Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War 2017 Tier List - Day 39: The support kids (Corple, Lene, Sharlow and Laylea)

[Jedi]

Ethlin has the ability to keep up with your front-liners and heal them right up! Plus since she'll be near Sigurd and Cuan you can get some silly crits with her on turns that she doesn't have to heal on, with say the Light Sword or anything she can get a hold of, shes one of the first picks in drafts (Partly because she comes with Leif). Although whenever I think of Ethlin I recall something Refa did some years back

9/10

Edited December 12, 2016 by Jedi

[OliKad]

LOL, a no stat level-up! xD
But all of this does mean giving her some major investment, although not as bad as the one that you need to make Arden/Noish good, for example ;)

---

Once again, Finn's time will have to wait until this evening, because i'm just super lazy. I swear, I'll try to be more productive in the future... or not. :)
Still, stay tuned!

...Nah. Scratch that, I have time! ^^

After seeing Ethlyn recieving an surprising average of 8.75/10 (but with ''only'' 16 votes), it's time to complete the Lenster trio with our boy Finn!

Class: Lance Knight (Level 1)
Holy Blood: None
Personal Skills: Pursuit, Miracle

Class Skills: None
Stats:
32 HP (70%)
9 Strength (30%)
0 Magic (5%)
8 Skill (40%)
10 Speed (30%)
7 Defense (30%)
0 Resistance (5%)
8 Luck (50%)

My thoughts: Finn - at the start - is actually very similar to Alec: if you take Alec, swap Nihil with Prayer, removed him the ability to use swords, change his class, and give him a higher Luck base and growth, you've pretty much got Finn in the end! However, there's some differences that will probably make Finn into a better unit overall. First off, his class, while it cannot use swords, has much better promotions gains to offset this. Second, he's exactly like Alec stat-wise, but with better Luck. Three, many could argue that Prayer is much more useful than Nihil most of the time - and that's pretty much true -. Fourth, Finn has a ton of convos to help him out, including one in which he receives the almighty BRAVE LANCE, which can still be argued as the worst brave weapon, but it sure doesn't mean much.

BUT, most importantly, he joins you at the Turn 3 in the Prologue, and while he quits at the start of Chapter 4 alongside with Cuan and Ethlyn, he's the only character who is playable in both generations, so even if he does fall off in the 2nd one - unless in a substitute run - he still makes a great Jeigan and, most importantly, is the grand champion of FE4 in availability. Even thought he seems only marginally better than Alec in the surface (although I still respect the turban much) this Cav is one hell of a guy! I give him a total ranking (with bias) of 8.5/10, because for all the pain he took, I think the man deserves it! :)

Edited December 12, 2016 by OliKad

[Flee Fleet!]

A 9.5/10, with positive bias of course.

If I didn't like Ethlyn so much, Finn would probably be the best of the Leonster trio. First of all, he has Pursuit. While he doesn't do as much damage as Cuan, he can at least double and be able to steal kills very easily. Finn also does not suffer much from 'I can't dodge' syndrome, so he has no need for a healer to be around him all the time. He has Prayer too, which can help him get out of a dangerous situation. He's also on a horse, which is great.

He also has his special convos with Cuan, with the first one increasing a few of his stats, and the second giving him the ever so great Brave Lance. With this lance, Finn can easily ORKO enemies, especially due to having Pursuit as well( which would mean three attacks on the enemy, iirc).

While it may seem a bummer that Finn leaves at the start of Ch4, fear not, he comes back in Gen2, fully available with all his lances(unless you paired him with someone) and stats intact. Thus, he is the king of availability in this game.

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

Pretty much like Cuan only unpromoted. Instead of Adept he has Pursuit. Furthermore he has Prayer, another very useful skill and makes him an excellent dad mainly for Lachesis. He has good growths which will make him better than Cuan in the long run. The brave lance is great, but I prefer to give it to Erin / Fury.

In chapter 7 he serves as a "semi-Jagen" and saves Leif's and Nanna's ass.

His biggest plus is that he has the highest availibility of all characters in FE4.

