darkSpyro

This is for PVE, and you are putting together your experience, and knowledge to decide if you HAD to do a play through with ONLY one magic character which would it be,and why?

This isn't about which path, but a broader view of the character vs the others of it's element.

This is the first week, I want to make a thread like this for every element and go through them all. All my skylanders are S1, or the new small or large giants characters. I would like to count on you guys to fill in the gaps and add in ALL the info you feel is relevant to the subject. Like the Wow Pow attacks, your take on any of the characters and paths especially if you take a different one than I do in my explanation of the character and why I give them whatever rating. My rating on characters is VERY flexible. I don't have EVERY skylander and have to make decisions based on videos, posts and other second party sources of info. That's why I am making the post here because I find this community to be very ration and informed. Now that the long explanation for the purpose of this post is done here is how they is the rating system.

Damage - 1 - 3 one being the lowest, Three being the highest dmg
Melee, Projectile, Lob, Minion, Motion/Charge, Triggered (think tripwire, landmine, ect) Ranged AOE, Point blank AOE, DoT - dmg over time (think acid or poison) Stream/Conical attacks (think fire wall or fire breath or gill gunts stream of water)
This rating is more of an attempt to quantify how functional a character is. This should be the least subjective rating

Unique 1 - 5 one being many characters share similar attacks, or similar combat mechanics
If a character has a split into 3 projectiles attack, flies, has a typical charge, things LOTs of other characters have

Fun Factor - 1 - 5 one being the most monotonous, boring, five being very engaging and fun combat
For example, you could in theory play trigger happy by charging up, and at full charge wipe out a screen, then rinse and repeat... There is no arguing that is a unique ability, but it also makes it basically the most boring way to play. So keep in mind this character is what you're stuck with. A VERY functional character, even high dmg character doesn't exactly mean FUN... in a lot of ways this is the most subjective, and important rating.


Who you would pick 1 - 6 one being your first choice 6 being the last

Obviously there will be some debate, and I encourage that. Some one will give someone a 5 , and someone will give the same character a 2 because it is a limited attack

DOUBLE TROUBLE

DMG 3 Stream / PBAOE / Homing Minion
The Eldritch Beam does a ton of dmg, same as the Magic Bomb

Unique 4
The beam, and Conjure are his own thing in this game

Fun Factor 4
For me fun is using the beam, and dropping the bomb... it feels very well desgned

Your Pick 1


WRECKING BALL

DMG 2 Projectile / Charge / Conical and PBAOE
The tongue attack is okay... the aoe is decent, and the roll attack is done on other characters for around the same dmg

Unique 4
He just has a unique feeling... he is greater than the sum of the parts

Fun Factor 3
Bouncing around the screen is fun... and on the flip side the tongue attacks are fast, but can get boring after a while. In the long run he feels like a 2 button PVE character... Not unlike double trouble you could say, but not as fun in the long run (to me)

Your Pick 2


POP FIZZ

DMG 2 Lob / Melee / PBAOE / Minion / Ranged DoT AOE

Unique 3
Lobber and melee... nothing new, but the different kinds of lobbed projectiles is new so that helps, and transforming though not that great, is still unique

Fun Factor 3
Transforming is fun, but the melee is again just so so, and the timer is bleh. I think they could have done more with the transformed version to really elevate this character. The lobbing is decent...

Your Pick 3


SPYRO

DMG 2 Ranged 3 way split / Charge / Possible shield - PBAOE
very run of the mill dmg.

Unique 1
EVERYthing he has is copied in other characters

Fun Factor 4 though he is copied he is a well put together character. His attacks run well together

Your Pick 4


VOODOOD

DMG 1 Melee / Motion / Triggered
Melee is decent but done better with other characters

Unique 4
The zipline is all his own, this is a character that feels like would be really good if more of the game had a "defend your spot" sections in the game.

