Rate the Unit: Day 44 - Oscar

[Ema Skye]

Dat Rules (borrowed/stolen from Integrity)

- Ratings are assumed to be on Hard Mode (JP Maniac). And only hard mode!

- Votes need some explanation regarding their gameplay performance to be counted. If somebody else said what you want to already, quote them explicitly.

+/- ≤1 point extra regarding personality/appearance is encouraged, but no more. If you exercise your bias privileges, please do so explicitly.

- Numerical votes out of 10, or something proportional to it. Make it easy to calculate for my sake.

- Every ranking phase ends when the next RTU thread is posted (at this point, it's hard to tell).

- I will insist you do not use the "Not X" reason on any character, where X is another unit. If you do, your vote will be thrown out.

- "Recruits X" or "takes you to X chapter" or "Gives you Bronze Sword" arguments are explicitly banned. C'mon, people, this shouldn't need to be a rule. That's not gameplay performance.

- Assume that the character in question is being recruited.

- Similar to the "Recruits X" rule, do not use "she brings a Savior to the team" as an argument.

- BEXP is free to be used in any quantity on any character.

- Skills can be reassigned freely.

- No transfers.

- I withhold the privilege to tell you your rating is bogus and demand you revise it if it breaks any of the above. I will not throw out votes anonymously, you will be informed and given a chance to revise. I will not throw your vote out if I do not support your opinion. Possible reasons for a tossed vote include: your vote is higher/lower than the vast majority to "balance the score" and failure to justify a radically different score.

Averages:

Fiona: 1.20

Meg: 1.34

Astrid: 2.10

Lethe: 2.21

Vika: 2.40

Leonardo: 2.53

Lucia: 3.06

Danved: 3.11

Mist: 3.11

Tormod: 3.28

Rolf: 3.36

Brom: 3.56

Ilyana: 3.75

Makalov: 4.00

Nealuchi: 4.41

Tauroneo: 4.50

Geoffery: 4.50

Black Knight: 4.60

Maurim: 4.72

Kieran: 4.82

Aran: 4.92

Laura: 5.13

Heather: 5.29

Soren: 5.45

Edward: 6.31

Micaiah: 6.50

Calill: 6.59

Boyd: 6.85

Mordecai: 7.17

Marcia: 7.31

Zihark: 7.44

Nephenee: 7.74

Elincia: 8.21

Leanne: 8.38

Rafiel: 8.45

Jill: 8.46

Volug: 8.87

Sothe: 8.93

Nailah: 9.00

Nolan: 9.06

Ike: 9.28

Titania: 9.76

Haar: 9.91

[MacLovin]

10/10

His only problems are.

-Mediocre Caps.

-No Axes.

-Having some problems ORKOing Generals.

-Slightly lagging strength.

But heck he's still a very good unit due to mount, earth, and all that.

He can also catch up to Titania/Haar to help rape or go with Ike for EarthXEarth.

What colonel m said

Edited June 15, 2012 by Sharpy

[Ema Skye]

He's kinda like Neph on a horse and a better affinity, but lacks her awesome speed and is less bulky all around. She's also got a minuscule availability lead (one map, but that's not a big deal). So he's basically Neph+.

8.5

[Hawkeye]

I've been waiting since this topic went up because I didn't want to be first to post. Anyway......

Oscar is definitely decent like all the GMs and you'll probably be forced to use him a fair bit, but that doesn't mean I need to like it. His strength was shaky in PoR and now it's just bad. He'll double easily but he really pales when compared to the likes of Titania, Haar, and Ike. Mount is a plus, but he's still not good enough to justify an endgame slot.

6.5/10 (7.5-1 bias)

[Loki Laufeyson]

Oscar, the eldest of the three brothers. Squint Chef Supreme.

Pros:

Horsie.

Earth Affinity.

Good base level.

Good bases.

Cons:

Strength isnt super great.

Bows are kinda lame on him.

Oscar is pretty solid. Hes not the ballstomping killmachine he was in PoR, but hes still good here. Hes still got his awesome Earth Affinity and can pair up with Ike for some broken results. Hes at a good level. Its not Titania awesome but its good. His bases are nice enough for him to do some real damage. His strength does lag a bit and he needs a few levels before total lance doubling murder action happens. Once his strength is high enough where hes not bogged down by them greatlances, hes gonna be killing junk. His mobility allows him to really cover a lot of ground in levels like 3-3. Part 3 does have two very horsie unfriendly chapters though so he may be sitting those out. Being able to use bows is...not really a big deal for Oscar since he'll do more damage with a lance. (But Sol activating while using bows for Silver Knights is cool...) Even if he doesnt pair up with Ike, he can give someone else a nice avoid bonus. Hes just really solid but not the most amazing guy on your team.

7/10. 7.5/10 bias because Squints McGee Broseph.