8,5 / 10

[Punished Dayni]

Fin, really the knight that comes through in Judgral. Also the second of the units to outdo a Chalphy knight (No wonder Alec get such disrespect)

He's the last of the Lenster crew, so he's obviously got early game availability. However, unlike Cuan he's not as fast or as tanky, so the axe units are a threat to him early on. And while he's fast, he actually has almost the same growths as Alec, so the potential to be screwed is still there. Then there's his class's lack of swords, which makes the axes harder and leaves him with a class mostly as heavy as fire tomes. Plus like the others he'll be gone from Chapter 4, so he's not going to be helping in Silessia. However, he's under Cuan's tutelage, and so gets two boosts to make him stand out from Alec. He'll get a stat boost in Chapter 1 from talking, giving him more endurance. And in Chapter 2 he gets the second brave weapon, the Brave Lance. This alone makes his offence amazing, pretty much destroying enemies in one round most of the time. He might have issues with faster sword wielders, but otherwise it does the job. Besides, he also has Prayer instead of Awareness, where if he's low enough on health, he can keep dodging everything and laugh it off, stabbing his way through. His promotion gains give him a serious attack stat, but he doesn't get much skill or speed, which he might be needing. He's got all that, and a horse. So he's alright early on, and from Chapter 2 is a big part of your offence.

Some consolation is that he comes back to help in Gen 2 (Also Thracia 776, but that's beside the point), ready in whatever form he was left. Not that it matters to his availability here, but it does mean it's worth training him in G1. Getting him promoted in G1 is a good call for helping Leaf and Nanna. Also, I recommend selling the Brave Lance before he goes, to whoever you'd consider best to use it.

As a parent, he's definitely worth considering for quite a few pairings. He provides a boost to some of the kids he can pair with (Lakche, Lana and Nanna) in Chapter 7, not that it'll matter to scoring here. As a parent, he's a great option for Lachesis (Really, his main issue is inheritance of swords), giving Pursuit, good growths and Prayer, . He's not much for pairs like Ayra, Fury or Sylvia, where what he provides is not that useful (And at least one skill is wasted). Not exactly terrible, but not pairings I'd recommend for either. Aideen's kids will be happy to get Pursuit and Prayer, but they have other, better pairings. Brigged's kids could also do better, but early Pursuit and Prayer helps Patty's viability. Tiltyu's kids, while not exactly cheering for these growths, do have an interesting combo similar to Lex/Tiltyu, where they can walk through an enemy and spam crits once they're low enough. A risky strategy, limited by a low magic growth, but being able to laugh at the opposition is possibly worth it. Fin being paired comes with two things to note. The first thing to remember is that if he is paired with someone, he doesn't get to keep his equipment, and is stuck with just an Iron Lance in G2. Another thing to note is that it is difficult to get Fin with Tiltyu or Brigged, it is possible to do so if you manage to get to either of them before turn 18 I think. Not using him in pairings is fine as well, but he can go either way to be honest.

I'm going to give G1 Fin an 8.5/10. Really availability hurts him more than his shaky start, as he'll be doing damage in the lancelands of Augustria.

[Yojinbo]

You'd think Fin would fall back at some point during gen 2 because his growth rates are not up to par with the children units. But he's actually pretty much immortal throughout thanks to the Prayer skill. And a 50+ kill Hero Lance will still destroy everything that doesn't have the Awareness skill.

Don't know if I'll give him a 9.5 rating or the full 10. I'll make up my mind later.

[Peppy]

Finn starts off a bit weaker that Cuan but thanks to Pursuit, he can double more reliably than him and he eventually catches up without much trouble. Although he has trouble doubling some of the enemies with the more lighter weapons, he will still have decent damage output (and he will kill most things if you do decide to keep the brave lance on him). If you also trained him enough, he can help the Gen 2 units get out of a jam while they are still trying to reach their potential.

8.5/10 (+0.5 bias included. He handled all the crappy circumstances he was forced to deal quite well)

[ZemZem]

Best character in the game story-wise. Bar none.

Finn is pretty amazing. Has a horse so he's able to keep up with Sigurd, a good skillset in Pursuit and Prayer/Miracle, and is decent growth-wise compared to other units in Gen I. He gets the brave lance in Chapter 2, and his already decent combat then turns amazing. Unfortunately he leaves at the end of Chapter 3, but that's okay. He'll be back to us soon enough.

