Medeus

It does matter when a key part of the argument you're posing focuses on following hourly gains. Not everyone is going to have the time and means to check that type of data as the chart is still only available to a small group of fans and not everyone is going to tune in on the hour to contribute their vote and see how the scores are changing. The only data that you can know for sure everyone is seeing is the score in front of them, and that is probably the only resource most can use to influence their response.

The problem with this argument is that the group that would be aware of this (Serenes, Reddit, GameFAQs, etc.) only make up a small subset of the Lyn fanbase. You have to remember that not everyone has access to that prediction as either A) some may be unaware of its existence since it's not a commonly known thing outside of the FE fanbase, B) not have access to it due to language barriers/time differences/etc., or C) just don't give a shit since they're just playing casually and there's not as much reason to be more invested in the mode other then for cheap feathers and orbs. Another problem with this is that the prediction can also be off in its assessment since beforehand Ike was stated to lose to Hector but it failed to consider the increase of players using flags to catch up and ended up being wrong, which means there's no guarantee that what was tracked to happen is going to happen at the exact point in time with the exact number of points. Additionally, pushing off the multiplier has been a good strategy in the past as characters like Julia were predicted to lose to a lategame multiplier but by slowing down their numbers were able to stave it off completely. It's just that in this case it wasn't as fruitful since the gains Lyn had weren't being curb by those casually contributing to her score.

I had a feeling this would happen when I checked the thread earlier today, but it still was a bit disappointing to come in and see the multiplier and subsequent loss happen so close to the end like that. To be honest, I have a lot to say about the Multiplier as a concept as I understand why it's implemented but feel the execution's flawed, but I'll keep that critique in my pocket for the end since I feel there will be more to be said once everything's over. To be fair, that does also apply to Lyn as she's supposed to be a native of Sacae and with the female myrmidons that we see hail from that region they tend to dress in a similar way such as with Karla. It doesn't change the fact that it still has that appeal, but it does have a place in the character's origins like with Hawkeye rather then being exclusively a product of fanservice like with Camilla. Never underestimate the power of nostalgia, a lot of people hold their first experiences in high regard and that is no different with the characters we play with in video games.

As someone who took a few courses in Geology I won't lie, rocks have some pretty interesting stories to them once you know what to look for.

Gray: I like him, he had some of the most funny lines in the game and I liked his role and interactions among the cast. Sonya: Kind of held back by the lack of supports, but the one she gets (Genny) is pretty good and her past as one of Jedah's daughters is a very intriguing one, particularly since she's one of the very few characters to get a boss conversation in the game with him. Her ending is a letdown, but I still enjoyed her all the way through the game and I'm glad I chose her on my playthrough. Duma: A similar problem with Mila, he has a good backstory, but the story doesn't give him many moments to show that he's a good guy. The Duma Faithful we see in the game are power-hungry maniacs with the lone exception (Halcyon) barely having a role to make up for it, there's no ambiguity in his insanity so he serves as the crazy dragon bent on destruction of the game, and none of the characters showcase the positives of his ideals. He make it feels like he's supposed to be in the wrong when it's clear that's not the intention, and as far as the main story is concerned he comes off more like another evil dragon in terms of execution rather then a god who lost his way. He could've benefitted from having his role be a bit more balanced whether it's in NPCs telling us about his teachings or what he was like before falling into madness, but at least he has his backstory and Memory Prism to give a glimpse in that regard.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Algus was also a classist bigot that insulted those he felt were beneath him and eventually killed the sister of another more likeable character (both of which were lower class). While I'm sure the suggestion of saying there's more strategic worth in the lives of higher class citizens didn't help, the character didn't exactly have the most likeable traits to begin with either and of course saying something like that would only exacerbate the hatred of those against him. Fernand is similar, the character can't stop spewing bile at Alm and friends for being lower class and he betrays his country in a very questionable manner, so his bias are not going to be respected since they're driven more by hate then pragmatism. Regardless, just because it didn't work there doesn't mean it can't work in another story or character. Algus' story isn't going to be repeated 1:1 with Clive or anyone else's (unless it's intentionally drawn from him) and Clive already has differences between them. Clive respects those of lower class, characters like Forsyth worship the ground he walks on, and he's willing to do self reflection and change rather then remain stagnant and hateful. The traits to make him likeable are already there and you can use those traits to make an interaction between him and Alm more understandable and less driven in hate. Additionally, different writers can bring different perspectives, characteristics and interactions to make the situation more appealing to the audience without making the character dislikable. It's all in how it's written, and with Clive they can write in a way that makes him understandable and not reviled.

