Gundam: Battle Assault 2/Deathscythe

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Introduction

Deathscythe is one of the most fearsome characters in GBA2, with one of the most broken specials in the game with Cloaked Teleport. Aside from Cloaked Teleport, Deathscythe is a character with very solid normals, an incredibly powerful projectile with Beam Sickle, and a strong mixup game with high/low, left/right, and unblockables. Even without Cloaked Teleport he's a solid character. However, Cloaked Teleport is his signature move for a reason. It does everything you could ever want from a move. It gets you out of pressure, sets up your mixups, gets past zoning, timer scams, helps anti-air, etc. His gameplan revolves around both using the move and the fear of him using the move. While slightly on the technical end, particularly with understanding how you should actually use Cloaked Teleport in match, he's a near unstoppable force once you have a good handle on Cloaked Teleport's many applications.

Archetype: Hit and Run


Strengths Weaknesses
  • Cloaked Teleport: The reason you play Deathscythe. One of the best moves in the game that grants him almost unparalleled flexibility in all phases of a round. It gives him the best mixup in the game between left rights, high lows, and unblockables. It gets him out of pressure as its frame 1 invincible, forcing the opponent to block a mixup or even get punished. And it even lets him timer scam thanks to its infinite uses in the air, granting him one of the hardest to deal with stalling tactics. It's possibly the most centralizing move in the game.
  • Great Normals: With his 5WP, 2WP, j.WP, and SPs, Deathscythe has very solid normals that a lot of characters can't even contest.
  • Beam Sickle: Beam Sickle is one of the best projectiles in the game, able to effectively cover an entire section of the screen with a hitbox for an extended period of time. It blocks other projectiles and even gives a combo on hit.
  • Small Hurtbox: Deathscythe's deceivingly small hurtbox means he goes under a lot of things that he really shouldn't, such as Bolt's tackle.
  • Low Burst Damage: Deathscythe has effective combos and conversions, but his damage off trades and single hits is on the lower end. While this isn't relevant in most MUs, this can come up especially against boss and beam characters who can armor through his hits.
  • Unorthodox Playstyle: While Deathscythe has few real issues, getting around some of them like his weaker anti-airs require a strong understanding of his tools and playstyle. Deathscythe plays like no one else but putting in the time to understand him will be rewarding like few others.

All damage values were tested on characters with 100% damage taken

Character Summary

Move list

Special Moves
26P - Vulcan Guns: Quick, tracking projectile, uses ammo and number of shots depends on button strength.
626P - Scissor Up: Relatively fast unblockable that does decent damage. Rises at an anti-air angle.
24P - Beam Sickle: Slow moving multi-hit projectile with high priority. Doesn't go away when hit by other projectiles.
26K - Flying Drop Kick: Very fast overhead that also flies forwards most of the screen. Also a good combo ender.
24K - Cloaked Teleport: 5 directional teleport, invincible and can be canceled into attacks.
Super
26X+X - Hell Scissors: Throws his scythe towards the opponent for a highly damaging projectile. Unblockable and tracking.
Command Normals
None
Stats & vitals

  • Damage Taken = 100% (A)
  • Base Damage Multiplier = 100% (A)
  • Walk Speed = 3 (A)
  • Dash Speed = 8 (S)
  • Button + Button action = Spot Dodge
  • Backdash Type = Hop
Quick combo reference

Basic BNB: 5WP > 2WP > 5WK > 5SK

Normal Moves

5WP
GBA2 Deathscythe 5WP.png
Look at that sweet frame advantage
Look at that sweet frame advantage
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv Hit Adv Block Properties
8 High/Low 11 1 12 +10* +6 -

A standing jab with the scythe's hilt. Has decent reach, but tends to whiff on medium or smaller crouching characters. On bigger characters, especially I-field users, it can be used as stagger pressure to frametrap due to its excellent advantage on block, leading to a combo on hit.

Toggle Hitboxes
Toggle Hitboxes
5SP
GBA2 Deathscythe 5SP.png
Swing
Swing
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv Hit Adv Block Properties
19.74 N/A 34 9 14 +11* - Unblockable

An unblockable downwards scythe swing. Despite its good range, it's slow enough that most opponents will be able to dodge/I-field on reaction, if not outright hit you during the startup.

Toggle Hitboxes
Toggle Hitboxes
5WK
GBA2 Deathscythe 5WK.png
Away, peasant
Away, peasant
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv Hit Adv Block Properties
12 Low 10 1 18 +3* -1 -

One of the few standing lows in the game. Unfortunately, it's pretty useless as everything about it is inferior to 2WP. Only used as combo filler and OTG damage.

Toggle Hitboxes
Toggle Hitboxes
5SK
GBA2 Deathscythe 5SK.png
I said AWAY
I said AWAY
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv Hit Adv Block Properties
24 High/Low 9 1 29 -12 -16 -

A straight frontal kick. It has good reach and combos into Deathscythe's Super, making it a good combo tool, but it also has a hurtbox on the entire leg, so using it on neutral is ill-advised.