It's actually good that he didn't stick around in Gen I, because then he would've died. And I'd HATE that. In Gen II he'll fall off soon enough compared to the kids, but he's still not terrible. I'd rather we grade Gen II!Finn when that comes around, but I guess this is how it is.

Also as a father, he's not too bad. He's actually not a bad dad for Lana since he has a conversation with her in Chapter 7 that gives her +5 MAG, which is appreciated. He also talks to Larcei and Nanna, but I don't think their bonuses are as useful (though he's a good dad for both, as well). Just keep in mind if he fathers someone, he can't pass down anything but a ring or something. I'm gonna try out Finn/Fury eventually. I think that sounds like a nice thing.

9/10, +.5 bias because he's my favorite Jugdral character that isn't a cute girl (though he's quite the looker himself). 9.5/10

Edited December 12, 2016 by Zeems

[Punished Dayni]

I'd rather we grade Gen II!Finn when that comes around, but I guess this is how it is.

...Unless I read it wrong, pretty sure that is the case. Can we confirm that Olikad?

Edited December 12, 2016 by Dayni

[CappnRob]

Finn is an all around solid character. His growths are well balanced with some INSANE luck, he has two very good personal skills, gets a lot of beefing up from in-game convos, and makes a great parent for a lot of pairings, on top of which he can talk to his children and give THEM a boost as well (not that G2 kids need it).

He does need to be used carefully in the early game as he can't take many hits and the axes aren't going to let him dodge that much, but his ability to double attack means he can at least pick off archers well plus he's a fine character to follow up on Cuan's single-attack pokes with. Brave Lance is a great item not just for Finn but for several lance using characters in both generations, too.

Finn's main drawbacks are trying to pair him up and how G2 greatly overshadows him in the long run. Being on a horse and only available for 4 chapters out of 6, with his ideal romantic partners not showing up until chapter 2 and most of them on foot, Finn can be challenging to both father great children and still keep up with the pack. If he falls too far behind in G1, he'll only be a liability in G2, he really needs to be promoted or near promotion in G2 to hold his own.

But since I'm assuming this is covering Finn in both generations combined, let's talk about G2 Finn. Like I said, he gives stat boosts to whoever his kids are, and that's great. Properly leveled, he is essential for keeping Leif and Nana's butts alive at the start of Chapter 7, too. However, Finn really is relegated to just a support role in G2 - results may vary depending on your kid combos, but generally he won't be wrecking face like any of they do. In a sub run he's far more valuable, being arguably better than some of the sub characters themselves to be honest. He can pack the silver lance for some MASSIVE poke damage, but G2's foes generally are too much for Finn to handle alone. He isn't bad, and he can keep up with the troops, but he's best kept to the side instead of charging in head first - the name of G2's game simply prevents from Finn being Cuan's successor. Still not a bad character though.

Finn gets a 7.5 from me overall. If this is just G1 ranks, then he's a 7. Rounded character, great dad but difficult to pair, lasts both generations but doesn't quite carry his weight in G2 as he does in G1.

[Refa]

QUESTION: Is Finn's ranking supposed to take both generations of his availability into his account?

[Yojinbo]

Everything else wouldn't make sense tbh.

[ZemZem]

Started the FE4 file now.

RIDICULOUSLY blessed. I'm in love.

[The Draco Knight]

Finn is pretty good: yes, his start isn't one of the best, but thanks to his decent growth rates and skillset(formed by a pursuit that let him double and a prayer that let him avoid a lot) he can become a strong unit.

Unfortunately, he follows his liege and leaves after Chapter 3, but, fortunately, he returns in the second generation at Chapter 6 with the same stats, skills and items he had when he left in the 1st generation, which actually makes him very useful from the moment you get him.

Oh, and did I mention that he has two conversations with Cuan that respectively gives him some useful boost in some stats(Chapter 1) and, later, a Brave Lance(Chapter 2)? Because he does.

However, in the second generation, he has some problems at "mantaining" his usefulness and not to be overshadowed by the children, whom can make him a bit obsolete. Granted, Finn will continue to have some utility thanks to his skills and the Brave Lance in the second gen., but not as much as before.

