Hey everyone.

I was giving Malboro another try to get the MAG materia I missed, and ended up finding myself in a tight spot:

I could use Trance Terra or Christine, but Christine was able to use the whip. So, I went to the unit calculator and did some tests to see which unit dealt more damage to Malboro. I assumed that also at BiS (which would favor Trance Terra, since I can cap her mag, while Christine cant), and the enemy as demon/plantoid.

Trance Terra:

Right hand: Mateus's Malice HP 10%, ATK 19, MAG 129

Left hand: Mateus's Malice HP 10%, ATK 19, MAG 129

Head: Minstrel's Prayer MP 20%, DEF 8, MAG 42, SPR 46

Body: Dark Robe DEF 35, MAG 55, SPR 20

Accessory 1: Genji Glove ATK 10%, MAG 10%

Accessory 2: Ice Rosetta DEF 50, MAG 50

Materia 1: Rod Mastery MAG 50%

Materia 2: Dark Bond MAG 50%

Materia 3: Adventurer V ATK 40%, DEF 40%, MAG 40%, SPR 40%

Materia 4: Mage's Resolution DEF 20%, MAG 40%

Esper: Bahamut HP 64, MP 63, ATK 60, DEF 60, MAG 60, SPR 60

Total: HP:5399, MP:439, ATK:324, DEF:386, MAG:1201, SPR:422

Christine:

Right hand: Mateus's Malice HP 10%, ATK 19, MAG 129

Left hand: Malboro's Tentacle ATK 20, MAG 118

Head: Minstrel's Prayer MP 20%, DEF 8, MAG 42, SPR 46

Body: Dark Robe DEF 35, MAG 55, SPR 20

Accessory 1: Genji Glove ATK 10%, MAG 10%

Accessory 2: Ring of the Lucii ATK 30%, MAG 3, MAG 30%, SPR 3

Materia 1: Rod Mastery MAG 50%

Materia 2: Dark Bond MAG 50%

Materia 3: Adventurer V ATK 40%, DEF 40%, MAG 40%, SPR 40%

Materia 4: Mage's Resolution DEF 20%, MAG 40%

Esper: Bahamut HP 64, MP 63, ATK 60, DEF 60, MAG 60, SPR 60

Total: HP:5095, MP:436, ATK:311, DEF:339, MAG:1128, SPR:404

So, having a ton of mag less than Trance Terra (which translates into my party), Christine actually outdamages Trance Terra vs Malboro:

Christine: Damage on a 100 SPR enemy with a 1x skill: 35308

Trance Terra: Damage on a 100 SPR enemy with a 1x skill: 26684

Bonus:

Also, running tests, I noticed Grim Lord Sakura actually deals A LOT more damage than both to Malboro. GLS:

Right hand: Malboro's Tentacle ATK 20, MAG 118

Head: Minstrel's Prayer MP 20%, DEF 8, MAG 42, SPR 46

Body: Dark Fina's Swimsuit DEF 21, MAG 60

Accessory 1: Ice Rosetta DEF 50, MAG 50

Accessory 2: Ice Rosetta DEF 50, MAG 50

Materia 1: Adventurer V ATK 40%, DEF 40%, MAG 40%, SPR 40%

Materia 2: Sworn Six's Pride - Light HP 20%, MAG 40%

Materia 3: Hat Arts MAG 30%, SPR 30%

Materia 4: Strategist's Ingenuity MAG 30%, SPR 30%

Esper: Bahamut HP 64, MP 63, ATK 60, DEF 60, MAG 60, SPR 60

Total: HP:4492, MP:435, ATK:262, DEF:385, MAG:1207, SPR:561

GLS: Damage on a 100 SPR enemy with a 1x skill: 47165

Conclusions: Grim Lord Sakura is a beast at killing Malboro. She also has an upside against the other 2 mages that she doesnt require one setup turn. She has 2 downsides tho: No self-buff (requires a proper buffer to deal more damage, something the other 2 dont), and that her build can be quite 5* heavy.

Between Christine and TTs, I used TT for my first clear, no whip, but it wouldnt affect it since you don't have it the first time you fight. She had a hard time at the later rounds of the fight to keep the damage up. Christine's ice element was a HUGE upside: Using her imperil, I could control the damage I dealt to the big malboro and the mini ones. Also, Sclerosis provided me a higher window to deal damage to the big malboro, since with the ice element resist it would take 3 turns to kill the mini malboros without breaks, or 2 with breaks. So, based on personal experience, I would advice using Christine if you got her.