Blade Strangers/Shovel Knight

Shovel Knight

Colors

Introduction

Source Game: Shovel Knight

Story

Shovel Knight is a fishman who believes in the concept of shovelry, which actually refers to shovelware, and that's why he is in this game.

Gameplay

Health: 12,000

Shovel Knight fills the Grappler archetype for Blade Strangers. Move forward. Fish for Counter-hit j.E. Pressure with gems if you don't land a clean hit. Confirm any caught attempt to jump out into Level Two Doots. Rip away lifebars.

Strengths/Weaknesses

Strengths	Weaknesses
Big Damage Big Health	Big Hurtboxes Has troubles against projectiles

Move List

Light Attacks

5L Light Attack	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 400 5 2 -1 2 M - 75% Your fastest light attack. Useful for taking away advantage at close range. Combos into itself on Counter-hit. Chains into 6L as an autocombo.

6L/5LL/2LL Forward Light Attack	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 700 9 4 -4 -1 M - 80% Slightly slower than 5L in exchange for more range.

6LL/5LLL/2LLL Forward Light Attack 2x	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 800 9 4 -8 -4 M - 80% The second hit of Shovel Knight's forward light string. Allows you time to confirm, but is less advantageous on block compared to 5LL.

2L Crouching Light Attack	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 400 6 4 -6 -2 M - 75% The crouching alternative to 5L. Functions similarly, yet has more range. Chains into 6L as an autocombo.

j.L Jumping Light Attack	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 400 7 2 6 11 H - 70% ???

j.8L Jumping Upwards Light Attack	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 400 5 2 6 11 H - 80% It hits up. Quickly.

Heavy Attacks

5H Heavy Attack	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 1000 13 4 -8 -4 M - 80% A decently sized heavy normal that combos into HS on hit.

6H Headbutt	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 1200[1600] 20[48] 4[4] -6[-6] -2[Launch] M - 90%[90%] Chargeable. Charged version causes wall bounce on hit. The charge is ready once Shovel Knight flashes white, but can be held for slightly longer before automatically releasing.

4H Stomp	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 700 9 4 -3 0 L - 80% A short range, high-hitstun low. Good for mixing up the opponent, and allows you to confirm into Super or H+S on hit.

2H Crouching Heavy Attack	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 1000 9 4 -4 -1 M - 80% SK's farthest-reaching Heavy Normal. Causes more hitstun than 5H, giving you plenty of time to confirm into H+S or directly into Super at range. A likely candidate for cancelling into Gem pressure.

3H Shoulder Check	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 1000 9 4 -4 -1 M - 80% Deceptive vertical hitbox. Quick recovery post hit. Good for combo extension in the corner.

j.H Jumping Heavy Attack	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 1000 9 4 9 16 H - 80% Deep hitbox. This can be used to extend off j.E+S in the corner, and j.H+S at certain heights - Notably after a well-spaced j.2H(3) xx j.H+S.

j.8H Spade Swipe	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 1000 9 4 9 16 H - 90% High vertical hitbox, good knockup. Useful off 6H corner bounce as an extension.

j.2H Shovel Drop	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 600(x3) 4 Until Landed H - 70% Combo extension. Can cross-up and lead into Super for good damage. Fairly unsafe on block. Note that all hits will deal the same damage and apply the same scaling so always wait for all three hits if possible.

Unique Attacks

5E Anti Air	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 800 11 -4 0 M - 70% Universal anti-air. Head invulnerable on frame 5. Can combo from an anti-air hit if you get a really high Counter-hit juggle, or if you cancel late with Offensive Skill.

6E Overhead	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 800 21 4 -9 +1 H - 60% Universal overhead. Cancels into Offensive Skill as an extension.

4E Knock Back	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 1200 16 -10 Knockdown M - 80% Universal knockback attack. Crumples on counter hit. Potential followups on counter-hit are things like charged 6H or 4H+S for incredible damage.

2E Sweep	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 800 9 4 -11 Knockdown L - 80% Universal sweeping attack. Knocks down. Confirms directly into Offensive Skill if you want damage from it. Quite useful as it's a fast, far reaching low. The air pickup leads into good damange in the corner.

3E Chase Attack	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 1500 12 N/A Knockdown OTG - 70% Universal Chase Attack. Can OTG and forces hard knockdown on hit. Cancel into Offensive Skill to extend.

j.E Strike the Earth	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 1200 18 4 9 Knockdown H - 80% Ground bounce on counter hit. Slow to start up, with a large hurtbox. It's not as disjoint as you'd think. Tremendously low hitbox. When you counter-hit with this, you rip whole lifebars away with the proper pickup (Usually a dash-jump j.2H xx Super).

