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Any lineup of FE cast that involves more than 2 Blue Haired Sword Weilding lords is ever-so-slightly (and by that I mean no possible way not to think it) lazy looking.
no. it's not. thinking that is nothing but pure ignorance.
Ike is Already confirmed to be 98% different from how Marth plays in Melee (only similarity being Counter) and if they wanted to, they could easily change some of Marth's moves in Brawl to make him even MORE different then he already is. Sigrud is no different. he could easily be original.
therefore, the only reason you have left is the hair... really, this is like saying that because Mario and Link both wear hats, that the game is unoriginal... you need to stop using stupid logic. Sigrud has a huge chance of being in Brawl. and there's nothing you can do to change this (unless you have proof strait from Sakurai saying that he wont be in, which you probably don't)
now, even after Marth, Sigrud, and Ike, I'me sure that Micaiah doesn't have enough importance to the franchise to deserve to be in. I'm open to persuasion, but don't give me that "she's a girl, and would be original" reason. I mean in terms of importance to the Fire Emblem franchise as a whole.
I'm just saying that since its the LATEST game in the series, and they are the two mains in that game. They could debut in brawl together eventhough they don't converse with each other much.
Sakurai is trying to put the latest franchise games into brawl like Twilight princess, so yeah...
no, Ralph. Sakurai isn't only putting the newest games in Brawl. Samus has more stuff based on Zero mission (Zero Suit Samus) and Super Metriod (she has Super missiles now, which are from that game) then she does the Prime series. so no; Ike being in doesn't mean Micaiah should be. if anything, it's the complete opposite.
I'm just saying that since its the LATEST game in the series, and they are the two mains in that game. They could debut in brawl together eventhough they don't converse with each other much.
Sakurai is trying to put the latest franchise games into brawl like Twilight princess, so yeah...
Thats an erroneous assumption, though. For starters, there are more than just those two as main characters in RD - Elincia is the third Lord in the game, and many other characters play roles of similar, if not quite as great, importance to the story (Tibarn the Hawk King, for example, is almost a Lord in his own right, although hes a late-comer to the list of PCs in the game). And beyond that, being in the latest game means nothing. With Twilight Princess, that just happens to be the most up-to-date look for characters who are omnipresent through their series. With Fire Emblem, no one is omnipresent in the series. Being from a recent game in Fire Emblem only helps if you get put in for advertising purposes, like Roy did (and to be honest, most of Micaiah's chances for being a PC do come from that possibility).
Edit: Slight bit of further evidence you may be interested in, Ike is using an old look in Brawl, his Ranger outfit from Path of Radiance. His appearance in Radiant Dawn is quite different, both in physique (he buffs up quite a bit in three years) and clothing.
no. it's not. thinking that is nothing but pure ignorance.
Ike is Already confirmed to be 98% different from how Marth plays in Melee (only similarity being Counter) and if they wanted to, they could easily change some of Marth's moves in Brawl to make him even MORE different then he already is. Sigrud is no different. he could easily be original.
therefore, the only reason you have left is the hair... really, this is like saying that because Mario and Link both wear hats, that the game is unoriginal... you need to stop using stupid logic. Sigrud has a huge chance of being in Brawl. and there's nothing you can do to change this (unless you have proof strait from Sakurai saying that he wont be in, which you probably don't)
now, even after Marth, Sigrud, and Ike, I'me sure that Micaiah doesn't have enough importance to the franchise to deserve to be in. I'm open to persuasion, but don't give me that "she's a girl, and would be original" reason. I mean in terms of importance to the Fire Emblem franchise as a whole.
So... out of 16 or so (I only did a count off of Radiant Dawn's Third Tiers, I know that I'm missing some of the older Classes like Berserker, Hero, and Nomadic Trooper) human Classes, 10 Non-human (Laguz from 9/10 and classic Mamkute counted separately), and dozen weapon types, it would cover the 'Fire Emblem franchise as a whole' to have 3 of one type using one type of weapon?
