-- Final Fantasy X (US) Monster Arena FAQ --
-- by CB! (Christine Bomke, circe@san.rr.com) --
-- Version 1.1, 1/3/02 --

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: This guide is for PERSONAL USE ONLY, copyrighted to me,
Christine Bomke. Do not put this FAQ on your site without first emailing me 
for permission. If permission IS granted, you are not permitted to change a 
single word of this FAQ when you post it, and must leave it as a .txt file 
unless I've explicitly told you otherwise that you may change it. Do not 
steal information from this FAQ for your magazine, or other form of media - 
printed, online, or otherwise. Do not pass GO, do not collect $200. If you 
violate this disclaimer anyway, blah blah copyright violation blah blah legal
action blah.

NOTE TO WEBMASTERS: If permission is granted to post this guide on your site,
it is _your_ responsibility to get the most recent version from my site or 
GameFAQs.com periodically. If you can't be bothered to keep it current, then 
you may not post it.

Avast ye matey, thar be spoilers ahead.


-- Table 'o Contents --

  I. Version History
 II. Foreword / Contact Information / General Strategies
III. Area Creations
     a. Besaid Island: Stratavis
     b. Kilika Forest: Marlboro Menace
     c. Mi'ihen Highroad: Kottos
     d. Mushroom Rock Road: Coeurl Regina
     e. Djose Highroad / Moonflow: Jormungand
     f. Thunder Plains: Cactuar King
     g. Macalania Forest and Snowfield: Espada
     h. Sanubia Desert: Abyss Worm
     i. Calm Lands: Chimerageist
     j. Cavern of the Stolen Fayth: Don Tonberry
     k. Mt. Gagazet / Gagazet Cavern / Zanarkand Ruins: Catoblepas
     l. Inside Sin: Abadon
     m. Omega Ruins: Vorban
 IV. Species Creations
     a. Wolves: Fenrir
     b. Lizards: Ornitholestes
     c. Birds: Pteryx
     d. Insects: Hornet
     e. Floating Wizards: Vidatu
     f. Eyeballs: One-Eye
     g. Flans: Jumbo Flan
     h. Elements: Nega Elemental
     i. Armored Moles: Tanket
     j. Dragons: Fafnir
     k. Fungus: Sleep Sprout
     l. Bombs: Bomb King
     m. Horned: Juggernaut
     n. Iron Giants: Ironclad
  V. Original Creations   
     a. Earth Eater
     b. Greater Sphere
     c. Catastrophe
     d. Th'uban
     e. Neslug
     f. Ultima Buster
     g. Shinryu
     h. Nemesis (or "Omega Gold")
 VI. Thanks, Acknowledgements, Shameless Plugs


-- I. Version History --

v1.1 1/3/02: Updated pretty much every existing boss strategy, thanks to
reader submissions, and fixed a few _really_ stupid mistakes. Also noted the 
insanely low encounter rates for some monsters (coughTonberrySimurghcough), 
and revised the "General Strategies" section. I will most likely not be 
updating this guide anymore, so if you want to submit a battle strategy, 
submit it to psych0midget's Monster Arena Boss FAQ. Details can be found at 
the end of Section II.

v0.9 12/29/01: Finished most of the FAQ, and submitted to GameFAQs.com. The
only things missing are strategies for a few bosses, and/or more reader-
submitted strategies.

v0.1 12/25/01: Began guide. Not released to the public.


-- II. Foreword / Contact Information / General Strategies --

First, this is not a gameplay FAQ. This is an explanation of how the Monster
Arena works, since the Bradygames strategy guide is severely lacking in 
explanation. If you need help figuring out the Sphere Grid system, or want a
walkthough, look elsewhere. The purpose of this FAQ is to explain how to
unlock battles by capturing certain monsters, the prizes the monster trainer
gives you by doing so, how to win the battles you unlock, and the neat-o
equipment and items the Monster Arena bosses give you for doing so.

The latest version of this document, and all the other ones I've written, can
always be found at GameFAQs (http://www.gamefaqs.com/) and my site
(http://home.san.rr.com/circe/). Please reference them before finding fault 
with what may be an out-of-date version. Most of this information came from 
my own experience in the game, but some came from the Final Fantasy X 
Ultimania "Battle" guide as well. It also bears mentioning I never would have
appreciated the Monster Arena fully while playing the import if not for Muni
Shinobu's "Training Facility" FAQ on GameFAQs, so much respect to him, too.

This next part may look familiar to anyone who's read my Monster Encyclopedia
before - it's the last chapter. Assume that all of the following bosses are
immune to all status ailments, and defend against all elemental attacks, if
not absorb them entirely. I'm not 100% sure on the AP gained per battle, but 
if you're fighting these monsters for AP, you're in the wrong place - the
monsters in the Omega Ruins give you much, much more. Lastly, the "Summon the 
Magus Sisters and use Mindy's Passado" strategy is a given - the following 
strategies I'm providing are for people who don't want to cheat with Passado.

Quick Hit is a nescessity. Let me reiterate, QUICK HIT IS A NESCESSITY. Quick
Hit will allow you to get many, many extra attacks on a boss before it's had
a chance to move, often allowing you to dispose of it without a scratch on 
you to show for it. Likewise, Hastega, or an armor with [Auto Haste], used in 
conjunction with Quick Hit, is a nescessity. The more frequently you can 
attack, obviously the sooner the boss will perish. [Auto Protect], [Auto 
Shell], [Auto Regen], and/or [Auto Potion] used in conjunction with [Alchemy]
are also good to have, but nowhere near as important as the preceeding 
examples.

Hitting for 99,999 damage with your characters is not essential for the first
group of bosses, the Area Creations, but it certainly helps. For the Species 
and Original Creations, consider it vital. Having over 9,999 HP to defeat any 
of these bosses isn't nescessary, but you'd best have at least two characters
with [Auto Phoenix] and/or keep everyone in Reraise status if you don't have
more than 9,999 HP. Reraise is preferable to [Auto Phoenix], because it 
doesn't require a living party member to activate, but it wastes a turn. The
tradeoff is yours to decide.

I won't be updating this FAQ with any more boss strategies, so if you want to 
submit one, or don't like the strategy I've given, psych0midget on the
GameFAQs FFX board is in the process of writing an exhaustive Monster Arena
Boss FAQ. Please direct any strategic questions to him. In the meantime, use 
common sense and simply level up if you can't defeat a boss.