Skills

5S Charge Handle

Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 800(1000)[1200] 16[88] -12[0] -3(Knockdown)[Launch] - - 70% Chargeable. Won't knockdown without charge. Combos from most normals. While charging, you can move forward, backwards, or jump. The hitbox will reflect projectiles, but is difficult to time against quick projectiles (Gunvolt 5HS) and ineffective against multiple projectiles (Curly 6S)

5H+S Charge Handle (Heavy)	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 1000[1200] 28[63] -3[0] Knockdown[Launch] - - 70% Stance. Cancelable from frame 16. Slower than the Light version, making it less useful for ending air combos.

5S+E Charge Handle (EX)	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 1200 18[58] -6[0] Launch[Launch] - - 70% Chargeable. Combos from most normals. Wall bounces in the corner for big damage.

2S Trench Blade	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 11 -13 to +30 -11 M - You dig up three gems worth approximately 50gp each. They each have an arcing hitbox. Spaced correctly, leaves Shovel Knight incredibly plus on block with no apparent gap to punish (Approximately +30). Can also be used as pressure on oki.

2H+S Trench Blade (Heavy)	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 36 -5 (See Below) -2 M - You dig up five gems worth approximately 100gp each. They each have an arcing hitbox. Spaced correctly and gone uncontested, leaves Shovel Knight incredibly, disgustingly plus on block. Can also be used as pressure on oki.

2S+E Trench Blade (EX)	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 11 -6 (See Below) -10 M - You dig up 8 gems worth approximately 300gp each. They each have an arcing hitbox. Arguably Shovel Knight's best poke, and can leave him incredibly plus from almost a halfscreen out.

4S Unearth	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 7 Knockdown N/A - Scoops the opponent up. This is a fast command grab, useful to scare your opponent into jumping on prediction.

4H+S Unearth (Heavy)	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 36 Launch N/A - Scoops the opponent up. Throw invuln. Reactable. Good to catch your opponent sleeping, or in the midst of a throw break attempt. Leads into unspeakable damage on hit if you have meter.

4S+E Unearth (EX)	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 7 Launch N/A - Speed and certainty of light command grab mixed with the power of heavy for the low, low cost of half a bar.

j.S Propeller Dagger	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 11 -20 Knockdown M - A fast aerial attack with a degenerate hitbox. Good for when you need some horizontal aerial movement, or just want to go over pokes.

j.H+S Propeller Dagger (Heavy)	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 26 -20 Knockdown M - Again, a degenerate hitbox. Good for when you need some horizontal aerial movement, or just want to go over pokes. This version let's you combo afterwards in certain corner cases, as it leaves you in a neutral air state on hit.

j.S+E Propeller Dagger (EX)	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 11 -20 Knockdown M - Again, a degenerate hitbox. Good for when you need some horizontal aerial movement, or just want to go over pokes. This version requires far less precision than heavy to combo, and allows you to combo afterwards midscreen.

Universal Commands

L+H Throw	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 7 Knockdown UNB - Universal Throw.

L+E Offensive Skill (horizontal)	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 1000 8 6 -15 9 M - 70% Requires 1 bar of the Skill Gauge. Allows you to extend off anti-air 5E and 2E, or 6E when used as a mixup.

8L+E/j.L+E Offensive Skill (aerial)	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 1000 6 -17 7 M - Requires 1 bar of the Skill Gauge. Allows for stray air-conversions off air moves like j.S where you wouldn't be able to convert otherwise.

4L+E Defensive Skill	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling - 9 4 0 Knockdown - - Requires 1 bar of the Skill Gauge. Useful for dealing with the pressure options of certain characters. Namely Shovel Knight gem pressure. heh

Ultra Skills

H+S+E War Horn Lv. 1	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 18 -20 Launch M - Requires 1 bar of the Skill Gauge. A damaging extension that allows you to combo afterwards. Can be done in the air.

H+S+E 2x War Horn Lv. 2	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling Too Much 18 -20 Launch M - Requires 2 bars of the Skill Gauge. More damage than the single-bar version. Rips whole lifebars away and makes people rage quit.

2H+S+E Hail the Troupple King! Lv. 1	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 34 -20 Knockdown M - Requires 1 bar of the Skill Gauge. SK turns invisible and a fish comes out. Not as good as Doot Super. <_<

2H+S+E 2x Hail the Troupple King! Lv. 2	Damage Startup Active Recovery Block Adv Hit Adv Cancels Guard Hitbox Scaling 34 -20 Knockdown M - Requires 2 bars of the Skill Gauge. SK turns invisible and a fish comes out and then comes back the other way. Still not as good as Doot Super. DOES NOT CROSS UP. DO NOT LET GO OF BLOCK.

Combos

Knockdown Setups

... > 2H > 5H+S, 2S

... > 4H > 5H+S, 2S

4S, 2S

Launchers

2E > 5LE

4S+E/4H+S

Corner

The Touch of Death

4H+S > HSEx2, j.2H (3 hits) > j.S+E > j.5H, 3H > 5H+S, 5LLL > 5H > 5S+E, 6[H] (Partial hold, wall slam), j.2H