Really now, I know that Ike, Marth, and Sigurd can be made differently, but having 3 Sword Lords does not in any way show the depth of the 'Fire Emblem franchise as a whole'. However if we regulate to only the Lords andd maybe the romantic leads, there aren't that many options to extend to. Micaiah is recent, diferent enough to show a bit more of Fire Emblem than just 'cute bishonen guys with swords', and in no way a bad choice.
Sigurd is popular, however Sigurd, Marth, and Ike are reinventions of the same character, Ike less so than the first two. Yes, they can be made unique fighters in gameplay and mechanics. No, sorry, no ammount of that will change that Marth and Sigurd are practically identicle art wise, and Ike is only different slightly due to hairstyle. Wake up and smell the humus, it'd be really really sad to have the entirety of Fire Emblem represented on half of the games statset. Disguarding the entire Magic aspect of the game for another Sword user.
Micaiah does not have to be the one to do this, its just that Celica isn't new, Lilina isn't a Lord, and Sanaki... well, Sanaki could get the part,
she is more akin to the standard dethrowned Lord like Marth is
. However Sanaki isn't as there in the storyline of 10 ans Micaiah is.
Also, while I do keep saying "Blue Haired Sword Weilding Lords" I don't think replacing any of them with Roy, Eliwood, or Leaf will help much, even if Leaf can use any weapon in the game, his main weapon is a Sword too. Its just the cliche of "Blue Haired Sword Weilding Lords" is a bit more prevelant to the game series thanks to the three Lords always mentioned.
I generally agree with Rakath. Swords are what, one out of twelve different weapon and magic classes ?
Ike? Sure. Marth? All right. But Sigurd after that? No. It's either Marth or Sigurd. If by some fate we get a third Fire Emblem representitive, tribute to the series and reveal the other side of the fence with another weapon class. Especially if it's a staff and tome user.
I'm on the last chapter and I bonused all my units I'm using to Lv.10 so I'm ripping through all of them except Michaiah who can't double for the life of me.
ANyway, Michaiah I guess has a bigbase now, huh? I guess that means Marth is gonna be hardpressed.
Meh. Other than characters with four responses, popularity won't mean much. It's all about credibility. Which is why characters like Game & Watch can get in at the snap of the finger. Though if they want a magic user from Fire Emblem, they'll choose Micaiah since they can all offer a lot, but Micaiah will be the most recognizable and the most pleasing to the fan base. Marth on the other hand has much more going for him, so regardless of anyone's personal preference I'd be suprised if Micaiah got in and he didn't.
I'm on the last chapter and I bonused all my units I'm using to Lv.10 so I'm ripping through all of them except Michaiah who can't double for the life of me.
ANyway, Michaiah I guess has a bigbase now, huh? I guess that means Marth is gonna be hardpressed.
I limited my bonusing to LV16+ when characters have enough capped that I can get the otimum ammount of gains (LV17 Neph with capped Strength, Skill, Speed, Def, and Resist is a good example. And Ike with capped everything not HP, Magic, Resist, and Luck).
Am I the only one having issue leveling Laguz units due to these details about BEXP and the fact they get NOTHING in the way of EXP due to combat (save the Heron siblings)?
Am I the only one having issue leveling Laguz units due to these details about BEXP and the fact they get NOTHING in the way of EXP due to combat (save the Heron siblings)?
No, you're certainly not the only one. I can't understand whats up with the Laguz this time around. You'd think with that new olivi grass to boost their meters and the new "half-shift" ability they'd be more useful, but if anything they were better in PoR (I used Lethe and Janaf a lot in that one, and they usually turned out pretty good). Except of course the royals, but they go without saying (though they also suffer from the low xp gain more than other Laguz...).
