Post by Dale on May 27, 2012 11:29:47 GMT -8
Ha! This time around, I'm starting the thread! Make your rankings and/or predictions for Bob's upcoming season in this thread!
So here are my pre-race rankings and predictions:
1. Gabranth & Basch: I'm putting these two at the top of the list as my (pre-race) projected winners simply because I do not see anyone touching them. They're both physical powerhouses with power to spare. I can see them dominating every task involving pure muscle like Biran & Yenke and Tidus & Wakka. However, what I see these two possessing that neither one of those other two teams did is actual intelligence, as well. They'll be good at both physical and mental tasks and go a long way in this race. Long enough to win, I'm wagering.
2. Fang & Vanille: Second through fourth place are actually very interchangeable to me. But I'm putting the season's sole all-female team in second place because of their many pros. Both are young, fit, and strong due to their l'Cie experiences. Fang can definitely work things out physically, and Vanille would be good for mental tasks (so long as they're not too mental). They also have a great bond and will work exceptionally well together. In the end, they're still physically weaker than the von Rosenberg twins, so they're down in second. They're also above the team below them despite their physical inferiority for a reason I'll explain below.
3. Snow & Lightning: They're in third for also being physical powerhouses. Snow's a physical beast in FF13, and Lightning's probably the best all-around fighter in the party in that game (she is the only one with the three Paradigm roles that are probably the most balanced and essential, after all). Lightning's also very smart and actually thinks things through and figures things out (see: Bob's True Cast for FF13). The only thing that could hurt them would be Snow's possible lack of mental skills. He can think up plans, but he never seems to see the big picture of things, which might hurt them. Also, if this is meant to be set before the events of FF13, I can see them butting heads an awful lot, compared to Fang & Vanille talking through their differences, should any arise. Physical ability might carry the day with them, but they're in third because teamwork is a concern.
4. Yang & Ursula: I think Yang is a very strong guy, so I think he could carry the team a long way. I don't know Ursula, especially since I haven't played FF4's sequel, but from what I understand, she's also very strong and capable. I think being a parent/child pair with good unity will carry them both very far, but in the end, Yang's older age and Ursula's youth might combine to make them fall to the three younger, stronger teams above them, so I'm putting them in fourth place and getting the "fan favorite" boot.
5. Scarlet & Heidegger: I put them in fifth place for one reason and one reason only: they're the clear villain team (unless the other villain team can outdo them as villains). And villain teams just have to go a long way just to provide drama and keep things interesting (see: Auron & Jecht and Dona & Barthello). I mean, losing both villain teams early on last season sent the interest factor on a complete downward spiral from which it just couldn't recover, so hopefully, Bob's learned from that and won't do that again. Anyway, they'll be effective villains if only because in spite of their obvious physical disadvantage, they have enough mental skills to get through puzzle-based tasks, and the two of them are basically cunning enough to be manipulative and bend a team or two to their will to help them out. Eventually, the wrong task or the wrong team to manipulate will come along, and they'll fall out in fifth place.
6. Cid & Brother: Wow. This one was a tough one. But I put them up here because I think their mental skills will rival Scarlet & Heidegger's, at least. Both are mechanical geniuses, which can help in building tasks. However, Cid's older age and Brother's general foolishness may work against them. That, and the two of them not being functional for a father and son. All of that will put them out at about sixth place, I believe.
7. Galuf & Krile: These last few teams are more tentative than definite placements. Galuf's shown his strength by continuing to fight X-Death even long after he was supposed to have died at his hands. Krile has strengths of her own, like her good mental abilities, strong magic, and her ability to talk to animals and moogles. Plus, being a grandfather and granddaughter will give them both great unity and teamwork. But Galuf's older age will do him in after a while, as will Krile's younger age. They're so much like Yang & Ursula, but older (Galuf) and younger (Krile), and thus with quite a bit less strength. So I see them tentatively finishing in seventh place.
8. Laguna & Ellone: I very nearly placed them above Galuf & Krile, because both of their characteristics are so similar, the two teams might come off like carbon copies of one another. But Laguna & Ellone lost out to the Baldesions for one main reason: Laguna's tendency to get nervous at the wrong times. Especially around hot women, and this race is filled with them. Also, compared to Krile, Ellone comes off as very guarded and meek and clearly not too sure of herself. Still, they have great dedication to one another, dating all the way back to when he was younger and she was just a little girl. So that'll make for some good team chemistry and thus a very good team dynamic. So they'll last a few legs, and then go out in eighth place once the cannon fodder gets weeded out.
