#Auto-Dragoon

[the-hydroxian-artblog]

Classic Sonic Eats A Ghost Pepper (and Other Things)

[g4zdtechtv]

THE PILE PRESENTS: G4's Top 100 Video Games of All Time - Complete Edition | 6/11-6/15/12

Will your favorite make the list?

(4GTV - STREAM WHAT YOU PLAY!)

[djgamek1ng]

Magic The Gathering x Final Fantasy - Spoiler Season Part 13 (12/05/2025 - Limit Break Pt. 1)

Now we're moving to the Final Fantasy 7 pre-constructed deck, Limit Break! Let's start with... oh my f**king god, it's another Cid card! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

2 mana for a 2/2 is completely on rate, good job. His abilities are:

Equipment and Vehicle spells you cast 1 mana less to cast. Neat, slightly cheaper Equipment and Vehicles. This might make him an auto include for Equipment and/or Vehicles decks.

During your turn, Cid has flying. Since he's a Dragoon. Yeah, this checks out.

For 2 mana and tapping Cid: Return target Equipment or Vehicle card from your graveyard to your hand. So Cid has Equipment and Vehicle recursion. Yeah, with the first ability, this definitely makes him an auto include for an Equipment or Vehicle deck.

That last line basically sums up my opinion on this card. This is an auto include for any Equipment or Vehicle decks that have White in their color identity. I wouldn't run him as your commander self, since while he's certainly not bad, he also doesn't particularly do anything himself aside from making Equipment and Vehicles cheaper, which is fine, but not buffing himself or making the board state particularly scarier. If anything, he's a ramp piece for Equipment and Vehicle decks. Not bad to have in the command zone, but you can also have something more actively threatening.

Now for the art. Credit to Billy Christian. Link to his ArtStation. Billy can't miss, it is actually impossible. Cid looks fantastic, the Tiny Bronco in the background is great. Good color choices as well. It's fantastic, this is great!

Now we move on to Elena, Turk Recruit!

3 mana for a 1/4 is slightly behind rate, but it is manageable, since it is only one point of power or toughness. Her abilities are:

When Elena enters, return target non-Assassin historic card from your graveyard to your hand. Okay, the non-Assassin qualifier is very interesting and also mostly useless? If you are running her in the 99 of a deck, fair enough, but still. Also, historic cards are Artifact cards, legendary cards and Saga cards. So she has some minor historic recursion. Neat.

Whenever you cast a historic spell, put a +1/+1 counter on Elena. She gets bigger with every historic spell you cast. You'd ideally get her out as soon as possible so you can fully benefit from this. Also, be sure to run protection pieces for her if you want to be swinging with her. Equipment go great with her, since those are historic cards and can further augment her.

Hmmm... I'm not blown away by her, but she will be a perfectly viable historic commander. She will be punching hard if a few historic spells enter while she is on the board, plus the fact that she guarantees to bring one back. Could be an Artifact or Saga that has sacrificed itself so you can get those benefits again. She also works perfectly well in the 99 of a historic deck.

Now for the art. Credit to Magali Villeneuve. Link to her BlueSky. Magali back with a banger. I love how cozy the building behind her looks, while Elena self looks incredible. Not overly threatening, but definitely ready for a fight. Love love love this art!

Now we go to Heidegger, Shinra Executive!

4 mana for a 3/3 is below rate. Not hugely so, but it can be noticeable. His abilities are:

At the beginning of combat on your turn, target creature you control gets +X/+0 until end of turn, where X is the number of Soldiers you control. Ah, this is "Soldiers typal: the card," isn't it? Alright, pretty decent buff for 1 target creature. Kind of weird, since Soldiers are generally more token based, but this makes one very beefy creature.

At the beginning of your end step, create a number of 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens equal to the number of opponents who control more creatures than you. H... huh. This is a way to generate tokens when you are behind on creatures. That's... neat, but like I just said, Soldier typal usually have some sort token generation already, so you will rarely get benefit from this. It's not bad though if you are put behind, but only 3 tokens every turn is also not fantastic.

Put this in the 99 of a Soldier typal deck. As your commander, while he does have turn 1 value, only half of his card is consistent. The other half is very much not consistent, which is what prevents me from saying you should run him as your commander. It can be used to build up your board state again after a board wipe, but... it is not super fast. Oh well.

Now for the art. Credit goes to Dancaio. Link to their Twitter. What a big goofy grin! I'm sure he's a good guy :) Honestly, this is fantastic. I really like how you can see all the troops behind him, really goes to show that he is a higher up at Shinra. Very very nice!

Now we go to Helitrooper!

2 mana for a 1/2 is slightly below rate, but with flying to compensate, you won't notice it too much. Its abilities are:

Whenever this creature attacks, another target attacking creature gains flying until end of turn. That's decent if you have no other ways to give flying to other creatures, otherwise this is just alright. Especially in flyers typal, this is worthless, but to be fair, you don't want to be running this with flyers typal, because...

Equip abilities you activate that target this creature cost 2 mana less to activate. You want to be equipping this guy. Maybe not with everything, but at least a little bit of equipment on them would do them some good. That also makes it so you are generally running less flying creatures, so his first ability is more relevant.

Not a bad little creature. I don't think this will see too much play, since there are a bunch of ways to give your creatures evasion with equipment, but I suppose this isn't too bad to have as a way to support a heavily equipped creature.

Now for the art. Credit goes to Haikei. Link to their Twitter. That sure is a helitrooper. That's really all I got to say. Looks good tho.

Let's go to Cloud's Limit Break!

Oh hey, a new Tiered spell! Instant speed, so that's already nice.

For 2 mana, you destroy target tapped creature. That's pretty on rate and keep in mind that aside from a creature with Vigilance, you can destroy an attacking creature with this, since it is tapped right when it attacks.

For 3 mana, you destroy ant number of target tapped creatures with different controllers. So 3 mana for 3 potential destroyed creatures. Very nice, that's actually very on rate. They do need to be tapped, but it works.

