Venmi

@Tybrosion Ah, glad my Soren has shown up for someone! I guess I'm not the only one who put a lot into him. I also have an Oscar+10 and a Sothe+4 for color coverage... Looks like everyone is having colorless problems, so I'll switch over to Sothe. I could do Oscar instead if you need blue more (I have no clue if he's showing up for anyone else). I wish your Klein would show up for me... I need more colorless. Too many reds! Almost every random person I get has a red. Beyond that, I keep getting someone's Cordelia and someone's Catria. I haven't seen any Serenes Forest people or my sister, who has a colorless lead. I wish we'd get more variety in our friend units.

I did it! My third 5*+10! Titania has joined Soren and Oscar :) If only I could run all three of them and Ike every week in the arena... (Here's an imgur link, since I still don't know how to embed them: https://imgur.com/a/e6ijVCg)

Ike and Zelgius on different banners at the same time? Why couldn't Zelgius have been on the legendary banner? Well, I think I'll have to pass on Zelgius's banner... My Marth is 4*+10 and I don't really need another Sigurd. And I guess the last time Ike and Zelgius were on the same banner I got 3 H!Nowi's. 3. And only 1 Ike and possibly 1 Zelgius, I can't remember exactly. But I do remember the 3 Nowi's I had absolutely no interest in. That was very annoying. Anyway, legendary banner has been somewhat successful! 1 each of Ike, Hector, and Myrrh, which I guess is okay for 160 orbs. Wanted mostly Ikes, but Hector (+Res/-Spd) and Myrrh (+Def/-Atk) are both new, which is nice. The IVs, not as good. Hoping to get at least one more Ike with whatever orbs I can scrounge up...

My two cents on the men women debate... I'm actually okay with men being the ones who are really into fighting and all that. Give us a few girls who are into fighting so we get females who are tough, but I'm okay with mostly men being violent. Not something we need in the whole population! As for the pay debate... I think something that's hard to take into account is how many women pass up on promotions, work fewer hours, or otherwise chose to prioritize other things in their life (especially kids, like I'll do once I have them) than work causing (most of) the remaining pay difference. I agree with @Ice Dragon that most of the difference is probably not due to conscious gender discrimination, and if it is primarily due to women making different choices in their lives, I'm not sure we should be forcing equal pay. For example, since I'm a woman in STEM, I actually have a better chance at getting a job in my field since there is such a push to get more women in STEM. Fair? Who knows, but we might end up in some weird places if we accept the only good result to be equal everything. So, to sum up... I'm happy to see an all male voting gauntlet. We do need more strong female leads in Fire Emblem (more emphasis on Micaiah please?), but the men can get some love for once. Anyway, I'm fighting for Ike! If he loses, I'll join Zelgius, who is my second favorite here, so I'll have somebody I want to support in the first two rounds at least. I'm Venmi (7328867494) in game, and I'll be running Soren+10 as my lead. I also have Sothe+4, Oscar+10, Titania+9, or Micaiah+3 I can put as my lead for anyone who needs color coverage. Feel free to add, team Ike!

Yep, Hawaiian shirt would work. I'm good with that! Even open in the front, like @Anacybele and @EricaofRenais discussed. I actually hadn't thought about Micaiah's brand... Which is silly, because hers features much more prominently in the story. Maybe I just don't see her in a swimsuit/bikini at all. As long as something is done to hide the brand, I'm good with it. Have to take care of the poor Tellius characters! (And poor Soren has no good way to hide his in general...)

Well... I think you meant without discrimination against the Branded, but I still think he wouldn't be eager to show it off. What if someone went back to Tellius and told someone? I wouldn't be surprised if IS would give him a shirtless summer alt anyway, but if he has any hope of returning to Tellius, I don't think he'd show off his brand at all. Considering he feels it's a curse, even if most people wouldn't discriminate against him, I still don't think he'd want anyone to know. He's lost (and fears to lose) a lot due to the brand, so I doubt he'd be too eager to trust anyone with that knowledge. Since the only cannon conversation is the one with Sephiran where he clearly has a lot to lose, we don't know much for sure. (Anyway, probably influenced by my head cannon that has him surviving the battle against Ike and eventually working for Micaiah, so he wouldn't want anyone to know about his brand who might return to Tellius. My head cannon has him, even around people who know, still hiding it because it's the most comfortable for him. Hence, Hawaiin shirt, as someone mentioned earlier, would work. Shirtless, I think would go against his character. But I don't have definite support from the game for a lot of this, just my impressions.)

