User Info: ellis123 ellis123 4 years ago #1





Celebration banner #1

“The five SSB banner.” That in and of itself should catch everyone’s attention immediately. On top of that it comes with two Boostga effects, though both of them are just a 30% boost. Otherwise it’s a very all around banner with a bit of a physical focus.



Bartz’s Excalibur is definitely the physical weapon to look out for here. With 122 Attack it lords over the other options on the Celebration banners, and its bonus to Holy damage means that anyone with Knight access will really want to get in on the action. On top of that its SSB, Trueblade of Legend, is a x7.9 single target physical attack with a +50% boost to Defense for all allies.



One of the only two SSB-tier Katanas on the banners, Sephiroth’s Yoshiyuki is a bit less spicy. Its 118 Attack is still one of the higher values, but from here on out the Katanas will start to beat it out quite handily. Black Materia, however, is still one of the highest damaging SSBs available. With a x7.8 multiplier and a low chance to cause Sap (~34%) it chunks down boss’ HP heavily.



Making a surprise appearance, Zidane’s Orichalcum shows up from our current normal banner. Just like the Yoshiyuki before it, the Orichalcum is mostly just a solid bread and butter weapon. Its 114 Attack makes it the strongest dagger until Luneth’s shows up in about two months (and having a strong weapon that you can just toss on any physical attacker for great effect is extremely handy). Its Shift Break SSB is somewhat quite solid as an AoE option, coming with a x6 multiplier, and staples on a Steal Power (only with a +35% attack boost, though). So while it itself is somewhat against single target bosses, the buff should cause your overall damage output to increase over the flat damaging ones (though, with Boostga being a major factor now that’s far less relevant).



The Red Scorpion is the major “must have” relic on this banner. Its 117 Magic is exceptional, though its 80 Attack is still wasted outside of a VIII dungeon (the bonus damage when using Breakdowns really isn’t that relevant). Mighty Guard, however, is where it’s at. Shellga + Hastega + Strong Regen to your team is nuts, and will cleave away difficulty from magically focused bosses (ie. basically all of them).



For the last SSB tier gear, Yuna’s Full Metal Rod is the weaker magical version of the Excalibur. Its 116 Magic is on the lower side of the “extremely good magic” for relics and its 105 Mind is quite solid at letting you run a mixed build (or run it on a White Mage in X, should you get more X-realm magical gear). Dragon’s Roar is a x14.4 Non-elemental magical AoE attack and gives all allies +50% Res. Though the Aoe factor rarely comes into play, if it does come up this is one of the best sources of AoE damage available and the bonus to Resistance is very useful due to not conflicting with Shell/Wall. "A shouted order to do something of dubious morality with an unpredictable outcome? Thweeet!"

My FC is in my profile. With the SSB banners finally being announced the anniversary finally is underway (or at least the part that anyone actually cares about ~.~)! And this time we’re in for some spicy stuffs. Getting new Celebration banners is nothing special for us, but getting a pretty massive change like adding on 1-2 SSB’s to each banner is (though, whether or not that’s a good thing is another story). Outside of the Tactics banner there really just isn’t a call for any of the other banners right now, so by and large this comparison will really only look at it + the Celebration banners. So with that all being said, let’s get to looking at the banners!“The five SSB banner.” That in and of itself should catch everyone’s attention immediately. On top of that it comes with two Boostga effects, though both of them are just a 30% boost. Otherwise it’s a very all around banner with a bit of a physical focus.Bartz’s Excalibur is definitely the physical weapon to look out for here. With 122 Attack it lords over the other options on the Celebration banners, and its bonus to Holy damage means that anyone with Knight access will really want to get in on the action. On top of that its SSB, Trueblade of Legend, is a x7.9 single target physical attack with a +50% boost to Defense for all allies.One of the only two SSB-tier Katanas on the banners, Sephiroth’s Yoshiyuki is a bit less spicy. Its 118 Attack is still one of the higher values, but from here on out the Katanas will start to beat it out quite handily. Black Materia, however, is still one of the highest damaging SSBs available. With a x7.8 multiplier and a low chance to cause Sap (~34%) it chunks down boss’ HP heavily.Making a surprise appearance, Zidane’s Orichalcum shows up from our current normal banner. Just like the Yoshiyuki before it, the Orichalcum is mostly just a solid bread and butter weapon. Its 114 Attack makes it the strongest dagger until Luneth’s shows up in about two months (and having a strong weapon that you can just toss on any physical attacker for great effect is extremely handy). Its Shift Break SSB is somewhat quite solid as an AoE option, coming with a x6 multiplier, and staples on a Steal Power (only with a +35% attack boost, though). So while it itself is somewhat against single target bosses, the buff should cause your overall damage output to increase over the flat damaging ones (though, with Boostga being a major factor now that’s far less relevant).The Red Scorpion is the major “must have” relic on this banner. Its 117 Magic is exceptional, though its 80 Attack is still wasted outside of a VIII dungeon (the bonus damage when using Breakdowns really isn’t that relevant). Mighty Guard, however, is where it’s at. Shellga + Hastega + Strong Regen to your team is nuts, and will cleave away difficulty from magically focused bosses (ie. basically all of them).For the last SSB tier gear, Yuna’s Full Metal Rod is the weaker magical version of the Excalibur. Its 116 Magic is on the lower side of the “extremely good magic” for relics and its 105 Mind is quite solid at letting you run a mixed build (or run it on a White Mage in X, should you get more X-realm magical gear). Dragon’s Roar is a x14.4 Non-elemental magical AoE attack and gives all allies +50% Res. Though the Aoe factor rarely comes into play, if it does come up this is one of the best sources of AoE damage available and the bonus to Resistance is very useful due to not conflicting with Shell/Wall.