Fun Factor 2
The zipline isn't enough, the melee is so-so vs others, the trip lines would be good in a game where you had to be more defensive or fight on the run

Your Pick 5


NINJINI

DMG 2 Melee / Projectile / Ranged AOE / Possible Triggered / Possible Lob
Just nothing that popped out as stellar

Unique 5
VERY unique with the bottle... I just didn't prefer it, but I can't say a lot of characters have her kind of attacks, or gameplay or just in general with her looks.

Fun Factor 1
Like I said above her melee just didn't feel any different or well implemented, the whole orbs attacks have been done better with other charaters, and I don't like being in the bottle... If I could get into that part of her character at all then I'd go up

Your Pick 6

In conclusion
Double Trouble
Wrecking Ball
Pop Fizz
Spyro
Voodood
Ninjini

Is who I consider best, and in that order if I HAD to choose one for a play through.
Use the same template for the ratings if you want.

My Opinions:
Voodood
Double Trouble
Wrecking Ball on Ultimate Spinner
Ninjini
Spyro
Pop Fizz
Wrecking Ball on Total Tongue

It's probably a lot to ask for a synopsis on ALL the characters... but why do you like Voodood the most? why out of the magic guys would you pick him?

Pop Fizz and Ninjini (and sort of Wrecking Ball) are overrated and not as good as everyone says.
Spyro is okay but others are better.
Double Trouble is just behind Voodood for me so they are almost tied.
I just like the type of characters like Voodood more.

I have nothing invested in a popular opinion of ANY character. Most of those are PVP anyways which is even more subjective than PVE...

So taking dmg out
you like Voodood mostly because it is a VERY unique character? Cause I agree no one else does have that zipline kind of combat style... Just wist that part of his combat has been flushed out better. If instead of elementalist they had done a path for the zipline attack (move hyperwire it too it plus 2 more) he could have easily been at the top or near on my list
Without that though it is low on my list cause it's just a one button character.

For the purposes of this list, assume everybody but Voodood is S2.

1 - Double Trouble

Damage - 3
One of the entire game's more damaging and effective characters. His ability to lock on and strafe is the source of most of my "no lives lost" completions in Nightmare, including all of the Arenas. Magic Bombs seal the deal, this is a supremely effective character.

Unique - 3
Nobody else attacks precisely like Double Trouble, and in that sense, he's very unique. On the other hand, there is little variety in terms of attacks you will actually use in-game. He often simply alternates between Eldritch Beam and Magic Bombs, and that's it. So, rather unique, but limited variety.

Fun Factor - 3
Eh, I don't have a ton of fun playing DT, he's just the most effective. The primary reason for his not scoring higher here is his movement speed, which is slow enough to necessitate swapping in order to beat many of the time trials. Constant swapping tends to grate for me. Nevertheless, Double Trouble is my go-to for Magic, and it's not even close.

2 - Wrecking Ball

Damage - 2
If he had just a slight bit more control here, he would have a 3. The disco ball and force field explosion are a very potent combination, and due to rate of travel, his damage over time versus the entire area increases. Very underrated, and a bit of a juggernaut in PVE.

Unique - 4
He gets bonus points for the disco ball, the Yoshi tongue, and the fact that he frequently flies off the edge of arenas. Wrecking Ball may be a charging character in a game with many others, but his charge truly "feels" like it's one of a kind. Eating enemies for health is a nice touch as well.

Fun Factor - 5
To me, there is no more fun character in the Magic element than S2 Wrecking Ball. If you've ever wanted to play a hybrid of Yoshi, Kirby and Sonic the Hedgehog, this is your guy. Fast, fun, a nice design, and a refreshing take on the charging characters. Plus, the game plays disco music while he rolls--how awesome is that?

3 - Ninjini

Damage - 2
But the lower end of 2. She deals nice melee damage, but her slow rate of travel cripples her against the area as a whole. Bonus points for being a Giant and having access to heavy projectiles, which can certainly speed up certain parts of the game, but that situated trait can only carry a character so far.