Toggle Hitboxes
Toggle Hitboxes
2WP
GBA2 Deathscythe 2WP.png
Walks your dog and makes you a sandwich
Walks your dog and makes you a sandwich
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv Hit Adv Block Properties
8 Low 8 8 9 +5* +1 -

Deathscythe's best normal. 2WP has excellent range, is completely disjointed, hits low, has a generous upward hitbox that often hits aerial opponents, combos into 5WK and 5SK, lasts 8 frames, and is plus on block on top of it. All this while also being Deathscythe's fastest normal when used from Cloaked Teleport. If you don't know what button to press, 2WP is usually what you want.

Toggle Hitboxes
Toggle Hitboxes
2SP
GBA2 Deathscythe 2SP.png
Your main unblockable tool
Your main unblockable tool
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv Hit Adv Block Properties
19.74 N/A 21 8 9 -3 - Unblockable

An unblockable upwards scythe swing. Despite its anti-air-like hitbox, it's too slow to be used that way. When cancelled into from Cloaked Teleport, however, its startup is reduced to only 6 frames, making it an excellent unreactable unblockable tool. Combos into 26K and into Super on hit, making it a threatening option to be used during the teleport.

Toggle Hitboxes
Toggle Hitboxes
2WK
GBA2 Deathscythe 2WK.png
Situational but good for when it's needed
Situational but good for when it's needed
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv Hit Adv Block Properties
12 Low 7 1 18 +3 -1 -

A low-hitting kick. Mostly an unremarkable button, since it doesn't cancel into other normals and does very little that you couldn't otherwise accomplish with 2WP. It's noteworthy, however, that this is Deathscythe's fastest button outside of Cloaked Teleport, and also hits low enough that it can't be low-profiled, giving it some niche uses in certain matchups.

Toggle Hitboxes
Toggle Hitboxes
2SK
GBA2 Deathscythe 2SK.png
Surprisingly bad Bison sweep
Surprisingly bad Bison sweep
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv Hit Adv Block Properties
16 Low 11 14-32 21 +10 -7 -

A forward sliding sweep. Has several active frames, but cannot be cancelled into anything, does not knock down, and does not allow conversions regardless of how late into the attack it connects on the opponent.

Toggle Hitboxes
Toggle Hitboxes
j.WP
GBA2 Deathscythe jWP.png
Raise your hand if you like instant overheads
Raise your hand if you like instant overheads
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv Hit Adv Block Properties
8 High 11 1 18 VB VB -

An aerial jab with the scythe's hilt. The good range both forward and below Deathscythe makes it a good air-to-ground option, and grants Deathscythe an instant overhead option against tall characters when canceled from Cloaked Teleport on the first possible frames.

Toggle Hitboxes
Toggle Hitboxes
j.SP
GBA2 Deathscythe jSP.png
Actually pretty good for jailing opponents who ran out of boost
Actually pretty good for jailing opponents who ran out of boost
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv Hit Adv Block Properties
14.4 N/A - - - - - Unblockable

An aerial scythe swing nearly identical to 5SP, with the difference that it combos into j.24P (Beam Sickle), leading to an effective infinite in the corner by looping the following: j.SP > j.24P > Boost/Teleport Up > j.SP... xN. Despite the resulting combo dealing enough damage to take out an entire stock, the actual choice between boost or teleport and its direction depends on the hurtbox of the opponent's character and on the positioning of the first hit, making the loop impractical to attempt on most characters.

Toggle Hitboxes
Toggle Hitboxes
j.WK
GBA2 Deathscythe jWK.png
Has way more active frames than you think
Has way more active frames than you think
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv Hit Adv Block Properties
12 High/Low - - - - - -

Deathscythe performs a kick above head level. The vertical hitbox makes this somewhat of an "aerial anti-air", but its primary use is as a combo filler into j.26K for a knockdown.

Toggle Hitboxes
Toggle Hitboxes
j.SK
GBA2 Deathscythe jSK.png
Cool animation but you should never press this
Cool animation but you should never press this
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv Hit Adv Block Properties
24 High/Low - - - - - -

Deathscythe does a forward body slam that knocks down on hit. The slow startup makes this difficult to combo into and the lengthy recovery makes it quite risky to even attempt it. Comboing into j.26K instead is usually preferable.

Toggle Hitboxes
Toggle Hitboxes

Command Normals

None

Special Moves

Vulcan Guns
26P (Air OK)
Vulcan Guns.png
"Infinite ammo cheat code? No, I don't have it on, why do you ask?"
"Infinite ammo cheat code? No, I don't have it on, why do you ask?"
- - - - - - - -

Deathscythe shoots a streak of bullets from his head. The projectiles are low priority and deal low damage, but follow the opponent's movement trajectory to a moderate degree. Deathscythe's vulcans have the lowest ammunition cost in the game, making them effectively spammable throughout the entirety of every match.

Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv Hit Adv Block Properties
WP - High/Low - - - - - Ammo, Projectile

Costs 10 ammo. Shoots fewer projectiles, but has lower recovery. Good for stopping enemy approaches, interrupting setups and baiting Supers in certain matchups.

Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv Hit Adv Block Properties
SP - High/Low - - - - - Ammo, Projectile

Costs 20 ammo. Shoots more projectiles, but has longer recovery. Good for complementary zoning together with Beam Sickle and for dealing chip damage to an opponent about to overheat.