Oh, and I think I now agree with Lunadis that Edward is definitely the game's best Swordsmaster. I have him as a level 9 Trueblade, and hes already maxed strength, skill, speed, and defense (of all things!), and going on luck too. Hes tough to raise through the Swordsmaster levels, but boy does it pay off.
And I have to ask: is anyone else getting weird results with Nolan's stat gains? Hes maxed out resistance and magic for me at level 5 Reaver, and hes having a hard time getting strength gains. And hes supposed to be a warrior. Still a great unit, but I'm just slightly creeped out by this. Am I just getting RNG blessed/screwed, or is this normal?
On characters who reached their maximum level in PoR, every stat they maxed out will be increased by a set amount in RD. +5 for HP, +2 for anything else. For example, my Ike in PoR had skill maxed, so in RD he had 30 skill when I got him rather than his usual 28.
They also gain a bonus to weapon ranks based on what rank they had in PoR, but those I'm less familiar with the stats behind.
Theres a few other effects, which you can read about here (spoiler-free).
Oh, and I think I now agree with Lunadis that Edward is definitely the game's best Swordsmaster. I have him as a level 9 Trueblade, and hes already maxed strength, skill, speed, and defense (of all things!), and going on luck too. Hes tough to raise through the Swordsmaster levels, but boy does it pay off.
And I have to ask: is anyone else getting weird results with Nolan's stat gains? Hes maxed out resistance and magic for me at level 5 Reaver, and hes having a hard time getting strength gains. And hes supposed to be a warrior. Still a great unit, but I'm just slightly creeped out by this. Am I just getting RNG blessed/screwed, or is this normal?
Well, by the numbers on the 4 Trueblades in the game, Edward has the best growths. Mia has the best start stats (without any bonuses). Zihark got screwed. Stefan has fair start stats for a late unit and fair growths, but nothing over the top. Edward is the only one at issue of being RNG screwed, and Mia is the best unit to BEXP (especially if you Tranfer stat her as then she will have 13 levels to work with giving her growths in everything not her capped Skill and Speed).
Edward will end up better but he takes the time to raise (and BEXPing him is worthless). Mia starts out with what she needs, then you can BEXP her into everything else.
Fun detail: If you capped everything on Stefan (you can get away with one stat not capped) in Path of Radiance, by BEXP in RD automatically caps EVERYTHING on him without any natural leveling.
As much as I'd hate to admit it, Chronobound and others may be onto something in regards to Micaiah's popularity.
There are a good number of vocal Micaiah haters, but get this--they are mostly FE fans of the hardcore nature. So his idea of Micaiah being sick with Roy Syndrome is not far off, considering how popular she is with Smash fans, now that Lyn got deconfirmed.
Many of them neglect the fact that she's also far too recent--even the Twilight Princess designs can be attributed to characters who were already in Melee and only needed a wardrobe fix--Micaiah's someone completely new, and before you recite Roy, I happen to think that not being out at all at least fulfills an advertisement requirement. Ike has been around for quite some time, and now so has Micaiah.
As much as I'd hate to admit it, Chronobound and others may be onto something in regards to Micaiah's popularity.
There are a good number of vocal Micaiah haters, but get this--they are mostly FE fans of the hardcore nature. So his idea of Micaiah being sick with Roy Syndrome is not far off, considering how popular she is with Smash fans, now that Lyn got deconfirmed.
Many of them neglect the fact that she's also far too recent--even the Twilight Princess designs can be attributed to characters who were already in Melee and only needed a wardrobe fix--Micaiah's someone completely new, and before you recite Roy, I happen to think that not being out at all at least fulfills an advertisement requirement. Ike has been around for quite some time, and now so has Micaiah.
If you hold things against characters that are 'too recent' Sigurd would have been confirmed before Ike was. However, Ike shows that recent characters have a fair shot in the game. Not everyone is a classic gamer versed in series for the NES and SNES, having an entire character set built off of older games would confuse people that don't know all the old characters. Much like those that liked Marth and Roy and wondered what game (singular) they were in. And those that imported FE6 then wondered where Marth was, because they learned of Fire Emblem via Melee.
