Melty Blood/MBTL/Hisui & Kohaku/Combos

Overview

Combos

Matchups

Strategy

Resources

Data

Match Database

#MBTL_HK

Notation Help
Disclaimer: Combos are written by various writers, so notation may differ slightly from this notation. For more information, see Glossary and Controls
X > Y	X input is cancelled into Y.
X, Y	X input is linked into Y, meaning Y is done after X's recovery period.
X+Y	Buttons "X" and "Y" must be input simultaneously.
X/Y	Input "X" or "Y" can be used.
dl	There should be delay before inputting "X".
w.X or Xw	Attack "X" should whiff and not hit the opponent.
j.X	Button "X" is input while jumping or in the air.
dj.X	Button "X" is input after a double jump.
jc	Jump cancel the previous action. Will occasionally be omitted due to being obvious. Will occasionally be notated with 7/9 to indicate backwards/forwards.
sj	Perform a superjump, which is performed by inputting 2~8.
sjc	Superjump cancel the previous action.
IAD	Instant Air Dash.
AT	Air throw, often used as a combo ender that leads to knockdown.
md.X	Perform a micro-dash before performing "X". Unused in favor of writing "microdash."
tk.X	Indicates the motion "X" is input immediately after leaving the ground. Stands for tiger knee.
(X)	Input "X" is optional. Typically the combo will be easier if omitted.
[X]	Input "X" is held down. Also can be known as "Increase" or "IC" for short. Depending on the character, this can indicate that this button is held down and not released until indicated by the release notation.
]X[	Input "X" is released. Will only appear if a button is previously held down.
{X}	Button "X" should only be held down briefly to partially charge the attack, instead of the full increased version.
X(#)	Attack "X" should only hit # of times.
X~Y	This notation has two meanings. Use attack "X" with "Y" follow-up input. Input "X" then within a few frames, input "Y". Usually used for option selects.
(...) OR (...)	Use only one between the two alternative routes.
RB1/2	The first or second hit of Rapid Beat auto combo.
CH	The first attack must be Counter Hit.
FC	The first attack must be Fatal Counter.
MD	Perform a Moon Drive, which is inputted by pressing 5B+C.
Heat	Perform Heat, which is performed by inputting A+B+C.
AD	Perform an Arc Drive, which is performed by inputting 236B+C. Characters with more than one Arc Drive will have theirs notated by input.
LA	Perform a Last Arc, which is performed by inputting A+B+C+D or successfully Shielding in Blood Heat.

Getting Started

Starter Combos

These are some simpler combos using pieces of combo structure that are important to their more advanced combos to help you get accustomed to parts of their combo flow
Kohaku Lead:

Combo	Damage	Cost	Meter Gain	Location
	3043 dmg			Anywhere
	3616 dmg			Anywhere

Hisui Lead:

Combo	Damage	Cost	Meter Gain	Location
2A > 2B > 2C > 236B~X > j.[C] > 5B > 3C > jBC > AT/j.236C	3055/3353 dmg			Anywhere

Combo Theory

In the case of using meter Kohaku lead generally spends it to end with 236C whenever meter is available for an untechable knockdown to setup plant oki anywhere, while Hisui lead often ends with j236C for untechable knockdown and corner carry to setup 22B(Bento) oki midscreen, or 623A/C(Dust) or 214A(Koha plant assist) in the corner. Note: Hisui lead's meterless AT enders are more useful than Kohaku's due to her AT allowing for a Left/Right by jumpcancelling(8) the AT once she bounces off the opponent and holding 6 (either immediately for landing opposite side, or delayed for same side), so Hisui can get away with ending meterlessly more often while it is recommended to always end Kohaku combos with 236C.

