Rate the Unit 23: Sonia

[luigi bros]

Dat Rules (borrowed/stolen from Integrity)

- Ratings are assumed to be on Normal.

- Votes need some explanation regarding their gameplay performance to be counted. If somebody has already given good reason for a score +/- half a point from yours, you can decide not to explain your score, but I always encourage personal reasoning. Incredibly low scores or high scores without proper justification will not be counted. Don't put in some random text thinking it'd count as justification. Put in at least a little thought and give REAL reasoning.

+/- ≤1 point extra regarding personality/appearance is encouraged, but no more. If you exercise your bias privileges, please do so explicitly. Also, if your vote is already a 10/10 or greater than 9 and you give a full point of bias, The score may not exceed 10!

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

- Every ranking phase ends from 2100 to 2200 EST. Every ranking phase starts from 2200 EST to 2300 EST. Do the math if you are in another timezone!

- 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" 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 "He Comes with a Free Weapon" as an argument.

- 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.

Averages:

Atlas: 2.30

Clerbe/Cleive: 3.91

Jesse: 4.25

Robin: 4.45

Boowy/Boey 4.64

Cellica/Celica: 6.06

May: 6.15

Fols/Force: 6.78

Grey: 6.85

Valbo: 7.10

Leo:7.5

Kamui:7.5

Clea/Claire: 7.58

Jenny 7.61

Ruka/Luka: 7.89

Cliff: 8.31

Silk: 8.47

Paison/Python: 8.60

Palla: 9.18

Sevr/Saber: 9.26

Alm: 9.59

Catria: 9.76

Since WindMage25 hasn't updated in a few days, I'll continue this for him. I ignored Mekkah's rating because WindMage25 seemed unhappy with it.

I have no opinion, I'm just keeping this going.

Edited August 14, 2012 by luigi bros

[PuffPuff]

-Overall better than May.

-Gets 30% growths in everything upon which May's is often sloppy.

-Only female in the game that can use Excalibur.

-She can be great both physically and mentally. Like Cliff.

-Second best mage in the game with only Cliff being better.

-Better choice than Dean. Cellica already gets too many sword users upon his joining time.

-Gets way better (20% more) Speed and luck than May.

-Gets 10% more HP, Skill and Def than May.

-Her joining time isn't too bad to make up for her better growths than May.

Overall

8.9/10

[Byte2222]

So, Sonia. Best Mage in the game? Well her bases are good, fairly similar to Catria's really and she's our highest rated unit so far, so Sonia won't have much trouble joining at full speed. On top of this, 30% growths all round are also similar to Catria and a 30% defence growth on a Mage is very nice indeed. Sonia also learns Excalibur, the best spell in the game, as well and Angel (probably the second best spell in the game) so her selection of magic is really good too. Downsides? I suppose her class, she can't promote until level 20 so she's going to have some trouble getting exp at the higher levels. Her jointime is also a little weak, not too bad because we're not quite halfway through Celica's quest when she joins but we've probably got a nearly final team by that point. So best Mage in the game? Probably not while Cliff's around but she gets damn close.

9.0/10, good bases, good growths, good magic but slightly weak class and a little late

Edit: make that 8.0/10, I've been successfully convinced that she's trouble to get to full power

Also, to the person above me (I can't Japanese (assuming it is Japanese )): where are you finding that artwork? I'd love to know, there's so little Gaiden fanart.

Edited August 19, 2012 by Byte2222

[SRC]

Bleh, 4 move locked with a crappy promotion that won't even be reached short of grinding. She's probably the best non-Cliff mage statistically at least, but in this game that is sort of a dubious honor. Still, she does have a nice assortment of spells and good enough base stats to probably find some use. It won't be on the front lines though. 3 HP for excalibur is no fun and her defense is awful if someone else takes that shiny steel shield from her.

As unimpressed as I am with her, I'm going to abstain from voting because I almost always pick Dean. As a demon fighter he is ridiculously more useful than Sonia, which is only 5 levels away from. Sonia, on the other hand, requires a bit more work to pick up steam and will always be plagued with armor knight movement range.

[Byte2222]

Bleh, 4 move locked with a crappy promotion that won't even be reached short of grinding. She's probably the best non-Cliff mage statistically at least, but in this game that is sort of a dubious honor. Still, she does have a nice assortment of spells and good enough base stats to probably find some use. It won't be on the front lines though. 3 HP for excalibur is no fun and her defense is awful if someone else takes that shiny steel shield from her.