Micaiah's being recent can be viewed as much of a blessing as being an old classic character. As Roy's game being released a few months AFTER Melee certainly didn't stop him from being in Melee.
As much as I'd hate to admit it, Chronobound and others may be onto something in regards to Micaiah's popularity.
There are a good number of vocal Micaiah haters, but get this--they are mostly FE fans of the hardcore nature. So his idea of Micaiah being sick with Roy Syndrome is not far off, considering how popular she is with Smash fans, now that Lyn got deconfirmed.
Many of them neglect the fact that she's also far too recent--even the Twilight Princess designs can be attributed to characters who were already in Melee and only needed a wardrobe fix--Micaiah's someone completely new, and before you recite Roy, I happen to think that not being out at all at least fulfills an advertisement requirement. Ike has been around for quite some time, and now so has Micaiah.
I have read what most people have to say about Micaiah and it's normally stat based. But look at Roy, if I recall he does not exactly Ike stats in his game either. Really, I don't think issues people have with a character in regards to the game stats really matter, it's the character as a whole. Even Marth was not that great of a lord in at least one of his games was he? I may need corrected there.
There is also some character hate that is not stat based, but none of the people I have seen say things about her personality in game have finished it, so they can't really say whether or not they "hate her."
Most of Micaiah's popularity comes from her gender, her uniqueness as a magic wielding lord (who is well known, international, and recent) and the possible use of her for advertising the latest FE game, not her in game abilities.
Yeah, that is why I said 2% per second until something happens to her (attack/gets hit/even movement). At least makes it worth it to try and use it since you probably won't get more than 4%-6%, and that is if you are REALLY lucky. Would be effective during a KO to recover, not much use other than that really.
Are we talking about moves?
In that case, I'll share the ideas I had for her moveset, as it seems unlikely that I'll decide to make a complete one in the near future.
General concept: Micaiah as a sort of magical female Pikachu. She jabs and tilts quickly with her staff. These attacks have mediocre range and rather low power and are mostly used for defensive purposes. Her smashes, some of her aerials and special moves, however, are magic attacks, with a range that puts Ike to shame, and disjointed hitboxes that actually linger for a bit even when Micaiah is able to move again!
For example, her F-Smash: A slow but really powerful pillar of light magic, about the size of Bowser.
Also, a neutral B move that involves her birdy. This bird would always try to the best of its ability to follow Micaiah around, so if she gets hit around too quickly, it can't follow quickly enough. It's in the background and cannot be hit.
Pressing b will cause it to attack a close enemy as soon as it can. Every attack causes 1% and has no knockback. However, Micaiah can use it whenever she likes! While using a combo, she can time her command in a way that tacks on 1% of damage. And especially, while shielding, she can time it so the opponent gets stunned just enough for her to put the shield down and attack!
Are we talking about moves?
In that case, I'll share the ideas I had for her moveset, as it seems unlikely that I'll decide to make a complete one in the near future.
General concept: Micaiah as a sort of magical female Pikachu. She jabs and tilts quickly with her staff. These attacks have mediocre range and rather low power and are mostly used for defensive purposes. Her smashes, some of her aerials and special moves, however, are magic attacks, with a range that puts Ike to shame, and disjointed hitboxes that actually linger for a bit even when Micaiah is able to move again!
For example, her F-Smash: A slow but really powerful pillar of light magic, about the size of Bowser.
Also, a neutral B move that involves her birdy. This bird would always try to the best of its ability to follow Micaiah around, so if she gets hit around too quickly, it can't follow quickly enough. It's in the background and cannot be hit.
Pressing b will cause it to attack a close enemy as soon as it can. Every attack causes 1% and has no knockback. However, Micaiah can use it whenever she likes! While using a combo, she can time her command in a way that tacks on 1% of damage. And especially, while shielding, she can time it so the opponent gets stunned just enough for her to put the shield down and attack!
