#character strats

The man is a tank. HP, STR, BLD, and DEF for days. The man wants to sit down and people-watch out of battle, so why NOT make him a literal wall in-battle?

The man takes no flack from physical units and doles out a lot more damage in return; but his SPD and his RES stat leave something to be desired, though. And I can see that DEX stat being a bit of a problem on the more elusive enemies in the late game as well. As much as I want to try to make Louis a more balanced unit, I think I'm fine with taking the gamble of doubling down on what he's good at: playing defense. But there might be a few ideas outside of this.

Potential Inherited Skills

Now, if we're talking about defense, I have a couple options to consider:

Marth's Unyielding skillet allows a unit to recover a percentage of their max HP (up to 40%) equivalent to the threshold required for the skill to trigger. Accumulative cost of 300 SP.

Sigurd's Canter allows a unit to move up to three spaces after initiating combat against a foe at the accumulative cost of 2,000 SP.

Sigurd's Lance Power set grants a direct bonus (of up to +10) to a unit's Attack stat when the unit is equipped with a lance at the accumulative cost of 5,000 SP.

Sigurd's Hit+ set grants a direct bonus (of up to +30) to a unit's Hit stat for the accumulative cost of 2,500 SP.

Micaiah's Res+ set grants a direct boost (of up to +5) to a unit's RES stat at the accumulative cost of 2,000 SP.

Roy's Hold Out set allows a unit to survive a round of combat with 1 HP as long as the unit remains above a certain HP threshold for the accumulative cost of 5,000 SP.

Leif's Vantage set allows a unit to counter before the foe's first attack during the Enemy Phase for the accumulative cost of 2,000 SP.

Lyn's Alacrity set allows a unit's potential follow-up to pop off before the foe's counterattack during the Player Phase if the difference between the unit's and the foe's AS stats is above a certain threshold. Accumulative cost of 3,000 SP.

Lyn's Speed+ set grants a direct bonus (of up to +5) to a unit's SPD stat for the accumulative cost of 2,000 SP.

Lyn's Speedtaker grants a stacking +2 bonus to a unit's SPD stat (up to a max of +10) for every time a unit has initiated combat against a foe and defeated it during the Player Phase. Costs 2,000 SP.

Ike's Resolve set grants a buff to a unit's DEF and RES stat as long as the unit's HP remains under a certain HP threshold for the accumulative cost of 2,000 SP.

Ike's Defense+ set grants a direct bonus (of up to +5) to a unit's DEF stat for the accumulative cost of 2,000 SP.

Corrin's HP+ set grants a direct bonus (of up to +15) to a unit's HP stat for the accumulative cost of 3,000 SP.

Hector's Quick Riposte set guarantees the unit will follow-up as long as the unit's HP is above a certain threshold for the accumulative cost of 3,000 SP.

Soren's Keen Insight set adds up to +7 to a unit's damage output when a unit deals Effective damage for the accumulative cost of 3,000 SP.

Camilla's Spd/Res+ set grants a direct bonus (of up to +5) to a unit's SPD and RES stats for the accumulative cost of 4,800 SP.

Chrom/Robin's Spd/Dex+ set grants a direct bonus (of up to +5) to a unit's SPD and DEX stats for the accumulative cost of 4,800 SP.

...how'd I go from so little ideas to so many?

Whittling Down

There are a bunch of skill ideas where they only work if Louis' HP is below a threshold; so if one of those skills ends up being one that I pick for my final builds, Unyielding might not vibe with the second skill at all. I'll double back if I feel the need.

Louis isn't a mounted unit; but admittedly, it would be funny if Louis broke from the line, murk'd someone, then used Canter to hobble right back to his post. The most fatal MINK to ever MINK.

I don't think that I'm worried about boosting Louis' damage output with skills like Lance Power; I'd be more worried about making him hit. And there are other skills and stat boosts from other Emblems for that. Case in point: Sigurd's Hit+ set.

I am personally MORTIFIED by the thought of a mage unit taking Louis out with a 1-2 punch from a tome; so looking a gift horse (in the form of Micaiah's Res+ set) in the mouth would be foolish. On the other hand, I could offer a different kind of protection with Hold Out. If I pair that with Vantage, the outcome of that could look like a routed enemy.

The thing about SPD is that if I worried about SPD, I'd mainly be worried about the ability to let him attack twice. Now, the direct SPD stat boost is theoretically sound, but Alacrity and Speedtaker give me pause here. Even with Speedtaker's +10 to Louis' SPD stat, the AS difference might never be high enough for Alacrity to trigger. It would just make a lot more sense to eye Quick Riposte before Lyn's Infamous Wombo Combo™.

I do like the idea of Resolve's +7 to Louis' RES stat. Louis isn't impervious to chain attacks that either hit or miss, so seeing his HP whittle down from physical attacks is very much a thing. Plus, it grants a higher boost to his RES stat than Micaiah's and Camilla's buffs. And in speaking of direct buffs, boosting Louis' DEF stat even more just... feels like overkill; so maybe Ike's Def+ set isn't the best idea.

A direct HP boost from Corrin does guarantee that he'll be in the heat of battle for longer. It just feels wrong to have that take up a spot, though.

Moving on, this is where I feel a little iffy. Quick Riposte is a nice thought, but with so many other potential skills revolving around Louis' HP being below a threshold, I'm unsure if investing in that skill makes the most sense.

I mainly picked Keen Insight because Louis is going to be wielding a lance that is effective against SOMETHING. And if I attack with that, that +7 to the damage output post-calculation will come in handy.

And lastly, the idea of Chrom/Robin's direct boosts to my SPD and DEX stats is amazing, but that SP cost is too steep; and depending on what Emblem I pair Louis with, it might be useless. ...well, maybe not; these boosts do stack, but still.

So, I go from 17 to nine: Unyielding, Canter, Hit+, Hold Out, Vantage, Quick Riposte, Resolve, HP+, and Keen Insight.

There are multiple combos in this here pool:

Unyielding could always put me back within the threshold for Quick Riposte to trigger.

Hit+ would help me land a lot more brutal hits, which gets doubled with Quick Riposte as long as I'm topped up on health.

Hold Out would only need to trigger once for Vantage to kick in, but LAWD have mercy — that's one hell of a gamble.

Resolve would keep me in the fight longer, I'd boost my RES and, with Vantage, could take magic units out with less worry for my HP.

I'm not going to hold you, all these combos aren't for someone of my constitution. I'm just this close to just picking Hit+ and Quick Riposte and picking one of the Emblems for their defensive skill.

