Lurker > MalcolmMasher

Time is running out on the current Cardia campaign, so I decided to re-beat Dragonking VII today. Time improved from ~52s to ~48s, thanks to the additional record board tiles unlocked by the first clear. ...Come to think of it, though, I forgot to equip the artifact armor that the first clear gave me. I'm gonna do that now and save the new copy of the team so I don't forget about it again.

On an unrelated note, I have finished setting up four mixed, dual-elemental auto-battle teams so that I can cover all the weekly "Defeat This Magicite" objectives with only four recorded parties. (I ended up with the elemental pairings Wnd/Drk, Eth/Hly, Wtr/Lit, Fir/Ice.) I'm sure it'll shock no one to learn that Syldra was the most vexatious enemy; the Fir/Ice team ended up running Seven with AASB+Mako Might just to remove Syldra's Haste.
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I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.

Dunsparce
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I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.

10/10. Shame about the mediocre gameplay, but the writing is fantastic.
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Pulled 'cause half price. I have 4 dupes; I got 3 relics. Two were dupes for Alphinaud, one a dupe for Freya. Sheesh.

At least Alph AASB is now up to rank 9. Three more dupes and he can use it twice!
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Finally took down a Dragonking (VII), just in time. Physical team of Tifa/Cloud/Yuffie, plus Aeris for healing; no FB counter (my first attempts used Mog but he kept dying), so instead I brought Cait Sith, who needed to have BSB and Warrior's Hymn going in Phase 3 to keep my damage from being crippled by Cardia BS. Phase 1 was mostly about figuring out how many resources I could conserve for Phase 2; Phase 2 was about bashing my head into a wall trying to figure out when I needed to use SBs so that I wouldn't get interrupted, have my bars drained, die to super moves, or die to Sap. The big hurdle in Phase 3 was Bahamut's mega-savage; what got me through it was having Cloud rely on USB1 for Phase 1, so that he could activate AASB + Sync in Phase 2 and be able to doublecast Cmd2 in Phase 3. And also about being able to unload Cloud AOSB and Tifa TASB afterwards, that helped a lot.

Sap-related aside: You know how dying to Sap before your instant cast heal goes off sucks? Well, Bahamut VII mostly uses Poison, he only inflicts Sap once... and his next attack is timed to go off exactly before the Sap ticks. (It's also a two-hit attack, one weak and one very strong; if you use Cait USB2 to overwrite Sap, Bahamut still gets 90% of his damage through your Damage Barrier 75.) I suspect the reason Bahamut doesn't speed up at high savage levels, like some other bosses do, is because they don't want anything to interfere with their evil timing window.

Anyway, if this spurs you to think "hey, that's right, there's a ticket on the line, I should try for it"... honestly, I wouldn't recommend it. I mean, make your team, try the fight once or twice, and if it seems like something you won't be able to master in the next couple of hours, it probably isn't. Put the tablet down and enjoy your weekend. In related news, I gave up on Spiraling Depths after floor 81.

Ticket was Sice AASB. I don't know when I last used her and don't have plans to use her in the future, but still, new awakening.
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Anyway, I know the 6* magicite active abilities are substantially better than 5* ones, but do I immediately replace one of the 5*s with the level 65 6*?

If you're taking on 6* Magicite, definitely yes. Let's say you're going up against Valefor (6* Wind). You want Shiva as your main magicite, because it does tons of fixed damage and applies minor imperil ice on follow-up attacks. You want Valefor as a secondary magicite, because bringing a 6* Magicite to fight itself buffs your party (along the lines of 10% damage dealt and -10% damage taken, IIRC, before considering that they'll provide some Dampen <Element>.). And then you want some combination of 5* ice magicite and Madeens (no 6* has, or can acquire, Madeen's "damage increases as HP increases" passive.) Offhand, probably two Madeens and a Manticore, but that I'm less sure of.

Cater's AASB2 seems to be another full break counter if I'm reading it correctly?

