SOme questions:
1. is @Bopp: Do you hate me? (sorry)
2. Magnus vs Alchemer is FSC: Which is better, and does the Magnus stop zombie's attacks?
3. Cutter vs Flourish: Uhhhhh, I think they are equal:
Cutter pros/cons:
Pros:
10 cut combo
Can poison (at 4* vile striker)
INSANE DAMAGE
Cons: Shadow slice (or bite) does less damage than original slice
Has a VERY dangerous charge attack
Flourish pros:
Very fast ASI
Good damage per slice
Snarble Barb line has shotgun charge attack thats OP against trojians
Cons:
Flourish line has a not-so-good charge attack
Lunges you forward (can be good thing to)
4. Cutter vs Brandish: Which is better? (already have a combuster but not a cutter, wondering if I sould get one.
5. Final Flourish vs Barbarous Thorn Blade: Which is bettter?
-Nert
P.S. I'm truly sorry, Bopp
1. Not as far as I know. :) It's possible that you have alternate knights that I dislike, though.
2. Magnuses and alchemers are both great in FSC. Probably magnuses are better at tearing through crowds. I would have to run tests to form a stronger opinion.
3. I don't agree with a lot of these points about swords. You might want to look at data sets such as this one.
Cutters don't do "insane damage". They do so-so damage. And to "cons" I would add that you have to get right up in the monster's face. That's bad because meanwhile other monsters may munch you.
Flourishes don't have "very fast ASI". They do more combos per minute, but fewer strokes per minute, than cutters. Flourish charges are also very effective against trojans; it's the smaller enemies that you have to worry about with those charges. And I would add a big "pro": The first stroke of the flourish combo is wide, so that you can hit and interrupt many monsters at once. This is great when fighting 6 wolvers or 8 greavers or 3 devilites at once. By the way, all of this is in my detailed sword guide. Also I would add a "pro" for non-normal damage, especially against the nastiest monster family in the game (fiends).
4. You should get a cutter because trying different weapon styles is fun. But no, it is nowhere near as good as a brandish (even ignoring the difference in damage type).
5. FF vs. BTB is covered in my sword guide. But of course other players may have other opinions.