Patron Emblems

Roy does boost HP and RES, and Hold Out comes as a Sync Skill — so, that could also work with Vantage and Resolve. I also end up spending less SP in the long run. His Blazing Lion attack could also do pretty well.

Leif boosts Louis' DEF and HP pretty decently, and Vantage would come as a Sync Skill — meaning Hold Out and Resolve could come in and work together on an uncommon (yet still possible) scenario.

Ike boosts Louis' DEF and HP more than Leif, Resolve would come as a Sync Skill, which opens the door for me to consider other skills outside of the triple threat.

...and honestly, I came here to boost my RES stat, so Ike wins this battle. And if that's the case, then I'm keeping my Hit+/Quick Riposte idea.

Now, the thing about Dancers is that his stats, aside from Movement, are largely irrelevant because he should not be seeing any combat. But that doesn't mean that he can't be helpful in some situations. He can wield up to A-level arts, so that could be useful in breaking ranged foes. Let's see what I can cook up here.

Potential Inherited Skills

Marth’s Avoid+ set grants a direct bonus to a unit’s Avoid stat (max +30). Accumulative cost of 4,500 SP.

Marth’s Break Defenses allows the unit to make an extra attack at half the damage output if the unit initiates combat and breaks the foe. Costs 2,000 SP.

Marth’s Unyielding set lets the unit recover a certain percentage of HP at the start of the Player Phase if the unit’s HP was under a given threshold at the end of the Enemy Phase (max recovery = 40% of max HP). Accumulative cost of 300 SP.

Sigurd’s Canter set allows a unit to move up to three spaces after the unit takes an action (except using an item and Waiting). Accumulative cost of 2,000 SP.

Micaiah’s Resistance+ set grants a direct bonus to a unit’s RES stat (max +5). Accumulative cost of 2,000 SP.

Roy’s Hold Out set allows a unit to survive a fatal round of combat with one HP remaining if the unit’s HP was above a given threshold at the beginning of combat. Accumulative cost of 5,000 SP.

Lucina’s Dual Support grants a bonus to their adjacent allies’ Avoid stats that increases depending on the unit’s support level with the allies. Total bonuses issued cap at +90. Costs 2,000 SP.

Ike’s Defense+ set grants a direct bonus to a unit’s DEF stat (max +5). Accumulative cost of 2,000 SP.

Byleth’s Art Focus set grants a direct bonus to a unit’s Hit stat when the unit is equipped with an art (max +30) in exchange for a flat -10 to their Dodge stat. Accumulative cost of 1,000 SP.

Corrin’s HP+ set grants a direct bonus to a unit’s HP stat (max +15). Accumulative cost of 3,000 SP.

Corrin’s Quality Time set restores HP to a unit’s adjacent allies and increases that unit’s support level with them if the unit acts or waits near allies. (Max HP recovery +10.) Accumulative cost of 500 SP.

Eirika’s Lunar Brace set allows the unit to deal extra damage equivalent to a percentage of the foes’ DEF stat when the unit initiates combat with a physical attack. (Max damage = 30% of foe’s DEF.) Accumulative cost of 5,000 SP.

Veronica’s SP Conversion grants an extra 20 SP for each defeated foe. Triggers without a ring or bracelet equipped. Costs 300 SP.

Whittling Down

I'm a Bad Bitch, You Can't Kill Me... Maybe

Now here's the thing. Seadall avoiding combat on most occasions is sound in theory. But in practice, he could still be within the scope of long-ranged attacks from enemies despite being behind allied units. With that in mind, there is a strong case for him to inherit the Avoid+ skillset. That could supplement Canter, too.

He could use Canter to get out of dodge, and the Avoid+ skillset would assure that he doesn't get touched should he find himself in a compromising situation. Even though Avoid+ is expensive, it might make for a good pair. If I go this route, I should consider getting SP Conversion to make sure I have enough SP in enough time.

Another idea would be pairing Avoid+ with Unyielding. In the event that he does get touched, having that extra healing would come in clutch. Any remaining lost HP could be easily recovered by Jean, Anna, or Ivy.

One more idea would be pairing Avoid+ with Hold Out. It does seem nice; but in the event that an ambush happens and the worst takes place, I fear the skill might trigger too early given how squishy Seadall is. He might not survive an Enemy Phase with it. Not to mention that I'm already thinking about investing in the Avoid+ skills, which do cost a pretty penny already. I don't wanna spend more time on this game than I already am.

"You Won't Break My Soul"? More Like, "I'm Gon' Break This Foe"

Seadall could also help out with combat if he needs to. He wields arts, which breaks bow, tome, and knife users. Skills like Break Defenses, Lunar Brace, and Art Focus would come in handy — especially Lunar Brace given how low his STR stat is. But there are literally 13 other units that can deal a better damage output without having to break them. Plus, a break is a break as long as the damage output is more than one. I can get by without amplifying break damage.

Boosting Stats

If I didn't want to be elusive, I could just increase his DEF and RES with their respective skill sets. Or, alternatively, give boosts to his HP to increase his durability. But filling my inherited skill slots with stat boosters just feels like I'm not taking full advantage of them by not making them work with what Seadall already has.

Support Synergy

Case in point: Seadall's playstyle always involves him being near allies to dance for them. Skills like Dual Support and Quality Time require allies to do nothing but be nearby, AND they have synergy with his personal skill. That seems like more of a vibe.

Further Whittling

I started with 13 ideas and I leave with six: Avoid+, Canter, SP Conversion, Unyielding, Dual Support, and Quality Time.

The thing about Dual Support is that Seadall only has support levels with four units in my final 14; so only four people would be getting the value from that skill. With that in mind, Dual Support might not make the most sense.

Quality Time also increases support, but the HP recovery is universal. I don't necessarily mind the HP recovery, but I think it might be the most beneficial for the army if all healing took place after attacks and actions. Not to mention I'm already healing folks with Seadall's personal skill already and have three people that can use healing staves ready to go to work.

That leaves a potential trio: Avoid+, SP Conversion and either Canter or Unyielding. I'm kind of inclined to go for Canter because of the opportunity to get out of attack range, which is a stronger case that I would make for Unyielding, given what I said about Quality Time.

So, yeah — Avoid+, SP Conversion, and Canter it is! I use SP Conversion to see how fast I get the SP I need to get the best version of the Avoid skill and Canter will stay where it is once I get it!

