumes something was taken down rather than something simply breaking. In a live-service game where deleted leaks often signal accuracy, that assumption spreads fast across Discords, Reddit threads, and theorycrafting servers.
The result is a familiar Genshin pattern: old information suddenly feels new again, and speculation ramps up before anyone stops to check where the data actually came from.
Server Errors, Not Takedowns
The error message tied to the Citlali post points to a connection failure loop, not a DMCA strike or manual removal. Game sites hit with traffic spikes around major patches or leak waves often temporarily lock pages behind automated protection, triggering these errors for users refreshing too aggressively. To veteran leak-watchers, this is infrastructure, not censorship.
That distinction matters because real takedowns usually erase mirrors just as fast. In Citlali’s case, the content reappeared through cached pages and secondary reposts almost immediately, which suggests the original article never fully left the server.
Mirror Posts Amplifying Old Information
Once the page became inaccessible for some readers, mirror posts began circulating on aggregator sites and social media. These mirrors often strip context, timestamps, and update notes, making the information feel fresher than it actually is. Players encountering the kit details through these reposts are often missing the original disclaimers that framed the leak as early and incomplete.
This is why Citlali’s rumored abilities are being discussed as if they’re recent discoveries, despite no new beta files or test server footage backing them up. The leak didn’t evolve; its visibility did.
Where the Kit Rumors Came From
The circulating Citlali kit outlines read like an early design pass rather than a finalized character. Descriptions focus on elemental application patterns, cooldown interactions, and reaction triggers without concrete scalings, frame data, or constellation effects. That usually means the information originated from pre-beta design notes or secondhand translations, not direct gameplay testing.
From a theorycrafting perspective, this places the kit firmly in the speculative tier. You can discuss potential roles, like whether she leans toward off-field application or quick-swap burst damage, but you can’t reliably slot her into current team comps yet.
Reliability Red Flags Players Should Notice
One major warning sign is how broadly the rumored kit fits multiple archetypes. When a leak suggests strong utility, flexible DPS potential, and reaction synergy all at once, it often means details haven’t been narrowed down internally. Real beta leaks tend to be messy in numbers but precise in function, not the other way around.
Another red flag is the lack of interaction details with existing systems like ICD rules, energy generation, or snapshot behavior. Without those, it’s impossible to judge whether Citlali would meaningfully shift the meta or simply exist as another niche pick.
How to Treat This Leak for Pull Planning
For players planning Primogem spending months in advance, the safest approach is to treat Citlali’s current kit rumors as a concept pitch, not a promise. You can speculate about team shells she might fit into, but you shouldn’t lock in artifact farming or weapon targets yet. Until beta footage or credible dataminer confirmation surfaces, this is information to watch, not information to act on.
The renewed circulation says more about how fast Genshin’s leak ecosystem reacts to uncertainty than it does about Citlali’s actual power level.
Who Is Citlali? Positioning the Character Within Natlan, Elemental Expectations, and Role Speculation
With the reliability caveats established, the next step is understanding who Citlali is supposed to be in the broader Genshin Impact ecosystem. Even without locked-in numbers or animations, character identity within a region like Natlan tells us a lot about intended function. HoYoverse rarely designs kits in a vacuum, especially for flagship region characters.
Natlan’s design philosophy has already been telegraphed through NPC dialogue, lore drops, and Fontaine-era balance trends. It’s a region framed around aggression, momentum, and high-risk combat expression, which immediately narrows the range of roles Citlali is likely to occupy.
Citlali’s Place in Natlan’s Thematic Design
Natlan characters are expected to lean proactive rather than reactive. Unlike Fontaine’s HP manipulation or Sumeru’s reaction-centric experimentation, Natlan appears built around tempo control and pressure, rewarding players who stay on the offensive.
If Citlali is positioned as an early or mid-cycle Natlan release, she’s likely designed to showcase that philosophy. That makes pure defensive roles or passive healers less probable, unless heavily hybridized with offensive utility.
This context matters because it shapes how her rumored abilities should be interpreted. Effects that sound generic on paper, like elemental application or buffs, may actually be tuned around aggressive uptime rather than sustain or safety.
Elemental Expectations and Why Pyro Isn’t Guaranteed
The default assumption is Pyro, and for good reason. Natlan is Pyro-aligned, and HoYoverse often uses region launches to reinforce elemental identity through new playstyles.
