HSR best support: Should you use Sunday, Bronya, or Sparkle?
In a field crowded with supports, there's not a clear winner
The HSR support pool is getting a bit crowded, now that Sunday is storming onto the scene with a kit that’s remarkably similar to Bronya’s and Sparkle’s at first glance. Sunday has a lot to offer, especially with Remembrance just around the corner, though if you've already got a well-built Bronya, the need for him gets a bit less urgent.
Our HSR Sunday, Bronya, and Sparkle comparison guide breaks down what Sunday does better than his competition and what teams he's a good fit for. If you're wondering what to do with Sunday if you do get him, check out our HSR Sunday build guide for some tips.
Sunday, Bronya, and Sparkle
Sunday’s kit is closely similar to Bronya’s and Sparkle’s, so if you’re wondering how he compares to them and whether he’s worth it if you have either of the others, this section is for you.
Sunday’s skill fully advances the target’s action and increases their damage, just like Bronya’s, where Sparkle’s only pushes them forward by 50 percent. He also raises the target’s crit rate by a flat amount thanks to his talent, and while Sunday’s skill doesn’t increase the target’s crit damage as Sparkle can, his ultimate does. It restores the target’s energy by 20 percent and gives them the Beatified state as well. When Sunday uses his skill on a Beatified target, he recovers one skill point.
Sunday’s skills are single-target only, unlike Bronya’s and Sparkle’s ultimate, and his buffs are smaller. The exception to that is if Sunday uses his skill on a character with a follower, which seems to refer to helper characters that Remembrance units will summon. If a character has one of those, Sunday’s skill adds a hefty extra damage buff. He also has a passive Trace that lets him cleanse one debuff with his skill.
Sunday could end up being invaluable on Remembrance teams, depending on how they work, in the same way that Ruan Mei shaped the meta for HSR 2.0. However, Sunday’s kit doesn’t seem quite as far-reaching as Ruan Mei’s, unless Remembrance requires careful turn management to function.
Sunday vs. Bronya
If you don’t have Bronya and don’t want to claim her via HSR 2.7’s free 5-star giveaway, Sunday is an excellent Harmony character who works with pretty much any team. If you do have Bronya and struggle with skill point management, Sunday helps mitigate that after casting his ultimate. Bronya gets that ability as well, but only after you unlock her first Eidolon.
It seems likely HoYoverse is setting up for the big HSR 3.0 update, where it looks as if characters with followers will play a prominent role. At level 10, Sunday’s skill would give a target character with a follower an 80 percent damage buff, where Bronya’s skill at the same level gives them a 66 percent buff. That 14 percent difference is probably not worth the Jade it would take to get Sunday, though, especially since you’ll likely want to pull for Amphoreus characters as well.
That said, Sunday’s buff lasts for two turns, where Bronya’s only lasts for one, which means you’ll use fewer skill points and can buff more than one character without harming your damage output. Bronya’s ultimate helps buff other party members as well, but if you’re running a hypercarry team with just one damage dealer, that feature is not as much of a concern.
So, the TL;DR is that Sunday is marginally better than Bronya, especially on future Remembrance teams, though you’re not missing out too much if you skip him for now.
Sunday vs. Sparkle
The situation with Sparkle is rather different. Sunday provides lesser buffs in general and can’t regenerate skill points the way she can. However, Sparkle also can’t advance forward units the way Sunday – and Bronya – can, which means she takes much more effort to build effectively, especially where speed is concerned. Additionally, Sparkle has no way to increase her target’s crit rate, where Sunday’s skill naturally enhances it and makes it easier to take advantage of his ultimate’s crit damage buff.
Sunday’s buffs might not seem as impressive from a purely numbers perspective, but the range of them and how comparatively easy it is to build Sunday makes him a stronger choice in most circumstances. That’s doubly so if the target has a summon character. Sparkle can’t manipulate turn order as effectively, and if you’re running a team that doesn’t devour skill points, you’ll struggle to maintain her passive damage buff. Sunday’s a much easier and more generally useful support compared to Sparkle.
Of course, if you pass on Sunday in HSR 2.7, you'll get another chance to pull for him in 2025. Ruan Mei showed up again about six months after her debut, so a summer Sunday rerun seems likely as well.
Check out our Honkai Star Rail tier list to see who might be a good pick for Sunday's companions, and head over to our Star Rail codes page for some freebies to help with your next pulls, be they in HSR 2.7 or beyond.