Thoughts on Festival of Wonders (*groan*)
Spoiler: Banners
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Banner 1- Fire: 2 dupes, but it has both chains. Locke could support Fire team even more with his Chain, as he can get SB gauge pretty fast. That said, not exactly excited.
Wins: Locke's Zwill Crossblade, Krile's Asura's Rod, Refia's Metal Knuckles
Verdict: 3-pull at most.

Banner 2 - Earth: No dupes, and my Earth synergy is pathetic. My plan against Hydra consisted of beating Golem, then using Rinoa and maybe a good Monk for Meteor Crash/Gaia Rush. So, this banner is pretty important to create a proper Earth team. It has Ingus' chain, which while many people claim it sucks, it's actually another source of Guts/Last Stand for the party, on a character who can withstand more hits (and can use Gaia Cross to tank), plus his Burst, which I've been looking for quite some while. Pretty excited.
Wins: Pretty much anything, but Ingus' in particular.
Losses: LMRs? Don't use Tifa, and Galuf doesn't have relics of his own.
Verdict: 11-pull, definitely.

Banner 3 - Wind and Water: 2 dupes, and a pretty decent selection. Not exactly aiming for anything, but more Water synergy is nice...that said, I have tons of Wind synergy. No Stragus!Burst, though, which saddens me a bit. Both chains are great, as Tidus and Zack are particularly solid members of their respective teams. Nice catch!
Wins: Any of the Chains.
Meh: Anything from Cloud. I mean...sure, there's the awesome Force Stealer there, which is good, but I don't use Cloud a lot - I have his OSB, and I don't use him even then.
Verdict: 3-pull, perhaps.

Banner 4 - Ice and Lightning: 1 dupe. Ice Chains are welcome, particularly if it's Rinoa's Comforter (Ice Magic chain, and she can follow with Chain Blizzaga, Witch abilities or her first Burst, and she can provide Ayame with a much-needed boost to her damage against Fenrir). Even Lenna has something there for her. On the other hand, I have Shelke's Spear, and I don't want anything from Fem!Cloud. Tempting, but wary.
Wins: Rinoa's Comforter, FFVIII Bursts, more Ice
Losses: Anything for Fem!Cloud
Verdict: Not likely, unless the stars are aligned.

Banner 5 - Holy and Dark: 4 dupes. The prize banner, for what it seems, because it has Ramza's ShoutBurst, as well as RainesBurst, Marche's Instant Cast Enabling Ultra, and both Holy and Dark chains. On the other hand, I got tons of support for Holy (Agrias, Beatrix, Edward as Imperilers, Warrior of Light as DPS, Orlandeau as THUNDER GOD, and even Firion joins the game as minor DPS and anti-magic); and Dark is also pretty solid (Kuja and Skinner as Imperilers, Golbez as Tank, Leon and Gaffy as DPS, and Exdeath if he wants to join the fun). Both teams also have a character that can do both things (Agrias has her EnHoly and does Imperil; Kuja has his EnDark and does Imperil; the difference is that Agrias ALSO has her Overstrike). It's hard to look for that, considering the dupes. So conflicted!
Wins: Ramza's Burst II, Raines' Burst
Verdict: Not likely. Really, not even a 1-pull. Ramza's Burst can be gained on a banner between the Festival and Fire Goddess Banner, alongside Orlandeau's Awe-Inspiring Ultra.


That's basically it.

As for Power-Up Dungeons: the XP gained just by doing the + Dungeon is pretty exciting. Only 2 dungeons, and less cost, but you get almost as much XP as you'd gain on the previous dungeons. Now that it's open every day, it's really tempting to spend Stamina almost entirely on it. What's better, I can do it twice per fill cycle!