Which of my characters should I make EX and Assist builds for?

[kewldude475]

However Garuga, that is like saying that just because one of his attacks has good EX generation, they work better with SbS. Take Cloud. He has an EX generating attack similar to Dayflash, and works well with SbS. Firion has a quick poke that generates a lot of EX, and he works very well wit SbS. Even Zidane is an example of this, as he produces good EX force.

Though personally, I generally EX on WoL, ehehe. In some matchups or situations, I use SbS though.

[LonelyGaruga]

However Garuga, that is like saying that just because one of his attacks has good EX generation, they work better with SbS.

Not only am I not saying that, Warrior of Light only having one good move for EX generation is false and you know it. Your comparisons are also a bit off.

Cloud: Still works better with EX. Only has Double Cut, Blade Beam, and Meteorain as good EX generating attacks.
Firion: Said poke is defensive in nature, while Dayflash is an offensive attack. Additionally, when the opponent has an assist bar, Firion no longer has Double Trouble as an option, and the bow + sword followup (105-120 EX, depending on the attack that landed) becomes viable. Not to mention Firion has one of the best EX modes in the game.
Zidane: All of Zidane's attacks that generate large amounts of EX also lead to or are HP hits. Again, I see top Zidane players mostly using EX on him.

When considering EX builds, you have to look at how viable the EX generating move(s) are. All of the characters you listed generate large amounts of EX with important moves to their game, while characters like Golbez, Terra, and Kefka do better overall with Side by Side builds due to their low EX generation and the importance of HP moves for their game.

[Balguna]

Another point for WoL is that Bitter End is pretty much one of the most unsafe HP links when the opponent has an Assist bar.

SbS usually wins out if the character has a poor Assist game but a good HP game (Onion Knight), or if they have little need for EX force either because they generate little EX, or mostly play keep-away (Kefka, Ultimecia, etc.).

[LonelyGaruga]

Amusingly, EX Onion Knight has been seeing quite a bit of play in recent times (EX Core builds), and EX Ultimecia seems to be the standard set by ultimaweapon. It came to be quite a surprise when he used Side by Side in one of the final FEPs matches.

Really, EX is almost invariably the better choice than Side by Side. Those three characters I listed are quite honestly the only ones I can think of that are rarely run with EX oriented builds. Third options, like damage builds, may be better than Side by Side as well, depending on the character.