Random Chaos

Well, hell, don’t ask me this question if you don’t expect me to be nerdy!  I will warn you now that my answer will be quite wordy.

I change assists like I change socks—in other words, enough that no one’s running the same rotation for more than 48 hours.  When I change equipment, I change assists.  When I change builds, I change assists.  When I plan for different types of runs (like the HURRY UP I NEED MEGALIXERS build I’ve gotten set up with Mateus) I change assists.

Depending on who I’m facing—and therefore whose head I have to mess with—I change assists.

Depending on my moveset, I change assists.

Depending on my crack-pairing mood at the time, I change assists.

Depending on the pattern the AI’s picked up (in the Labyrinth that is) I change assists.

I’m like Lady Gaga when it comes to assists—you NEVER know what to expect, even when you think you have an idea.

Now that that’s been said, I do have a few favorite assist combinations.

BTW:  Feel free to steal combinations.  I’ll be listing my favorite assists in general afterward in a second part.

*If you’d like me to test more combinations, let me know!

Surprisingly, not all of them are shippy.  Most of them are practical arrangements.

Fave combo:  Mateus with Siegfried WoL

Actually, let me say this first before I extoll the virtue (vice?) of this team:  Mateus, thanks to his playstyle, is uniquely suited for assist!abuse builds.  The constant laying of traps ensures that his Assist Gauge doesn’t have the time to deplete.  Further rendering this combination broken is the fact that his signature weapons increase EX Intake range—he gets the best of both situations.

Mateus’s traps are largely stationary.  With a few placed, there’s almost a guarantee that WoL connecting with an aerial assist strike will knock your foe into at least one of them (most commonly a stationary Flare)—if you’re exceptionally good or exceptionally lucky, the bastard will ping-pong off of several.  There’s something deliciously satisfying about that.  He also runs good interference when you’re working on casting a Starfall.

Is it shippy?  …Not unless there’s mind control involved.  Purely a practical match-up.

Close Second:  Terra with Kuja

I will admit—I put these two together just to be shippy the first time.  Then I watched them in action.

This pair manages mid-to-long range combat with grace and aplomb; Terra’s surprising damage output with Kuja’s multi-hit combinations puts up a series of really big numbers in a very short amount of time.  What’s further, when Kuja’s combos hit, it gives Terra ample time to drop Graviga—quite possibly her most over-powered spell, capable of a three-digit crit at level 19.  Normally at that level you’re still working your ass off for two-digit hits over 70, but this combination, properly executed, can pull down a 239 damage crit at level 19.

The kicker?  If Kuja’s combos hit, it counts as a hit during Holy Combo.  Even if you don’t land your initial Holy, Kuja’s combos—probably because they start with a variety of Holy as well—will allow you to continue the chain into Flare and Ultima.

Is it shippy?  Hell, I’m tempted to call them Mama and Papa Ultima after watching them in action.  It’s easily the most graceful fight you can manage in Dissidia.

Up Next:  Kuja with Jecht

Beefcake, meet bishie.

Kuja’s attacks require some plotting, and in the case of Seraphic Star and Force Symphony, a little bit of precision.  Enter Jecht, the greatest Blitzer there is—at least he says so.  Almost all of Jecht’s attacks tend to send the opponent straight into either the ground, or straight into the wall.

Normally this would present a problem.  That is, until you remember that, here in Duodecim, there’s no wallcrash-induced invincibility frames to worry about.  Your foe is just a poor bastard (possibly with a sexy pose working) stuck against a wall.  And that’s when you shoot.  =D  Ultima?  Don’t mind if I do.

Is it shippy?  I’m a Kujecht/Jechtja fan, so yeah XD

Joining the Fray: Kain with Sephiroth

A strange combination, yes.  Big men with big weapons, this combination is about finesse.  Kain’s lance and Sephiroth’s sword can set up some devastating combinations.  Problem is, unless you’ve been a Kain mainer (GHK.  CAN’T STOP RHYMING) for quite some time, it is damn hard to land his HP attacks.  That’s where Sephiroth comes in.

Sephiroth’s assist BRV attacks land a lot of hits in a short span of time—and trigger the Assist Chase.  Timing it right, you can port in close enough to land an easy Gungnir.  If you’re exceptionally high up, you can go big and try for a Sky Rave instead—but that’s far less likely to hit.  Even Rising Drive is more likely to hit, but it’s best to start that combination on the ground—you want as much space between you and the ceiling as possible

Is it shippy?  Uh…only if you have dark!Kain handy.