Clash

The core of Yggdra Union's combat lies in the clashes. These engagements occur after a unit Unionizes against hostile forces. A clash can be broken down into four (4) major components: Charge, Counter, Fight, Results.

The Basics[]

Units are broken down into two major size types: Small and Large. Small units have 6 (GBA)/8 (PSP) soldiers, including the head. Large type units have twice the HP of normal ones, and thus have half the amount of soldiers within them, consisting of 3 (GBA)/4 (PSP) including the head. The head is the leader of the clash, and serves as the avatar of the unit. The head controls aggressiveness and uses skills; the unit is severely crippled if the head is taken out. Morale is lost for those on the losing end of a clash. If morale drops to zero (0), the unit disappears from the battlefield and will Zero Reset if it was a player unit that fell.

Charge[]

Immediately when a clash begins, the aggressor will charge toward their opponent and jump them. The enemy unit will brace for the attack with their GEN. The difference between GEN and the aggressor's TEC is calculated to determine how much damage is inflicted to the unit; luck plays a part too, due to the unpredictability of the RNG. Other things such as skills and the weapon triangle will also be considered during a charge. Charging also opens up the possibilty to score a rare Critical Hit.

Refer to the screen shot to the right. Note that Milanor's TEC has three stars (a value of 3), and his Valkyrie opponent's GEN has two (2) big ones and four (4) small ones. Only the large stars matter, so her GEN actually has a value of 2. On equal footing, Milanor's greater TEC dictates that he has a good chance of inflicting heavy damage from the get-go (which he does with a vengeance).

Counter[]

After the charge has been peformed, the defending unit will then retaliate, which operates in a similar fashion to charging in that it uses the TEC of the defender and the GEN of the aggressor to determine damage. Weapon advantage and remaining soldiers (including the head) has a great impact on how strong the counter attack will be. Countering also has other variables that can sway the outcome, such as Heavy Counter.

Fight[]

After the charge and counter have been performed, the assault begins. The fighting part is the "meat" of the clash, in which the player is able to switch between Aggressive and Passive modes (click here for more details on these attacking options); the player may also use skills if they meet the criteria for it. Beware that the enemy unit also has access to skills and their Rage Meter. Skills must be charged before they launch, though enemies can use theirs instantly; the player can obtain items that allow for Instant Charge.

During the fighting, all remaining soldiers will duel. This is where ATK comes into play, as it drains the hidden HP of the enemies. Generally, the unit with higher ATK has a combat advantage in this situation, as they will be able to deplete HP faster than their enemy. The head is invincible until all of their men have fallen, then they will be vulnerable to damage. The unit that loses all soldiers has lost the clash, making the opposing end triumphant. From there, you are taken to the last phase, the Results of the battle.

As mentioned above, it is possible for the head to be eliminated prematurely. There are but three ways for this to happen:

The head was knocked out by a Critical Hit.
The head was eliminated by the use of Bloody Claw.
The player used Kiss of Death and its timer ran out before the clash ended.

Results[]

When either side has been defeated, Morale damage is calculated in the results. The amount of damage depends mostly upon the power of the Tactic Card that was used, though there are several more variables that are included in the formula:

Surviving Units: For every soldier still standing, an additional 10% is awarded; 20% for large type units. This includes the head. The PSP version underwent a few refinements. In this one, each small unit is worth 8%, and large units are worth 16%.
Ability Difference: This is the difference between the winner's ATK and the loser's GEN. If the ATK is higher, 10% per value difference is awarded; fortuitously, if the difference is negative, then a penalty is introduced under the same principles.
GEO Defense: Terrain bonuses and penalties will be calculated. For example: a Knight on a Bridge or Road will receive the benefit of a -20% to their morale damage, increasing their lastability. Harmful terrain that adds to morale damage also exists and should be avoided as much as possible. In the PSP version, this is no longer included alongside the other variables additively, instead reducing morale damage by the percentage specified; its overall impact on morale damage has been reduced as a result.
Bonuses: Things such as Critical Hits and whether the head survived the battle are factored in. Skills like Steal and Crusade can greatly increase this value.

After the damage is done,

Card Powering — The Card Power of Mirage is increased by +93, bringing its base power from 1377 to 1470.

the power of the card used will be increased according to the sum of morale damage and Power Up Points. The enemy will not have this benefit, as their card power is fixed always. Boss characters such as Luciana tend to contribute more to card powering than generics due to them generally having a greater Pow Up Pts value. After the results, more clashes can ensue until the union is over.