Board 8 > Save My Favorite Final Fantasy Characters XXV: Final Results and Discussion

(+) Yeah! (+)

Happy for Vanille! Best FFXIII character tbh. Thought Locke had it for sure, but wasn't paying attention after I voted the tenth time.

Thought Locke would make it but I guess not.

Thanks for hosting! I missed a lot of rounds this year but it's always fun to participate. Next year should be interesting with Rebirth and possibly XVI DLC.

Leonhart4 posted...

Don't worry, Locke probably isn't getting back anytime soon. This was his first top ten since the last time he was in the finals.

I disagree, I feel like the blueprint for a Locke re-run has been set pretty clearly:

-mnk gets him through the midgame
-pick up Mewtwo after Ardyn (plus potential post-Ardyn side project) go out
-outlast Celes to pick up Yankees and GMUN

only reason it didn't work in XXIII is because Kefka was the "outlaster" there. Locke can certainly get back to the top 10 and beyond next year, if his supporters want to give it another go imo.

XX-era takes are distracting because of the lols in hindsight

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/4/1/4/AAeYFbAAE33m.png

fast-forwarding now to 2023

I actually said in the discord that, in retrospect, it was a lucky thing Fang won first! I don't think she'd ever have the strength for even a top ten run if Vanille won in XX instead.

Grimlyn posted...

XX-era takes are distracting because of the lols in hindsight

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/4/1/4/AAeYFbAAE33m.png

fast-forwarding now to 2023

newborn fawn MartinFF7 back then, but yeah I was terrified there'd be no chance of a back-to-back series winner. But everything worked out for Lightning in that case at least!!

if you want a really good chuckle GMUN, check towards the end of the round Rufus was eliminated that contest, Day 26 I think. You can see how much of a Save My rookie I was then... don't post the screencap in this topic lol

Eh, I think it's just really hard to get back two years in a row. Aerith has convinced us it's easy, but I think VI is such a big and divided base that it requires things breaking just right to be the last one standing, much less get all the way to the end.

BlackDra90n posted...

Thought Locke would make it but I guess not.

Thanks for hosting! I missed a lot of rounds this year but it's always fun to participate. Next year should be interesting with Rebirth and possibly XVI DLC.

I am curious how much of an effect these games will have on it. SMFFFC feels like such a legacy contest at this point. And my understanding is not much of the player base has even gotten to XV or Remake yet, let alone XVI

but I could always be wrong!

I cant wait to have much much help next year for my boy!

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/4/2/6/AAblU3AAE33y.jpg

UltimaterializerX posted...

Speaking of Fang, even after reading the wiki I still dont fully understand what a lawyering even is or why people had mass saves for the character booted.

I think this is the first year we've gotten through without a lawyering, so you've never seen one! Basically, in XX, someone made an early save for Lightning and it wasnt caught until after the end of the round. Since it was the big Year of XIII, we coalesced around the remaining characters, and Fang wound up being the last one standing. If not for that, I'm sure Lightning would've won that year (and we proved it the following year with Lightning's Revenge)

Mobilezoid posted...

I think this is the first year we've gotten through without a lawyering, so you've never seen one! Basically, in XX, someone made an early save for Lightning and it wasnt caught until after the end of the round. Since it was the big Year of XIII, we coalesced around the remaining characters, and Fang wound up being the last one standing. If not for that, I'm sure Lightning would've won that year (and we proved it the following year with Lightning's Revenge)

Excuse you, we only had one lawyering in three contests in my tenure

Team Tifa's Turn to Take the Title Triumphantly

TTTTTTTT

I've added two more Ts, more to come next year

LiquidOshawott posted...

I am curious how much of an effect these games will have on it. SMFFFC feels like such a legacy contest at this point. And my understanding is not much of the player base has even gotten to XV or Remake yet, let alone XVI

but I could always be wrong!

I think there would be one, especially with the more minor characters in FFVII. Like I'm pretty sure Jesse got a huge boost from Remake.

Guess this result settles it. I'll be playing FFXIII in a playthrough topic. I haven't played it in over a decade and only remember getting a few hours in.

