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So, some general context - I've beaten Genealogy of the Holy War about four or five times. However, every one of those playthroughs has been "traditional", in the sense of making sure every potential mother gets paired up. It's not called "Eugenics Emblem" for nothing! The only exception was my very first playthrough, where I killed Ayra before I could recruit her, and let Erinys die on Eldigan's blade. So not only have I never done a full "subs run", but I've never even met most of the substitutes. This time, though, that changed. i decided that it was time to finally do a substitutes run. Not only that, but I would make sure to get every "secret event" that is available to the substitute units. And not only that that, but I would try to go for a maximum ranking! ...Er, sort of. At a certain point, I accepted that I wouldn't be achieving A-ranks all around. I was worried, in the first generation, that certain units would "auto-pair", making my goal impossible - since I would have to "sacrifice" at least one parent from any given pairing. Thankfully, that didn't wind up being the case - everyone in Gen I made it to the barbecue, single and equipped to mingle. Still, while that assured I would get the substitutes in Gen II, it didn't guarantee great rankings for me. So, how did it go? Experience: A The one area I'm proud of. I got more than half of my units to level 30. Sure, there were quite a few who missed it, like Dew, Arden, and Azelle in Gen I; as well as Hannibal, Laylea, and Daisy in Gen II. Still, I like to think I did as much Arena-ing as possible, and was fairly efficient in passing around the Paragon Band. Not really an area to worry about in the future, at least. Survival: B I had a single fatality throughout the run - Asaello. He fell in the Endgame, to the Falcoknight trio. Despite being on a mountain. And wielding his lightest weapon, the Killer Bow. And getting Authority from Sigurd. And getting Charisma from Laylea. It was very much a "what's a man to do?" moment. And I didn't have much future need for Asaello, so I accepted it. Still, definitely something that could have been avoided, or else reset for. Combat: C By far, my worst area. I suffered 14 losses across the run. An average of just over one per map may not sound bad, but it's above the cap of 10 for B-rank, and well above the cap of 3 for A-rank. In the future, this could be avoided via some combination of more careful play, savestates, or a good old-fashioned willingness to reset. Tactics: B I took 444 turns total, which is to say, 45 more than the total allowable for A-rank. Individual chapter totals will be reviewed below. Prologue: 16. No real issues here. Chapter 1: 36. That forest is a nightmare. I remember getting Lex the Brave Axe forced a delay. Perhaps I should forgo it next time? Chapter 2: 45. Tends to take a long while, because I like to get Deirdre onto the plateau to Silence Clement. Might need to figure out a way to take him out in one turn instead. Chapter 3: 36. This is one I could shave a ton of time off of... if I have Sigurd head straight for Orgahill. But that would mean forsaking Yewfelle and the Wind Edge - not to mention, Arena time for the Bragi trio. Still debating whether it's worth it. Chapter 4: 34. Feel pretty good about this one. I couldn't exactly do anything while Mahnya and co were meeting their doom. Thanks, generic Wind Mage. Chapter 5: 29. This one, I felt solid about. And by the end of it, I was at 199 turns. Great, right? I just have to finish Gen II as quickly as Gen I! Well... Chapter 6: 46. Seliph got the Leg Ring, but even so, this was rough. Seizing Sophara Castle was an unnecessary diversion. And Schmidt kept retreating for more troops. Chapter 7: 58. Again, pretty miserable. Desert business is no fun, and re-capturing Leonster Castle was another unnecessary diversion. Not super aggressive against Liza, either. Chapter 8: 30. This one was really funny - I sent Seliph back to promote mid-chapter, then also needed to get his conversation with Muirne. Still think I made good time. Chapter 9: 32. Again, I mostly feel good here. I got all the relevant conversations, and I didn't see any of my castles wrecked. Chapter 10: 34. Could've probably saved a couple turns, if I weren't obsessed over sending Laylea to eat some