Slime Salad

(Feel free to add your own comments)

General Teambuilding

Have a plan. Throwing a lot of powerful units together sounds good, but it's better to have a plan for how your team will work. One Time Mage and three Tiamats is a much better team than four Tiamats, even though four Time Mages will usually lose to four Tiamats. Think about how your units will support each other and cover their weaknesses. An excellent example of a "team with a plan" is my team from the second tournament: the Dancer/Calculator/Mime combo. There was great synergy between the characters.

Have a backup plan. The problem with the Dancer/Calculator/Mime combo was that it was reliant on certain conditions; namely, maintaining distance from the enemy. Make sure that you have a way to win even when your opponent counters your original plan. Can your team still work if your star player dies? Do you only have one unit capable of reviving? Can you cure status effects or will a petrified unit stay petrified? Make sure you can deal with the situations that your opponents can throw at you and try to have fallbacks for everything.

Give everyone something useful to do. Ideally, your units should have some useful action to perform every turn. Units with no ranged attack will spend a lot of turns waiting. On the other hand, a unit with a gun or crossbow will have less downtime than a melee unit. Abilities that are good for making good use of your turns include Elemental, Accumulate, Dance, and Sing. (But watch out when using Dance and Sing, since units with those abilities love to hang back and perform.)

Avoid stalemates. In the case that the battle is drawn out, make sure you have a plan to become stronger than your opponent. There are two ways to do this: you can increase your team's stats, or you can decrease the enemy's stats. Many abilities have effects that last for the rest of the battle, even if a unit dies and is revived. Examples include equipment loss (either via Steal or Battle Skill); permanent stat changes via Sing, Dance, or Accumulate; and Brave/Faith alteration (usually Brave) via Foxbird or Talk Skill.

Get more turns than your opponent. When a unit's CT gauge reaches 100, that unit will usually get an turn. Some status effects stop the CT gauge (Stop, Petrify) and others prevent the unit from getting a turn (Dead, Sleep). Still others will cause the unit to waste their turn (Confusion, Charm, Frog, Chicken, Don't Move, Don't Act). The most obvious way to get more ATs than your opponent is still one of the most effective: just increase your Speed. Many pieces of equipment do this innately. There are also several abilities that lower an enemy's Speed. Finally, Haste and Slow deserve a mention here. Getting more ATs than your opponent means that you'll do damage more often, heal more often, and just be more effective all around.

Damage > healing. In most formats, it's much easier to deal damage than it is to heal. Consider the following scenario: my Wizard hits your Knight for 300 damage. Two of your Chemists use X-Potions on the wounded Knight, bringing him back to full health. Who won? I did. It took two of your actions to counter one of mine.

Skills

My picks for each job are underlined.

Most Reaction abilities trigger (Brave)% of the time. There are two exceptions: Weapon Guard and Abandon. Usually, your units will all have 70 Br, but this is a good thing to keep in mind when deciding on your skills.

Squire
BASIC SKILL: Accumulate is a great move to put on a melee fighter, especially one who uses fists. Heal is an okay support move.
Counter Tackle (R): Does very low damage with a chance of knockback. This is rarely useful.
Equip Axe (S): Axes do random damage and are generally worse than other weapons. You're almost always better off with something else.
Monster Skill (S): Adds a skill to nearby friendly monsters. Usefulness depends on the monster, but is usually good.
Defend (S): Adds "Defend" to your action list. Defending doubles a unit's evade. Usefulness depends on the unit's base evasion.
Gained Jp UP (S): Useless in a tournament format.
Move+1 (M): Not as good as Move+2 or Move+3, but still a serviceable ability.

Chemist
ITEM: Healing with no charge time is very useful. Unless Elixir is allowed, Item's usefulness decreases at higher levels, but Phoenix Down is always good.
Auto Potion (R): Uses a potion when damaged (+30 HP). You can actually heal when hit if the damage is low enough, but it rarely is.
Throw Item (S): Lets you use Item at range. Chemist has this innately.
Maintenance (S): Prevents equipment from being broken or stolen. Situational.
Equip Change (S): AI doesn't use this.
Move-Find Item (M): Useless in a tournament format.

Knight
BATTLE SKILL: This is a situational skill. Equipment breaks have low success rates. Still, this makes a nice secondary for a gun-wielder, whose damage outputs tend to be low anyway.
Weapon Guard (R): Increases your physical evasion depending on your weapon. This can be surprisingly good, but Abandon is strictly better when it's allowed. Notably, this is not Brave-dependent.
Equip Armor (S): Armor gives you higher HP than clothes and robes, but it lacks extra effects like stat boosts or immunity. Use with discretion.
Equip Shield (S): Shields are very nice to have, but there are usually better uses for your support slot.
Equip Sword (S): Swords are decent weapons all around. This won't let you equip Knight Swords, however.

Archer
CHARGE: After waiting, do extra damage. Sounds good, but the delay-to-payoff is low.
Speed Save (R): Gain a speed point when hit. Speed is good.
Arrow Guard (R): Extremely situational. Archers aren't that common.
Equip Crossbow (S): Equip Gun is usually better, even when crossbows are more powerful.
Concentrate (S): Ignore evasion. Some attacks can still miss (due to having less than 100% success rate to begin with), but this can be very useful in the right circumstances.
Jump+1 (M): Even if Jump were important, there's still Jump+2 and Jump+3.

Monk
PUNCH ART: One of the best skillsets in the game due to its highly varied abilities. Healing, revival, damage.
HP Restore (R): Go back to full HP when knocked to critical. Excellent on high-HP units, who are likely to spend a turn in critical and not get killed instead.
Counter (R): Hit back. Pretty standard, but not a bad ability.
Hamedo (R): Cancel your opponent's attack and hit him instead. Excellent ability that will usually be banned.
Martial Arts (R): Raises unarmed attack damage and effectiveness of fist-type skills (such as Punch Art or an unarmed Jump). Monks have this innately. Great on Ninjas. Fist damage scales exponentially with your attack stat.
Move-HP Up (M): Anytime you move (regardless of how far), you regain 10% of your max HP. Nice ability if you don't need extra mobility.

