DehNutCase

*shrugg,* depends on how you look at it, I guess. The way I see it: Azura and Olivia can have their cake and eat it since they can use their A-slot for +3 speed (either the skill itself or fury), while also having T-Adept up for maximum bulk. Ninian with TA-3 and Swordbreaker has similar tankiness, but =35 speed and up units with the same speed IV start doubling her with +3 speed skills since her A-slot is taken. Given that Ninan can only get one or the other, I think I'll actually agree with you TA3 is more important---I just favor Fury 3 because it's 3 speed and you don't lose EHP until the third combat (First you're ahead, second you're neutral, only on third does fury start losing you EHP).

Olivia was worse than Azura because of their starting skills, with SI factored in, they're about the same. Olivia has better bulk---more important than offenses for a dancer---but Azura is in the better color.

That just makes training her even harder. Training is as much about SP as levels. A 500 SP detour just to TA3 hurts like hell. (Fury 3 is probably still optimal for dancer, both for arena score and bulk.) A fully kitted out Lucina still 2HKOs TA-3 Ninan, anyway. (And I imagine everyone else carves big chunks.)

Training her is cake now that you get exp from people 12 levels below you as a 3* (lol). Just get enough SP during 3* days for all needed skills (or use the merges for it), and then crystal her up to 40. Ninan, now there's someone hard to train---no access to gem weapons, very defensive stat spread, and weakness to falchion, which belong in the color which should be easy exp fodder.

Feels like 4.7k is really easy to get to, now. (I barely missed it since I think I lost 1 or 2 units over the course of my run, but I can't be arsed to try harder this week.) Need my time and resources to build up a reliable defense team, first. Offense being easier = harder defenses.

These days it's all wings of mercy Hector copters. (I have no issue with WoM, personally, since glass cannons are good at taking people 100 to 0.) Edit: +10 4* Olivia is better score than 5* +2 IRRC, so she's actually better for score, since you can +10 a 4* a lot easier than you can +2 a 5* only.

I mean, that's what you do. I favor L&D all-in builds since I have a lot of Hanas and good glass-cannon candidates on my main account. My Selena on the same account is +Def\-Hp, too, hence the tanky build. Edit: I use Azura, who has Olivia's stat spread, except with worse bulk. She's better out of the box with Gem weapon and +3 spd (to prevent doubles), but fury or +3 speed (or even L&D 1) and gem weapon do the same thing. My team is full of people who can 1RKO, so there's never enough enemy density to threaten my dancer, and those that ARE close enough are reds I'm using her to kill. (Or greens you're using Olivia to kill.)

Eh, I'm fine it. I'll actually have an excuse to run Aether on Selena once I finalize my build, too. 33spd/29 def is totally fair stats when you're grinding on level 20 units, what are you talking about. Edit: If enemies have buffs, he has buffs. Odin has a _Blade tome.

Turns out you needed +3 speed to survive +1 speed seal variants, but Odin face-tanks every single unbuffed unit that doesn't user B-Tomebreaker. (He does have losing matchups if B-Tomebreaker comes into play).

Odin is great, what are you even talking about. With a +2 buff to speed, Odin survives every possible 2 ranged unit with the proper build. Kappa, no kappa. (I'm serious about his bulk, joking about his viability. His close-counter fuck everyone up build has the best coverage and bulk of all units, but takes a lot of support.)

Main problem with Darting Blow is that L&D is actually a good defensive skill, whereas Darting does nothing defensively. If you have the bulk to survive most 1HKOs then all you're worrying about is doubles, and L&D help with that. That said, Lucina's good enough that slapping whatever on her works.

Main problem with that build is QR Y!Tiki doing basically the same thing, except you don't have to kill a 5* for it. That said, Windsweep does let faster units leverage their bulk and turn it into offenses. (A unit fast enough to double can get 4 hits in for 1 enemy hit. Windsweep initiate, take EP hit, double back, windsweep again), so +spd Y!Tiki would be 'okay' at it, thanks to her higher than average stats. Edit: The best windsweep users are probably Marth and Alm, to be honest, since Windsweep has excellent synergy with Renewal.