[Samias]

Pros:

+Earth affinity

+Horse

+Solid bases

Cons:

-Bows on promotion that he'll never use

-Strength growth is suspect

-Somewhat hindered by low caps

Oscar is above average due to some strong starting bases that'll pull him through the game for as long as you need him to. His strength starts off nice but slowly begins to lack, but at least his speed helps him keep on doubling some slower enemies and not get doubled by swordmasters. Earth support is awesome but Oscar on his own is not a wrecking force and he'll either be chipping or finishing off a chipped enemy, but either way he needs a little help wearing down enemies. Silver knight caps don't do him many favours, though, nor do bows. He's a team player but not a homewrecker, but he definitely has a lot of use in early part 3 and after the part 4 split. However, if you bring him to 4-E, you're pretty much bringing him for the support affinity and not so much for his combat prowess. But hey, an earth affinity, a good start, and a decent finish is way more than can be said about many other units. Boyd's crappy biorhythm was brought up a lot before, too, so Oscar has a big point in his favour by having a fairly wide-spread biorhythm that's easy to work around. Overall, I find Oscar helpful wherever he goes, though not exceptionally so like Haar or Titania. He still ends up pulling a lot of weight on the team, especially in the first couple of chapters where he has free deployment, and 3-5, where he's an invaluable defensive unit.

8/10

[Jimmy_Smith]

Pro

-Mount

-Decent base/growth for skl/speed/luk/def

-A "save" character to use, he is hard to screw ever for a few curse RNG, he will catch up in no time.

-Good available

-Earth affinity

Con

-Bad speed cap, despite good speed growth

-Bad str later on because of bad str growth

-Below average def

You're never go wrong for using Oscar, one of the most versatile unit in the game.

7.8 round up to 8.0 for versatility

Overall 8.0

Edited June 15, 2012 by Jimmy_Smith

[Flashpoint_1230]

Oscar....Kieran's rival and a less fun, if more dependable character...

Pros:

Earth Affinity

Nice speed growth

Has a good chance of capping skill and speed stats

Can do the Triangle Attack, though not immediately

Cons:

Causes chip damage at times

Crappy speed cap (not his fault, but doesn't help)

Gold/Silver Knights are less useful than comparable units in other FE games (same speed as Haar, but less strength, weaker weapon type, less defense...etc.)

Oscar has an Earth support, which is great, but that doesn't always make up for his less-than-endgame worthy caps. Earth affinities are nice, but that shouldn't be the only reason why a character is brought into Endgame. A good fighter, but falls short by endgame due to shortcomings that are not his fault in general (bar the unreliable strength growth, which can be remedied with an energy drop...Though I'd rather use it on someone else).

Bases: 7/10

Growths: 5/10

Main Story Usefulness: 6.5/10 (Won't set the world on fire, but is a dependable unit for most of the game)

Endgame usefulness: 4.5/10 (Has the potential to fall quickly to SMs, and that darn speed cap...)

Ease of training: 7.5/10

+0.4 for Kieran/Oscar rivalry and Oscar's cool demeanor+ the fact that he came back to care for Boyd and Rolf...(Awww moment)

Total: 6.5/10

Edited June 15, 2012 by Flashpoint_1230

[nano]

I find that he actually has trouble on HM, both with doubling and damage. He is kind of borderline in terms of offensive power, but does make up for it through the horse. Overall I'd say about equal to Neph, with less long-term potential and more immediate contributions.

6.5/10

[MacLovin]

-People underrating Oscar, Sothe, and Zihark in HM.

-People overrating Boyd, Edward, Soren, Calill and Nolan.

Now I know why PKL hates this shit.

[Starwave]

^

You yourself ended up overrating Calill >_>

Anyway, Oscar is definitely a good unit. I'd kill to have Geoffrey over him, but you play with the cards you're dealt.. Fast and on a mount, Oscar is one of your more dependable units. He's kind of weak, so you constantly want to be forging strong lances for him to bridge the gap (if you can afford it) or else he'll be hitting for diddly squat. He's got the quintessential Earth affinity, so he'll be a solid partner to pretty much any GM (I tend to pair him up with Mia) Overall, he's awesome in part III, but a weak choice in part IV (Even if you levelled him up, Silver Knights are weak endgame)

8/10

Edited June 15, 2012 by Starwave

[MacLovin]

p4 is still decent, due to hit and run with canto.

Also, bows for clearing a parth in 4-5 for Tibarn/Elincia/Shinon to kill Izuka faster.

Well kid, at least I wouldn't say Edward>Aran in HM past 1-5

[Starwave]

I guess... not that it really makes a difference since you literally only need Elincia and Tibarn to finish the chapter in a few turns. Also, doesn't he start with a low level in bows? I doubt they'll be of any use to him. Though this is pure conjecture, I've never used Oscar in part IV.