civilians. Still, happy with my Leif-Rescue plays. Endgame: 48. I genuinely forgot that Seliph had to talk to Julia to de-hypnotize her, so next time, I'll try to "lure" her back to Castle Velthomer. But I'm really proud of my Brian "strategy", where I cornered him, killed his men, and he refused to attack, since he was in "regroup" mode. Otherwise, though... long map. Anyway, onto the substitute units! I'm going to be rating them on a totally unscientific "thumbs up/down" system, both based on how they performed in this run, and relative to the unit they're replacing. Creidne: Like Larcei, but without Astra, Nihil, Sword inheritance, Adept on promotion, and any skills or Holy Blood her father might have given her. No biggie! The secret convo with Johan was kinda alright, at least. Not enough for me to even get her to level 30, though. She gets a "thumbs down". Dalvin: He's got Vantage, a training session with Tristan, and *GAMEPLAY ASSET NUMBER 37 NOT FOUND*. Were he a mounted unit, I'd call his combat competent, but as infantry, he brings nothing to the table. He was near the top of my list of "stick this unit on a castle, and hope nobody scary swings by". So, "second thumbs down". Muirne: Change "Lana" to "Mana", and what does one letter mean? It means no staff inheritance, no Holy Blood, and no potential skills, either. No Warp until chapter 9 is especially a bummer, too. Get her to promotion, and her Arena combat will be... basically nothing. She gets a "staves down". Deimne: Free Pursuit? And +5 Strength in his join chapter? We might be on to something! He's like Midir, but packing a bigger punch. With a Steel Bow, he can one-round chapter 7's Dark Mages. And with the Killer or Brave Bow from chapter 8, his combat becomes "good, actually". He's probably better than most versions of Lester, honestly. "Two arrows up!" Jeanne: She can't perform Nanna's signature "return en masse" tactic in chapter 7, and she's got no Charisma or Holy Blood. That said, Troubadour is a genuinely excellent class, with the ability to use staves on wheels from day 1. It's a shame that she has to compete with Hermina for a secret event, but it's still enough to give her a "thumbs sideways". Tristan: Mine ended up super-bulky, with a ton of levels in Defense, but that looks to be atypical. He was decently useful, especially with the Pursuit Band in hand, but certainly pales next to Diarmuid. Kinda like Naoise without Javelins. Gonna give him a "thumbs down at a 45-degree angle". Laylea: Holy cow, a Dancer with a Strength growth? Azura better watch her back! Still, with no Miracle, she actually tends to have a harder time in the Arena than Sylvia. Not to mention, there's no chance to inherit swords or rings of value. Still, Charisma is a really useful skill to have, and the Barrier Blade can function as a mini-Mystletainn for the lategame. This Dancer gets "two pinky toes flexed upward". Charlot: Paragon is an elite skill for him to have, turning every Physic use into a meaty 60 EXP. And while he can't inherit any staves, nor a "nest egg" item, he does get the Berserk Staff. This sells for an absurd 15K, which he can turn into Warp or Recover. He'll get to promotion faster than any non-Lex Cairpre, and then... have worse Arena combat, as he has no battle skills. Shame, that. Still good enough to give him a "thumbs up from Hannibal". He's one proud papa! Hermina: What do I point out - her lack of Pursuit, or any other combat skills? Nothing to inherit? Having to fight with Jeanne to meet Shannam? Well, I wouldn't want to be called an anti-Feminist! She actually ended up really strong for me, with the Thief Band parlaying into the Pursuit Band. When promoted, a flying staffbot is always going to be solid, so she gets "one wing up and one wing down". Hawk: I actually got Hawk on my first playthrough, due to letting Erinys die. I was really impressed then, but does he hold up? Honestly... he rawks. Naga bless Kaga - he didn't need to give him Pursuit, but he did nonetheless. Coupled with Adept and a mere Light tome, he's one-rounding basically any target. With his event at Luthecia Castle, he'll tend to surpass Ced in Magic and Resistance, making him great at using (and avoiding) status staves. He gets "two thumbs up", from Janaff and Ulki. Hawk walked so that they could fly. Daisy: No Holy Blood? No swords or