#malcolm plays final fantasy ix

[magicmalcolm]

Malcolm Plays Final Fantasy IX

I Got The Burmecia Blues

(previous parts here)

Okay, so there's a few things to do before hitting up Burmecia.

First, a small optional area to the right of the exit from Gizamaluke's Grotto. The North Gate has a nice little scene between Freya and Quina, where the former envies the carefree nature of the latter. There's also a couple of Chests to loot. Yay!

Second, we track down a Nymph enemy for Quina to learn another Blue Magic Skill: Night. Night induces the Sleep Status on EVERYTHING in the current battle, friend and foe alike. Can combo quite well if everyone on your side has the Insomniac ability equipped (which we can get from the Coral Ring Freya won at the Festival Of The Hunt).

Third, we can dig up one more Chocograph location in this area of the map. Taking a detour past the left of the sand-tornado takes us to a secluded beach, where a set of Chocobo tracks lay. The treasure location is also on this beach and…

IT'S A TRAP!!!

Or…not?

Choco has acquired the Reef Ability! So this doesn't give Choco the ability to walk on all water yet, this one allows him to traverse the shallow light-blue waters. This will come in handy to nab a few more Chocograph Treasures back on the other side of Gizamaluke's Grotto, but we'll get them later. Burmecia awaits!

And what is the first thing that happens to us in Burmecia?

Welp.

Another enemy can be eaten here in Burmecia for Blue Magic, eating a Magic Vice enemy will earn Quina the Magic Hammer skill. which removes a random amount (based on their current HP) of the enemies' remaining MP. Could be useful to help neuter some bosses down the road.

Also some of the chests in Burmecia are actually Mimics. Mimics can sometimes summon the aforementioned Magic Vices, so battling them isn't all bad.

Sadly, Burmecia is already in Ruins by the time we get there. Soldiers and civilians alike fallen at the hands of Brahne's Black Mage Army. Still, they were nice enough to leave a Lightning Staff and this Mythril Spear untouched for us to acquire.

We also bump into Stiltzkin again, who sells us a pretty sweet bundle of goodies for a barganimous price. And we also get another Kupo Nut and oh oh this another game spanning quest isn't it?

Welp. Burmecia's already wrecked, might as well head back and get sidetracked. Play the Backtrack Song!

So first we go back to Gizmaluke's Grotto and give Moguta the Kupo Nut we just got.

He's Kupo For Kupo Nuts.

Then we head back to Qu's Marsh to check on the Frog Spawn.

This goes immediately onto Vivi. Ability Up is going to be really useful for him soon.

And since Choco obtained the Reef Ability earlier, we can grab two more Chocograph Treasures! The Magician's Robe is nice, but the Oak Staff from Chocograph #11 is the real prize right now. Bio, Stop and Drain? For Best Boy Vivi? Yay!

After that it's heading back to prep for facing Beatrix. Everyone gets moved to the back row, Zidane gets the Coral Ring and then it's pretty much down to the whims of fate.

He's doing his best.

Kuja's so sassy.

My strategy for the Beatrix fight is pretty simple, Zidane Steals and hopes for a miracle to at least get that Chain Plate, Freya casts Reis' Wind to open and heals with Potions when not defending, Quina casts Vanish on Zidane and recasts as necessary, and Vivi tries to land a Slow spell on Beatrix. Getting the Mythril Sword is about as mythical as it gets during this hopeless boss battle. If Beatrix KOs Zidane before you can Steal the Chain Plate (let alone the Sword), you might as well reset. The remakes are nice enough to Autosave right before the Beatrix Battle, at least.

OMG I actually got it what in the actual…

The real kicker is that it's not even a unique weapon...you can literally buy this in Treno in like five minutes from now...and it's almost immediately made obsolete in Treno too.

Unfortunately that's where the good luck ends. Beatrix activates her trap card: Hopeless Boss Battle. Fortunately it's still Disc One of Four so we're allowed to live for some reason.

And yet you do nothing. Aah, blessed be to Overconfident Villains.

[yahoo-roto-arcade-blog]

Fantasy Basketball position tiers: Shooting guard values for 2017-18

James Harden will once again be among the first players off the board in fantasy drafts. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Alex Rikleen, RotoWire Special to Yahoo Sports

Before we get into the 2017-18 shooting guard tiers, here are a few notes to keep in mind:

Overall, the tiers cover players projected to rank roughly among the top 120 overall. Within each tier, players are generally listed in the order in which they should be drafted. Of course, come draft night, team construction and roster constraints must be take into account.

