Great thread, magus Allied Soldier was one of my early MVP's way back. Reflect shield, multi-hitter, he was so useful. Unfortunately, I haven't used him in a long time. I used him with SOL Eddie and a mix of WCOTD and sentinel Allied Bomber Boy to beat the original cosmos.
Another character I leaned on for the BNW gardens (especially Garden of Dismay) was gunner Gunner Dog. Strike or echo talismans and he was awesome for that part of the game.