I'm getting some of back stories of characters revealed now that I'm replaying RD.
Part III, Ch 7. Spoilers coming up.
I would advise you to have certain characters go end fight Micaiah to trigger conversations. So far my favorite conversation is the one she had with Soren, it's really interesting. I like the theme that plays also.
It seems that Reyson will get his next level of galdr if he speaks with her.
I'm getting some of back stories of characters revealed now that I'm replaying RD.
Part III, Ch 7. Spoilers coming up.
I would advise you to have certain characters go end fight Micaiah to trigger conversations. So far my favorite conversation is the one she had with Soren, it's really interesting. I like the theme that plays also.
It seems that Reyson will get his next level of galdr if he speaks with her.
You actually managed to get characters up to her? By the last round of that fight I had just finished securing the last island along the way, and Ike got a little talk/fight with the Black Knight. All that swamp land really slows you down. Ah well, its something to try and get on my second play through I suppose.
And Reyson getting a new galdr? Darn, sorry I missed that. Any help he can get in that department would be great, considering how slowly the Herons level and the levels they need to reach to get new galdrar.
Part 4 Endgame spoilers:
I just reached part 3 of the final level myself - and ****, Dheginsea is scary! He makes the Black Knight look like Meg (okay, maybe not Meg, but Brom at least). I didn't think Laguz kings could get any more uber after I saw Tibarn and Caineghis, but he puts even them to shame. I think I'm going to need to rely on Soren's blessed Blizzard tome and Shinon attacking from 3 spaces away with a blessed Double Bow to beat him.
As far as a moveset and abilities, why not try to pull things from FE games? Due to Christmas being a month away I don't own a copy of Radiant Dawn... meaning I don't have a list of light magic specific to that game, or any of the special staves.
Based off what I know though, here are the light magics from the English FE games at least:
Lightning/Light - Fast and weak
Shine - Little stronger
Divine - Moving up a bit more, but slower.
Purge - Long range attack
Aura/Rexaura - Powerful light magic
Aureola - Really powerful light magic, was the divine light magic used to kill the dragon in FE7... still, listing it here.
Luce - Uber powerful light magic even stronger than Aureola, although I think it was FE7 only. Still, listing it here, especially since it's the strongest light magic I know of. - FS Material? Maybe...?
Nosferatu - healing + moderate damage, probably not getting any use in movesets since it's typically dark magic, but it was light in FE9.
(I don't think it hurts to give her magic that is not specifically from her game, since characters are meant to represent the series as a whole, Mario and Link are great examples).
There have to be some unique ones in RD since the main character is a light magic user, or a tome specific to her.
There would also be the staff that could be used in some of the A moves, although not all of them, as she shouldn't have much melee base at all to keep her unique.
You actually managed to get characters up to her? By the last round of that fight I had just finished securing the last island along the way, and Ike got a little talk/fight with the Black Knight. All that swamp land really slows you down. Ah well, its something to try and get on my second play through I suppose.
And Reyson getting a new galdr? Darn, sorry I missed that. Any help he can get in that department would be great, considering how slowly the Herons level and the levels they need to reach to get new galdrar.
Part 4 Endgame spoilers:
I just reached part 3 of the final level myself - and ****, Dheginsea is scary! He makes the Black Knight look like Meg (okay, maybe not Meg, but Brom at least). I didn't think Laguz kings could get any more uber after I saw Tibarn and Caineghis, but he puts even them to shame. I think I'm going to need to rely on Soren's blessed Blizzard tome and Shinon attacking from 3 spaces away with a blessed Double Bow to beat him.
