Punch Rush (Final Fantasy VIII)

Punch Rush is the weakest Duel technique for Zell in Final Fantasy VIII that deals physical damage to an enemy depending on his Strength stat. It is his basic Limit Break ability, unveiled in the command window since the beginning of the game. When Duel initiates, the player has a variable amount of time to perform Duel moves on their chosen target.
Because Punch Rush is common and performed quickly with a simple input, it is one of the best ways to build a long chain of moves, which is where Zell's damage potential lies and makes him potentially the strongest party member. The time allotted for performing moves depends on Zell's Crisis Level, a hidden calculation in the game. Duel is randomly available when Zell is on low health or under Aura.
Many of Zell's Duel moves are reminiscent of Tifa's Limit techniques from Final Fantasy VII; Punch Rush resembles Tifa's starting technique, Beat Rush.
==Mechanics==
Punch Rush is performed either automatically at the initiation of Duel on lower Crisis Levels, automatically when the player sets their Duel to "Auto" in the Status menu, or by manually chaining from another move by inputting when it appears in the command window.
Punch Rush deals non-elemental physical damage to an opponent calculated as per the following formula:
:Critical Determination
:Critical\% = (Luck + 1) / 256 \times 100
Where "Luck" is Zell's Luck stat. If the hit criticals, it will deal double damage.
:Base Damage Calculation
:Damage = Strength^2 / 16 + Strength
:Damage = Damage \times (265 - Target's~Vitality) / 256
:Damage = Damage \times Power / 16
Where "Strength" is Zell's Strength stat, "Vitality" is the target's Vitality stat, and "Power" is the power of the chosen Duel technique: 16 for Punch Rush. For comparison, the Power value of a normal attack is 20, meaning one hit from Punch Rush is 20% weaker than using his Attack command; the damage potential comes from being able to attack consecutively and the guarantee that the Duel will not miss.
All damage is randomized slightly:
:Damage = Damage \times ([0..32] + 240) / 256
The time Zell has for Duel depends on his Crisis Level in the following manner:
* Crisis Level 1: 4.66 seconds (starts with Punch Rush)
* Crisis Level 2: 6.66 seconds (starts with Punch Rush)
* Crisis Level 3: 9.33 seconds (starts with Booya)
* Crisis Level 4: 12 seconds (starts with Booya)
Crisis Level is a hidden stat calculated based on how low Zell's current HP is compared to his maximum, the number of dead allies, and the number of ailments he is afflicted with. The worse off he is, the longer Duel times the player can expect. Crisis Level is also raised with the Aura status.
If Zell begins his Duel with Punch Rush, it chains into Booya, Mach Kick, and Dolphin Blow (Dolphin Blow will not appear on the command window until reading the corresponding Combat King magazine). Further along the chain, Punch Rush can also chain into Meteor Strike, or the Different Beat or My Final Heaven finishers (which will be hidden until their magazines are read).
Because of the complexity of Duel, it is best explained and summarized by viewing the following Google docs flowchart.
If the target has Protect, damage is halved. Limit Breaks never miss and are unaffected by Elem-Atk junctions.
==Use==
thumb|right|335 px|Zell begins his Duel with Punch Rush.
Punch Rush is one of Zell's default Duel techniques alongside Booya, Heel Drop, Mach Kick, and Burning Rave. As the Combat King magazines mainly add new finishing moves, Zell's Duel is already at its best potential since the start of the game and does not need enhancement and investment outside of stat-maxing the same way the other permanent characters do (besides Selphie, though she still gets better spells to her Slot when on a higher level).
Despite being the weakest Duel technique, Punch Rush remains one of the best moves until the endgame for its simplicity and fast input speed, which allows easy chaining to his other moves; it all stacks up the longer the Duel time is. Because the damage of each hit caps at 9999, and especially with critical hits from having high Luck, Punch Rush's fast input speed and chainability offset its lower attack power. If the player additionally inflicts Vit 0 onto the enemy, Punch Rush can be even more powerful. For the best chance of getting the maximum timer, the player can have Zell in critical HP and have him under Aura status. (However, Aura spells and stones are rare.)
Zell should be junctioned toward high Strength to make the most of his Limit Break. The Guardian Forces that have Str-J natively are Shiva, Ifrit, Brothers, Pandemona, and Cerberus. It is also worthwhile to give Zell any Str+% abilities. Because each hit has a chance of being a critical hit, Zell is also an excellent choice for Luck-J and Luck+50%; the only GF that has Luck-J natively is Cactuar, but Luck-J Scroll is available from some sidequests to give to the GFs Zell is junctioning.
Zell's Limit Break is always good, but especially so against bosses when he gets the long timer. It would be especially good against Adel (without finishing moves), Ultima Weapon, Omega Weapon, and the final bosses.
The most effective way to use Zell's Duel is to do a technique dubbed "Armageddon Fist" by fans, whereupon the player constantly inputs two of Zell's moves in rapid succession (Punch Rush ↔ Booya or Booya ↔ Heel Drop). It only takes fractions of seconds to input each command, and, with the proper stats, each move does around 5000 HP damage, critical hits reaching the 9,999 damage cap. With this technique, Zell with high Strength and Luck (and the enemy with Vit 0), will outdamage even Squall with Lion Heart.
==Citations==
Category:Duels in Final Fantasy VIII