Igniting a debate

[Yaggleberry Finn]

Elsewhere you've said that Ignitor's Soul path is clearly better than his Blademaster path, especially in PvP. I can see that in story mode, but in pvp I had a real problem with him there.

I agree that his soul path gives him some versatility in terms of being able to strike from a distance, but it leaves his body crumpled up in a corner, allowing any faster character to come in and bust him up. He is a slow mover and therefore has no way to get away from melee attackers.

Do you prefer to just lob his spirit out repeatedly in that scenario? It seems to me that both builds have their liabilities, but I'm sure you've played him more than I have.

[Tashiji]

Well, for me, it's a matter of acceptable losses. We need to get this out there right away: Ignitor cannot beat Stealth Elf. If you see you are up against one, pick a different character. She'll destroy his crumpled armor and his active melee in about two seconds each. She may sustain a little more damage from Battlemaster, but a loss is a loss, and one way or another, it's going to happen.

Aside from the razorball of doom--and believe me, she's the bane way more Skylanders' existence than just Ignitor--the empty armor can just as easily be used to your advantage on Soul of the Flame. The explosion attack very quickly aborts a running flame soul, getting Ignitor back into his body with ample time to strike all but the fastest characters away using either a Mortar, a charged slash, or even standard melee. He's not really a character you want to encounter up close, unless you're Stealth Elf, in which case it's a lost cause anyway.

There are only a couple of characters whose charges you can't see coming and take preventative measures for, and those are Stealth Elf, Drill Sergeant, and to a lesser extent, Terrafin. Of those, Stealth Elf will kill you either way, and Drill Sergeant will regret getting that close. Soul of the Flame does leave Ignitor more open to Terrafin than Battlemaster, though.

But, what do you get in return? Well, Soul of the Flame demands that ranged characters get close. In virtually any arena, there's a decent wall to hide behind and lure your prey in, and in close quarters, Mortars are devastating. It's a position that projectile characters do not want to be in. With Battlemaster, they can snipe him at their leisure, and generally make short work of him in the process. He really has no way to counteract ranged damage without the Flame Soul.

There are going to be downsides either way, it's true. However, speaking pragmatically, I'd rather just abandon the Terrafin fight--after all, he's just one character--in exchange for being able to control the flow of battle with ranged characters, of which there are tons. I've had favorable results against Hex, Flameslinger, every Spyro, and even the dreaded Drobot, with Soul of the Flame, and these battles range from tough to unwinnable on Battlemaster.

To sum it up, here are the pros and cons of each path from my perspective. Leastwise, the most important ones.

Battlemaster:

Pros--Stands more of a chance against Stealth Elf than most; can defeat Terrafin, another dominant character, more often than not. Blade strikes are faster than Mortars.

Cons--Will most likely lose to Stealth Elf anyway. Sizable disadvantage against ranged Skylanders. Upgraded Mortars outdamage melee. Flame soul is useless on this path, and cannot be as quickly aborted when an enemy draws close.

Soul of the Flame:

Pros--Directs the flow of battle with ranged characters. Mortars up close out-damage blade strikes and combo attacks, and can compound for severe damage. Flame soul is faster than the running speed of nearly every character, highly damaging, and can be aborted quickly in a fiery explosion that damages a wide area. Empty armor can be used as a trap to lure opponents closer.

Cons--Terrafin will kick your butt. Stands even less of a chance against Stealth Elf. Mortars are slower than blade strikes. Using your empty armor as a trap rather than a strategic disadvantage takes practice, and makes him a sitting duck against characters he was already weak to.

I really do think Soul of the Flame is superior. The ability to thwart Terrafin isn't meaningless, but it's hard to choose it at the expense of fights with ranged characters.

[hebejebe]

I chose the battlemaster path and it is very good in adventure mode. But I think your right about it being the wrong choice for battle mode. Whenever I play battle mode tournaments, Ignitor is usually finished by the the third round.