Fantasy Strike/Argagarg

Overview

Lore

Argagarg is a careful and wise elder Merfolk from Murkwood Marsh. He’s known for patience and non-violent diplomacy, though as a practical matter he is very capable of defending himself.

Character stats

Health	Character Type	Super Meter charge time	Poison countdown timer
6	Zoner	13 Seconds	333 frames

Gameplay

Argagarg is an extreme zoner with great tools at most ranges but with poor mobility and no reversal.

Argagarg can damage opponents over time with Poison Fish. When Poison is on the opponent's life bar it will slowly drain, once it reaches the end of the health bar it will hit for 1. Poison does not drain if Argagarg is in block stun and if he is hit all Poison is removed from the opponent.

Argagarg can still summon the Goldfish during Rushing River or Pop his Bubble Shield while in block stun, making rushing him down difficult.

Strengths	Weaknesses
Outzones everyone Long range on his limbs Fast, high priority anti-air River allows control over a huge area Bubble Shield blows up most offense Poison provides an extra win condition	Very low mobility Low average damage and weak punishes Struggles hard if he can't zone his opponent Very polarizing matchups

Moves

Ground

Stretchy Upward Punch	Damage Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Counter Adv Properties Attribute 1 12 7 14 +1 -2 +5 Cancellable, Ground Bounce Strike Argagarg stretches his limbs upward and hits airborne opponents. Cancellable into or on hit or block. On Counter hit it will cause Ground Bounce. Can hit opponents on the ground at close range and further out if they are taller.

Stretchy Punch +

Damage Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Counter Adv Properties Attribute 1 11 15 20 -13 -14 -6 Cancellable Strike Argagarg pushes his limbs forward, pushing hit opponent back, Cancellable into or on hit or block. Takes longer to hit the opponent the further away they are, reaches nearly full screen. Becomes very reactable and slow at max range, shortest range is around a third of the screen.

Close Punch +	Damage Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Counter Adv Properties Attribute 1 5 6 11 +3 +1 +8 Cancellable, Ground Bounce Strike Argagarg quickly slaps in front of him. This is an extremely quick and high priority attack, making it an excellent anti air and get off me move. Cancellable into or on hit or block. On Counter hit it will cause Ground Bounce.

Flying Fish Water Water Poison Poison

Version Damage Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Counter Adv Properties Attribute Water - 18 P 30 P P P - Projectile Does no damage but causes a high amount of stun. Can be delayed for 18 frames, will become Poison version at 19 frames. Poison 1 19 P 23 P P P Unblockable Projectile Unblockable projectile that doesn't collide with other projectiles. Poisons 2 of the opponent's health. Poisoned opponents have a Purple aura. It takes 5 seconds for poison to tick down, but if Argagarg is in blockstun the timer is paused and if Argargarg is hit all poison stacks are removed from the opponent. When a bar of poison ticks down, it counts as a hit. This means it will remove Midori's Empowered Stance, Argargarg's Bubble Shield, Setsuki's invisibility. There are some exceptions to hits removing Poison. Argagarg's own Poison ticks and DeGrey's Ghost won't remove poison stacks. In games, poison was known Hex of Murkwood.

Rushing River River River Back Goldfish Back Goldfish Neutral Goldfish Neutral Goldfish Forward Goldfish Forward Goldfish	Version Damage Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Counter Adv Properties Attribute River - 13 1 30 - - - - - The wave appears on frame 50 and the gold fish comes as soon as frame 55. + 1 - - - P P P - Projectile A gold fish appears and jumps back. 1 - - - P P P - Projectile A gold fish appears and jumps straight up. + 1 - - - P P P - Projectile A gold fish appears and jumps forward.

Throw Throw Throw Yomi Counter Yomi Counter

Version Damage Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Counter Adv Properties Attribute Forward 1 3 4 16 KD - KD Knockdown Throw The opponent is hurled across the screen away from Argagarg. Leaves time for a meaty setup, +69 frame advantage, +64 against Rook. Universal Throw; all throws have the same frame data and can be beaten with a Yomi Counter Back 1 3 4 16 KD - KD Knockdown Throw Argagarg side switches and throws the opponent. Leaves time for a meaty setup, +63 frame advantage, +64 against Rook. Universal Throw; all throws have the same frame data and can be beaten with a Yomi Counter Yomi 1 - - - KD - - Knockdown Parry Argargarg is +45 after Yomi Counter. Universal counter for Throws. In a neutral state, the opponent's throws will be automatically countered by Yomi Counter.

Bubble Shield Bubble Shield Bubble Shield Bubble Shield Pop Bubble Shield Pop

Version Damage Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Counter Adv Properties Attribute Shield - 0+4 1 0 - - - - - Invulnerable frames 1-5, can act immediately afterwards. Allows Argagarg to peek at his opponents moves and react accordingly. Gains a Bubble around him, allowing him to use the bubble pop. Arg still gains meter while he has a bubble but if he gets hit he will lose the bubble. This is Argagarg's ultimate defensive tool. Landing it will knock back opponents and allow Arg to reset neutral where he can start zoning again. Activating Bubble Shield with a bubble will automatically pop that bubble Pop 1 10 18 0 KD +20 KD Knockdown Projectile Arg can act while the bubble is popping and during the startup. Bubble counts as a projectile, but will not block other projectiles. Thanks to the long active frames, you can pop and move forward with the bubble to cover a larger area.