Toggle Hitboxes
Toggle Hitboxes
Beam Sickle
24P (Air OK)
Beam Sickle.png
lOw DaMaGe ChArAcTeR
lOw DaMaGe ChArAcTeR
Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv Hit Adv Block Properties
WX/SX - High/Low - - - - - Projectile

Deathscythe uses his scythe to shoot a spinning projectile that moves forward at moderate speed before disappearing. One of the best projectiles in the game, Beam Sickle (occasionally referred to as "Atomic Slash") dominates a good part of the screen while active, leads to combos on hit, forces the opponent to respect on block, and nothing in the game is capable of making it disappear early, including Supers. Deathscythe has little to lose from throwing this out as often as possible in most matchups.

Toggle Hitboxes
Toggle Hitboxes
Scissors Up
626P
Scissors Up.png
Did you really think you were safe up there?
Did you really think you were safe up there?
Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv Hit Adv Block Properties
WX/SX - N/A - - - - - Unblockable

Deathscythe holds his scythe at a low angle before swinging up. This special is basically 2SP on steroids. The angle and visuals are similar, but it's bigger, wider, more active and much more damaging, but also much slower. Used mostly to force damage on an opponent who can't boost to escape and to OTG someone who is a pixel away from overheating.

Toggle Hitboxes
Toggle Hitboxes
Flying Drop Kick
26K (Air OK)
Flying Drop Kick.png
Least cursed Deathscythe hitbox
Least cursed Deathscythe hitbox
Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv Hit Adv Block Properties
WX/SX - High - - - - - -

Deathscythe lunges forward and performs a stomp with both of his legs. With really quick startup when used close to the opponent and its competent damage, Flying Drop Kick sees use as a solid combo ender both on the ground and in the air, as well as a fast overhead to open up opponents who like to crouch block a lot. Doesn't allow for normal combo extensions afterwards due to forcing a knockdown, but using Super will still work.

Toggle Hitboxes
Toggle Hitboxes
Cloaked Teleport
24K (Air OK)
Cloaked Teleport.png
Whoever designed this move was into something, I tell ya
Whoever designed this move was into something, I tell ya
Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv Hit Adv Block Properties
WX/SX - - - - - - - Invincible

Deathscythe closes his wings and teleports to one of 5 directions, chosen by holding the appropriate directional button (forward, back, upwards, diagonals in-between). Cloaked Teleport is the core and essence of Deathscythe's gameplan. It has full invincibility right from its very first frame, meaning Deathscythe can easily avoid most setups used by other characters. Additionally, it can be cancelled into any of Deathscythe's normals (as well as P specials) while altering their frame data, with special mention to 2SP, an unblockable normal whose startup goes from 21f to a mere 6f, and to 2WP, with its long and disjointed hitbox, granting Deathscythe one of the strongest offenses and defenses in the game. There is also no limit to how many times he can teleport in the air, giving Deathscythe the ability to do "timescam" wins much more frequently than most of the cast. Proper use of Cloaked Teleport allows Deathscythe to adapt to almost any strategy in the game and steer it in a direction more favorable to him. Easily the best special in the game among non-Boss characters, and potentially the strongest teleport ever made in a fighting game.

  • Cannot be cancelled into from any other moves.
Toggle Hitboxes
Toggle Hitboxes

Super Move

Hell Scissors
26WP+SP
Hell Scissors.png
POV: You're fullscreen against Deathscythe and just ran out of boost
POV: You're fullscreen against Deathscythe and just ran out of boost
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv Hit Adv Block Properties
- N/A - - - - - -

Deathscythe throws his scythe spinning in the opponent's direction. A very unique Super in that it is completely unblockable, making it an almost guaranteed punish on opponents who have run out of boost. The damage is low for a Super, but it's easy to combo into it with most buttons and knockdowns. Can be used in the air by kara-canceling Flying Drop Kick (inputting 26K~P), as the game treats Deathscythe as if he were grounded for a few frames.

  • It's of utter importance to note that the Super's recovery is tied to the scythe "existing" in the stage, meaning Deathscythe won't be able to move until the scythe has traversed it completely. In practical terms, this means using the Super with your back to the wall will put you in such a lengthy recovery that the opponent could very well get hit by it and still come back to punish you for it.
Toggle Hitboxes
Toggle Hitboxes

Strategy

Neutral

Deathscythe has perhaps one of the most eclectic neutrals in the game, being capable of switching between aggressive rushdown, defensive zoning and balanced playstyles as they see fit in order to adapt to various matchups. A balanced style is often recommended as a default strategy, allowing you to properly understand your opponent's gameplan before making adjustments. Overall, frequent usage of Beam Sickle (24P) and Vulcan Guns (26P) to limit your opponent's movements, 2WP to poke safely and play strong footsies, and evasive Cloaked Teleports (24K) cancelled into 2WP or 2SP tend to form a solid strategy to victory, as these options tend to be very effective while posing little risk of their own. With proper control of screen space and safe pokes, Deathscythe can force opponents to overextend with risky tactics or excessive use of boost, which often grants him opportunities to hit unblockables and more damaging combos. Cloaked Teleport (24K) is also a great way for Deathscythe to disengage from the opponent and reposition himself, allowing him to create distance, avoid getting cornered and even turning situations around due to its frame 1 invincibility and ability to cause cross ups. Ultimately, Deathscythe's neutral is defined by its versatility, and although the best strategies will vary according to specific matchups, the tools and options are all at his disposal.

