Re: Weapons increase
Lucca - Um, sit in the back and kill all the OHKOs. You basically win until the ogans come out.
Frog - Double spread still doesn't make up for Lucca's triple, Marle's double, and well, Magus. Useless now.
Crono - A lot less useful thanks to Marle and Lucca. Still good in limited instances, but I'd rather pierce or spray, all things considered.
Marle - Stupidly good now, and still has the deceptive box. Remi says hi.
Magus - Is still Magus. Big shot for big enemies. Good weapon.
Ayla - So she can attack twice now! Besides that, no real improvement, though she's still a powerful connect.
Robo - Um, didn't use him, because no one dropped him at the right moment. So no opinions at the moment.
Re: Factory
Despite the power surge, you're still a bastard anyway. (To a certain third party, that's a complement, so don't go suggesting any more uberweapons please.) Didn't even make it to MB first try. Notable lack of Magus/Robo/Marle drops, but that's just my usual bad luck coming into play. Magus definitely would have helped during a certain part, you know the one. Now to go back and send MB packing...