Like Ana said, FEH already takes a lot of liberties with ingame performance. All they have to do is pick a different symbol, and make them just like the dragons except with the "strike" symbol. They then transform when they attack like the dragons do. No need to import transformation gauges, considering this game works differently. Beast units really don't have to be that hard- IS doesn't need to keep avoid them. And I think, if done something like dragons, they would be a good money maker. Plus, do Tellius fans really have to be shafted all of the time? It may not be the most popular game, but they do have some fans, and more can be converted with decent design and stats for the laguz, especially the herons. Flying dancers? I imagine those would sell very well.

One slight problem (and I say this as a major Zelgius fan)- he would probably never appear in public without a shirt, since it would give away his brand. The whole reason he had his shirt off in that scene was to ask Sephiran if he could remove the brand. So I don't think Sephiran would order him to appear in a public without a shirt, and he'd probably try to find a way out (without disobeying orders) if Sanaki ordered it. Considering how careful Sephiran mentions he is about hiding it, he'd probably consider it a career ender to be seen without a shirt. Anyway... I'd be happy to see Tellius seasonals, as long as they aren't Zelgius in a situation he would probably never put himself in or the controversy that Sanaki caused. And I like the look of Zelgius without a shirt, but throwing him on the beach without one for no good reason is terrible characterization on IS's part. (Some of this is probably head cannon I've built up over the years)

Wow, a whole 5 of the Judgral characters in FEH aren't playable (oh wait... I think I remember hearing Reinhardt wasn't playable)? In that case, Judgral does have lower representation than Tellius by a bit. With those two continents having the largest casts, that's terribly sad. They both need more representation, so hopefully we'll see multiple Judgral and Tellius banners this year. I updated Judgral numbers in the post above since I needed to change the results a bit, as it's lower than Tellius.

I think laguz are the obvious choice. That's a significant proportion of Tellius's cast, and they don't have a single representative in game. Also, I like math, so... We'll say Tellius has 73 characters, since only one PR character isn't playable in RD, so add one to RD's total. I only really know Tellius, so if I mess up counts or miss an alt, I'm sorry. In the below totals, seasonal and brave heroes are excluded. I used the list of characters on Fire Emblem Wiki. When I saw alts in the main game list, I excluded them. I'm not promising no errors, but I did the best I could. Also, props will be a little off since I only used playable game counts, and some of the characters included in FEH weren't playable. However, it gives an idea. Archanera: 30/59=0.51 in heroes Valentina: 18-1=17, 17/38=0.45 in heroes (excluding Fallen Celica) Judgral: 22-2=20 in heroes (excluding second Rein and Olwen)... I have no idea how to count this one, I'll leave it to a game expert to figure out cast size. I have no clue what the overlap (if any) is. ----It looks like there are 15/93=0.16 in heroes. (Thanks @Baldrick!) That makes Judgral the lowest. Elibe: 38-2=36 in heroes (excluding L!Lyn and new Nino, including the two new ones for tomorrow). Like Judgral, don't know the overlap, so I'll let someone else find the proportion. Sacred Stones: 15-2=13, 13/33=0.4 (L!Eph and alt Erika excluded) Tellius: 15-2=13, 13/73=0.18 (L!Ike and Zelgius excluded) Awakening: 26-4=22, 22/49=0.45 (I'm a little iffy on this one... M!Marth and second Chrom are obvious exclusions, but I'm not sure what to do with the Grimas. I excluded both, but you could add them back in) Fates: 41-2=39, 39/64=0.61 (Excluding Ryoma and Hinoka alts) So... I think Tellius (and Judgral) definitely deserve more representation. Tellius ties for lowest count and has the lowest proportion by far. Largest cast in the series (if I'm not mistaken) and the lowest (tied) count... That's sad. That's really sad. It's tied with SS, which has a much smaller cast (and twice as high of a proportion included). Tellius desperately needs more banners.

Instant pull: Reyson and Zihark Skip: ...I don't actually know any of the other games, and there are no Tellius characters I would definitely skip. Oh, wait- Loki. I'd skip "her" in a heartbeat.

Working all day made me miss some Ike multipliers, but I'll do what I can for the next few hours while working on my research. Hopefully we'll make it! If not, I'm happy we made it to the second round.

I really want to see Zihark, Reyson, Tibarn, Ranulf, Nailah, Rafiel, and Volug, not necessarily in that order. I also really want to see the rest of the Greil mercenaries. Most of the rest of the Tellius cast would be great as well, but I'd settle for what are probably the three most popular laguz (Tibarn, Ranulf, and Reyson). Considering they are among the most popular beasts, if we ever get beasts, they'll hopefully be among the first.