Offense

To complement one of the most versatile neutrals in the game, Deathscythe also has one of the strongest offenses in the game. Beyond some of his big, disjointed and plus on block normals and large unblockables, he has access to a multhitting lingering projectile in the form of Beam Sickle (24P), a fast overhead in Flying Drop Kick (26K) and an incredible invisible mixup tool in Cloaked Teleport (24K), forcing his opponent to maintain awareness of all of his options while deploying most of them with relative safety. Cloaked Teleport (24K), when used at up close, can be cancelled into several mixup options, such as 2WP (low) from either side, j.WP (overhead) from the front, or 2SP (unblockable) from either side, often scaring opponents into using their boost gauge to Dodge out of the way or protect themselves with I-Fields, as they frequently have to guess between these options. Once the opponent has run out of boost, Deathscythe can seize the opportunity to hit unblockables for competent damage. In regards to I-Field characters, Deathscythe especially shines at oppressing them: while dodging can avoid any attack, I-Fields can only protect the user from unblockables and projectiles, making them susceptible to Deathscythe's other normals (such as 2WP) during teleport mixups; additionally, Deathscythe can actually special cancel his j.SP into Flying Drop Kick (j.26K) even when it makes contact with an I-Field, punishing their activation (a real "checkmate" setup, seeing as j.SP is unblockable) and knocking the opponent down for it.

Defense

As if having one of the best neutrals and one of the best offenses in the game was not enough, Deathscythe goes even further beyond by having one of the best defenses in the game (noticing a pattern here?) as well. As previously explained in the Neutral section, Deathscythe can opt for a defensive gameplan, zoning with Beam Sickle (24P) and an endless spam of Vulcan Guns (26P), and keeping opponents out with his disjointed normals. Cloaked Teleport (24K), however, takes the cake here. The full invincibility kicking in at frame 1, added to its ability to move in 5 different directions while being cancelable into any of Deathscythe's normals, result in a tool that allows Deathscythe to escape nearly every unfavorable situation that could be thrown his way. While the opponent can try to predict and punish which post-teleport option Deathscythe will choose, the odds are invariably stacked against them, as several of the options result in Deathscythe punishing them instead. With proper use of dodging and teleport, Deathscythe is virtually impossible to pressure by conventional means, requiring opponents to be extremely thorough in how they structure their offense, as any minuscule oversight gives Deathscythe the chance to get away unscathed.

Additional Resources

High level matches uploaded to AmmySensei's youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2MeTPnVS1ODFRF_jOmB2GuG7f67kZHPx

Additional Categories

Add any further categories as needed, just make sure they're worth a whole section.

Combos

Every combo listed can be followed with a Super for extra damage.

Midscreen

5WP > 2WP > 5WK > 5SK

Standard confirm off of 5WP. Because 5WP whiffs on most medium and small-sized crouching characters (including recoveries that put them on a crouching animation), this combo isn't common to see, but deals good damage if opportunity arises to use it, often against larger suits.

5WP > 2WP > 5WK > 26K

More damaging 5WP confirm, but requires being closer to the opponent to make sure 26K connects.

2WP > 5WK > 5SK

Simple BnB off of 2WP. Easy to hit and reliable in almost every scenario.

2WP > 5WK > 26K

More damaging 2WP confirm. Requires being closer as well.

2WP > 5SK

The standard "poke" confirm. Ironically the most common confirm you'll see, as Deathscythe's 'hit-and-run' playstyle makes incredibly good use of 2WP's range, hitbox, active frames and lack of hurtbox to annoy opponents from afar.

24P > Boost > j.WP > j.WK > j.26K

Standard confirm off of Beam Sickle (24P) hits. The projectile's multihitting property makes this remarkably easy to confirm, and the damage is surprisingly higher than what you'd expect for something so simple.

2SP > 26K

Standard confirm off of unblockable. Requires being rather close for 26K to connect.

Corner

j.SP > j.24P > j.24K/Boost (Forward + Up) > j.SP > j.24P > ...

Deathscythe's "infinite" in this game. By repeatedly doing j.SP > j.24P while using boost or teleport to stay close, Deathscythe can perform a loop capable of doing an entire stock of damage to the opponent. There is a catch, however: to maintain the proper height and distance required to continue the loop, the choice between Boost or Cloaked Teleport (j.24K) (and whether to use it straight upwards or diagonally forward) varies according to the opponent's hurtbox as well as the initial placement of the characters during the first hit. The easiest way of controlling this is with a "Throw" starter or by using a point-blank j.SP as a risky oki option.

Matchups

Overall

Deathscythe has effectively no bad matchups among the non-Boss characters. His ability to switch between gameplans while excelling in most situations allows him to always choose the most appropriate strategy for each specific matchup while circumventing most issues that other characters would face. The most problematic foes are those who can ignore part of his toolkit either via invincibility or hyper armor, such as Hydra, Neue Ziel and Big Zam, and those who can deal a heavy amount of damage off of any stray hit, such as RX-78 and Quin Mantha. Burning stands out as the one suit that can do both, potentially being his worst matchup in the normal cast. Despite all of this, even Burning is arguably not a true bad matchup for Deathscythe.

