Thundara (VII Remake)

Thundara
(サンダラ, Sandara?)
Availability
Required	Lightning Materia
Classification
Type	Attack magic
Skillset	Magic
Element	Lightning
Specifications
MP cost	11
Cast time	1 second
Area of effect	1 meter
Power	380
Stagger rate	5 Pressured: 20
Interrupt strength	50
Interrupt defense	40
Special effect	Knockdown
Related pages
Versions	Final Fantasy VII Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Recurring appearance	Thundara (ability)

Deal a moderate amount of lightning damage.

Description

Thundara is a magic spell in Final Fantasy VII Remake and "Episode INTERmission". It is granted by the Lightning Materia, and is the second-level Lightning-elemental spell above Thunder and below Thundaga. Thundara deals a moderate amount of lightning-elemental damage, has a medium MP cost, and a medium casting time.

Mechanics

Magic Materia	Lightning Materia
Effects	Medium Lightning damage 1 meter area-of-effect 1 second charge time
Interrupt stats	Interrupts targets with <50 interrupt defense Interrupted by attacks with ≥40 interrupt strength
Compatible Support Materia	Magnify Materia Synergy Materia HP Absorption Materia MP Absorption Materia
Unconditional weapon passive bonuses	Lightning Damage Up Elemental Damage Up MP Saver: Attack Spells
Special Interrupt(s)	Knockdown (knocks down interrupted target)

Damage formula:
$(2 \times User's\ Magic\ Attack\ - Target's\ Magic\ Defense) \times 3.8$
Stagger formula:
$\text {5 or 20} \times Target's\ Lightning\ Rate\ Modifier \times Target's\ Magic\ Rate\ Modifier$
Where 20 is used rather than 5 while the target is Pressured, and "Target Lightning Modifier & Target's Magic Modifier" are the respective stagger rate modifiers of the target.

Use

Calling lightning!

Cloud

Thundara costs 11 MP to cast with a level 2 lightning materia equipped. It deals 1.5 times the damage compared to the base lightning spell, Thunder. The spell is useful against medium-level threats, being useful both for dealing great damage that can kill several enemies, as well as pressuring and staggering more powerful enemies. Compared to its peers— Fira, Blizzara, and Aeroga—Thundara's main strength is that it is guaranteed to hit and will hit the target very quickly. Its damage is amplified against enemies weak to the lightning element, such as machine enemies.

Thundara is outclassed by Thundaga in terms of raw damage, but still retains use due to its shorter cast time and lower MP cost. Both spells are very reliable in that they hit enemies almost instantly, but Thundara can be useful when on a tighter MP budget, or against enemies that may otherwise interrupt a character in the middle of the longer casting animation.

The spell can benefit from pairing the lightning materia with Support Materia. In particular, Magnify Materia is a great pair, as Thundara will be guaranteed to hit all enemies. Another effective use is pairing it with HP Absorption Materia and MP Absorption Materia, to both heal a character greatly after hitting an enemy, or sustain their MP. Thundara can also be used effectively with Aerith's Arcane Ward to cause it to be cast twice.