Skullgirls/Cerebella/Strategy

Overview

Combos

Resets

Assists / Team Building

Strategy / Counterplay

Strategy

Goals

Control space and maintain your space with important moves like jMP and 6HP. Once your opponent is close to bella,you can either unleash a barrage of different offensive tools that will keep opponents guessing what you will do next or, play defensively and punish your opponents approach options.

Offense

At close range you can start mixing up your opponent with moves like 2lk, merry-go-rilla, j2mp.

Neutral

Bella has a lot of tools that are hard to punish and hard to get away from at close range. At other ranges her tools are not as effective. Deflector does however give her more control from mid-fullscreen range

Defense

Bella also has plenty of defensive tools that can counter plenty of approach options of your opponent.Some common ones are jMP, H Lock N Load, jHP, 5lk, jHK and diamond dynamo. Knowing the correct situation to use her great tools is what makes bella difficult to master.

TODO: organize the info below cohesively

5mp

• The stagger is also useful in corner carry / side swap combos. While the opponent is staggered, Cerebella can use Kanchou feint ([4]6K~MK) or Diamond Drop to side swap, or Tumbling Run ([4]6K) to push them further to the corner and continue the combo.
• Can combo into MGR in the corner with a runstop and backdash, even if they shake the stagger.

5lk

• Ridiculous disjointed hitbox, fast startup, and plus frames makes this a great all-around normal.

5mk

pushes the opponent away so it is used in some run stop 2LK burst baits

5hk

• Lengthy attack animation allows for easy assist calls in combos.
• As a combo ender it deals slightly less damage than 5HP, but builds twice as much meter and more easily restands after OTG.

2lp

• Good for fast OTG pickups, eg. when converting off Excellebella in the corner.

2lk

• A really good 2LK move. Poke with this move to make sure they're blocking low, conditioning the opponent to crouch block and become vulnerable to throws.
• If they aren't pushblocking this move, just doing 2LK alone without a hit confirm chain sets up a low/throw mixup since this move is +6.

2mk

• Doing 2LK 2MK Run Stop can set up her basic reset. As they're coming down, you can either air throw or hit them with 5LK before they can get an air button out. If they won't press anything, you can perform a mixup on the ground, such as 2LK, MGR/DD, jHP/j2MP, or Kanchou.

jlp

• Ideal air-to-air to disrespect air resets, to hit people below her, or to counter slow jump-ins.

jmp

• Amazing air button with plenty of hitstun to land and confirm against ground opponents. Confirm into jHK for an OTG combo against air opponents
• If the opponent blocks this move on the ground and doesn't pushblock, it sets up a low/throw mixup.

jhp

• Neutral jumping works at point blank range on the entire cast, but if you're too far away you may want to upforward before tapping HP instead.

jmk

• Very long active period and can hit very low to the ground, but difficult to convert from and the ranges you would want to use it as a poke besides from chaining into jHP. Combo fodder and sometimes used in specific setups, such as safejumps. Doesn't see much use otherwise.

6hp

• 2MK > 6HP is used in some optimal combo routes.
• Good for long range punishes on bad assist calls.

j2mp

• Used as an instant overhead. It's -2 on block if done as IOH, unlike jHP which has much more advantage, and a bit harder to convert off of from a distance. It also has to use up OTG to convert off of it. The upshot is it's less likely to whiff, and doesn't scale to 75% like jHP.

throw

• Even though she has her command grabs, her normal throw fills the purpose of a close range throw that won't throw them out of the corner.

tag

• Faster and harder to react to compared to most other tags.
• Cross up with it

LnL (236p)

• The idea of his move is not necessarily to make it hit. If you wake up with this move or use it in a blockstring, you can see what the opponent is doing and react accordingly with an early super cancel. If they're crouch blocking or pressing a ground button, cancel into 360. They cannot jump or special/super cancel in reaction to the super flash of the 360. If they're pressing an air button, Dynamo will hit them. If they block the move, it's only -6, making it safe at most ranges.

reflect (623lp)

• Essential tool in matchups against zoners.
• If Cerebella is too far away to dash up and confirm into a full combo from the stagger, landing 6HP is also a good choice that works from further ranges and causes a sliding knockdown.

horns (623mp)

• Used in high-damage combo routes on light characters.
• The long startup invuln can be used to your advantage, for example you can Devil Horns cancelled into 360 or Dynamo to beat Squigly's Daisy Pusher on the ground.

copter (623hp)

• use it on incoming to crossup
• annoying to punish

mgr (214lp+lk)

• If the opponent isn't spacing their jump-ins properly, stay outside their jump-in range and use this move as they land.