-- III. Area Creations --

 - a. Besaid Island: Stratavis - 

 Name: Stratavis
   HP: 320000 (Overkill: 10000)       
   AP: 8000 (Overkill: 8000)
Steal: Smoke Bomb (common), Stamina Spring (rare)
 Cost: 6000 gil
 Drop: Amulet (common), Dark Matter (rare)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: Str +5%, Str +10%, Str +20%
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: HP +10%, HP +20%, HP +30%

Strategy: Easy, easy, easy. Don't be fooled by his Zuu-like appearance, this
bird is a pushover. When he flops to the ground, which should happen after 
only a few hits, you'll know he's low on HP. At low levels, boost Youjimbo's
Evade % with Speed Spheres, and have him kill Stratavis. Youji's evasion is 
so good, Stratavis will miss nearly every time! This tactic is courtesy of
dreavien, who swears up and down that it works great on other Area Creation
and Species Creation bosses.

Conditions: Capture at least one of each monster from Besaid Island. These 
are: Dingo, Condor, and Water Flan.

Prize for unlocking: Stamina Tonic x99


 - b. Kilika Forest: Marlboro Menace - 

 Name: Marlboro Menace
   HP: 640000 (Overkill: 12000)    
   AP: 8000 (Overkill: 8000)
Steal: Remedy (common), Mana Spring (rare)
 Cost: 6000 gil
 Drop: Mana Tonic (common), Dark Matter (rare)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: Sleepstrike, Silencestrike, Darkstrike, 
Poisonstrike, Stonestrike, Zombiestrike, Slowstrike
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: Sleepproof, Silenceproof, Darkproof, Stoneproof,
Poisonproof, Zombieproof, Slowproof

Strategy: This guy is like a souped-up Great Marlboro, so equip armor with the
[Berserkproof], [Confuseproof], and [Auto Med] abilities. If you have a weapon
with the [First Strike] auto ability, make sure you have it equipped to get an
extra hit on him at the beginning of the battle before he can unleash Putrid 
Breath, because he can and will. He also has some very nasty tentacle-shoot
attacks.

Conditions: Capture at least one of each monster from Kilika. These are: Killer
Bee, Ragora, Dinonix, and Yellow Element.

Prize for unlocking: Poison Fang x99


 - c. Mi'ihen Highroad: Kottos -

 Name: Kottos
   HP: 440000 (Overkill: 15000)    
   AP: 8000 (Overkill: 8000)
Steal: Stamina Spring (common), Soul Spring (rare)
 Cost: 6000 gil
 Drop: Healing Spring (common), Dark Matter (rare)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: Counter, Evade & Counter, Magic Counter
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: HP +10%, HP +20%, HP +30%

Strategy: Kottos counterattacks everything - Overdrives, phsyical attacks,
magic attacks, even simply Stealing from him will cause him to attack you.
If you fight Kottos when you're just beginning to capture monsters, you may
get creamed, but he's a piece of cake at higher levels. Have everyone in
Protect status, and lots of HP and Phoenix Downs.

Conditions: Capture at least one of each monster from Mi'ihen Highroad. These 
are: Raldo, Floating Eye, Mi'ihen Fang, White Element, Bomb, Dual Horn, 
Vouivre*, Ipiria*, and Thunder Flan*. *These last three only appear in the 
"Old" part of Mi'ihen Highroad. The "Old" Highroad is the sunken canyon part
that you can get to by doing a U-turn at the screen right before Mushroom Rock
Road.

Prize for unlocking: Soul Spring x99


 - d. Mushroom Rock Road: Coeurl Regina -

 Name: Coeurl Regina
   HP: 380000 (Overkill: 10000)      
   AP: 8000 (Overkill: 8000)
Steal: Farplane Wind (common), Blessed Gem (rare)
 Cost: 6000 gil
 Drop: Shining Gem (common), Dark Matter (rare)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: Deathstrike, Double AP
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: Sleepproof, Silenceproof, Darkproof, 
Stoneproof, Poisonproof, Zombieproof, Slowproof, Deathproof

Strategy: Another pushover - kind of a spiritual successor to the panther
enemies you fought in the Tower of Bab-il in Final Fantasy IV, except without
the difficulty. He'll sit there while you attack him repeatedly, and 
sometimes use a combination Doom/Curse/Confuse attack called "Chaos" (someone 
correct me if this isn't the US name, I'm playing the import), but so long as
you have [Confuseproof], [Deathproof], and possibly [Curseproof], it can't
harm you. I'd further wax ecstatic about how easy this fight is, but I have
no idea how to pronounce "Coeurl Regina". (Is it a Coeurl? Is it a Regina?
NOBODY KNOWS!)

Conditions: Capture at least one of each monster from Mushroom Rock Road. These
are: Gandarewa, Raptor, Lamashtu, Red Element, Funguar, and Garuda.

Prize for unlocking: Candle of Life x99


 - e. Djose Highroad / Moonflow: Jormungand -

 Name: Jormungand
   HP: 520000 (Overkill: 10000)   
   AP: 8000 (Overkill: 8000)
Steal: Petrify Grenade (common), Three Stars (rare)
 Cost: 6000 gil
 Drop: Supreme Gem (common), Dark Matter (rare)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: Sleepstrike, Silencestrike, Darkstrike, 
Poisonstrike, Stonestrike, Zombiestrike, Slowstrike
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: Sleepproof, Silenceproof, Darkproof, 
Stoneproof, Poisonproof, Zombieproof, Slowproof

Strategy: Yet another easy fight. Jormungand likes to petrify you, but you
expected that from his palette-swapped Basilisk appearance, right? Right.
If he doesn't use a stone gaze-type attack, he'll attack you with his claws
for piddly damage. Also, he's slow as molasses, so as long as you have 
[Stoneproof], and abuse Overdrives and Quick Hit, he'll probably only get 
one hit on you.

Conditions: Capture at least one of each monster from Djose Highroad. These 
are: Bite Bug, Garm, Bunyip, Simurgh*, Snow Flan, Basilisk, and Ochu. *The 
Simurgh only appears at the north part of Djose Highroad near Djose Temple
and the lone chocobo rider, and very rarely at that.

Prize for unlocking: Petrify Grenade x99


 - f. Thunder Plains: Cactuar King -

 Name: Cactuar King
   HP: 100000 (Overkill: 10000) 
   AP: 8000 (Overkill: 8000)
Steal: Chocobo Wing (common), Designer Wallet (rare)
 Cost: 6000 gil
 Drop: Blessed Gem (common), Dark Matter (rare)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: Str +5%, Str +10%, Str +20%
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: Defense +5%, Defense +10%, Defense +20%

Strategy: Cactuar King is fast with a high evade rate, so definately include
Wakka in this battle - he may be the only one who can reliably hit him. Having
Wakka'a Attack Reel Overdrive is a must. Between this fight, and the Cactuar 
minigame in Sanubia Desert, you may wind up hating Cactuars for life.