Yes, I still had quite a few turns left to sit around(Turn 9 to be exact) so I decided to try to have units fight Micaiah to see what conversations could develop. It seems as if Reyson doesn't even need to talk to Micaiah just get 2-3 spaces to her, as to whether or not he retains that galdr afther I'm not sure due to the Black Knight slaughtering him afterwards >_>
Dheginsea scared the crap out of me to. At least Kurth cannot be harmed during that chapter so I'd take advantage of that. The next battle is a tad more annoying.
In Radiant Dawn Micaiah has a prf light tome called "Thani" She summons a brilliant ball of light and sends it crashing down ontop of her foes ( In game it takes out almost any knight or mounted unit with a single strike).
Then later on you get this one light magic tome, Valaura (It's really hard to describe unless you've seen vids of Rexaura) that poisons the foe when it hits.
-Knight
I didn't see any vids of Valaura, but it between the name and the comment you made it sounds like it would fall in with the other Aura spells.
Lightning/Light
Shine
Resire
Divine
Purge - Long range attack
Thani
Aura(various types)
Aureola
Luce
Ivaldi
Tried to order them in terms of their strength...
Added a few more and replaced Nosferatu with Resire, which is basically the same spell (they named it wrong in FE9 to eliminate confusion).
So those along with a staff of some sort. Are there any special staves? There is the Ashera staff in FE9 that would possibly create some unique moves... for example healing teammates as well as herself on the down B mentioned before.
Dheginsea scared the crap out of me to. At least Kurth cannot be harmed during that chapter so I'd take advantage of that. The next battle is a tad more annoying.
Aye, Kurth and Ena came in handy, though not against Dheginsea (couldn't hurt him). I have to disagree about the fourth level of that though - I just finished it, and it took me all of three rounds. It was a slaughter, really. No one was seriously injured until the final assault on Sephiran, and he didn't live long enough for that to matter. The fact that none of the spirits nor Sephiran would attack Micaiah was also a big boon, and I took full advantage of that by having Reyson vigor her each round after the first (which he spent using a Laguz Stone).
Lunadis said:
Am I the only one who found that conversation funny? The whole "I let you defeat me." thing. If I was Ike, I'd respond with "No Johns!"
Not really. Story-wise it makes sense, given "Black Knight's" obsession with surpassing Gawaine/Greil and the fact that Ike really did mention how his father had crippled himself to him just before their final engagement in PoR, and in-game it explains how BK got stronger going from PoR to RD. Its a bit of a clichè, but like many of them, its such because it works well.
@ Anyone who has reached Part 4 Endgame: With being where I am in the game, I'm curious to know what the final teams for some of the rest of you all were. Mine was:
Ike/Nephenee - Established this support as I went in (previously was Ike/Titania and Nephnee/Heather, but I didn't bring the other two). Nephenee used Wishblade after 4-E-2, and it was her blessed weapon. Micaiah/Sothe - Duh. Blessed Rexaura and Baselard. Micaiah maxed everything but strength by the end. Sothe I just wish could have been Volke. Kurthnaga/Ena - Because I had too. Thanks to Paragon, the Laguz Gem I took off Giffca, and BEXP, Kurth actually became quite good. Ena, not so much... Caineghis/Tibarn - Too uber to pass up. They seem almost required vs Dheginsea. Gatrie/Sanaki - Would've left Sanaki behind, but Gatrie was too beastly to leave out, and the support was convenient. Blessed his Silver Greatlance. Edward/Nolan - By level 20/20/11, Edward had everything but magic and resistance maxed, and Nolan everything but strength and defense (and those were pretty close). Gave them Urvan, Vague Katti, and Alondite (blessed the first two), and they're untouchable. Literally - they've only taken about three hits between them in the entire endgame. Soren/Shinon - These two are great. Soren got both Rexcalibur and a Blizzard (via Sanaki) blessed, and Shinon got the double bow. They kill something almost every time they attack. Jill/Elincia - An impromptu support, but it works. Jill maxed everything but skill and defense, and Elincia, while not as uber as the rest, is an incredible healer, and Amiti makes her one tough cookie in battle too. Blessed a Silver Poleaxe and Amiti. Reyson - Gave him Celerity and all the Laguz stones I could spare. I figured that would make him better than his siblings, and I haven't been disappointed. Nasir/Gareth - Used them to replace Sanaki and Ena during 4-E-4 and 4-E-5. No actual support, but they come as a package, soooo....