User Info: ellis123 ellis123 (Topic Creator) 4 years ago #2



Sabin’s Dragon Claws move us back in the right direction, as their 121 Attack is quite amazing on a Fist (which is even the highest SB-tier stat in the banners). Their SB is also solid, as x3.99 isn’t bad for a physical AoE SB and the +30% Attack to your team is a pretty sweet damage boost.



When it first came out the Oak Staff was amazing for its high Magic. Sadly its 113 Magic is really showing its age when propped up against the SSB relics of today (and even the non-SSB ones). Its SB is still somewhat solid as a damage source, though, and is a x10.4 Poison elemental SB with a 36% shot at Poisoning (it is still the highest damage source from a normal magic SB).



Last, but not least (that Revolver…), Sazh’s Deneb Duellers show up as the only non-SSB guns. Their 105 Attack is pretty reasonable for a ranged weapon, but is a bit lack-luster when compared to their SSB counterparts. Its SB, though, isn’t too shabby for an SB. As a x3.6 Fire elemental AoE with a 30% boost to Attack for your team it can fit in quite nicely.



In Summary:

+ With five SSBs this banner blows away anything we could have expected. In terms of average power, there is a direct correlation between it and the number of SSBs.

+ The Excalibur and Red Scorpion are exceptional relics and are amazing chase relics even when put up against other amazing chase relics.

+ Very useful overall typing. Katanas, Fists, and Guns are not as ubiquitous as something like Swords, but they’re still quite common. And having them available for the couple of characters that have poor weapon options is quite useful. Otherwise the banner has two Swords, a Dagger, and two Rods.

+ A good mixture of realms. Outside of the Dragon Claws, the relics come from realms that are annoying to obtain gear for without making pulls.

- The Revolver. It really doesn’t fit in this Celebration. "A shouted order to do something of dubious morality with an unpredictable outcome? Thweeet!"

My FC is in my profile. The first normal relic is also the first one to make me question what in the world it’s doing here (spoilers: it’s here because they needed to balance out the fact that this banner has 5 SSBs). Squall’s Revolver is absolutely the worst relic on any of the banners (single target SB versus the other major stinker's AoE), and we’d basically be better off if we had a 1% higher chance at a random 5* at all in this stage of the game.Sabin’s Dragon Claws move us back in the right direction, as their 121 Attack is quite amazing on a Fist (which is even the highest SB-tier stat in the banners). Their SB is also solid, as x3.99 isn’t bad for a physical AoE SB and the +30% Attack to your team is a pretty sweet damage boost.When it first came out the Oak Staff was amazing for its high Magic. Sadly its 113 Magic is really showing its age when propped up against the SSB relics of today (and even the non-SSB ones). Its SB is still somewhat solid as a damage source, though, and is a x10.4 Poison elemental SB with a 36% shot at Poisoning (it is still the highest damage source from a normal magic SB).Last, but not least (that Revolver…), Sazh’s Deneb Duellers show up as the only non-SSB guns. Their 105 Attack is pretty reasonable for a ranged weapon, but is a bit lack-luster when compared to their SSB counterparts. Its SB, though, isn’t too shabby for an SB. As a x3.6 Fire elemental AoE with a 30% boost to Attack for your team it can fit in quite nicely.In Summary:+ With five SSBs this banner blows away anything we could have expected. In terms of average power, there is a direct correlation between it and the number of SSBs.+ The Excalibur and Red Scorpion are exceptional relics and are amazing chase relics even when put up against other amazing chase relics.+ Very useful overall typing. Katanas, Fists, and Guns are not as ubiquitous as something like Swords, but they’re still quite common. And having them available for the couple of characters that have poor weapon options is quite useful. Otherwise the banner has two Swords, a Dagger, and two Rods.+ A good mixture of realms. Outside of the Dragon Claws, the relics come from realms that are annoying to obtain gear for without making pulls.- The Revolver. It really doesn’t fit in this Celebration.

User Info: ellis123 ellis123 (Topic Creator) 4 years ago #3 Celebration banner #2

Coming down quite a bit from the first, the second celebration banner is… there. In terms of overall value this is definitely the lowest in most every way. With two Thrown (one magical and one physical), an Instrument, a Bow, a Hairpin, a Book, and a Hat, the only “generically usable” weapon type is the one-off Sword. On top of that, two of the weapons in question are exclusive ones. Also of note is that all of its relics are mixed, and will allow their wielders to perform multiples of roles.



Out of the magical SSB relics Hope’s Hawkeye is up there as an extremely potent piece of gear, though it falls just shy of being on top. Its 78 Attack and 63 Mind are low enough that you’d only ever care about them with synergy (and even then a non-synergy weapon based more on those stats would be better), while its 116 Magic is the highest Magic Thrown weapon on these banners. Last Resort kicks it up a notch as a x17.92 Holy-element Magical SSB, and will turn any Holy weak boss to mush.