+Atk/Def/Mag/Res, so yep, it'll counter Full Break. You'll still want Mog or suchlike in other realms, but you can consider using Cater instead in Type 0 - or use both in Type 0, so that you can counter both the weaker Phase 2 and the stronger Phase 3 debuffs even before honing Mog AASB2.
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So I guess it looks like most of Serahs stuff (like her default LMs) assume shes an ice mage. Question: if I use voltech with it always resolving as a water spell, does it still also count as an ice spell for the purpose of her LM? [...] I know the other LM (small ice boost) is definitely useless so I guess I may as well use this one.

Both of those LMs will interact with Voltech, whatever type of damage it is actually dealing. That wasn't always how it works, mind; I want to say that change was made around the time they gave En-Wind stuff to Terra.
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The ticket incentive got me to bring down an Argent Odin (Vulnerable to Earth Physical), which then aided me in bringing down Vulnerable to Water Physical and Vulnerable to Fire Magic. Tried a few of the others, but that's probably enough for now - I have physical and magical Odins at Lv99 with fire/ice/lightning buffs. Time to start trying for the Dragonking ticket, I suppose.
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It's been a while, but I recall there being another way into maridia other then the glass tube

You can enter Maridia by exiting the Wrecked Ship going east. I don't think you can get to Draygon from that entrance (unless you've already killed him, which unlocks some doors); it basically just takes you from above Maridia to below it. However, it routes you through a broken glass tube and then kicks you out right next to the intact one, which the designers presumably considered an adequate hint.
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I don't recall any discussion of a Vivi SB Power Combo, but it looks like the best two to run at once would be Sync 1 (Fire) and AASB2 (Ice/Lit). AASB2 provides Vivi Trance (doublecast Black Magic!) without needing to be damaged into it, and +10k damage cap without un-linking any Fire abilities.

Being able to combo AASB1+AASB2 to triplecast Ultima also deserves a mention. Shame the cowards wouldn't give Vivi a five-hit Fir/Ice/Lit hero ability.
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Yes, Titan's wall goes up three times: 70, 55, 40. If the dyad finisher hits hard enough, you might be able to skip one of those (by going straight from 72% to 53%, for example), but that's a big ask. And even then, you've still got one wall-breaking SB left, to deal with two walls.

The normal way of getting past those walls is an OSB. Unfortunately, Alphinaud and Wedge don't have OSBs, and Papalymo's is fire. Fujin and Ultimecia do have wind elemental magic OSBs, and maybe some others. You could, conceivably, buy Fujin's OSB and her SSB (instant cast, En-Wind) and use her to bust walls.

Also a buff question: am I correct in thinking that all of the following stack?
Overdrive attack/magic/mind buff
Deuce's Concerto (+attack/magic)
Papalymo Leylines (+magic/haste) [this is the main reason I brought him even though he's otherwise useless]

Yes, those buffs all affect different stat combinations, so they all stack. (Although, if you had Alphinaud's wind chain, its +50% Magic bonus wouldn't stack with the +30% from Leylines; instead, the second one used would replace the first.)
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Phoenix attacks you constantly for damage that is, by Magicite standards, not terribly scary. (Not per hit, that is. It adds up fast.) The Lionheart RM ("gain more SB when damaged") is fantastic in that fight. If you have two good healers, bring them both, and give one Dr. Mog's Teachings and the other one Lionheart.
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Since command 2 is setup and command 1 is unleash, I usually go with the "gain more blinks" 5* in slot two. Reflecting Pool is the name, apparently.
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I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.

Orran sync is a full break counter. Would Faris and Barret count in your eyes too since they can be used as entrustbots?

FFT gave me Orran G+; it's something I suppose. Will pass on Faris/Barret, I am hoping for AASBs that will be viable through Bahamut.

(Gabranth though which wants heavy phys. On the other hand, I had literally nothing for dark!)

