Grand Pope Sage is a buffer, debuffer, control, support, and healer unit. He has an interesting skill set, but it is complex to understand and use, which limits his participation in PvP somewhat. This is the case with many units in the game.
But now we have the Pope Sage Awakened Cloth. Pope Sage’s Awakened Cloth (Cloth Repair) drastically elevates his role in Saint Seiya Awakening, transforming him into one of the most oppressive control units in the game. While his base version already had strong utility, the awakened version introduces a powerful energy manipulation system that can cripple enemy teams from the very start of the battle.
At the beginning of combat, Sage gains a significant speed boost, allowing him to act earlier than most units, and automatically applies Athena Seals to all enemies. These seals stack whenever enemies use active skills, quickly pushing them toward a critical threshold where they become exiled for one turn. This exile mechanic is not just a form of control—it completely disrupts the enemy’s tempo by removing units from play at key moments.
What makes this mechanic particularly impactful is its interaction with energy. Every time enemies gain stacks or get exiled, Sage effectively drains and manipulates the enemy’s energy pool, often leaving them unable to execute their strategies. Once an exiled unit returns, the enemy team can lose the remaining stored energy entirely, further reinforcing Sage’s control over the flow of the match. In practical terms, a fast Sage can shut down the opponent’s game plan almost immediately.
However, this power comes at a cost. The Awakened version demands significantly higher skill investment, especially to guarantee consistent seal application and maximize his control potential. Speed also becomes even more critical than before, as the faster Sage will dominate the energy war between both teams.
In the current meta, Awakened Pope Sage is not just a niche pick—he is a defining unit. His ability to dictate energy flow and disable enemies makes him either a must-play or a must-ban character, especially in competitive environments where tempo and control are everything.
Pros
- Extremely strong energy control that can cripple enemy teams early
- High base speed boost allows him to dictate the pace of battle
- Exile mechanic removes key enemies at critical moments
- Very flexible: works in multiple team compositions
- Can function effectively with low energy cost (basic attack playstyle)
Cons
- Requires heavy skill investment to reach full potential
- Highly dependent on speed (loses value if outsped)
- Each enemy can only be exiled once, limiting long fights