The first of the two “exclusive Red Mage SSB relics” on the banner, the Magic Comb is a bit mediocre. Its 113 Attack is the lowest out of all of the melee SSB relics, and its 86 Magic is low enough that you’d never want to worry about it outside of a VII dungeon. Its SSB is useful, though, as a x7.8 multiplier isn’t shabby and it comes with Shellga as well (you just have to make sure there’s only one enemy, or its random nature will bite you in the rear).



The second of the two relics is the Last Judgement Grimoire. Its 113 Attack, 112 Magic, and 91 Mind are low in comparison to all of the other SSB relics (either worst or tied for worse when put into their respective category) and with no relevant realm synergy they will stay the same outside of Abyss dungeons. Its SSB is Last Judgement Grimoire: the absolute worst SSB in the game. A x6 AoE attack is pretty weak in comparison to its peers, and its Earth element means that it will have a real shot at being resisted.



Eiko’s Fairy Flute is definitely the SSB relic to go for here. Its 120 Mind is the highest seen in the banners, and its 100 Magic isn’t bad if you need to use it for some mixed role. Its SSB is Flames of Rebirth: a Cura level Medica with an additional Re-raise status added on. Unfortunately, Re-raise really isn’t that relevant in this game as you lose buffs after being raised. And without mitigation, there’s a high chance that whomever died will immediately fall a second time after they get revived with only 40% HP.



Leading off the normal relics Beatrix’s Save the Queen is quite solid. Its 119 Attack is solid, though its 68 Mind is a bit weak for anything but healing (healing is more based on the skill itself, so the low-ish mind isn’t a major concern), and its Seiken Stock Break is a good Holy-element, x4.02 AoE SB with a ~49% shot at Sap.



Locke’s Wing Edge is a very interesting relic. Its 104 Attack is par for the course on ranged weapons and its 68 Mind is pretty moot outside of its SB. Phoenix Plunder is a x3.3 Fire Elemental AoE attack with a 40h heal for your party. Medica effects on non-WM characters is somewhat rare, but because this one requires a solid Mind stat it's a bit of a dud when you're not in a VI realm to take advantage of the synergy. "A shouted order to do something of dubious morality with an unpredictable outcome? Thweeet!"

My FC is in my profile. Coming down quite a bit from the first, the second celebration banner is… there. In terms of overall value this is definitely the lowest in most every way. With two Thrown (one magical and one physical), an Instrument, a Bow, a Hairpin, a Book, and a Hat, the only “generically usable” weapon type is the one-off Sword. On top of that, two of the weapons in question are exclusive ones. Also of note is that all of its relics are mixed, and will allow their wielders to perform multiples of roles.Out of the magical SSB relics Hope’s Hawkeye is up there as an extremely potent piece of gear, though it falls just shy of being on top. Its 78 Attack and 63 Mind are low enough that you’d only ever care about them with synergy (and even then a non-synergy weapon based more on those stats would be better), while its 116 Magic is the highest Magic Thrown weapon on these banners. Last Resort kicks it up a notch as a x17.92 Holy-element Magical SSB, and will turn any Holy weak boss to mush.The first of the two “exclusive Red Mage SSB relics” on the banner, the Magic Comb is a bit mediocre. Its 113 Attack is the lowest out of all of the melee SSB relics, and its 86 Magic is low enough that you’d never want to worry about it outside of a VII dungeon. Its SSB is useful, though, as a x7.8 multiplier isn’t shabby and it comes with Shellga as well (you just have to make sure there’s only one enemy, or its random nature will bite you in the rear).The second of the two relics is the Last Judgement Grimoire. Its 113 Attack, 112 Magic, and 91 Mind are low in comparison to all of the other SSB relics (either worst or tied for worse when put into their respective category) and with no relevant realm synergy they will stay the same outside of Abyss dungeons. Its SSB is Last Judgement Grimoire: the absolute worst SSB in the game. A x6 AoE attack is pretty weak in comparison to its peers, and its Earth element means that it will have a real shot at being resisted.Eiko’s Fairy Flute is definitely the SSB relic to go for here. Its 120 Mind is the highest seen in the banners, and its 100 Magic isn’t bad if you need to use it for some mixed role. Its SSB is Flames of Rebirth: a Cura level Medica with an additional Re-raise status added on. Unfortunately, Re-raise really isn’t that relevant in this game as you lose buffs after being raised. And without mitigation, there’s a high chance that whomever died will immediately fall a second time after they get revived with only 40% HP.Leading off the normal relics Beatrix’s Save the Queen is quite solid. Its 119 Attack is solid, though its 68 Mind is a bit weak for anything but healing (healing is more based on the skill itself, so the low-ish mind isn’t a major concern), and its Seiken Stock Break is a good Holy-element, x4.02 AoE SB with a ~49% shot at Sap.Locke’s Wing Edge is a very interesting relic. Its 104 Attack is par for the course on ranged weapons and its 68 Mind is pretty moot outside of its SB. Phoenix Plunder is a x3.3 Fire Elemental AoE attack with a 40h heal for your party. Medica effects on non-WM characters is somewhat rare, but because this one requires a solid Mind stat it's a bit of a dud when you're not in a VI realm to take advantage of the synergy.