Assuming no villains and shared cards: Draug, Tiki, and Caeda for Shadow Dragon, Tharja and Virion for Awakening, M!Corrin, Azura, and Oboro for Fates. Tiki has the Amiibo so she's pretty much all but confirmed, Armors were mentioned to be in the game and Draug has the best case out of them, Caeda is the most plot important character aside from Marth, Tharja is one of the most popular characters from Awakening, Gaius I threw in because I feel the poster will have parity between its two sides and we could use a thief character, M!Corrin I feel will be in for the same reasons as F!Robin, Azura has her VA hinting at an upcoming project and Warriors seems to align with it, and Oboro for roster parity on the other side of the poster for her. Villains I excluded because they can pull a Cia and make them DLC early on, I similarly ignored the possibility of shared cards to keep the numbers more restricted. Playing a bit with hypotheticals though, if the villains are playable in the main game, I'd substitute Caeda, Gaius, and Oboro out for Gharnef, Gangrel, and Garon since all three have major roles in their games, have more meaningful interactions with the main characters of their respective games, and in the case of Gangrel and Garon, would help round out the lacking representation of certain classes (thieves for Gangrel) and weapons (axes for Garon). Similarly, if M!Corrin and F!Robin are shared with their counterparts, then I'd give the last two slots to SD's Minerva and Merric since I don't think they'll squeeze another Fates and Awakening character into the poster and both would add some more variety to the game with their axe and magic weapons respectively.

Silque: I like aspects about her such as her design, the bits of backstory and personality we get, and her voice actress, but other then that she doesn't get a lot more depth. Her support doesn't tell us much about her since it's mostly just trying to fight through Faye's resistance and her Memory Prism is just a friendly interaction with Jesse. The only thing that really allows us to delve into her character is the Base Conversations and unfortunately since they're limited they don't too much further then the surface. It still gives us a good look into the character, but it doesn't tell us things like how she transitioned from the Duma faith to Mila's, how her mother leaving her affected her, and other such things. She really could've used another support because what we get is pretty nice, it's just not as much. Deen: He gets overshadowed by Sonya in pretty much every way except unit performance. His personality is pretty much a by-the-numbers stoic mercenary with little deviation and expansion, and his support and base conversations do little to help this since his behavior prevents both Jesse and Celica (and by proxy, us the players) from getting to know him. So even after going back and reading through every line the character offered I still couldn't find myself caring about him as he leaves no impression on me. Mila: She's a bit of a 'show, don't tell' case here. Her Memory Prism with Duma is pretty good since the writing doesn't try to favor one or the other and leaves them on overall equal ground, but the story that follows ends up lopsiding things in her favor unintentionally. The story implies she's going mad and will lead Zofia to ruin, but nothing about the character truly implies that as the only scenes we have of her either have her reacting accordingly (would you happily welcome a conqueror with a weapon meant to kill you?) or being a Naga-esque figure who wants to protect her children. She does have Lima being a spoiled brat, but since his role is exclusively in the backstory he can only influence the story through his legacy and thus we don't fully get to see the worst that Mila's teachings can bring about. So she ends up coming across as a saintly figure since the story doesn't fully portray her in the wrong and keeps giving her moments like the Falchion cutscene where she nurtures the best out of the heroes, and that hurts the story dynamic since it imbalances the conflict in her favor and hurts her brother since Duma doesn't get a chance to showcase his positives. She's the one who ends up leading humanity down a better path while Duma is the generic dragon final boss with his own Gharnef spreading chaos and fear, and it's unfortunate that it went this way since their dynamic is an interesting one in FE and could've been pretty memorable with the right handling. With all of that said, I do like her voice acting, Monica Rial did a great job with the character.