Specific Matchups

GBA2 Neue Ziel icon.png
Neue Ziel
(Slight Advantage)
[Character Page]
  • Overview: As a hyper armor character, Neue Ziel can't be interrupted during his attacks, but he cannot block either, making it quite easy to hit him with how huge he is. Deathscythe should completely prioritize avoiding damage with dodges and Cloaked Teleports while hitting Neue Ziel with occasional j.SPs and Beam Sickles. Vulcan Guns (WP version for safety) should be used to harass him from range as well. Instead of playing to bring Neue Ziel's HP to 0, Deathscythe should strive to have the higher HP when the timer runs out through patient, low-commitment play.
GBA2 Big Zam icon.png
Big Zam
(Slight Advantage)
[Character Page]
  • Overview: Similar to Neue Ziel in principle, Deathscythe should go for low-commitment play, going for a time up win rather than outright defeating Big Zam, even more so here than against Neue Ziel, as most of Big Zam's attacks deal large damage on contact. If opportunity presents itself to get behind Big Zam, the matchup becomes 20x easier, as the big suit has very limited ways of hitting opponents in that position.
GBA2 Hydra icon.png
Hydra
(Even)
[Character Page]
  • Overview: Hydra's EMF Field makes him a very unique matchup, as it stops all chip damage and makes him immune to unblockables, removing one aspect of Deathscythe's mixups entirely. Cross ups and high/lows should be used instead, with low-commitment pokes and Cloaked Teleports serving to stop advances once a life lead is acquired. Beam Sickles are still useful here, since the EMF Field only protects Hydra while he is blocking and he will get hit if he tries to challenge the projectile. The biggest worry is Hydra's super, which he can confirm into easily and deals enough damage to remove an entire HP bar from Deathscythe.
GBA2 Epyon icon.png
Epyon
(Even)
[Character Page]
  • Overview: Infamous for his 100% fully armored Epyon Crusher, Epyon is a True Boss character. Unfortunately for him, Deathscythe has the one tool that can stop the invincible special: Cloaked Teleport can cross up Epyon and cause him to input the special incorrectly, punishing him if something else comes out instead. Because of Epyon's lack of projectiles, Deathscythe's plan often involves keeping away with projectiles of his own while crossing up Epyon Crusher attempts to make sure Epyon never catches him. Things can swiftly turn to worse, however, as Epyon's damage with an Epyon Crusher followed by a Super is nothing to scoff at.
GBA2 Dark icon.png
Dark
(Disadvantage)
[Character Page]
  • Overview: Deathscythe's worst matchup. Dark's attacks are big, fast, very active and with litte recovery, all while the suit enjoys full hyper armor. While there are some attacks that Deathscythe can avoid and "punish" (safely hit afterwards) with Cloaked Teleport, Dark can simply opt for other attacks instead. Deathscythe's best bet is getting a tiny health lead and winning through time out while avoiding the barrage of attacks coming from the opponent.
GBA2 Psyco icon.png
Psyco
(Disadvantage)
[Character Page]
  • Overview: Not the worst, but Deathscythe's most miserable matchup. Because Psyco has full hyper armor while also having attacks with little to no recovery and insanely high damage, Deathscythe's best strategy is getting a life lead and keeping it that way until a time out, terrifyingly similar to the Dark matchup.
GBA2 Quin Mantha icon.png
Quin Mantha
(Slight Advantage)
[Character Page]
  • Overview: With her big normals and zoning capabilities, Quin Mantha is tricky to approach, but a well-spaced 2WP is very hard for her to contest, especially when done from a Cloaked Teleport. Her projectile specials, 26P and j.24P can be avoided with forward teleports, closing the gap and potentially punishing her. As an I-Field character that enjoys aerial combat, she is especially susceptible to j.SP > j.26K, as the cancel happens even if she activates the I-Field to stop the unblockable, hitting her in the process. Pressuring her may be difficult, however, because of her 2WK, one of the only 4f normals in the game; make sure to have Beam Sickles up to scare her into activating I-Field and punish her for trying it (give her an incentive by hitting occasional unblockables).
GBA2 Acguy icon.png
Acguy
(Advantage)
[Character Page]
  • Overview: Acguy's strengths are his movement speed and his ability to get an "infinite" off of jab, but his other tools are mostly lacking. Beam Sickles with spaced 2WPs and proper use of Cloaked Teleports should avoid most of Acguy's attacks while letting Deathscythe score good hits of his own.
GBA2 Hygogg icon.png
Hygogg
[Character Page]
  • Overview: Describe overall the flow of the matchup.
  • Neutral: How does neutral work in the matchup? Do any tools in particular affect it?
  • Offense: When you're on offense do they have tools to counter you? How does it flow, can you mix them?
  • Defense: When you're on defense do you have tools to counter them? How does it flow, how do they mix you?
GBA2 GP-02A icon.png
GP-02A
[Character Page]
  • Overview: Describe overall the flow of the matchup.
  • Neutral: How does neutral work in the matchup? Do any tools in particular affect it?
  • Offense: When you're on offense do they have tools to counter you? How does it flow, can you mix them?
  • Defense: When you're on defense do you have tools to counter them? How does it flow, how do they mix you?
GBA2 Gundam ZZ icon.png
Gundam ZZ
(Advantage)
[Character Page]
  • Overview: ZZ is an incredibly tanky character, requiring quite an effort to take down an HP stock from him, but his own offense is quite lacking, with most of his tools being made for zoning and keep away. His DP can deal high damage when it hits fully, but it isn't hard to avoid it. He's a tall I-Field character, so pressuring him with 5WP, 2WP and Beam Sickles tends to go favorably a vast majority of the time, and his zoning lasers can be bypassed with Cloaked Teleports.