Conditions: Capture at least one of each monster from Thunder Plains. These 
are: Aerouge, Buer, Melusine, Kusariqqu, Qactuar*, Gold Element, Larva, and 
Iron Giant**. *You will not encounter Qactuars until you've prayed to at 
least one of the glowing Qactuar stones. **The Iron Giant only appears north 
of Rin's travel agency.

Prize for unlocking: Chocobo Feather x99


 - g. Macalania Forest and Snowfield: Espada -

 Name: Espada
   HP: 280000 (Overkill: 15000)
   AP: 8000 (Overkill: 8000)
Steal: Farplane Shadow (common), Farplane Wind (rare)
 Cost: 6000 gil
 Drop: Rename Card (common), Dark Matter (rare)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: Str +5%, Str +10%, Str +20%
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: Defense +5%, Defense +10%, Defense +20%

Strategy: Espada has a rather annoying instant-death attack, but very low HP.
You can circumvent this by zombifying your party members, which makes them 
immune to instant death, or having the [Deathproof] and/or [Auto Phoenix] 
abilities in your armor.

Conditions: Capture at least one of each monster from Macalania. These are:
Wasp, Murussu, Blue Element, Xiphos, Chimera, Evil Eye*, Snow Wolf*, Mafdet*,
and Ice Flan*. The monsters without asterisks appear in Macalania Forest, and
the ones with asterisks appear around Lake Macalania and Macalania Snowfield.
Also, do not confuse Murussu with Mafdet - they're both armored moles, but 
one is pink, red, and blue, and has a crystal growing out of its head 
(Murussu), and the other is grayish-lavender with smoke coming out of pores
in its back (Mafdet).

Prize for unlocking: Shining Gem x60


 - h. Sanubia Desert: Abyss Worm -

 Name: Abyss Worm
   HP: 480000 (Overkill: 12000)    
   AP: 8000 (Overkill: 8000)
Steal: Shadow Gem (common), Stamina Tablet (rare)
 Cost: 6000 gil
 Drop: Stamina Tonic (common), Dark Matter (rare)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: Str +5%, Str +10%, Str +20%
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: Defense +5%, Defense +10%, Defense +20%

Strategy: The Abyss Worm only LOOKS intimidating - but then you hit him, and
you realize he's just an overgrown earthworm with serious post-nasal drip 
problems. (Somebody get this guy a Sudafed!) The Abyss Worm is extremely 
slow, and he doesn't have much of physical defense power, so if at least one 
of your party members can deal 99,999 damage every time, this battle is over 
before it's even begun.

Conditions: Capture at least one of each monster from Sanubia Desert. These
are: Alcyone, Sand Wolf, Sand Worm*, Mushussu, Zuu, and Cactuar*. *All of the
monsters appear in all areas, EXCEPT for the Sand Worm and Cactuar. The Sand
Worm only appears in the Ruins and Sandstorm areas, and the Cactuar only 
appears on the screen closest to home - most frequently in the Sandstorm area.
You can find all of these monsters except for the Mulfushu and Alcyone at the 
Sanubia Sand Dune location, accessable by searching the coordinates X-15 Y-41
while on the airship. I think.

Prize for unlocking: Shadow Gem x99


 - i. Calm Lands: Chimerageist -

 Name: Chimerageist
   HP: 120000 (Overkill: 10000)   
   AP: 8000 (Overkill: 8000)
Steal: Mana Spring (common), Stamina Spring (rare)
 Cost: 6000 gil
 Drop: Return Sphere (common), Dark Matter (rare)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: Firestrike, Waterstrike, Icestrike
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: Fire Eater, Water Eater, Ice Eater

Strategy: Chimerageist will most likely be the easiest of any of these bosses, 
because he'll also be the first one you fight - the Monster Trainer won't let
you fight any of the other bosses until you've captured all the monsters from
the Calm Lands, remember? Aqua Breath, which Kimahri may learn from it, is
the most damaging of his attacks, and it hits your entire party, but so long 
as you have [Waterproof] or [Water Eater] armor, it's nothing to worry about. 
His other attacks include a fireball called Megido Flame (again, correct me 
if this isn't the English name, I'm going by the import), and the usual 
complement of Chimera spells.

Conditions: Capture at least one of each monster from the Calm Lands. These
are: Nebiros, Skoll, Flame Flan, Anacondaur, Shred, Coeurl*, Ogre, Marlboro*, 
and Chimera Brain. *The Coeurl and Marlboro also appear in the Cavern of the 
Stolen Fayth, but if you capture them there, they count towards your Calm
Lands total. If you're having trouble running into a particular monster, the
trainer even tells you that the rarest monsters tend to spawn in the northwest
corner of the Calm Lands.

Prize for unlocking: Farplane Wind x60


 - j. Cavern of the Stolen Fayth: Don Tonberry -

 Name: Don Tonberry
   HP: 480000 (Overkill: 10000)  
   AP: 8000 (Overkill: 8000)
Steal: Candle of Life (common), Designer Wallet (rare)
 Cost: 8000 gil
 Drop: Farplane Wind (common), Dark Matter (rare)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: Sleepstrike, Silencestrike, Darkstrike, 
Poisonstrike, Stonestrike, Zombiestrike, Slowstrike, Deathstrike
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: Sleepproof, Silenceproof, Darkproof, 
Stoneproof, Poisonproof, Zombieproof, Slowproof, Deathproof

Strategy: If you attack Don Tonberry when he's at the far side of the screen,
he'll automatically counterattack with an insanely powerful version of Karma, 
which will usually kill you, even at high levels. Whereas if you defend until 
you can see the whites of his eyes (that is, if Tonberries have whites in 
their eyes), and only attack him when he's right in front of you, he won't 
counterattack. As always, [Auto Phoenix] or Reraise are good to have. For a 
laugh, try summoning an Aeon and see how he attacks it...

Conditions: Capture at least one of each monster from the Cavern of the 
Stolen Fayth. These are: Epaaj, Imp*, Yowie, Thorn, Dark Element, Nidhogg*, 
Valaha, Ghost, and Tonberry. *The Imp and Nidhogg also appear in Mt. Gagazet, 
but if you capture them there, they count towards your Cavern of the Stolen 
Fayth total. The encounter rate for certain monsters in the cave is 
ridiculously low, so if you can't find a certain monster right away, like a
Tonberry, don't despair, you're not the only one. I personally spent four
hours searching for Tonberries in the cave, and only found five in that time.
Arcaneja and others on the GameFAQs FFX board have reported that the Tonberry
rate was highest in the "green" room, so maybe I was just looking in the 
wrong place. Regardless, whomever programmed the encounter rates in this area
should be strung up by their toenails and Everyone's Grudged repeatedly. Grrr!

