JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R/Diego Brando/Strategy
Neutral
Diego has a bevy of neutral tools, none of which orbit around the rest of his kit. But on a general note, they all effectively close the distance between Diego and the opponent.
In the air is where Diego really shines, possessing a deceptively active 8f air-to-air in j.L and an ideal jump-in with the ability to cross-up in j.M, both of which can be chained into Diego’s groundbounce j.H via Aerial Chain Beat, confirming a combo. At longer distances, j.623X serves the same purpose as j.H and carries lower-body invul (full invul with two corpse parts), but requires a bar to combo from.
Diego's multi-hit 5M and 2M, although stubby, can prove to be good knowledge checks, as they typically need to be Stylish Guarded twice. Their multi-hit nature makes them easy to use as a meaty and allows Diego to win Clashes against most characters’ normals.
For mid-range pokes, Diego has 6M and 6H. 6M, with a 14f startup and 28f recovery, covers a sizable distance, has high active frames (making it easy to use as a meaty), and minimal recovery. And while 6H, with a 22f startup and 54f recovery, has long recovery (meaning it should only be used with one bar to Flash Cancel in case you whiff), it boasts a massive hitbox that plows through most buttons and can confirm a combo meterlessly, while 6M requires a bar to do so. And although stubbier than the former options, 5H is also serviceable, being Diego’s most fast and safe poke with a 12f startup and 27f recovery.
Offense
Diego’s main form of offense comes through strike/Throw, dash-jump j.M, and j.623X. j.M, as mentioned previously, is capable of crossing up. Upon successfully crossing the opponent up with j.M, employ j.623L to ensure oki and, with at least a bar, confirm a combo. If j.M successfully lands but doesn’t cross up, employ j.H instead to confirm a combo meterlessly.
j.623X serves as a belligerent left/right mix-up tool, with j.623L hitting left and j.623M hitting right. It is imperative to note, however, that j.623X is unsafe on block and cannot be Flash Canceled if it is blocked, so apply it judiciously in pressure. Aerial Chain Beat is also a viable mix-up tool, as it can catch opponents expecting a low/Throw on landing after blocking j.L or j.M. Also, there are specific characters that dash-jump j.M essentially works as an instant Overhead against, even when they're crouching.
Instant Overhead Chart
Notations | Notes | Video Examples |
---|---|---|
2H w.6M 8 w.jM 2L/5M/2M/Throw | ||
Throw > w.5L > 29 > w.jM > 5L/2L/2M/Throw | Strike/Throw mix-up |
Defense
236L is a useful close-range scramble tool, being a 5-hit move with an 18f startup. Furthermore, Diego is considered to be airborne for a part of 236X, allowing him to avoid command grabs and consistently high-profile moves like Jonathan's 236X, Kars' ULF 214H, and Jolyne's 63214X. 623X sends Diego much higher in the air, and possesses lower-body invincibility. With 2 Corpse parts, 236X and 623X gain full-body invincibility, giving them extremely useful applications in defense and pressure.
Diego's HHA allows him to bypass counters and grants him unlimited Super Armor that prevents the successful activation of Throws (taking the Throw's damage as White Damage), command grabs, and hitgrabs. Being that this install only lasts 6 seconds and Diego is forced into a vulnerable animation when it ends, it mainly sees use for closing rounds when the opponent is low on health, as it forces them to play more defensively. But against Risotto, Jotaro (Part 3), DIO, Jotaro (Part 4), and AW Diego, HHA is a perfect counter to their resets.
Scary Monsters vs Resets |