For Kohaku lead combos, there are multiple variants with competitive damage to each other midscreen that can be interchanged depending on desired outcomes. Routes labeled as "Sandwich"(examples here) will sideswap to allow Hisui assist to hit the opponent back towards Kohaku, so they sacrifice corner carry but allow your 236C enders to hit closer for more time to setup better oki situations midscreen. If sandwich routing is messed up (Hisui 214B hits them away instead of towards Kohaku) you can salvage it with 6B+C > 236C after the 214B hits. For maximizing damage "Battou Loops" will be your best bet, however they only work off 2A starters in the Corner so Midscreen you will need a B starter or better to utilize them

For Hisui lead combos, an important note for all routes using j2C j236B is to delay the j2C slightly so j236B will connect properly. For routing using 236B~X/236A~X, it is generally best to allow all hits to connect before using the follow-up launcher to get more damage. The caveat to this is some combos need to be cancelled sooner to avoid too much hitstun scaling that will cause the combo to drop.

Koha Lead

A Starter

Combo	Damage	Cost	Meter Gain	Location
2AA > 2C > 5C(1) > 236B~B > j.[C] > 5B > 5C > 6C > 22A > jBC > AT	3099 dmg			Midscreen
	3851 dmg			Midscreen
if ending near corner, 2C after 5B can be 2C~C for added dmg
	3557 dmg			Midscreen
if ending near corner, 2C after 5B can be 2C~C for added dmg
2A > 2B > 2C~C > 236B~X > j.[C] > 5C(1) > 5B > 6C > 22A > jBC > AT	3285 dmg			Midscreen
works with 2AAA 2C starter(replacing 2A 2B 2C~C) as well
	3901 dmg			Midscreen
works with 2AAA 2C starter(replacing 2A 2B 2C~C) as well
2A > 2CC > 6C > 236A~X > IADjC (whiffs ) > 5C > 6C > 214B > 5A > 5B > 5C > 6C > 236B > 236C	3708 dmg	1 Magic Circuit		Midscreen Side Swap
Sandwich routing
2AA > 2C~C > 6C > 236A~A > IADjC (whiffs ) > 5C > 6C > 214B > 5A > 5B > 5C > 6C > 236B > 236C	3446 dmg	1 Magic Circuit		Midscreen Side Swap
Sandwich routing
2AAA > 2B(1) > 2C > 236A~A > IADjC (whiffs ) > 5C(1) > 6C > 214B > 5A > 5B > 5C > 6C > 236B > 236C	3365 dmg	1 Magic Circuit		Midscreen Side Swap
Sandwich routing
	3329 dmg	1 Magic Circuit		Midscreen
If ending near corner, 2C after 5B can be 2C~C for added dmg
2AA > 2C~C > 5C(1) > 236[B] > dl.236A~A > j.[C] > 5A > 5B > 5C(1) > 6C > 236A~A > 236C	3916 dmg	1 Magic Circuit		Corner
corner battou loop; for meterless ender, swap 6C > 236A~A > 236C with 3C > AT
	4140 dmg	1 Magic Circuit		Corner
corner battou loop
	4133/4154 dmg	1 Magic Circuit		Corner
corner battou loop variant, first dmg value listed is 236B/second value is 6B+C; can be done with 2AAA starter if 5C(1) is skipped

B Starter

Combo	Damage	Cost	Meter Gain	Location
5B > 2C > 22A > Dash6C > 236A~A > IADjC (whiffs ) > 5C > 6C > 214B > 5A > 5B > 5C > 6C > 236B > 236C	3888 dmg	1 Magic Circuit		Midscreen Side Swap
Sandwich routing
2B > 2C > 22A > Dash6C > 236A~X > IADjC (whiffs ) > 5C > 6C > 214B > 5A > 5B > 5C(1) > 6C > 236B > 236C	3793 dmg	1 Magic Circuit		Midscreen Side Swap
Sandwich routing
5B > 2C > 22A > Dash5C(5) > 6C > 236A~A > j.[C] > delayjB > 5B > 2C~C > 236B > 236C	3988 dmg	1 Magic Circuit		Midscreen > Ends in Corner
	3451 dmg			Midscreen
Battou Loop, dmg measured with 2B starter
	4011 dmg	1 Magic Circuit		Midscreen
damage measured with 2B starter
	3913(?) dmg	1 Magic Circuit		Midscreen
Corner Carry route; for 2B(both hits) requires CH starter. dmg measured with 2B(2) starter (dmg is inaccurate due to dummy being set to CH)
	4283 dmg	1 Magic Circuit		Corner
5B/2B > 2C~C > 5C(1) > 236[B] > dl.236A~X > j.[C] > 5A > 5B > 6C > 22A > 5B > 6C > 236A~X > 236C	4264 dmg	1 Magic Circuit		Corner
B starter Corner Battou Loop; dmg measured with 2B starter