[Now’s the time to sign up for Fantasy Basketball! Join for free]

Unless otherwise noted, players are listed only within the positions at which they are currently eligible in Yahoo Fantasy Basketball leagues. Tiers and season rankings are tailored to nine-category league settings.

Most players are ranked within the tiers at more than one position, rather than only their primary position, which is oftentimes arbitrary. Players who do not have multiple-position eligibility are denoted with an asterisk. 

[Positional tiers: PGs | SGs | SFs | PFs | Cs]

Tier I: Possible No. 1 Overall Picks

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks Stephen Curry, Warriors James Harden, Rockets Kawhi Leonard, Spurs

While Harden is a turnover machine, he’s been top-five in eight-category settings over the past five seasons, including a first overall ranking last season. He also remains within the top 10 in nine-category play.

Curry and Harden should also give managers some comfort due to their durability. Since the start of the 2012-13 season, Curry has missed only an average of 3.2 games per season, while Harden has missed just 3.0.

We covered Antetokounmpo in the small forward and power forward tiers, but the possibility that he adds shooting guard — and possible point guard — eligibility as the season goes on means that he warrants inclusion here, too.

Tier II: Confident Second-Round Values

Jimmy Butler, Timberwolves Chris Paul, Clippers

Butler and Paul are firmly outside of the top tier, and comfortably ahead of the tier below. Both carry major question marks after changing teams this offseason. Tom Thibodeau’s starters often rank among the league leaders in minutes, but Butler is also joining far superior supporting cast to the one he left behind in Chicago.

Paul is an injury risk, and he joins another ball-dominant guard in Harden. On the other hand, Mike D’Antoni’s style has a history of inflating numbers, and Paul has been a top-20 player every season since he entered the league.

Tier III: Three-point Shooters And More

Gordon Hayward, Celtics Kyrie Irving, Celtics Klay Thompson, Warriors C.J. McCollum, Trail Blazers

The two newcomers in Boston are likely to dominate offensive touches for a team that lost three of its top four scorers from last season, and both players could be in position to gain fantasy value in their new uniforms.

Thompson and McCollum return to familiar rotations that saw minimal offseason turnover, but that’s not a problem for two top-30 fantasy producers entering their primes.

The three-point shooting in this tier is worth extra attention. If a manager doesn’t have a three-point specialist by the time this tier is off the board, very few options will be available. Of course, Bradley Beal looms in Tier IV, but after him, managers will be stuck pinning their hopes on guys like Eric Gordon, Ryan Anderson, or J.J. Redick.

Tier IV: Core Contributors

Khris Middleton, Bucks Bradley Beal, Wizards* Eric Bledsoe, Suns Gary Harris, Nuggets Jrue Holiday, Pelicans Trevor Ariza, Rockets Nicolas Batum, Hornets DeMar DeRozan, Raptors Goran Dragic, Heat

Middleton, Harris, Ariza, and Batum are strong foundational players who provide across-the-board help and do essentially no harm. This tier also features a couple of talented point guards — Bledsoe, Dragic — who benefit from shooting guard eligibility. Holiday is currently only eligible at point guard, but the Pelicans’ addition of Rajon Rondo makes it highly probable that shooting guard eligibility will be coming soon.

Beal and DeRozan are less-balanced than the rest of this group, but they are both talented scorers who should be among the league leaders in minutes at the position. They each carry their own drawbacks – Beal is one of few players without eligibility at multiple positions, and DeRozan provides barely replacement-level (or worse) value outside of his scoring and free throws – but their respective strengths are strong enough to buoy their value.

Tier V: Good Fantasy Starters With Potential

Avery Bradley, Pistons Zach LaVine, Bulls Patrick Beverley, Clippers Victor Oladipo, Pacers Devin Booker, Suns* D’Angelo Russell, Nets Jeremy Lin, Nets

While it’s hard to imagine any of these players cracking the top 25, one could make a convincing case for any of them as top-40 candidates, and several things would have to go wrong for them to land outside the top 80.

LaVine is recovering from a major injury, but once healthy he’ll be the primary option on a Bulls squad bereft of talent. Beverley, Oladipo, Russell, and Lin should each benefit from shallow depth charts, while Bradley is only 26-years-old and continues to improve. Booker has not yet finished inside the top 100, but managers will have to pay up for the Suns’ rising star, who will be a popular breakout candidate.