Priest
WHITE MAGIC: The Cure series is less effective than you'd expect, but Raise and Raise2 are indispensable. Holy is a very good attack spell.
Regenerator (R): When attacked, gain Regen. Useless status, useless ability.
Magic Defend UP (S): Take 2/3 damage from magic. Good ability for units that want high Faith but don't want to get killed by magic.

Wizard
BLACK MAGIC: Frog is an excellent ability. Flare is slow, but powerful. The rest are much less effective than you'd like.
Counter Magic: When hit by magic, counter with same. Consumes MP. Anyone who'd do well with this is too squishy to use it offensively, but it's surprisingly good defensively (Counter Quick is broken, for instance).
Magic Attack UP (S): Your MA stat is effectively raised by 50%. Excellent for anyone who uses MA.

Time Mage
TIME MAGIC: Haste, Quick, Slow, Stop, Don't Move, Demi2, and sometimes Meteor. Lots of stuff to love here.
Critical Quick (R): When you're knocked to critical, you get a free turn. I'd usually rather have HP Restore, though.
MP Switch (R): Lose MP instead of HP. Any damage in excess of your MP is negated. Don't put this on anyone who needs MP.
Short Charge (S): Spells take half as long to charge. Very useful on the right unit.
Teleport (M): The best movement ability for uneven terrain.
Float (M): Usually useless.

Summoner
SUMMON MAGIC: Wide area of effect, nice damage. Also has healing and some status.
MP Restore (R): Restore MP to full when HP reaches critical. Thumbs down.
Half of MP (S): All spells cost half as much. Thumbs up.

Thief
STEAL: Steal Heart is very nice, but it only works on the opposite gender or monsters.
Caution (R): Defend when attacked. See Squire's Defend. Sunken State and Abandon are both better options.
Gilgame Heart (R): Useless in a tournament format.
Catch (R): Blocks Ninja's Throw. Mostly useless.
Secret Hunt (S): Poach killed monsters. The only use in a tournament format is that they can't be revived because the corpse is removed.
Move+2 (M): Females don't get Move+3, so this is often their best option.
Jump+2 (M): Somewhat more useful than Jump+1.

Mediator
TALK SKILL: A mixed bag. Mimic Daravon and Threaten are very good. The real highlight of this skillset is that it's nearly unblockable.
Finger Guard (R): The only thing that can block Talk Skill. Useless otherwise.
Equip Gun (S): Guns have low damage, but extreme range.
Train (S): When you knock an enemy monster to critical, it joins your team permanently.
Monster Talk (S): Allows Talk Skill on monsters. Mediators have this innately and everyone else has better options.

Oracle
YIN-YANG MAGIC: A wide variety of useful status effects. Yes please.
Absorb Used MP (R): When someone uses magic on you (friend or foe), you get the amount of MP used. There are better ways to get MP.
Defense UP (S): Reduces physical damage to 2/3.
Any Weather (M): Too complex to explain. Take my word that this is useless.
Move-MP Up (M): Anytime you move (regardless of how far), you regain 10% of your max MP. Great ability for mages who don't need extra mobility. Combos very well with MP Switch when that combo isn't banned.

Geomancer
ELEMENTAL: Long-range, unavoidable, AOE, chance of debilitating status.
Counter Flood (R): Counter with Elemental. Good for the same reasons.
Attack UP (S): Increases your effective PA by 50%.
Any Ground (M): Move normally through flowing water. Not usually useful.
Move on Lava (M): Float does this and more and it's still useless.

Lancer
JUMP: Lets you attack from a very long range. Best on a faster unit. (Haste doesn't count, though.)
Dragon Spirit (R): Get Reraise when damaged. Hard to use, as it needs to go on a unit that won't be OHKO'd but who also won't die last.
Equip Spear (S): Spears have good range, but they're not useful enough to justify using this ability.
Ignore Height (M): Use Fly or Teleport over this.

Samurai
DRAW OUT: Damage is dependent on MA, so Samurai themselves don't use most of the skills effectively. 100% hit, wide AOE, plus useful status effects.
Meatbone Slash (R): When you are knocked to critical HP, you counter with damage equal to your max HP.
Blade Grasp (R): Avoid almost any physical attack. Usually banned because it's that good.
Equip Knife (S): Equip Katanas, whee.
Two Hands (S): Doubles the damage you deal with the Attack command. Consider Two Swords for Attack damage or Attack UP for boosting damage from other skills.
Walk on Water (M): Walk on the surface of water instead of in it. Cool, but not usually that useful.

Ninja
THROW: Deal damage at range. Scales with Speed, not PA. Range is equal to your Move stat.
Sunken State (R): Become invisible when hit. The AI doesn't use this as well as you'd like.
Abandon (R): Doubles your evade; stacks with Defend. Does not depend on Brave. Excellent ability. Usually banned.
Two Swords (S): Lets you equip two applicable weapons and attack twice. Ninjas have this innately.
Move in Water (M): No movement penalty for moving in water.

Calculator
MATH SKILL: Cast almost any spell on almost anyone. Usually banned.
Distribute (R): When someone who is not this unit heals this unit for more than its max HP, the overflow is split equally among the rest of your units. Hard to trigger and not that useful anyway.
Damage Split (R): If you survive the attack, you deal half the attack damage to the attacker and gain that much life.
Gained Exp UP (S): Get more Exp for each action. The usefulness of this ability is very limited in tournament format.
Move-Get Exp (M): Get 1 Exp per panel moved. Whee.
Move-Get JP (M): Useless in tournament format.

Bard
SING: Various abilities to raise your party's stats. A unit with Sing tends to turtle.
MA Save (R): Gain 1 MA when attacked.
Face Up (R): Gain 3 Faith when attacked by a Faith-based spell.
Move+3 (M): That's a lot of Move.
Fly (M): Fly over enemies and obstacles. Also eliminates fall damage. Teleport is better than Fly, fall damage aside.