For 6 mana, you destroy all tapped creatures. Keep in mind that this does include your own creatures, so try to do this whenever your creatures aren't tapped, especially if you have mana dorks running around.

This is just a flexible removal spell. You can basically run this in any deck ever that has White in its color identity. Very adaptable, so that's great. Good spell.

Now for the art. Credit to Billy Christian. Link to his ArtStation. My man doesn't miss! The face looks a bit wonky on the main Cloud, but that's also the angle. Having the after images of Cloud, who is probably in the middle of Omnislash, is fantastic. I love this art!

Now we get to the first of three Foretell cards in this deck, Ultimate Magic: Holy!

3 mana to have all your permanents gain indestructible until end of turn at instant speed, which is pretty solid. For 2 mana, you can foretell this card for 2 mana, at which point it is in exile. Then, for 3 more mana, you can flip it up at a later turn, at which point you also prevent all damage that would be dealt to you this turn. That's pretty solid, a mini Teferri's Protection, though it doesn't make all your permanents untouchable. Still solid, but it is a bit rough to try and get this going for the full effect. However, keep in mind that the play from exile doesn't care about it specifically being from the foretell, any play from exile works. If you can get that going, that could make this way better.

Now for the art. Credit to Ashley Mackenzie. Link to their BlueSky. This sure is the lifestream working back against Meteor and casting holy. I have not much to say, it just looks good.

Now we go to the last mono White spell, SOLDIER Military Program.

3 mana for an enchantment that gives you one of two effects at the start of combat on your turn, though if you control a commander, you may choose both instead.

Create a 1/1 white Soldier creature token. Not bad, but also not super fast. Definitely just kind of... exists as a mode.

Put a +1/+1 counter on each of up to two Soldiers you control. That's a lot better, especially if you already have at least 2 Soldiers on the field. Very much starts pumping your board and starts to make it scary. Still a little slow though, but that's where counter enhancers are for.

This will definitely go into Soldier typal decks. Especially the pumping effect will be able to catch people off guard out of nowhere. Getting both at the same time each turn definitely makes this way better, but even without it, the pumping can at least get to be dangerous.

Now for the art. Credit to Yoshio Sugiura. Link to their Twitter. This looks like a propaganda piece to join Shinra's military and it looks WONDERFUL for that angle. Showing you the 3 SOLDIERs as they are posing with Midgar in the background really makes this seem like this could be on a poster somewhere in Midgar (or Nibelheim for example) to convince you join. It's great, really love this one!

We now move to the Red cards, starting with Avalanche of Sector 7!

Love how they covered Biggs, Wedge and Jessie on the card, very nice to see them represented.

3 mana for a */3 is... well, it depends on the exact power it comes in with whether it is on rate or not. Their ability is:

Menace, so they will be slightly more likely to get in when attacking.

Avalanche of Sector 7's power is equal to the number of artifacts your opponents control. This... is very dependent on what your opponents play. Against artifact heavy decks, this will feel like some real hater stuff. Against artifact light decks, this is gonna feel pretty bad, since their power won't be that high.

Whenever an opponent activates an ability of an artifact they control, Avalanche of Sector 7 deals 1 damage to that player. This is super hater stuff. Keep in mind that equip costs being paid counts, so you can absolutely be a gigantic hater.

And that's the review for this card. This is anti-Artifact: the card. This is a hard card to recommend in any deck, honestly, since this really is just anti-Artifact: the card. I guess if you have a trauma response to a certain activated ability of an artifact, you can include this, but keep in mind that you might become the target of that artifact instead.

Now for the art. Credit to Arif Wijaya. Link to his ArtStation. These sure as Biggs, Wedge and Jessie. Nothing wrong with that, but also nothing much to say here, they are looking quite good!

Now we get to Cait Sith, Fortune Teller!

4 mana for a 3/3 is below rate, but that's not super much. His ability is that at the beginning of combat on your turn, then exile the top card of your library. You may play that card this turn. When you exile a card this way, target creature you control gets +X/+0 until end of turn, where X is that card's mana value. So this is pretty decent, especially since you are given the chance to see the card you would flip in advance and can put that on the bottom of your library if it is like a land, which would get you no buff. It is a bit random, but it is a random you can force to be more in your favor with having more draw, scry and surveil effects in your deck, especially at instant speed.

I don't rate this card super highly as your commander, but you can do it. My main thing actually doesn't have to do with his ability, but more his mana cost. Like, actually, at 1 mana cheaper, I'd be a good amount more positive about him, but due to him being 4 mana, he's in this awkward "expensive enough" position. In the 99 of any given deck, I'd think he'd be pretty decent. As the commander... paying 6 mana for a 3/3 is rough, man.

Now for the art. Credit to Kevin Sidharta. Link to their ArtStation. That sure is Cait Sith and the giant toy moogle he's riding. He does look very cheerful. I like this art, it is nice c:

Now we move on to Vincent, Vengeful Atoner...

3 mana for a 3/3 is perfectly on rate, good job. His abilities are:

Menace, so he will be a bit tougher to block, since you need 2 creatures to block him.

Whenever one or more creatures deal combat damage to a player, put a +1/+1 counter on Vincent. Only 1 +1/+1 counter is a little low, though keep in mind that this goes for every single player, so if you are able to hit 3 players, that does mean 3 +1/+1 counters on Vincent, so this card incentivizes you to swing wide and towards all your opponents.

Whenever Vincent deals combat damage to an opponent, it deals that much damage to each other opponent if Vincent's power is 7 or greater. And now we're getting into mass burn territory. A Vincent on 7 power (or more) is horrifying, since he can basically end the game if not properly blocked and/or removed.

Uh... yeah, this is basically a finisher and you can basically build him in whatever combat oriented way you want. If you are wanting to run him as your commander, I'd recommend going for Equipment to give him stuff that can protect him. Otherwise, go ham. At 7 power, if Vincent ever comes through, he will start chunking health bars. Also good in the 99 of an aggro deck.