Patron Emblems

If Kagetsu gets Byleth and Zelkov gets Camilla, that would leave Seadall with Chrom. And I'm not gonna hold you — I'm okay with that. I really don't care about the stat boosts, but the support Sync Skills that Chrom offers are nice for him to have, especially considering that he's always going to be nearby other allies in most occasions.

And WHAM. There's my final fourteen all planned out.

I'm looking at his stats, and while I'm happy with most of them, one of them sticks out like a sore thumb — RES. Now, I can either help it or ignore it. But with a stat that low and so far gone, I might just double down on physical attacks. Even if I bump up that RES stat, it won't be enough to survive an attack from a third-level tome spell like Bolganone. Let's see what skills I can glean.

Potential Inherited Skills

Marth’s Perceptive set grants a direct bonus to a unit’s Avoid stat when the unit initiates combat (max +30). The bonus increases by one point for every 4 SPD. Accumulative cost of 500 SP.

Marth’s Avoid+ set grants a direct bonus to a unit’s Avoid stat (max +30). Accumulative cost of 4,500 SP.

Micaiah’s Resistance+ set grants a direct bonus to a unit’s RES stat (max +5). Accumulative cost of 2,000 SP.

Roy’s Advance allows the unit to move one space toward a foe that is two spaces away and attack them. Costs 500 SP.

Leif’s Knife Precision set grants a direct bonus to a unit’s Hit and Avoid stat when the unit is equipped with a knife (max +15). Accumulative cost of 2,000 SP.

Lyn’s Alacrity set allows a unit’s follow-up attack to trigger before the foe counterattacks if the unit initiated combat with a given SPD advantage. (Required advantage: ≥9 → ≥7 → ≥5.) Accumulative cost of 3,000 SP.

Lyn’s Speedtaker grants a stacking +2 bonus to a unit’s SPD stat each time the unit initiates combat with a foe and defeats them (max +10). Lasts for the remainder of the battle. Costs 2,000 SP.

Corrin’s Draconic Hex inflicts -4 to a targeted foe’s basic stats after the unit initiates combat with them. Penalty shrinks by 1 each turn. Costs 2,000 SP.

Eirika’s Lunar Brace set allows the unit to deal extra damage equivalent to a percentage of the foes’ DEF stat when the unit initiates combat with a physical attack. (Max damage = 30% of foe’s DEF.) Accumulative cost of 5,000 SP.

Eirika’s Dodge+ set grants a direct bonus to a unit’s Dodge stat (max +30). Accumulative cost of 2,500 SP.

Eirika’s Gentility set reduces damage taken by a unit. (Max -5.) Accumulative cost of 3,000 SP.

Tiki’s Starsphere grants enhanced stat growth rates (+15% to all stats) when a unit levels up. Costs 1,500 SP.

Whittling Down

Making Zelkov an elusive little thing wouldn't take too much effort. His base Avoid stat is 56 without the bonus from weapons, terrain bonuses, and other skills. So giving him a bonus with Marth's skills like Perceptive or Avoid+ would make him more slippery the more that he levels up. But again, the Avoid set is just too expensive for me to consider investing in it outright.

But if I pair Perceptive with Knife Precision, he could make something shake. I have no idea how high a unit's Hit stat can be, but I have a feeling if I make Zelkov's Avoid stat go over 100 after all the calculations, that reduces a foe's hit rate to at least 50%. That's a pair I could actually consider, especially considering his personal skill reduces a foe's Hit stat by 10 every time he's in combat with them.

I did include Resistance+ here, but like I said before — Zelkov's RES stat is lower than T-Pain on that one Flo Rida song. Whatever boost I'd get from here wouldn't be significant enough to affect durability in the endgame. I'd be better off equipping something like Starsphere to increase the growth rate for that stat from 15% → 30%. Or better yet, Gentility to directly reduce how much damage he takes. And still... his Avoid stat is right there. I mean, look at it.

Using Zelkov to take care of approaching enemies with Advance seems like a fun idea; but if I'm gonna do that, then I'd prefer to kill them outright. And my fear here is knives being so light of a weapon that it won't do much damage. A unit with partial HP can still kill. But that's where Draconic Hex could kick in. Other units that foe attacks might be able to survive if the foe's basic stats are reduced. That might be a viable strategy.

I have faith in Zelkov out-speeding other foes in future level-ups, so the Lorcan One-Two Punch™ really serves no real purpose rather than to be the final nail in the coffin. There's other skills that cater more to what I think Zelkov needs.

Lunar Brace could be really useful. Knives aren't powerful weapons, and they essentially do chip damage against foes with high DEF stats. That amp in damage output could make for pretty meaty hits. However, I see nothing it might pair with. And Dodge+ suffers from the same problem.

Further Whittling

So, I started with twelve ideas and whittled them down to four: Perceptive, Knife Precision, Advance, and Draconic Hex. And truth be told, I might go with the former pair.

As a Thief, his class skill makes his Movement stat unfettered, which is where a good chunk of Advance's value can come in. And there are other folks in my army that are slated to get Draconic Hex, so it isn't the end of the world if one additional unit doesn't get it.

Perceptive and Knife Precision allow him to hit more enemies and dodge more attacks, which I honestly cannot complain about. There are my *winners*!

Patron Emblems

Honestly, it's a three-way tie between Byleth, Camilla, and Chrom. I guess the question here would be what I'd use on Zelkov and Seadall.

This is what I said about Kagetsu's Patron Emblem. And honestly, there's a strong case for Byleth here. As a Covert unit, he gives out SPD bonuses to adjacent allies, and some of them are in dire need of it. But the problem is, maps have chests hidden behind doors, and Thieves can get to them the fastest. There are going to be times where he's either a lone wolf or paired with someone who can deal damage. The Sync Skills he has in his pockets wouldn't get the most optimal use 100% of the time.

The same could be said for Chrom. His sync skills can help adjacent allies — except for Brute Force and Surprise Attack, which could be nice on Zelkov. I imagine this would be a nice middle decision if not for Camilla existing.

Camilla could also be a good fit for Zelkov. The boost to RES is nice, and the Dragon Vein ability gives him a better chance to dodge attacks and be more accurate (thanks to Zelkov being a Covert unit.) He'd be unfazed by negative terrain effects, AND critical hits would deal more damage. Definitely more fitting for the lone wolf, seeing as how that Dragon Vein effect might be indiscriminate, thus harming adjacent allies... except for the ones whose skill strats bank on HP being below a threshold?? Hmm...

Honestly, I could pair Zelkov with Camilla and Kagetsu with Byleth... which would leave Seadall with what, exactly...?