Air

Stretchy Diagonal Punch	Damage Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Counter Adv Properties Attribute 1 16 9 19 -2 -7 +4 Cancellable Strike Cancellable into Sparkling Bubble.

Staff Drill	Damage Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Counter Adv Properties Attribute 1 14 11 7 +5 +3 +5 - Strike 2 hits, very high priority. If second hit lands, +10 / +8 on hit/block Strong move to beat opponents trying to get in but it also moves Arg closer to the opponent.

Sparkling Bubble Sparkling Bubble Sparkling Bubble Sparkling Bubble Pop Sparkling Bubble Pop Sparkling Bubble Shield Sparkling Bubble Shield Sparkling Bubble Shield Pop Sparkling Bubble Shield Pop

Version Damage Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Counter Adv Properties Attribute Bubble - 78 - - - - - - - The bubble appears on frame 12, can first pop the bubble frame 17. Will travel about full screen if uninterrupted. Leaves Arg vulnerable, he can be Counter Hit for the entire travelling distance. Pop 1 8 2 40 KD -18 KD Fully Invincible, Knockdown Strike Invincible frames 5-11. Huge call out move that knocks down. Leaves Argagarg very vulnerable if blocked or whiffed. Bubble - 78 - - - - - - - The bubble appears on frame 12, can first pop the bubble frame 17. Identical to non-super version but it moves faster. Pop 1 0 2 40 KD -4 KD Fully Invincible Projectile Invincible on frame 1. Uses up Bubble Shield but retains air actions. The buffed movement and speed, as well as extra air actions allow Arg to be creative and use this move for offense or defense. Strong chip damage possibilities.

Giant Fish

Damage Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Counter Adv Properties Attribute - 0 - 2 - - - - Projectile Due to 0 Startup, the fish appears even if Argagarg is hit. This can be used as a sort of anti air but Giant Fish is primarily an offensive tool. Most characters simply won't be able to avoid blocking it, giving time to set up poison or a river. Giant Fish can be done lower than the normal minimum height restriction by kara cancelling jC into B or S. (Press C and then immediately B or S)

Combos

Basic

Standard

, + (1 damage)
+, + (2 damage, on deep hit)

River

(Goldfish), + (2 damage)
+, (Goldfish), (Bubble Pop) (2 damage, Knockdown)
(Forward Goldfish), , (Goldfish hits), + (3 damage, Knockdown)

Counter Hit

+, + (2 damage, on deep hit)
+, + (2 damage, airborne opponent)
, + (2 damage, airborne opponent)

Situational

Counter Hit + > , + (2 damage, on deep hit)
Corner Only , , , (0 damage, specific spacing)

Super Meter

+, (Giant Fish hits), + (2 damage)
+, , (Giant Fish hits) (2 damage)

Impractical

+, > (Bubble Pop) (2 damage, on very deep hit)
, (River), +, + (Forward Goldfish), (Giant Fish hits), (Goldfish hits), +, > (Bubble), , (5 damage)

Strategy

General

Argagarg wants to keep enemies at arm's length. Ba-dum tsh! No but seriously, he's at his best using his combination of projectiles to keep enemies at bay (ahahaha).

Unlike other characters, Argagarg doesn't really lose out on damage by being far away. He can use his fish and limbs to slowly rack up damage, perhaps using poison or the time-outs to his advantage.

The basic gameplan is using fA and Blue Fish to control the horizontal space and using nA and bA to control opponents jumping. If they manage to get in, use Bubble Shield either as an anti-air or to defeat their mixup. Argagarg's best punishment is often just throwing the opponent, which means opponents will often be very aggressive in making hard reads so that they can get in and serve fish (or whatever Arg is) for dinner.

When in doubt, keep them out! Argagarg is the most extreme zoner in the game, in every matchup he wins by keeping opponents out.

Rushing River

River is a key part of Argagarg's play and probably what will be most difficult for players to master. It is important to first note that until the wave itself shows up, the move does absolutely nothing and can be punished with good reactions. And Secondly, the goldfish summoned from the wave have a very wide window that you can call during. You are also not limited to neutral, you can be in the air or blocking. As long as you are not in hitstop, hitstun, or knocked down you can call the goldfish (same rules as popping Bubble Shield).

As a general rule, you will want to use as fish late as possible, excluding specific setups such as throws or corner pressure. You should watch what your opponent is doing and react accordingly, especially how they want to deal with the wave. Because the wave itself pushes them back it is tempting to jump the wave, you cover their approach with a fish. Try not to ever overlap your blue fish and goldfish, they should be covering multiple spaces or staggering blockstun.