excellabella (623lp+lk)

• Good combo ender alternative to Cerecopter that sacrifices damage for better meter gain. You could do 5LPx2 5MP 2HP xx Excellebella xx Dynamo (easier), or 5LPx2 2MK 6HP xx Excellebella xx Dynamo (more optimal/difficult).
• Useful assist for characters that can build resources (Valentine vials, Squigly charge, Beowulf hype, Big Band taunt, Robo-Fortune heads), as it allows them to build said resources mid-combo without any risk.

grab bag (j236lp+lk)

• Special cancel into it for a reset when it'll KO. You can't combo after it, but basically nobody will tech it the first or even subsequent times (it has a 6f tech window).

run ([4]6K)

• Performing run with [4]236LK~LP can give you up to 2 frames of armored run before performing a Diamond Drop. (hard)

run stop ([4]6K~LK)

• Cancelling 5HP to Tumbling Run and immediately run stopping allows Cerebella to link her light attacks (6 frame link for 5LP/2LP, 4 frame link for 2LK).
• Similarly, canceling your hitconfirm string on block can improve the frame advantage.

kanchou ([4]6K~MK)

• 5HP xx Kanchou is used in some midscreen combo routes.
• Can easily convert after hitting the opponent fullscreen for a wallbounce. See the Combos page for more information.
• If hitting the opponent directly into the corner, you can still convert by super canceling to Diamond Dynamo and then picking them up OTG.

butt ([4]6K~HK)

• This move is very hard to challenge with its armor, relatively fast startup, and large hitbox that can even hit opponents in the air. But it's awfully minus and you will be puinished if it's blocked. Can be used during a run if you see the opponent committing to something you can armor through.
• Calling an assist and performing Battle Butt is a great way to force your way into close range, since the assist should cover your frame disadvantage.

dynamo (236PP)

• Midscreen options include 6HP, or Cerecopter on some characters. If these won't kill or reduce the number of touches needed to kill, consider doing a Tumbling Run to keep pressure on the opponent instead. When combined with certain assists, 6HP + assist can lead to a full combo.

360

• You can DHC after the final damaging hit, allowing for both damage and conversions if you have the meter and the right team.
  • Examples of DHCs that can lead to a combo: Double BoG, Parasoul Level 3, Beowulf Airwulf, Squigly MKHK or LKHK SBO, Eliza Level 3, Painwheel Hatred Install, Robo-Fortune Magnet or Level 3, Peacock Lenny.
• Excellent range and speed enables punishes against attacks that are typically considered safe.

rocks (214PP)

• Easily thrown or avoided by jumps and crossups when used as a reversal, but has very good reward on hit, especially if they are counterhit by the second hit and/or sent midscreen for a wallbounce.
• Low damage per meter when used as a combo ender, but a very good DHC when under 240 undizzy and at full scaling. The damage is a respectable 3.3k, you can continue the combo after the wallbounce midscreen, and the next few moves will benefit from the DHC's scaling reset.

Counterplay

How to beat this character

• No air reversal so air resets can be effective, but make sure they can't be disrespected by her 6f jLP.

• Average mobility so keepaway can be effective (dependent on assists)

• Has a lot of good reversal options that need to be baited and punished, know your HCH combo routes.

• Fast multi-hit IADs beat out a lot of her favourite tools.

Counters to common techniques

• Pushblock away jMP jump-ins to avoid the MGR/2LK mixup afterwards.

• jHK can be anti-aired and air-to-aired since it's not very disjoint, fairly slow, and has low horizontal range. A land cancel punish is technically possible if their jHK timing is very predictable.

• jHP can be hard to contest, but don't be afraid to try and air-to-air it midscreen since air-to-air jHP can't really be converted.

• When subjected to a MGR/2LK 50/50, neutral or forward jump can punish MGR's long recovery with a falling button.

• Pretty much all of her options out of tumbling run are beaten by upbacking (level 3 beats upbacking, but it's reactable).

• When baiting reversals, one option is to neutral jump and hold downback. This will beat her most common reversal options (dynamo, level 3, 360).

• Level 3 is plus on block, but pushblocking her away will waste her 3 bars and avoid a mixup. You can punish or create an advantageous situation with a PBGC. Video

• Deflector can be baited and punished (with jump-ins, assist calls, supers, Peacock crossup teleport, etc). Robo-Fortune can predict a beam reflect attempt and dash up to hit a button.

• Kanchou has a distinctive sound that is reactable at some spacings, and you get an easy and huge punish for blocking it. If your opponent is kanchou-happy you might want to try upforwarding out of resets.

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