Question regarding stats + Junction

[Pancakes]

Hi guys, I recently started playing FFVIII again and unlike last time when I was young, I started to understand a little on how Junction works. It's quite a wonder how level doesn't affect much of the gameplay for this series instead you should work on your Junction more.

So anyways, I'm at Disc One at the moment at Timbers, I'm just wondering how do I max my stats like Str to 255? ATM my Str is only 21 and it's slotted with Fire. Can anyone enlighten me on what magic should I equip to have high stats so I can do high potential damage? I'm not liking my damages now =(. How and where to get the certain Magic would be appreciated too! :D
*I did some researching and pros advices that do not level your character up, use the Card ability instead and I did follow the advice.. though I'm level 11 now because of some mistakes*

Thanks for the help, guys! Any additional info that might be able to help me are welcomed to.. hehe

Edit: I have just one more question, how do people avoid EXP-ing when theres fight vs soldiers where carding them is impossible... ugh

[Marshall Banana]

Draw magic from enemies and refine cards and items for magic! Spells like Curaga boost stats a lot, and you can refine Tents into Curaga spells using Siren's L Mag-RF ability, I think - so, Curaga is a spell you can obtain now.

Earning cards via Triple Triad games is an easy method of obtaining cards that refine into useful items (which refine into useful spells). Be sure that your GFs learn their RF abilities!

Your characters can cast Break on soldiers to end battles with them without earning EXP. One Cockatrice card refines into one Cockatrice Pinion (via Quezacotl's Card Mod ability), which refines into twenty Breaks (via Diablos' ST Mag-RF ability), if I'm not mistaken. There are Cockatrices outside of Timber (on the map), and Cockatrice cards are common cards in Triple Triad games.

[Rantz]

For the soldier battles that aren't forced, you can also choose to run away, although that will have a negative impact on your SeeD rank.

Tornado and Quake are two other spells that are very useful at that point in the game. You can get 20 Tornados from one Windmill, which you can refine from an Abyss Worm card. Quakes can be refined from Dino Bones (also 20 from 1), which can be refined from Armadodo cards (1 from 1) or T-Rexaur cards (1 from 2).

[Saber]

Yeah you should start the game and hurry to become a SEED, then boost your SEED rank so you get lots of money. Then run around and play cards... I suggest the elite card members (I forget what you call them) like the Joker or the card queen. Run around and card mod enemies (so you get AP) then learn the refine skills. Try to get 100 of as much magic as you can, then avoid using spells as much as possible. If all goes well you should be good. You probally won't get 255 str at the start of the game but you can get it to where its at a alright status. Peace dude.

[BardTard]

The higher level the spell is, the better it is to junction (like firaga is better than fire) and the more spells you have, the more it will boost your stats (75 fires will make your stats higher than 20 fires). You should teach Quezacotl the card ability and card mod ability and refine your cards into useful items. Life spells like Curaga and Regen (I'm not sure if you have that at this point) are great for your HP. So you should always try to have like 100 of the spells you're junctioned to, or a really good number so it doesn't bring your stats down, that's very important.

[Pancakes]

Thanks for the replies guys, I surely appreciate them! :)
Yeah, I have 100 Curaga (refining from Tent) but just not too sure what Magic to junction for my Str. I'll look into the Quake spell now :D

One problem though, I'm not familiar with the card game at all but I guess I have to start looking forward to it now.

[rubah]

You probably could get enough tornados from Abyss Worm cards, and that's pretty good for strength.

At least, I THINK it's from abyss worm.

[Marshall Banana]

You have Ifrit's card, and, if you battled and defeated Diablos, you have Diablos' card, too. If you choose to fight and defeat Sacred and Minotaur in the Tomb of the Unknown King you'll also get their cards. With the said high-level cards in your possession Triple Triad should be easy!

If you don't need Sacred's card, you can refine it into one hundred Dino Bones; Dino Bones refine into Quake spells (Time Mag-RF) - like Rantzien said.

By the way, there are some students in Galbadia Garden who have useful cards.