And my second 5*+10! Soren is also part of my arena core at the moment, so great to have him +10. Still can't figure out how to include an image without attaching, so I'm including an imgur link below. Titania will likely be next! (Imgur link: https://imgur.com/a/ck68wzx)

@Silver-Haired Maiden - accepted! Have fun! I hope you get a Sothe soon- he's great, and available at 4*, so you have a better chance at him than Bridal Sanaki. I don't have her either, but I've got every other Tellian. Now we just need more to collect...

Yay Ike! If anyone on Ike's team would like a shot at using my Sothe (+4), my ingame name is Venmi and friend code is 7328867494. I also have a +10 Oscar, +9 Soren, and +9 Titania if anyone would prefer them.

Considering I'm one of the people who desperately wants to see Tellius get more love, I'm on team Ike and really hope he pulls off another win. Of course, it probably won't bring another Tellius banner any time soon, but a girl can dream (still the second least represented game in FEH, and probably the lowest in unique heroes since Ike, Zelgius, and Sanaki variants make up nearly half the cast included...). Probably should have thrown my name in earlier, but if anyone wants to add me, I'm Venmi in game as well. Running my +9 Soren as my lead, and considering how few colorless I've seen, considering switching to a colorless lead. Maybe Sothe... So... Go Ike!

Was thrilled to see Zelgius on another banner, since the only two I've pulled have been -Spd or -Atk. I got a Fallen Celica in the first twenty orbs (I've pulled two before... really didn't want a third), and then spent ~150 orbs sniping reds with no 5*s. Then... An Ayra. I didn't want an Ayra. I have an Ayra... In nearly 200 orbs, I only got two 5*s, neither of them the on-focus unit. Why... There are probably people who'd be thrilled to have an Ayra, but I wish I could switch her for the actual on focus unit. Ah well.

Wow.... Uh... I hope the uproar over Sanaki doesn't hurt Tellius's chances of getting another seasonal alt. Seriously... There are good Tellius options. My first thought upon hearing it was Sanaki was "Why does she deserve to be the first seasonal Tellius alt?" I don't know why she was the first Tellius character in the game, by herself on a siblings banner, but now she's the first seasonal Tellian alt at all? Is she really more popular than Micaiah and Elincia, who have possible endings where they do get married? Micaiah actually gets married by default, and you have to alter her built in A support to change it. She would have made sense on a bride banner, and is clearly more popular. I'm glad Tellius is finally getting alts, but why Sanaki? Why as a choice that was bound to draw controversy? I actually don't mind Sanaki, I just don't understand why her. I know no one here can answer these questions... Just I've waited so long for Tellius to get attention, and they get it through a maelstrom of child bride arguments. Does IS hate Tellius so much that, despite a clear preference for female alts, that neither of the Tellian female main character/protagonists get one? Well... I actually feel okay that Ike and Zelgius have two or three versions each, because I guess Tellius is never going to get fair representation. Tellius is tied with Sacred Stones for lowest representation in FEH without seasonals (with Sanaki, Tellius will be one hero ahead of SS), and it has a huge cast. Tellius also has the lowest number of unique characters, since only two of the SS characters are alts. I know Tellius isn't alone in being slighted, but it's still annoying. I guess I should be thrilled if they get just one more banner this year.

Thank you, @LordFrigid and @XRay for taking a look! Red mages actually are one of the problems. I have some issues with W!Tharja if she has enough boosts, but Ike can take her if done properly. Liliana has also taken out Ike in one hit, but he normally can survive one. There are others too, but I can't think of them now- it feels random. But that's probably not an easy fix. You're right about bonus units... I should put more into the Askr units. I wouldn't mind using them. As for the unit choices... I've only ever played the Tellius games, so I just know so little about the others. And I desperately wish they would add more Tellius characters to the pool. There are some units I've gotten attached to that I should probably consider. I'd love to use Micaiah, but while I do spend money, I haven't spent enough to +10 a 5-star exclusive. Right, Ike's C passive. I really need something better for him, and I'll dig into what I have to find something better. And you're right about Soren- I realized that was a holdover from the days when I was using regular Ike with Heavy Blade. Maybe I have some ploy fodder I can use... He can certainly run them. As for the Galeforce set, I'll think about it. I'm not sure I have the resources to pull it off, but I might. Thank you for the suggestions! I wouldn't have thought of Galeforce, and I think I'll try out your Tana. I'm also Venmi in game when you get a request. (I wish I could do the last one...) Now if only they would release more Tellius characters (or demote more to 4-stars). I really wish I could +10 Zelgius, but that's a dream that will likely never happen. Also, thanks for directing me to Zeo's conversation- it was good to read. I think I'm of the same opinion as him that I'd rather use my units, and now I know to accept it will be harder. I'll do the best I can with the units I want to use, and accept that I may have a harder time with a streak. Thank you!