Now for the art. Credit to Lius Lasahido. Link to their Instagram. This basically looks like an in-game screenshot or promotional artwork for Vincent. Yeah, this is really good. Not much to say here.

Let's go to Yuffie, Materia Hunter!

3 mana for a 3/3 is perfect on rate, so good job again. Her abilities are:

Ninjutsu for 2 mana, so you can bring her in from your hand for 2 mana in place of an unblocked attacker, so she does the damage instead of the attacker. Get tricky with this, since this is already after blockers are declared and so the creature she replaces is the evasiveness you have to keep in mind.

When Yuffie enters, gain control of noncreature artifact as long as you control Yuffie. Then you may attach an Equipment you control to Yuffie. This is fantastic. You get to steal an artifact and equip any Equipment you have laying around. Steal their Sol Ring and just have more mana for as long as Yuffie is around.

This is a hard card to rate, since ideally, you want to bring her to hand somewhat often, due to the Ninjutsu ability being great for in and out attacks. On the other hand, you kind of want her to stick around for a while so you can have someone's artifact for a long while. I wouldn't recommend her as your commander, to be honest, but in the 99 of an Equipment deck, I think she could be very powerful at disruption.

Now for the art. Credit to Touge369. Link to their Twitter (they don't post much art). That sure is Yuffie. Pretty anime styled, but that isn't a bad thing for a character like Yuffie, I feel. Good art, I like it!

Let's go to the summon of this deck, Summon: Kujata!

6 mana for a 7/5 is perfectly on rate. Trample and haste too, so it will be immediately able to strike and go through enemies if they don't block it with 7 toughness or more. Let's go through the abilities:

Lore counter 1: This creature deals 3 damage to each of up to two target creatures. This means that you can even weaken the creatures that would create enough toughness to full block you or just outright destroy 2 creatures. Very good first ability.

Lore counter 2: Up to three target creatures can't block this turn. Make one opponent sweat bullets as a good part of their board can't block, meaning you will chew through the chaff or just straight up smack them in the face.

Lore counter 3: Discard a card, then draw two cards. When you discard a card this way, this creature deals damage equal to that card's mana value to each opponent. Drop a huge thing in your graveyard, do huge damage to opponents. Also handy if you just need something in your graveyard because it benefits you somehow, like an Anger.

Overall, pretty solid. It gets to attack twice, has some good removval and evasion and then draws you two cards and does some burn. Pretty dang solid, though probably not an auto include in decks, since it is pretty obvious and it is a 6 mana creature, so removal is definitely gonna get slung its way.

Now for the art. Credit to Alexandre Honoré. Link to his ArtStation. That sure is Kujata with elemental effects surrounding it. It looks good though, so no complaining in the slightest!

As for the alternative art (this is a trend with the summons):

Credit to YOSHIYA. Link to their Twitter. The same thing as before, but more classic Japanese style. Still looks great, very very nice!

Let's move on to the final card of this part and the counterpart to Holy, Ultimate Magic: Meteor!

For 6 mana, this is a 7 damage based board wipe for all creatures. If you choose to foretell it (or in some other way cast it from exile), it also takes with it an artifact or land of each opponent. This is just alright. 6 mana for a 7 damage based board wipe is rough, since there are enough ways to prevent damage, and the exile effect is marginally better, but foretelling does say that people have to play more careful, regardless of which card you foretell. Also, sorcery speed, so you can't even flip it at instant speed.

Now for the art. Credit to Ashley Mackenzie. Link to their BlueSky. That sure is Meteor threatening to destroy the planet. Also, good on you Wizards to hire the same artist for both Holy and Meteor. That's actually good thinking. Aside from that, not much to say.

And that's it for part 1! Next part is 10 more cards, 2 Artifacts, 4 Green and 4 Multicolored, including a few interesting characters to talk about! Yes, that includes a certain silver haired prick... AGAIN Anyway, thanks fore reading and have a nice day o/

[feenick]

JRPG, CRPG, WRPG... these aren't very useful subgenres, and geologically recent arguments have heated up the debate around them even more. So I propose throwing them out and replacing them with these 26 new, flawless categories:

ARPG - Action RPG: Do you perfom actions? Or are you stuck watching the title sequence over and over because the main menu doesn't work? BRPG - Bethesdic RPG: Can you pick up every wheel of cheese in the game and put it into a single room? Does the game needing to keep track of that eventually ruin saves? Then the game's a BRPG. CRPG - Computer RPG/Console RPG: Everyone will know exactly what you mean when you use this acronym. If need be, refer to games like Ultima IV or Final Fantasy VII, games that exclusively exist on either a personal computer or a console. DRPG - Dungeon RPG: Do you go into the prison cells underneath a castle? If you don't, are you really an RPG of any type, much less a DRPG? ERPG - Erotic RPG: A game where you find love. Did you talk to someone on an internet forum about Final Fantasy IV and get into a relationship through that? That goes here. FRPG - French RPG: Wakfu exists. I'm sure there's others. GRPG - Good RPG: They all go in here :) HRPG - Homeric RPG: Is the plot of the RPG directly ripping off 1) The Iliad 2) The Odyssey 3) A Simpsons episode? IRPG - Idle RPG: Okay, honest question. How much do you idle in these games anyway? Certainly you're setting up equipment and parties that'll auto-grind for you, right? The entire subgenre isn't just Progress Quest, right? JRPG - Judeo-Christian RPG: This category is exclusively for the 2008 game The You Testament. I'm sorry, I don't make the rules. KRPG - Kinetic RPG: You know Kinetic Novels, ie a VN that doesn't have any choices at all? Throw any RPG you want to disparge for not giving you choices in here. Alternatively, this is for any RPG that has Kinect support. LRPG - Luddite RPG: Was it released on a console 20 years after that console ceased getting games? Does it look and act like it should have been released 20 years ago? MRPG - Monster-catching RPG: Any game where you catch monsters and have them battle for you. Notably, Shin Megami Tensei is excluded; you talk, bribe, and cajole demons into working for you, which is totally different. NRPG - Natalist RPG: Does the word 'breeding' come up at any point in the game description? ORPG - Orre-game-esque RPG: Like Pokemon Colosseum or Pokemon XD Gale of Darkness, is this game a spinoff of a larger RPG series that changes a major mechanic and has a small but vocal fanbase? PRPG - Panzer Dragoon Saga-like RPG: games that make SHMUP gameplay more approachable by combining them with an RPG. Other games that fit into this category are Undertale and Sigma Star Saga. QRPG - Questionnaire-having RPG: Does the game, at some point, ask you a series of questions in order to determine something? In that case, all other categories are overwritten by this one. RRPG - 'Real' RPG: You know, in your heart of hearts, what belongs here, and everyone else is wrong. SRPG - Strategic RPG: A game in which short-term tactical gameplay decisions [strategy] are the main focus. TRPG - Tactics RPG: A game in which long-term, strategic gameplay decisions [tactics] are the main focus. URPG - Ultraviolent RPG: Can you kill a guy and have a fountain of blood erupt from them? VRPG - VIPRPG: A category reserved for any game made by someone who frequents 2ch's VIP board, or features that :3 cat person that originated there. WRPG - Weeaboo RPG: Was it made by someone outside of Asia but still have anime stylings? XRPG - eXploratory RPG: A generous term for an RPG that throws you out into the world with little direction and expects you to figure out where the game is. YRPG - Yslike RPG: Does it have bump combat? Then there you go! ZRPG - Zero-loving RPG: Are the damage numbers padded to make them look more impressive? Alternatively, does Zero from Mega Man X show up?