C Starter

Combo	Damage	Cost	Meter Gain	Location
	4040 dmg	1 Magic Circuit		Midscreen
Battou Loop
	4358 dmg	1 Magic Circuit		Corner
C starter Corner Battou Loop

Special Starter

Combo	Damage	Cost	Meter Gain	Location
	4115 dmg	1 Magic Circuit		Midscreen

Jump-in/IAD Starter

Combo	Damage	Cost	Meter Gain	Location
	4024 dmg	1 Magic Circuit		Midscreen
	3934 dmg	1 Magic Circuit		Midscreen
Also works off jA > 2A starter
IADjC > 2C~C > 5C(1) > 236[B] > dl.236A~X > j.[C] > 5A > 5B > 5C(1) > 6C > 236A~X > 236C	4180 dmg	1 Magic Circuit		Corner
IAD start Corner Battou Loop; also works off jB starter or jA > 2A starter
IADjA > 2AAA > 2C > 236A~X > IADjC (whiffs ) > 5C(1) > 6C > 214B > 5A > 5B > 5C(1) > 6C > 236B > 236C	3335 dmg	1 Magic Circuit		Midscreen Side Swap
Sandwich Routing
IADjA > 2A > 2C~C > 6C > 236A~X > IADjC (whiffs ) > 5C(1) > 6C > 214B > 5A > 5B > 5C(1) > 6C > 236B > 236C	3574 dmg	1 Magic Circuit		Midscreen Side Swap
Sandwich Routing
IADj.4AA > 2A > 2B(2) > 2C > 236A~X > IADjC (whiffs ) > 5C(1) > 6C > 214B > 5A > 5B > 5C(1) > 6C > 236B > 236C	3511 dmg	1 Magic Circuit		Midscreen Side Swap
Sandwich Routing
IADjB > 2B(1) > 2C~C > 6C > 236A~X > IADjC (whiffs ) > 5C(1) > 6C > 214B > 5A > 5B > 5C(1) > 6C > 236B > 236C	3796 dmg	1 Magic Circuit		Midscreen Side Swap
Sandwich routing
IADjC > 2C~C > 6C > 236A~X > IADjC (whiffs ) > 5C(1) > 6C > 214B > 5A > 5B > 5C > 6C > 236B > 236C	3872 dmg	1 Magic Circuit		Midscreen Side Swap
Sandwich routing
669~4AB/44jC > 2C > 236A~X > IADjC (whiffs ) > 5C(1) > 6C > 214B > 5A > 5B > 5C(1) > 6C > 236B > 236C	3917 dmg	1 Magic Circuit		Midscreen Side Swap
Sandwich routing

CH Starter

Combo	Damage	Cost	Meter Gain	Location
	3831 dmg			Midscreen
	4386 dmg	1 Magic Circuit		Midscreen
jB (F CH ) > 2C~C > 5C(1) > 236[B] > dl.236A~X > j.[C] > 5A > 5B > 6C > 22A > 5B > 6C > 236A~A > 236C	4638 dmg	1 Magic Circuit		Corner
6038 dmg with Arc Drive (236B+C) ender after 236C