That said, recent regions have shown a willingness to subvert expectations. Fontaine launched with Hydro dominance, but leaned heavily into HP mechanics instead of raw reaction damage. Sumeru introduced Dendro, yet many of its strongest units weren’t traditional reaction drivers.
Citlali being Pyro would immediately place her under scrutiny due to the element’s crowded roster and strict ICD limitations. If she is Pyro, her value likely comes from how she applies Pyro rather than how hard she hits, which aligns with leaks hinting at patterned application instead of burst nukes.
Breaking Down the Rumored Role: DPS, Enabler, or Hybrid?
Based on circulating descriptions, Citlali reads less like a hypercarry and more like a rotational enabler. The emphasis on elemental patterns and triggers suggests off-field presence or quick-swap windows rather than extended field time.
If that holds, she could function similarly to characters like Xiangling, Fischl, or Yae Miko, units whose power comes from consistent pressure rather than screen time. That would immediately make her valuable in reaction-driven teams, especially if her application bypasses common ICD bottlenecks.
However, without confirmed frame data or duration values, this remains speculative. A slight shift in cooldowns or hit frequency could push her from meta staple to niche pick very quickly.
How Citlali Could Slot Into the Current Meta
In today’s meta, characters live or die by flexibility. Units that can slot into multiple team shells without demanding specific supports are far more valuable than specialized carries.
If Citlali offers reliable elemental uptime without strict positioning or energy demands, she could become a strong glue unit for Pyro reactions, or even future Natlan-specific mechanics we haven’t seen yet. That kind of design would future-proof her more than raw multipliers ever could.
On the flip side, if her kit ends up split between DPS and utility without excelling at either, she risks falling into the same category as many mid-tier four-stars and early-region five-stars: playable, but rarely optimal.
Separating What’s Plausible From What’s Pure Guesswork
What’s reasonably grounded is Citlali’s likely alignment with Natlan’s aggressive combat identity and some form of proactive elemental application. What remains entirely unconfirmed is her element, field time requirements, and whether she scales as a main damage source or a reaction enabler.
Until beta footage or datamined values appear, any claims about her replacing existing meta units should be treated skeptically. The safest assumption is that Citlali is designed to complement Natlan’s systems first and the current meta second.
For players tracking her for pull planning, the smart move is to watch how Natlan characters are shaping team-building norms. Citlali’s true value will only be clear once we see how those systems interact in real gameplay, not just on leaked kit summaries.
Rumored Ability Kit Breakdown: Skill, Burst, Passives, and Core Gameplay Loop
With the broader context in mind, this is where the leaks start to matter for actual gameplay. Citlali’s rumored kit points toward a character defined less by burst damage windows and more by sustained elemental pressure, positioning her closer to an enabler or hybrid utility DPS than a traditional hypercarry.
As always, everything below is based on early leak chatter and pattern analysis from recent character designs. Treat mechanical concepts as more reliable than numbers, which are almost guaranteed to shift before release.
Elemental Skill: Persistent Field Pressure and Elemental Application
According to leaks, Citlali’s Elemental Skill appears to deploy a lingering effect rather than a single instance hit. Think of a deployable zone or summon that applies her element at steady intervals, prioritizing consistency over front-loaded damage.
If accurate, this immediately places her in competition with units like Fischl, Yae Miko, and Nahida in terms of off-field value. The real deciding factor will be application rate and ICD behavior, since even a strong-looking skill collapses if it can’t reliably trigger reactions.
From a gameplay perspective, this suggests Citlali wants quick swaps and minimal field time. Drop the Skill, rotate through teammates, and let her do work in the background while reactions carry the damage.
Elemental Burst: Utility-Driven Impact Over Raw Multipliers
The rumored Burst is where Citlali’s identity becomes more interesting. Instead of a pure nuke, leaks point toward an effect that either amplifies reaction damage, alters enemy behavior, or enhances her Skill’s output during its duration.
This kind of Burst design mirrors modern Genshin philosophy, where Bursts are often used to enable team damage rather than steal spotlight. If it extends application duration, reduces enemy resistance, or grants buffs tied to elemental reactions, Citlali’s value scales directly with team synergy rather than personal stats.