Forward goldfish is aggressive and really only useful full screen or on a cornered opponent. Useful for combination with Giant Fish or after a throw in the corner. Neutral goldfish stays out and prevents jumps or opponents walking in. Excellent choice as a default. Back goldfish will hit someone jumping in on arg, if you are calling a fish in blockstun it is probably this one.

When Rushing River is mastered it can be layered over top the rest of Arg's tools to enhance each one and make his zoning more difficult to predict.

Poison

Poison is a risky move, you are locking yourself out from Blue fish while Poison is out without putting up an obstacle, opponents can walk right through poison. You don't immediately get damage, possibly no damage ever because if you get hit it does nothing. Be sure to weigh the pros and cons of what is essentially a bet that you won't get hit. This can cause some mental damage that gets your opponent to rush and make mistakes that will lead to more damage, or perhaps you are in a slow zoning matchup and you need to threaten extra damage to force them to come to you. Also keep in mind poison is far more valuable on the last health point than the first.

Guides

Aphotix Argagarg Guide

Matchups

Name	Type	Matchup Strategy
Argagarg	Zoner	Poison is immense here if you can land it. Giant Fish is the preferred super here.
DeGrey	Wild Card	DeGrey's jA is very strong, so your bA attempts must be perfect. If you can get River out, DeGrey has a difficult time dealing with it. Bubble Shield is preferred super Ghost doesn't remove poison
Geiger	Zoner	Geiger can't keep up with your zoning, he has to go in, something Geiger is not comfortable doing when his opponent has good anti-airs. You can fA under his gears. When Geiger gets super, his Time Stop makes it unsafe to use projectiles. Poison is a benefit here as it will really increase the rate that Geiger loses the zoning game.
Grave	Zoner	Grave can't afford to throw many fireballs, but if he gets Wind up he dominates the zoning game. Try to punish him with fA if he winds but if he is successful be careful with your Fish because they can get stalled in the wind and lock out your projectiles. If Grave is full screen he can freely summon wind, so don't let him get too far away. Your limbs get beaten by his clouds, so you must trade with fish. Grave's fireballs have terrible recovery, so keep trading if he is throwing projectiles. Grave can attempt to call out your fA with Sword or Dragonheart thanks to lack of punishment. Keep your meter for Bubble Shield for when Grave gets in
Jaina	Zoner	Jaina's arrows really dominate the horizontal space, the place Arg loves to control the most. Her Dragonheart will send you into the corner and you must avoid getting cornered against her at all costs. Jumping over arrows with jA and jB is a way to deal with her zoning, but if she calls it out and Dragonhearts it can be a round loss. Generally Giant Fish is the preferred Super. Poison is extra risky because you can't give Jaina space to start firing arrows.
Lum	Wild Card	This is a very complex matchup but Arg has the tools to deal with Lum. River usage is extremely important and Poison can be the tipping point needed to win any battles of attrition. Do not get cornered, Lum can checkmate you with Melons. If Lum puts out Dice, use drill to clear them Use River to clear out mini-lums
Midori	Grappler	Human Form cannot deal with your zoning. You don't even need to risk getting parried from fA, just use Blue Fish and River to set up pressure. Dragon Form is terrifying for Argagarg. Save your Bubble Shield for Dragon Form, any usage of meter on Human Form is a win for Midori.
Onimaru	Wild Card	River is extremely important for preventing Oni from getting in. Oni never needs to get into a range where throw, bA, or Bubble Shield threaten him. Oni just wants to sit where he can hit and build up guard crush. If oni has super meter, his Martial Law will dominate zoning whenever in range making it very difficult to keep him out. Poison is extremely valuable if you can sneak it in off a Knockdown or Giant Fish. If you get parried, Oni can lvl 3 super you for free
Quince	Wild Card	Bubble Shield really stifles Quince's mixup game, essentially removing his ability to do much with B. Arg's bA also destroys the post-B mixup. In essence, keep him out and build up Bubble Shield. Quince's bA outranges Arg's bA, do not let Quince sit in this pocket of space.
Rook	Grappler	nA is a god button in this matchup, you can cover both horizontal and vertical space. Cancelling nA into Blue fish is very difficult for Rook to deal with. He can attempt to Landslide or Thunderclap to beat this but these callouts can be punished. Be wary of Rook jumping with super. If he uses Headcrush on nA he will get a knockdown. Giant Fish is the preferred super, you must focus on keeping Rook out forever. Poison is strong here to negate his huge health bar but be careful when applying it because you are weakening your zoning to do so.
Setsuki	Rushdown	Setsuki is fast and negates projectiles by flipping through them or using her super. You should stick mostly to using your normals, especially bA. River if you have time, generally don't use Poison or Giant Fish. You really should save your meter for Bubble Shield.
Valerie	Rushdown	Bubble Shield is your saving grace. If you can get Valerie out to half screen it is difficult for her to get back in. Her jump is very floaty so if she jumps, make her pay for it. Valerie has a hard time dealing with fish because Rainbow and her jump are too slow to beat bA. She may try to delay to build meter so she can use Chromatic Orb to get through projectiles, Poison is a useful deterrent in this scenario.