Prize for unlocking: Silver Hourglass x40.


 - k. Mt. Gagazet / Gagazet Cavern / Zanarkand Ruins: Catoblepas -

 Name: Catoblepas
   HP: 550000 (Overkill: 10000)     
   AP: 8000 (Overkill: 8000)
Steal: Healing Spring (common), Stamina Tonic (rare)
 Cost: 6000 gil
 Drop: Three Stars (common), Dark Matter (rare)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: Sleepstrike, Silencestrike, Darkstrike, 
Poisonstrike, Stonestrike, Zombiestrike, Slowstrike, Deathstrike
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: Sleepproof, Silenceproof, Darkproof, 
Stoneproof, Poisonproof, Zombieproof, Slowproof, Deathproof

Strategy: Treat Catoblepas as you would a mega King Behemoth, because that's
what he is, and bear in mind that when you defeat him, he'll cast Ultima as 
a last gasp. Hope you have high magic defense!

Conditions: Capture at least one of each monster from Mt. Gagazet. These are:
Bandersnatch, Grat, Grenade, Bashura, Ahriman, Grendel, Dark Flan, Mandragora,
Behemoth, Splasher, Achelous, and Maelspike. Bear in mind that this area 
encompasses the snowy exterior of Mt. Gagazet, the Cavern interior, the 
flooded part of the cavern, and the ruins of the Zanarkand Freeway. Also,
capturing at least two of the Splasher, Achelous, and Maelspike will unlock
Shinryu in addition to Catoblepas - see Shinryu's entry in the Original
Creations section for more detail.

Prize for unlocking: Blossom Crown for unlocking Catoblepas, and 30 Mega 
Elixirs for unlocking Shinryu.


 - l. Inside Sin: Abadon -

 Name: Abadon
   HP: 380000 (Overkill: 10000)    
   AP: 10000 (Overkill: 10000)
Steal: Purifying Salt (common), Shining Gem (rare)
 Cost: 6000 gil
 Drop: Mana Tablet (common), Dark Matter (rare)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: Magic +5%, Magic +10%, Magic +20%
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: Magic Defense +5%, Magic Defense +10%, Magic 
Defense +20%

Strategy: Cast Hastega. Attack with Quick Hit. Rinse, lather, repeat. Don't
bother with magic, because he has constant Nul-All, Reflect, and other 
protective statuses in place. His attacks include Pharoah's Curse, which you
may have been afflicted by when fighting Demonoliths, all of the -aga spells,
and Flare. Abadon tends to use Pharoah's Curse more than anything, though,
so either have [Blindproof], [Poisonproof], [Curseproof], and/or [Auto Med]
in your armor.

Conditions: Capture at least one of each monster from Inside Sin. These are:
Exoray, Gemini (both kinds, each count as a seperate monster)*, Adamantoise*,
Behemoth King, Wraith*, Great Marlboro*, Barbatos**, and Demonolith*. *The 
asterisked monsters also appear in the Omega Ruins, but if you capture them 
there, they count towards your Inside Sin total. **Barbatos only appears in 
the second "deserted city"-type area - dunno what this is called in the US 
version, but it was something like "Dreams of the Dead" in Japanese.

Prize for unlocking: Lunar Curtain x99


 - m. Omega Ruins: Vorban -

 Name: Vorban
   HP: 630000 (Overkill: 10000)   
   AP: 10000 (Overkill: 10000)
Steal: Healing Spring (common), Stamina Tablet (rare)
 Cost: 6000 gil
 Drop: Friend Sphere (common), Dark Matter (rare)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: Str +5%, Str +10%, Str +20%
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: Defense +5%, Defense +10%, Defense +20%

Strategy: Don't bother with Armor Break, since it only works about 10% of
the time, and use Auron's third Overdrive, Banishing Blade, instead - this 
will ALWAYS put Vorban into Power Break, Magic Break, Armor Break, and Mental 
Break status, and make your fight a lot easier. It'll still be a long one 
unless your characters can hit for 99,999 damage. Otherwise, Vorban has all
of the same attacks that a Barbatos does.

Conditions: Capture at least one of each monster from the Omega Ruins. These
are: Varuna, Floating Death, Black Element, Zaurus, Spirit, Halma, Machea,
Master Coeurl, Master Tonberry, and Puroburos.

Prize for unlocking: Designer Wallet x60


-- IV. Species Creations --

 - a. Wolves: Fenrir -

 Name: Fenrir
   HP: 850000 (Overkill: 99999)   
   AP: 8000 (Overkill: 8000)
Steal: Chocobo Feather (common), Chocobo Wing (rare)
 Cost: 8000 gil
 Drop: Agility Sphere (common), Dark Matter (rare)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: Sleepstrike, Silencestrike, Darkstrike, 
Poisonstrike, Stonestrike, Zombiestrike, Slowstrike, Deathstrike
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: Sleepproof, Silenceproof, Darkproof, 
Stoneproof, Poisonproof, Zombieproof, Slowproof, Deathproof, Confuseproof

Strategy: Fenrir is fast, agile, and has two very powerful attacks, one of
which is instant death even to Aeons, and the other does 15,000+ damage on
top of confusion to a single character. And did I mention, he's FAST? Even if
you cast Hastega, you may not be able to keep up with Fenrir. If there was 
ever a battle to abuse Mindy's Passado, this is it.

Conditions: Capture at least 3 of each monster from the wolf species. These
are: Dingo (Besaid Island), Mi'ihen Fang (Mi'ihen Highroad), Garm (Moonflow),
Snow Wolf (Macalania Snowfield), Sand Wolf (Sanubia Desert), Skoll (Calm 
Lands), and Bandersnatch (Mt. Gagazet).

Prize for unlocking: Chocobo Wing x99


 - b. Lizards: Ornitholestes -

 Name: Ornitholestes
   HP: 800000 (Overkill: 99999) 
   AP: 10000 (Overkill: 10000)
Steal: Rename Card (common), Chocobo Wing (rare)
 Cost: 8000 gil
 Drop: Gambler's Spirit (common), Dark Matter (rare)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: Double Overdrive
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: Defense +5%, Defense +10%, Defense +20%

Strategy: Ornitholestes has a high evade rate, but low speed, and I can't
recall him ever once attacking me before I'd dispatched him. So consider this
an easy fight. However, if you fight him on lower levels, you may run into
one of two attacks: a) a damage plus poison attack that never misses unless 
you have [Poisonproof] armor, or b) an HP-draining attack. Don't worry too 
much about the latter attack, instead worry about curing the poison before it 
has a chance to really damage you.

