Tag: opus x

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Kain Highwind

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The prideful Dragoon, unable to show his true feelings.

Commander of Baron’s Dragoons, he is Cecil’s childhood friend and occasional rival. Kain’s secret feelings for his childhood friend Rosa allow Golbez to seize control of his mind and force him to become Cecil’s enemy. Once released from the brainwashing, Kain feels remorse and seeks to atone for his actions by joining the fight against the true mastermind, Zemus.

-Taken from the Ultimania

Commander of the Dragoons, Kain is no stranger to mind tricks, especially when they work against him.

Let’s take a look at all of Kain’s cards.

1-127H – Kain EX

At 6CP, this card is expensive for today’s decks. There are plenty of cards that will do what Kain does, and they will do it better.

But, this is still Kain.

Kain comes in and you choose a Forward and they lose 5000 power. That can be enough to break most Forwards. Especially the low cost ones.

We also have Dragoon’s Pride, which looks more like a Reverse Jump.

Kain will break a Forward, but Kain will not activate during the next Active Phase. Meaning that Kain attacks and then he jumps out of harm’s way.

2-103H – Kain

How did I never really read this card?

This is actually pretty good.

Kain comes in with Haste. You can then use his ability and your opponent will not be able to choose him with their Summons and abilities.

After that, during your next turn, Kain’s power will double. Which turns Kain into a 10K body. 12K if you have Lulu on the field. I’m sure there are also plenty of other ways to increase Kain’s power as well.

2-104R – Kain

How is this Rare, better than the Hero card of the same set?

If Rosa is on the field Kain gains Haste, First Strike and +2000 power. But, that is not the reason you’ll be playing Kain.

As Commander of the Dragoons, all Dragoons gain +2000 power.

You probably don’t even need Rosa to play Kain.

This makes a huge difference in how I see Dragoons.

I might even build a Dragoon deck for myself now.

Just to try it out.

6-090H – Kain

Golbez? There’s no Dark Golbez.

No wait actually there is. But, I doubt your opponent will be playing it. They’ll more than likely be playing Chaos.

For 3CP, you get a 9K body, which is good if your opponent isn’t playing any Dark cards. Cause if they are as soon as that Dark Forward enters the field, Kain gets his brain washed and your opponent takes control of him.

The only way to get him back is to send your opponent’s Dark Forward to the Break Zone.

I like it that it plays into the story, but I’ll pass on this one.

9-084H – Kain

It was something about Kain and Ranperre.

Discard Ranperre before paying the cost to cast Kain to make him 3CP, and then Ranperre plays a Final Fantasy XI Forward from your hand onto the field. Which would turn the tides a bit in your favor.

Other than that, for 3CP you get an 8k body, and when Kain enters the field, one of your opponent’s Forward loses 8000 damage until the end of the turn.

We already know that you will not be paying 8CP to cast Kain. So, is there any other Lightning Backup to toss and get a better effect?

10-134S – Kain

Coming in with Haste, this Kain does not receive damage unless he blocks an attack, or his attack gets blocked.

That means that in order to keep Kain safe, he should not attack or block.

And, we know that’s not going to happen.

Gungnir? Yes, Kain gains +5K power and First Strike until the end of the turn. This gives you another way to keep Kain alive.
Here’s an idea. Fill you deck with 50 Kains. and just keep using Gungnir over and over again.

Hey, it might work.

11-054R – Hooded Man EX

There’s a reason why you can’t play Hooded Man and Kain at the same time. I won’t tell you but, you probably already know.
When Hooded Man comes into play you can grab a Final Fantasy IV Forward from your Break Zone. Which by itself is a great reason to play Hooded Man. Let’s not forget that this comes off as an EX Burst as well.

And, that’s not all. Hooded Man has one more ability that will make him a mainstay in any Final Fantasy IV deck. At the end of every turn, yours and your opponent’s Hooded Man wil activate all of your Final Fantasy IV Forwards.

What’s not to like?

13-073H – Kain

Kain is a great card if you can play him straight from the Break Zone. Cause once he gets broken, he’ll be under your opponents control.

Thancred (12-124L) and Y’shtola (13-134S) can play him straight out of the Break Zone.

15-048L – Kain EX

Attack and choose. Draw a card or Activate all the Characters other than Kain?

