Mist (Psynergy)

Mist is a Jupiter-based support Psynergy featured throughout the Golden Sun series. It is the only Psynergy in the Ninja class series's lineup that is not offensive in nature.

Basic Characteristics
Mist is a non-damaging, ranged Psynergy that has the potential to change a target's status. The chance of inducing a status change depends on the Luck of the target(s) in question, lower enemy Luck results in a higher rate of success.

In Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age, Mist's visual effects feature a blue cloud of mist forming around the feet of the targets. In Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, a purple scroll forms around the caster, out of which come purple symbols (an effect shared with many of the Ninja's Psynergies). A green cloud of mist, containing small stylized clouds, forms around the target.

Mechanics
Mist is a status-altering move that inflicts the Delusion status. After a successful cast of Mist, the target's physical Attack has an increased chance of missing for a limited duration of time, usually lasting four to five turns at the most. Mist's success is dependent on the Luck of the target; a target with lower Luck is more likely to be inflicted with Delusion than a target with high Luck. Mist's effect can be reversed via the Restore Psynergy or by using the items Elixir or Dried Lizard. Otherwise, the effect wears off within a few turns or when the battle is ended.

Availability
Mist is unique to the Ninja class series. Thus all Venus, Mars, and Jupiter Adepts can access the series. To access the class, Venus Adepts require a combination of Mars and Jupiter Djinn, while Mars Adepts need Jupiter and Venus Djinn. Jupiter Adepts require a specific combination of Mars and Venus Djinn. Mist is learned at Level 7.



Analysis
In theory, Mist is a useful technique, as inflicting status changes can decrease the difficulty of a battle. In practice, however, certain facts keep Mist from regular usage. First, Mist is only available after midgame, due to the high Djinn requirements of the Ninja class, where the party is strong enough to dispatch normal targets in a turn or two. Second, the Delusion status only decreases the chance of a standard Attack, enemy skills and Psynergy remain unaffected. Finally, due to its success rate being dependent on enemy Luck, most Bosses are immune to Mist's effects, even if the rate of a standard Attack was high enough to justify the use. Should an early game player wish to inflict the Delusion status, the Delude Psynergy is a better option, as it is available early enough to have some use, requiring only a single Jupiter Djinn to access.