Dancer
DANCE: Various abilities to lower the enemy's stats. A unit with Dance tends to turtle.
A Save (R): Gain 1 PA when attacked.
Brave Up (R): Gain 3 Brave when attacked physically. Some weapons (notably fists) deal damage that scales with Brave. Useless on anyone else.
Jump+3 (M): Just use Fly.
Fly (M): See Bard.

<u><b>Weapons you should consider using</b></u>

Note: I am not listing anything traditionally banned (non-shop equipment, for instance)

PA = Physical attack power
MA = Magical attack power
Br = Brave (Should be 70 on everyone, OK?)
WP = The weapon's power, used in formulas. <b>Don't go strictly by this number. Check the formula.</b>

<u><b>WEAPONS</b></u>

Note: The asteriks(*) denote that I recommend using this type of equipment on a particular type of unit.

<b>BAREFIST</b> (No Martial Arts OR with Martial Arts)
Units this might be good on: Squire, Thief*, Monk*, Geomancer, Dancer*, Ninja*, Mime*, Priest
Barefist's formula = [(PA * Br) / 100] * PA
(Martial Arts boosts damage by approximately 50%)

Because of this, it will sometimes outdamage other methods of attacking, such as knives, Swords (yes, swords) and Ninja Swords. If you equip PA boosting gear, bare fists get even more powerful. Don't count going weaponless out! Note that Martial Arts makes you even more powerful, and will <i>ALMOST ALWAYS</i> outdamage using a weapon.

With Geomancers, Priests and Squires, only use barefists if they will outdamage swords/staves and you need pure power. They might do this if you have a Power Sleeve and Twist Headband equipped. Try doing some calculations on your own and see. (They're very easy formulas, fortunately)

<b>KNIVES</b>
EQUIPPED BY: Squire, Chemist, Thief*, Mediator, Ninja, Dancer
damage = [(PA + Sp) / 2] * WP

Really, Thieves are the only class that want to consider knives. If you plan on doing <i>damage</i> with your Thief, consider using barefist instead, as the Knife formula is hampered by being dependent on two stats (PA and Speed) and knives just have low power in general.

Options:
<u>Air Knife</u> - WP 10 - Wind
Assassin Dagger WP 7 - ADD: Death Sentence
Blind Knife - WP 4 - ADD: Darkness
Mage Masher - WP 4 - ADD: Silence
<u>Main Gauche</u> - WP 6 - EVADE: 40% with Weapon Guard. Equip two for lulz.

<b>NINJA SWORDS</b>
EQUIPPED BY: Ninja*
damage = [(PA + Sp) / 2] * WP

Again, if you are going for dealing damage, consider barefist over these. The only reason to use Ninja Knives in this format is adding statuses.

Option:
<u>Spell Edge</u> - WP 13 - ADD: Don't Act

<b>SWORDS</b>
EQUIPPED BY: Squire*, Knight*, Geomancer*
damage = PA * WP

Swords are great, but not for the reasons you might expect. They're okay in terms of damage, but it's the added effects that really make them shine. Knight Swords are even better, but you won't be seeing any in our tournament format.

Ancient Sword - WP 9 - ADD: Don't Move
<u>Ice Brand</u> - WP 13 - Ice elemental, randomly casts Ice 2
<u>Rune Sword</u> - WP 14 - MA + 2, excellent on Geomancers
Sleep Sword - WP 9 - ADD: Sleep

<b>KATANAS</b>
EQUIPPED BY: Samurai*
damage = [(PA * Br) / 100] * WP

If you can spare the slot, try using Equip Sword and a Rune Blade instead, or just stick Draw Out on a different class. Samurai, contrary to the way they look, suck horribly. Katanas are just plain not that special.

<u>Kikuichimoji</u> - WP 15

<b>AXES</b>
EQUIPPED BY: Squire, Geomancer
damage = (1..PA) * WP ; That means it's random, bros

Axes suck. Don't even bother. They do, however, make the BEST throwing items in the game. If you are using a Ninja, turn off everything but Throw:Axe and possibly Throw:Ball for maximum damage output.

<u>Slasher</u> - WP 16 - ADD:Slow

<b>RODS</b>
EQUIPPED BY: Wizard*, Summoner*, Oracle
damage = PA * WP

Do NOT use these on an Oracle. We clear? Good. That said, they are amazing on both of the other choices. There is no reason not to use the Wizard Rod unless you have some crazy elemental strategy in mind. If you plan on using Weapon Guard, note that all Rods add 20% evade, which is not too shabby.

Flame Rod - WP 3 - Strengthen Fire, randomly cast Fire
Ice Rod - WP 3 - Strengthen Ice, randomly cast Ice
Thunder Rod - WP 3 - Strengthen Lightning, randomly cast Bolt
Poison Rod - WP 3 - Add:Poison
<u>Wizard Rod</u> - WP 4 - MA + 2

<b>STAVES</b>
EQUIPPED BY: Priest*, Time Mage*, Summoner, Oracle

Again, don't use these on Oracles. Summoners should only have a Staff if they plan on running out of MP or using Jump, which would just be silly. (Although Jumping Priests are actually good. Try it!) Time Mages should only use the Wizard Staff if they are planning on casting Meteor or have a secondary skillset that uses MA, as none of their other spells use MA.
damage = MA * WP

<u>Gold Staff</u> - WP 6
Healing Staff - WP 4 - Heals target instead of damaging. Not as good as you'd hope.
White Staff - WP 3 - CANCEL: Death Sentence. Also not that helpful (You have to hit someone with it to cancel DS)
<u>Wizard Staff</u> - WP 4 - MA+1

<b>FLAILS</b>
EQUIPPED BY: Squire, Ninja
damage = (1..PA) * WP ; This means random, bro

Flails do random damage. I avoid them like axes.

Flame Whip - WP 11 - Fire elemental, randomly casts Fire 2
<u>Morning Star - WP 16 </u>

<b>GUNS</b>
EQUIPPED BY: Chemist*, Mediator*
damage = WP * WP ; Note that this means you can't improve the damage. Also, guns are PHYSICAL, so Protect will reduce their damage
No Spell Guns are allowed in this format, so I have omitted them.

Guns are awesome. They don't do too much damage, but you can't argue with a range of 8. Also, they are great combined with stuff like Battle Skill.