[theomeganerd]

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles Announced for All Platforms Sept. 30

Today, SQUARE ENIX announced that an enhanced edition of the genre defining tactical RPG, FINAL FANTASY TACTICS, will make its long-awaited return as FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles™, set to launch on Nintendo Switch 2™, Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation®5 (PS5®), PlayStation®4 (PS4®), Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam® and Steam Deck on September 30, 2025.

The dramatic tale of ambition, betrayal, and honor will come to life with an updated and enriched script with fully voiced dialogue, alongside improved graphics that bring a new level of immersion and playability to the battlefield. Additionally, the enhanced version brings quality-of-life updates like new difficulties, a revamped UI, auto save, and more that make the game more accessible to newcomers. The game features strategic, turn-based combat and an elaborate character progression system that makes every battle exhilarating and filled with unexpected twists.   Hailed as one of gaming’s greatest stories, in this standalone game, players will step into the Kingdom of Ivalice—a medieval world steeped in political conflict—in which players uncover the truth behind the young noble Ramza Beoulve, whose role on history’s stage has been buried from view.

Square Enix also revealed the new key art of Ramza and Delita, the two heroes of this story, drawn by Akihiko Yoshida. The art depicts the complex relationship of the two individuals – whether they stand together to protect one another, or the start of a departure as they walk divergent paths. Above them, Ovelia and Alma, both of whom have strong ties to Ramza and Delita, solemnly look into the distance, foreshadowing the direction that fate will lead them.   Legendary developers from the original game will make their return in FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles, including Kazutoyo Maehiro (Director), Hiroshi Minagawa (Art Director), and Yasumi Matsuno (Original Script, Scenario Writer and Editor).   FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles will include both enhanced and classic versions of the game. The enhanced version features modern upgrades and quality-of-life changes, including fully voiced characters, a ground-up graphical overhaul and an updated user interface that make FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles the perfect entry point to the tactical RPG classic for new players. The classic version is a nostalgic recreation of the game, developed for players who want to experience the original FINAL FANTASY TACTICS from 1997.   Key Features:

Challenging, Tactical Turn-Based Battles — Experience the addictive tactical turn-based combat and deep character progression system that made the game an instant Tactical RPG classic. Players will test their battle acumen against a host of powerful enemies, and use the various terrains, characters and customizations, as well as their strategic thinking, to achieve victory.  

Customizable Job System with Dynamic Character Progression — Players can master a robust roster of over 20 jobs—including black mage, dragoon, geomancer (who can use the environment against foes), summoner (who can call forth the iconic FINAL FANTASY moogle and other espers), time mage (who uses time magick), thief, and more—and over 300 character abilities to strategically build endless party combinations.  

Enhanced Gameplay Features and a Faithful Classic Version — The enhanced version features a revised script and fully voiced dialogue, offering a new level of enjoyment to this classic story. Additionally, a brand-new UI, improved graphics, as well as additional character conversations and dialogue create a new level of immersion. Additionally, many new features have been added to make the game even more approachable including the ability to confirm unit turn order with the press of a button, scout the battlefield from afar with the tactical view feature, speed up battles with fast forward, auto save during battles, adjust game difficulty to match your play style, and more. The classic version faithfully recreates the 1997 release of FINAL FANTASY TACTICS alongside the acclaimed War of the Lions translation—perfect for fans who wish to relive the original experience.  

To celebrate the announcement of the game, developers Maehiro, Minagawa and Matsuno shared their messages that are available via the Square Enix Blog (https://www.square-enix-games.com/en_US/news) and over social media: https://x.com/FinalFantasy/. FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles’s voice cast featuring an all-star lineup of new and returning FINAL FANTASY cast members, including Joe Pitts (Ramza), Gregg Lowe (Delita), Hannah Melbourn (Agrias), Timothy Watson (Cidolfus), Harry McEntire (Mustadio), Ben Starr (Dycedarg), and cameos by Cody Christian (Cloud Strife from FINAL FANTASY VII remake series) and Briana White (Aerith Gainsborough from FINAL FANTASY VII remake series).