All the Characters? Characters?

Every time Kain attacks you can Activate your whole board?

Screw the extra card. Get me some blockers, and Edge, Opus I Maria, and anyone else that can help protect Kain.

Oh. And, some characters that will give me Crystals. Don’t want to lose Kain at the end of my turn.

17-102L – Hooded Man

This time Hooded Man comes in with Haste, and when he enters the field you can remove either a Kain or a Hooded Man from your Break Zone, if you do so, you can activate all of your Backups, and you can draw a card as well. Bringing Hooded Man’s cost down to 2CP.

How is this a Legend?

What am I missing?

You’re just paying to activate your Backups and have a Meat shield on the field.

17-131S – Kain

Haste? Check

Way to reduce the CP cost? Check

Buffs self when attacking? Check

All in all Kain here is a decent card. You might end up only paying 1CP for Kain, and if you do he’s an attacking Forward with 9K power.

 

17-136S – Kain

Kain allows you to grab a FFIV Water Character from the Break Zone.Plenty of Characters that you can choose from.

Other than that he can come in with Haste depending on the field situation.

3CP, 7000 power.

How badly do you need that Water Character in your Break Zone?

 

 

19-073C – Kain

Have we had a Kain as a Backup before?

Either way, this one isn’t half bad. Actually pretty useful with Back Attack.

If you have a Forward that is blocking another Forward, and your opponent buffs it to match the your Forwards power, you can play Kain and give your Forward First Strike. That way your attack will go through first. Breaking your opponents Forward.

Other than that, there really isn’t much use for it.

22-041C – Kain

Haste, and First Strike for a Common?

Activate 2 Characters when Kain Attacks?

+1000 power at 3 points of Damage?

How is this a common?

Whatever Rarity Kain has, this card is great. Actually it’s GRRRRREAT!

And, don’t get me started on the artwork, because we’re not here to talk about the artwork.

Just throw Kain into any Wind deck and you’ll do fine.

23-003C – Kain

Haste, and First Strike?

Kain is ready to strike!

Remember when we were talking about an all Haste deck? Well, Kain here is the perfect fir for it. Cause, every time he attacks, all of the Forwards with Haste or First Strike gain +2000 power.

Your opponent won’t know what to block, when to block, who to block, where to block, and most importantly, how to block.

Double Jump, is just a regular Jump attack, if it was double, Kain would be dealing damage to 2 Forwards.

Looking for Kain?

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Cecil Harvey

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Compassionate knight troubled by his way of life.

-Captain of Baron’s airship fleet, the Red Wings. Cecil fulfills his duty as a Dark Knight, but eventually leaves his homeland, unable to obey his king’s cruel orders any longer. He begins a battle against Golbez, who appears to be the one pulling the strings behind Baron’s campaign to gather the crystals. On his journey, Cecil faces his demons and is transformed into a holy Paladin. Anguishing over his friend Kain’s betrayal, Cecil is shocked to learn that he and Golbez are actually brothers descended from the Lunerian moon people. Even so, he continues to fight for the future of the Blue Planet and all who live there.

-Taken from the Ultimania

Where do we even start?

Cecil, the main protagonist of Final Fantasy IV. Has 18 different cards. Let’s take a look back down memory lane and check these all out once more.

1-108H – Cecil

Dark Knight of Baron.

3CP, 7000 power.

Not much going on here.

Cecil just waits for you to receive damage. And, and once you do Cecil deals one of your opponent’s Forward 5000 damage.
Isn’t that what Dark Knights do? Receive damage to make their attacks more powerful?

Then why is the damage dealt less than Cecil’s power?

It’s still ok.

Did Dark Knights ever become a thing?

1-162R – Cecil

Cecil had 2 cards in Opus I, and this is the second one.

Coming in at 5CP, with 8000 power, Cecil is the perfect Meat Shield. Literally. Cause, that’s what Paladins are. Glorified Meat Shields.

All of your opponent’s Summons and abilities must choose Cecil. No, ifs, ands, or buts. Period.

This is a card that can go into any Water deck and be useful.

Is it still useful today?

It can be. There might be better cards that will do the same thing for less CP, which I can’t name any off of the top of my head at the moment.