GBA2 Ball icon.png
Ball
[Character Page]
  • Overview: Describe overall the flow of the matchup.
  • Neutral: How does neutral work in the matchup? Do any tools in particular affect it?
  • Offense: When you're on offense do they have tools to counter you? How does it flow, can you mix them?
  • Defense: When you're on defense do you have tools to counter them? How does it flow, how do they mix you?
GBA2 Zeong icon.png
Zeong
(Advantage)
[Character Page]
  • Overview: With a variety of big normals and ways of staying in the air, Zeong enjoys footsies-based ground and aerial combat (favoring the latter) to bully opponents. Unfortunately for him, Deathscythe can bypass most of it with Cloaked Teleport and punish his normals during their recovery, and sometimes even outspace him with 2WP. An I-Field character, so Beam Sickles and j.SP > j.26K can put Zeong in tough spots and score nice hits on him.
GBA2 Sazabi icon.png
Sazabi
(Advantage)
[Character Page]
  • Overview: Despite having overall terrible frame data, Sazabi has a trick up his sleeve: the 2nd hit of his j.SK is unblockable if the 1st hit whiffs. Because of this, and in addition to having a backwards divekick, Sazabi usually prefers jumping approaches, which aren't difficult for Deathscythe to deal with. Cloaked Teleports into 2SP often avoid most of Sazabi's attacks while granting a punish aftewards, and ground pressure can be really hard for him to escape from. As usual, Beam Sickle is an excellent neutral tool to have around the screen here as well.
GBA2 RX-78 icon.png
RX-78
(Slight Advantage)
[Character Page]
  • Overview: GUNDAM HAMMER, the matchup. By far his greatest tool in the matchup, RX-78's Super, Gundam Hammer, is capable of deleting an entire HP bar at once, quite easily making this a "3 touches" fight for him. With a divekick that can combo into said Super, he presents a threat Deathscythe must be constantly aware of, so even shooting Beam Sickles can be dangerous here. Instead, opt for an extreme: play very close with Cloaked Teleports to apply pressure and mask some mixups, or from afar to stall him. Any hit can make things go sour for RX-78's opponent, including Deathscythe.
GBA2 Zaku II icon.png
Zaku II
[Character Page]
  • Overview: Describe overall the flow of the matchup.
  • Neutral: How does neutral work in the matchup? Do any tools in particular affect it?
  • Offense: When you're on offense do they have tools to counter you? How does it flow, can you mix them?
  • Defense: When you're on defense do you have tools to counter them? How does it flow, how do they mix you?
GBA2 V Gundam icon.png
v Gundam
(Advantage)
[Character Page]
  • Overview: One of the characters with no Super, v/Nu Gundam is not a character of threats, but of solid tactics, using good multihitting buttons and strong beam rifle shots while deploying his special funnels to aid him. Unlike all other funnels in the game, v/Nu's are not destroyed by projectiles/energy attacks, instead absorbing their hit completely and protecting their summoner; as such, Deathscythe wants to either prevent him from dispatching the funnels altogether, or use short combos while they're out to avoid getting punished by their shot activation. Avoid using Super while the funnels are out, as they tend to absorb every single hit from it.
GBA2 Zaku IIS icon.png
Zaku IIS
(Advantage)
[Character Page]
  • Overview: Similar to Acguy, Zaku IIS is a speedster with an "infinite" off of a jab, though he uses his 5WK instead. Unlike Acguy, he actually has other decent tools to play with, such as Cracker Grenades, which linger around before exploding, somewhat hampering Deathscythe's movements, and an invicible DP as well. Beam Sickle and Cloaked Teleports into 2SP are still the dominant specials here, and Deathscythe can also punish Zaku IIS's attempts at shooting with his gun by reacting with a Super.
GBA2 Heavy Arms icon.png
Heavy Arms
(Slight Advantage)
[Character Page]
  • Overview: Heavyarms is one of the most complicated matchups to face in the game; his Homing Missiles (24P) and Smart Bombs (j.2P) are difficult to maneuver around due to how much screen space they occupy, making it risky for Deathscythe to teleport during neutral. Using Vulcan Guns to clear out the bombs and putting up a Beam Sickle to protect himself while advancing are standard tactics to avoid the heavy zoning. Overall, applying constant pressure on Heavyarms to force him into emptying his boost gauge is generally the preferable way of playing this matchup.
GBA2 Sandrock icon.png
Sandrock
(Advantage)
[Character Page]
  • Overview: Sandrock lives a rather sad life of having pretty bad normals, which means Deathscythe has little trouble outperforming him with footsies. He does have decent projectiles, including a version of Shotel Slice that goes through Beam Sickle, but the latter has much better reward on hit. Additionally, Sandrock has little way of dealing with Cloaked Teleport, so Deathscythe can use it quite liberally against him.
GBA2 Wing icon.png
Wing
(Advantage)
[Character Page]
  • Overview: Wing Zero is shoto-like zoner, having fullscreen lasers in the form of Buster Rifle, advancing attacks with projectile/energy invincibility with Bird Tackle, a fully invincible DP and a highly-damaging frame 1 Super. The catch here is that Cloaked Teleport can bypass and punish most of these moves, but proper spacing and timing are required to do so. Deathscythe benefits from maintaing a mid-range or closer position, preferably at 2WP poke distance, where most of Wing's moves are punishable on block or with a proper teleport reaction to make them whiff.
GBA2 Deathscythe icon.png
Deathscythe
(Mirror)
[Character Page]
  • Overview: "Finally, a worthy opponent! Our battle with be legendary!"