Energy cost will be critical here. A high-cost Burst without self-battery potential could push her into energy-hungry territory, while a moderate cost would cement her as a low-maintenance rotation piece.
Passive Talents: Reinforcing a Reaction-Centric Identity
Early rumors suggest Citlali’s passives reinforce interaction with elemental reactions or repeated hits on affected enemies. This could manifest as bonus damage after triggering reactions, extended debuff uptime, or scaling effects based on how often enemies are affected by her element.
Passives like this tend to be understated on paper but massive in practice. If her kit rewards consistent uptime instead of burst windows, she naturally fits into teams that already value sustained application, such as Vaporize, Melt, or emerging Natlan-centric reaction systems.
Importantly, nothing so far suggests heavy stat conversion or complicated conditionals. That points toward accessibility rather than mechanical overload, which is increasingly common in newer character designs.
Core Gameplay Loop: Low Field Time, High Team Impact
Putting the pieces together, Citlali’s rumored loop looks simple but potentially powerful. Enter the field, deploy Skill, optionally Burst if available, then rotate out while teammates capitalize on reactions and buffs.
This makes her particularly appealing for players who favor clean rotations and minimal animation lock. If she maintains pressure without demanding I-frames or extended combos, she fits naturally into fast-paced teams that already dominate Spiral Abyss clears.
However, this entire loop hinges on uptime and reliability. Short durations, awkward cooldown alignment, or strict positioning could dramatically lower her practical value despite strong theoretical synergy.
What’s Speculative Versus What’s Likely Solid
The most reliable takeaway is structural, not numerical. Citlali is almost certainly not a selfish on-field carry, and her value likely comes from enabling others through elemental application or reaction-focused utility.
What remains pure guesswork are her element, exact reaction compatibility, and whether her kit introduces any Natlan-exclusive mechanics that change standard team-building rules. Until beta footage confirms hit frequency, AoE size, and energy economy, no tier placement should be treated as final.
For pull planners, the smart stance is cautious optimism. If you value flexible off-field units that age well across metas, Citlali is worth watching closely, but committing early expectations without confirmed mechanics is the fastest way to disappointment.
Elemental Mechanics and Team Synergy: How Citlali Could Interact With Current Meta Reactions
Given the emphasis on uptime and off-field pressure, Citlali’s real value will live or die by how her element interacts with existing reaction frameworks. Even without confirmed numbers, reaction compatibility alone can determine whether she’s a niche enabler or a meta staple.
What follows is less about raw damage and more about interaction density. In modern Genshin, consistent elemental presence often outperforms flashy burst multipliers, especially in Abyss chambers built around enemy waves rather than single targets.
Consistent Application Over Burst Damage
If Citlali applies her element at regular intervals rather than in a single front-loaded hit, she immediately slots into reaction-driven teams that prioritize stability. Vaporize and Melt comps, in particular, thrive on predictable application that doesn’t disrupt aura ownership or ICD timing.
This would make her especially appealing alongside carries like Hu Tao, Neuvillette, or future Natlan DPS units rumored to scale off sustained reactions. Even modest application, if reliable, can outperform higher damage kits that desync rotations.
However, this is also where risk lives. Poor ICD rules or low tick frequency would cap her reaction value, relegating her to a support slot that only shines in ideal conditions.
Potential Role in Emerging Natlan Reaction Ecosystems
Natlan’s design direction appears increasingly reaction-centric, with several leaks pointing toward mechanics that reward repeated triggers rather than single amplifications. If Citlali is tuned around that philosophy, she could act as glue for these teams rather than the focal point.
In practice, that could mean enabling new reaction chains or amplifying secondary reactions that don’t traditionally headline team comps. Think less “one big Melt” and more sustained elemental pressure that scales with team coordination.
This is speculative, but it aligns with recent character trends. HoYoverse has been steadily moving away from raw ATK scaling and toward systemic interaction, especially in newer regions.
Synergy With Existing Meta Staples
From a team-building perspective, Citlali’s low field time suggests natural compatibility with hypercarries who already dominate Abyss usage. Characters that demand uninterrupted uptime benefit enormously from supports who don’t steal reactions or animation time.
If her kit avoids snapshotting issues or awkward positioning requirements, she pairs cleanly with Anemo drivers, off-field Hydro applicators, or Pyro carries that struggle with aura consistency. That alone gives her long-term value, even if her personal damage ends up average.