Lukas: I like his personality and I enjoy his support with Clive as it highlights a trait of his that he feels both helps and hinders him as a person, which was an interesting side of the character to see. The Rise of the Deliverance DLC also helps him as his supports with Forsyth and Python flesh out his relationships with his family and friends as well as showcase some of his other hobbies such as enjoying reading rather then wielding the lance and he gets a great moment where he makes a good tactical decision that successfully gets them out of a tough bind. Both additions add a lot to the character and showcase other aspects of him that make him even more well rounded, and considering he already had a good base to build off of it made him one of my favorite characters once I was finished reading up on the story. Catria: Like with the other Whitewings I didn't get as attached to her compared to some of the other characters, but I do sympathize with her feelings as the middle child as well as her unrequited feelings towards someone she knows she can't have. Both are interesting traits that make her relatable, and it did make her conversations nice to read. Jedah: Honestly, he's just a few steps short of being a decent villain. He does genuinely seem to have some loyalty to Duma as implied by his pre-final map lines and fears a world without the gods, and he actually brings up good points to Celica when he tries to make the bargain with her. It's just that the story after the bargain makes him look confusing as a villain. Firstly, he states that he wants Duma to remain in power to create a world steeped in chaos and fear, which isn't what a sane Duma would want and actually would be more fitting of his current state. So he seems to lack an understanding of his own god's principles and makes him feel more like a leech then a proper servant. Secondly, continuing off of that the character only gets a spare few moments showcasing his more human traits like his loyalty in favor of highlighting his villainy, so we usually only get to see him doing the cliché evil laugh or scheming rather then highlighting his views or ideals on the preservation of the gods. Finally, due to the way the remake adheres to the structure of the original game, he still sends his minions and even attacks the group himself after making the deal, which makes him look completely untrustworthy to Celica and goes against his plan since he's trying to lure Celica through false goodwill and is yet hindering her trip. Ultimately, he ends up as a villain that had potential, but falls short because the story refuses to allow his good points to be expanded and instead stuck to the generic evil shtick.

OC: Rowan, Lianna, sword-friend-guy SD: Marth, Tiki, Caeda, Minerva, Draug Awakening: Chrom, Robin (M & F), Lucina, Lissa, Frederick, Cordelia, Tharja Fates: Corrin (M & F), Azura, Ryoma, Xander, Hinoka, Camilla, Takumi, Leo Villains: Gharnef, Gangrel, Garon, Dragon OC (Boss only) Bold are the ones confirmed For Shadow Dragon, Tiki has the Amiibo, and Caeda has a bit more of a presence in the plot then most characters and a bit of popularity and iconic status within the franchise. Draug I chose because the developers mentioned that they have armored units in the game and I feel he has the strongest case to be made out of the available Armored units from the three games. Finally, while Minerva is more of a long shot, I remembered the developers mentioning that they lacked Axe users in the game when mentioning Lissa and Frederick. Outside of her, Camilla, Walhart, and Garon you don't have many plot important Axe users that primarily uses that weapon, so I feel she has a good shot if they're still looking for a balance in weaponry and wanted a character with some semblance of involvement in the plot. Awakening I only see Tharja joining the cast as similar to Cordelia she has a lot of popularity and I don't think Koei is going to skip her over with Nintendo/IS having an influence on the roster. Fates I just see M!Corrin and Azura. M!Corrin is the same case as F!Robin, and Azura is just too plot important to ignore. With the villains, I went with Gharnef, Gangrel, and Garon. With Gharnef, I feel the game is going to have the Sorcerer archetype present in the story and really, he's the best option out of the three since he has more notability then either Validar or Iago. Gangrel was more a case of being the best option out of the ones left since I already doubt we'll get Validar, the Dragon OC fills the role that Grima can have (and for similar reasons I doubt Medeus or Anankos will be present), and Walhart lacks the connection to Chrom that Gangrel has, So by process of elimination he ended up getting the slot, and I feel he'll bring more to the table in terms of the character interaction that Koei is looking for. With Fates, again the other villains either don't add anything or have their roles filled by pre-existing options, so I ended up going with Garon as he stands out more and has his connection to the other heroic characters. Other options I could see are Virion, Jeorge, Merric, Linde, and Camus.

