Melty Blood/Glossary
Standard Terms and Abbreviations
Another Arc-Drive (AAD)
41236C in BLOOD HEAT will activate another, usually stronger, version of the Arc-Drive. Using it will deplete all your remaining Magic Circuit.
Arc-Drive (AD)
41236C in HEAT or MAX will activate a character's special move. Using it in HEAT will deplete all your remaining Magic Circuit, in MAX it will leave you with 100% Magic Circuit
Blockstring
Strings (usually airtight) of attacks that get blocked.
Bunker
Inputting 214D with any moon characters. When used during guarding/blocking, your character will attempt to clash the oncoming opponent's attack and follow up with a unique bunker attack. For half moon characters, this attack has invincibility frames, knocks down without dealing damage, and costs 100% meter. For other moon characters, this attack deals damage and costs 50% meter.
When done outside blocking, the characters does a quick EX shield and then follows up with the damaging version of the bunker (even if you are using half moon style). This does not cost any meter, but degrades guard bar. Has a clash frame on startup.
Cross-Up
Passing over the opponent and hitting their back while they are facing the wrong way. Because of the cross-up protection Melty has, when this happens the opponent can block both ways without worrying about getting hit.
Dodge and Air-Dodge
2E or 2A+B causes the character to shine and become invincible for a short time. However, it has recovery, so it is not possible to dodge every attack. A dodge weakens the guard bar, so it shouldn't be overly relied upon for defense.
Some characters' ground dodges are actually rolls that moves your character toward a direction. This can be used to go behind the opponent.
Air dodges have uses outside that of just avoiding the opponent's attack. They can be used to realign your character to face the opponent in air during combos or for cross ups.
Guard Bar
The short blue bar you see below the life bar. This will deplete whenever you guard (holding 4 or 1) your opponent's attacks. Successful EX guards replenish the bar instead. If it is completely depleted, the guard is crushed.
After the first air dodge or whiffed shield, the bar turns reddish gray. The second time, it turns completely red. The redder the guard bar, the weaker it is to attacks. An attack that dealt certain blue guard bar damage will deal several times more to a red guard bar. Thankfully, the guard bar gradually returns to its original blue status over time.
Guard Break
A situation when a player uses an air unblockable attack to break the other player's air guard, or when a generally unblockable attack hits a grounded guard.
Guard Crush
A state where the character becomes immobile and helpless after their guard bar is fully depleted. The guard bar rapidly refills after the guard crush.
HEAT, MAX and BLOOD HEAT
HEAT is a state entered by pressing 5ABC or 5E with at least 100% Magic Circuit. While in HEAT, red life slowly regenerates. Arc-Drives can be used in HEAT mode. Similarly, in MAX mode both Arc-Drives and Circuit Sparks can be used, but without the regenerative effects of HEAT. Lastly, BLOOD HEAT is entered when pressing 5ABC or 5E when in MAX. Health regerates faster and both Another Arc-Drives or Last-Arcs can be used.
Note that there are differences regarding HEAT among the 3 moon styles. Please read the Melty Blood/Moons page for more info.
See also: Circuit Meter
Last-Arc (LA)
Successfully EX-Shielding an opponent's attack while crouching, standing or in mid-air (this depends on the character performing the Last-Arc) will activate a special attack that usually pauses the opponent's movements and counter attacks for great damage.
Magic Circuit
Also called Circuit Meter or just Meter. Read the Circuit Meter page for more info.
Meaty
Using an attack as an opponent is waking, forcing them to block. Characters can use invincible starup reversals or shields to beat the technique.
Mix-Up
Technique used to make an opponent guess between two or more different actions that require different reactions, such a followup attack that could either be a low or an overhead attack.
Moon Styles
There are 3 different moon styles: Crescent Moon, Half Moon and Full Moon. These are abbreviated with C, H and F respectively. These abbreviations are also used when referring to a character in a specific mode, e.g. C-Nanaya, H-Ryougi, F-Kohaku etc.
Please read the Melty Blood/Moons page for more info on the differences among the moon styles.
Okizeme
Set-play done on the opponent's wakeup.
OTG
A state where you can still be hit while On The Ground. Usually used to refer to strings performed on downed opponents.