Players who pre-order will receive the following bonuses:

White Equipment for Ramza

Weapon: Mythril Knife

Accessory: Spiked Boots (Increase a unit's Jump attribute while equipped)

Consumable items: High Potion x10

Consumable items: Ether x10

Players who pre-order the Deluxe Edition will receive the following bonuses, including a valuable accessory that increases the speed at which characters can learn abilities:

Weapon: Akademy Blade (Raises a unit's speed attribute slightly while equipped)

Headwear: Akademy Beret (Prevents the Charmed status while equipped)

Combat Garb: Akademy Tunic (Grants Shell while equipped)

Accessory: Ring of Aptitude (Boosts JP earned while equipped)

Consumable Items: Phoenix Down x10

Black Equipment for Ramza

Red Equipment for Ramza

FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles is rated T (Teen) by the ESRB and will launch on Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam and Steam Deck on September 30, 2025. For more information, visit: https://finalfantasytactics.com/

[styrmwb]

Rambling About Magic the Gathering X Final Fantasy - Final Fantasy XIV (Part 1)

Oh boy. Square's OTHER golden child. I do love XIV, don't get me wrong; but its... all consuming nature, is bothering me as of late. ESPECIALLY here. I'm gonna enjoy these cards, but I will also be upset at these cards. Sorry in advance. (also XIV is the last of the 4 games to get a Commander deck, it's a highlight for sure.)

Cloudbound Moogle

Kupo. This is definitely a moogle, toe to tip. I do like seeing the pom in the back, and the Churning Mists background is cool.

Delivery Moogle

Another Moogle, but a lot more interesting! He goes through your mail to bring you a fun item! I do really like this card, and the art has those letters flying behind, giving him a great illusion of movement.

Dragoon's Lance

I'm gonna go ahead and get this complaint out of the way now. The fact that other than I, XIV ate ALL the job switch equipment, and didn't give ANY to III, V, or XI, is horrible. Now that my great anger is out of the way, let's stick with an actual card review. Art is cool, love how the dragoon has the blood of the dragon effect around it, and flying for jumping.

G'raha Tia

I love G'raha, but I don't know if his stupid young version needed a card on top of the modern version in the Commander deck. Good art, though.

Machinist's Arsenal

This art is pretty incredible, it's like an action movie poster. I'm a big fan of the hero and the Queen looking in different directions, and the auto-crossbow looks sick as fuck.

Paladin's Arms

I'm really glad they used the Endwalker armor in this one, it's the best Paladin set in the game. Plus, Passage of Arms is SUCH a cool pose.

Summon: Primal Garuda

Out of anyone, Garuda absolutely is the summon to use from XIV (or XI but I'll give this one a pass cause this one has far more character). I love that alt art, the greens and whites are very visually appealing. It also feels like the Garuda you summon as a Summoner, since it enters with Aerial Blast, and creates a little Slipstream to stand in.

Ultima

When this card was revealed, I wanted to be mad at a series wide card being put in XIV. Could have been II, the game that made it. But. I get it. The art is amazing on both of these, AND we get the funny Gaius quote. I can't be mad at that. Though, the fact that it ends the turn means you can't do some VII nonsense and cast it four times, terrible card.

Venat, Heart of Hydaelyn/Hydaelyn, the Mothercrystal

I have never seen a card where I feel completely opposite about the art. I do not like the base art, it just feels like an in game screenshot (which could also be a compliment), but I LOVE that alt art, mainly of Venat. That stylization, it reminds me of the Wind Waker/Phantom Hourglass/Spirit Tracks cutscene style. Her effect is also perfect, where Venat exiles Zodiark, then blesses a Warrior of Light. This card is amazing.

White Auracite

I really love this art, I wanted more of this from the set. Look how realistic Minfilia looks. This is also one of those cards that gives a character an appearance without making them a person, and I think ARR Minfilia is great for that. It would suck if she didn't appear at all. Of course, it traps somebody in it, which is awesome.

Astrologian's Planisphere

I love that third card effect. Putting card games in card games always leads to some fun ideas, and this is no different.

Il Mheg Pixie

Another case of "really great art, this is a generic mook for filling out armies, could have gone to a different game". I do really like this art though. You could have removed the FFXIV from the bottom and I'd believe that this is a normal Magic card.

Louisoix's Sacrifice

I love this card, but the MAIN "critique" I will give it is that it isn't the image of Louisoix smiling as he gets Smash Bros World of Lighted. That's not even a critique, this art is great I just want the funny. I do like how the sacrifice has to be a legendary. You better be saving this card for something BIG if you're gonna kill your grandpa for it.

Matoya, Archon Elder

I am very mad at this card. This card is like, one of the examples of XIV gluttony. Instead of acknowledging the original Matoya, who could have also used the same effect, and would have given a game that doesn't have a lot of characters one of its few characters, you used the version in the game with everything.

Rook Turret

This is like, the XIV version of VII's Valkyrie unit. Why? I just don't understand why it's here. It's gotta be gameplay.

Sage's Nouliths

I think untapping a target creature on attack is such a cool way of adapting Sage's "healing by attacking" gimmick. A part of me thinks that the Sage should have been the III Sage, since that's one of the two busted jobs, but I'll forgive it since the gameplay factor is so cool and unique.

Sahagin

fishy. Sahagins could have been in any game, but I do think XIV has the coolest design, so this is another pass on my divine anger. I love this art, how you can see the western half of western La Noscea, with the Sahagin land in the back. I don't really get the effect? Maybe like, cast water at the enemy? Which makes their attack stronger.

Sidequest: Card Collection/Magicked Card

This is really funny. At first I was like "why did XIV get the triple triad sidequest", but it's not really that. It's to represent an MMO grind for a mount. It's not worth it at all, but you get A Mount!!!! It could have really been anything else, as long as it gives that mount, that's all they needed. And like I said earlier, card games in card games leads to cool effects.

Y'shtola Rhul

I like this Y'shtola a lot more than her Commander card. She's CLEARLY doing Flow here, which is the most Y'shtola thing possible. I also like how her original ARR gear is being used (yeah there's the alt art, but I'm not really partial to it).

Circle of Power

I thought we left the black mages cards behind in IX, but they're back with a vengeance with Ley Lines, but this time, instead of just one, EVERYONE gets to join in in the stand in place fun. I do like this card, and I think out of any ability to turn into a simple spell, Ley Lines is the one for sure.