Unironically the most difficult part of this matchup is constantly keeping track of who's who throughout the match; Deathscythe's alternative color is practically identical to his default one, so good luck with that.

GBA2 Altron icon.png
Altron
(Advantage)
[Character Page]
  • Overview: Regrettably, Altron is an underwhelming character. He has some long-ranged normals and specials, including an incredible sweep with 2SP that can challenge even Deathscythe's 2WP, but most of them have harsh hurtboxes that make it risky for him to use them. His projectiles aren't great, and half of his kit is mediocre at best. Beam Sickle and Cloaked Teleport can easily disencourage him from pressing anything at all with little risk for Deathscythe in doing so.
GBA2 Tallgeese III icon.png
Tallgeese III
(Advantage)
[Character Page]
  • Overview: Tallgeese III is an incredibly solid character who can respond to any playstyle accordingly, and if you're reading this list from top to bottom, he's also the first one to have a horizontal laser Super with Mega Cannon. Instead of trying to exploit Tallgeese's weaknesses, Deathscythe should make the most of his strengths, abusing 2WP's range and frame data, making frequent use of Beam Sickles to force Tallgeese into uncomfortable situations, and using Cloaked Teleports repeatedly to drain him of his boost gauge for eventual unblockable hits. Be very mindful of Mega Cannon, as Tallgeese can try and read grounded teleports with it, resulting in unwelcoming amounts of damage. Finally, Tallgeese's special bullets have some of the highest ammo count in the game; if Deathscythe can make him run out of it, aerial zoning and stalling become way more effective than usual against him.
GBA2 Bolt icon.png
Bolt
(Slight Advantage)
[Character Page]
  • Overview: Bolt is an oddball; He has some long-ranged attacks with lots of active frames and decent damage, but the single most important tool in his kit is his Shoulder Charge, which, much like Epyon's Epyon Crusher, enjoys full hyper armor starting from its very first frame. It's possible to cross him up with Cloaked Teleport for a "punish" or to make him misinput the special, however, and funnily enough, the move also completely whiffs on a crouch-blocking Deathscythe. Throwing out Beam Sickles to accumulate damage is a standard tactic, but attacking in front of him is otherwise not recommended in order to avoid the inevitable Shoulder Charges.
GBA2 Dragon icon.png
Dragon
(Slight Advantage)
[Character Page]
  • Overview: A much more defensive character than one would normally expect, Dragon stands out as one of the few capable of giving Deathscythe trouble at close range, with his large and very active 2SK sweep and Flamethrower special. At mid range, he has a long-reaching unblockable and Flags to setup that can stop attempts at beating him in footsies. His weakness is long range combat, as his ammo attack is a spreadshot and his Super is a flying charge with unreliable invincibility; Vulcan Guns can safely whittle down Dragon's HP for an unbelievably negligibe cost, eventually giving him an incentive to approach and take risks, presenting an opportunity for Deathscythe to get heavier hits to connect.
GBA2 Burning icon.png
Burning
(Even)
[Character Page]
  • Overview: Potentially Deathscythe's worst matchup, Burning has most of the tools required to give him trouble. His Burning Dash (which is usable in the air btw) can go through Beam Sickle and 2WP entirely, his jabs combo into his Super Sekiha Tenkyoken for massive damage, and he even has a DP that deals competent damage as well. Actively trying anything at ground level against Burning is inevitably risky, as the threat is constant. Deathscythe's best bet is through patient play, and using Cloaked Teleport to make Burning guess between cross ups, baiting attempts at DP and Super as necessary. Aerial zoning is also much safer, as it doesn't incur Super punishes, and stalling is encouraged once a healthy life lead is achieved.
GBA2 Maxter icon.png
Maxter
(Advantage)
[Character Page]
  • Overview: Entering the group of suits who can get "infinites" off of jabs, Maxter takes it to the next level and can start the deadly combo off of multiple grounded hits. Aided by a fast, low-profiling command dash, Maxter is an incredibly dangerous character to be near of in the ground. Zoning with Beam Sickles and Vulcan Guns is mostly a safe strategy, but Deathscythe must be ready to quickly reposition himself with dashes or Cloaked Teleports if it seems like Maxter is about to close the gap. Once a healthy life lead is achieved (preferably over an entire HP bar), switching to full stalling mode with aerial teleports is as safe as it can get, being careful with Maxter's own Pistol Shots and attempts at aerial chase to avoid losing the acquired lead.
GBA2 Rose icon.png
Rose
(Advantage)
[Character Page]
  • Overview: Considered one of the best characters in the game, Rose is known for his phenomenal footsies game using 2WP, a long, disjointed low that leads to good conversions... huh, I swear I read this somewhere before... and for his great anti-airs, aerial buttons, including a great divekick, as well as for his post-knockdown setups. Unfortunately for him, the former is countered by Beam Sickle, as the projectile covers a good portion of the screen and stops footsies-based gameplans like his, and the latter loses much of its potential against Cloaked Teleport's ability to simply escape setup-oriented play. He is also not particularly good at dealing with Vulcan Guns zoning; He can deploy energy shields that block bullets, but their size and angle are limited, and they do no more than partially protect him - he still needs to approach if he wants to deal damage to Deathscythe.
GBA2 Master icon.png
Master
(Advantage)
[Character Page]
  • Overview: Speaking of characters that play footsies with long, disjointed lows, Master takes the cake with his 2SP, the longest button of that kind in the game, and to top it off it combos straight into his Super Sekiha Tenkyoken for roughly 90% of someone's HP. Add to that his Master Cloak, a frame 1 autoguard special that blocks even Deathscythe's SP normals and can be special canceled, and you have a suit that is very threatening on the ground. Still, Master is hampered by the long recovery of his moves, so most things he presses are commitments; making him whiff an attack with Cloaked Teleport grants good punishes, and even his Master Cloak enters recovery frames eventually without a cancel. Teleporting at that moment, or teleporting directly upwards, since he has no way of hitting Deathscythe there, can bait him into wasting Supers or taking careless decisions to get a hit, so the mind games favor Deathscythe here. Finally, he lacks options to chase flying opponents, making aerial zoning and stalling more effective on him.
GBA2 Zeta icon.png
Zeta
[Character Page]
  • Overview: Describe overall the flow of the matchup.
  • Neutral: How does neutral work in the matchup? Do any tools in particular affect it?
  • Offense: When you're on offense do they have tools to counter you? How does it flow, can you mix them?
  • Defense: When you're on defense do you have tools to counter them? How does it flow, how do they mix you?
GBA2 The-O icon.png
The-O
(Advantage)
[Character Page]
  • Overview: The-Oooohhh is a really tricky opponent to face, best known for his 214P, a large and incredibly fast unblockable special with a massive amount of active frames to boot. Ending a Cloaked Teleport near him is absurdly dangerous because of those active frames, and from a distance he has some of the most damaging Beam Rifle Shots in the game. The ideal distance for facing The-O is the mid range; 2WP outranges all of his buttons, and Beam Sickles are difficult for him to avoid because of his large size. He is an I-Field character, meaning he can be baited into activating it at the wrong moments, granting Deathscythe ample opportunities to punish them. He also has a hard time contesting pressure due to his slow normals, which Deathscythe can easily take advantage of with his incredible plus buttons and mixups.
GBA2 Qubeley icon.png
Qubeley
[Character Page]
  • Overview: Describe overall the flow of the matchup.
  • Neutral: How does neutral work in the matchup? Do any tools in particular affect it?
  • Offense: When you're on offense do they have tools to counter you? How does it flow, can you mix them?
  • Defense: When you're on defense do you have tools to counter them? How does it flow, how do they mix you?
GBA2 Hamma Hamma icon.png
Hamma Hamma
[Character Page]
  • Overview: Describe overall the flow of the matchup.
  • Neutral: How does neutral work in the matchup? Do any tools in particular affect it?
  • Offense: When you're on offense do they have tools to counter you? How does it flow, can you mix them?
  • Defense: When you're on defense do you have tools to counter them? How does it flow, how do they mix you?

