Matthew Vs. Legaualt

[KnightOfNohr]

I am playing through FE7 and I am wondering which thief I should promote into an assassin. Said assassin will see a substantial amount of fighting (though will definitely not be a frontliner) while the other thief will be as a backup, or as a fallback for stealables. I'm thinking Leagualt, beacause at the moment, he has the same speed as Matthew, but slightly higher defenses and higher skill. However, as a precaution, I seek the all-knowing wisdom of Serenes Forest. What do you guys think?

[Jedi]

Matthew has early game utility and is my favorite character in the franchise, however Legault thoroughly outdoes him in all combat parameters.

Same with Jaffar when he shows up.

[Zapp Branniglenn]

Legault has Matthew beat in every stat. And by the time you get the item to promote Legault or Matthew, there's so few chapters left of experience that you're probably prioritizing for your three lords to get kills. I will say Matthew has an excellent pool of support conversations, so you might go with him just for that purpose if it's a casual playthrough. I'm particularly fond of Matthew x Legault but well...you're trying to choose between them, not both.

[Interdimensional Observer]

Legault is easier to raise, and on average has better stats across the board vs. Matthew. Though Jaffar joins in the same chapter as the Fell Contract, and only loses in a bit of HP and Luck over his rivals. Go ahead and use Matthew or Legault too if you want to though.

[Shoblongoo]

i am generally of the opinion that it is not worth running either legault  or matthew as an assassin.

As by the time you get the fel contract, you already have Jaffar.

Gustavos raises a really good point about Matthew's supports. With supports working the way they work in FE7 that is actually a legitimate reason to keep fielding Matthew f you are hellbent on promoting one of your thieves.

Good support bonuses on Matthew will make up for the fact that Legault is, strictly speaking, statistically  "better."

Edited August 9, 2017 by Shoblongoo

[Flee Fleet!]

Legault is better in every stat than Matthew.  

Matthew however has early game utility and good support convos.

In my opinion though you should promote Legault, since better stats mean better combat, while Matthew remains a thief.

[MadJak91]

I am someone who usually does not use thieves for more than their job but I would recommend Matthew.

I will echo what has already been said: Legault has better stats and if you need a combat oriented thief then he should turn out better for the job. However, Matthew has VERY early joining time meaning if you start growing him early, he might have the edge over Legault. It seems from your OP that Legault is already better so I guess go with him.

On the other hand, you might just want to use thieves for their job because Jaffar is well... Jaffar.

[SullyMcGully]

13 hours ago, Gustavos said:

I'm particularly fond of Matthew x Legault but well...you're trying to choose between them, not both.

That is the best support conversation ever. Matthew x Jaffar and Legault x Jaffar are both really great too. But why would anyone use two thieves in the first place?

As for the original question, I'd say if Legault is better right now, use him. Jaffar is really the better assassin, though, since you can't promote the other two until he arrives anyway. 

[Harvey]

But Matthew can give good support bonuses to units that need them. For Legault, none of whom he can support with need those bonuses except maybe Jaffar.

I also don't get how many don't realize that Matthew shows up earlier than him. Sure he's not as dodgy as him but he's a bit stronger than him considering his slightly higher growth rate in strength.

And really though, I don't get why anyone would want to promote thieves except in Legault's case considering that he's relevant to the game's final chapter plot. thieves will lose the ability to steal and open locks which they are still important for the couple of extra chapters.

I will admit though that both their designs are awesome. Wish IS makes more thieves like these two.

 

[Lon'Kill]

Go with Legault. A lot of people here are choosing Matthew because of personal preferences. Legault has better stats than Matt and that is what counts at the time to fight which that is your purpose for an assassin).

[X-Naut]

I'm in the camp that hops from one thief/assassin to the next as I get them since there's little incentive to train thieves extensively and the Fell Contract's rarity is a strong disincentive.