DFFOO [JP][Long time no see] Turn manipulation + delay loop with the long lost Totsugeki
22Around 3 more days to go until meteors and flares emerging. Just playing around more with older characters that I haven't been using for a while. Probably doing this series when something new mashes well with older characters or the cool idea light bulb lights up.
Iirc last time I used Totsugeki was during Act 3 Ch 9 pt 2 fighting Ultimecia alongside Lunafreya. Back then both Cid Raines and Ashe didn't even have BT/FR.
Now that they have both arrived with updates and instead of just relying on Lunafreya all the time, it is quite easy to effectively nullify her high action delay moves and use her EX which does not delay herself.
The stage is still the most recent Act 3 Interlude. The sprint to FR phase is still rather long because my Cinque has no FE. Cinque here only has normal HA and UW+3.
As usual I hurried Terra away because I don't want her taking too much screen time lol. That and I wanted the Sazh LDCA to align better.
Cinque and the team:
Cinque is still one of the highest DPS LD-only character in the game since her C90. Her follow-up is 3 hits (HP dumps) and she has inheritably high HP dumps on both EX (5) and LD (6). If you can keep her on the turn queue during FT, she actually wrecks faces very effectively.
Her LD has little BRV hits, so it is less consistent to cap dmg with it than say her EX. Barring BT effects, Ashe's Queen's Order and her own LD debuff with 30% HP dmg taken up will make up for the BRV shortage. If that is not enough, there are external buffs like still Ifrit's summon buff and Sazh LDCA.
Also she has around 120% DEF down from unique debuffs if you can keep her LD debuff on.
Comparatively speaking, it is not that hard to make her LD to cap than say something like Cid (VII)'s EX. Back in the day we could still have Snow/Cait Sith LDCA/Sherlotta to one shot the problem with an auxiliary battery, but with the 30% BRV gain cap in place, you will need multiple sources of that + HP dmg cap up. (Single ST BRV hit syndrome lol) That reason and the fact that this stage absorbs wind rather early on made me chose Cinque over Cid in this team, even though EX charging is fun with him.
Since both Ashe and Cid Raines can pull her back and both Cinque and Cid Raines can delay, the boss can never get a turn as they loop amongst themselves. As long as Cid Raines remain on the turn queue before the boss, he can always give the turn to Cinque and delay them. Ashe's paralysis would prevent the boss from countering, so the bosses can never do anything including speed buffing in the entire fight but to accept their fate.
if you don't like Ashe's FR, using Cid Raines' FR would also work as Cinque EX also launches. While Ashe consumes the launch proc on the target that Cid Raines has not targeted, Cinque can launch on her own. That or have Cinque put launch procs before Ashe. Either way would mean every one can launch the bosses. Using her EX delays bosses by at least 2 turns, so it should get all members to participate in the launches.
Honestly if she gets a FR/BT soonish, I don't expect her to get many more HP hits on skills reworks. She is quite devastating as is. Sprinkle a few more BRVs on her LD, maybe make her debuff last longer/not dropping would make her a lot more consistent. I would say her C90 still holds up really well.
Pity she did not get to get the last hit in this run though. Cid Raines killed that Ogre without mercy lol.