Unique - 2
Seen it all before. As Giants go, she feels the most generic. If we're rating her solely against other Magic characters, bump this rating to a 4 for the ability to smash walls and lift heavy objects, but as all the other Giants can do that as well, I'm not so sure I'd count it.

Fun Factor - 4
I just plain like playing Giants. One for one, they're genuinely more enjoyable to me than standard-sized Skylanders. Wall smashing, rock hurling, heavy object lifting and feats of strength are all unique to the class, and make the game less of a hassle to play. Swapping them on works, but tends to grate. I find it better just to play the Giants and leave smaller characters out of it for the most part, although this certainly has diminishing returns on Nightmare.

4 - Spyro

Damage - 2

Spyro is pretty tough. His charge can hit the same target multiple times, his Fireslam packs a surprisingly large punch, and he travels fast. This would be a higher 2, if anything, simply because he can navigate areas quickly and get to new targets faster, adding to his damage over time vs. the whole area. Pretty effective.

Unique - 1
Gosh, it is impossible to be more generic than Spyro. He's a generic projectile character on one path and a generic charger on the other. Moreover, he's not the best example of either class, which makes other entries seem more unique by comparison.

Fun Factor - 4
I'm an old school Spyro player, and running around as this character from my childhood just tickles the old nostalgia bone. Yes, I can find a better character for both projectiles and charging--heck, several of them; but none of them are relics from childhood, so sometimes Spyro is called for even when the situation doesn't demand him.

4 - Voodood

Damage - 3
Voodood is beastly. The highest three-hit combo damage in the game, fast rate of travel, and a damaging hookshot-style attack for closing gaps. In his own way, he's as potent at putting targets down as Double Trouble, just not as defensively solid. Not even close.

Unique - 2
The zipline is unique, the melee isn't. Since the zipline, as ryum has said, is treated as subsidiary to the combo attacks and is never the main focus of a path, I've got no choice but to dock his rating here. He can seem more unique from time to time than the Stealth Elf/Slam Bam clone he actually is.

Fun Factor - 1
I just don't like playing him anymore. He was my go-to for Magic in S:SA, but when Giants came out, his true nature as a big fish in a small pond became apparent to me. He just didn't age as well as Double Trouble, or get the kind of large-scale power-up the disco ball was for Wrecking Ball. Even his figure looks dated next to the new toys in paint job, construction, and pose.

5 - Pop Fizz

Damage - 2
He just isn't that damaging. As melees go, you'll find better than Best of the Beast. As lobbing characters go, there are also superior choices, but slightly less of them, so I went with that. His potion explosion takes too long to charge, his potion lobs aren't exceptional, his servants die too quickly, and his field damage leaves a lot to be desired. Lacks a dash attack as well, so travel will of course reduce overall damage.

Uniqueness - 5
Pop Fizz is one of the most unique characters in the game. The Jeckyll & Hyde thing is nice, his ability to swap potion types is something no other character has, and even his potion explosion is a one-of-a-kind button mashing attack. Pop Fizz plays like no other, and is incredibly versatile. I just wish it amounted to greater damage...

Fun Factor - 2
I just don't have much fun playing him. I've wanted to like this character, but he's too slow, and outclassed on both ranged and melee levels by characters I like a lot better. Why play Best of the Beast when I can use Slam Bam? Why swap potions at all when I can play a lobber like Eruptor, who also doubles as a powerhouse enforcer on the side? Pop Fizz just isn't as fun for me as he is unique.

This should be a fun topic!

Thanks for the detailed ratings... thing about pop fizz is he was a pretty brand new character when making the list. It's only been a couple of days but new is wearing off fast. In a week I predict He'll drop below spyro then voodood... but not below ninijini. I just think she is awful in function. Her play style does not sit right with me at all. Though I do like the character design and ect.

Pop fizz
Double trouble
Voodood
Spyro
NINJINI