skills from her father? No problem! She can still do "normal thief stuff", taking from the rich and giving to the poor. Of course, it's nice for her to get a magical sword to this end. As for the Arena, not only is the Sleep Sword an option, but she can also trivialize it via Miracle. She's no Patty and no Dew, but she can provide a valuable service regardless. Daisy gets "one $ up". Asaello: I honestly forgot about him until I reviewed my list. Perhaps this disrespect is tied to the fact that I let him stay dead in the Endgame? Not a great sign. You might expect him to be "Jamke, part II", only missing Adept, and starting with the Silver Bow rather than the Killer Bow. But those are big differences, and his Strength-boosting secret event can't salvage him. Moreoever, mine did poorly in Speed, and there were quite a few Arena enemies he couldn't double. No Yewfelle, and no good skills, means he gets "an arrow in the knee". ...Gods, that was over a decade ago. Linda: Often regarded as a "better Tinny", she brings not just Wrath, but also Paragon, to the table. This means she'll never need to buy the Paragon Band, thus helping her accumulate money. Once she promotes, she'll be happy to spend this on a wide variety of staves. For me, this included the Berserk Staff, which she used in Endgame to comedic effect. Oh, and her holy blood gives Thoron access from the start, just like her Aunt! Alas, despite her many merits, Linda isn't getting any thumbs. Instead, she's getting "a hug", for some small comfort amidst all she's suffered from House Friege. Amid: What if Arthur, but worse? Let's see: B-rank Wind at base would be good... except, he can't pick up Elwind until chapter 9. Adept is a decent (if unreliable) skill... except, he would've gotten it on promotion anyway. And... he's missing a horse? But at least as a War Mage, he gets... no Staves? I thought he'd at least get B-rank Swords, but nope, it's C. His name tells you what he is: a mid unit. So, he gets "a middle finger up". One more thought on units - by making it a substitutes run, I think my "default" units performed... somewhat... better than usual. Seliph and Leif, in particular, had essentially no competition for inheritable weapons and items. As such, I made sure that both were stacked with the best resources - particularly, those that don't come back in Gen II (i.e. Pursuit Band on Leif, Leg Ring and Wind Sword on Seliph). The Leg Ring on Seliph, in particular, feels like a "must" for future runs, since chapters 6 and 7 were notable "turncount sinks" for me. As for Leif, passing him the Thief Sword definitely felt right, letting him rob the many bandits and set himself up with the Paragon Band, later that very same map. Oifey didn't get any inheritance, but merely having Pursuit and Critical was more impressive in a world where few units have either. Finn was strong, with not needing to pass his items on to any kids - maybe too strong? He got to level 30 super early, so perhaps I overused him in Gen I. Altenna felt better than usual, as the only flier with built-in Pursuit (well, after promoting), plus having one of the few available legendary weapons. Hannibal was... still bad, but at least manipulating his enemy AI is fun, right? Ares is a champ as ever (weirdly slow in my run, though), and Julia eclipsed Muirne as a healer, not to mention her combat - I think this was my first playthrough getting her to level 30. Johan was still "Lex but worse" - I'm starting to think being Axelocked just kinda sucks in this game - while Shannan shone a bit brighter in a playthrough with no Forseti. So, which of these kids could I see myself using again in the future? Obviously, if I try again to do a "ranked substitutes run", they'll all find their way back to me. But short of that, I'm anticipating that, next playthrough, I'll get everyone paired up. Still, I think most of them have potential to make a re-appearance outside of such a context. Probably not Creidne, Dalvin, Tristan, or Jeanne. But the rest of them have a chance. So, what do you think of these units, and my reviews of them? Feeling inspired to play a subsitutes run of your own, perhaps? Let me know in the comments!

Any advice for a sub run ? To prevent Pairings in Gen 1, what items to inherit Leif/Altena and Seliph, and how to improve the scrub squad that are Substitutes ?