2-129L – Cecil

See this is a much better Paladin. You can see that Opus II Cecil is a major upgrade from Opus I Paladin Cecil.

Still 5CP, but this time Cecil has 9000 power. He is a Legend after all.

Cecil grants all of your Forwards Protection from Summons and abilities that deal damage. Plus he gives all of the Forwards other Forwards on your front line +1000 power.

Only draw back would be that Cecil must block, whenever possible.

But with 9000 power. You should be all right.

5-086L – Cecil EX

We’re only at Opus V, and all of these Cecils keep getting better.

Dark Knight Cecil here is breaking dull Forwards, whenever he enters the field. You can choose any dull Forward as long as it’s cost is equal to or less than the points of damage you have received.

This ability also comes off of an EX Burst.

And Dark, Cecil’s S ability which will break a Forward whose cost is equal to or less than the points of damage you have received. This ability also deals you a point of damage.

You can also just throw 3 of these into your deck, and hope you pull one when you receive damage.

7-135S – Cecil EX

Cecil comes in and activates 2 of your Characters. This also comes off of an EX Burst. Just in case you need to activate a couple of blockers.

If you have received 5 points of damage, Cecil gains +2k power and he can not be chosen by your opponent’s abilities.

Here’s an idea, if you’re playing Earth/Wind, You can play Dark Knight Cecil until you have 5 points of damage, and then find a way to break him, to play this Cecil.

It’ll be like playing Final Fantasy IV. You’ll start off as a Dark Knight, and transform into a Paladin later on in the game.

9-109H – Cecil

You’ll need another couple of Final Fantasy IV Characters on the field if you want to get Cecil’s full power. And, that is Brave and +2000 power for Cecil.

One time per turn you can use Cecil’s ability, we’ll call it Cover. You can choose one of your Forwards, and next time it is dealt damage, you can reduce the damage taken by that Forward by 4000 and deal that damage to Cecil. Allowing your other Forward to survive and live to fight another day. Or turn.

4CP for 10,000 power isn’t bad at all.

 

10-115C – Cecil

I’d say I don’t see anyone playing this Cecil, but then I thought about it and said. I’m 99% right. There will be a couple of people playing this card, just because they aren’t putting it in an FFIV deck.

Cecil is a 2 cost Backup that can be thrown into the Break Zone and reduce the damage dealt to one of your Forwards by 2000.

Yea, …

 

13-060R – Cecil

Not one of the better Cecil’s, but it might be worth the 1 point of Damage to get rid of a forward that’s been causing you trouble. And if that extra point of Damage gives you Brave, and +1K, well you might actually play this card.

 

 

 

 

15-073H – Cecil

The OG Dark Knight. Move over Batman, you ain’t got nothing on Cecil.

If you got a Crystal, you’re good. If not you shall receive 1 point of Damage when Cecil enters the field. Which isn’t too bad, because at 3 points of Damage, when Cecil is broken, you can search for another Cecil and play it onto the field. You’ll need another Crystal for that Cecil as well. Unless you go with another Cecil.

Souleater?

Yes, please. Throw in a whole bunch of Cecil’s into your deck just so you can use this ability over and over. And, when it lands you’ll deal your opponent 2 points of Damage. Watch out for those EX Bursts.

16-051L – Cecil

For 5CP, you can play Cecil, and another card from your hand that’s 4CP or less. And if that card you play is a FFIV Character, you get to activate 2 Backups. Doing the math that means, if you played a IV cost IV Character (get what I did there?) you’ll actually end up +1CP.

Worst case scenario, you only save 1 Crystal Point, but why would you play a 1 cost when you can play anything up to 4CP.
tenebrous blast

luminous blast

And, the icing on the cake, is that Cecil protects all your Characters. forcing your opponent to pay 2CP just to make sure their Summons and abilities go through.

 

17-050C – Cecil EX

6CP to draw a card?

I think I’ll pass.

I don’t see much use for this. There are plenty of cards that will draw you a card for much less.

Some of those even have better abilities as well.

 

 

17-139S – Cecil

There are better Cecils, but every time I say that, someone comes up with a way that makes this one even better than the other ones.

So, I’ll just say that Cecil here can have up to 10K Power with Brave.

That and if you dull your FFIV Characters, you can dull Forwards and deal damage and stuff.

