Character Statistic Cards

Some quick descriptions.

Ashe
Strengths: DEF
Weaknesses: MAG
Aero is a strong ability, but it lowers her already bad MAG stat so using it against an opponent with a good MAG stat is a risky move. Unfortunately there's no real way to iron out her major MAG weak point, and fights are over in a few turns so using her ability any later than near the very beginning is not a good idea. Using it at all is better reserved for enemies with an average or weak MAG stat, possibly after a fakeout with a MAG increase. Not everyone necessarily expects Ashe to have as bad a MAG stat as she does, so in the best case one can avoid it being played altogether.

Cloud
Strengths: STR
Weaknesses: MAG, MDF
Braver is amazing, especially so long as the opponent is still unaware of what it does, as it allows a massive nuke. He has decent DEF and SPD, but having two major weak points he will have to take damage in at least one eventually. In which case it may be best to simply overpower the enemy with a powerful special attack. May need to be on the lookout for enemy abilities that reduce or nullify damage, however, that could be fatal for Cloud.

Firion
Strengths: (STR)
Weaknesses: (MDF)
Firion has no extreme ups or downs as of now, which both means he will have difficulties to hit the enemy hard and the enemy will have a hard time bringing down Firion, especially thanks to Shield Bash which really has a rather deceiving name. It may be good to give him an item that allows him to get a strong hit in and then focus on defense to come out on top in the end.

Laguna
Strengths: (DEF)
Weaknesses: (MAG, SPD)
Laguna is similar to Firion, but with his ability Scatter Shot fulfills more of a debuffing role than a tanking. Using that ability transforms his SPD into a weakness, however, so it's better used in the early stages of a match or else not much is gained. His stats may just be well-rounded enough to simply take the average opponent head on after using his ability. It's probably in his best interest to finish battles quickly.

Addendum: Scatter Shot is actually one of the most overall easy-to-use abilities we've seen so far since doing the math will reveal that, even in the worst case scenario, using it right off the bat will typically give you a damage advantage of 10 (40 in the best case scenario), and using it if one stat has already been played it still has you break even. This doesn't factor in enemy abilities, but I feel that - more often than not - having the enemy's stats lowered will be a benefit either way. There's little reason not to start a battle with Scatter Shot, regardless of who takes the first turn. Unless of course the enemy starts by doing a SPD attack in which case smurf them.

Lightning
Strengths: STR, (DEF)
Weaknesses: (MAG, MDF, SPD)
Lightning only has two good stats and is subpar at best in the others. Like it or not, she will be taking hits rather hard. It's rather vital that both STR and DEF get played during the match, otherwise her weak points will be her downfall. As for a potential third attack, this is where Returns comes in. She doesn't need to push a third stat, she can simply use this ability to get another decent hit in - however it's not a very powerful attack and must be used with caution. Watching the turn count is vital as Lightning, as you definitely don't want a battle to go on for any longer than it has to. A good boost in STR could give her the edge.

Addendum: I actually have a glaring flaw here, since I ignored that using Returns lowers Lightning's Strength by 20, and cannot be used if she already used her STR stat. This means that using Returns is only ever worth it if it does more than 20 damage, and even then is only worth it rarely since it makes the fight go on for an extra turn. (The more I think about it, the more I feel like Returns is underpowered =P)

Rinoa
Strengths: (special)
Weaknesses: (special)
Angel Wings make Rinoa a completely volatile character. The actual effect and stats of Rinoa will be near undiscernable for the opponent's team, meaning we can make use of what they 'believe' her stats to be and then push her stats in a different direction to catch them off guard. Standard strategy for her ability, I'd say, is keeping the enemy's most likely two strong stats at 80 and pushing their weak point to 120 using the other two stats. But this depends on the enemy. Strategy is most important here due to her unpredictability.

Yuna
Strengths: MDF
Weaknesses: (STR, SPD)
Yuna's massive MDF stat is a force to be reckoned with, especially since at least on our side there aren't many characters with a particularly good MDF stat to speak of. Her strengths are, however, at odds with her ability, Cure, as it lowers this advantage and makes her more of a jack-of-all-trades. For that reason, it's very important to use it with caution, as not using it for an extra 20 damage in a quick MDF attack may be the winning move. Using her ability is best reserved for when you want to draw out a battle a bit instead of finishing quickly.

Zack
Strengths: (STR)
Weaknesses: (MDF)
Zack may look similar to Firion at first glance, but his ability Haste makes him a very different hero. He's best at hitting fast before the enemy has time to set up and make good use of any special moves. He can use a stat attack basically every turn, so the matches might just be over before the enemies realize it. Thanks to this trait, he may actually be the exception to the rule of 'push strengths rather than weaknesses'.