Introduction

As part of a celebration for the latest Final Fantasy game, Yama P decided to roll the FF Collab REM numerous times and buff the monsters he rolled. This type of randomization buffs can be somewhat frustrating as we may have the wrong cards being improved or those who do not need them; however, you can simply view these as an additional bonus as the Final Fantasy Collab is already one of the best to date.

This post will be showcasing all the buffs and the impact they may have on those cards and how to make the most of them. My Final Fantasy Review will also be updated very soon to reflect these changes.

I do not know how long it will take for these buffs to come to NA/EU and I can only presume it will be soon and ideally before the Collab is over.

Video commentary

—video goes here—

Buffs

Noctis

Physical / Attacker
 
 
  
6 star base
—-
4  
+1 combo for 1 turn
7 turn CD
—-
1.5x HP/ATK/RCV but cannot erase 3 connected orbs. 3x ATK with 3 combos. 6x with 6+ combos
2.25x HP / 81x ATK / 2.25x RCV
1.5x HP/ATK/RCV but cannot erase 3 connected orbs. 4x ATK with 3 combos. 7x with 6+ combos
2.25x HP / 110.25x ATK / 2.25x RCV

Noctis now scales significantly faster as the combo clause is a modest issue when you are unable to connect 3 orbs. This also means he is able to deal up to 110.25x ATK and results in higher burst damage that may reduce the need to bring a damage enhancing active. Quite powerful overall

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Lightning

Attacker / Healer / + GOD
 
 
 +  
+500 HP
6 star base
—-
        + 10,000 true damage to all enemies
10 turn CD
—-
4x ATK when matching 4 colours, 5x when matching 5 colours. 2.5x ATK / 2x RCV when clearing 5 connected light orbs.
156.25x ATK / 4x RCV
4x ATK when matching 4 colours, 5x when matching 5 colours. 2.5x ATK / 2.5x RCV when clearing 5 connected light orbs.
156.25x ATK / 6.25x RCV

Lightning’s buffs are some of the most significant as the addition of a SBR  greatly eases team building as that was her main drawback. In addition, the additional 500 HP translates into +1,150 for dual leaders and the +15% HP badge as you now have more than enough recovery. Outside of a leadership role, the additional God typing means you can use Lightning as a “bad” Dark Kali  on Ra Dragon  teams. I say “bad” because Lightning has inferior awakenings by comparison, but it is at least a viable option.

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Tifa

Attacker / Physical

 
  
+200 HP & 80 RCV
6 star base
—-
 
35% damage reduction for 3 turns
8 turn CD
—-
5x ATK, 2x RCV when erasing 7+ connected fire or light orbs. 7×6 board
25x ATK / 4x RCV
2x ATK / 2x RCV when erasing 6 connected fire or light orbs. 5x ATK / 5x RCV for 7 connected fire or light orbs. 7×6 board
25x ATK / 25x RCV

Tifa gained quite underwhelming buffs as the stat increases are nice, but the leader leader skill improvement is lackluster. Tifa is generally best when paired with other higher multiplier leaders and no increase to her own offensive capabilities is unfortunate. You are able to proc some damage on fewer orbs and being able to trigger RCV on a 6-clump of fire may be worthwhile. The massive 5x RCV is somewhat overkill as 2x is usually sufficient to restore yourself to full health. Finally, Tifa is still unable to be paired with colour cross leaders.

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 Vaan

Attacker / Physical

  +    
5 star base
—-
T Row  
B Row 
1 turn haste
12 turn CD
—-
2x HP / 1.5x ATK for Light attribute. 2x ATK clearing 4+ connected fire orbs
4x HP / 9x ATK
2x HP / 1.5x ATK for Light attribute. 3x ATK clearing 4+ connected fire orbs
4x HP / 20.25x ATK

Vaan was in somewhat of an awkward place as having both rows and TPA results in wasted awakening slots. The addition of two more light rows makes him an appealing card for mono light teams as his active is reasonable due to the fact it guarantees a row in a place where you do not hoard orbs. The generated fire can be used in conjunction with Wedding Akechi  or NY Hanzo . The leader skill buff is not significant.

---

 Shantotto

Attacker / Devil

  +    
5 star base
—-
T Row  
B Row 
1 turn haste
12 turn CD
—-
2.5-3.5x ATK for matching 5-7 connected wood or dark orbs
12.25x ATK
2.5-34x ATK for matching 5-7 connected wood or dark orbs
16x ATK

Shantotto is a little silly now with a total of 9 row awakenings. This screams inherit Cameo  as Shantotto alone will provide (1 + (0.3*7)) = 3.1x ATK and you most certainly will have other subs. Just make sure you bring some orb enhancing  subs to diversify your damage.

