Quote Originally Posted by Calemyr View Post
Anyway, the experts are as stuck who the most useful healer is as much as I am, eh? There's a comfort, at least.
Well, part of the problem is that there's no one best choice for anything. Even in a field with strong forerunners, like Cloud being a default go-to melee guy, there are distinguishing features for others. Realm synergy is a thing. Unique options (such as Lightning being able to Spellblade with a gun) are a thing. There are always other considerations, contexts in which the "best" isn't the best, or the "second best" becomes a clear leader.

The same guy who did the Know Your Records: White Magic thread also did one for Support and one for "Samuraitaliaters."

For Support, he compared Wakka, Fran, Irvine, Red XIII, Terra (she technically uses Support), Gordon (while he's not dead), and Tyro. His conclusions are varied (Wakka is best, unless Irvine has an awesome gun, or you need Support on the front lines). For a role like Support, as with White Magic, you really rely on context.

It's worth noting that, for Retaliatemans, he compared Cloud, Cyan, Sephiroth, and Tyro; big surprise, Cloud is practically tailor-made for the role, but a well-equipped Seph is a beast. Even in that narrow case, the best choice is dependent upon available options.

The point is that there's really no such thing as "most useful X," given how widely contexts can vary. Oh, there are worst choices for X (usually Tyro), and often middling choices make themselves known (e.g. Red XIII), but rarely are there clear leaders for a particular category that obviate all others.