UPDATE: Seadall gets Chrom, which I'm okay with. As a result, Zelkov stays with Camilla and Kagetsu stays with Byleth!

Typically, Kagetsu is a pretty solid unit, but after looking at these stats, wowowow. He's nine levels into his pre-promoted class and his stats are looking like THAT. His DEX and SPD stats are cracked, though. Maybe I should focus on making him a crit machine or make him a Fellow King in Avoidance with Alear.

Potential Inherited Skills

Marth’s Perceptive set grants a direct bonus to a unit’s Avoid stat when the unit initiates combat (max +30). The bonus increases by one point for every 4 SPD. Accumulative cost of 500 SP.

Marth’s Avoid+ set grants a direct bonus to a unit’s Avoid stat (max +30). Accumulative cost of 4,500 SP.

Roy’s Sword Power set grants a direct bonus to a unit’s Attack stat when the unit is equipped with a sword (max +10) in exchange for a flat -10 to their Avoid stat. Accumulative cost of 5,000 SP.

Leif’s Vantage set allows a unit to counter before the foe’s first attack if the unit’s HP is below a certain threshold when the foe initiates combat. Accumulative cost of 2,000 SP.

Lyn’s Alacrity set allows a unit’s follow-up attack to trigger before the foe counterattacks if the unit initiated combat with a given SPD advantage. (Required advantage: ≥9 → ≥7 → ≥5.) Accumulative cost of 3,000 SP.

Lyn’s Speedtaker grants a stacking +2 bonus to a unit’s SPD stat each time the unit initiates combat with a foe and defeats them (max +10). Lasts for the remainder of the battle. Costs 2,000 SP.

Ike’s Wrath grants a +1 bonus to a unit’s Crit stat for every HP the unit has lost (max +30). Costs 2,000 SP.

Eirika’s Lunar Brace set allows the unit to deal extra damage equivalent to a percentage of the foes’ DEF stat when the unit initiates combat with a physical attack. (Max damage = 30% of foe’s DEF.) Accumulative cost of 5,000 SP.

Tiki’s Starsphere grants enhanced stat growth rates (+15% to all stats) when a unit levels up. Costs 1,500 SP.

Soren’s Keen Insight set adds a direct bonus to a unit’s damage output when the unit deals Effective damage. (Max +7.) Costs 1,500 SP.

Camilla’s Decisive Strike set adds additional damage to the foe after combat if the unit initiates combat and lands a critical hit. (Max +10.) Accumulative cost of 1,000 SP.

Chrom’s Brute Force adds an extra 33% of critical damage dealt by a unit if they initiate combat and land a critical hit. Costs 1,500 SP.

Whittling Down

If I want to go the Avoidance route, then I might be finding myself waiting for a crazy amount of time for the necessary SP to come around. Because good LORDT, that Avoid skillset is expensive. Perceptive is fine in that department, but that only applies to when Kagetsu initiates combat. Maybe I'm throwing the baby out with the bathwater here, but it'd be nice to have Avoid boosts that apply across all phases and turns. Let's see if there aren't any other ideas.

And I'mma tell you right now — Sword Power ain't one of those ideas. I don't want to take away from Kagetsu's potential to Avoid enemy attacks; and I don't know where I'm gonna find the time (or patience) to amass 5,000 SP.

I can see a world where Vantage and Keen Insight could work together. The units that might deal the most damage to Kagetsu could be armored units. And if he has something like an Armorslayer, he could get the last word in with Vantage and turn those words into coffin nails with Keen Insight. I'm just not sure that would be the scenario that would give the most amount of trouble most of the time.

The Lorcan One-Two Punch™ could be crazy for Kagetsu. His SPD is good enough for Alacrity to trigger on its own; so much so that I can argue that Speedtaker wouldn't be needed. But damn, wouldn't it be nice to have anyway! I have no idea what the late game foes' SPD stats are gonna be like.

I could just... throw out the idea of being a master of avoidance and just double down on Kagetsu being a critting critter... Crit-ter...? Critter...? Whatever. ANYWAY.

If I think about going the crit route, then I could give him a Killing Edge (or w/e it's called), refine that, then give him Wrath. That could make for a potential guaranteed Crit, which could be absolutely BANANAS. And from there, I have three options:

Make any damage that much meatier with Lunar Brace;

Add an additional damage bonus post-combat with Decisive Strike; or

Double down on massive crit damage by adding that extra third of crit damage with Brute Force.

But again, Lunar Brace's SP cost is SO. DAMN. EXPENSIVE. I almost don't want to touch it; it seems like Decisive Strike might do the thing I want just as well as Lunar Brace when I think about the contexts in which Lunar Brace is the most useful.

If I didn't want to include Wrath, I could just bank on his natural ability to crit and cackle like a goblin every time Decisive Strike and Brute Force activates. I see the cases for both skills.

If I do chip damage in combat but land a crit, Decisive Strike's value comes in full force. If I do attack with the opportunity to land meaty hits, Brute Force could give that extra boost necessary to confirm the kill. It's all a matter which scenario I've come across the most and just go from there.

The main reason I have Starsphere on here would be to help make sure that Kagetsu's lower stats get to somewhere decent by the end of the game. But Starsphere is a Sync Skill that unlocks at Bond Level 1 when you equip a unit with Tiki. Do I really need to spend 1,500 SP on something so short-term, especially when I can get that without having to spend Bond Fragments?

Further Whittling

With this, I go from twelve ideas to five: Alacrity, Speedtaker, Wrath, Decisive Strike, and Brute Force.

With as many ideas as I had for Kagetsu being a Critter, going with the Lorcan One-Two Punch™ feels like not-the-best idea. NOW, the question is whether I include Wrath or not. Having Wrath trigger at its most effective is scary, but I think I might want to include it. It does directly contribute to his Crit stat, which is what I came here to do.

With that said, do I refer to the question I asked before: Do I find myself causing more often with Kagetsu — chip damage or meaty hits? And my gut says that the latter answer is the correct answer. So with that, I think I have my two picks: Wrath and Brute Force! Now...

Patron Emblems

Byleth offers a SPD and LCK boost, which makes for good chances for his Sync Skills to trigger; which CAN make up for the sometimes undesirable hit rates of weapons made to crit. Not to mention that the support level between him and Alear can go up faster AND can have his stats level out faster with a modifier to his earned EXP.

Edelgard offers an extra boost to STR, which is welcome. The EXP bonus that the trio offers is the same as Byleth's, but the downside is that the Attack stat bonus will never trigger because neither Edelgard, Dimitri, nor Claude wields a sword.