<u>Mythril Gun</u> - WP 8

<b>CROSSBOWS</b>
EQUIPPED BY: Archer
damage = PA * WP

Use Crossbows with discretion. They are more powerful on Archers than Longbows when you equip PA-boosting gear, but otherwise are generally not. They only have a range of 4, but it ignores vertical distance, which is great. Crossbows are funky to aim, and sometimes the AI messes it up. One major advantage they add is the ability to equip shields (Long Bows use two hands)

<u>Gastrafitis</u> - WP 10
Night Killer - WP 3 - ADD:Darkness
Poison Bow - WP 4 - ADD: Poison

<b>LONG BOWS</b>
EQUIPPED BY: Archer*
damage = [(PA + Sp) / 2] * WP

Major advantages over Crossbows: Range increases with Height advantage, can fire over units and obstacles if needed. The only problem with Long Bows is that their damage formula is screwy and hard to increase damage with. (Dependency on two stats is bad) Still, the range advantage is great. And now for the kicker that kind of kills Archers here: Windslash Bow is the best thing you can use in this format, and it is pretty weak.

<u>Windslash Bow</u> - WP 8 - Wind elemental

<b>HARPS</b>
EQUIPPED BY: Bard*
damage = [(PA + MA) / 2] * WP

The only one worth your time in general is Bloody Strings. It's a great weapon, but Bards don't really have the stats to make good use of it.

<u>Bloody Strings</u> - WP 13 - Drains HP
Ramia Harp - WP 10 - ADD: Confusion

<b>DICTIONARIES</b>
EQUIPPED BY: Oracle, Calculator
damage = [(PA + MA) / 2] * WP

Don't use them. They suck. Yeah, their range is better than that of Sticks, but the damage tradeoff just isn't worth it. (Sticks have a range of 2, which is still good)

<u>Papyrus Plate</u> - WP 9

<b>SPEARS</b>
EQUIPPED BY: Lancer*
damage = PA * WP

Excellent weapons in general. They have a range of 2 and boost the power of Jumps.

<u>Oberisk</u> - WP 12

<b>STICKS</b>
EQUIPPED BY: Oracle*, Calculator*
damage = MA * WP

Just like Spears, only with MA and weird added effects. They are pretty much the best weapons mages can get in this game. Do not underestimate them. The added effects are usually BAD for both of the classes that can equip sticks, but it's only a minor weakness.

Gokuu Rod - WP 7 - ADD: Innocent
<u>Octagon Rod</u> - WP 12 - CANCEL: Darkness - Silence - Oil - Frog - Poison - Slow - Stop - Don't Move - Don't Act ; This means if you attack an enemy with these statuses, it will cure them. Can also be used to heal your party, but I would not trust the AI with that purpose.

<b>BAGS</b>
These are complicated, but for now, any female non-Mime can wear these.
damage = (1..PA) * WP ; Random, but Bags do NOT suck

Bags are an iffy choice, but they can be helpful if you have a particular concept in mind for a unit. Don't use them for damage, whatever you do. All you care about with these is the effect. I disagree with Moogle1 about Regen being useless in FFT (Moogle disclaimer: innate Regen is great, it's just that the effect wears off too quickly otherwise), and Speed is always good to have. the MA Boost on C Bags is good for classes that can't equip anything better to raise it.

C Bag - WP 10 - MA+1
Potentially use these on: Chemists or Mediators with magic, Female Samurai* (seriously better than a Katana), Calculators

H Bag - WP 14 - Speed + 1
Potential carriers: Chemists, Priests, Wizards, Thieves/Ninjas running utility skillsets, Oracles not using Sticks, Time Mages, Mediators, Summoners, Calculators*

P Bag - WP 12 - ALWAYS: Regen
Potential carriers: Chemists*, Priests not spamming Holy*, Wizards, Thieves/Ninjas running utility, Oracles not attacking, Time Mages, Mediators, Summoners, Dancers*, Calculators

<b>CLOTHS</b>
EQUIPPED BY: Dancers*
damage = [(PA + MA) / 2] * WP

Bear in mind that fists can outdamage these. Note that Cloths have very high Weapon evade should you choose to use Weapon Guard, but also keep in mind that Dance cancels all your evasion, so that's sort of a moot point. Cloths have a range of 2, just as a bonus.

<u>Cashmere</u> - WP 10 - Evade + 50% when using Weapon Guard

More coming soon

<b>SHIELDS</b>
EQUIPPED BY: Knight, Archer, Geomancer, Lancer
NOTE: Archers can only use these if they are using Crossbows or bare fists.

Options:
<u>Aegis Shield</u> - Physical 10% - Magic 50% MA + 1
Great on Knights abusing Ice Brand and Geomancers.

<u>Crystal Shield</u> - Physical 40% - Magic 15%
Best for physical evasion

Flame Shield Physical 31% ABSORB: Fire HALF: Ice WEAKNESS: Water
I dunno, if you fear Fire go for it.

Ice Shield - Physical 28% ABSORB: Ice HALF: Fire WEAKNESS: Lightning
The primary use for these is Ice healing (Ice Brands are great, Black Magic works too) I'm not sure if the AI is smart enough to realize this or not.

<b>HELMETS</b>
EQUIPPED BY: Knight, Lancer, Samurai
NOTICE: Helmets are not that good. They increase HP by a lot, but they don't really add anything helpful.

<u>Crystal Helmet</u> - HP + 120

<b>HATS</b>
EQUIPPED BY: Squire, Chemist, Archer, Priest, Wizard, Time Mage, Summoner, Thief, Mediator, Oracle, Geomancer, Ninja, Calculator, Bard, Dancer

Flash Hat - HP+88 MP+15 MA+1 Speed+1
Great on Mages

Golden Hairpin HP+80 MP+50 CANCEL: Silence
Also a good option for mages who use lots of MP

<u>Thief Hat</u> HP+100 Speed+2 CANCEL: Don't Move - Don't Act
Speaks for itself. This thing rocks on just about any class

Twist Headband HP+56 PA + 2
Excellent on physical attackers. Beware of the HP tradeoff.