Dark Confidant

A reprint from Magic's past, that comes in the form of really really good art, both main and alt. Not really representing any Ascian in particular, just a generic one. But I do think this was a good card to texture as an Ascian.

Dark Knight's Greatsword

Black mana and Dark Knights just work together so well, I swear. I like how it's a lot more offensive than Paladins, but with a lack of toughness increase, it just helps my argument that this should have been a previous game's incarnation. ZEID COULD HAVE BEEN HERE. The art is cool though, and a Hrothgar gets to show up.

So many cards, part 2 here.

[nihilnovisubsole]

i am, as promised, having buckets of fun with the catboy game, and i'm not even at the part where it's supposed to Get Good yet

i snagged a spot on balmung because its notoriety appealed to my morbid curiosity. marie_kondo_i_love_mess.gif. at first i was disappointed. my starting town was so quiet! then i went to ul'dah and got swarmed by bikini avatars and chat logs about becoming someone's kitten. now that's the MMO experience i remember from the good old days!

ul'dah's music is gorgeous, though

in all seriousness, it's not hard to see why people fall so in love with this game. like persona 5, it wants you to be earnest. it hopes you'll roleplay a hero and approach it with an open heart. unlike persona 5, it dreams in 70 millimeters. it's an epic, from the massive vistas to the powers shaping the world. it's its own game with its own lore, but contains just enough of the final fantasy sourdough starter to make veteran fans feel at home. ffvi was a deeply formative experience for me. in ffxiv, i get more of what i like! it's all upsides here.

i mentioned my primary MMO experience is ragnarok. this is an advantage. i've come to ffxiv over-prepared. the low base attack speed and presence of global cooldowns makes the pace of combat much slower and more manageable. in ragnarok, DPS is about how fast you can spam your skills, which makes for utter chaos and absurd repetitive strain. i was warned that dragoons have a bunch of buttons to press, but so far lancer has been fine. i'll keep at it and see how it goes.

speaking of, it's amazing how a few targeted quality-of-life features make the game so much more playable. i can spend all night in it, and i have! i can auto-run in the overworld, i can teleport from anywhere, and i've mapped the keys to do all movement and combat with my left hand. i only use my drawing hand for moving the camera and navigating stuff like the inventory, which gives it plenty of room to rest.

people also mentioned that this is a game that encourages you to get attached to your characters. i'm feeling that, and i enjoy it. it's been a very long time since i've immersed myself in making a video game OC. i don't want to get too carried away with developing her until i've seen more of the plot and learned more about the world. still, it's nice.

i should remember not to take it too seriously. this game has a well-cultivated silly side

do you ever wonder what baby lalafell look like

i want merlwyb's coat dress

[before-calamity]

THM/BLM Skills Overview Part 2: BLM & Traits

Let's see what our little firey mages did in 1.0

Before Manafont, you had Convert in ARR, which removed 30% of your HP to recover some MP. This is a bit more of an extreme version of Convert, just switching your HP and MP values altogether. This was actually a materia with the same effect in FFVII (albeit a rare and niche one).

Read on for more Black Mage abilities...

As of Endwalker, Burst is in the game, as a PVP action for Black Mages, which is a powerful close-ranged circle AoE. This would've been the Flame or Freeze equivalent for the thunder element.

Kind of funny that this is now the default effect of the THM sleep spell in modern FFXIV.

And your hard hitting fire and ice attacks. I mean, it's not ultra surprising that BLM has these actions. A BLM without a Flare is like...dragoon without a spear. Only things surprising about these actions is how they all have long cast times and recast times (especially Burst!) and how Flare apparantly is a close-circle AoE.

Now for traits:

Lvl 8 Enhanced Magic Potency - Increases attack magic potency by 8 Lvl 12 Enhanced Enfeebling Magic - Increases enfeebling magic potency by 8 This is also referred to as Greater Enfeebling Magic elsewhere in the game's data. Might be a remnant of an earlier localization.

Lvl 16 Enhanced Parsimony - Increases MP gained from Parsimony by 25% Lvl 20 Auto-Refresh - Gradually regenerates MP. The fact you don't get this until level 20 is amazing to me, and shows the type of game FFXIV 1.0 is. Lvl 24 Swift Necrogenesis - Reduces recast time of Necrogenesis by 30 seconds. Lvl 28 Enhanced Magic Potency II - Increases magic potency by 10 Lvl 32 Enhanced Enfeebling Magic II - Increases enfeebling magic potency by 10 This is referred to as Greater Enfeebling Magic II elsewhere in the game's data.

Lvl 36 Swift Dark Seal - Reduces recast time of Dark Seal by 30 seconds Lvl 40 Enhanced Magic Crit Potency - Increases poitency of magical critical hits by 10. Lvl 44 Enhanced Sanguine Rite - Adds a damage reduction effect to Sanguine Rite. Lvl 48 Enhanced Excruciate - Increases critical rate bonus from Excruciate.

The only other thing I can say about Thaumaturge and Black Mage, is that I have a strong suspicion based on some investigation I did over the weekend was that this was not meant to be the "elemental" class, and was more...darker. Thaumaturge itself in ARR does deal with some dark concepts - the whole class questline is about dealing with voidsents and involves a lot of murder. Considering that their goal for the original FFXIV classes was to move away the common archetypes seen in final fantasy, this isn't a huge surprise.

We'll see more about what I mean later down the line, once we get more proof and evidence.

[miloscat]

[Review] Sega Pocket Arcade: Ecco the Dolphin (1995)

A rare dolphin treat.

