Block - A Guide for Blockheads

[Piece of Mind]

I've had some thoughts on Block with PvP (hopefully) coming up, so I decided to put them down in writing for the benefit of whoever is reading this.

BLOCK

What is it?
Block is a Passive ability that used to be Sentinel-exclusive until the appearance of Undead Rescuers. It's fairly common for a passive, found on 4 unrelated characters, three Sentinels and a Warrior. According to the description, Block "Takes the damage for any ally below 50% HP or any attack that would reduce an ally below 50% HP." As far as I can tell there is no "spill-over" damage - if the Blocker takes more damage than would KO it, the extra damage doesn't go back to the original target.

Why should I care?
Block is essentially a damage redirect ability. In theory, what it does is redirect damage aimed at your squishier characters to something that can take it better. In PvP, this could potentially be a life-saver, protecting glass cannons from the attacks that will inevitably come their way.

That's great! What's the downside?
Unfortunately, Block comes with its own negatives. An AoE attack will similarly redirect all the damage to your Blocker in addition to the damage it would normally take, which means it will be receiving the equivalent of about three or four of those attacks. With all this damage, the Blocker ironically becomes the most fragile team member, and end up requiring support of their own to stay alive, which means at least a dedicated healer and/or reviver. One option which I haven't tried is Vampiric talismans - the bonus health might be useful. Block is also passive damage absorption, and the time and effort spent in having a Blocker may be better invested in all-out attack. Finally, as with all Passives, Block is rendered useless by the Prisoner.

Hmm. So who can Block?
The four Blockers come with their own pros and cons.

Desert Guardian
Level 100 Stats
HP 8654
ATK 233
DEF 598
MAG 230
MR 670
SP 238
Talisman slots
Sentinel, Sentinel, Sentinel
Attacks
Thrust: Magic damage, single-target, additional true damage for each DoT effect on the enemy
Fever (3 Power): Magic damage, single-target, 40% chance to Silence enemy for 2 turns
Notes
Only Magic-based Blocker. Average HP for a Sentinel, with above-average DEF and MR. Absorbs Magic damage better. Attacks are offensively based and pair best with negative effect casters/talisman users. Can do decent damage with extra effects, but single-target only. Can make use of Shock and Freeze talismans.

Dog of War
Level 100 Stats
HP 8654
ATK 233
DEF 763
MAG 233
MR 563
SP 238
Talisman slots
Sentinel, Sentinel, Sentinel
Attacks
Ruin: True damage, single-target, increases with HP and DEF
Tackle (3 Power): True damage, single-target, increases with HP, 35% chance to Stun for 2 turns
Notes
Average HP for a Sentinel, above-average DEF and MR. Absorbs Physical hits better. Single-target, very little offensive presence even with 6 HP talismans (Ruin is boring, Tackle isn't much better) and can't protect itself very well either. Probably has the best defensive stats of the bunch.

Angel of Strife (a.k.a. Green Bat)
Level 100 Stats
HP 9117
ATK 233
DEF 232
MAG 233
MR 232
SP 238
Talisman slots
Sentinel, Magus, Sentinel
Attacks
Torture: True damage, strikes 3 times, increases with HP of user and enemy, 20% chance to Stun with each strike
Shriek (6 Power): Immunity for 1 turn, Invincibility for 1 turn (effect durations can be increased by 2 with skill shards), 40% chance to Taunt all enemies
Notes
HP is above-average for a Sentinel, all the rest are baseline, mediocre stats. Unlike the other Blockers, can actually increase its survivability as well as cause significant single-target damage. Torture is a great attack that gets a lot of mileage out of effect talismans, as all three hits can proc. Can easily neutralize an enemy for a turn, which is defensively valuable. Being invincible and immune (for a rather steep price) is also great, but the invincibility extends only to damage aimed at the AoS and NOT redirected damage. Feature or bug?

Undead Rescuer
Level 100 Stats
HP 10111
ATK 531
DEF 815
MAG 231
MR 394
SP 236
Talisman slots
Warrior, Sentinel, Warrior
Attacks
Guide: Physical damage, single target, 50% chance to steal beneficial effects, 35% chance to heal for 15% Max HP
Detour (5 Power): Reflect Shield for entire battle
Notes
Now we're talking! Solid stats, great defenses, enough HP to flavor a week's worth of steak, capable of buffing itself, debuffing enemies, healing itself, and bouncing damage back... On paper this looks like the best Blocker by far, if only for the sheer variety of things it can do. If Block teams ever become a valid strategy, this Swiss Army knife has got your back. In the interest of full disclosure I must add that I haven't tried this character yet, though, so I'm not speaking from experience.

Which do you like best?
Depends on your preference and your team's makeup. Angel of Strife is nice, but I think it's overdue for a stat boost as it's really out of league with the other Angels with high stats and semi-unique passives. Undead Rescuer looks like the clear leader, but I haven't had the chance to try it out myself... I really want to like the Dog of War but those attacks aren't exactly driving me crazy. As for the Desert Guardian, its role is limited to DoT teams.

Any last words?
Block has the potential - potential, mind you - to be a valuable asset in PvP, and right now the Warrior Undead Rescuer seems to have the skills that could make it work. Angel of Strife needs a few fixes to shine.

What about you? Any thoughts on Block? Useful passive or boring space-filler?