User Info: ellis123 ellis123 (Topic Creator) 4 years ago #4



The Aevis Killer is the only Bow that makes an appearance across the banners and, outside of the one in the coming II event, is the only one we’ll see for almost a month. It just barely edges out the other SB-tier ranged weapons as its 105 Attack squeaks over the rest, though its 26 Magic and 26 Mind are seemingly only there so that I can make the comment about all of the relics being mixed (even in a V realm you’re never going to care about them, they’re just too low). Continuing the trend of exceptional SBs, Kindred Spirit is an AoE x3.4 attack with Defense and Resistance -40% debuffs stapled on. Unfortunately break resistance kills it a bit, and the overall multiplier is a bit lower, but any time it isn’t resisted it’s effectively an offensive version of SG/SSII!



The Holy Lance is the last of the SB-tier relics and despite its tough competition it doesn’t let down. Its 93 Attack is low but in conjunction with its 112 Mind it is quite reasonable to have someone on the frontline that also brings along some healing (or any Mind based buff). Its SB, Sunbath, combines style with practicality as it is a full party +30% Attack Boost and Strong Regen.





In Summary:

+ The SB-tier gear is pretty exceptional. Probably the least spicy is Beatrix’s, and that should show you just how amazing the line-up is.

+ It has a bunch of uncommon typing. If you’re looking for some niche typed gear this is the spot to look.

+ Mixed gear lets you fill a ton of different roles with specific characters, and this banner being only mixed gear means that you’re guaranteed to be able to fill said specific roles.

+ Two Medica relics.

- Unlike the SB-tier gear, the SSB-tier is pretty poor.

- Poor realm synergy. With two VI-realm gears + a Core realm gear, this banner is definitely on the bottom half of the celebration banners for synergy.

- Uncommon typing for most of its gear means that you’re hamstrung in use. While the general rule of thumb is that you’d use characters that you have the SSB/SB for, if you get a second weapon in a given realm with the same type the weaker of the two becomes completely useless if you can’t actually fit in another character with the specific weapon availability.

- Because it’s all mixed, most of the gear’s main stats are on the low end of the spectrum. So if you don’t actually need the mixed nature of the gear, many of the weapons will immediately be obsolete outside of their given realm. "A shouted order to do something of dubious morality with an unpredictable outcome? Thweeet!"

My FC is in my profile. Lulu’s Hairpin makes its return, and is still the most sought after relic for magic-based teams. Now that hats are far less common, its 28 Magic, 27 Mind, 73 Defense, 112 Resistance spread is quite a bit spicy to have (though it is still the worse statistically of the two hats that make an appearance). Focus, however, is the main draw. It is an SB that gives +20% Magic and +50% resistance, and because of its dual-buffing nature it will stack with any of the other +Magic and +Resistance SBs that we have seen so far.The Aevis Killer is the only Bow that makes an appearance across the banners and, outside of the one in the coming II event, is the only one we’ll see for almost a month. It just barely edges out the other SB-tier ranged weapons as its 105 Attack squeaks over the rest, though its 26 Magic and 26 Mind are seemingly only there so that I can make the comment about all of the relics being mixed (even in a V realm you’re never going to care about them, they’re just too low). Continuing the trend of exceptional SBs, Kindred Spirit is an AoE x3.4 attack with Defense and Resistance -40% debuffs stapled on. Unfortunately break resistance kills it a bit, and the overall multiplier is a bit lower, but any time it isn’t resisted it’s effectively an offensive version of SG/SSII!The Holy Lance is the last of the SB-tier relics and despite its tough competition it doesn’t let down. Its 93 Attack is low but in conjunction with its 112 Mind it is quite reasonable to have someone on the frontline that also brings along some healing (or any Mind based buff). Its SB, Sunbath, combines style with practicality as it is a full party +30% Attack Boost and Strong Regen.In Summary:+ The SB-tier gear is pretty exceptional. Probably the least spicy is Beatrix’s, and that should show you just how amazing the line-up is.+ It has a bunch of uncommon typing. If you’re looking for some niche typed gear this is the spot to look.+ Mixed gear lets you fill a ton of different roles with specific characters, and this banner being only mixed gear means that you’re guaranteed to be able to fill said specific roles.+ Two Medica relics.- Unlike the SB-tier gear, the SSB-tier is pretty poor.- Poor realm synergy. With two VI-realm gears + a Core realm gear, this banner is definitely on the bottom half of the celebration banners for synergy.- Uncommon typing for most of its gear means that you’re hamstrung in use. While the general rule of thumb is that you’d use characters that you have the SSB/SB for, if you get a second weapon in a given realm with the same type the weaker of the two becomes completely useless if you can’t actually fit in another character with the specific weapon availability.- Because it’s all mixed, most of the gear’s main stats are on the low end of the spectrum. So if you don’t actually need the mixed nature of the gear, many of the weapons will immediately be obsolete outside of their given realm.

User Info: ellis123 ellis123 (Topic Creator) 4 years ago #5 Celebration banner #3:

If each of them were assigned a “theme” this one’s would be “physical.” Outside of a Staff and Rod, everything in this is physically oriented. In addition, the typing is quite solid as it has two Swords, a Katana, a Dagger, a Gun, and a Spear. The banner also has a heavy XIII tinge, with three of the relics coming from there.



