Thedecoy is a gameplay feature unique toPrologue IV ofShadow Dragon. It is used as a means to progress the story and force the player to essentiallykill-off aunit before the start of the main story.

Overview

If the player sparesGordin andrecruits him, Gra's main force appears, which makesMalledus suggest toMarth that one of his soldiers should be placed at the fortressterrain at the south of the map to distract the enemy which then allows the player to select a unit as the decoy. If the player kills Gordin as an enemy unit, all subsequent events pertaining to his recruitment will not occur. The chapter itself cannot progress unless either set of conditions are met, even if the player somehow manages to defeat all of the main force.

The unit who is selected as a decoy will disappear from the game entirely after the chapter ends and is even impossible to be revived by the staff ofAum.

Analysis

At this point in the game, the player has five potential candidates to be the decoy:Abel,Frey,Jagen,Cain, and Gordin. Since this event is exclusive to the game'sNormal Mode, a need to utilize specific aspects of these units may vary and/or be less crucial compared to higher difficulties, and could easily come down to player preferences.Lances are quite useful, mainly theRidersbane and itseffectiveness against cavalry enemies of which are numerous throughout the game. Abel and Frey are oneweapon level away from wielding one at D, while Jagen can wield one immediately. Cain has the lowest possible Lance weapon level when he joins, instead having D inSwords: one rank away from theArmorslayer. Armored enemy units are also common, though due to aspects like theweapon triangle disadvantage and less weaponmight, it is less impactful than the Ridersbane. Gordin has a D inBows, which lets him do decent chip damage with aSteel Bow early on.

Trivia

• It is possible to bypass the decoy even if Gordin is recruited. If all of the player's units are killed—except for Marth—prior the end of enemy phase after Gordin is recruited, Gra's main force will still appear as does the decoy option, butCaptain will also open the northern door afterwards giving the player the means to beat the chapter.
• When playing the Prologue IV chapter, "Sire, allow me." is what all decoy candidates will say after the decoy command is selected. This is not the case in the Event Recap, which gives all of them unique lines.
• In the narrative ofNew Mystery of the Emblem, Frey is described to have taken the role of the decoy.^[1]

Etymology and other languages

Gallery

• 
  Lord map sprite used for the decoy unit.

References