Just went through this fight for the first time. Got smashed (much like my first try against Braccus Rex).
I don't mind getting crushed in battle, but the fact that I will lose one of my chosen characters with what was essentially no buildup... I like death and tough choices, but damn this one was just poorly done. I guess I will be cheesing this fight because I'm not prepared to cripple my party by "randomly" losing one of my strongest party members.