As always having a Medica effect is great, but the Physician’s Staff goes above the norm quite a bit. Though the first one we’ll get access to will be Minwu’s Healing Staff, the Physician Staff is the only Curaga tier Medica on the banners (and even comes with you recovering an ability use too!). With that and its solid 100 Magic/119 Mind spread this is one of the relics to think about even when compared to the solid-ness of the banners around it, and it even comes with a bonus to Holy damage.



Inverse to that hype, though, the Organics is a bit worse for wear. Its 115 Attack is one of the lowest Swords even when compared to the non-SSB ones, and its x6.15 AoE SB is the highest multiplier for its category but is just not interesting enough when not paired with something (the difference of x.15 not really being worth having the chance of being conditionally much better).



Laguana’s Machine Gun makes its appearance as the better of the two guns, and is definitely the more relevant of the two (the free 4.5* gun we had gotten previously reducing the value of the Deneb Duellers). It has the highest attack of the ranged weapons at 108 (though, that will be matched pretty fast in the X event… though it will still have the more useful typing). Desperado, unfortunately, is somewhat lukewarm, and is an AoE x6 attack with a 100% Slow chance.



Finally Terra’s Madiun’s Horn is the best magical weapon across the board. With 118 Magic it is currently tied as the leader there, though like the Machine Gun before it will be overtaken quite fast (this time in the VI event shortly after the Celebration). Its SB, Magitek Missile, is the biggest “Oh crap!” button we have in the game, with a 18x multiplier.



… And then there’s the Brotherhood… Yeah…



The Corps Field Uniform is one of the few armors at all on the Celebration banners, and is the only Light Armor available. Its 106 Defense and Resistance aren’t bad, but it’s the 17 Attack that really makes it stand out amongst the other various Light Armor options. Its SB is Enthunder, which changes your normal attack into being Electric element (or should I say “Lightning” element! … I’ll see myself out now) and gives a boost to Electric damage.



Gilgamesh’s Zantetsuken is somewhat spicy. 119 attack isn’t too high for these banners on a Katana, but the fact that it’s just SB-tier is a bit unusual (making it the second highest in the available ones). Its SB, Repentance, is a x5.13 attack, the highest out of all the normal SBs sans Ramza tossing rocks around, with Self-Protect+Shell+Haste stapled on top of that. "A shouted order to do something of dubious morality with an unpredictable outcome? Thweeet!"

My FC is in my profile. If each of them were assigned a “theme” this one’s would be “physical.” Outside of a Staff and Rod, everything in this is physically oriented. In addition, the typing is quite solid as it has two Swords, a Katana, a Dagger, a Gun, and a Spear. The banner also has a heavy XIII tinge, with three of the relics coming from there.As always having a Medica effect is great, but the Physician’s Staff goes above the norm quite a bit. Though the first one we’ll get access to will be Minwu’s Healing Staff, the Physician Staff is the only Curaga tier Medica on the banners (and even comes with you recovering an ability use too!). With that and its solid 100 Magic/119 Mind spread this is one of the relics to think about even when compared to the solid-ness of the banners around it, and it even comes with a bonus to Holy damage.Inverse to that hype, though, the Organics is a bit worse for wear. Its 115 Attack is one of the lowest Swords even when compared to the non-SSB ones, and its x6.15 AoE SB is the highest multiplier for its category but is just not interesting enough when not paired with something (the difference of x.15 not really being worth having the chance of being conditionally much better).Laguana’s Machine Gun makes its appearance as the better of the two guns, and is definitely the more relevant of the two (the free 4.5* gun we had gotten previously reducing the value of the Deneb Duellers). It has the highest attack of the ranged weapons at 108 (though, that will be matched pretty fast in the X event… though it will still have the more useful typing). Desperado, unfortunately, is somewhat lukewarm, and is an AoE x6 attack with a 100% Slow chance.Finally Terra’s Madiun’s Horn is the best magical weapon across the board. With 118 Magic it is currently tied as the leader there, though like the Machine Gun before it will be overtaken quite fast (this time in the VI event shortly after the Celebration). Its SB, Magitek Missile, is the biggest “Oh crap!” button we have in the game, with a 18x multiplier.… And then there’s the Brotherhood… Yeah…The Corps Field Uniform is one of the few armors at all on the Celebration banners, and is the only Light Armor available. Its 106 Defense and Resistance aren’t bad, but it’s the 17 Attack that really makes it stand out amongst the other various Light Armor options. Its SB is Enthunder, which changes your normal attack into being Electric element (or should I say “Lightning” element! … I’ll see myself out now) and gives a boost to Electric damage.Gilgamesh’s Zantetsuken is somewhat spicy. 119 attack isn’t too high for these banners on a Katana, but the fact that it’s just SB-tier is a bit unusual (making it the second highest in the available ones). Its SB, Repentance, is a x5.13 attack, the highest out of all the normal SBs sans Ramza tossing rocks around, with Self-Protect+Shell+Haste stapled on top of that.

User Info: ellis123 ellis123 (Topic Creator) 4 years ago #6



Continuing the trend set by the Zantetsuken, the Glaive is quite interesting. 119 Attack is still enough to make it tied for second in terms of stats, and its SB, Pulsar Burst, only barely loses out in damage to the Zant with a x5.1 multiplier (it also comes with a high chance to blind).





In Summary:

+ The Physician’s Staff is a major reason to pull on *any* banner, let alone a Celebration one. Medica relics are extremely sought after, and this is one of the spiciest that we have access to.