Conditions: Capture at least 3 of each monster from the lizard species. These
are: Dinonix (Kilika Forest), Ipiria (Mi'ihen Highroad), Raptor (Mushroom Rock
Road), Melusine (Thunder Plains), Yowie (Cavern of the Stolen Fayth), and
Zaurus (Omega Ruins).

Prize for unlocking: Stamina Spring x99


 - c. Birds: Pteryx - 

 Name: Pteryx
   HP: 100000 (Overkill: 99999)    
   AP: 8000 (Overkill: 8000)
Steal: Smoke Bomb (common), Candle of Life (rare)
 Cost: 8000 gil
 Drop: Evasion Sphere (common), Dark Matter (rare)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: Str +5%, Str +10%, Str +20%
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: Defense +5%, Defense +10%, Defense +20%

Strategy: High evade rate, medium speed, low HP, constantly in Regen status. 
The one attack that's even worth mentioning is Pteryx's beak attack, which 
curses you. Yawn. Next?

Conditions: Capture at least 4 of each monster from the bird species. These 
are: Condor (Besaid Island), Simurgh (Djose Highroad), and Alcyone (Sanubia
Desert).

Prize for unlocking: Mega Phoenix x99


 - d. Insects: Hornet -

 Name: Hornet
   HP: 620000 (Overkill: 50000)    
   AP: 10000 (Overkill: 10000)
Steal: Poison Fang (common), Cleaning Salts (rare)
 Cost: 8000 gil
 Drop: Accuracy Sphere (common), Dark Matter (rare)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: Str +5%, Str +10%, Str +20%
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: Defense +5%, Defense +10%, Defense +20%

Strategy: Wouldn't you know it, another monster with a high evade rate!
Heavens to Betsy! He hits pretty hard for an overgrown insect, including a
poison stinger, and instant death stinger attacks, and never misses (there's
a reason the Hornet drops Accuracy Spheres) but all of his attacks target a 
single character.

Conditions: Capture at least 4 of each monster from the insect species. These
are: Killer Bee (Kilika Forest), Bite Bug (Moonflow), Wasp (Macalania Forest),
and Nebiros (Calm Lands).

Prize for unlocking: Mana Tonic x60


 - e. Floating Wizards: Vidatu -

 Name: Vidatu
   HP: 95000 (Overkill: 10000)
   AP: 10000 (Overkill: 10000)
Steal: Lightning Gem (common), Mana Tonic (rare)
 Cost: 8000 gil
 Drop: MP Sphere (common), Dark Matter (rare)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: Double AP
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: MP 10%, MP +20%, MP +30%

Strategy: Don't bother using elemental spells on Vidatu, because his constant 
Nul-All and Regen status will nullify all of them. I believe he's also in
Shell status, so non-elemental spells aren't very powerful either. His evade
rate doesn't seem to be as high as any of the preceeding monsters, so use
whomever you like, and take him down in a single hit if you can hit for 99,999
damage.

Conditions: Capture at least 4 of each monster from the floating wizard 
species. These are: Gandarewa (Mushroom Rock Road), Aerouge (Thunder Plains), 
and Imp (Mt. Gagazet or Cavern of the Stolen Fayth).

Prize for unlocking: Mana Spring x99


 - f. Eyeballs: One-Eye -

 Name: One-Eye 
   HP: 150000 (Overkill: 15000) 
   AP: 10000 (Overkill: 1000)
Steal: Lunar Curtain (common), Blessed Gem (rare)
 Cost: 8000 gil
 Drop: Magic Defense Sphere (common), Dark Matter (rare)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: Triple AP
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: MP +10%, MP +20%, MP +30%

Stategy: If One-Eye has the first move, he'll use an attack called "Shock
Wing", which is every status abnormality in the book, on top of about 
9,999+ damage to every character. If your party has the first move, however,
you can defeat in two hits. Like Vidatu, despite floating, One-Eye's evade 
rate is nothing to write home about.

Conditions: Capture at least 4 of each monster from the eyeball species. These
are: Floating Eye (Mi'ihen Highroad), Buer (Thunder Plains), Evil Eye 
(Macalania Snowfield), Ahriman (Mt. Gagazet or Inside Sin), and Floating Death
(Omega Ruins).

Prize for unlocking: Stamina Tablet x60


 - g. Flans: Jumbo Flan -

 Name: Jumbo Flan
   HP: 1300000 (Overkill: 99999)
   AP: ? (Overkill: ?)
Steal: Lunar Curtain (common), Mana Tablet (rare)
 Cost: 8000 gil
 Drop: Magic Sphere (common), Dark Matter (rare)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: Magic Booster
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: Fire Eater, Water Eater, Ice Eater

Strategy: Jumbo Flan is HARD... well technically he's jellylike, and probably
soft and squishy to the touch, but he's hard to defeat. Would you want to 
touch him, anyway? I wouldn't. Jumbo Flan absorbs all kinds of elemental 
spells, and has high Magic Defense to boot, so non-elemental spells don't do 
much damage. Don't even think about using physical attacks - no matter how 
high your strength is, all weapon-based techniques do 0 damage. Jae kindly
informed me via email to try to use Ultima in conjunction with Doublecast
and Copycat, and having road tested this, can confirm he's correct. 

Alternately, make sure Anima knows Haste, Ultima, Lancet, and _maybe_ Shell
and Dispel. Summon her, Haste and Shell her, and have her use "Pain"
repeatedly, which is not weapon-based and will therefore do 99,999 damage if
Yuna is moderately built up. If Jumbo Flan whittles Anima's HP down, use
Lancet to heal her. When Jumbo Flan is close to dying, he'll cast Regen on
himself, which you can Dispel if you like, or keep Paining him, and he'll
probably die in two rounds at most. Credits to Crimson Shadow and Billy 
Auyang for submitting this.

Conditions: Capture at least 3 of each monster from the flan species. These 
are: Water Flan (Besaid Island), Thunder Flan (Mi'ihen Highroad), Snow Flan
(Moonflow), Ice Flan (Macalania Lake or Snowfield), and Dark Flan (Gagazet
Cavern or Zanarkand Ruins).