<b>ARMOR</b>
EQUIPPED BY: Knight, Lancer, Samurai
NOTICE: Again, Armor is kinda sad. Robes are often a better option.

Crystal Mail - HP+110
If you are relying on support magic, consider using this over Reflect Mail

<u>Reflect Mail</u> - HP+130 ALWAYS: Reflect

<b>CLOTHES</b>
EQUIPPED BY: Squire, Chemist, Archer, Priest, Wizard, Time Mage, Summoner, Thief, Mediator, Oracle, Geomancer, Ninja, Calculator, Bard, Dancer

<u>Black Costume</u> - HP+100 CANCEL: Stop
Great, but be aware that it does not raise any stats, including MP

Earth Clothes - HP+85 MP+10 ABSORB: Earth STRENGTHEN: Earth
These are amazing on Monks if you plan on abusing Earth Slash. You can even use it for healing if your whole party has Earth Clothes!

Judo Outfit - HP+60 PA+1 CANCEL: Dead
Only use it for Cancel:Dead; otherwise Power Sleeve is better

<u>Power Sleeve</u> - HP+70 PA+2

<b>ROBES</b>
EQUIPPED BY: Knight, Priest, Wizard, Time Mage, Summoner, Mediator, Oracle, Geomancer, Lancer, Samurai, Calculator

Consider using Robes on any class that can wear them. They have lots of nifty effects, and you can make up the HP Loss with Helmets and Hats.

<u>Black Robe</u> - HP+60 MP+30 STRENGTHEN: Fire Lightning Ice
Remember, STRENGTHEN applies to physical attacks too, namely Ice Brand.

Chameleon Robe - HP+40 MP+28 CANCEL:Dead ABSORB: Holy
Not as useful without Math Skill, but potentially good still

Light Robe - HP+75 MP+50
It has the best HP/MP of all Robes you can use here

White Robe HP+50 MP+34 HALF: Fire Lightning Ice
Not bad if you fear Summoners and Wizards

<u>Wizard Robe</u> HP+30 MP+22 MA + 2
The Low HP and MP are scary, but that MA bonus outweighs them.

<b>ACCESSORIES</b>

Feather Boots - ALWAYS:Float
Use if you fear Earth Slash

Germinas Boots - MOVE+1 JUMP+1
Improves your movement significantly

Red Shoes - MOVE+1 MA+1
Good on Mages that need Move

Rubber Shoes - CANCEL: Don't Move IMMUNE: Thunder
If you fear Thunder. Can Combine with Bolt 4 for a suicide Wizard, but that's not too useful in AI mode

Sprint Boots - Speed+1
Speed. It's always good.

<u>Bracer</u> - PA + 3
Makes fighters even better. Check your barefist damage when using a Bracer.

Magic Gauntlet - MA + 2
Good, but Mages usually need other support in accessories.

<u>Angel Ring</u> CANCEL: Dead - Darkness ALWAYS: Reraise
Gives the unit a second chance.

Defense Ring - CANCEL: Sleep - Death Sentence

Magic Ring - CANCEL: Silence - Berserk

<u>Reflect Ring</u> - ALWAYS: Reflect

<u>108 Gems</u> - CANCEL: Undead - Blood Suck - Frog - Poison
Strengthens all elementals too. Good stuff!

Defense Armlet - CANCEL: Don't Move - Don't Act

Diamond Armlet - PA+1 -MA+1 CANCEL: Slow

Jade Armlet - CANCEL: Petrify - Stop

N-Kai Armlet - CANCEL: Confusion - Charm HALF: Dark

<u>Feather Mantle</u> - Evasion: Physical 40% - Magic 30%
This is the go-to accessory for most units.

Wizard Mantle - Evasion: Physical 18% - Magic 18% MA+1
Evasion + MA boost. Nice


JOB GUIDE COMING SOON

<u><b> JOBS </B></u>

<u>Squire</u>
Innate abilities: Basic Skill
Equipment: Barefists*, Swords*, Flails, Hats, Clothes Squires are the basic fighting class in the game, and in AI mode they are not that bad. While it might seem that Knights are the better choice, there are a number of reasons to choose Squires over them.

Firstly, Squires have better movement than Knights. This matters more than you might think, as it helps to keep them safe and get them in the fray faster. They also have the advantage in equipment--clothes and hats are much more important than Armor and Robes on fighting units.

The Basic Skill set is better than expected, too. Accumulate is a great ability to have on a free turn, and Throw Stone is nice when dealing with Charm, Confusion, Sleep and weakened enemies. This is not to say Squires are supremely powerful units, but do consider them as a carrier class.

Sadly, their advantages over Knights pale compared to the advantages Geomancers hold. The only thing Squires really have over Geomancers is innate Basic Skill. Because of this, beware that using a Squire on your team is something done at a liability. If you plan on using one, have a reason for needing Basic Skill.

<u>Chemist</u>
Innate: Item, Throw Item
Equip: Barefist, Knives, Guns*, Hats, Clothes Final Fantasy fanboys might be inclined to think the Priest is the better healing class, but that isn't the case here. If you need a healer that can stay alive, Chemist is the way to go. Why? Chemists don't have to charge their Item throws, and charging makes you very vulnerable in FFT. Also, Item healing does not depend on either target's Faith stat, so you can use Chemists regardless of whether or not you are playing with mages.

Another big plus to using Chemists is that they can equip guns, which means they will more than likely stay far away from the mainlines. This gives Chemists a chance to use support abilities such as Battle Skill and Time Magic from a safe distance.

Disadvantages? Chemists are terrible at fighting and they pretty much have to equip gear that protects them from statuses to stay helpful. This means they are a very reactive class, and as a result don't contribute much toward getting the job done. In other words, the disadvantage is that your other three units need to be able to hold their own so the Chemist has something to support.