I supported Lyre and Gatrie because I really liked the info where she was introduced as Gatrie's newest crush, and I did Naesala/Leanne because they are both awesome, (he was the only king I brought) I got Micaiah/Jill Astrid/Marcia and Mia/Nephenee to A. didn't bring Soren because I brought Bastian, but I should have since I couldn't bring Lucia to do support with him, and should have done the Soren/Ike thing. and I wanted to get Geoffrey and Elincia to A, but he didn't make the cut.
I was worried that Lyre would suck forever, but once I got her up to lvl 30, she started gaining strength every lvl. I was very happy, since she's the only beast laguz that I've ever really liked
oh, and now that I've finished the game, the people I let die were: Oscar, Titania, Ranulf and Volug. was too lazy to start over when they died, especially since Titania and Ranulf weren't actually dead
Anyone who has reached Part 4 Endgame: With being where I am in the game, I'm curious to know what the final teams for some of the rest of you all were. Mine was:
Ike/Nephenee - Established this support as I went in (previously was Ike/Titania and Nephnee/Heather, but I didn't bring the other two). Nephenee used Wishblade after 4-E-2, and it was her blessed weapon. Micaiah/Sothe - Duh. Blessed Rexaura and Baselard. Micaiah maxed everything but strength by the end. Sothe I just wish could have been Volke. Kurthnaga/Ena - Because I had too. Thanks to Paragon, the Laguz Gem I took off Giffca, and BEXP, Kurth actually became quite good. Ena, not so much... Caineghis/Tibarn - Too uber to pass up. They seem almost required vs Dheginsea. Gatrie/Sanaki - Would've left Sanaki behind, but Gatrie was too beastly to leave out, and the support was convenient. Blessed his Silver Greatlance. Edward/Nolan - By level 20/20/11, Edward had everything but magic and resistance maxed, and Nolan everything but strength and defense (and those were pretty close). Gave them Urvan, Vague Katti, and Alondite (blessed the first two), and they're untouchable. Literally - they've only taken about three hits between them in the entire endgame. Soren/Shinon - These two are great. Soren got both Rexcalibur and a Blizzard (via Sanaki) blessed, and Shinon got the double bow. They kill something almost every time they attack. Jill/Elincia - An impromptu support, but it works. Jill maxed everything but skill and defense, and Elincia, while not as uber as the rest, is an incredible healer, and Amiti makes her one tough cookie in battle too. Blessed a Silver Poleaxe and Amiti. Reyson - Gave him Celerity and all the Laguz stones I could spare. I figured that would make him better than his siblings, and I haven't been disappointed. Nasir/Gareth - Used them to replace Sanaki and Ena during 4-E-4 and 4-E-5. No actual support, but they come as a package, soooo....
For my first play-through, I learned a few good things.
1) Make sure Micaiah has a Thani equipped...[/not paying attention]
2) Make sure Soren and/or Sanaki has a long-range lightning spell.
3) Excluding Ike and the Laguz, make sure there is only ONE person from each weapon class in you final team because there's only one "super" weapon of each class.
4) Load up on Physics, a Ward, a Restore, and a Mend.
5) Don't enchant "Brave" weapons, they're useless against dragons, spirits, goddesses, and goddess servants.
6) Give Kurth all of Ena's skills and then just keep her out of the way.
7) Ike MUST have an "A" Soren support and Soren must have Daunt. It made them both impossible to hit AND the Black Knight died in TWO TURNS!
Team I took into the final boss fight:
Ike
Micaiah (strickly as a healer)
Reyson
Lion King
Tibarn
Nasir
.