Tier VI: So Much Potential, So Many Doubts

George Hill, Kings Andrew Wiggins, Timberwolves Eric Gordon, Rockets*

After switching teams this summer, Hill remains a huge injury risk, and it’s unknown how he and rookie De’Aaron Fox will split playmaking duties. Wiggins’ development has lagged behind his expectations, and the arrival of Jimmy Butler will likely reduce his impact. Gordon, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, is an even bigger injury risk than Hill, and it remains to be seen how he’ll fit in after the addition of Chris Paul.

Tier VII: Great Situations, Questionable Talent

Buddy Hield, Kings* Evan Fournier, Magic J.J. Redick, 76ers*

Deserving or not, the Kings will give Hield every chance to develop into the go-to scorer in a new-look offense. Fox should bring some relief, and Hield showed some promise after the DeMarcus Cousins trade, shooting nearly 43 percent from three over the final 25 games of the season.

Fournier is the best offensive option on a surefire lottery team – so does it matter that he probably wouldn’t crack the rotation on many playoff teams? At 33-years-old, Redick is well past his prime, but he’s aged well thus far and is a perfect fit for the talented, young Sixers.

Tier VIII: Low-end Fantasy Starters

Dwyane Wade Malcolm Brogdon Seth Curry Kentavious Caldwell-Pope* Tyler Johnson Darren Collison Reggie Jackson

Players in this tier might end up as waiver fodder, but they have better-than-even odds of achieving steady fantasy value at some point this season. Wade can still put together quality numbers, but he’s likely to be bought out at some point, which makes him a bit more difficult to project.

Curry and Collison should have plenty of opportunity on weak rosters. On the other hand, Brogdon and Jackson are misfits — players who are better, statistically, in roles other than the ones they are likely to fill.

Tier IX: Low-end Roster Fillers

Wesley Matthews, Mavericks Joe Ingles, Jazz Tim Hardaway, Jr., Knicks Jamal Murray, Nuggets Kent Bazemore, Hawks Rodney Hood, Jazz Jordan Clarkson, Lakers

Many of the most intriguing players in the final two tiers are eligible at multiple positions, so fitting Brandon Ingram or Jaylen Brown onto your roster may not be too much of a burden. For the most part, though, these players either lack multi-dimensional production or are simply too much of an unknown to warrant consideration earlier in drafts.

Of the three rookies listed, Jackson is the most interesting, as he’ll likely start from day one and could offer solid production in the defensive categories. However, his jumpshot and free throw shooting are major concerns.

Tier X: The Rest

Dion Waiters, Heat Brandon Ingram, Lakers Will Barton, Nuggets Jaylen Brown, Celtics Malik Monk, Hornets* Lou Williams, Clippers Donovan Mitchell, Jazz* Josh Jackson, Suns

More Fantasy coverage from Yahoo Sports

[magicmalcolm]

Nice.

Vivi? More like Speedy, amirite?

[magicmalcolm]

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to top this superb double-pun.

[magicmalcolm]

Also this will never not be funny.

[magicmalcolm]

When you’re digging for Chocographs in Final Fantasy IX, get really excited when you hit a deeply buried object... and it turns out to be a Hi-Potion.

[magicmalcolm]

I 🖤 Treno.

[magicmalcolm]

Over/Under on how long it takes Malcolm to buy the remastered version of Final Fantasy IX on the PS4, place your bets nao.

[magicmalcolm]

inkgested replied to your post: Hey so any suggestions on what I should rename the...

could Quina be BRAAAAUUUNNN not only based on the amount of food consumed, but for comedic value?

Hmm...I may have to make alterations due to Character Limits...buuutttt...

It might just work!

[magicmalcolm]

Minor Final Fantasy 9 Update

Renaming Freya “Becky,” because of how disastrous the two’s attempts at Riverdancing turned out to be.

[magicmalcolm]

Malcolm Plays Final Fantasy IX Part Four

Qu’s Marsh ~ Gizmaluke‘s Grotto

(previous parts here)

Quina is technically optional at this point in the game, but there's no conceivable reason to not pick them up as soon as possible.  Getting started with Frog Catching ASAP, I want that Silver Fork (23 Frogs required) and Bistro Fork (33 Frogs).

Then the Plot comes to a GRINDING HALT so we can have Quina eat as many monsters as deemed necessary.  There's NINE Blue Magics available right now for Quina to learn, although most are borderline "meh" worthy.  