<u>Knights</u>
Innate: Battle Skill
Equip: Barefist, Swords*, <s>Knight Swords</s>, Shields, Helmets, Robes, Armor Ah, Knights. This class is cursed by no real fault of its own. On paper, they're a really nice class. Great physical stats, a versatile skill set, the heaviest of heavy equipment, and even Robes for good measure. The problem is, Movement, Speed, and Accuracy matter a lot more in FFT. Battle Skills are hard to hit with, especially if the enemy has any evasion of note. Helmets and Armor, aside from the Reflect Mail, really only raise HP, so other classes can be gaining important stat points while the Knight just has its base values. To top it off, having 3 move is just a slap in the face.

If you want a Knight to be successful without its claim to glory--Knight Swords--you have to treat it as a carrier class. The abilities you stick on your Knight are going to determine how good it is, period. You might choose to give your Knight some range (Equip Gun) or healing (Item) or mobility (Move + 3) or extra Break attempts (Two Swords). Whatever the case is, you have to give the Knight something to help it get anything done.

So why use a Knight at all? Similarly to the Squire, if you want to make use of this class, you have to play to its strengths. High HP combined with swords and the Battle Skill set are what really separate the Knight from the pack, so it would be wise to focus on one (or both) of those. Like Chemists, Knights can be an effective team member, but probably cannot solo entire battles.

<u>Archers</u>
Innate: Charge
Equip: Barefist, Crossbows*, Bows*, Shields, Hats, Clothes Poor guys. Archers have some of the best equipment options in the game, but they are hurt badly by the Charge skillset (near useless) and the lack of good Bows in this format. Like Knights, you need to have some good secondary options in mind for these fellows. One thing that hurts them--tournament or not--is the weapon choice. Do you go with funky crossbows and shields or Long Bows for range? Crossbows probably do more damage in this format, but Bows are more convenient.

What does Archer have over other classes? It can equip shields and has a built in ranged attack. It can drop shields and get an even better ranged attack. So naturally, you want to make use of that range. Unfortunately, a lot of characters can do this better. Guns have built-in 100% accuracy, and a high PA unit (Knight, Lancer...) with Equip Crossbow can pull those off better. So what does the Archer have over THOSE? It can use clothes and hats, and can therefore gain a Speed advantage over heavy fighters while still potentially using shields.

Thus, the archer finds itself in the weird position of being a utility/fighter unit. It doesn't do either one well on its own, so you have to improvise with abilities and equipment. Sadly, it will probably always underperform next to Geomancers in the tournaments. Consider it carefully before using one.

<u>Priest</u>
Innate: White Magic
Equip: Barefists, Staves*, Hats, Clothes, Robes While White Mages are usually relegated to healing in Final Fantasy games, Priests actually are better off as pure support units or even offensive forces. In other words, Priests are a nice carrier class. You can stick lots of abilities on them and watch them work out well. The White Magic skillset also contains some great spells like Holy, Protect, Shell, Raise, Raise2, and Esuna. Note that out of those, only Holy requires a high MA level.

Interestingly, should you choose to use a Male Priest (which is surprisingly not always a bad idea) you might notice they have the same PA and MA values at level 35. This means that FISTS can actually be good weapons on these guys. Furthermore, Jump makes a pretty good secondary ability. I wouldn't go using a Priest as a tank or anything, but they do have above-average physical offense that can surprise your foes.

Now, Priests are not the best Mage class in the game by any means. They simple don't have the same levels of MA and spell options that Wizards, Summoners, Oracles and Time Mages do. Nonetheless, they make good all-around additions to any team. You just have to put some thought into what abilities and equipment go on them.

<u>Wizard</u>
Innate: Black Magic
Equip: Barefists, Rods*, Hats, Clothes, Robes They have the highest MA score in the game. That's enough to get you started thinking about how to use them. The Black Magic Skillset, while it has some powerful stuff, is not as versatile as Summon Magic or White Magic, and cannot shut enemies down like Time Magic or Yin-Yang Magic. Thus, if you choose to use a Wizard, it is vital that you make use of that MA stat.

Fortunately, this is easy to do. Black Magic itself is a decent enough damage option, but Wizards are better at using magic than any other class too, so you can give them Draw Out, Elemental, White Magic (for Holy), Summon Magic, or even Sing.

Since Wizards don't really have any other good options that casting spells, your equipment for them should focus on either raising that damage or keeping the mage alive. If you fear charge times making you vulnerable, consider not teaching your Wizard any Black Magic and just sticking Draw Out or Elemental on her. The only true disadvantage this class has is that Black Magic is its primary skillset.

<u>Monk</u>
Innate: Punch Art, Martial Arts
Equip: Barefists*, Clothes Monks are an awesome class with one big fat weakness: they can't equip anything but clothes. The lack of hats actually hurts more than you might think, as it means no Twist Headband or Thief Hat, which would have made them ridiculously strong. The bright side is that Monks still rock without hats. Innate Martial Arts doesn't just give them the best weapon option in the game; it also means you can toss on something like Two Swords or Concentrate to make those punches even more sickening. Also, Punch Art is a great skillset with long range moves, healing, and even a revive skill.

You might feel tempted to give them an ability like Equip Armor to improve their HP, but that is not necessary, as they have very high base HP. Earth Clothes, while they are weaker than Power Sleeves and Black Costumes, can turn your Monk into an incredible long-range unit, while Power Sleeves will just make them do tons of damage. It's up to you how you want to equip them; think about what the Monk's function is in your team.

So let's get to what you need to watch out for with Monks. Naturally, it's a result of their bad equipment options. Monks have horrible protection options against status effects. You get an accessory and that's it--your clothes slot is probably taken up by Earth Clothes or Power Sleeve, right? And I'll bet you'd love to equip a Bracer or 108 Gems to make them more powerful, too. If you're planning on keeping your Monk weak against status, it needs to have backup that can cure them. You might be sorry if you don't provide it.

<u>Thief</u>
Innate: Steal
Equip: Barefists*, Knives*, Hats, Clothes Using a Thief in this format is risky business. Yes, they have good speed. Yes, Steal Heart is a fun ability to play with. Sadly, Ninjas beat them in the speed department (not to mention damage), which means Ninjas are better at both of those things and Magic to boot. And the Steal:Equipment abilities depend more on PA than Speed, so a Monk or Ninja will be better with them. (Moogle aside: They actually depend only on Speed and not on PA at all, but Martial Arts gives them a boost, so Monks and Ninjas are still better. For best results, try it on a Ninja with Martial Arts.)