A while ago I bought the Sega Pocket Arcade: Ecco the Dolphin from 1994 (pictured on the left, below). Much to my dismay, problems with the unit design caused hardware issues that rendered the game unplayable. Still, it’s a great collector’s item in a unique form factor. However, a much rarer item is the second Ecco the Dolphin handheld from 1995-according to the back of the unit (pictured on the right)-or 1997 going by the packaging. Although Tiger is often credited for the initial “red label” games in this line, their branding is absent from the packaging so Sega of America may have internally developed the first model and manufactured it in the US, but the 1995 blue label model was certainly and proudly developed by the experienced LCD game company Tiger and made in China… and by the way, the hardware did not almost instantly fail on me.

Sega’s initial Pocket Arcade line had a few different case designs, some with slide-out screens. Their clamshell units included Ecco, Columns, and Football. When Tiger took over, all of their line, such as this second Ecco, Nights, and the enticing Panzer Dragoon, used the screen-protecting clamshell design. They also seem to universally use a much smaller inset screen compared to the first lineup, no doubt a cost-saving measure that unfortunately hampers playability somewhat.

Now, observe the two units side by side. Note the differences in screen layout and button distribution. These are in fact two completely separate games with differing design, graphics, and controls. Both have Ecco auto-swimming to the right, avoiding hostile sea life over a number of levels, but each has unique features. The first game has an active sonar mechanic, which can reveal tunnels to swim through (similar to the OG dolphin game, Activision’s Dolphin) and interact with glyphs. It has a speed control mechanic, hazardous seagulls above the waves, and dolphin family members to rescue, not to mention descriptive level write-ups in the manual.

By contrast, this second unit seems simpler, more of a straightforward survival game. But there’s enough depth for an LCD game, with three planes of action and the life/air bars to juggle. Surfacing for air is necessary but sometimes blocked by a jellyfish, and health can be refilled by tapping the Eat button on the lower lane when a fish comes along amongst the coral. There are many hazards on the bottom layer to be wary of, though.

The biggest foe is the octopus who emerges from the right to menace two lanes with tentacular ferocity! Combine this with a jelly up top and you’re in a right pickle. However, a back-dodge can grant temporary sanctuary especially when chained together. More types of sharks appear as the levels progress to threaten each lane, and other, more difficult to identify, creatures add to the dangers of the deep. This game features a passive sonar to help you avoid the larger threats, with a sort of status bar that displays the direction of imminent attacks.

There are six levels in total (compared to the first unit’s seven), with the action speeding up as you advance. Beat level six and you win the game, or so the cardboard insert claims. The pace of gameplay and the intense rate at which your air depletes at this stage meant that I couldn’t manage to clear it. Your number of lives resets to 3 on each stage, so there’s no way to stock up or lasting penalty for taking a few dings. The game also tracks your score, which as far as I could tell just increases naturally as you progress regardless of your actions. It seems a little pointless, especially because it maxes out at 9990 partway through level five!

The soundscape is a few mere beeps and dare I say boops governed by your actions, and the majority of the backdrop is just a blue gradient… of course, this means it doesn’t obscure sprites like some other LCD games’ busy backgrounds. Those sprites are lovely, distinctive and detailed. Well, most of them anyway; some of the enemy critters don’t show up well on this tiny screen.

From what I could tell of the first unit, it tries to make each level somewhat distinctive, with an adventure feel as you can start from any stage you’ve unlocked, while this second one is content to just up the speed and add a couple of new enemy types as you advance, making it more of a score-chasing action game. It does have some nice little touches though, like the land edges that border each stage, and the lightning storm in the skies above, while the printed sandy coral layer on the sea floor mitigates the lack of the stunning sky vista the first game had. The two complement each other well, and I feel a lucky collector indeed to now own both, even if the first one is busted and the second has an ever so small screen. I just love dolphin games that much!

[achillean-knight]

I cannot hold this back anymore, I really need to ramble about some of the dot points I've made for Finaltale, SPECIFICALLY character classes and what they can do in battle BECAUSE HUEUHEUH I'M SO RRRAAAAAAAHHH

Toriel would be a white mage, someone who primarily uses heals and buffs, however, owning the summon of Ramuh, she can also summon eidolons..... espers.... summons.... they have many names lmao She'd also be able to disperse enemies' buffs and cast status ailments debuffs.

Sans would be a black mage purely because he doesn't have to do anything physical and he'd still probably be able to use gaster blaster-esc attacks, because holy fuck black mages in final fantasy can summon goddamn meteors, I think he can summon gaster blaster adjacent attacks too.

Also, along with sans being a black mage-esc class, Papyrus would be a knight or paladin class, and I can imagine, if you have them both in the party, Sans could buff up Papyrus' sword and make it like, a blade x magical attack sorta like what you can do in Final Fantasy 9 if you have Vivi and Steiner in the party :>

Undyne is 100% a dragoon- Dragoons use spears primarily and do attacks like jump lol They can learn other skills I believe? I don't really remember, I only had one Dragoon in my party once and all I made him do was jump attack pfft

Napstablook (because I can imagine them being a party member in this AU), would be a blue mage. I think it's funny that blue mage specifically suits them bc y'know the saying "don't be so blue" or something.... yeah...... anyways PFFT blue mages learn spells from enemies, I can imagine they'd use a spell called "posses" which causes them to be able to go into an enemy and learn their skills that way :> You'd probably have to weaken the enemy enough like how you learn blue mage skills in FF9

Alphys would probably be a Machinist class, usually they use guns pfft but going off of the abilities of the character, Edgar from FF6, she'd have abilities similar to him instead. Tho, it is a funny thought she'd be able to wield a gun IUJSDGFSDHHJ Edgars abilities that Alphys would adopt would consist of: Auto-Crossbow, Bioblaster, Circular Saw, Noiseblaster, and Drillbreaker (best to search em up), but she can maybe wield an axe or something too for the fun of it. OH I MEAN Circular Saw is a chainsaw so that can be her main weapon MYEHEH

Mettaton is... probably the hardest to categorise right now, but I think dancer class (bc I suddenly remembered it existed lol), may be good >:3 Looking into it more, dancers use a mix of white mage abilities and thief abilities. Able to wield similar magic to Toriel, he'd be able to wield daggers aswell NYEHEH

Frisk is also a hard one to categorise. I'm leaning on freelancer, which isn't a sorta class? It's like, the default until you learn other classes through the game. They can, however, late game learn more potent skills and are able to equip like, anything, so I think that's best for them, given that they actually do equipt any weapon or armour through undertale. They could've been a dragoon bc of being bahamut related but we already got one AAAA

I'm not sure for Asgore. Leaning to Dragoon aswell, mostly bc he trains Undyne and also uses a spear. Maybe a dragoon and dark knight given his Odin form HMM 🤔

[voidsentprinces]

Dragoon: Uhh...isn't Ewer for ranged dps?