Sandoori/Sandori
Term used to denote the side switch air dash motion to bypass the cross-up protection. After crossing up it's usually inputted as 6954 or 4756 (Both notations are relative to the side you were in before crossing). It's also wrongly used to denote 3-way mixups.
Shield and EX-Shield
D in air and ground. When shielding, one hit of an incoming attack is nullified. EX shield is a shield done right before the attack connects. Holding shield drains meter rapidly, so its unwise unless the benefit outweighs the cost. When the first hit of certain muti-hit attacks are shielded, you will automatically shield all subsequent hits (known as auto-shielding).
Some attacks must be shielded standing or crouching, similar to guarding. Be aware that there are low attacks that can be shielded high and vice versa. Some attacks (mostly grabs) are unshieldable.
A successful shield grants 5% meter, and the attacker receives no meter while forced to complete the attack animation. Thus, hitting the unfortunate opponent after a shield (usually with a shield counter 236D) usually results in a counter hit.
Teching
Recovery from midair hitstun or knockdown performed by pressing a button and a direction in midair, pressing a direction right before hitting the ground, or pressing a direction after an OTG attack. Vulnerable to attack (tech trapping/punishing). Some characters can set up near unescapable tech trap situations.
Tick Throw
A throw performed after getting a fast attack blocked, usually 5a/2a. The throw is delayed to avoid the 7f throw protection window after blockstun.
Tiger knee (TK)
When an aerial move (such as j.236) is input on the ground before a jump (with 2369X/2367X/2368X) for use as close to the ground as possible. Changes usage for some moves and may even change recovery. More examples include: 2149X/2148X/2147X, 4219X/4218X/4217X, etc
Which-way
Ambiguous mixup involving a combination of left/right and high/low mixups.
Notations
Numpad Notations
In order to represent directional inputs, you use the numbers from a numpad corresponding to the directions ingame.
| 7 | 8 | 9 | ||||
| 4 | 5 | 6 | ||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
Commands are always denoted assuming that you're on the left facing right. Keep in mind that the numpad is mirrored when you face from right to left.
Motions
| Forward | Backward | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarter circle | 236 | 214 | ||
| Dragon punch | 623 | 421 | ||
| Half circle | 41236 | 63214 |
See also: Melty Blood/Controls
Standard Notations
When writing down combos, these are standard notations that help making them easier to read and understand.
Single commands are separated by a space (e.g. 5B 2B 2C 5C 623B).
JC
Jump Cancel
j.B, j.C, or j.BC
Jump+B button, Jump+C button; j.BC is just another way of saying "Jump B, Jump C". If you see a number before it (i.e. j.6B j.2C), that simply means jump forward+B or jump down+C
dj.
Double Jump; an example of the most common air combo ender is j.B j.C > dj.B dj.C > air throw; the > notates the next part of the combo where a drastic change in the combo takes place, a.k.a. "If you don't do this, you will drop that shit"
sj.
Super Jump; Ground: 28 (vertical) or 29(forward). Sometimes doing a super jump will help you when you need to stay a little higher for some combos. Or move around in general.
sdj.
Super double jump. Used in the air with your second jump. Input is 29 in the air.
ad
Air Dash; Some combo extenders need you to airdash + button, for more damage.
IAD or iad
Instant Air Dash; 6856, 6956, 6756 or 8/9/7 > 6A+B.
IBAD or ibad
Instant Back Air Dash; 4854, 4754, 4954 or 8/7/9 > 4A+B.
[B] [C]
Charged normals, a.k.a. "Blowback Edge" or "BE"; you hold the button, and the character will have a white light glow at the point of the normal right before they do the attack.
{B} {C}
Half-charged normals; works on almost every move that can be fully charged. This is to delay certain attacks by holding the button long enough so a delay occurs but short enough so that it doesn't become fully charged.
IH
Initiative Heat; it's like a Roman Cancel in GG. You can only do this in Full Moon when you're at Max meter. Press A+B+C during an attack and the character will cancel the current attack animation and return to a neutral state -- can also be done in the air. Doing this will instantly convert all red life into yellow life (Heal you) and it will put you in "Heat" mode
