In Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, he has good strength, speed, and decent luck, but his growth rate in skill is so low he would have a problem hitting things in harder modes. However, he is not bad for easier modes, where enemies have awfully low avoid.
In Fire Emblem: Shin Monshō no Nazo ~Hikari to Kage no Eiyū~, he has been improved. His skill is much higher, and can be more consistent in hitting things in the harder modes. Although his stats are a bit lower than Barst's, he can still be a useful unit.
Cord, along with Bord, also another duo archetype. Bord and Cord were axe fighter under Ogma. Since then, fighters have often come in pairs, much like the Cain and Abel archetype. Bords excel in Strength and HP, while Cords excel in Speed. Another trait is that either one of them can exceed in Skill and Luck, depending on the game.