Prize for unlocking: Twin Stars x60


 - h. Elements: Nega Elemental -

 Name: Nega Elemental
   HP: 1300000 (Overkill: 15000)    
   AP: ? (Overkill: ?)
Steal: Star Curtain (common), Twin Stars (rare)
 Cost: 8000 gil
 Drop: Twin Stars (common), Dark Matter (rare)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: Firestrike, Thunderstrike, Waterstrike,
Icestrike
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: Fire Eater, Lightning Eater, Water Eater, 
Ice Eater

Strategy: Nega Elemental counterattacks all physical attacks with Ultima,
even Overdrives, so don't use those unless your Magic Defense is 255. You
cannot get around this by casting Reflect on your party, either, because 
Ultima penetrates Reflect. Instead, use the same strategy you used to kill 
the Jumbo Flan above - Doublecast Ultima, and Copycat like it's going out of 
style, or summon Anima and have her use Pain, because Pain is not a physical
attack. Nega Elemental's regular attacks are insignificant compared to its
Ultima counter, and all they consist of is a weak Drain, and Reflect when its
HP is getting low.

Conditions: Capture at least 3 of each monster from the elemental species. 
These are: Yellow Element (Kilika Forest), White Element (Mi'ihen Highroad), 
Red Element (Mushroom Rock Road), Gold Element (Thunder Plains), Blue Element
(Macalania Forest), Dark Element (Cavern of the Stolen Fayth), and Black 
Element (Omega Ruins).

Prise for unlocking: Star Curtain x99


 - i. Armored Moles: Tanket -

 Name: Tanket
   HP: 900000 (Overkill: 10000)   
   AP: 10000 (Overkill: 10000)
Steal: Light Curtain (common), Lunar Curtain (rare)
 Cost: 8000 gil
 Drop: Defense Sphere (common), Dark Matter (rare)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: Str +5%, Str +10%, Str +20%
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: Defense +5%, Defense +10%, Defense +20%

Strategy: Despite being the ultimate armored mole, Tanket's defense doesn't
seem to be much higher than any of the rest of these bosses. He has very high 
magic resistance, and only the standard bodyblow attack, which also Berserks 
the target. You do NOT want your bearers of [Auto Phoenix] to become 
Berserked, because this will prevent them from using a Phoenix Down on a 
fallen party member. Also, when only one party member is left alive, the
Tanket will repeatedly bodyblow them until they die, without giving you a
chance to attack or counterattack. If you can kill the Tanket without any of
the above transpiring, it's such a cheap and easy way to get Defense Spheres,
I almost feel sorry for the little guy.

Conditions: Capture at least 3 of each monster from the armored mole species.
These are: Raldo (Mi'ihen Highroad), Bunyip (Djose Highroad or Moonflow), 
Murussu (Macalania Forest), Mafdet (Macalania Snowfield), Shred (Calm Lands), 
and Halma (Omega Ruins).

Prize for unlocking: Gold Hourglass x99.


 - j. Dragons: Fafnir -

 Name: Fafnir
   HP: 1100000 (Overkill: 13000)   
   AP: 10000 (Overkill: 10000)
Steal: Gold Hourglass (common), Stamina Spring (rare)
 Cost: 8000 gil
 Drop: Light Curtain (common), Dark Matter (rare)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: Firestrike, Thunderstrike, Waterstrike, 
Icestrike
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: Fire Eater, Water Eater, Ice Eater

Strategy: Fafnir is like any other dragon you've fought - it has a physical
attack, mauling one character, and an elemental breath attack. Generally on 
its first and second turns, it'll use a physical attack against a single
character, but on subsequent attacks, will use a "Three Stage Attack" move.
The first "stage" is a physical attack, the second is a random elemental 
breath that can be blocked with any of the Nul-spells, and the the third is
another physical attack.

Conditions: Capture at least 4 of each monster from the dragon species. These
are: Vouivre (Mi'ihen Highroad), Lamashtu (Mushroom Rock Road), Kusariqqu 
(Thunder Plains), Mushussu (Sanubia Desert), and Nidhogg (Cavern of the 
Stolen Fayth or Mt. Gagazet).

Prize for unlocking: Purifying Salt x99


 - k. Fungus: Sleep Sprout -

 Name: Sleep Sprout
   HP: 98000 (Overkill: 10000)           
   AP: 10000 (Overkill: 10000)
Steal: Poison Fang (common), Farplane Wind (rare)
 Cost: 8000 gil
 Drop: Teleport Sphere (common), Dark Matter (rare)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: Sleepstrike, Silencestrike, Darkstrike, 
Poisonstrike, Stonestrike, Zombiestrike, Slowstrike
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: Sleepproof, Silenceproof, Darkproof, Stoneproof,
Poisonproof, Zombieproof, Slowproof

Strategy: The first rule of Sprout Club is, YOU DO NOT ATTACK SLEEP SPROUT. 
The second rule of Sprout Club is, YOU DO NOT ATTACK SLEEP SPROUT. When in 
doubt, refer to rule 1. These rules don't apply if you can hit for 99,999 
damage every time, in which case, attack away! If you attack Sleep Sprout, it 
will automatically counter with a spore attack that hits your entire party 
with every status abnormality in the book, along with huge damage.

Conditions: Capture at least 5 of each monster from the fungus species. These
are: Funguar (Mushroom Rock Road or southern Djose Highroad), Thorn (Cavern of
the Stolen Fayth), and Exoray (Inside Sin).

Prize for unlocking: Healing Spring x99


 - l. Bombs: Bomb King -

 Name: Bomb King
   HP: 480000 (Overkill: 10000)           
   AP: 10000 (Overkill: 10000)
Steal: Fire Gem (common), Shining Gem (rare)
 Cost: 8000 gil
 Drop: Door to Tomorrow (common), Dark Matter (rare)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: Str +5%, Str +10%, Str +20%
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: Defense +5%, Defense +10%, Defense +20%

Strategy: Bomb King is a strange one. Unlike his bomb brethren, normal 
attacks don't automatically make him swell... sometimes. Christian Washington
postulated that when you deal a certain amount of damage to Bomb King, 
regardless of whether it was a physical or magical attack, he will swell.
When Bomb King swells a fourth time, every attack you do will make him 
counter with Ultima. An easy way to defeat Bomb King is to make sure all of
your characters are equipped with weapons that have [Magic Counter], then 
Haste the Bomb King, Shell your party members to offset some of Bomb King's
magic damage, and have them defend. Whenever Bomb King attacks, your 
characters will automagically counterattack. However, these counterattacks by
your party do not make Bomb King swell. Again, credit to Christian Washington
for this strategy.

Conditions: Capture at least 5 of each monster from the bomb species. These
are: Bomb (Mi'ihen Highroad), Grenade (Mt. Gagazet), and Puroburos (Omega 
Ruins).