The flip side is competition. The support slot is crowded, and without a unique reaction hook or utility angle, she risks being compared unfavorably to established options like Xingqiu, Yelan, or newer Natlan supports.
What Players Should Treat as Firm Versus Flexible
It’s safe to assume Citlali is designed to interact with reactions rather than bypass them. Her rumored focus on uptime, low commitment, and team amplification fits too cleanly into HoYoverse’s current design language to ignore.
What remains flexible is which reactions she actually elevates. Until her element, ICD behavior, and AoE consistency are confirmed, any claims about her being “best-in-slot” for a specific archetype should be treated as provisional.
For now, the smart read is this: if Citlali reliably applies her element off-field, she will have a place in the meta. Whether that place is foundational or merely convenient depends entirely on how generous her reaction rules end up being.
Comparative Analysis: Citlali vs Existing Characters in Similar Roles
With her rumored low field time and reaction-centric design, Citlali is inevitably going to be judged against Genshin Impact’s most entrenched off-field enablers. That comparison isn’t entirely fair, but it is unavoidable in a meta where efficiency and slot compression define value.
The key difference, assuming leaks hold, is that Citlali appears to amplify reaction flow rather than brute-force it. That puts her in a slightly different lane than many legacy supports, even if the surface role looks familiar.
Citlali vs Xingqiu and Yelan
Xingqiu and Yelan set the gold standard for off-field application because of their consistency, defensive utility, and reaction dominance. They don’t just enable Vaporize or Bloom; they actively define how teams are built around Hydro uptime.
Citlali, by contrast, is rumored to avoid hard-locking teams into a single reaction loop. If true, that makes her less oppressive but more flexible, especially in comps that want layered reactions instead of strict Vape timing.
This is where the tradeoff becomes clear. Xingqiu and Yelan win on raw reliability, while Citlali potentially wins on adaptability if her application avoids ICD bottlenecks and doesn’t override existing auras.
Citlali vs Fischl and Other Electro Enablers
Fischl excels because Oz applies Electro with near-zero effort and scales absurdly well with reactions like Aggravate. Her value is immediate, visible, and extremely well understood.
Citlali’s rumored kit seems more systemic than Fischl’s point-and-shoot approach. Instead of raw ticks of damage, her value may come from smoothing reaction uptime or enabling secondary triggers that Fischl can’t control.
If that’s the case, Citlali won’t replace Fischl in Aggravate cores, but she could outperform her in teams that care more about reaction layering than personal DPS contribution.
Citlali vs Dendro-Centric Supports Like Nahida
Nahida is the benchmark for reaction control, with unmatched application range and frequency. Any character rumored to interact heavily with reactions will inevitably be compared to her, even across elements.
The difference is scope. Nahida dominates teams by being mandatory, while Citlali seems designed to be optional but efficient. She may not redefine reaction archetypes, but she could slot into more of them without forcing structural changes.
That distinction matters for pull planning. A character who is never mandatory but frequently optimal tends to age better across patches.
Citlali vs Newer Regional Supports
Recent supports from newer regions prioritize uptime, team-wide effects, and minimal on-field demands. Citlali fits squarely into that design philosophy, which is a good sign for long-term relevance.
Unlike older supports who trade utility for damage, Citlali’s rumored value lies in interaction density. If her abilities reward coordinated rotations rather than snapshot abuse, she aligns perfectly with HoYoverse’s modern combat pacing.
This is also where uncertainty remains highest. Until her exact element, ICD rules, and AoE behavior are confirmed, comparisons to newer Natlan supports remain directional rather than definitive.
What is reliable is the design intent. Citlali is not being positioned as a raw stat stick or a reaction bypasser, but as a facilitator. In a meta increasingly defined by layered systems rather than single multipliers, that role carries more weight than it used to.
Meta Implications If the Kit Is Accurate: Abyss, Overworld, and Endgame Value
If Citlali’s rumored mechanics translate cleanly into live gameplay, her real impact won’t be measured by raw damage charts. It will be felt in how consistently teams execute rotations, maintain reactions, and avoid dead time between procs.
This places her squarely in the modern support category HoYoverse has been pushing since Fontaine: characters that quietly raise team ceilings rather than headline them.