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Terra

Attacker
5 star base

  
  + 
—-
L Column  
R Column  
1 turn haste
8 turn CD
—-
1.5x HP Attackers. 3x ATK fire/light combo
2.25x HP / 9x ATK
1.5x HP Attackers. 3.5x ATK fire/light combo
2.25x HP / 12.25x ATK

The buffs to Terra are a little dissapointing, but this may be because she was already in a reasonably powerful place. A single skill boost is quite lackluster and really does not change much for your team. A boost to her stats would have been better.

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Bartz

Balance

  +    
5 star base
—-
R&L Column   
1  turn haste
10 turn CD
—-
1.5x HP Balance type. 3x ATK with 2+ wood combos
2.25x HP / 9x ATK
1.5x HP Balance type. 3.5x ATK with 2+ wood combos
2.25x HP / 12.25x ATK

Bartz gaining a third TPA is a significant boost to his damage output and would make a wonderful addition on a TPA oriented wood team. Which does not exist outside of Kaede . However, Acala  teams are going to love Bartz even more for his two wood cross producing active. The passive 15% light damage reduction is a bit of a mystery to me as there is no large light preemptive at this point in time.

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Zidane

Attacker

 
 +  
5 star base
—-
10% increase chance for wood and light orb skyfall. 1 turn haste
7 turn CD
—-
1.5x HP/ATK/RCV Attacker types. 4-6 connected wood orbs 1.5-2.5x ATK
2.25x HP / 14.06x ATK / 2.25x RCV
1.5x HP/ATK/RCV Attacker types. 4-6 connected wood orbs 1.5-3x ATK
2.25x HP / 20.25x ATK / 2.25x RCV

Zidane will always be plagued by his dual skyfall active as it dilutes your potential for favourable orbs falling down as no present team exists that requires those two colours. The additional awakenings are nice but Zidane will be passed over for stronger subs.

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Tidus

Physical

  +   
5 star base
—-
1.5x water ATK + 1 turn haste
7 turn CD
—-
1.5x HP Physical type. 3x ATK when clearing 6+ water orbs
2.25x HP / 9x ATK

With the addition of 2 more water rows and a skill boost, Tidus is now a respectable mono water option. The sheer passive damage he brings is unparalleled. Furthermore, you can easily inherit a stronger active on top of his modestly short 7-turn cooldown

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 Rinoa

Healer / Devil

 
 +  
5 star base
—-
5,000 HP heal
3 turn binds cleared -> 4 turns bind clear
1 turn haste
7 turn CD

2x ATK for water ATK. Up to 3x for 3 water combos
36x ATK
2x ATK for water ATK. Up to 4x for 3 water combos
64x ATK

Rinoa has gone from okay to Fantastic with these buffs and hers are one of the most significant from the Final Fantasy Collab. The additional recover bind  grants her additional utility as you can now form a row of hearts to clear 3 turns of binds. In addition, her active skill is now able to clear 4 instead of 3 turns of binds while providing the 5,000 heal and single turn of haste. However, it is the change to her leader skill that is most exciting. Rinoa is now able to scale up to 8x ATK with 3 water combos and rivals Sarasvati  for maximum damage. To compensate for the lower multiplier, Rinoa is bind immune while providing utility Sarasvati does not (outside of Time Extend). This opens up opportunities for a Rinoa + Sarasvati pairing to form an 80x ATK team that has built in bind recovery.

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Aemo

Healer / God
  +      
4 star base
—-
1 turn haste-> 2 turns haste
Free orb movement for 8s -> 8s Change the World
12 turn CD
—-
1.5x HP/ATK/RCV Healer types.
2.25x HP / ATK / RCV

Aemo was the only four star to be buffed and it is a shame because she is still weak. Her active skill is essentially a two turn haste in this age of ample time extends and the passive 15% dark and wood damage reduction is reasonable, but does not justiy Aemo’s usage. With a 12 turn base cooldown, it is also challenging to inherit something on top of her.

Conclusion

The Final Fantasy buffs are nice as they are upgrades that did not have to occur. They may not have made an impact on the cards that desperately needed them, but a buff is a buff and some cards like Rinoa have gained significant viability. I do not know when these changes will go live and I will make the presumption that they will occur before the Collab goes away.

Which of these changes are you most excited about?

Happy Puzzling!