Prize for unlocking: Turbo Ether x60


 - m. Horned: Juggernaut -

 Name: Juggernaut
   HP: 1200000 (Overkill: 15000)   
   AP: 10000 (Overkill: 10000)
Steal: Lunar Curtain (common), Shining Gem (rare)
 Cost: 8000 gil
 Drop: Strength Sphere (common), Dark Matter (rare)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: Str +5%, Str +10%, Str +20%
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: Defense +5%, Defense +10%, Defense +20%

Strategy: The Juggernaut isn't hard, it's just hard to wear down. Immediately
cast Hastega upon entering the battle, and use Quick Hit until the 
Juggernaut's second turn comes up. You actually get a free turn - the first
move the Juggernaut will make is to charge up for a multiple-character fire
breath attack, which is the second move. If you're swift about it, you can
probably kill the Juggernaut before it has a change to unleash this move, but
if you're not, swap one of your characters for Yuna, and have her summon an
Aeon to take the brunt of the Juggernaut's fire breath attack. Alternately, if
you have armor with [Fire Eater], you'll absorb its breath. During subsequent 
turns, the Juggernaut may charge up for another fire attack, thus forfeiting 
its turn, or (more likely) it will rush up to one or more characters and maul 
them, like Fafnir a couple bosses above likes to do.

Conditions: Capture at least 5 of each monster from the horned species. These
are: Dual Horn (Mi'ihen Highroad), Valaha (Cavern of the Stolen Fayth), and
Grendel (Gagazet Cavern or Zanarkand Ruins).

Prize for unlocking: Light Curtain x99

 
 - n. Iron Giants: Ironclad -

 Name: Ironclad 
   HP: 2000000 (Overkill: 99999)           
   AP: 10000 (Overkill: 10000)
Steal: Light Curtain (common), Stamina Tablet (rare)
 Cost: 8000 gil
 Drop: HP Sphere (common), Dark Matter (rare)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: Str +5%, Str +10%, Str +20%
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: HP +10%, HP +20%, HP +30%

Strategy: Like Vorban, Ironclad is armored, and Armor Break only works a
small fraction of the time, so use Auron's Banishing Blade Overdrive. Whenever
you attack Ironclad, he'll automatically counterattack with his sword for 
fairly sizeable damage, but it's nothing [Auto Phoenix] or Reraise won't cure.

Conditions: Capture 10 of each from the iron giant species. These are: Iron
Giant (north part of Thunder Plains), Gemini A (Inside Sin or Omega Ruins, 
armed with a sword), and Gemini B (Inside Sin or Omega Ruins, armed with a 
club). Each Gemini counts as a seperate monster!

Prize for unlocking: Mana Tablet x60


-- V. Original Creations --

 - a. Earth Eater -

 Name: Earth Eater
   HP: 1300000 (Overkill: 99999)           
   AP: ? (Overkill: ?)
Steal: Gambler's Spirit (common), Level 1 Key Sphere (rare)
 Cost: 15000 gil
 Drop: Fortune Sphere (common), Dark Matter (rare)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: Triple Overdrive
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: Auto Potion

Strategy: When standing upright, the Earth Eater will attack you physically, 
and will counterattack when attacked with Megaton Punch. Very nasty. If you 
do enough damage to it cumulatively or all at once, you'll knock it on its 
back. When it is on its back, it cannot attack you, or do anything except 
roll back and forth looking pitiful... unless you attack it. If you disregard
this warning and attack the Earth Eater while it's on its back, it will 
counterattack with a pretty powerful Flare spell, reflected off itself.

Conditions: Capture the nescessary number of monsters to conquer 2 areas.

Prize for unlocking: Three Stars x60


 - b. Greater Sphere -

 Name: Greater Sphere
   HP: 1500000 (Overkill: 99999)           
   AP: ? (Overkill: ?)
Steal: Gambler's Spirit (common), Return Sphere (rare)
 Cost: 15000 gil
 Drop: Luck Sphere (common)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: One MP Cost
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: Auto Phoenix

Strategy: Reraise, Reraise, Reraise, and Reraise some more. Even at very high
levels, the Greater Sphere still gave me lots of trouble, because it 
constantly counterattacks with Aqua Press or Ultima, that don't seem to take
defense into account. You can't even equip [Water Eater] and squeak by. 
Luckily the Greater Sphere doesn't have much HP, so a few Attack Reels should
weaken it enough to kill. Don't feel guilty about using Passado on this fight,
because I don't.

Conditions: Capture the nescessary number of monsters to conquer 2 species.

Prize for unlocking: Supreme Gem x60


 - c. Catastrophe -

 Name: Catastrophe
   HP: 2200000 (Overkill: 99999)           
   AP: ? (Overkill: ?)
Steal: Gambler's Spirit (common), Level 2 Key Sphere (rare)
 Cost: 15000 gil
 Drop: Designer Wallet (common), Dark Matter (rare)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: Sleepstrike, Silencestrike, Darkstrike, 
Poisonstrike, Stonestrike, Zombiestrike, Slowstrike
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: Sleepproof, Silenceproof, Darkproof, Stoneproof,
Poisonproof, Zombieproof, Slowproof

Conditions: Capture the nescessary number of monsters to conquer 6 areas.

Prize for unlocking: Door to Tomorrow x99


 - d. Th'uban -

 Name: Th'uban
   HP: 3000000 (Overkill: 99999)           
   AP: ? (Overkill: 50000)
Steal: Gambler's Spirit (common), Teleport Sphere (rare)
 Cost: 15000 gil
 Drop: Underdog's Secret (common), Dark Matter (rare)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: Triple AP, Triple Overdrive
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: HP +10%, HP +20%, HP +30%

Strategy: Fighting Th'uban is lots of fun, if your idea of fun is DYING
QUICKLY AND REPEATEDLY. Th'uban annoyingly counterattacks every physical and 
magical attack with a tail swipe that instantly removes any protective 
statuses from your whole party, like Regen, Haste, Protect, etc, unless that
character has [Auto Regen], [Auto Haste], [Auto Protect], etc, in their armor.
He also has a Pulsar Shockwave-esque attack that does 99,999 damage to one 
character, regardless of defense, and a vicious wing attack called Rainbow-
something-or-other that does multiple hits to all characters, on top of 
cursing them. (Speaking of cursing, that's what I do every time Th'uban kicks 
my butt.) Pure luck, Blitz Ace, Attack Reel, and Passado win this battle. Off
the subject, does his design remind anyone else of the Atma Weapon from FFVI?

Conditions: Capture the nescessary number of monsters to conquer 6 species.