Why can't he look like an ass though? Pragmatism isn't something that makes you look like a good person, it's something you do because it nets you the best result without needlessly sacrificing resources or lives. There's a reason why tacticians like August say things to the main characters that would be considered callous, they do have a point in their bluntness and their job is to make sure that their leaders make the most informed decisions without giving into naivety and costing them half the army. Hell, Echoes itself doesn't shy away from that mentality as Clive agrees to Lukas' stunt in the DLC that would be considered abhorrent by most lords in the franchise, but it's still considered a good decision as they end up living another day. So why can't Clive bring up that point so that it can be debated and broken down through his and Alm's conflicting views? it may not make Clive look likeable at the moment, but at least the other side of the argument is being given its fair shake before it's talked down or meet a point where they can equally agree. Additionally, in Clive's and Python's A support Clive takes a viewpoint that could be considered unpopular both in and out of universe, so him taking a similarly controversial stance that would also be debated over wouldn't be hurting his character in that regard.

I think the better term to use here would be the most well known, as I think that more accurately describes what you're getting at. The thing is among those who have played the games you do have many who say those casts of characters are very likeable overall and even narrowing it down to certain ones you have those like Elincia, Ranulf, and Jill who usually get praise for their development and roles and are popular in their own spheres of influence. It's just that they don't have the sales and accessibility to match their Awakening or Fates counterparts, so many of them don't carry the same amount of presence in the general audience.

Fernand: He's quite a mess honestly. The Rise of Deliverance Chapters and Memory Prisms are pretty good to him as he has some good interactions with Clive, Clair, and Mathilda, shows himself to be a capable soldier, and even shows how loyal he is to his friends and country. The only issue I have for him is his sexism, which I guess could've been more directed at Clair in particular since he has no voiced issues with Mathilda, but it's still not a very likeable trait (though at least Clair gives him crap in response). Then we get to the main story and everything falls apart for him. Those good interactions that kept his character afloat in the backstory? That's all gone, replaced by a jerk who lashes out at anyone who disagrees with him or doesn't fit his world view. A capable soldier? Similar to Berkut, he gets no time to shine in the main story and Alm and friends kick him around like a soccer ball during primetime. His loyality? Thrown away for one of the most baffling reasons as he just leaves and joins Rigel because Alm became leader and I guess having a commoner as leader means that that betrayal of everything you've known and cared about is a perfectly acceptable reaction. I don't mind the idea of him having problems with Alm being leader (hell, many players do since at that point he barely has proved himself), but they way they go about it destroys any sympathy you can have for the character since he doesn't react to the situation in a reasonable way and tosses aside all that would make him understandable by abandoning his supposed friends and country for the country attacking them. So at the end of it all, you have a character who's heavily dislikeable in the main game and only saving grace is mostly locked behind paywalls, and as a result the character I'm left with is one that I don't enjoy nor feel anything for when he meets his end. He could've been a lot better, but the handling behind him just left little worth caring about. Mathilda: I like her, she has a great voice actress, she has some good moments showcasing her traits as one of the Deliverance leaders (mostly in the Rise of Deliverance chapters) and as a sister figure to Clair, and I love using her as a unit. However, I will also agree with everyone else that I don't get her epilogue as her character implies she's most at home on the battlefield, so it makes little sense she'd dump all of that just to be a housewife. Genny: She's very cute, and I do like her support with Sonya and the last Base Convo she has, but unfortunately she doesn't have too much else to her. She's one of the cases where having less supports had a negative effect as she could've used some more expansion through interacting with the others to see what her thoughts on the journey or living in the priory was like.