 

 

20-075L – Cecil

Is 3 CP worth a point of damage?

Depends on what you’re playing. If you need that point of damage to buff up all your Forwards because you just received 5 points of damage then go right ahead.

Besides that, Cecil remains true to his story. As he can turn his Dark Knight self, into a Paladin. All you have to do is cross the mirror. Or get sent to the Break Zone. Whichever one is easier. For when you put Cecil into the Break Zone, you can search for a Paladin Cecil, and play him onto the field.

That Emissaries of Light Cecil, is looking good with this right now.

And Tenebrous Blast, just a special ability that deals 8000 damage to a Forward.

20-109H – Cecil

The other Cecil is better in my opinion.

This Cecil is basically a Crystal Generator.

Once per turn, if Cecil or a FFIV Character enters the field you gain 1 Crystal.

And, you can use that Crystal to give one of your FFIV Forward +1000 power and protection from your Forwards abilities.

Are the Golbez and Cecil decks going to shoot up in value soon?

21-132S – Cecil

What’s not to like about this card?

Built in protection. Cecil is a Paladin like no other. Or so they say.

4CP/8000 power. Can’t be chosen by abilities, can’t take damage from abilities. A meat Shield at it’s finest.

Cecil also buffs all of the other Dissidia Forwards with +2000 power.

And, if that’s not enough, Paladin Force breaks those pesky high cost Forwards that like to stick around the field more than they should.

Now if Cecil had some FFIV synergy, this card would have been awesome.

23-028L – Cecil

Move over Batman, Cecil is the real Dark Knight.

As you can see, all of Cecil’s abilities deal damage to you. Is it worth using these abilities, or even playing Cecil? Well that depends. Do you need to inflict damage upon yourself in order for your deck to get that much stronger.

If the answer is yes, then yes you should play Cecil. Just imagine your back is pinned to the wall, and all of a sudden you reach 5 points of damage and you cast Dark Flame. Most likely, wiping out your opponents front line.

All that’s left is for you to come in a get the win.

24-100C – Cecil

Now, this is how it should be done.

Cecil is the Backup that is always ready to cast Null Damage.

Although you won’t be drawing a card when you cast Cecil, Cecil is only 2CP, compared to the 3CP that Siren costs.

Cecil also has another ability that will Break one of your opponent’s Forwards.

Either way, Cecil is going to get something done, Breaking or Saving.

The choice is up to you.

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Busters R’ Us

This could have been a real easy article to write. I could have just said let’s throw Zack into your AVALANCHE deck and call it a day. But, where’s the fun in that?

Although there might be a bunch of cards that are the same, we”re going to try and do this a bit different. A lot different that is.

We’re going to go with 2 different Zacks.

Zack (10-007H), just for the ability to ping damage here and there and at least a couple of time per turn. Pair that with a Summon that Breaks all the Forwards that have damage on them and you got yourself a wipe.

Zack (20-009L) Because it is just a great card, if you’re running anything SOLDIER related. And, we’ll be running at least a couple of Soldiers other than Zack.

We’ll start off with Zack’s mentor Angeal (3-0989R), not only is he a 7K body, but he also searches for Zack when he is sent to the Break Zone. That way you can just keep attacking with Zack and Angeal until they break, just so you can replay them once again.

Next we’ll be handing off the Buster Sword to Cloud (1-187S), and you’ll be saying that there are better Clouds than that, and we’ll say you’re right. But, this is Zack’s deck and Cloud is just helping out. Plus the good Cloud’s are Earth, and we don’t really feel like color fixing.

Time to find Zack’s girlfriend, Aerith (11-139S) this way we’ll be able to grab a couple of FFVII Forwards from the Break Zone.

And as I’m looking for Backups, there aren’t really any, that have anything to do with Zack. So, we’re going to change it. It shall be all Forwards. We might change this again later.

Cue the music.

Bum-Bum Bum-Bum Bum-Bum Bum-Bum

Sephiroth (11-138S), Dulls all the low powered Forwards every time Sephiroth attacks. You have to pay taxes to keep Sephiroth on the field, 3 cards from the Break Zone. You should have these in there, unless you’re opponent finds a way to remove all the cards from your Break Zone.