Hmm. According to the lookup tool:
https://www.ffrklookup.com/
Gabranth Sync grants universal Quick Cast and its commands link to any Dark-element ability, so you can certainly get away with the normal Dark Knight stuff. In that case you'd just put your DPS move (probably Taboo Raid) in Slot 1 and ignore his second Sync command entirely.

With that said, if you find yourself in need of Imperil Dark, Gabranth Sync with Darkness Swing + Grand Charge should be a decent way to hand them out.
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Gonna put off my Luck of the Realms draws this fest until after I'm done drawing on banners. ...Except for LotR draws with Dreambreaker Full Break counters, at least. Which is, I think, FF6 (Mog), FFX (Yuna), FFXI (Lilisette?)

Edit: Obviously I'm not counting stuff like Cecil's realm chain or Prishe AASB here. Pretty much every realm should have one of those by now.
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The way Heavy works is, you use Grand Charge twice to get yourself to max charge, and then you use a finisher once. So if you're running Heavy, you need Grand Charge in one slot and a finisher in the other.

The only heavy move that can be useful without Grand Charge is Stone Press, because even uncharged, it's an overstrike. When I used Biggs against the Core Torment I ran Great Form + Stone Press. His Hero Ability would have been better, of course, but I'm quite parsimonious.
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FFIX has a fantastic soundtrack.

Side note: FFIX Pandemonium is a remix (reimagining? Eh whatever) of FF2j Pandemonium.
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I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.

I would guess that Zorn and Thorn are created constructs, like the Black Mages, but I don't recall that ever being stated. They might just be some wackos that appealed to Kuja's flair for the theatrical.

Presumably Beatrix is running/rebuilding Alexandria while its princess is off saving the world, but I'm not sure anyone says that. However, as I recall, Cid will tell the party about how he was able to get the Hilda Garde 3 working in such short order.

FFIX Terra is not a deliberate reference to the FFVI character; in Japan she is known as Tina. Ted Woolsey, Square's translator at the time, recognized that while Tina might sound exotic to Japanese audiences, it would be pedestrian to Westerners, and thus changed her name to Terra.
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Thats interesting, I never played it but I know the reception was very mixed and people hate the last case. What was so bad about it?

Well, basically.
Case 1 is introduction to Phoenix Wright style gameplay.
Case 2 is introduction to Witch Trials.
Case 3 is an actual Witch Trial.
Case 4 is "no Phoenix, the rules of Witch Trials don't apply here, because reasons." Also, in the second half, Layton's explanations for why everything supernatural wasn't really supernatural are considerably more contrived than "supernatural exists"... particularly given that Luke can talk to animals, and Maya can talk to ghosts. (Although I don't believe the latter point comes up over the course of PL vs AA).

I wouldn't say that I hated Case 4 - riding the crazy train was fun! - but I can understand why people would.
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There's a cool cutscene here of the incredibly quick one sided invasion, featuring an unnamed Eidolon that sucks up the Industrial District and everyone else with it. I'm trying to think of what past summon this could be. Cuchulainn? Pandemona? Perhaps something I'm forgetting.

It wasn't a summon in its previous appearance. Atomos, boss of FFV's Barrier Tower.

We head to the marsh and reunite with Quina (was Quina just removed from the party earlier to make room for Steiner?)

I think FFIX wanted to have a homage to secret characters like Umaro and Vincent, but didn't want it to be possible to permanently miss anyone. The compromise was to make Quina optional in Disc 1 (ish) and mandatory later on.
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Crystals might be more of a concern than rubies.
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I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.

what is ffrk like these days? I played during early AASB days and i never progressed past... 4* or so summon bosses? don't remember what they were called

There are basically two sets of challenging content, elemental-themed (Magicite) and realm-themed (Cardia). Elemental themed are up to 6*, with superbosses at 5* and 6* also. Realm themed have Dream, Torment, Dreambreaker, and Dragonking.