Tiki offers bonuses to DEF, which is nice. She comes with the boosted growth rates, further boosts to the DEF and RES stats, the potential to heal, and a chance to never be on the receiving end of critical hits — all of which I don't mind at all.

Hector boosts STR and DEF, which is NICE. Quick Riposte comes as a Sync Skill, which offers a bonus tactic that has partial synergy with the two skills I picked. Adaptability is also nice, but Heavy Attack might never trigger. I don't care much for Piercing Glare, though.

Camilla gives me HP, SPD, and RES, which might be the best stat bonus layout here (because I could use all three). And, Decisive Strike would come as a Sync Skill; so I could take my cake and eat it too!

Chrom could be just as useful here. STR, DEX, and SPD are all welcome, Brute Force comes as a Sync Skill, and the Rally skill would come in handy.

Honestly, it's a three-way tie between Byleth, Camilla, and Chrom... with a preference toward Camilla. I guess the question here would be what I'd use on Zelkov and Seadall.

UPDATE: Zelkov ended up with Camilla, and Seadall ended up with Chrom. As a result, Kagetsu stays with Byleth!

The damage output is high, the skill belonging to his unique class offers some autonomy, and can be a tank despite being a backup unit. However, I notice that he is starting to balance out.

Potential Inherited Skills

Marth's Avoid+ set grants a direct bonus to a unit’s Avoid stat (max +30). Accumulative cost of 4,500 SP.

Marth's Perceptive set grants a direct bonus to a unit’s Avoid stat when the unit initiates combat (max +30). The bonus increases by one point for every 4 SPD. Accumulative cost of 500 SP.

Marth's Sword Agility set grants a direct bonus to a unit’s Avoid stat when the unit is equipped with a sword (max +30) in exchange for a flat -10 to their Crit stat. Accumulative cost of 4,000 SP.

Roy's Sword Power set grants a direct bonus to a unit’s Attack stat when the unit is equipped with a sword (max +10) in exchange for a flat -10 to their Avoid stat. Accumulative cost of 5,000 SP.

Roy's Hold Out set allows a unit to survive a fatal round of combat with one HP remaining if the unit’s HP was above a given threshold at the beginning of combat. Accumulative cost of 5,000 SP.

Leif's Vantage set allows a unit to counter before the foe’s first attack if the unit’s HP is below a certain threshold when the foe initiates combat. Accumulative cost of 2,000 SP.

Lucina's Dexterity+ set grants a direct bonus to a unit’s DEX stat (max +5). Accumulative cost of 2,000 SP.

Lyn's Alacrity set allows a unit’s follow-up attack to trigger before the foe counterattacks if the unit initiated combat with a given SPD advantage. (Required advantage: ≥9 → ≥7 → ≥5.) Accumulative cost of 3,000 SP.

Lyn's Speedtaker grants a stacking +2 bonus to a unit’s SPD stat each time the unit initiates combat with a foe and defeats them (max +10). Lasts for the rest of the battle. Costs 2,000 SP.

Ike's Resolve set grants a bonus to the unit’s DEF and RES stats if the unit’s HP is below a given threshold after combat (max +7). Accumulative cost of 2,000 SP.

Ike's Wrath grants a +1 bonus to a unit’s Crit stat for every HP the unit has lost (max +30). Costs 2,000 SP.

Eirika's Lunar Brace set allows the unit to deal extra damage equivalent to a percentage of the foes’ DEF stat when the unit initiates combat with a physical attack. (Max damage = 30% of foe’s DEF.) Accumulative cost of 5,000 SP.

Tiki’s Geosphere grants a boost to the DEF and RES stats of both the unit and their adjacent allies if the unit is nearby allies at the start of the Play Phase. (Max +5.) Accumulative cost of 1,000 SP.

Hector’s Quick Riposte set allows a unit to always follow up (if the weapon allows) if the unit’s HP is above a given threshold. Accumulative cost of 3,000 SP.

Veronica’s Reprisal set adds a certain percentage of lost HP to a unit’s Attack stat if the unit’s HP is not full. (Max 50% of lost HP.) Accumulative cost of 6,000 SP.

Whittling Down

Now, Diamant's personal skill will always trigger if he initiates combat and the foe can counter. That's a +15 to Hit for Diamant and anyone he fights. Getting the Avoid boosts would cancel that out, even at its base level. But at the same time, his personal skill only triggers when he initiates combat, so copping Perceptive ALSO makes sense; I could offset the Hit bonus only when the skill triggers. Not to mention that it's cheaper than both the Avoid set and Sword Agility.

Another approach would be the defenestration of that idea. I could just aim to tank the hits and/or overpower the foe. Sword Power is way too steep of an SP cost despite its maximum boost. Hold Out increases Diamant's life on the battlefield; but after I survive that one would-be fatal attack, he's done for unless I pair it with something like Vantage or Unyielding — at which point I feel like I'd be better off entertaining other ideas... but there's still potential for the strategy.

Speaking of Vantage, I think there's some room to work with there. If he's destined to be a tank, then I could bank my strategy on Diamant an even crazier killing machine the less HP he has. He could be under the threshold for Vantage to trigger, and from there I have two options:

Resolve could kick in, which makes Diamant harder to kill;

Wrath could kick in – with the right weapon, he could guarantee critical hits.

I'm more inclined to make him stronger over making him more of a tank; my world is better off with less enemies on the map. That makes Vantage and Wrath a combo for serious consideration.

Diamant's unique class's skill allows him to heal himself based on the damage he deals to a foe; and whether or not that skill triggers depends on how high his DEX stat is. So, there is a case for increasing his DEX stat with the Dexterity+ skills. And with the accumulative SP cost being as low as it is, it might prove to be beneficial to have. The problem is, every skill+ set are standalone skills; and I'm the type of person that prefers to have two sets of skills working together for a more viable strategy. I'm not against boosting DEX; but let's see what else there is.

His SPD is pretty decent, but he might need some help out-speeding foes in the late game. That's a strong point to inherit Speedtaker, BUT I'm unsure if I need Alacrity. The big question is whether or not Alacrity's reliance on Attack Speed makes it easier to nab a follow-up vs. banking on the natural required Speed difference to attack twice. I'm inclined to think Alacrity is valuable. A foe's speed might be greater than mine, but once I throw the foe's BLD stat and the Weight of their weapon into play, it may work out in my favor. I guess that's what makes Lyn's Wombo Combo a fan favorite.

Diamant could use the extra help that Lunar Brace offers, but he's pretty strong enough as it is. And the chances are that if a foe's defense is high, then their RES might be shit. So, I think I can get away with skipping on Lunar Brace.

