Welp, after a few major hurdles, I finally Mastered the last of the 5* Magicites: Ark.

And how did I do it? Well, an Awakening and two MOBA immigrants, that's how!

Spoiler: Party Compo
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Rem, lv. 99; Seraphim Mace (8*), Academy Uniform, Bitter Earring; Holy R3, De'Dia R5; LM2, LMR, +Much Weak
FuSoYa, lv. 99; El Dorado (8*), Hermit's Robes, Sarah's Necklace; Holyja R2, De'Diaja R4; LM2, LM1, +Weak
Fina, lv. 99; Reincarnation, Fina's Clothes, Shadow Armlet; Curada R5, Entrust R3; LM2, LM1; Knight's Charge
Tama, lv. 99; Ogrenyxes (ART), Hermes' Suit, Angel Ring; Ultra Cure R5, Curaise R5; LM2, LM1, Battleforged
Edward, lv. 99; Parrying Daggers, Light Robe, Blitzball Stadium; Divine Dirge R4, Allegro con Moto R3; LM2, LM1, MM
RW: Fabula Raider (Elarra)
Magicite: Lakshmi lv. 99 (-DRK lv. 10, +Heal lv. 10); Mateus lv. 99 (BW lv. 8, -WND lv. 10), Famfrit lv. 99 (SpW lv. 8, -FIR lv.8), Quetzalcoatl lv. 99 (Fast Act lv. 8, -WTR lv. 10), Madeen lv. 99 (+CRIT lv. 10, +Holy lv. 15)

SBs: Rem USB1, Rem AOSB, FuSoYa Holy Wake, FuSoYa BSB, Fina Sync, Fina WHM/SUP Wake, Fina Glint+, Tama BSB, Spoony Bard Holy Chain

So, what made this a victory over the rest? Well, for one, Fina's an amazing healer - mini-Medica on Support, QC1 on WHM, her Wake has a mini-Medica and her Sync has a mini-Medica on CMD 2, which syncs to a WHM OR SUP ability. Thus, by the time I fired her Sync, she was basically Entrusting everyone every turn.

However, the real hero of this fight was...Tama!? Yeah. Mascot character happens to have a BSB with Holy Radiant Shield, and that helps a lot with Ark's major issue - that is, (Savage) Eternal Darkness. The issue with (Sav.) ED is that it screws your Magic and Mind, and because of the heavy defenses against Physical, it basically kills your damage potential. However, if Ark then hits himself for near-9k each turn thanks to a combination of Weakness, Chain and Holy Radiant Shield, then damage becomes a bit more constant. The trick, of course, is to know when to time everything to deal maximum damage - such as, for example, time the AOSB to hit at maximum power!! (Which of course, I didn't.) That said, because of the Imperil AND Chain build-up, FuSoYa's Wake did quite a bit of damage - particularly at Max Imperil, in which case I let lose with Holyja. Rem also helped a lot, particularly because of W-Casting WHM attacks with her LMR fired in-between.

That said...it took me over a minute to beat it. Really - Magic Holy is busted to all heck. It's like they beg you to bring Hope. And of course, I won't bring Whiny Boy to my Magic Holy team. I mean, if I considered friggin' Tama (a mascot character!!) over Whiny Boy, that tells you leagues! However, the biggest surprise of all here was Fina, who could pull her punches quite spectacularly. (Shame I couldn't get anything else for Rain and Lassworm Lasswell.