Spiral Abyss: Consistency Over Peak Damage
In Abyss, Citlali’s value would come from stabilizing reaction uptime across multi-wave floors. If her kit truly enables off-field, semi-autonomous triggers or reaction amplification windows, she becomes a tool for reducing RNG and execution risk rather than chasing speedrun numbers.
That matters in higher Abyss rotations where enemy spawn timing, hitbox drift, and knockback can desync traditional setups. A support that keeps reactions flowing even when enemies scatter is often more valuable than one that adds theoretical DPS you can’t always realize.
Importantly, she doesn’t sound like a hypercarry enabler in the way Bennett or Faruzan are. Instead, she would shine in balanced teams where multiple characters contribute damage, smoothing ICD gaps and preventing reaction falloff during movement-heavy encounters.
Overworld and Exploration: Low Friction, High Comfort
For overworld play, Citlali’s rumored design philosophy is almost ideal. Minimal on-field demands and passive value mean players can clear camps without strict rotations or burst alignment.
If her abilities persist through swaps or have forgiving durations, she becomes a “set and forget” support. That’s exactly what most players want when farming materials, running dailies, or clearing events without sweating cooldown spreadsheets.
This is also where her potential advantage over more micro-intensive supports shows. Characters that require precise timing feel great in Abyss but clunky in casual play. Citlali, if accurate to leaks, would bridge that gap cleanly.
Endgame Scaling and Long-Term Meta Value
From an endgame perspective, Citlali’s biggest strength would be adaptability. Facilitators tend to age better than pure damage dealers, especially as enemy HP scales and reaction-based systems continue to expand.
If her kit interacts with reactions without hardcoding her into a single archetype, she benefits indirectly from future characters. New DPS units, new elements, or new reaction rules would all raise her ceiling without touching her numbers.
That said, this value hinges on specifics we don’t have yet. Element, ICD behavior, and whether her effects snapshot or dynamically update will determine if she’s merely comfortable or quietly optimal across multiple metas.
What’s Speculative vs What Seems Reliable
The reliable signal across leaks is role clarity. Citlali is consistently framed as a facilitator, not a main damage source, and not a reaction override like Nahida. That design intent is unlikely to change.
What remains speculative is execution. Small details like AoE radius, application frequency, and whether her effects require enemies to stay within a zone will drastically alter her Abyss viability.
For pull planning, the takeaway is simple. If you value teams that feel smoother, more forgiving, and less dependent on perfect rotations, Citlali could be a long-term investment. If you’re chasing peak DPS benchmarks or speedrun metas, her impact may look subtle on paper but stronger in practice.
What’s Likely, What’s Questionable: Separating Plausible Design From High-Risk Rumor Details
At this point, the leaks paint a familiar picture, but familiarity is exactly how you judge credibility in Genshin. HoYoverse rarely reinvents core support mechanics out of nowhere. The safest way to read Citlali’s rumored kit is to separate patterns the game has repeated for years from details that sound exciting but historically tend to change.
Likely: Off-Field Utility With Team-Focused Value
The most believable aspect of Citlali’s kit is her off-field contribution. Persistent effects, periodic application, or conditional buffs that function without constant on-field time align perfectly with modern support design. Characters like Furina, Baizhu, and Xianyun have already established this template.
Leaks consistently frame Citlali as someone who enables rather than replaces DPS units. That alone suggests she’s designed to slot into existing teams instead of demanding a new archetype built around her. For pull planners, this is the kind of role that stays relevant across patches.
Likely: Reaction Interaction, Not Reaction Domination
Another plausible detail is that Citlali enhances reactions without owning them. HoYoverse has been cautious since early Dendro days about letting supports completely hijack reaction damage. Expect amplification, consistency, or conditional bonuses rather than raw reaction scaling baked into her kit.
If she improves uptime, reduces application gaps, or smooths reaction triggers, that’s powerful without being balance-breaking. This also keeps her compatible with multiple elements, which explains why leaks avoid locking her into a single reaction ecosystem.
Questionable: Overloaded Kits and Too Many Scaling Hooks
Where skepticism is warranted is any rumor that stacks multiple premium mechanics together. Things like strong buffs, personal damage, healing, interruption resistance, and energy refund all in one kit usually don’t survive beta unchanged. HoYoverse almost always trims one of those levers.