What are they good for? Not too much, but you can improvise. First thing of note is that, depending on your equipment, barefist might be the better damage option than Knives. However, you might be better off trying to inflict statuses. Thieves DO have an HP advantage over Ninjas, for what it's worth. So if you need a pure support unit to run Items and have high evasion, Thief isn't too shabby of a choice. I'd still go with a Ninja, but that's me.

I hate to say it, but Thief is just a really poor option for this format. They do have some nice uses in the actual game, but those don't carry over too well here.

<u>Oracle</u>
Innate: Yin-Yang Magic
Equip: Barefist, Staves, Rods, Sticks*, Hats, Clothes, Robes* Odds are, if you have only played FFT a few times you have mocked the Oracle class at some point. Stop this. Oracles are easily one of the best mage classes this game has to offer, even if their uses are not apparent at first glance. They have an excellent physical attack (Sticks), the best anti-magic skills in the game (Silence Song, Berserk, Doubt Faith, I am forgetting something probably), and plenty of fun spells that can cripple the opposition (Petrify, Paralyze, Sleep, etc).

The main reason to use Oracles over other mage classes is the ability to equip sticks, which only Calculators can copy. (And Calculators are without a doubt the worst class in this format) This makes a huge difference, especially since the AI is harebrained enough to send mages into hordes of enemies sometimes. Yin-Yang Magic can be used on any class effectively, but Oracles just make the best fit. You can equip them with a Wizard Robe for more stick damage or a Light Robe for more MP. Choose between Flash Hat and Thief Hat for MA or Speed while you're at at it.

The only real drawback to using an Oracle is that their spells can be luck-dependent, especially when fighting low Faith units. You can try giving them Pray Faith, but the AI might not figure out that it needs to use that. (Moogle aside: In my experience, the AI uses it a little TOO often.) Still, if your opponent has any mages at all an Oracle can shut them down.

<u>Time Mage</u>
Innate: Time Magic
Equip: Barefist, Staves*, Hats, Clothes, Robes* Time Mages are almost strictly support units. They're a pretty great class, but since we're in a flexible format they tend to be overshadowed by the other mages or fighters with Time Magic secondary. This is not to say that Time Mages are a bad choice for your team. You can't deny the helpfulness of Haste, Quick, Slow, Meteor, Don't Move and other important spells.

Unfortunately, the only mage class Time Mages have a statistical advantage over is Summoners (Speed, HP, and PA). Wizards, Oracles and Priests all outperform them (except Priests have a bit less MA). Making things worse, Time Mages can't even use sticks, decent barefists or rods, so they are more limited than the other mages.

All in all, they end up just being an average class. You probably won't want to use one unless you're doing some kind of all-mage team or have a plan with that secondary skill slot.

<u>Geomancer</u>
Innate: Elemental
Equip: Barefists, Swords*, Axes, Shields, Hats, Clothes, Robes Geomancers are among the most versatile classes in the game, and are very often the ideal carrier class. They sport good levels of MA and PA and excellent equipment options, not to mention Elemental, which is one of the best skillsets in the game (Free, crazy range, AOE targeting, statuses, boostable damage). In fact, Geos are so tweakable that you can find uses for both Males and Females.

Most of the time, you will want to have swords for the MA+2, Ice elemental attack, or status effects. Fists are often a viable option too. It's hard to find much wrong with this class because it can carry just about any ability and use it well. Your equipment should just serve to meet your needs. Raising both PA and MA will make Elemental more powerful, so you don't really have to worry too much about it. Female Geos tend to be better with Elemental while Males hit harder--the choice is yours.

The only real weakness Geos have is that they are not the -best- at anything. Ninjas do more physical damage, Wizards do more magical damage, Knights and Lancers make better tanks, etc. But if you need a versatile unit and can't decide what to pick, they are never a bad option.

<u>Lancer</u>
Innate: Jump
Equip: Barefists, Spears*, Shields, Helmets, Armor, Robes Lancers are an excellent physical class. Don't be too worried about the low Speed--going second makes it easier for Lancers to hit with Jump. This class does mounds of damage from 8 panels away, and it's pretty safe from counterattacks should your opponent be using those. Also, since they are in the air a lot, you don't have to worry about setting them up too much. Lancers are probably the most independent unit in FFT.

And that's their weakness. Lancers tend to spend entire battles doing their own thing and leaving the rest of the team to operate on its own. They are a very one-dimensional class. If you don't need a long-range fighter that doesn't do much else, you don't need a Lancer. Their equipment options are pitiful, so the only flexibility you really have is with abilities. This does not make Lancers a bad class (they rock, try 'em) but they are pretty vanilla.

<u>Mediator</u>
Innate: Talk Skill, Monster Talk
Equip: Barefists, Knives, Guns*, Hats, Clothes*, Robes Like Thieves, Mediators fall in to the category of classes that are useful in the game itself, but don't shine in the AI tournaments. Yeah, they can equip guns, but so can Chemists, and Chemists have innate Throw Item. Mediators are stuck with crappy offense and a luck-based skillset that has questionable value anyway. If you want to abuse Talk Skill, it's usually better to do so with a class carrying the ability instead. (Moogle aside: Like Yin-Yang Magic and Time Magic, Talk Skill is technically boosted by MA... but the boost is negligible. Unlike those skillsets, Talk Skill doesn't care about Faith, which is great.)

Just looking at their options, all Mediators actually have over Chemists is the ability to equip Robes. So technically, Mediators make a pretty good support magic class (Time Magic, Yin-Yang Magic) since they can achieve higher MP than a Chemist. If you want to use one in this format, I would capitalize on that.

<u>Summoner</u>
Innate: Summon Magic
Equip: Barefists, Staves, Rods*, Hats, Clothes, Robes* Summoners are not as great as you might expect. Yes, Summon Magic is an excellent skillset. Yes, Summoners have lower speed, meaning they can get the second turn and pull off a fast summon in some cases. That's all they have going for them in this format. Wizards have higher MA, while Time Mages and Oracles have the same MA, better Speed, and better vital stats.