The problem with that line of thinking is that you could've picked a less bulky unit with better offenses to begin with, and gave it Fury 3, and it'll end up better. L&D is always -5 to EHP per hit, whereas Fury is only -EHP after the 2nd round of combat.

Don't forget to adjust for brave-users. L&D looks good on paper because very few relevant units have brave weapons, but if you factor in inheritance L&D turns you into a massive liability on EP vs. kitted braves. Edit: Marth with -spd\+... let's call it Hp, since I don't remember. No inheritance: vs. Frederick with Silver Axe+ (better than hammer for this matchup) Armoured Blow 3, theoretical Def + 1 seal, +Def\-Res IV: Frederick initiates: 50 Atk - 50 * .2 = 40 damage. 40 - 29 def = 11 damage. -Spd Marth has 31 speed, easily doubling Frederick back for: 47 base + 47 * .2 = 56 damage. 56 - (39 + 1 + 6) = 10 damage each hit, 20 damage total. Absolutely naked Marth with -Spd\+Hp is 5HKOd by Frederick, and 2RKOs him in return. (During EP, Frederick doesn't get Armoured blow and takes 32 damage for lethal). This is what I mean by math. You do the combat math.

Look at a character's stats. Compare them to another. Do math. Edit: Or you can use one of the calculators floating around, or make a spreadsheet like a lot of people.

...Do you look at numbers or match-ups? Look at match-ups, not numbers. Lucina, for example, has great bulk despite how it looks, because even L&D Lucina almost never gets 1HKOd, while she 1RKO most people herself.

29 Def is quite good for a speedy sword like Marth. His bulk is only -3\-5 compared to Selena's, and she's a hell of a wall. On top of his decent defenses, he also has +4 hp on Selena, meaning, as long as he doesn't get his ass doubled, he actually has better physical bulk and only slightly worse magical bulk for 1 round. (Selena comes out on top in short bursts of combat, but Falchion renewal gives Marth excellent longevity. 16MT on top of his 31 Atk stat also hurts like hell.) Edit: Also, Fury makes your units HARDER to kill. 3 Spd matters. So does +3Def\Res. For 2 combats, it's guaranteed to be better (you lose 6 hp from the first, but for the second you have the same EHP as a naked unit (+3Def\Res, so 6 less damage) if the first didn't double, while still managing to have 3 more speed to prevent doubles. If you're getting doubled or braved, Fury is always better than naked.

37 speed with Darting Blow isn't bad, but, if you assume Fury 3, it won't be doubling anything of note. Better to build a bulky set with Fury 3, (maybe renewal), and have him leverage his great bulk to whittle people down over multiple rounds, I think.

If you check the edit times, I actually caught myself before your post went through. ; )

Eirika is so amazing as a buff-bot that I think she doesn't really need to do anything else. Her sword gives Hone Atk, you can C-skill her for Hone Spd\Def\Res, and assist her for a Rally as well. Just slap on TA to kill the occasional green (think of Erika as Olivia, basically, usually supporting, sometimes killing Hector).

If I had to guess, Clair and Lucas will be made 4-5*, while Faye and Alm will remain 5* only. (That said, I think Faye will drop to 4-5* around the time Karel does.) I'm nowhere near certain with my guesses, of course, but that just feels like how they'd do it.

Well, I rerolled a few times for Alm: Turns out, healers can't get windsweep, so only Leo and his crappy 25 max speed can get the Gravity & Windsweep combo.

3* Beruka +10 has: 46hp/29atk/24spd/37def/23 res at neutral. A +10 3* Beruka is basically a 5* Beruka with some bonus res and speed thrown in. The speed doesn't matter since it's Beruka, so just pick the one with -spd/+whatever nature (probably defense), pick up bonfire, and explode things by taking 0 damage hits to charge bonfire.

Faye still gets to double if she outspeeds, it only prevents her from having an EP. Edit: Not that 28 (this is with a boon) speed is going to double anything. Even Hector is fast enough to avoid it.

I know, right? I'm sure a brave bow user with decent offensive stats would want DB 3, I wonder who? Hmm.... (In all seriousness, though, DB usually ends up lackluster compared to L&D due to failure to add massive amounts of doubles. Counter damage is an issue, but both windsweep and desperation get around that. (Less so windsweep, for obvious reasons)) Edit: The answer was Klein.