9. Edea & Seifer: It was a fight between the physical member/magical member teams, and these two came out on top over the one below them. I really don't like Seifer much, but he has physical squared. And Edea is strong magically and mentally. So I think they'll make it through at least a few legs. However, just the idea of their pairing makes me think they won't have much unity or teamwork to them, which will hinder them and still put them out relatively early, around the elimination for ninth place.
10. Zidane & Vivi: This is the physical member/magical member team who ranks lower for me. I like them both, and I do think Zidane will deliver in the physical tasks, while Vivi brings it home in the magic department. But where they're inferior to Edea & Seifer is the mental department. I see Zidane being decent at puzzles, but not as great as I see Edea being. Also, Vivi, while strong with magic, won't do well with physical tasks. How often do we see him miss out on things or arrive at something late in FF9 due to the simple fact that he can't go anywhere without tripping or falling? Imagine if they get into a footrace with another team. Vivi could easily get them into big trouble by tripping, especially if it's a race to avoid last! So yeah, he's gonna drag them down in such a way that Zidane just won't be able to pick up the slack. Tenth place, for sure.
11. Kuja & Seymour: Given that they're the mixed team from two different games, it's quite amazing I didn't rank them last. They're only just meeting each other for the first time, they don't know a thing about each other, and they're both insane villains from their home games. However, I can see them bonding over their attempts to rule and destroy their worlds and finding some kind of common ground over that and at least working moderately well together for a few legs. Plus, they're at least both good magically. Admittedly, their low ranking has to do with the fact that I think the ten teams above them have more going on for them than they do. But they could easily surprise me in this race and shoot up in the rankings. It'll just depend on their performance on the first leg. Till then, I'll tentatively put them down in eleventh place.
12. Kefka & Terra: Sheesh. There is so much threatening to work against the two of them. For one thing, Kefka was the villain of their home game, while Terra was the heroine. Kefka wanted to destroy the world, while Terra wanted to save it. Kefka's insane and unstable, while Terra's very much sane, but very much meek. I think their only really good asset is that both are magically strong. But that's about it. I like them both. I really do. But they're easy cannon fodder if they can't get it together. Or if Kefka's not controlling Terra again. If neither is true, then they're in twelfth place for me. First team out of the race.
But these are just my rankings. How about everyone else's?
So here are my pre-race rankings and predictions:
1. Gabranth & Basch: I'm putting these two at the top of the list as my (pre-race) projected winners simply because I do not see anyone touching them. They're both physical powerhouses with power to spare. I can see them dominating every task involving pure muscle like Biran & Yenke and Tidus & Wakka. However, what I see these two possessing that neither one of those other two teams did is actual intelligence, as well. They'll be good at both physical and mental tasks and go a long way in this race. Long enough to win, I'm wagering.
2. Fang & Vanille: Second through fourth place are actually very interchangeable to me. But I'm putting the season's sole all-female team in second place because of their many pros. Both are young, fit, and strong due to their l'Cie experiences. Fang can definitely work things out physically, and Vanille would be good for mental tasks (so long as they're not too mental). They also have a great bond and will work exceptionally well together. In the end, they're still physically weaker than the von Rosenberg twins, so they're down in second. They're also above the team below them despite their physical inferiority for a reason I'll explain below.
3. Snow & Lightning: They're in third for also being physical powerhouses. Snow's a physical beast in FF13, and Lightning's probably the best all-around fighter in the party in that game (she is the only one with the three Paradigm roles that are probably the most balanced and essential, after all). Lightning's also very smart and actually thinks things through and figures things out (see: Bob's True Cast for FF13). The only thing that could hurt them would be Snow's possible lack of mental skills. He can think up plans, but he never seems to see the big picture of things, which might hurt them. Also, if this is meant to be set before the events of FF13, I can see them butting heads an awful lot, compared to Fang & Vanille talking through their differences, should any arise. Physical ability might carry the day with them, but they're in third because teamwork is a concern.
4. Yang & Ursula: I think Yang is a very strong guy, so I think he could carry the team a long way. I don't know Ursula, especially since I haven't played FF4's sequel, but from what I understand, she's also very strong and capable. I think being a parent/child pair with good unity will carry them both very far, but in the end, Yang's older age and Ursula's youth might combine to make them fall to the three younger, stronger teams above them, so I'm putting them in fourth place and getting the "fan favorite" boot.