The chief gimmick, which you will encounter in all content 5* and up (including Dreambreaker/Dragonking) is Savage Mode. Bosses will enter Savage Mode at certain non-random turn and HP% markers, and it gives them passive buffs, primarily damage reduction but often offense too. If an attack deals at least 10,000 damage in a single hit, it will reduce Savage Mode by 1. (So a Chain Firaga that deals 7000x4 does not affect Savage, while a Chain Firaga that deals 11000x4 will reduce Savage once. Note that doublecasts, chases, and suchlike do count as separate attacks for this purpose.) Since most damage is capped at 9999, SBs that grant you "Cap Break Lv1" (+10k max damage) are essential. Fortunately, that's standard for Awakenings and Syncs.

Side note: 5* Magicite can only reach Savage Mode Lv1 and often have drawbacks while they're there (stuff like "attack twice as often, but only deal 80% as much damage per hit".) Depending on your party and the boss, you may even prefer to _avoid_ knocking them out of Savage! Everything after them can stack Savage Mode up to lv3, and there is no silver lining.

Aside from that. 5* Magicite have Physical and Magical bosses for each element, the "wrong" type deals greatly reduced damage. 6* Magicite just has you pick "Physical Effective" or "Magic Effective" (clearing both does get you a second set of prizes). 6* Magicite also apply a damage penalty, and usually other punishment, to characters without the proper En-Element, while simultaneously removing/degrading En-Element multiple times per battle. Fortunately most Glints allow you to stack En-Element, and Syncs usually give you En-Element lv3 right away... but multi-element characters like Bartz were originally out of luck, which was presumably intentional.

Dreambreakers/Dragonking dungeons want you to clear them with a full-realm party, although the penalty for bringing one off-realm healer/support character is not prohibitive. Their chief gimmick is a full-party Atk/Def/Mag/Res debuff; if you don't have one of the SBs which can counter that debuff (released on banners alongside the Dreambreaker, naturally) you'll need to stack enough buffs that your offense can muscle through it. Offensive White Mages, being Mnd-based, also circumvent the debuff.

Additionally, Tyro's once-joke OSB happens to counter the Dreambreaker debuff, which is why they made Dragonking bosses counter damaging Soul Breaks by off-realm characters (see: Tyro OSB) by reapplying the debuff.

Hmm... What else? There's a "Record Laboratory" which lets you purchase relics you do not have with in-game currency ("Anima Lenses", awarded from clearing fights and as a compensation prize for duplicate relics); nothing top-tier or recently released, of course, but that doesn't mean nothing useful. You can pick up some En-Element SBs to use against 6* Magicite, for example, or bring an in-realm healer up to competent for Dreambreaker purposes. The "Artifact Acropolis" lets you trade Artifact Stones for first-rate weapons, too (even 7* relics are inferior to maxed artifacts statwise, IIRC); upgrade Artifacts with Rainbow Crystals, which you get by mulching all your junk Relics. Record Spheres are up to 6*, and one of the things you can unlock on the 6* "Record Board" is a character's Hero Ability, a powerful ability which only that specific character can use; all of them are strong (although some are stronger than others), and it's nice to have things like a Fir/Wtr/Lit ninja trick for Edge or a Holy Black Magic skill for Hope. Several Hero Abilities innately break the damage cap, too, which helps with Savage Mode. *shakes fist*
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I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.

Mog AASB2 provides a +Atk/Def/Mag/Res buff that cancels out the Dreambreaker/Dragonking debuff. And since it doesn't deal any damage, Dragonking Bahamut won't reapply the debuff as a counter, like he will against Tyro. So, that one. "Dance as One", provided by the Fairy Flute.
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Meditative Palm? Would that actually make her entire SB count as earth?

No, it will not. Her sync entry and commands will remain fire/non element. She can certainly still damage Hydra because her Sync entry and commands have a non-elemental component (most SBs do), so I suppose you could throw her into the fight and see how she performs before you decide whether Meditative Palm is a worthwhile investment. (Personally, I don't expect that it will be.)
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Then the question is, how do we incentivize companies to pay that money to all their employees, rather than just the privileged few?
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I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.