Me, the AST trying to keep 6 people alive cause the other healer decided to just auto-follow the tank for the duration of WoD:

[the-hydroxian-artblog]

whenever I hear the Sonic Forces Egg Dragoon theme I like to think of the Dragoon taking a swanky stroll

[leftoblique]

Job changes I want for FFXIV 7.0

Watching Mr. Happy's video and I also have Thoughts and Feelings. I'm only going to talk about the jobs I play a lot though.

Dragoon

The core DRG rotation is great; I love the length and the positionals, and how there are a few different windows where you can force a crit.

Adding the secondary resource in EW was fine, but there should be more things you can do with it. Here's what I say:

Remove Mirage Dive and make High Jump add to the dragon gauge. There's no reason this should be two actions.

Add a second, higher-potency, single-target attack that consumes the focus gauge.

They are going to do a full rework here, so I hope if they do that they stick really closely to the class fantasy first and foremost. DRG is such a unique Final Fantasy job that having it be a grab bag of mechanics only takes away from what it could be.

Machinist

This class fucks; no notes. Well, okay, one note:

Flamethrower needs a damage and range boost and/or have it replace Auto-Crossbow.

The reason for this is that mechanically, it's usually better to use Auto-Crossbow, but Flamethrower is more fun. Having to choose is frustrating.

Dancer

This job is honestly just too busy. I like it a lot. But all of the extra procs have to go. What order should I use them in during the Devilment window? I don't know! Does anyone know?

This is one of those cases where you can very easily do addition-by-subtraction.

Scholar

Another job that fucks. I love the number of options it has. However, if I may suggest:

Provide way stronger healing/more perks during the Seraph phase. Make it a real healing overdrive mode.

Scholar more than any other healer is about resource management, so for example having the Seraph versions of Selene/Eos actions being more powerful means you have to decide if you're going to concentrate your healing in that window (which you also have to time the deployment of) or spread it out over the fight. It's one of those opportunities for high-end fiddly optimization that also makes you feel like a genius when you use it to save a regular duty.

Riffing on that, another thing you could do would be to make Seraph provide the benefit of Fey Illumination, so you could get rid of that action. Just a flat healing boost when she's deployed.

White Mage

I love that they made GCD lily healing not a damage loss in EW. I will now actively burn lilies so I can get a blood lily under party buffs and it makes me so happy.

Here's a small change I might make:

Increase the potency of Cure III, possibly with an increase in mana cost. I love that you can deploy a bonkers strong emergency heal, with Thin Air if need be.

Because WHM doesn't have a lot of resource management, MP should be the other resource you need to watch. They already get two stacks of Thin Air, so in the event you need an emergency heal or raise you still have it. But it definitely keeps it in line with BLM as "traditional mage jobs where MP is a thing you care about".

Gunbreaker

TRIPLE DOWN.

That is all.

Paladin

It's clear they don't know what they want to do with Goring Blade; it's changed function and place in the rotation a couple of times already. Either get rid of it or move it back to being a high-potency DoT you have to alternate with your other 3; that was more interesting.

I also agree with Mr. Happy that either Cover or Intervention need to be removed, or they need to be combined into something more interesting. I love the idea that as a PLD you protect other people by taking damage for them; it's just really hard to make that feel right in the middle of combat.

Red Mage

RDM is... fine? Like, it's pretty easy to play, and the hardest thing is just using all of your procs and CDs at the right time.

However, a thing I've always wanted is to make the pew-pew less punishing. Let's get some love for Reprise in here, okay? Update: lol they just did this in EW.

[thehobbiesjapan]

18 Metal Dragoon Bearing Stinger, 27 Dranzer Auto Change Balancer - #Beyblade #Kai

[veiledfox]

} Also, they were mentioning the fact that there's a lot of job actions filling up players hot bars and how gamepad players are kinda reaching their limit, and it lead into them introducing an option where you can take actions that auto-change into other things and make them separate?

How is that supposed to help gamepad congestion?

Why not allow 3-hit combos to be single buttons like in PVP? That can clearly be done already, and some of the changes they're making to PLD and GNB support that it can be done even more so. It would make jobs like Samurai, Monk, or Dragoon WAY less painful to map out by just making the different finishers have different combo buttons.

Kasha Combo, Gekko Combo, that kind of thing.

[farfromdaylight]

i used to post occasional duty reports on twitter so i might as well continue it here because WHAT THE FUCK, LMAO

setting: e11n, anamorphosis, than'jit fight. i do this every week, or so it feels, for wondrous tales. i did the savage when it was current. i know this one back to front.

80% of the boss goes fine. then he does the part where there are circles of fire and lightning and you have to hide between the ones that aren't going off.

it's fire that's bad, so i go hide by the lightning circles. the rest of the party goes and hides with fire. just as they're doing it, the dragoon LB3s. everyone but the tank and me dies.

OH NO, i think, and start rezzing (i'm a sage). we manage to get the rest of the party back up. the boss is now at 3% health.

the party stands on the wrong position again for the fire and lightning circles. EVERYONE BUT ME DIES.

OH NO, i think.

i hardcast rez the tank because i can't live through the autos. i'm a sage, thank god, so i have plenty of heals to keep us up. i swiftrez the other healer. the other healer gets a tank or a dps up.

WE SOMEHOW MAKE IT TO VICTORY. six comms.

(at least this was better than the 0.4% wipe i had to p12n this morning...)