Aqua Breath (deals Water-elemental damage equal to 25% of all enemies' max HP.  Useless)

Frog Drop (deals damage equal to Quina's Level multiplied by number of frogs caught in the Frog Catching mini-game.  Can potentially be brutal if enough time is invested into Frog Catching)

Mustard Bomb (inflicts the Heat status effect, 30% accuracy.  More or less an instant kill if it lands, but the things you'd really want to use it on are probably immune anyway)

Limit Glove (inflicts 9,999 damage if Quina is at 1 HP.  Incredibly situational at first, but can be abused heavily later on with Auto-Life hi-jinks)

LV3 Def-less (randomly debuffs enemy Defense and Magic Defense, but only if the enemy's level is a multiple of 3.  Everything you'd want to use it on is invariably not going to qualify)

Mighty Guard (casts Protect and Shell on all party members. Will be great in the future, not so hot on Quina's initial stats)

Angel's Snack (uses 1 Remedy on every party member simultaneously.  Can potentially be a great panic button when Status Effects get really nasty and you forget to protect against them, but you need the Remedies in the first place for it to work)

Vanish (applies the Vanish status on the target, which protects against all Physical attacks but is removed with Magic attacks or naturally over time.  Not bad, I believe Vanish also increases Accuracy which is a nice bonus)

Pumpkin Head (deals damage equal to the amount of Quina's Max HP minus Quina's Current HP.  Not a fan of this type of spell, could potentially be okay with Auto-Life but in that case you're probably trying to set up for Limit Glove instead)

The fact you can learn Mighty Guard right away is bonkers, but that's evened out by Quina not having enough MP to cast it at this point nor having a decent Spirit stat for the spell to last all that long.  But hey, it's easily obtainable so why da fuq not?

And if time-wasting is your thang, then also available right now is Chocobo Hot-N-Cold.  There's nothing super-awesome immediately available to dig up, but that's going to change very quickly.  There's NINE Chocographs to dig up in the Chocobo Forest, but only #1 and #2 can be immediately completed.  The 1st Chocograph gives Germinas Boots, which teach Alert and the 2nd Chocograph gives 2 Cotton Robes so I feel fine about selling all mine from earlier for PHAT STACKS.

There's also a little side area just north of Chocobo's Forest where the first of the Coffees for Morrid's Sidequest is available, plus a free healing spring to top up from all the Blue Magic hunting.  By this point after feeding Quina all the local wildlife and Chocograph hunting I take a quick trip back to Qu's Marsh to see if any more frog's have spawned.

aka the Ring My Bell dungeon.  Also a big ole Final Fantasy II reference.

Gizmaluke's Grotto is a hefty step-up in difficulty as it's at this point that Vivi's spells are definitely showing their age, whilst Quina is inconsistent with their damage dealing and Freya is still learning Abilities.  Status Effects are beginning to get slung around here, Hornets can inflict Berserk and Lamias can inflict Confuse.

Gizmaluke is a right bastard of a boss fight, it's got a hefty physical attack, counters Magic attacks with Silence and most dangerously has a nasty Water spell (you can buy Glass Armlets in Lindblum, they half Water damage and only Freya can't equip them in this party).  

Thankfully Gizmaluke is also susceptible to Blind and Silence so the Tent trick saves the day once again.  It is also vulnerable to Slow, and you pick up the Hat that teaches it to Vivi in this very dungeon so it's worth getting it to stick whilst Zidane steals from it.  Vivi desperately wants the Ice Staff you can steal from Gizmaluke as it will teach him Blizzara, a much needed Spell upgrade just as his first tier spells are beginning to lag.

After that we get some much needed comic relief as we get a brief section with Dagger and Steiner, which is more of a chance to restock on items if needed.  It's somewhat of an unnecessary interlude, but more Steiner antics is never a bad thing (plus a free weapon for Dagger that teaches some nice abilities!).

Next Time: The End Of Disc One!  Already!

[magicmalcolm]

Malcolm's replay through Final Fantasy IX continues:

Evil Forest (Boss: Plant Brain) to the Ice Cavern (Boss: Black Waltz #1 & Sealion)

EVIL FOREST

FFIX isn't a game where you really need to grind for levels (Ability Points, maybe!), but I do like to take a bit out here in this first area to gain a few levels. 

The first time is when Zidane is venturing forth on his own to find Garnet and the others...the first area has two easily defeated enemies to take on and get started on THE GREAT PILLAGE AND PLUNDER OF POTIONS.  I like a few levels on Zidane mostly for the 2nd Prison Cage fight and the Baku fight, a little extra beef while Zidane is stealing all their goodies.