Shield Follow-up Starter

Combo	Damage	Cost	Meter Gain	Location
	3598 dmg	1 Magic Circuit		Midscreen Side Swap
Sandwich routing
	3680 dmg	1 Magic Circuit		Midscreen Side Swap
Sandwich routing
	3903 dmg	1 Magic Circuit		Midscreen Side Swap
Sandwich routing

Unblockable Setups

Utilizing 22C for a knockdown that gives you time to position Kohaku and Hisui at proper spacings, Kohaku lead has access to unblockable setups with 214C(Hisui's Overhead Table Assist) in conjunction with 2A/236A/other lows (causing a high and a low to hit meaty simultaneously)

• These setups are very new and haven't be meticulously labbed against, so be aware there might be more counterplay to these than it seems at first glance. The damage of these is a sacrifice compared to what Kohaku can generally output in exchange for setting up the unblockable to 'guarantee' another conversion opportunity. They also require the use of meter, so be wary of overutilizing them when your resources are lower to avoid losing access to Kohaku's 236C enders. If you mess up, you could leave yourself in a lackluster situation and give the opponent a chance to swing the round back in their favor if you don't choose how to spend meter wisely

Combo	Damage	Cost	Meter Gain	Location
		1 Magic Circuit per loop		Midscreen Side Swap
Loopable baby route version, stabilized loops; Kohaku should automatically stop running, making this easy to space properly for the unblockable; video example
2A > 2B > 2C > 5C(1) > 6C > 236A~X > 22C > 5C(3) > 6C > (2A+B)Dash > 214C > 236A~X		1 Magic Circuit		Midscreen (Ends in corner)
Very good corner carry so can be done from a surprising distance away; video example
		1 Magic Circuit		Midscreen Side Swap
Variant utilizing 2A > B+C (Moon Drive Activate) for added safety against counter options; video example
2A > 2B > 236A~X > IADjA (whiff ) > 5C(1) > 22A > 22C > j.[C] > jB > 9j.[C] > Dashsj > dl.214C > dl.2A		1 Magic Circuit		Corner Side Swap
takes the opponent out of the corner to setup the unblockable, be thoughtful when using this as you give up corner control; video example
2A2B236A~XIADjB 5C(1)22A22Cj.[C]jA 9j.[C]Dashunderdl.214Cdl.2A		1 Magic Circuit		Midscreen Side Swap
goes from midscreen to corner but leaves you in the corner for the sandwich unlockable;video example
2B > 2C~C > 236[B]236A~X > IADjB (whiff ) > 5C(1) > 22A > 22C > j.[C] > jA > 9j.[C] > Dashsj > dl.214C > dl.236A		1 Magic Circuit		Corner Side Swap
Another variant that takes the opponent out of the corner to setup the unblockable utilizing corner Battou Loops for more dmg; be thoughtful when using this as you give up corner control; video example

Hisui Lead

A Starter

Combo	Damage	Cost	Meter Gain	Location
2A > 2B > 2C > 6CC > 236B~B > j.[C] > delayj.2C > j.236B > rejump jA > j.236A > 5B > 5C(1) > 3C > jB ~2B > AT	3322 dmg			Midscreen
(video example)
2A > 2B > 2C > 6CCC > 236A~A > j.[C] > delayj.2C > j.236B > 5B > 5C(1) > 3C > jB ~2B > AT	3454 dmg			Corner
(video example)
2AAA > 2C > 5C > IADjB ~2B > j.[C] > j.2C > j.236B > 5B > 3C > jB ~2B > AT	2794			Corner
routing for extremely scaled starters

Other Starters

Combo	Damage	Cost	Meter Gain	Location
6BC > 2B > 5C(2) > IADjB ~2B > j.2C > j.236B > 5B > 3C > jBC > AT	3272 dmg	1 Moon Skill		Midscreen
Can substitute AT at the end with j236A > j236C for a total of 3714 damage and hard knockdown

External Links

Maids Doc Evernote by raVen