My party was zidane, garnet, vivi, and stiener or amarant.

Same here. Zidane, Dagger, and Vivi are my big 3. Then I throw in Steiner for more strength to kill monsters a bit easier. The Magic Sword combo is pretty cool too. Other times I sub him for Amarant for supporting purposes, like Chakra when I'm low on MP, or Aura.