Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-31297098-20170220151321/@comment-26484417-20170221230339

Dimension Creator wrote: If my most powerful melee asset happens to be just as good as a Light Bearer than why not? I don't quite understand your reasoning there:  If you mean that your most powerful melee asset is just as good as your Light Bearer, then we're talking about two individuals. Therefore, one of them can do the job of a Light Bearer while the other one takes care of the melee; this situation has nothing to do with the issue at hand. If you mean that the most powerful melee asset is the Light Bearer, then it either means you force the Light Bearer in the frontline position sacrificing their rear-type / support potential, or you let someone less powerful take care of the frontline while this Light Bearer is in the rear. Which leads back to the same issue: Would you want your most powerful melee asset in the rear?

If said person is absolutely/most needed in the needed in the front than no. It completely depends on that person's skill set and the situation at hand. This also doesn't indicate anything either way, it's merely dancing around the issue. If the Light Bearer cannot handle the front-line, then not only is it unlikely the team's most powerful melee asset, but it would make no sense to put them on the frontline--and vice versa.

For this to be an issue worth discussing, we assume that the Light Bearer can perform both the front-type and the rear-type role. This is because--when you think about it--the front-type Light Bearer is not a unique responsibility and Wave Controller with the right techniques can perform this job as well--and possibly be even better at it (e.g., Cherry La was shown to be really good at this). The reason why the front-type Light Bearers end up in this role so often is likely because Wave Controllers are simply way too rare. After all, one needs an noteworthy Shinsoo manipulation talent to become a Wave Controller in the first place, and then they still need a way to learn useful techniques, but everyone with at least 2 Lighthouse and a modicum of talent appears to be able to deploy some manner of suppression field. Not to mention that the Lighthouse techniques are apparently something one can install--which also suggests that some techniques come pre-installed--while Wave Controllers and other positions can only learn their techniques the hard way; even our copy-cat MC often first has to suffer the effect of the technique before he can copy it.

In contrast, the rear-type Light Bearer (i.e., the Light Bearer position as it was originally described on 2F and at the time of the aforementioned blog post) is likely the position that truly makes a difference. This role is not something any other position can substitute on the same level--though Leesoo as a Scout is doing his best--and it's also not something one can properly do when they are exposed in the front. They may be able to take care of themselves when needed, but it's unlikely that one can properly focus on the command-centre 1, 2 while in the middle of a combat3.