If I position Diamant right in the formation, Geosphere might actually come in clutch for other allies like Louis and Boucheron. And, it is cheaper than Resolve, albeit it offering a lesser bonus. However, I'd rather not rely on all three of my strongest units being smushed together every single time the team splits up. Let's put Geosphere away.

Quick Riposte would actually go crazy on Diamant, especially with the Brave weapons that allow the unit to attack twice during one phase of combat. But if the rest of the strategies that I came up with rely on Diamant being below an HP threshold, then maybe Quick Riposte wouldn't be the best idea.

Reprisal could pair really well with skills like Wrath... okay, maybe only Wrath. But that SP cost is a little too steep. I worry that I might have to invest in SP Conversion in order to get those skills. I'd prefer not to have my two inherited skill slots be taken up by two skills that don't work with each other.

With all this in mind, I go from fifteen ideas to six: Perceptive, Vantage, Wrath, Dexterity+, Speedtaker, and Alacrity. Take me back to 2019, because I see three routes here.

I could go with Perceptive and Dexterity+; they're two standalone skills that don't work with each other. So it's not a dealbreaker, but it's definitely on the bottom of my hierarchy of wants.

Vantage and Wrath all bank on Diamant not being at full HP, which – let's be real – is very much a possibility. They work well together the better Vantage gets.

...and then there's the Lorcan One-Two Punch™. And I'm not gonna hold you — there are plenty of units that are gonna be fast enough to double. So, I think I'm fine with excluding a couple people from the fun.

This means Vantage and Wrath wins here! Now, to think about...

Patron Emblems

Honestly, I might just stick with Roy because any other Emblem I'd consider pairing him with is already planned to be with someone else. Roy grants boosts in HP, STR, and RES — all of which are welcome.

And on top of that, he comes with Hold Out as a Sync Skill; and when he's engaged with Roy, he levels up by five levels, which means his STR stat is going to go through the roof. Whoever steps in front of that man is dying.

Welp, Diamant, there's your strat!

Boucheron's DEX stat is actually pretty decent, but it looks like his STR could use a little work. I think that might be a tradeoff for his crazy HP, DEX, and BLD growth rates. Low strength, but heavy weapons he wouldn't whiff with don't slow him down at all.

My Boucheron looks like this right now, and uhh... yeah, the STR did get that work. I made him into a Warrior because I saw the opportunity to even his stats out a little bit. Plus, he's hits faster and more accurately than he would as a Berserker. The bare tiddie is an added bonus.

I did have to get him proficient in bows, though. Thanks for proficiency at Bond Level 3, Leif!

Potential Inherited Skills

The one thing that is screaming out at me is that DEF stat. If I can double down on his STR or his DEX while bolstering his DEF, then maybe I can get something started.

Marth's Avoid+ set offers a direct bonus (of up to +30) to a unit's Avoid stat at the cumulative cost of 4,500 SP.

Leif's Vantage skillset allows a unit to counter before a foe's first attack when the foe initiates combat if the unit is below an HP threshold at an accumulative cost of 2,000 SP.

Lyn's Alacrity skillset allows follow-up attacks to occur before a foe's counterattack during the Player Phase if the difference between a unit's AS and the foe's AS is above a certain threshold for the accumulative cost of 3,000 SP.

Lyn's Speedtaker grants a stacking +2 bonus to a unit's SPD stat (up to a max of +10) every time a unit initiates combat and defeats a foe for 2,000 SP.

Ike's Resolve skillset grants a boost to a unit's DEF and RES stat when a unit's HP drops under a certain threshold after combat for as long as they stay under that threshold for an accumulative cost of 2,000 SP.

Ike's Defense+ set grants a direct boost to a unit's DEF stat (of up to +5) at the accumulative cost of 2,000 SP.

Ike's Axe Power set grants a direct boost to a unit's Attack stat (of up to +10) at the flat cost of a -10 penalty to their Avo stat at the accumulative cost of 5,000 SP.

Whittling Down

Now, Boucheron's growth rate for SPD is decent, and dodging attacks is almost always better than taking hit; but as always, the steep SP cost is giving me pause. Plus, I doubled down on attempting to bolster his DEF stat. Maybe a thing to put in my pocket for later?

If in any case where shit can hit the fan and Boucheron's HP is down in the trenches (which is very much a possibility if his DEF doesn't get its shit together), Vantage can be a nice tool in the back pocket. This, however, would put Boucheron in a corner of the ring (so to speak) where he'd only be able to defeat foes when they're the ones that initiate the attack. Not the most comfortable position to be in.

Ideally, I would take enemy units off the map during the Player Phase, and Alacrity would guarantee that. But on the same side of the coin, Speedtaker would boost my speed enough to where Boucheron wouldn't need Alacrity to follow-up.

Given that Boucheron's BLD growth rate is crazy and that his BLD stat is decent (with several levels left to go), I can safely imagine that his BLD can surpass 17, which is the highest Weight out of all the things that a Warrior could wield; also, the cap for a Warrior's BLD stat is 20.

Yet... am I crazy for thinking that Alacrity also has synergy with Vantage?

...huh. Resolve can pair well with Vantage. My DEF and RES get a boost while under that HP threshold, and my attacks can pop off first during the enemy phase. That's a decent strat, albeit a difficult one to maintain at first.

Ike's DEF boosts might actually be viable here. It's relatively cheap SP-wise and fixes the issue I need to tend to. But on the other hand, it doesn't help much else — like Resolve does.

And the same thing that gives me pause about investing in the Avo skillset also applies to the Axe Power set. With all this in mind, my set of choices go from seven to five, which does not help me make my decision in the slightest: Vantage, Alacrity, Speedtaker, Resolve, and Defense+.

But before I make that decision, I might want to consider looking at Patron Emblems first.

Patron Emblems

Roy's massive STR boost and small RES buff can come in handy with Boucheron's stats. Not to mention that Advance can give him the upper hand on foes AND Hold Out might be helpful given his low DEF stat.

Leif can work with Boucheron. When engaged, he can switch freely between axes and bows; so if I equip him with the right weapons, I think he'd be a beast. Not to mention the boosts to his DEF and BLD stat. And when he pulls off a Quadruple Hit, that's an additional 50% damage to any hit that breaks the unit afterwards thanks to Merciless.

Lucina can allow him to chain attack anywhere with Dual Strike. AND with Dual Assist, that's extra damage that Boucheron might be able to get in in those instances where another unit can't do as much damage as I'd like.

