Alright, this is what I think of Neptune Dragon. Let me know if I'm way off-base on any of this or if you have any further input, opinions, or advice.
Pros:
-Seems pretty strong. A 36x rows lead with four rows should hit like a truck.
-Recovery modifier is higher than some of my current Gabriel teams (2.25x with NepDra/NepDra vs. 2x with Gabriel/Ryune).
-Leader skill is flexible, so with the right testing he should be able to hit even through damage shields.
-Best art of any of the MP dragons by far.
-High natural HP, which is especially handy given that he has no HP modifier.
-Strongest poison in the game (?).
-Poison is not usually a very stackable skill, but the added haste means it will always pull a lot of weight even if nothing in the dungeon cares about it.
-Skill lock resist means it's very plausible to get 100% resistance.
-Most of the subs I would use for him are already hypermax.
-Has sub potential as well as lead potential thanks to his great awakenings and niche skill.
-The way his leader skill works makes getting three rows and also maxing out his modifier impossible, which means I'm not obligated to try to set up tricky triple row boards. Seems easy to play.
-His team (or at least the team I'm considering) seems resilient to most forms of disruption.
Cons:
-Seems pretty orb-hungry. Might be hard to keep up consistent damage without constantly using skills.
-Might struggle with combo shields.
-Only one skillboost and a long minimum cooldown means his teams will probably be fairly slow.
-Annoying dark row in his awakenings is basically just a trick to make him look like he has more awakenings than he actually does.
-Need for a lot of orbchangers to fuel his leader skill coupled with the fact that he doesn't orbchange himself means limited room for utility actives like delays, shields, or even damage boosts.
-Low natural recovery.
-Seems obvious, but he's expensive. If I buy him I'll be completely cleaned out on monster points, so Gungho will inevitably announce something else I'd rather have right away and I won't be able to afford it for a long time.
-Seems potentially extremely vulnerable to skill delay, which is the hardest status to build against anyway (unless you're loaded).
-Doesn't seem very efficient for ranking dungeons like no skills or no awakenings, since he relies on skills to fuel his leader skill modifier.
I don't watch much PAD gameplay, so I haven't ever seen anyone play him, and I don't keep up with high-tier teams, so for anyone who does: Can Neptune Dragon clear very hard content? Should I expect to be able to clear Challenge 10 or maybe even Arena with him? And if so do I need an extremely specific team to do it? I know I should expect his damage to be high, but I don't really know how high.
I don't remember exactly which enemies do it, but I do know for sure that it's good not to let your guard down and assume hearts are always safe from poison.
Huh. That's ominous. :V
