Team Battle, part 1!!

Introducing our teams: Red team, with Teanna in command, and Blue team, with Nanoha in command. Here's how I see the matchups:
Red vs Blue
Nove vs Subaru -- even
Teanna vs Nanoha -- Nanoha (B) slight advantage
Fate vs Eriol -- Fate (R) slight advantage
Corona vs Rio -- Rio (BBB) strong advantage
Einhard vs Vivio -- Einhard (R) slight advantage
Caro vs Lutecia -- Lutecia (BBB) strong advantage, even without any summons

So I calculate the Blue team is stronger, but, "on any given day..."

As soon as the battle begins, Subaru fills the sky with WIng Roads, and Nove does the same with her equivalent, Air Liner. That really changes the situation, by moving the battle above all the buildings. They might as well be fighting on an open field. Fate and Nanoha are the only ones who can fly (and Eriol a little bit), but that advantage is substantially reduced.

Initially, we get a series of one-on-one battles. Subaru fights Nove, Nanoha and Teanna start trading range fire. Fate takes on Eriol. Rio fights Corona. And Vivio fights Einhard.

In all their previous battles, Einhard won. But this time Vivio is permitted to use magic. She uses Sonic Shooter to fire a barrage at Einhard, who surprises everyone by capturing all the rounds, collecting them, and shooting back at Vivio. So that drops Vivio's HP by a long way, and Lutecia summons her back for some healing. Teanna orders Einhard to attack Nanoha, hoping that the double-team would permit them to take her out.

Corona is definitely less powerful than Rio, who shows amazing versatility and power. But Corona isn't helpless; she summons a golem, which she calls Goliath. It seems to be the first time she's used it, and she has some trouble. But the potential is obvious, and I'm sure that's going to be a lot more formidable in future.

On the other hand, Rio seems to be absurdly strong physically. She gets Goliath off balance and then throws it into a building.

Einhard does surprising well against Nanoha, managing to close to arm's reach. Unfortunately, it is a trap, and Nanoha uses Shield Bind to hold her in place. Backing off, she prepares a finishing shot.

But... Einhard breaks the bind, and fires a badly-focused range strike at Nanoha, which prevents Nanoha's shot from getting off. And that's Einhard's high point. Nanoha moves, and uses Strike Stars, another range attack. It nearly finished Einhard, but doesn't drop her all the way to zero.

Caro has learned transportation magic, and uses it to bring Einhard back for healing. With Vivio ready to get back in the game, Lutecia calls a play they had prepared.

Not that the other team has been standing still. While Einhard kept Nanoha busy, Teanna charged up a super barrage and let it go. But it didn't accomplish anything. In fact, Teanna has been mostly useless in this fight so far; about all you can say is that it's been suppression fire. She hits Nanoha once, I think, and that's it.

Lutecia's play was several planned double-teams: Nanoha and Erio against Fate, Vivio and Subaru against Nove, and Lutecia and Rio against Caro. Einhard is benched getting healed. This leave Teanna and Corona alone. Corona resummons her golem, but she can't move very fast and isn't involved for a while.

So what is Teanna doing? Oddly enough, she decides it's time to use Starlight Breaker, and starts preparing it. Nanoha independently makes the same decision, just at the end of the episode.

Teanna does know how to do it, it turns out, and that's the reason she's rated S now. So what will two competing Starlight Breakers do? We'll have to wait for ep 7 to find out!

Meanwhile, Fate and Nanoha chibis! Kawaii!

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in General Anime at 06:05 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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