Lyn's synergy with Boucheron's personal skill could be crazy. If Boucheron calls doubles, those doubles can chain attack the foe he's targeting regardless of where the user is. That's a big bonus to his damage output.

Ike can bolster Boucheron's DEF stat by a decent amount. Not to mention that Resolve and Wrath could turn him into an OTK machine.

Chrom/Robin's synergy could be the same as Lyn's. Other Half will kick in every time he's engaged. Not as crazy, but still useful!

The Big Decision

If I pair Boucheron with Lyn, then Alacrity and Speedtaker come as Sync Skills, which could make room for that Vantage/Resolve pair. I'm still waiting to see if there is anyone else who can benefit from Lyn more, but there is a strong case for Boucheron to be paired with her.

If I pair Boucheron with Leif, then Vantage comes as a Sync Skill. Leif would solve the DEF problem, which would allow me to throw in Speedtaker and Resolve. Can anyone make a better case for Leif to be paired with literally anyone else??

Shit, this has me crying like Boucheron.

UPDATE: I gave Lyn to Alcryst, which means Boucheron is stuck with Leif! Though, like I said in Alfred's post about Sigurd, I don't think that's a bad thing.

Honestly, Alfred could not have come fast enough. I was starting to get tired of Vander stealing what experience decided to come his way. And honestly, his growth rates aren't too terrible. I decided not to reclass him into anything other than his unique class because I'm lazy.

The main things that I need to obsess over are his SPD, RES, and BLD. And honestly, I kind of need to pick one and revolve my strategy around that.

His BLD is 10; the heaviest weapon that Alfred can wield as an Avenir is 12. I'm willing to leave Build alone; over the next eight levels he has to get, I trust that BLD can increase by two. And if he doesn't, there are items that I can use to resolve that problem. And if those items go to someone else who needs it more, then reclassing him to start over from scratch is always an option.

His RES, compared to everyone else, is in the middle of the road. I would like to believe that enemies are going to target other people with lower RES stats; so it isn't the end of the world if I leave that be.

Now, his SPD? That's what worries me the most. I might have to strategize around bolstering that stat. With that in mind, let's see what I can do with skills that bolster his SPD and give his attacks a little more oomph.

Inherited Skills

Marth's Unyielding skillset restores a unit's HP equal to the threshold necessary for the skill to trigger at the start of the next Player Phase for the accumulative cost of 300 SP. (40% HP threshold = 40% of max HP recovered)

Sigurd's Canter set allows a unit to move up to three spaces after initiating combat for the accumulative cost of 2,000 SP.

Sigurd's Momentum set adds +1 to a unit's attack for every space that unit travels before combat at the cost of 2,000 SP.

Sigurd's Lance Power set grants a direct bonus (of up to +10) to a unit's Attack stat at the flat cost of Avo -10 and the accumulative cost of 5,000 SP.

Micaiah's Resistance skillset grants a direct boost (of up to +5) to a unit's RES stat at the accumulative cost of 2,000 SP.

Roy's Hold Out skillset allows the unit to survive any round of combat with one HP remaining so long as the unit's HP at the beginning of the round is above a certain threshold for the accumulative cost of 5,000 SP.

Leif's Vantage set allows a unit to counter before a foe attacks if the foe initiates combat and the unit's HP is below a given threshold for the accumulative cost of 2,000 SP.

Lyn's Speedtaker grants a stacking direct +2 bonus to a unit's SPD stat every time a unit initiates combat against a foe and defeats them (up to a max of +10) for the cost of 2,000 SP.

Ike's Resolve grants a direct bonus (of up to +7) to a unit's DEF and RES stats as long as the unit's HP remains under a given threshold for an accumulative cost of 2,000 SP.

Byleth's Mentorship skill grants a 20% boost to experience earned after a round of combat to not only the unit but also adjacent allies for the cost of 350 SP.

Edelgard's Lineage grants a 20% boost to a unit's earned EXP for 150 SP.

Tiki's Starsphere grants an additional 15% to a unit's growth rates for 1,500 SP.

Hector's Quick Riposte always guarantees a follow-up attack against a foe in the Enemy Phase if the unit's HP is above a certain threshold at the accumulative cost of 3,000 SP.

Camilla's Spd/Res+ grants a direct boost (of up to +5) to a unit's RES and SPD stats for an accumulative cost of 4,800 SP.

Unyielding recovers HP below a certain threshold, but with three healers on deck, I'm unsure if that's something I can really get behind.

Canter is an absolute must-have for my mounted units. However, one of my ideas regarding Alfred's Patron Emblem was Sigurd, which means that both Canter and Momentum are going to be Sync Skills. I did invest in base-tier Canter already, but maybe I should consider other ideas before I double back.

And now, we come to the part where I eliminate a bunch of ideas because the accumulative SP cost is too steep! But also, I have other reasons. The following skills can sashay away:

Lance Power+ robs Alfred of the opportunity to avoid as many incoming attacks as he can — not to mention that I'm trying to bolster SPD and improve his Attack stat. This embraces one at the cost of another.

Spd/Res+ solves two problems at once; but depending on what Emblem I equip him with, I might not have this problem.

If Alfred is really hurting so bad before an Enemy Phase that Hold Out triggers, I'm doing a bad job with my healers.

Alright, moving on.

Every basic stat boost skill comes at too steep of an accumulative cost; I'm typically against the idea of spending the SP for that. But the cost for Micaiah's Res+ boosts aren't all that terrible.

I can see Vantage having synergy with Quick Riposte. When Vantage triggers, Quick Riposte allows Alfred to follow up, which is a chance to kill. But am I really going to let my husband Alfred get below that HP threshold before the next Enemy Phase? That question can also apply to Resolve.

I can see Speedtaker playing a legitimate role here. Even though Alfred may not attack twice, OTKs are still a very real possibility. It fixes his SPD stat, and if the +10 buff allows him to attack twice, then I might not need to worry about his Attack stat.

If I wanted to speed up growth, then Mentorship, Lineage, and Starsphere can also be really clutch. It'll take less time for him to get the level-ups Alfred needs. But is all that SP really worth spending for something so short-term, at least relatively speaking?

With all this in mind, my list of 14 whittles down to five: Resistance+, Vantage, Quick Riposte, Resolve, and Speedtaker. The thing about Vantage, Quick Riposte, and Resolve is all three of those skills require Alfred to be below the threshold for all of these skills to trigger, which doesn't sit right with me. And if I eliminate those those three, then I'm left with:

Resistance+ and Speedtaker.