+ Very physically oriented, so if you’re trying to set up a physical team this is definitely an option.

+ XIII isn’t a common realm for gear, so getting to target it somewhat on a Celebration banner is helpful (Celebration banners being considerably stronger than an average banner). Beyond that, the realm synergy is solid but nothing special.

+ Good typing across the board. With a Staff, two Swords, a Gun, a Rod, and a Dagger as very good "standard" weapon types, and a Katana and Spear as good "niche" types.

- It has the lowest lows of any of the banners. At both the SSB and SB level it has the defacto worst relic, and it has multiples of duds.

-The Brotherhood is so bad that I can’t even believe they actually put it on. These banners are supposed to get people hyped, and they really put it on one of them? Really? "A shouted order to do something of dubious morality with an unpredictable outcome? Thweeet!"

My FC is in my profile. The Yoshimitsu makes its appearance again, but this time I won’t be spending all my time hyping it up! Back when it first came out its 109 Attack was positively back-breaking, and even obscured entire weapon types. Now it’s the second worst dagger statistically on the banners being looked at (the worst being the awful Spellbinder)! Dancing Edge still holds up, though, as a x4.92 attack with a -50% Defense debuff is definitely not bad.Continuing the trend set by the Zantetsuken, the Glaive is quite interesting. 119 Attack is still enough to make it tied for second in terms of stats, and its SB, Pulsar Burst, only barely loses out in damage to the Zant with a x5.1 multiplier (it also comes with a high chance to blind).In Summary:+ The Physician’s Staff is a major reason to pull on *any* banner, let alone a Celebration one. Medica relics are extremely sought after, and this is one of the spiciest that we have access to.+ Very physically oriented, so if you’re trying to set up a physical team this is definitely an option.+ XIII isn’t a common realm for gear, so getting to target it somewhat on a Celebration banner is helpful (Celebration banners being considerably stronger than an average banner). Beyond that, the realm synergy is solid but nothing special.+ Good typing across the board. With a Staff, two Swords, a Gun, a Rod, and a Dagger as very good "standard" weapon types, and a Katana and Spear as good "niche" types.- It has the lowest lows of any of the banners. At both the SSB and SB level it has the defacto worst relic, and it has multiples of duds.-The Brotherhood is so bad that I can’t even believe they actually put it on. These banners are supposed to get people hyped, and they really put it on one of them? Really?

User Info: ellis123 ellis123 (Topic Creator) 4 years ago #7 Celebration Banner #4:

Inverse to the last one’s theme, this one is all about the magical gear. With four Rods, a staff, and an Instrument it basically adds all of the other banners’ magical stuffs together (there are only four Rods, two Staves, and an Instrument across all of the other Celebration banners… ). It is also VI focused, and has three relics from VI.



Just like the Fairy Flute before it, Aerith’s Wizard Staff is pretty sweet. Its 100 Magic/120 Mind spread is the same, and its SSB is also the same. Overall the biggest change is the difference in type, as this one is a Staff vs. the Instrument from before.



The Valiant Knife is probably the reason that about 99% of the people that pull on this banner are going to pull on it. Though its 113 attack isn’t the highest, it’s still quite good for a weapon that you can equip to anybody. Really though it’s all about Valiant Strike, the SSB on the dagger. With a variable amount based on your current HP, it can go between a x8.89 and x11.2 multiplier. Basically you’re moving between “the highest physical multiplier in the game” and “Wait, are you sure this isn’t a magical SSB?” for multipliers.



Vivi’s Mace of Zeus continues to be the working man of Rods. Its 118 Magic is the highest available on the banners (tied with Maduin’s Horn), and its Doublecast Decay is an AoE x14.24 Dark elemental attack. Overall its SB is worse than Yuna’s Full Metal Rod, but the actual Rod itself is a bit better.



The Lustrous Sword… is less useful. Though I really didn’t feel like it was relevant to mention for any of the others due to their overall similar nature/relevance, this one does it a bit differently and gives +300 HP. The sword’s 118 Attack isn’t that bad, but when you factor in that all of the other physical SSB-tier gear gives +10 Attack (I’ll talk about the Genji Blade in due time) its effective Attack line-up is pretty lackluster. Its SSB, Saint’s Fall, however is pretty solid. A x7.89 multiplier on a single target SB is a bit low, but its Holy element is *very* abusable for getting bonus damage to. It also is a common enough weakness that it’s worth noting even if you don’t get any +Holy Damage gear.



Exdeath’s Moore Branch is the best niche gear we have available. Its SB is Grand Cross, which deals x9.48 AoE non-elemental damage and applies “Grand Cross” to Exdeath. While it’s going on he will taunt all enemy Black/White magic and absorb it. So it’s either positively insane or absolutely worthless based on boss, with almost no in-between. Its 117 Magic is also solid enough, but the use in this Rod is far more based on your enemy than anything else.



Kefka’s Llamia Flute is the more awesome but worse of his two relics. Its 116 Magic is quite solid, though its 79 Attack still isn’t enough to really matter outside of a VI dungeon. Its SB, Havok Wing, is likewise solid enough as an AoE x9.45 attack with a chance to Blind and Paralyze. "A shouted order to do something of dubious morality with an unpredictable outcome? Thweeet!"