Roche (14-095H), we’re just grabbing any SOLDIER right now. Roche has always been a great card. You’ll always want to go first with Roche and just play him right away for no CP and swing for a point of damage.

We’re actually going to add a couple of Backups right now.

Class Second Moogle (10-016C) to help us with Ice CP.

Genesis (3-033L), I still love this card, even though I probably haven’t used it in years. Dull and Freeze a Character, and when Genesis deals damage, your opponent discards a card.

Next we’ll add in our generic SOLDIERs. SOLDIER : 3rd Class (10-009C) and SOLDIER : 3rd Class (20-02C). These 2 will search for each other when one enters the field, and when the other exits the field. SOLDIER : 3rd Class (20-032C) also gains a +1K buff for each SOLDIER : 3rd class that you have in the Break Zone.

We’ll add Johnny (20-096C), another Backup to help us grab a Character from the Break Zone, and we can use his ability to grab a FFVII Character from the Break Zone.

Hedgehog Pie (20-019C), just to get all 3 of the Hedgehog Pies out at the same time. After that they are ticking time bombs, that go off when you decide you want them to go off.

Duke Larg (1-057R), Lebreau (1-030R) and Lulu (1-150R). All three for the 1K buff they give to their respective element’s Forwards.

All we need is to throw in some Summons. Knights of the Round isn’t an option, so we’ll just go with Ramuh (15-101R), Shiva (8-032R), Phoenix (3-020H) and Bahamut (16-016C).

That’s pretty much what we have for Zack. Not the greatest.

Forwards

3x – Roche (14-095H)
3x – Angeal (3-098R)
3x – SOLDIER : 3rd Class (10-009C)
3x – Sephiroth (11-138S)
3x – Genesis (3-033L)
3x – Zack (10-007H)
3x – Aerith (11-139S)
3x – SOLDIER : 3rd Class (20-032C)
3x – Zack (20-009L)
3x – Cloud (1-187S)

Backups

3x – Class Second Moogle (10-016C)
3x – Lebreau (1-030R)
2x – Duke Larg (1-057R)
2x – Lulu (1-150R)
3x – Johnny (20-096C)

Summons

1x – Ramuh (15-101R)
1x – Phoenix (3-020H)
1x – Shiva (8-032R)
1x – Bahamut (16-016C)

Monsters

3x – Hedgehog Pie (20-019C)

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SOLDIER 1ST Class

Reporting for Duty.

We got a troop of Zack’s here. So, let’s just start off right at the beginning.

Zack (1-012R)

3CP – Fire
Forward
SOLDIER
Rare

“If you control [Card Name (Aerith)], Zach gains +2000 power.

When Zack enters the field, choose 1 Forward opponent controls. Deal it 2000 damage.”

Not much here. The first Zack might have been good back when Opus I came out, but not anymore.

If Aerith is on the field, Zack will have 8000 Power.

And, when he enters the field you can deal a Forward 2000 damage.

Zack (3-012L)

5CP – Fire
Forward
SOLDIER
Legend

“When Zack enters the field, all the Forwards you control gain +2000 power until the end of the turn.

When Zack is put from the field into the Break Zone, you may search for 1 Card Name Cloud of cost 4 or less, and add it to your hand or play it onto the field dull.”

Zack comes in and gives a 2K buff to all of your Forwards.

Sure, Zack costs 5CP, but when he is put into the Break Zone, you can search for Cloud, that costs up to 4CP, and either add it to your hand, or play it onto the field.

Technically, Zack will cost you nothing, because searching for a card to add to your hand is +2CP and playing that Cloud is another +4CP.

Zack EX (4-013C)

3CP – Fire
Backup
SOLDIER
Common

“EX BURST When Zack enters the field, choose 1 Card Name Cloud or Job SOLDIER in your Break Zone. Add it to your hand.”
Just a simple Backup that allows you to grab a card from the Break Zone. Either Cloud, or a SOLDIER.

Not much else to say, but this ability will also activate with an EX Burst.

Zack (10-007H)

4CP – Fire
Forward
SOLDIER
Hero

“When Zack or a Fire Forward enters your field, choose 1 Forward opponent controls. Deal it 2000 damage.

When Zack or a Category VII Forward enters your field, choose 1 Forward opponent controls. Deal it 2000 damage.”

Welcome to Ping City.