Also: did the other 40x draws...hold on a sec. I didn't post any of my 40x draws? Geez, I've been out for a while. Let's do the highlights, then:
  • Dorgaan's Stoneblade!! This is his +Earth sword, and his Wake. Got a dupe out of it, though.
  • FuSoYa's Hermit's Robes!! This is his, as previously mentioned, Holy Wake. It's your usual fare, but for the most part, it's a solid boost to damage.
  • Lion's Beetle Knife! This is her Glint+. Don't ask me what it does.
  • Seymour's Assault! This is his USB. Again, don't ask.
  • Locke's Gladius! This is his Fire OSB, a rather oldie but goodie bit.
  • Auron's Echo Bracer! This is his EnFire Glint, which works just like the others.
  • Faris' Thief's Gloves! This is her LMR, which grants EnWind on start. Great for when she's doing a tour on a Wind team, or just to make good use of Storm Assault.
  • Seifer's Almasy Twin Lance! This is one of his USBs, specifically the one that boosts his ATK/DEF and grants IC1 to all allies. Not too shabby!
  • Tifa's Rune Claws! As you could expect, this is her Sync - the one that started the Sync era. Sync 1 is an iteration-based attack that syncs with Earth skills, Sync 2 is an attack that boosts Monk damage, and syncs with Monk skills. This means - use CMD2 for +Monk and Spirited Dispatch, use CMD1 for huge damage buildups.
  • Warrior of Light's Crystal Shield! This is his LMR...3? In any case, it's a great one. It's a Chaser that triggers when you get hit by any attack, and what it does is a 5-hit Holy/NE attack that also heals an ally for 1.5k HP. Now, this doesn't trigger on an attack; it triggers when YOU get hit, and it can be by a NAT attack. Couple this with, say, someone like Cecil, or Ceodore, who have abilities that heal on hit, and you get a surprisingly strong way to keep your endurance.
  • Tama's Bib! This is her (Tama's a her, right?) LMR, which grants Guts on a healing WHM skill. This is pretty nice considering she'll mostly work as a healer.
  • Celes' Lightbringer! This is her BSB1, which is one of the few native damage boosters for Team VI. What it does is pretty simple - Boostga/Faithga, EnHoly and two SPB attacks, one Holy/Fire and one Holy/Ice. It also references her Opera scene, which is magnificent.
  • Guy's Demon's Axe! This is his USB, which is pretty pisspoor since it's mostly +ATK/DEF and moderate Monk boost, so you'll hit hard but you still rely on your skills and whatnot.
  • Rufus' Winchester R! This is his USB, which I got from none other than a Daily Draw. What it does is interesting - it's a PHY-based Dark Imperil which has a Dark Imperil chaser, so it makes him a rather interesting Physical Dark Imperiller.
  • Tama's Faerie Tail! This is her(?) USB, which I got from the Anima Lens' shop. It's good, because it's an IC Medica with Guts and Reraise. Nothing too interesting, but IC Medica + Last Stand is pretty much standard fare for healers nowadays.
  • Lasswell's Wok of Choice! This is his Glint+, which I got as part of the draws from the FFBE event. It's a pretty simple EnIce with QC2. It'd be nicer if I got something else from him, though.
  • Rain's Chocobo Armor! This is his Glint, which has an interesting element: Twin Element mode. What it does is simple: next attack you make, you get EnElement for that element. Rain applies this to Fire and Earth, so you have a chance to go EnFire or EnEarth. Again, great if I had another of his SBs.
  • Warrior of Light's Guise! This is his USB1, which grants EnHoly and a +Knight Boost that ends up in a Finisher that breaks damage cap. Not the greatest, particularly since I have his much better USB3, but at least it's a +Holy heavy armor.
  • Tidus' Double-Edge! This is a bonafide Water Chain, the Physical Gen 1 chain to be precise. Despite its age, I'm pretty proud of getting it.
  • Strago's Wizer Staff! This is his USB, which I believe has a Water chaser down the line.
  • Gau's Guise! This is his Wind/Lightning AOSB, of the 20+1 variety.
  • Ramza's Diamond Shield!! If you're aware of it, this is the Physical Holy Gen 2 Chain, which I was looking for almost desperately. As usual, it's a Boostga of the same kind as his original Shout. Got it on a Holy ticket, BTW.


All in all, a pretty hefty haul. Between Holy Chain and O'Light's new LMR, I managed to take Deathgaze to sub-30 as well. Now, on to Odin and eventually 6* Magicites.