Other Build Ideas

If I did feel brave about keeping Alfred below HP thresholds, then any combo between Vantage, Quick Riposte, and Resolve would be insane.

If I felt like going the extra mile, then I can imagine any combo using Mentorship, Lineage, and Starsphere would be nuts as well.

Patron Emblems

Sigurd has Canter and Momentum as Sync Skills and boosts his BLD to eliminate the second half of the AS equation. Unlocking his second Engage Weapon also gives him a +5 bonus to his RES stat, which he needs desperately. AND, that frees up one skill slot for anything else.

Micaiah is an... idea. I'd gain an extra healer with the ability to heal himself at the same time; I could Engage and pull a Great Sacrifice for an easy level up, foregoing any magic attacks; and the +5 to his RES would also be nice.

Roy is an idea in the same way that Micaiah is. He could benefit from the small boost to his RES and the Hold Out skill could prove to be useful in clutch situations.

Leif provides a bigger bonus to BLD, his Engage Weapon allows for follow-up attacks when Engaged (which renders his SPD stat moot for as long as the Engage meter lasts,) and Vantage comes as a Sync Skill.

Lucina can offer a +4 SPD buff. Plus, having a non-Backup unit that can chain attack would be nice.

Lyn has a bigger boost to SPD, I wouldn't have to worry about getting Speedtaker, and Alacrity comes in as a bonus.

Camilla offers boosts in SPD and RES, but I'm failing to think of anything else I could do here.

Chrom/Robin also offers a SPD boost, but it seems like someone in more of a support role would benefit more from equipping that bracelet.

So really, it's a three-way tie between Sigurd, Leif, and Lyn. And honestly, I'm okay with whatever Emblem here. Of course, my two skill picks change depending on who I pair with him. Let's see what else there is.

UPDATE: I ended up giving Leif to Boucheron, and Lyn to Alcryst. So this would mean that Alfred is stuck with Sigurd! Though, I don't think that's a bad thing.

The thing about archers is that their HP, DEF, and RES are the worst thing about them; but "worst" here doesn't mean that they're objectively shit. Alcryst can take some hits. But if I have to prioritize one thing over another, I would probably look at DEF.

Or, alternatively, I could boost his speed and double down on his potential to follow up. Alcryst being his unique class allows him to ignore half of the enemy's defense (if his DEX stat lets him.) AND, his STR increases if his personal skill triggers. If he always follows up, that pair could be even nastier.

Potential Inherited Skills

Marth's Avoid+ set grants a max direct bonus of +30 to a unit's avoid stat. Accumulative cost of 4,500 SP.

Sigurd's Canter set allows a unit to move up to three spaces after initiating combat. Accumulative cost of 2,000 SP.

Roy's Strength+ set grants a max direct bonus of +6 to a unit's STR stat. Accumulative cost of 6,000 SP.

Leif's Build+ set grants a max direct bonus of +5 to a unit's BLD stat. Accumulative cost of 2,000 SP.

Lucina's Bow Agility set grants a max bonus of +30 to a unit's Avoid stat at the flat cost of -10 to a unit's crit chances and the accumulative cost of 2,000 SP.

Lyn's Alacrity set allows a unit's follow-up attack to pop off before a foe's counterattack during a Player Phase if the difference between both parties' AS stat is above a given threshold. Accumulative cost of 3,000 SP.

Lyn's Speedtaker grants a stacking +2 bonus to a unit's SPD stat (up to +10) every time that unit initiates combat and defeats a foe. Costs 2,000 SP.

Eirika's Lunar Brace set allows a unit's attacks to deal an extra amount of damage equal to a set percentage of the foe's DEF stat when initiating combat for the accumulative cost of 5,000 SP.

Edelgard's Weapon Sync set grants a max direct bonus of +7 to a unit's Attack stat if the unit is equipped with the same weapon type as the paired Emblem. Accumulative cost of 5,000 SP.

Hector's Quick Riposte set guarantees the unit will follow-up as long as the unit's HP is above a certain threshold for the accumulative cost of 3,000 SP.

Chrom's Rally Spectrum set grants the unit to give a max bonus of +3 to all allies' basic stats as long as the allies are within a two-square radius of the unit. Accumulative cost of 2,000 SP.

Whittling Down

I really do not see any reason for getting the Avoid bonuses when Bow Agility is right there. Plus, I'm thinking I could make up for the crit deficit in other ways. And even if I don't crit, Alcryst is most likely going to kill whatever unit confronts him. And he'll survive it, too.

I already invested in Canter. It seems like a good idea for him to just be in and out, especially considering his personal and class skill.

I don't think that I need to worry all that much about buffing Alcryst's STR stat. If I position him the right way, the personal and class skills can be enough for a kill. That puts the Strength bonus and Lunar Brace out of the question.

Given his STR stat and his bonuses, Speedtaker might always trigger, which sets the stage for Lyn's one-two punch.

The thing about Weapon Sync is that... well, two things. The SP cost makes me want to cry, but also this skill would only work if Alcryst was paired with Claude (Edelgard) or Lyn. This would lock in Lyn for Alcryst, which gives me pause.

Quick Riposte would allow me to follow up regardless of AS differences, but Alacrity and Speedtaker will always be a thing that hits harder, albeit for more.

There's no real reason for Rally Spectrum to be here. I just think it'd be cool if Alcryst gave back his little stat boosts.

So, I go from eleven to four: Canter, Bow Agility, Alacrity, and Speedtaker. Now, my thoughts naturally lead to thinking about...

Patron Emblems

If I pair Alcryst with Lyn, Alacrity and Speedtaker could come as Sync Skills, which would free up the space for Canter and Bow Agility. That's a p strong case for Lyn being with Alcryst, but I know that I'm also considering Lyn for Clanne, Alfred, and Boucheron.

But, I would only be using Alfred for the speed boosts; and I think only Speedtaker would be useful for Boucheron. And it'd be nice for Clanne to have Lyn, but he doesn't really need her to do his job. There's more sense to giving Lyn to Alcryst. Not to mention this would make a lot of other decisions for me.

If I give Alcryst to Lyn, that leaves Lucina as the only candidate for Clanne; it would also make Leif the only candidate for Boucheron. And if Leif is going to Boucheron and Lyn is going to Alcryst, that would leave Alfred with Sigurd, which I don't mind at ALL.

CLANNE: Lucina or Lyn

ALFRED: Sigurd or Leif or Lyn

BOUCHERON: Leif or Lyn

ALCRYST: Lyn

Looks like I have a plan.