No surprises that the older Royal Siblings are here, they're the most popular and prominent characters in their game so them being playable makes a lot of sense. It's definitely a little bland in terms of choices, but at least all of them except for Hinoka bring something to the table moveset-wise, and even with her Koei can get creative so she can stand out from Cordelia. As for the little sisters, I always figured if they were going to cut some of the siblings they'd be the most expendable, but there's always a chance they'll pop up later down the line. Personally though, while I like the two I'd prefer they put in other characters for variety. I think she'll be a Cordelia case and they'll have her debut separately from the others in Famitsu, she would make a good pair with M!Corrin.

Clair: She's very likeable, she keeps herself relevant by getting a good word in throughout the story, has a nice support with Mathilda, and has a pretty good balance between her different personality traits (Rich Girl, headstrong, supportive, blunt, etc.). Probably among my top ten favorite characters in the game overall. Leon: Stereotypical, but handled in a way that doesn't come off as annoying and instead very likeable. Lucien Dodge did a great job with the character and his conversations tend to be enjoyable and fun. Also, his relationship with Valbar is pretty well written since while he crushes on him, he respects him enough to not cross his boundaries, which is good to see since it's very easy to write such crushes as either too pushy or abhorrent. Massena: He exists, and that's really about it. He doesn't contribute much to the plot except for expanding on certain details Mycen doesn't get to, so he's very forgettable since he immediately gets overshadowed in the one role he has.

Finally beat Lunatic, I used Brotel's strategy as a starting point, but I ultimately ended up with different units aside from Olivia (Lucina, Camus, and Cherche) so I had to deviate quite a bit as the match went on. It also required a good amount of playing with the skills Cherche and Camus had, but once I got the right ones they took the map by storm as Cherche destroyed anything she touched and Camus could tank and KO in turn with the right positioning.

I wouldn't say it's a guarantee considering other FE games. We still managed to get other controversial elements such as cousin incest (Azura and Corrin), necrophilia implications (Orson), and rape implications (Lady Liprica), with the first being a plot point they could've easily changed since all you need is Mikoto being Vallite Royalty. So they could very well keep the incest between Deirdre and Arvis since it's such a crucial plot point, they just may make it less blatant so it can slip by.

Alm: A mixed bag, I love his dorkiness and in terms of the archetype he typically represents out of the lords, I enjoy him more then most of them. With that said, I do feel his character doesn't work well with the themes of the game and sometimes he does come off as overidealized at the expense of some of the characters around him. Celica: I'll just say this: I liked her before Act 4 and I like the idea behind the flaw, but I feel the game does a poor job making Jedah's bargain look good when everything after it shows he's not a man to be trusted (the two Hamlet NPCs, Jedah himself in his battle map, etc.) and as a result makes Celica come off as more foolish then she actually should've. Forsyth: Has a great support with Python and Lukas and I do enjoy his drive to accomplish something in an environment that doesn't allow for such growth. Berkut: Had the building blocks to be a great character (ex. Ian Sinclair's performance), but ultimately gets wasted since the story doesn't give him any moments to showcase his strengths as a general or his positive points as a person before his final moments. So at the end when he goes off the deep end, I just didn't find myself caring for what happened to him since he didn't leave enough of an impression to care. Rinea: She has no other traits or meaningful interactions and basically only exists to give Berkut a sympathetic side, which she manages to fail at due to Berkut constantly lashing out at her whenever she tries to calm him down. So not a very effective character to say the least. Delthea: She comes off as a bit bratty in her supports, but I still find her likeable since she does have a decent moment in her base conversation and her battle lines are enjoyable. Est: I love her voice actress and I find her interactions with her older sisters pretty charming (though Palla's A is cruel if you've played Mystery). Other then that there's not much else to her, but it's enough for the type of character she is. Halcyon: An interesting character that gets wasted by the plot doing nothing with him. He could've been a great character for us to get a viewpoint into the pre-Jedah Duma Faithful, understanding Duma and Conrad more as characters, or just in general making him more interesting as a person, but the story doesn't tap into any of that. Instead it just uses him to as Alm's promotion and Celica's cell phone and nothing else comes from him, which is a shame.

