Archer is a really unique servant in the Fate universe. Of course, anyone who has watched the Unlimited Blade Works anime adaptation knows his fascinating back-story, and his popularity among fans is unquestioned. Though he might be one of the series most popular male characters, he certainly isn’t its strongest. In a franchise that constantly deals with legendary heroes and mythical beings, Archer stands out as a somewhat more grounded servant. Though strong, he isn’t on the same level as many of the other servants in the series’ lore, yet he can make up for that gap with his cunning and resolve.
Don’t get it wrong, Archer isn’t a pushover. He could very easily hold his own in a fight, but some match-ups are obviously not going to be in his favor. Be in close quarter combat, or ranged attacks, Archer has different ways of approaching various enemies. These are 5 servants he can beat, and 5 he just can’t.
10 Can: Stheno
Assassin servants typically aren’t the strongest in the bunch, and often have to rely on stealth and trickery when going against an opponent. This method of attack seems like something Archer would fare well against, as he himself often employs a less direct approach to battle.
Steno may be faster and have a significantly better Mana stat than Archer, but she’s at a pretty big disadvantage in two other key stats; strength and endurance. If she can’t manage to one-and-done Archer, Stheno has no chance of surviving a direct confrontation for all that long.
9 Can’t: Atalanta
In this Archer v Archer match-up, the nod goes to the Greek legend. Atlanta doesn’t have incredibly impressive stats, but she’s proven herself to be both an excellent archer and an aggressive fighter.
What would make this such an interesting match-up is Archer’s ability to get into close quarter-combat situations. Archer usually favors his swords, using his bow as a secondary weapon. If she was far enough, Atlanta could easily outmatch him with her archery skills. Her superior agility would make it difficult for Archer to close the gap between them in that case, which would make close-quarter combat a non-factor.
8 Can: Beowulf
Berserker class servants are always tricky to deal with, as they’re all incredibly strong and resilient. This is a scenario where Archer would need to put his archery skills to good use, rather than going into the battle swords first.
Though he has shown himself to be skilled at dual-wielding, there’s no way Archer can match Beowulf’s strength one-on-one. Archer’s only hope would be to keep Beowulf at bay until he can unleash his noble phantasm and seal the deal with Unlimited Blade Works.
7 Can’t: Iskandar
What makes this such an interesting fight is both Archer and Iskandar’s ability to utilize a reality marble during combat. Though Unlimited Blade Works can win Archer a lot of fights he’d otherwise have no business wining, he wouldn’t manage to survive Iskandar’s Ionioi Hetairoi.
In a head to head bout, Archer would be at an immediate disadvantage in terms of strength and endurance. Ranged combat wouldn’t do him any favors against a Rider servant either. His only hope would be to unleash UBW, but should Iskandar activate Ionioi Hetairoi first, the fight would be over.
6 Can: Diarmuid Ua Duibhne
On paper, this is a match-up that doesn’t favor Archer all that much. We know that Archer class servants are at a disadvantage against Lancer class servants. But there’s one ability in Archer’s arsenal that would give him a chance against Diarmuid. You guessed it; Unlimited Blade Works.
It really seems like the only way Archer could stand a chance against Diarmuid. Locking him into the reality marble would eventually overwhelm the Irish heroic spirit, and he’d meet a quick end.
5 Can’t: Artoria Pendragon (Lancer)
One of the many alternate universe servants in the Fate universe, Artoria Lancer is just as powerful and formidable as the original. Her appearance isn’t the only thing different about her however, as her Lancer classing gives her an advantage over Archer that the latter might not be able to make up for.
Artoria’s stats are pretty spectacular all across the board – with the exception of her luck. She pretty much surpasses or matches Archer in every major stat. The presence of Unlimited Blade Works would make this an interesting fight, but Artoria’s own noble phantasm, Rhongomyniad, could nullify any advantages Archer gained from his.
4 Can: Artoria Pendragon (Lily)
We go straight to another version of Artoria, this time a younger and less experienced fighter. Though she has more raw potential than Archer, Saber Lilly isn’t at full power at this point in time. Despite that, she’s still a pretty formidable foe.
This is comparable to a fight between Archer and Saber in her prime, with the lack of experience on Lily’s end being the deciding factor of this fight. Archer could very easily handle this by activating Unlimited Blade Works and overwhelming the young king.
3 Can’t: Tamamo no Mae
Caster servants aren’t exactly suited for direct combat, and Tamamo no Mae is no exception here. While Archer would be fairly successful in attacking her head-on, don’t underestimate this feline mage.
Tamamo’s parameters may be low, but she has incredible magic ability. That’ something Archer doesn’t deal with very well. Though he could very well handle her if the situation played out in his favor, Tamamo gets the nod due to her mastery of magecraft.
2 Can: Gilgamesh
This is one of the only sure things on this list, since we’ve technically seen it play out in the Unlimited Blade Works route. Gilgameshj is a terrifying foe, and his Gates of Babylon can handle most servants pretty easily. But Archer’s own noble phantasm actually provides an effective counter to the King of Kings.
Though Archer kind of snuck in for the win in UBW, the fight with Shiro can be used as the groundwork for this argument. Within his Unlimited Blade Works, Archer could keep up with Gilgamesh’s own noble phantasm and eventually wear him out for the win.
1 Can’t: Jeanne d'Arc (Alter)
This would certainly be an interesting match-up to watch play-out, as Jeanne Alter has the advantage in strength, agility and most major parameters. The thing to watch out for here on Archer’s side – as is always the case – is his use of Unlimited Blade Works.
Against most servants, that would be enough to give him the advantage. But in this case, Jalter could very easily counter him with her own noble phantasm; La Grondement Du Haine. The attack would just counter anything Archer threw at her and engulf him in flame.