Manticore enemy line

Manticore, Magicore and Manticore King are species of monsters found in Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age. These monsters, resembling a combination of an old man's head, a lion's body and a scorpion's tail, are palette swaps of each other and have differing levels of power and defense. One of these monsters, the Manticore itself, serves as a full-fledged boss monster. All three are associated with the Mars element.

Manticore
The Manticore is a large brown member. It has 1700 HP, 83PP, 168 Attack, 48 Defense, 61 Agility, 32 Luck and the ability to attack twice per turn. Its resistances are highly lopsided; it is very resistant to Mars attacks and highly susceptible to Mercury attacks.

The Manticore has a lengthy arsenal of commands, more than its two later counterparts. It can attack with a physical attack and use the monster skill Poison Tail, for moderate damage to a target, with the possibility of inflicting poison. Psynergies include Mad Blast and Nova, both for Mars damage to multiple targets, Impair, to lower someone's defense, Delude to inflict Delusion on multiple targets and Curse, which inflicts a target with a Death Curse.

Felling the Manticore yields 590 EXP, 3400 coins, and a guaranteed Psy Crystal. The Manticore is the boss monster of Lamakan Desert. While it doesn't appear as fightable in The Lost Age, its sprite is used in the Manticore Psynergy.

Magicore
A Magicore is a smaller green member. It has 321 HP, 34PP, 253 Attack, 74 Defense, 109 Agility, and 11 Luck. Its resistances are highly lopsided; it is very resistant to Mars attacks and highly susceptible to Mercury attacks.

The Magicore retains the Manticore's physical attack, Poison Tail, and Nova attacks and gains the psynergies Bind to seal someone's Psynergy and Sleep, which might put several targets to sleep. Even though it’s weaker than its predecessor, the Magicore's higher attack power means that these moves alone can be damaging enough and the new additions can cripple an unprepared party.

Felling a Magicore yields 169 EXP, 208 coins, and in rare cases, a pair of Aura Gloves - kill it with a Mercury Djinni to increase the chances of receiving this item four times. Magicores can be fought in Suhalla Desert in Golden Sun and Tundaria Tower in The Lost Age.

Manticore King
A Manticore King is a smaller purple member. It has 348 HP, 33PP (one point less than Magicore), 317 Attack, 106 Defense, 134 Agility, and 12 Luck. Its resistances are highly lopsided; it is very resistant to Mars attacks and highly susceptible to Mercury attacks.

The Manticore King retains its predecessor's physical attack, Poison Tail, and Bind attacks and gains the psynergy Eruption for moderate Mars damage to the party and the monster skill Lucid Prophecy, which inflicts a target with a Death Curse.

Felling a Manticore King yields 342 EXP, 240 coins, and sometimes a Psy Crystal. Manticore Kings are battled in Babi Lighthouse, Tunnel Ruins and the later part of Venus Lighthouse and are some of the final enemies fought in the first Golden Sun.

Cultural Allusions
Origin: Persia, Greece

The Manticore is a mythical creature often depicted with a man's head, a lion's body and the tail of either a dragon or a scorpion. Its name means "man-eater", referring to its habit of devouring humans found in small groups in the desert. Other aspects of the creature vary from story to story; in some cases, it can shoot poisonous spines, much like Golden Sun 's Manticore.