My FC is in my profile. Inverse to the last one’s theme, this one is all about the magical gear. With four Rods, a staff, and an Instrument it basically adds all of the other banners’ magical stuffs together (there are only four Rods, two Staves, and an Instrument across all of the other Celebration banners… ). It is also VI focused, and has three relics from VI.Just like the Fairy Flute before it, Aerith’s Wizard Staff is pretty sweet. Its 100 Magic/120 Mind spread is the same, and its SSB is also the same. Overall the biggest change is the difference in type, as this one is a Staff vs. the Instrument from before.The Valiant Knife is probably the reason that about 99% of the people that pull on this banner are going to pull on it. Though its 113 attack isn’t the highest, it’s still quite good for a weapon that you can equip to anybody. Really though it’s all about Valiant Strike, the SSB on the dagger. With a variable amount based on your current HP, it can go between a x8.89 and x11.2 multiplier. Basically you’re moving between “the highest physical multiplier in the game” and “Wait, are you sure this isn’t a magical SSB?” for multipliers.Vivi’s Mace of Zeus continues to be the working man of Rods. Its 118 Magic is the highest available on the banners (tied with Maduin’s Horn), and its Doublecast Decay is an AoE x14.24 Dark elemental attack. Overall its SB is worse than Yuna’s Full Metal Rod, but the actual Rod itself is a bit better.The Lustrous Sword… is less useful. Though I really didn’t feel like it was relevant to mention for any of the others due to their overall similar nature/relevance, this one does it a bit differently and gives +300 HP. The sword’s 118 Attack isn’t that bad, but when you factor in that all of the other physical SSB-tier gear gives +10 Attack (I’ll talk about the Genji Blade in due time) its effective Attack line-up is pretty lackluster. Its SSB, Saint’s Fall, however is pretty solid. A x7.89 multiplier on a single target SB is a bit low, but its Holy element is *very* abusable for getting bonus damage to. It also is a common enough weakness that it’s worth noting even if you don’t get any +Holy Damage gear.Exdeath’s Moore Branch is the best niche gear we have available. Its SB is Grand Cross, which deals x9.48 AoE non-elemental damage and applies “Grand Cross” to Exdeath. While it’s going on he will taunt all enemy Black/White magic and absorb it. So it’s either positively insane or absolutely worthless based on boss, with almost no in-between. Its 117 Magic is also solid enough, but the use in this Rod is far more based on your enemy than anything else.Kefka’s Llamia Flute is the more awesome but worse of his two relics. Its 116 Magic is quite solid, though its 79 Attack still isn’t enough to really matter outside of a VI dungeon. Its SB, Havok Wing, is likewise solid enough as an AoE x9.45 attack with a chance to Blind and Paralyze.

User Info: ellis123 ellis123 (Topic Creator) 4 years ago #8



On the odder side of things we have Garnet’s Asura’s Rod. It comes with 116 Magic and 105 Mind, one of the best general spreads for mages we have access to, and a bonus to Holy damage. However its SB is Leviathan, a x9 AoE Water attack with a bonus +20% to Magic for your team. So you have to use an ability to actually take advantage of the bonus to Holy damage despite having an elemental SB (there are plenty of non-elemental SBs with a bonus to a specific type of damage, but very few that are of a different element).



Though it’s a bit weaker statistically, Edgar’s Drill is the more relevant of the two physically oriented Spears. Its Attack is 118 and its SB is only a 5.01 multiplier, but it makes up for the latter by giving the far more interesting +50% Defense to your team instead of blinding enemies.





In Summary:

+ The Valiant Knife is baller. Valiant Strike is the king of the hill when it comes to physically oriented damage against anything that isn’t Cloud’s Fenrir Overdrive. While that may be all it brings to the table, which is relevant in an age where everything is starting to get a million effects tacked on, it’s good enough that it still warrants being called out.

+ If you want to make a magical team this is the banner to do so. A very high likelihood of pulling magical gear + having access to a team +Magic buff is excellent.

+ Double Medica means that you’re more likely to pull one here than anywhere else.

- For months we’ve known about magic relics being worse and worse, and we’re getting to that point in the game. Pulling on a banner that you know that gets effectively less relevant overall in a substantial banner is cause for pause.

- Very poor relic synergy. VI is possibly the worst realm to pull for due to just how many good 4*’s come from it, and this banner comes with three relics. On top of that, one of its other SSBs is from IV. Another realm that you will obtain plenty of 4*++’s for just by pulling on any banner. "A shouted order to do something of dubious morality with an unpredictable outcome? Thweeet!"

