Veterans right from the start. fattyzilla in the beginning and then, if I get to Round 2, Wiz. I remember fattyzilla's name from as far back as S2, so I'm concerned that their might be some design elements that I'm not grasping on paper. I kind of want to run tests, but I also kind of want to just watch it happen when it happens.
On paper though, I think I can take my first match. Four armored units could cause a bit of trouble. Although I see one Paladin that's a walking target at 70/70 with a Cross Helmet and a Light Robe, notably with innate Regen and Move-HP Up to balance it. I'm seeing quite a bit of tanking, but not a great deal of offense. The Poison Bows could draw some of my units off-task for status healing. It looks like it's going to be a lengthy match and my team is usually at their best in long matches. Cheer Song, Battle Song, and PA/MA Save could be troublesome. I worry most about Cheer Song. I don't see MA Save doing much for the Bard and Paladin, as the strength of their skills isn't MA-based. The PA Save armored Crossbow units will surely cause the most trouble. Add Cheer Song and Battle Song to that, and you've got my team in a bit of trouble. Ultimately though, everyone's got mid-to-high Faith, making them easy prey for my Short Charged Holy and Blast Gun. The Bard will probably use Steal Heart more often than his songs, which could cause trouble, but is RNG dependent and up against Esuna and Stigma Magic. A long match tends to favor me with all four equipment breaks at 8 range, MP Healing, and a PA Save Lancer. The greatest threats to me are PA Save on the other side, and the success rate of Steal Heart, though with all Serpentarius, it's surely a 53% chance every time. For the most part, it will come down to the RNG (as always), but I'm optimistic about my chances in Round 1.
Wiz's team looks a bit more dangerous. They're very solid (reminiscent of Raven's Y U SO DERP, in some ways). With H Bag, Move-HP Up, Setiemson, Defense Up, Brigandine and 40/40 Fury/Faith all working in beautiful Harmony, plus Thief Hat for Speed. Insult and Kiyomori could do a bit of damage if the AI makes good use of them. For the Thieves, Auto-Potion, Unyielding, Black Costume, and 40/40 make a great combo. The Golden Hairpin is an interesting choice. I suppose they need the MP for Quickening, though it will be interesting to see if the AI priorities allow them to spam it or not; I've seen it go both ways. Them being the support units though, I don't think Quickening will see very heavy use, which makes the golden Hairpin unnecessarily squishy. Hidden Knife, Quickening, and an innate 10 speed compliment each other nicely. Hidden Knife also deals concentrated damage, so my evasion is neutralized. I'm not seeing a great deal of offensive power here. Although with 40/40, innate Shell/Defense Up, Unyielding, innate Regen, and Auto-Potion, they won't be taking much damage either. If they blind my Lancer and Berserk my mages, I'll be in trouble. Ultimately, if I make it to Round 2, I think it's going to be a long back and forth match.
Oh, I'm an arrogant bastard, aren't I? Perhaps I over-estimate my team's abilities.
At any rate, I'm super excited. Even if I get my ass kicked in 30 seconds, it'll still be a fun time.