5. Scarlet & Heidegger: I put them in fifth place for one reason and one reason only: they're the clear villain team (unless the other villain team can outdo them as villains). And villain teams just have to go a long way just to provide drama and keep things interesting (see: Auron & Jecht and Dona & Barthello). I mean, losing both villain teams early on last season sent the interest factor on a complete downward spiral from which it just couldn't recover, so hopefully, Bob's learned from that and won't do that again. Anyway, they'll be effective villains if only because in spite of their obvious physical disadvantage, they have enough mental skills to get through puzzle-based tasks, and the two of them are basically cunning enough to be manipulative and bend a team or two to their will to help them out. Eventually, the wrong task or the wrong team to manipulate will come along, and they'll fall out in fifth place.
6. Cid & Brother: Wow. This one was a tough one. But I put them up here because I think their mental skills will rival Scarlet & Heidegger's, at least. Both are mechanical geniuses, which can help in building tasks. However, Cid's older age and Brother's general foolishness may work against them. That, and the two of them not being functional for a father and son. All of that will put them out at about sixth place, I believe.
7. Galuf & Krile: These last few teams are more tentative than definite placements. Galuf's shown his strength by continuing to fight X-Death even long after he was supposed to have died at his hands. Krile has strengths of her own, like her good mental abilities, strong magic, and her ability to talk to animals and moogles. Plus, being a grandfather and granddaughter will give them both great unity and teamwork. But Galuf's older age will do him in after a while, as will Krile's younger age. They're so much like Yang & Ursula, but older (Galuf) and younger (Krile), and thus with quite a bit less strength. So I see them tentatively finishing in seventh place.
8. Laguna & Ellone: I very nearly placed them above Galuf & Krile, because both of their characteristics are so similar, the two teams might come off like carbon copies of one another. But Laguna & Ellone lost out to the Baldesions for one main reason: Laguna's tendency to get nervous at the wrong times. Especially around hot women, and this race is filled with them. Also, compared to Krile, Ellone comes off as very guarded and meek and clearly not too sure of herself. Still, they have great dedication to one another, dating all the way back to when he was younger and she was just a little girl. So that'll make for some good team chemistry and thus a very good team dynamic. So they'll last a few legs, and then go out in eighth place once the cannon fodder gets weeded out.
9. Edea & Seifer: It was a fight between the physical member/magical member teams, and these two came out on top over the one below them. I really don't like Seifer much, but he has physical squared. And Edea is strong magically and mentally. So I think they'll make it through at least a few legs. However, just the idea of their pairing makes me think they won't have much unity or teamwork to them, which will hinder them and still put them out relatively early, around the elimination for ninth place.
10. Zidane & Vivi: This is the physical member/magical member team who ranks lower for me. I like them both, and I do think Zidane will deliver in the physical tasks, while Vivi brings it home in the magic department. But where they're inferior to Edea & Seifer is the mental department. I see Zidane being decent at puzzles, but not as great as I see Edea being. Also, Vivi, while strong with magic, won't do well with physical tasks. How often do we see him miss out on things or arrive at something late in FF9 due to the simple fact that he can't go anywhere without tripping or falling? Imagine if they get into a footrace with another team. Vivi could easily get them into big trouble by tripping, especially if it's a race to avoid last! So yeah, he's gonna drag them down in such a way that Zidane just won't be able to pick up the slack. Tenth place, for sure.
11. Kuja & Seymour: Given that they're the mixed team from two different games, it's quite amazing I didn't rank them last. They're only just meeting each other for the first time, they don't know a thing about each other, and they're both insane villains from their home games. However, I can see them bonding over their attempts to rule and destroy their worlds and finding some kind of common ground over that and at least working moderately well together for a few legs. Plus, they're at least both good magically. Admittedly, their low ranking has to do with the fact that I think the ten teams above them have more going on for them than they do. But they could easily surprise me in this race and shoot up in the rankings. It'll just depend on their performance on the first leg. Till then, I'll tentatively put them down in eleventh place.
12. Kefka & Terra: Sheesh. There is so much threatening to work against the two of them. For one thing, Kefka was the villain of their home game, while Terra was the heroine. Kefka wanted to destroy the world, while Terra wanted to save it. Kefka's insane and unstable, while Terra's very much sane, but very much meek. I think their only really good asset is that both are magically strong. But that's about it. I like them both. I really do. But they're easy cannon fodder if they can't get it together. Or if Kefka's not controlling Terra again. If neither is true, then they're in twelfth place for me. First team out of the race.
But these are just my rankings. How about everyone else's?