The second time is after Zidane, Vivi and Steiner set forth to rescue Garnet...the game nicely provides a free healing spring, save point and a corridor before the next boss to beef up Vivi and Steiner a little (and hoping I get lucky and steal a few Tents).  That's pretty much the last time I usually grind any levels in this game.

The Plant Brain boss is probably the first big WAKE-UP boss in Final Fantasy IX, due to multi-targeted Thunder spells and Blinding Pollen attacks.  Silk Shirts somewhat help with the Thunder (they half Thunder elemental damage!), but that does nothing to help Steiner and you probably only have one (most likely on Vivi as he can learn Thunder from it). 

Plant Brain is vulnerable to Blind and Silence, which eliminates two of it's three attacks (Pollen can still Blind characters even if it doesn't deal damage).  Thankfully the Tent trick works wonders here to inflict both Blind and Silence, so the very first thing I do in this battle is lob a Tent at the boss and hope the Blind/Silence effect hits (I believe it's a 50/50 shot, so if at first you don't succeed...). 

Once Zidane nabs the Iron Helm, Vivi and Steiner take advantage of it's weakness to fire and BURNINATE.  Blank usually doesn't contribute much when he arrives, because the boss is already neutered and I usually get lucky enough to steal both it's items with Zidane before he arrives.  

In fact Blank's greatest contributions in this section are giving us the World Map and...the Silk Shirt I steal from him before he leaves the party again.  Thanks Blank!

ICE CAVERN

Garnet usually gains enough levels wandering towards and through the Ice Cavern naturally so I don't need to worry about her catching up...plus her multi-target Cure heals more than enough without any boosting, so she's pretty good to go for her job right away. 

No need to conserve Vivi's MP going through here, so everything gets FIRED UP whilst Zidane continues stealing when he can.  Steiner's superfluous going through here, except if I have to face a Wyerd since Vivi can't quite one-shot that with one Fire Spell.

I do like the gimmick of using Vivi’s Magic in the field to find goodies and it’s a shame it never really comes up again.

There isn't much strategy to employ with the Black Waltz #1 and Sealion fight, since it's solo Zidane and he can really only attack and steal, and sadly we can't just cheese this fight with a Tent.  Because there is so much focus-fire on Zidane, there's a pretty high chance of him hitting Trance at least once during this fight, and one Free Energy is strong enough to take out Black Waltz #1. 

The main thing with this fight is to steal the Mythril Dagger from Sealion, as that teaches Zidane the handy Bandit ability, everything else stolen is a bonus.  I always have Zidane in the Back Row for this fight, since he'll take less physical damage whilst he's attempting to steal all the booty. 

Black Waltz #1 has to go first as it will keep healing Sealion.  It's a swift kick in the arse of a fight, especially as the Sealion becomes more dangerous the more damage it takes (watch the jewel on it's chest, when it turns Yellow it will start throwing around Blizzaras and when it's red it will start casting Tsunami for even more damage that I can’t really mitigate at this point in the game).  I'm fine throwing Zidane a few too many Potions in this fight even if it's not strictly needed, I'll be stealing more as the game goes on anyway.

After that is Dali, but before I go in there I make sure to find the Friendly Mu roaming around and feed it an Ore (which handily enough you can steal from the local monsters), plus I clear the Ragtime Mouse's available questions on Disc One here since there's handy forest areas just outside the Ice Cavern exit.  The trick with tapping the D-Pad quickly in forest areas to encounter Ragtimer usually works for me once I get my timing down.  Also take a quick trip to visit Morrid to start the Coffee Side Quest.

Next Time: Vivi's Existential Crisis BEGINS (and everyone becomes sad).

[magicmalcolm]

Honestly renaming Zidane “Sami,” Vivi “Finn” and Steiner “K.Owens” is probably the last flash of brilliance I’ll have for ages.

[magicmalcolm]

Honestly this FMV still looks REALLY GOOD even by today’s standards, I’m not entirely sure what magic they pulled for this on the PSOne.

[magicmalcolm]

Final Fantasy IX Stuff...

I haven’t gotten to the point where I recruit them yet, but I think I’ll be renaming Eiko and Amarant “Alexa” and “Neville” respectively.

[magicmalcolm]

It’s a Very Good Spot Omen!

Pass on the Final Fantasy IX approved Very Good Omen™️ and share the luck around!