Look for it sometime this week!

eh VI only really ever comes down to Celes/Locke/Kefka/Terra consistently - Kefka's now out after the win, Edgar used to be there but not reliably since I'm on Layle.... I don't think Terra's gonna be last standing

the others get lucky to ever crack Top 30, since NewSTATS era...

• 9 Celes (XIV, XV, XVI, XVIII, XIX, XXII, XXIII, XXIV, XXV)
• 8 Locke (XIV, XV, XVI, XVIII, XXII, XXIII, XXIV, XXV)
• 7 Kefka (XIV, XVI, XVII, XX, XXI, XXII, XXIII)
• 5 Terra (XV, XIX, XX, XXIV, XXV)
• 3 Edgar (XV, XVI, XVIII)
• 1 Setzer (XIV 30th)
• 1 Mog (XVI 7th)
• 1 Gau (XIX 16th)
• 1 Sabin (XX 24th)
• 1 Cyan (XXIV 30th)

UltimaterializerX posted...

I went back and checked, and Im sorry about the Torgal thing. I didnt think it was a big deal personally but that actually was a big spoiler its just revealed in such a milquetoast way by the game itself that the game doesnt treat it like a big deal, plus they just outright spoiled it with a free DLC costume. But still, that was dumb and Im sorry. Im pretty sensitive to spoilers so thats just on me for speaking so freely about a recent game.

Even without his twist though, hes bound for a deep run if the right people have played 16. I thoroughly recommend the game btw. Its really good.

well its not the worst thing from that game you spoiled me on

(maybe dont tag my account on your play through topic)

Grimlyn posted...

oh shit I posted to early

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/4/0/7/AAeYFbAAE33f.png

I'm screaming

;_;

man looking at Edgar's placements and he really is Layle's prime victim

Guess Im alone again

:weary:

BlueCrystalTear posted...

Guess this result settles it. I'll be playing FFXIII in a playthrough topic. I haven't played it in over a decade and only remember getting a few hours in.

Look for it sometime this week!

This also reminds me that I had made a commitment to play the game of every contest winner I've been around for, but in the past 5 years the only ones I followed through on were FF8 (for my "tfw only GFs" challenge) and FFT to abuse infinite JP scroll glitch. Now we got three XIII winners so I have the proper impetus to replay the full trilogy, lol. And the FF6 pixel remaster at some point.

I remember having really good memories of 13 and Lightning Returns is definitely fresher in my memory! 13-2 is well-liked by a few users around here but entirely forgettable imo, I guess we'll see how a replay goes.

Inviso posted...

Martin - You might not exactly be happy about this, given your finals votes and how close Aerith came to another finals berth, but you were the other sniper that kept Vanille alive at a time when I was especially unsure as to whether to keep her, or keep pushing Zidane for stats. You made the choice for me, and here we are...so thank you.

Thanks, yeah any other year and I'd probably be happier. I've always liked Vanille! It was a good finals and a good winner, all things considered. And I was thinking about that earlier today if I had any part in her survival, checked my saves when I saved her outside of trade deals and yeah, the snipe to extinguish Zidane... still worth it. Only other time was a bottom 3 with her, Jecht and Zenos so that was an easy call.

Though I feel like my sniping out Rikku probably had more of a hand in this than sniping out Zidane but yeah, the sniper's burden...

thank god nook decided to keep it close

mnk posted...

;_;

Well, VI has won pretty recently with Kefka too! Your strategy worked

KommunistKoala posted...

Team Tifa's Turn to Take the Title Triumphantly

TTTTTTTT

I've added two more Ts, more to come next year

big fan of Tifa's TTs so you are speaking my language...

ok that was horrible even by my standards, let me dump some stats to get past it.

final updated iron man collection of the lefty era, Vanille indisputably the Iron Queen among winners.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/4/5/8/AAC56kAAE34S.png

and updated "top game" stats with resizing to hopefully avoid compression. FF7 hitting 50% of the field, first time since FF6 in contest IX

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/4/6/2/AAC56kAAE34W.png

My priorities next year are Yuffie, Lightning and Rikku. Want to keep Lightning doing ok-ish since I dont want her to plummet a ton, but without more savers for her its just gonna happen. Definitely want to get Yuffie a good run to make up for that boot though

MZero posted...

thank god nook decided to keep it close

I jokingly say Snake Worst User <insert year>

But Nook is the absolute worst.

