Personthing

TBH I only went in and read the field effects once they got really bullshit (Like Terra's) It's no completely necessary to know, just would be useful.

If you take about 30 seconds of your time, you can learn the basics of it even while playing the game. In-game Ame gives you advice on how to use the field effects to your advantage over the phone. I mean the only reason I know them by heart is due to modding Hardcore, but the basics are honestly not that hard to figure out. 10 seconds for each field is all it takes.

In Reborn, if you know what you are doing, you can use a lot of the leaders' own effects to punish them. Case: Flame Burst vs Shelly.