Mage Masher (Final Fantasy IX)

The Mage Masher is Zidane's second weapon available at the start of Final Fantasy IX by stealing from the tutorial boss. It teaches him the Flee and Detect skills that allow the party to instantly flee a battle that is not inescapable at the cost of some gil, and to see what items enemies hold for stealing, respectively. Mage Masher has innate Silence trait usable with Add Status, hence its name, as Silence disables enemies' magic-use.
Zidane's Mage Masher has become one of his signature weapons that he is commonly depicted with in spin-off appearances, alongside his Dagger and Ultima Weapon.
==Obtain==
The player can steal the Mage Masher from the Masked Man right at the start of the game, and it is worth doing as Mage Masher surpasses the Dagger that Zidane starts out with. It can also be found in the Ice Cavern , which the player should also make sure to do as Ice Cavern becomes unavailable soon. To get to the treasure chest that holds the Mage Masher, the player must initiate a field action where Vivi Ornitier uses fire magic to make an icicle into a bridge to the chest.
Mage Masher can also be bought for 500 gil in the following weapon shops: Dali, Lindblum (first and second storyline visits), Treno, Black Mage Village (before going through the Shimmering Island portal), and Daguerreo (before going through Shimmering Island portal). It is also sold in the following Mogshops: Madain Sari, Ipsen's Castle, and Bran Bal.
==Mechanics==
The base damage dealt with normal attack is determined as follows everywhere but within Ipsen's Castle:
:Base = 14 - Enemy's Defense
:Bonus = Strength + Rnd MOD ([(Level + Strength) / 8] + 1)
:Damage = Base * Bonus 
Where Rnd means a random number, while MOD means modulus operation. "Rnd MOD x" can be read as a random number between 0 and x-1.
The damage is then modified by variables like Zidane's equipped killer abilities or MP Attack, his row position, and the enemy's Protect. If Zidane is under Mini, his Bonus will be 1.
When in Ipsen's Castle, the stronger weapons do less damage than weaker weapons. Within Ipsen's Castle the Base part of the damage formula is altered to:
:Base = 46 - Enemy's Defense
Mage Masher has innate Silence, which can be inflicted onto enemies (that are not immune to Silence) with Zidane's Attack when Mage Masher is equipped. The chance the enemy contracts Silence is flat 20% per hit. Silence stops enemies from casting magic.
==Use==
Mage Masher is worth stealing from the tutorial boss at the start of the game and equipping over Zidane's default weapon as soon as the player has access to the menu, as it is better and also teaches the same initial ability, Flee, so the player does not lose anything by immediately swapping out the Dagger for the Mage Masher. The player can find a second Mage Masher in the Ice Cavern. The player should hold onto them, as Mage Mashers will be needed later for synthesizing Butterfly Sword, Exploda, and The Ogre. The player will need four Mage Mashers overall to make all weapons with synthesis, and so if they get the two from the Masked Man and Ice Cavern, the player still needs to buy two more from weapon shops.
When Zidane learns Add Status after visiting Lindblum the first time, Mage Masher can be used to silence enemies. This can be useful against the boss Gizamaluke in Gizamaluke's Grotto, as well as against the mage enemies there. However, the Butterfly Sword with Soul Blade works for this much better.
Even though Zidane's battle model wields two weapons when he is equipped with a Mage Masher, this is merely cosmetic and the player can only equip him with one weapon.
==Merchandise==
A Play Arts figure of Zidane for Final Fantasy IX depicts him wielding the Mage Masher and the Orichalcon, Zidane's off-hand weapon that he uses in the game when wielding daggers. The figure has two sets of hands to hold the daggers, the Mage Masher being set into the proper hand as a separate piece.
Zidane's Bring Arts figure comes with two Mage Mashers.
Zidane Play Arts.png|Play Arts.
Zidane and Garnet Final Fantasy IX Bring Arts.jpg|Bring Arts.
==Gallery==
MageMasher.png|Artwork.
Mage MasherFFIX.png|Strategy guide print.
Mage Masher alt FFIX Art.jpg|Unused concept.
Category:Weapons in Final Fantasy IX