I'm trying to build an Arena team of favorites, but a little worried about it. I seem to have issues fitting in bonus units, and it's only blessed during Earth season. Current team (pics below) (all are 5* and Earth blessed): L!Ike+4: Default Kit+Quick Riptose 3. Typically run Close Def seal. Handles most melee combat with ease (including some blues). Tanks the majority of B!Lyns and all green mages, since he can typically counter and kill Nino in one hit. Soren+9: Wind Brand+Owl refine, Fury/Desperation. Runs double spur attack since he's normally next to Ike (they're also S-supported). He's amazing- he can take out red armors, including Zelgius, if he's in desperation range. Tanks every Reinhardt, kills a lot of other units that don't have decently high res. If Ike can't kill it, Soren typically can. Oscar+10: Firesweep lance, Life & Death 3, Spur Spd/Def and Drive Atk seal. He normally takes whatever is left. Soren and Ike can typically clear the map by themselves, but Oscar is a beast when he sees use. He just can't bait like the other two can. I sometimes have issues where I can't bait an enemy, and too many get close at once. I've also had a hard time the last few weeks fitting in a bonus unit who doesn't overlap and works well in this team. Using Titania+9 has been great, but she fills almost the same niche as Soren. However, that's something that will change week by week, and I don't think I can handle that in team comp overall. I'm getting tired of losing in Arena in the middle of a chain. I've water blessed B!Ike+3, Zelgius+1, Micaiah+3, and Sothe+3, but they're not at very high merges. My Fjorm is also +0, so I have a feeling I'd be better off running the Earth team even during water season. I have 4-star merges for many units, but none of them are very well built. Plus, I'd like to stick to my favorite units if possible (you may see a theme), because sacrificing expensive skills for units I'm not attached to feels like a waste. Any suggestions on improving my arena team? I've put a lot of time and resources into these units, and I'm not adverse to more. If you have a suggestion of a type of unit (blue mage tank, etc) that might fit better, I'd appreciate it. Also, I'm not so interested in number of wins/losses- I've run a lot of those myself, and I know these kits are decent. I'm more looking for a set of fresh eyes on team comp.

I was curious, so I took a look at CYL2. I haven't played Fates/Awakening, so I'm not familiar with who their shapeshifters are, but going off another post: 21: Selkie (FE14) 34: Keaton (FE14) 46: Kaden (FE14) 54: Velouria (FE14) Also from that post, Panne was ranked 44th. It seems (and someone can correct me if I'm wrong, since I might be missing somebody) that these are the top shapeshifters not yet in the game, but only when not combining FE9/FE10. Selkie has 8855 and Keaton has 5989. When combining FE9/10 votes: Selkie: 8855 Tibarn: 6611 Ranulf: 6312 Keaton: 5989 They actually fall in between Selkie and Keaton, so laguz are actually among the top 4 most wanted shapeshifters. I know CYL doesn't necessarily combine votes, but it just goes to show that the laguz are popular, so I'd hope that the first shapeshifter banner would at least contain Tibarn and Ranulf. ...But my hopes have been dashed before.

I guess I didn't think about Robin, though I've seen it argued that technically each Robin version has only three alts... Just frustrating, especially when Tellius has been so ignored. Not that it's the only game that has been slighted, I'm not claiming that at all. But they didn't have a single character at launch, and the first character form Tellius to be added was Sanaki, who barely gets any play time in RD. I just don't want to see the new games get all of the alts when Tellius is missing all of one of its races. I'll take Tellius alts over no Tellius at all. (Of course, I'm thrilled Zelgius and Ike are such great units since they're two of my favorites along with Micaiah, but my dreams of getting Reyson in game are probably never going to be fulfilled. And Zihark and Volug are even less likely.)

Well, Ike and Ephraim did well, so hopefully the lesson isn't "only Fakes/Awakening alts are okay." I hope they take it as four alts are too many rather than alts from old games aren't wanted. If they are going to do alts at all, I want to see them spread across games. Then again, I'm probably biased because I've never played Fakes/Awakening and desperately want to see more Tellius...

I did it! My very first 5-star +10. It was a race between Titania, Soren, and Oscar. It's a testament to how much more I pull blues than greens that Oscar won, since I got him months after the first two. The other two are at +9, so I'm close on them as well (but will need more feathers). He's +SPD/-RES. I'm using him in Arena for now (until I have units anywhere near this merge level with higher BST), and he works great. I'm thrilled! (I have the picture in an imgur link, but can't get it to load here properly. Here's the imgur link: https://imgur.com/a/hRIGEvp)