Prize for unlocking: Gambler's Spirit x99


 - e. Neslug -

 Name: Neslug
   HP: 4000000 (Overkill: 12000)           
   AP: ? (Overkill: 50000)
Steal: Gambler's Spirit (common), Friend Sphere (rare)
 Cost: 15000 gil
 Drop: Pendulum (common), Dark Matter (rare)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: Piercing (Kimahri, Auron), Triple AP
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: HP +10%, HP +20%, HP +30%

Strategy: Besides having fallen out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on
the way down, the Neslug likes to retreat into its shell and regenerate large
amounts of HP per turn with Curaga and Regen when you've depleted some of its
life. While in its shell, it becomes impervious to all weapon-based attacks. 
(In other words, Mindy's Passado doesn't work. Boo hoo!) So what do you do?

First, make sure at least one person knows Ultima and Doublecast, everyone 
knows Copycat, and you've got a good supply of Turbo Ethers. Cast Hastega at
the beginning of the battle, and Quick Hit, Attack Reel, or Blitz Ace the 
Neslug until it retreats into its shell. If you're quick enough, the Neslug 
won't even get a change to attack you before it goes into its shell. The
Neslug will not come out of its shell until it is completely healed, so don't
wait for it to come out, and thereby negate all of your hard work. Instead, 
Doublecast Ultima, and Copycat until its shell shatters, stopping only to 
replenish the MP of a party member who's low. Alternately, despite Blitz Ace 
being weapon-based, it still does damage. You could go into battle with 
everyone's Overdrive bars full, and Entrust them to Tidus so that he can Blitz
Ace over and over. When the shell shatters (and this is a pretty cool 
animation, IMHO), you'll know the Neslug only has about one million HP left. 
Obviously it cannot retreat into its shell anymore, so eleven hits at 99,999 
damage later, you've won! Congrats. One warning, however - kill the unshelled
Neslug as quickly as possible, because once its shell is broken, it will only 
attack you with an ultra powerful slime attack that does 50,000 damage to 
your entire party. If its turn is coming up, don't hesitate to summon an Aeon
to absorb the damage.

Conditions: Conquer all areas. This means you need to pretty much capture one
of each monster.

Prize for unlocking: Winning Formula x99


 - f. Ultima Buster -

 Name: Ultima Buster
   HP: 5000000 (Overkill: 99999)           
   AP: ? (Overkill: ?)
Steal: Gambler's Spirit (common), Level 3 Key Sphere (rare)
 Cost: 15000 gil
 Drop: Winning Formula (common), Dark Matter (rare)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: Triple AP, Overdrive -> AP, Triple Overdrive
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: Break MP Limit

Strategy: This isn't nescessarily a hard battle, just a long-ish one. First, 
cast Hastega, and if you can spare the turn, Reraise at least one party 
member. Then destroy its arms and head with Quick Hit, and continue to use 
Quick Hit until Ultima Buster's turn comes up - immediately have Yuna summon
an Aeon to take the brunt of Ultima Buster's attack, which 4 out of 5 times, 
will be an extremely powerful Ultima spell. The other time, it will bodyslam 
a single character for 10,000+ damage, but because this is so unpredictable, 
use Aeons as damage absorbers just in case.

Conditions: Capture at least 5 of each monster.

Prize for unlocking: Dark Matter x99 (!!)


 - g. Shinryu -

 Name: Shinryu
   HP: 2000000 (Overkill: 99999)           
   AP: ? (Overkill: ?)
Steal: Gambler's Spirit (common), Three Stars (rare)
 Cost: 15000 gil
 Drop: Wings to Discovery (common), Dark Matter (rare)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: Double AP
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: Auto Med

Strategy: Because this battle takes place underwater, you can only use Tidus, 
Wakka, and Rikku. Shinryu will counterattack with his claw whenever he is
attacked, which does about 8000+ damage to one character with 120 defense, but 
so long as one of your other party members has [Auto Phoenix] in their armor, 
this doesn't matter. Some people recommend killing off Tidus and Rikku, and 
letting Wakka take care of Shinryu with his Attack Reel Overdrive, because 
Shinryu won't use his instant petrification and shattering attack if only one 
of your party members is alive. Barring that strategy, if your speed is high 
enough, just cast Hastega, and Quick Hit, Attack Reel, or Blitz Ace him to 
death. Usually you can kill him before he's had more than one turn if you do 
this, totally circumventing being hit by his petrify attack.

Conditions: Capture at least 2 Splashers, 2 Achelous, and 2 Maelspikes from 
the flooded portion of Gagazet Cavern.

Prize for unlocking: Mega Elixir x30


 - h. Nemesis (or "Omega Gold") -

 Name: Nemesis (aka Omega Gold, aka Subete wo Koeshimono)
   HP: 10000000 (Overkill: ?)           
   AP: ? (Overkill: ?)
Steal: Level 4 Key Sphere (common), Warp Sphere (rare)
 Cost: 25000 gil
 Drop: Warp Sphere (common), Dark Matter (rare)

Auto-abilites of dropped weapons: Break Damage Limit
Auto-abilites of dropped armor: Break HP Limit

Strategy: coming soon. In brief, Nemesis counters Overdrives, but nothing 
else. Hastega, Reraise, Quick Hit, and repeat for ten million HP. Compared to
bosses like Th'uban and Greater Sphere, Nemesis is cake. A big, gold, pointy,
cake.

Conditions: Capture 10 of each monster, and beat all of the bosses at the 
Monster Arena.

Prize for unlocking: Master Sphere x10


-- VI. Thanks, Acknowledgements, Shameless Plugs --

Big thanks go out to Tronix (http://www.tronixweb.com/) and National Console 
Support, Inc (http://www.ncsx.com/) for selling me Final Fantasy X and a 
Japanese Playstation 2, respectively. Best import shops on the web, they are!

Thanks as well to Amazon Japan (http://www.amazon.co.jp/) for stocking the two 
FFX Ultimania guides, and being kind enough to ship overseas.

Thanks to Jae for submitting good, detailed battle strategies for Jumbo Flan
and Th'uban, and thanks to Crimson Shadow, Arcaneja, dreavian, Christian
Washington, and Billy Auyang for submitting strategies for Chimerageist, 
Fafnir, Jumbo Flan, and Bomb King. Kudos, guys, I would have either given up 
on trying to beat these bosses, or written less informative strategies without
you. :)

Thanks to Muni Shinobu (muni_shinobu@yahoo.com) for his excellent FFX 
walkthrough and numerous other guides on the game. Without him, we would not
know wairo from Shinola.

Thanks to my friends and family for putting up with me throughout the writing 
of this, and my other Final Fantasy X guides, especially my sister Annie 
(ajbomke@yahoo.com). Show your appreciation by flooding her email box with 
marriage proposals. Really. She likes it.

Extra special thanks to Square (http://www.playonline.com/) for creating FFX 
and many other quality titles, and GameFAQs (http://www.gamefaqs.com/) for 
hosting FAQs on every game imaginable, and respecting FAQ author's rights.