Still, a Summoner can be worth using, if only because Summon Magic is such a great thing to have, and using a Summoner gives you an extra slot for other abilities. This is the advantage you will want to exploit. (I would also try and make use of the Summoner's lower Speed)

Keep in mind that Summon Magic can be used both for offense and defense. It might be wise to consider turning off the abilities you do not wish for the AI to choose, and personally I would always turn off the higher-level Summons unless you have Short Charge and a way of restoring MP.

<u>Dancer</u>
Innate: Dance
Equip: Barefists*, Knives, Carpets*, Hats, Clothes Dancers are another one of those classes that has a good ability and is not the best at using it. In order to make Dance good, you need to be able to stay alive and run away, so it's much better to stick Dance on a unit that can do those things. Because the AI really, really likes to Dance, be very careful about which abilities you choose to have your Dancer using in battle. Wiznaibus is brutal in the game, but can be too slow of an offense in AI tournies. Since Nameless Dance is usually banned, you won't be able to cheese enemies out with it either.

Probably the worst thing about using a Dancer is their horrible survivability. One or two hits are pretty much guaranteed to kill the ladies. The only advantage they have over other classes is the ability to equip Carpets, which have high weapon evade. Sadly, this does not help very much when they are always dropping evasion to Dance. Don't blame the Dancer herself--blame Squaresoft for not thinking this class through too well. (Moogle aside: Dancers do pretty well with fists, too, but Carpets have a two-tile range.)

<u>Bard</u>
Innate: Sing
Equip: Barefists, Harps*, Hats, Clothes Bards are actually better than Dancers in AI mode because they can use Harps. The Bloody String has the very nice effect of draining HP when it hits. But like Dancers, they suffer from being pretty bad at using their own skills. Sing works much better on either a tank or a unit with high MA, depending on which songs you choose to use. I would explain more about them, but their stats are seriously so bad that I can't figure out any logical reason to use one over another class. (Moogle aside: Bloody Strings are seriously the game's best weapon. Too bad you need a Bard to use them.)

That said, Bards are great fun to use as a joke. Pluck that Harp, baby.

<u>Ninja</u>
Innate: Throw, Two Swords
Equip: Barefists*, Knives, Ninja Swords, Hats, Clothes Ninjas dominate. That's about all there is to it. They have the best natural physical attack you are going to get, and they don't even need any weapons to be awesome. Throw on Martial Arts to make it even more sickening. Their equipment options supplement this strategy perfectly. Two hits also means they get an extra Battle Skill turn, and opens up mean combos with stuff like Concentrate and Equip (Weapon). Oh, and they have the highest Speed in the game, if you didn't realize that. As if that weren't enough, Ninjas get Throw, which is a very powerful action ability. You can increase its range by raising your Move, if you so choose.

The only weakness Ninjas have is low HP, and since they like rushing in, this can be problematic. Make sure you always have a back-up plan when running Ninjas. With any luck, though, they won't need it.

One last word, about Ninja Swords. You don't want to equip them if you are aiming to maximize damage, but Spell Edges add Don't Act, so that's always a possibility. If you fear losing Brave, it might be wise to use Ninja Swords too, but that's a rare occurrence generally.

<u>Samurai</u>
Innate: Draw Out
Equip: Barefists, Katanas*, Helmets, Armor, Robes* Samurai. They look cool, man. And they suck. It's terrible, cause they just look so cool! But really, they have bad Speed, bad MA (necessary for their Draw Out skill) and disappointing PA. Draw Out is a great option for other classes like Wizards, any other Mage, or Geomancers. "But JSH! Samurai can get higher HP!" That doesn't matter too much when Samurai can't actually -do- anything.

If you plan on using a Samurai in an AI tourney, I recommend picking a Female so that Draw Out isn't completely pathetic. Since Draw Out is generally a midrange/defensive ability, you won't need to attack physically too much anyway. In fact, it might be good to equip them with a Bag to raise MA instead of a Katana.

In short, Samurai would be a great class if they could actually use their skills well. Since they can't, they just learn some good abilities and should stay on the sidelines.

<u>Calculator</u>
Innate: Math Skill
Equip: Barefists, Dictionaries, Sticks*, Hats, Clothes, Robes Lol Calcs. Even if they could use Math Skill, you'd be better off with literally any other class equipping it. Just take a look at their Speed level and cry.

<u>Mime</u>
Innate: Mimic, Martial Arts, Concentrate
Equip: Barefists* Mimes are a risky option, but they can pay off big time. Just in case you don't understand what Mimes can do, I'll summarize it.

1. Mimes are one of the strongest physical fighting classes in the game. They can't use weapons, but they have innate Martial Arts and Concentrate (also excellent stats), so they will enjoy waltzing up and punching enemies. You want this to happen because...

2. Mimes will mimic any non-Mime, non-Special character, non-Monster action. If your Dancer uses Slow Dance, Mime will do it right afterward. If your Ninja throws a Slasher, the Mime will throw it in the exact same direction the Ninja did. If your Chemist uses an X-Potion on itself, the Mime will feed itself an X-Potion. Keep in mind Mimes do not charge spells, so if your Summoner calls Bahamut, your Mime will do it instantly.

3. Mimes can't equip anything, so they are vulnerable to all status effects and have bad evasion.

In a nutshell, the advantage is that you can pile on damage really fast with these guys. The disadvantages are that they are unreliable sometimes and can hurt your allies on accident. Do experiment with Mimes, but try and have classes with abilities it would be useful to copy. Examples are Item, Punch Art, Elemental, Summon Magic, Dance, Sing, and Draw Out. (Moogle aside: Best stats in the game at higher levels.)

OK, I'm done with my class writeups. Don't take them as scripture, but I think I've covered a lot of important pluses and minuses.

My only point of contention is that you called several classes slow that have average speed (Lancers, Samurai). Meanwhile, Priests are as fast as Thieves and the poor kids don't get any mention for it.

It occurred to me that a wiki might be a better format for this sort of thing, but we already have the major topics covered. Oh well.