I agree:

Her promotion's rubbish

Low movement sucks

I disagree:

Lots of players will do some grinding or be playing on easy mode. There are lots of Mummies in the lost woods and some in the mountain graveyard if you RNG abuse the encounter. It isn't too hard to get a few more levels, especially as the team will be promoting at about the time of lost woods

6HP for an Excalibur double (which, lets be honest, is why you use Excalibur) is a big issue. BUT, Mages can't equip weapons so they'll be equipping rings or shields. Since Mages don't normally get attacked enough to want a shield you'll probably be equipping rings and all of those heal 5HP a turn. Ergo, Excalibur double only leaves you 1HP down

Sonia's base defence is the same as Catria's. Granted, Catria showed up a few battles (and levels) ago but Sonia has an extra 10% defence growth on her, giving a very hearty 30%, and since Sonia has to get to level 20 to promote that growth will be well utilised

Extra point: I argue that Mages don't get attacked often. The point of a Mage is to nuke the enemy before it causes you trouble and, with their often poor defence, effective use of Mages requires that the player protects them to a degree (they're not as bad as healers). In Gaiden Mages have better defence than is typical of the series, meaning they need less protection, but casting from HP balances that out. Adding on potential regeneration (from the rings as outlined above) my point is that "front line" use of a Mage is a little vague given their role and potential in Gaiden.

...I feel like that was a rambling not a point but it's out there now

[Quirino]

Although Sonia is statistically the best mage in Celica's team (30% growths in everything is pretty good), she comes pretty late and she'll never reach promotion in a non-grinding run. Then also, she has only 4 movement, which is a bad thing in a team in which fliers are your best units. So I don't really understand the high ratings, because to me, she's practically useless in a non-grinding run. It's pretty sad because she does have great potential and auto-excalibur is very nice (although it does hurt her HP).

If you do a grinding run, Sonia's the better choice for she's the best mage in Celica's team, in a non-grinding run, Dean is, for having better stats and earlier promotion.

All in all, good stats but comes underleveled and too late, so she can't make use of that sadly. In a non-grinding run, even May is better, despite having much worse stats. I give her a 5.5/10. Useless unless you grind.

edit: It's a little sad, though, that it was never clear what votes should be based on. I always vote like I would for a no-grinding run, but that may be very different for other people. I was going to add that information on the more recent RTU's, but I feel like that wouldn't be fair to the earlier characters.

Edited August 19, 2012 by WindMage25

[Quirino]

I agree:

Her promotion's rubbish

Low movement sucks

I disagree:

Lots of players will do some grinding or be playing on easy mode. There are lots of Mummies in the lost woods and some in the mountain graveyard if you RNG abuse the encounter. It isn't too hard to get a few more levels, especially as the team will be promoting at about the time of lost woods

6HP for an Excalibur double (which, lets be honest, is why you use Excalibur) is a big issue. BUT, Mages can't equip weapons so they'll be equipping rings or shields. Since Mages don't normally get attacked enough to want a shield you'll probably be equipping rings and all of those heal 5HP a turn. Ergo, Excalibur double only leaves you 1HP down

Sonia's base defence is the same as Catria's. Granted, Catria showed up a few battles (and levels) ago but Sonia has an extra 10% defence growth on her, giving a very hearty 30%, and since Sonia has to get to level 20 to promote that growth will be well utilised

Extra point: I argue that Mages don't get attacked often. The point of a Mage is to nuke the enemy before it causes you trouble and, with their often poor defence, effective use of Mages requires that the player protects them to a degree (they're not as bad as healers). In Gaiden Mages have better defence than is typical of the series, meaning they need less protection, but casting from HP balances that out. Adding on potential regeneration (from the rings as outlined above) my point is that "front line" use of a Mage is a little vague given their role and potential in Gaiden.

...I feel like that was a rambling not a point but it's out there now

- Ratings are assumed to be on Normal.

[Byte2222]

I should pay closer attention. Still, you know what I'm on about though, I reckon that a normal mode no-grinding playthrough would be fairly difficult, hence I'd expect most people to do some grinding. Then again I've only played the game once but with an underplayed game like Gaiden that's enough to be nearly an expert (I have watched an LP too).

[Quirino]

Well, just before this RTU started I completed a normal-mode no-grinding run. It was only my second playthrough of the game (first was an easy-mode no-grinding run), but it was actually easier than my first. So I reckon that, with some knowledge about what characters to use, it's not too difficult. But I may be an exception, I'm anti-grind in all FEs. So yeah, it's definitely possible, although I won't deny that chapter 3A was a pain...