Also I'm going to slap you. Hard. Though I stand by the claim that Edward > Aran overall. If you have a problem with that, take a picture of yourself with your saddest face and send it to me so I can laugh at it.

Also the irony here is that you yourself gave Edward a higher score than Aran.

Edited June 15, 2012 by Starwave

[Silith]

Bah Oscar. I don't like him. Suuuuure he has decent growths a horse and earth afinity but....

- Not so stellar bases.

- Gains exp as a slug thanks to quite high level.

- Caps.

- Horse can actually hinder him with ledges and water/swamps.

I give him a 6.1/10 at best.

[MacLovin]

I guess... not that it really makes a difference since you literally only need Elincia and Tibarn to finish the chapter in a few turns. Also, doesn't he start with a low level in bows? I doubt they'll be of any use to him. Though this is pure conjecture, I've never used Oscar in part IV.

Also I'm going to slap you. Hard. Though I stand by the claim that Edward > Aran overall. If you have a problem with that, take a picture of yourself with your saddest face and send it to me so I can laugh at it.

Also the irony here is that you yourself gave Edward a higher score than Aran.

Edward saves 1-p, which, alone, saves a ton of turns.

Oscar startes in C bows, and if you're not using Shinon, he can use that Killer Bow or a forged steel one.

I think PKL had a strat for LTCing draft chapters with OScar+Forged Steel Bows in p3.

No no, I have protection from getting slapped, it's called a helmet.

[Colonel M]

Give Titania a slight nerf to Str, caps, and weapon advantage, though in return offer him Brave Lance and an awesome affinity. Paladins still rock in this game, and while Oscar is borderline, he makes good use of his time around. He's a shitload better than Nephenee, and he should be toppling Boyd in rankings.

Have an issue with his caps? Be smart and throw a Master Crown on him. Don't be a dumb ass like the others that think Boyd is worthy of a 7/10 on up.

10/10, 9/10 +1 point bias because being a chef is all around awesome.

Edited June 15, 2012 by Colonel M

[PKL]

Give Titania a slight nerf to Str, caps, and weapon advantage, though in return offer him Brave Lance and an awesome affinity. Paladins still rock in this game, and while Oscar is borderline, he makes good use of his time around. He's a shitload better than Nephenee, and he should be toppling Boyd in rankings.

Have an issue with his caps? Be smart and throw a Master Crown on him. Don't be a dumb ass like the others that think Boyd is worthy of a 7/10 on up.

10/10, 9/10 +1 point bias because being a chef is all around awesome.

This except 9.5. Only a half bias point.

Edited June 15, 2012 by Professor PicKLe

[Shadow Mir]

Have an issue with his caps? Be smart and throw a Master Crown on him. Don't be a dumb ass like the others that think Boyd is worthy of a 7/10 on up.

A rhetorical question: What do you think about all the others who thought Nephenee was worthy of an 8/10 on up?

[Colonel M]

A rhetorical question: What do you think about all the others who thought Nephenee was worthy of an 8/10 on up?

Serious answer:

See what I wrote in my Oscar review about giving Boyd a 7/10.

[Shadow Mir]

Serious answer:

See what I wrote in my Oscar review about giving Boyd a 7/10.

I knew it. Honestly, I think it's pretty ridiculous that she got a lot of 8s (and even a few 9s, and I'm not accounting for bias here!) myself.

Edited June 15, 2012 by Golden Cucco

[Loki Laufeyson]

-People overrating Soren

Yer hilarious. People on this forum despise him.

[Ice Sage]

Give Titania a slight nerf to Str, caps, and weapon advantage, though in return offer him Brave Lance and an awesome affinity. Paladins still rock in this game, and while Oscar is borderline, he makes good use of his time around. He's a shitload better than Nephenee, and he should be toppling Boyd in rankings.

Have an issue with his caps? Be smart and throw a Master Crown on him. Don't be a dumb ass like the others that think Boyd is worthy of a 7/10 on up.

10/10, 9/10 +1 point bias because being a chef is all around awesome.

This

[Ema Skye]

Gonna be a little slower than normal with today's update, but it will come nonetheless.

[OrangeCrush980]

Being mounted with a good weapon type is nice. His affinity is also great, especially if you pair him with Ike (for the huge avoid) or Mia (to make Mia a dodge tank while giving Oscar some much needed attack); realistically though he'll be supporting Titania most playthroughs. However, Oscar suffers from mediocre stats of all kinds: mediocre bases, decent growths, and low caps. None of them are completely awful, and Oscar can perform decently even without help, but in order to unlock his true potential he'll need a crown and probably a stat booster or two as well.

8/10

[Shadow Mir]

Yer hilarious. People on this forum despise him.

It's true, Soren's a base breaker, but I wouldn't forget Ayanami's 7.8 for Soren (and that was without bias!) - that definitely sounds like overrating him to me...