Rating 9(8.5 + 0.5 bias because he is one of my favorite characters from Jugdral)

[Darrman]

Fin is an odd fellow. He shows up early on and has alright though not stellar combat against the bandits. He does have Pursuit and Cuan can buff him up... by throwing the Brave Lance at him. Fin suddenly becomes amazing. Anything he can get near, he will kill. If he can somehow get the Elite Ring, all the better. That somehow happened in first run and he was promoted by the end of Ch3... ...where he then leaves. However, things happen in plot and he shows up again in Ch7. He survived in between the generations. He didn't die. That prayer helps in in story as well as gameplay, where it's kinda crazy. In Gen 2 he gets a bit overshadowed without the brave lance... but if you give it back to him he never really drops off. He's alright for pairing, but do you really wanna gimp him by gluing him to Lachesis for their combined existence?

Amazing availability and a great unit, 8.5/10+0.5 bias since he survived the hellhole that is Jugdral, for a 9/10.

[Shin]

Fin is a BRO. Prayer lets him cheese the arena and enemy mobs and the Hero Lance is super good on him. He's easily better than the other non-promoted ponies in chapter 2 and 3. However, not having swords kinda hampers his usefulness in the first two chapters. He's kinda passable in gen 2, but the super kids are always going to outdo him. Still, he's definitely one of your better dudes for the first gen, and that's what counts.

8.5/10, some bias because he's also good in FE5.

[Jedi]

Hero Lance, along with the best availability in the game, Fin has quite a number of things going for him including prayer, overall good stats, and he even keeps up in Gen 2 with his trusty lance, although if you take that away he might start struggling a bit towards the tailend.

Overall a really solid unit and a great character, dude lived through hell in one piece. 8.5/10

[OliKad]

I'd rather we grade Gen II!Finn when that comes around, but I guess this is how it is.

...Unless I read it wrong, pretty sure that is the case. Can we confirm that Olikad?

QUESTION: Is Finn's ranking supposed to take both generations of his availability into his account?

Whoa, I did not really thought about that! I really should have!

...Anyway, I think that we'll keep it first gen-only, and let him also have his own 2nd gen poll later. So edit your votes for Finn while you still have time!

Again, sorry for the confusion! ^^

[Jave]

Ethlyn: Healer on a horse. Only available in 4 maps but she's amazing during that time. Unique utility that can't replicated, even by other healers. 9/10

Finn: The man. THE MAN. Has a rough start for being a low-level Lance Knight in axe land, but once he gets going, Brave Lance in hand, he becomes the star of both generations. 8.5/10

EDIT: Personally I'd rate Finn only once, since I don't think it's even possible to grade him on Gen 2 without taking his Gen 1 performance into account.

Edited December 13, 2016 by Jave

[ZemZem]

I'm still sticking with my rating for Finn. He's really good in Gen I.

This thread inspired me to do yet another FE4 playthrough.

Finn turned out utterly blessed. His stats are so based that he can even stick around with the kids.

Pairings I thought of on the fly. Time to breeze through Gen II. :v

[OliKad]

I'm still sticking with my rating for Finn. He's really good in Gen I.

This thread inspired me to do yet another FE4 playthrough.

Finn turned out utterly blessed. His stats are so based that he can even stick around with the kids.

Pairings I thought of on the fly. Time to breeze through Gen II. :v

Nice! I'm glad this thread inspired some people into replaying this gem! :D

I'm sure you'll have plenty of fun with God!Finn, along with... pretty much any pairing you did except Holyn!Sylvia and maybe DewxFury. ;)

[Valkama]

8/10 He's a fantastic combat unit and prayer is broken but he doesn't do anything that anyone else can't. .5 bias because he's my favorite character so 8.5/10.

[CappnRob]

Like I said, Finn in G1 alone is a 7/10 for me. Good but not great, definitely carries his weight but can be difficult to pair off and maintain his effectiveness.

ALso, @Zeems, y u no pair Finn with Fury at least? Dat luck growth could've been hella useful... </3 WHY MUST FINN BE FOREVERALONE

[eclipse]

Finn works without a pair, which I guess helps? Brave Lance is still a powerful weapon, free stat boosts are nice, but his disappearing act is meh. Prayer is very amusing, and Pursuit is always welcome.

7/10

[Vaximillian]

his disappearing act

Brilliant. I will always refer to the event this way from now on.

Edited December 13, 2016 by Vaximillian