Zack enters the field, and deals 2000 damage x 2 to one of your opponents Forwards.

Combine that with another 2000 damage every time a Fire Forward enters the field, and anther 2000 every time a FFVII Forward enters the field.

And if that Forward that enters the field is a FFVII Fire Forward it’s another 2000 x 2.

Now I’m wondering why this card never made it. It’s actually a really good card.

But, what do I know?

Zack (11-007R)

1CP – Fire
Forward
SOLDIER
Rare

“At the end of each of your turns, choose 1 Forward opponent controls. Discard 1 card from your hand. If you do so, deal it 5000 damage.”

An 8k body for 1CP point? Sign me up.

You can just throw this card into any Fire deck, and you’ll have a great Meat Shield, that won’t break the bank.

And if you have a surplus of cards in your hand, you can just discard one at the end of each of your turns and deal 5000 damage to one of your opponents Forwards.

Yes, Yes!! I’ll take 3.

Zack (16-089H)

5CP – Lightning
Forward
SOLDIER
Hero

“If you control a Category VII Character of an Element other than Lightning, the cost required to cast Zack is reduced by 2.

When Zack is put from the field into the Break Zone, you may play 1 Category VII Character from your hand onto the field. If its cost is 5 or more, Zack deals you 1 point of damage.”

Let’s see what we wrote when Emissaries of Light came out.

“Zack looks like he’s ready to save Cloud once again.

He’ll come in take care of all the enemies and when he is ready to be sent to the Break Zone, Cloud will come in and finish the job.

It would have been nice if it was that easy.

But, still a pretty decent card for a FFVII deck.”

Well, maybe.

I mean Zack will most likely cost you 3CP, and with a 9000 body, you should have a great attacker.

Once Zack is broken or sent to the Break Zone, you can play any FFVII Character onto the field, regardless of cost. Although if the cost is over 5CP, Zack will deal you a point of Damage.

Zack EX (19-122C)

5CP – Fire/Lightning
Forward
SOLDIER
Common

“Warp 2 ― (F)(L)

EX BURST When Zack enters the field, choose 1 Forward. Deal it 7000 damage.

When Zack enters the field due to Warp, until the end of the turn, Zack gains Haste, First Strike, and Brave.”

At From Nightmares’s release we wrote,

“You will not play Zack unless you Warp him in.

First of all, it’s a 3CP difference. Paying 5CP to deal 7000 damage to a Forward is too much. You can do more damage with a well placed Summon.

Now, if you do Warp Zack in, he is worth every Crystal Point you pay. All 2 of them.

First off he will deal 7000 damage to a Forward, and when he enters the field, he has Haste, First Strike and Brave.

So, even if he just comes in and attacks. you will most likely deal your opponent 1 point of Damage. After that just keep Blocking until Zack is broken, just so you can Warp him in again.”

For 2CP this is a decent card. And, we’ll stick with what we said.

Zack (20-009L)

5CP – Fire
Forward
SOLDIER
Legend

“When Zack attacks, choose 1 Forward opponent controls. Deal it 5000 damage for each Job SOLDIER you control.

When Zack leaves the field, you may search for 1 Category VII Forward of cost 4 or less and play it onto the field.

Meteor Shots (S)(F)(D) : Deal 7000 damage to all the Forwards opponent controls.”

Dawn of Heroes just recently came out, so not much has changed since then, and we’ll just keep what we said.

“I remember reading somewhere. “Finally a Zack that can be played.” Or something along those lines. If you’re reading this and you are the one that said that, please let me know, so, I can add your name to the quote.

This one will fit right at home with AVALANCHE. You play Zack for 5CP, and every time he attacks you can deal a Forward 5K damage for each SOLDIER you control. Zack and Cloud, that’s 10k right there, and I’m sure you’ll be able to find a couple of SOLDIERs laying around somewhere.

When Zack leaves the field you can play a FFVII Forward of 4CP or less onto the field. With about 100 or so FFVII Forwards that cost up to 4CP there are plenty to choose from, Opus XIV Cloud, Tifa and Barret. If you’re still running AVALANCHE that’s an easy way to get them on the field.

And, let’s not forget Meteor Shots, where you can deal 7000 damage to all of your opponents Forwards.

Let’s keep an eye on this one.”