Part 86: Laslow
Laslow
Mercenary (HS: Ninja)
A+ Support Classes: Xander (Cavalier), Odin (Dark Mage), Keaton (Fighter)
Personal Skill: Fancy Footwork (Use the "Rally" command to give Strength and Speed +1 to allies within two tiles - stacks with other rally skills, including rally str & speed)
Growths (With Default Class):
HP: 50% (60)
STR: 45% (60)
MAG: 0% (0)
SKL: 45% (65)
SPD: 30% (45)
LCK: 55% (60)
DEF: 35% (45)
RES: 25% (30)
Laslow's base speed growth isn't very high and he has slow in his name. He's not a unit I have much experience with, and I don't think he's a particularly good one, but he is still quite interesting!
Laslow's growths are actually pretty solid, beside his bad speed. Unfortunately his bad speed is somewhat of a problem. His base isn't terrible, but it's not great for a class that's meant to take advantage of its speed (although it will be improved by taking away his Steel Sword). The boost Mercenary gives to his growth is good but it's not really enough to get him out of his speed rut either. Bad speed doesn't doom a unit, but unlike other slow units like Beruka he's not quite specialised combatwise enough to make up for it.
Fancy Footwork however is a great personal skill and it allows Laslow to be useful even if he never fights anybody. +1 to arguably the most important stats can turn a lot of near misses into kills, and it even has the advantage of stacking with other rally skills. Rally Skill from Bow Knight might be the only rally Laslow gets naturally, but an A+ support with Keaton and S support with either Selena or Azura can grant him both Rally Strength and Rally Speed, turning Fancy Footwork into a plus 5 boost. He can also grab Rally Defense or Resistance by marrying a wyvern or a troubadour, although one of those class options is obviously a lot more effective than the other for him.
Laslow's also the unit who has the easiest time accessing the Sol Master Ninja combo. Promote him into Hero for Sol, and then Heart Seal him into Master Ninja and you are done. He'll need an Arms Scroll or a lot of knife practice to use anything but Bronze though, so he still needs investment and time to be able to pull it off. He's also got a worse speed growth than Silas and is quite a bit less bulky, so he might not be the best user of it.
Otherwise? I'm not really sure... I don't have a lot of experience using him. I think you can instantly promote him into a Bow Knight for decent effect, and then replace him with his daugter Soleil after he reaches an S support. Her growths are arguably better than his and her join chapter potentially rewards you with some neat stuff, so she's worth picking up.
Pros
- Competent base stats, can promote instantly for immediate effect and then be replaced by his daughter
- Amazing personal skill, can become a great rally bot with certain supports and reclasses
- Easy access to the Sol Master Ninja combo
- Hits hard and hits accurately
Cons
- Mediocre speed limits his usefulness despite his otherwise good stats
- Joins late enough that lack of supports may be an issue
My Rating: Should have had pink hair like his mother.