My FC is in my profile. Penelo’s Judicer’s Staff, however, is pretty sweet. Its 100 Mag/118 Mind spread is great, but more relevant is that is SB is a Cura-all with Attack +30% stapled onto it. It might not be the best source of Boostga, but having one at all is quite relevant if you plan on doing a physical team.On the odder side of things we have Garnet’s Asura’s Rod. It comes with 116 Magic and 105 Mind, one of the best general spreads for mages we have access to, and a bonus to Holy damage. However its SB is Leviathan, a x9 AoE Water attack with a bonus +20% to Magic for your team. So you have to use an ability to actually take advantage of the bonus to Holy damage despite having an elemental SB (there are plenty of non-elemental SBs with a bonus to a specific type of damage, but very few that are of a different element).Though it’s a bit weaker statistically, Edgar’s Drill is the more relevant of the two physically oriented Spears. Its Attack is 118 and its SB is only a 5.01 multiplier, but it makes up for the latter by giving the far more interesting +50% Defense to your team instead of blinding enemies.In Summary:+ The Valiant Knife is baller. Valiant Strike is the king of the hill when it comes to physically oriented damage against anything that isn’t Cloud’s Fenrir Overdrive. While that may be all it brings to the table, which is relevant in an age where everything is starting to get a million effects tacked on, it’s good enough that it still warrants being called out.+ If you want to make a magical team this is the banner to do so. A very high likelihood of pulling magical gear + having access to a team +Magic buff is excellent.+ Double Medica means that you’re more likely to pull one here than anywhere else.- For months we’ve known about magic relics being worse and worse, and we’re getting to that point in the game. Pulling on a banner that you know that gets effectively less relevant overall in a substantial banner is cause for pause.- Very poor relic synergy. VI is possibly the worst realm to pull for due to just how many good 4*’s come from it, and this banner comes with three relics. On top of that, one of its other SSBs is from IV. Another realm that you will obtain plenty of 4*++’s for just by pulling on any banner.

User Info: ellis123 ellis123 (Topic Creator) 4 years ago #9 Celebration Banner #5:

This banner is completely nuts. If you went through a check list of what people have been wanting for a while this fills out the list completely and then some. Wall? Yup. Medica? Yup. Hastega? Yup. Boostga? Yup. It really is all that and a bag of chips.



Gilgamesh’s Genji Blade is a bit of an oddball, but is overall quite potent. Its 120 Attack is pretty sweet, but its +10 Defense is more interesting than problematic. In Cecil’s case you’re looking at a massive HP pool getting boosted by pretty small-ish amount (at max level it’s a ~5% boost). Here, though, you’re adding a small boost (~7% at max level) to Defense. Unlike HP, Defense operates exponentially, so each point you add is far more relevant. So overall the effective use is raised quite a bit as a tradeoff for doing nothing against magic. Regardless, his SB also sticks with being a bit oddball by being an AoE x6 attack while giving your entire team Strong Regen.



Rinoa’s Wishing Star, however, is super plain. Its 114 Magic is one of the lowest featured on these banners, and its 77 Attack is still too low to use outside of a VIII dungeon. Its SSB, though, is still amazing, being a x18 non-elemental attack.



The Peacemaker is likewise pretty plain. Its 106 Attack is between the other two guns, and is standard now for guns in general. Its SB, however, is x6.5 AoE Lightning attack and is quite spicy. Lightning is a common enough thing to find on +Damage gear that you have a real shot of boosting its already high damage (highest physical AoE multiplier featured on the banners), and it’s also a common weakness to boot.



Making its surprise appearance from the current banners is Garnet’s Wizard Rod. Its 117 Magic/105 Mind spread is sweet enough, but that’s not what makes this one of the biggest chase relics on these banners. Its Divine Guardian SSB is a party wide Haste, Strong Regen, and Resistance +50% boost. What sets this apart from Mighty Guard, though, is that the +50% boost can stack with Shell and Wall, so if you are facing an extremely magical boss you can use this + bring Shell along whereas you wouldn’t really be able to do so as easily with Mighty Guard. "A shouted order to do something of dubious morality with an unpredictable outcome? Thweeet!"

My FC is in my profile. This banner is completely nuts. If you went through a check list of what people have been wanting for a while this fills out the list completely and then some. Wall? Yup. Medica? Yup. Hastega? Yup. Boostga? Yup. It really is all that and a bag of chips.Gilgamesh’s Genji Blade is a bit of an oddball, but is overall quite potent. Its 120 Attack is pretty sweet, but its +10 Defense is more interesting than problematic. In Cecil’s case you’re looking at a massive HP pool getting boosted by pretty small-ish amount (at max level it’s a ~5% boost). Here, though, you’re adding a small boost (~7% at max level) to Defense. Unlike HP, Defense operates exponentially, so each point you add is far more relevant. So overall the effective use is raised quite a bit as a tradeoff for doing nothing against magic. Regardless, his SB also sticks with being a bit oddball by being an AoE x6 attack while giving your entire team Strong Regen.Rinoa’s Wishing Star, however, is super plain. Its 114 Magic is one of the lowest featured on these banners, and its 77 Attack is still too low to use outside of a VIII dungeon. Its SSB, though, is still amazing, being a x18 non-elemental attack.The Peacemaker is likewise pretty plain. Its 106 Attack is between the other two guns, and is standard now for guns in general. Its SB, however, is x6.5 AoE Lightning attack and is quite spicy. Lightning is a common enough thing to find on +Damage gear that you have a real shot of boosting its already high damage (highest physical AoE multiplier featured on the banners), and it’s also a common weakness to boot.Making its surprise appearance from the current banners is Garnet’s Wizard Rod. Its 117 Magic/105 Mind spread is sweet enough, but that’s not what makes this one of the biggest chase relics on these banners. Its Divine Guardian SSB is a party wide Haste, Strong Regen, and Resistance +50% boost. What sets this apart from Mighty Guard, though, is that the +50% boost can stack with Shell and Wall, so if you are facing an extremely magical boss you can use this + bring Shell along whereas you wouldn’t really be able to do so as easily with Mighty Guard.