If early leaks describe Citlali doing everything, assume at least one aspect is overstated or misinterpreted. Historically, these details are the first to be tuned down once internal testing hits real Abyss scenarios.
High-Risk: Perfect Uptime and Massive AoE Assumptions
Claims about flawless uptime or extremely generous AoE should be treated carefully. Small numbers like tick rate, radius size, or positional requirements are where a kit’s real power is decided. A field that looks amazing on paper can feel restrictive if enemies step out or teleport.
This is especially important in current Abyss design, where enemies are more mobile and stagger-resistant. If Citlali’s effects require enemies to stay grouped, her performance will swing wildly depending on floor design.
How Players Should Read These Leaks Right Now
The safest expectation is a comfort-oriented support with strong synergy potential but no single broken interaction. That makes her valuable for consistency, not speedrun records. If you enjoy teams that feel stable and forgiving, the likely parts of her kit already justify attention.
Until beta footage confirms details like ICD behavior and effect persistence, treat flashy numbers as placeholders. The real test will be whether Citlali feels invisible in rotation flow, which is often the mark of the best supports in Genshin’s long-term meta.
Pull Planning Advice and Final Expectations: How Much Stock Should Players Put in This Leak?
With all of that context in mind, the real question becomes practical: how should players actually plan around Citlali right now? Leaks can be exciting, but Primogems are finite, and HoYoverse has a long track record of reshaping kits between early rumors and live release. This is where separating “directionally reliable” information from pure speculation really matters.
What Parts of the Leak Are Worth Trusting
The most consistent elements across multiple sources point to Citlali filling a support-first role with rotational smoothing as her core value. Anything involving application consistency, buff uptime, or passive teamwide utility tends to survive beta with only number tweaks. These mechanics are foundational, not flashy, and they align with how HoYoverse designs long-term viable supports.
If the leak suggests she improves reaction stability or reduces rotational friction, that’s the kind of power that ages well. Even if multipliers change, those qualities usually remain intact because they define the character’s identity rather than her ceiling.
What Should Be Treated as Highly Speculative
Exact damage contributions, energy refund values, and “near-perfect uptime” claims are where players should pump the brakes. These are the easiest knobs for HoYoverse to adjust once internal testing exposes edge cases or Abyss abuse. A single second shaved off a duration or a slightly longer cooldown can completely change how a kit feels.
Similarly, any rumor positioning Citlali as both a top-tier buffer and a meaningful sub-DPS should be viewed skeptically. Genshin’s balance philosophy almost always forces a trade-off, especially for supports that slot easily into many team archetypes.
How Citlali Fits Into the Current Meta If the Leak Is Directionally Correct
Assuming the reliable parts hold, Citlali looks like a meta stabilizer rather than a meta disruptor. She wouldn’t replace specialized units like dedicated damage amplifiers or reaction enablers, but she could compete for flex slots where comfort, consistency, and low execution matter. That’s especially valuable in today’s Abyss, where enemy movement and stagger resistance punish rigid rotations.
For players running multi-element teams or reaction-agnostic cores, that kind of flexibility is arguably more valuable than raw damage. She would shine in teams that want fewer things to go wrong rather than higher peak numbers.
Pull Advice: Who Should Actually Save for Her
If you prioritize account flexibility, smoother gameplay, and supports that age well across patches, Citlali is worth keeping Primogems reserved for. Even a slightly nerfed version of the rumored kit would likely remain relevant simply by making teams feel better to play. That’s a form of value that doesn’t show up on spreadsheets but matters over hundreds of Abyss runs.
On the other hand, if you’re chasing speedrun clears or looking for the next defining DPS, this leak shouldn’t override your current plans. Citlali doesn’t appear designed to redefine damage ceilings, and expecting that will only lead to disappointment.
Final Expectations Going Into Beta and Official Reveal
The smartest stance is cautious optimism. Expect a support with strong quality-of-life impact, assume at least one rumored strength gets toned down, and don’t lock in pull decisions until beta footage confirms how her kit actually flows in combat. Watching rotations, field time, and enemy interaction will tell you far more than any early numbers.
In a live-service game like Genshin Impact, patience is a resource just like Primogems. If Citlali ends up delivering on consistency over spectacle, she could quietly become one of those units players are glad they pulled months later, long after the hype has moved on.