[Cyric]

I can't believe you guys actually forgot the best magic you can junction to your Vitality, aside from Ultima which will be junctioned elsewhere: Meltdown!

How to acquire 100 Meltdowns for everybody (300 total)
1) Play cards until you have 30 Gayla Cards
2) Use Card Mod to turn the Gayla Cards into 30 Mystery Fluids
3) Use GF-Diablos' ST-Mag RF ability to turn the Mystery Fluids into Meltdowns.

Each Mystery Fluid refines into 10 Meltdowns. 100 Meltdowns adds 80pts to your Vitality. As you may notice, you can end up with this spell BEFORE you even leave on the Timber Mission.

[Pancakes]

Thanks for the info Cyric, now I have maximum stocked Meltdown for my chars at Disc 1 :)

[Iceglow]

See, Balamb Garden was great to get your cards, you had Ifrit and you get Diablos from beating him heres some other acquirable high power cards through carding alone in Balamb: Trauma (turtapod, caterchipillar), Shumi Tribe (T-rexaur, Grat), Jumbo Cactuar (wendigo, glacial eye), Elvoret (bitebug, ochu) to get one of these cards simply card the monster required repeatedly, I've highlighted them with bold font, shumi tribe is arguably the easiest to acquire because it is in the training centre alone. All of these cards are boss cards which early on help compliment your GF Ifrit card quite well, once you're playing with Diablos too then you're pretty much guaranteed to win just remember, never mix rules in Balamb, and you only need 1 flip to win so if unsure what to play next, play a card in a safe location e.g. a card (left, top, bottom, right) has 2, 7, 4, 6 for stats, you control the bottom left and the opponent has placed in bottom right, nothing in his hand can flip your cards 7 so place your card next to their bottom right card because you're safe from being flipped there. Heres some early cards you can pick up to bolster the hand even further: Minimog (GF), Quistis (character/player), Seifer (player), Angelo (I believe this counts as GF card) to get these cards is easy: Minimog is held by the kid running circles around Balamb Garden, he plays it after about his 3rd loss, just stand near the save point and ambush him as he goes past or if you feel reckless get it before even going to speak to Seifer after Dollet, though if you lose a hand here you suffer for it, they always take the most powerful card. Quistis is held by the black groupie or "treipie" to play him you need to find him in the back area of the canteen. Seifer is held by Cid himself, to get Cid to play cards, once acquired the Diablos lamp just run back inside Garden and play him (you can also acquire your battle meter item from him too at this time by speaking to him). You'll pick up other boss/monster cards in the process which is useful too. Angelo is a little more difficult to get, simply because it's your first experience of Timber rules. I'd advise you to mix rules since they play Same and One and generally open will spread to the region. However, Watts the contact for the Forest Owls has this card, best thing is he stands normally 2 steps or so from a save point so take advantage of that, if you're playing to eradicate rules you want to spread open at this point in time, since same will be used to eradicate other rules in Dollet and Gabaldia.

An early magic junction spell to collect is Water, this can be done by acquiring fasticalon-f cards, 5 refine in to 1 water crystal 1 water crystal with shiva's I-magRF is 50 waters I believe, this will boost stats to atleast around 40. Although carding Fasticalon-F will still allow fish fins to drop so use a water crystal on quistis for aqua breath and turn each fin in to 20 waters. Dino bones are acquired from T-rexaur (and his card refines in to them) in the training centre or forests on Balamb, though a rare sighting he's well worth carding for them as that gives you Quake, playing cards gives you the Gayla card for Meltdown and I believe the Mesmerize card for modification to acquire Regen. Drawing from Biggs, Wedge and Elvoret in Dollet gives you the following spells: Esuana, Blind and Double you can draw protect spells from X-ATM092 but the time limit lends itself to forgetting this one especially since you can get protect and shell in the next area of the story. The mini-boss where you save Ellone in the training centre provides more magic shell and protect to be precise. Drawing sleep and silence from Fasticalon-F and Grats saves time and hassle with modding cards, plus if you card the monster afterwards 0exp. The bigger your damage the harder it will become to damage things without killing them so remember not to go overboard on the str junction (or elemental - j)