TomNook is just a professional troll tbh

that said this could be a good use of the community rule

LiquidOshawott posted...

that said this could be a good use of the community rule

I was legitimately going to ask what the parameters for that being invoked would be, but if "occasionally a dick" is a threshold that casts a wide net.

MartinFF7 posted...

-mnk gets him through the midgame

Nah, I won't be pushing him again for awhile unless he just happens to be there after other priorities die.

Mobilezoid posted...

Well, VI has won pretty recently with Kefka too! Your strategy worked

Yeah, I'm not really too upset about this loss. I just had a big win two years ago. It would've been pretty cool to have helped all of my Top 3 get wins though...

There is maybe a 2% chance TomNook didn't know exactly what he was doing.

Locke doesn't live by mnk, since mnk has always been able to have other projects like Mog/Gau and Locke still survives fine because he's a reliable #2/#3/etc among people, like Yankees (also mnk would still be considered a backup when he pushes others too).

although that time mnk pushed Gau did slaughter every other 6er

UltimaterializerX posted...

Would it have changed anyones vote? People seemed locked in.

it's less what he said in the finals and more the trolling on several days leading up to it which seemed designed to piss people off towards Aerith.

Not that I think anyone in this contest would be so easily emotionally manipulated by that but still, it's a turd in the contest punchbowl. And we made some delicious fruit punch over here.

lol what the fuck is this result

it's what happens after Doomtrain goes out, clearly

I actually do often feel my side projects hurt Locke if they last long enough. It's definitely my fault he died in the Gau year, and if my negligence hadn't killed Mog first this year, it could've happened again.

MZero posted...

thank god nook decided to keep it close

Yeah he's just trolling you guys.

This is the second straight year he speaks of a mysterious and evil Aerith cabal doing bad stuff, but then doesn't actually save Aerith. He was posting all sort of stuff intentionally meant to get people mad at Aerith and then doesn't actually do anything to save her.

oh yeah Mog definitely could've outlasted Locke

just saying Locke does certainly have a reliable lifeboat that hovers him into the 30s, hence being right behind Celes in that list I posted above

UltimaterializerX posted...

Noted. But shouldnt that have just taken you right to post 12?

I scrolled up instead of hitting the back button >_>

Mobilezoid posted...

I actually said in the discord that, in retrospect, it was a lucky thing Fang won first! I don't think she'd ever have the strength for even a top ten run if Vanille won in XX instead.

expanding on this a little further

Lightning getting lawyered was the best thing that ever happened to XIII

Inviso posted...

Suprak/FFD/Lopen/Andylt/Swordz - I know that I am very opinionated, and I can be very abrasive when our favorites don't necessarily align, as is the case with quite a few characters that you guys like (even in the course of this very contest). But as always, I do apologize for my attitude, and the fact that you still helped join the Vanille train and pushed her over the edge (that's 50 of her votes right there) means so much.

1. I don't associate Vanille with you. I do associate you with Fang but I think Vanille has a bigger save core to the point where I don't think of any one person with her.
2. I generally don't let people influence who I save-- especially not anymore.
3. I didn't find you particularly annoying this contest.
4. Even if I did you'd have to be PRETTY DARN ANNOYING as I'm pretty sure I save Vanille more than pretty much everyone who isn't Vanille main or Vanille trade agreement. I know I helped her in her late run last time. (I wanted to ask bot but my bot syntax is bad and bot may not even be watching)

So I mean while it's true I didn't hold anything you did in my mind with respect to my choice to support Vanille once Seymour was out there are so many layers to it that this angle was pretty unnecessary but thank you for the shout out anyway I guess?