Talk:Link VS Cloud/@comment-200.28.251.14-20150809213525

Given these are my two favorite video game characters I am really not mad at the result, but I am kinda bitter at how the match just seemed to be tweaked to make Link win by pretty much sabotaging Cloud. Link can win with strategy, yeah, but he didn't seem to use any beyond turtling which worked under the assumption that Cloud was too stupid to figure out. All the analysis seemed to just check every of Cloud's advantages so Link could have the upper hand in every one. They get their most iconic gear as opposed to their ultimate weapons, Cloud is already at disadvantage with the Buster Sword as he loses a whole fighting style without the Fusion Swords. You can argue Link should get his Golden Sword or soething similar, then so be it, give Link his best sword and take in count the best effort from both. They are both in their most iconic incarnations, but Link conveniently gets all the abilities and quirks and a bunch of great support items from across the franchise, while Cloud is in his FFVII incarnation which is not his peak, can't continously use Limit Breaks, still has his Jenova cells, etc, but unlike his AC incarnation can use all sort of tricks with materias, which were removed from him under a mistaken assumption (materias don't hurt the planet by themselves, crystallizing mako to make them is the damaging part and Cloud never expresses aversion to their use). So yeah, Link gets good stuff from across the franchise while Cloud is stripped from the core mechanic of the game they got his incarnation from. Want to make that one fair? Use Link most famous incarnation, which is likely his OoT one, so yeah he would lose his sword skills, his ability to deflect lightning (which he got in SS), the Pegasus Boots and the Roc Feather (which don't grant super speed and super aerial combat, they just allow to run fast and jump contrary to what they just assumed here) but also allow him just to use two of his items and ignore the properties of his tunics and since only iconic items are allowed he can't use the BigGoron Sword (this isn't really a bad thing, given he would have to put away the shield the key of his victory) or the Mirror Shield.

Most of the arguments in Links favor boil how he has this or that item that can counter Cloud or the usual that he has the Fierce Deity Mask. I don't disagree, in fact they should have used more of them against Cloud. But the thing is they could have just sticked to what the items actually do instead of just going "Okay let's make it the Pegasus boots grant super speed and check Cloud's superior agility. Ah! The roc feather allows to jump, let's make it Link gets insane aerial combat to match Cloud's!", actually portray Link's tactical fighting with strategies, or on the Cloud side  This battle got its result by essentially buffing Link and butchering Cloud, Link not only got good stuff and abilities from several Zelda games, some of them were given properties that were never stated in the games, while Cloud got a very bare bones preparation in his analysis, never had access to the abilities of AC outside the Omnislash V5, or his Fusion Swords or his materias and all the uses possible with them (and the Ziedrich defensive properties were conveniently ignores, namely the massive defense boost and that it halves holy damage, aka the Master Sword's property). He also was victim of assumptions but to the other side, namely since his battle style is agressive he must be a dumb brute who only can attack, disregarding he did use skill and finesse with his blades in AC against the different opponents (nowhere near Link's level of strategy, but it was there) or that he has aversion towards Materias which again, is never in the games, that he needs time to charge the limit breaks, which is true in FFVII but not AC where everybody uses them continuously (though you could make a point with High Level ones), or his Jenova cells which were removed at the end of the movie by the Great Gospel and if Dirge or Cerberus is to go by Cloud can still kick ass without them (also, even if Cloud was weak to the Master Sword, only mooks in Zelda games go down in two hits and Cloud has been shown to take punishment and push on).

Really the fight could have been much better and a lot of interesting things Cloud could have done were overlooked. For example he could beef himself up with support magic (barriers block damage, Haste doubles his speed, for example), in Zelda games there are not that many status effects, so how would Link respond to poinson, slow, confuse or other spells Cloud may have brought. Link has buffing items, Cloud also has them (purple materias) how would they compare? Cloud has items too that don't count as magic, Link could respond with his special potions. Link also has several magical items, Cloud has magic to fight back. The fierce deity mask, perhaps Cloud can defend himself with support magic and status effects or fight back with powerfuls spells like Quadra Magic Ultima?

And come on, Triforce Slash vs Omnislash... well Triforce Slash isn't canon so I understand.

There was a lot of potential, but they closed the chapter with a pretty bare bone analysis and by screwing over Cloud, when there wasn't any need to. Link had an arsenal large enough to fight back without just pretending Cloud is much weaker than he really is.