Hm, I wonder if the reason they had Amelia be an Armor unit was because of fans overhyping that class option for her... Regardless, I'm so happy to see this, Sacred Stones was my first FE so I'm glad the games are finally getting new characters.

1) Elincia 2) Ranulf 3) Jill 4) Lief 5) Cormag

I honestly wouldn't put Grima above Formortiis if we're ignoring Echoes. Both don't have the most amount of depth to them, but Formortiis' interactions with the twins and his manipulations of Lyon does more for the involved characters and helps make Lyon's story all the more memorable. He manages to make his role work within the realms of his limited characterization and moves along Lyon's arc in a way that makes it stand out among the rest of Fire Emblem's stories. With Grima, he doesn't contribute as much to the main characters of Awakening and due to the way the plot is structured in that game he doesn't get a lot of chances to shine. He's also considered to have one of the weaker arcs in the franchise and his characterization is one of the key factors for that. As a result, even though both have limited amounts of depth Formortiis was probably the better handled villain between the two since his role made the characters (well, mostly Lyon) around him stronger, Grima doesn't quite succeed in that regard and thus falls shorter by comparison.

I also think they'll go with a Beastkin unit as the second stone user if we get one. With the dragons, they either seem like they'd have too much overlap with Tiki (Nowi and Nah) and thus not stand out as much, or would overlap in terms of role with the Dragon OC (Medeus) and because of that I think they'd be overlooked for other characters and IS doesn't care about Bantu so he'd be overlooked by default . With the Beastkin, there would be no overlap to worry about as all three types bring a lot to the table in terms of moveset, and (in the case of the Fates) their popularity is high enough where they could be considered. Personally, after seeing Jedi's list I would like to see a Wolfskin be a playable character since I feel they'd be the most fun to use, but I wouldn't mind seeing the other two either.

While I don't really care about Cordelia herself, it is nice to finally get our first flying character in the game. As for Fem!Robin, it depends entirely on whether she's a costume or her own character. If the former, great, it gives an option for people to use her design if they prefer her and gives a chance for Male!Corrin to join the battle as well. If the latter, the it's padding and I feel she could've been better utilized as another character. Thankfully, the way the magazine presents it seems to imply the former as Male!Robin is present, but we'll see once we get the full thing. Now to await the eventual reveal of my Shadow Dragon characters...

Cormag, Tana, L'archel, and Joshua would be my chosen four for a banner, with Lyon being the second GHB unit. If I had to choose one, Lyon since he's my favorite villain from Sacred Stones.

Young Tiki, Caeda, Camus, Minerva, and Gharnef. Young Tiki as you said has the Amiibo coming up and I don't think they'd have made it if the character wasn't going to have some sort of role in the game, so I feel she's probably playable. Caeda is probably one of the most iconic Pegasus Knights in the series and carries some story relevance to her, so she's also a solid pick. The only reason I can think of for her potential exclusion would be overlapping with Hinoka or Cordelia, but since she can use Swords in the original Shadow Dragon and Heroes even that may not be much of an obstacle since that weapon type can make her more unique from them. Camus is also pretty iconic as he's the first of his archetype and could serve as the lance user to balance out the other two cavalier units in the game. Minerva is story important and could make good use of her Hauteclere. Gharnef because I feel the game will have a typical Sorcerer archetype and he's easily the best choice out of the ones we have. Also, he makes the most sense out of the major villains in Shadow Dragon in the game since Medeus' role seems to be filled by the Dragon OC and the other villains don't carry the same iconic presence as Gharnef.