Frame Data

Fill in frame data here, if it has an additional property that lasts for certain frames list it in Notes (i.e. XF~XF Invincible, XF~XF Armor). Delete this line when it's done.
KD - Knockdown
VA - Variable
*UV - value(s) marked with "?" in the table is/are unverified
x~yF - a period from frame "x" till frame "y"

                           |     Frames      |  Frame Advantage  |
                   Attack  | Total | Startup | On Hit | On Block | Notes
                  Normals  ---------------------------------------
                     5WP   |       |         |        |          |
                     5SP   |       |         |        |          |
                     5WK   |       |         |        |          |
                     5SK   |       |         |        |          |
                     2WP   |       |         |        |          |
                     2SP   |       |         |        |          |
                     2WK   |       |         |        |          |
                     2SK   |       |         |        |          |
                    j.WP   |       |         |        |          |
                    j.SP   |       |         |        |          |
                    j.WK   |       |         |        |          |
                    j.SK   |       |         |        |          |
          Command Normals  ---------------------------------------
                      6X   |       |         |        |          | 
                 Specials  ---------------------------------------
                      XP   |       |         |        |          |
           Super           ---------------------------------------
                   26X+X   |       |         |        |          | ?F~?F invincible

Chain Table

Fill in the character's chain options, similar to a Guilty Gear wiki Gattling Table. Make sure you get everything. Delete the specials section if the character has no cancelable specials. If a character has a whiff/block cancelable special, add [+] after it (i.e. 5WP[+], 2WP[+]). If a move is only cancelable on a specific hit, specify it (i.e. 5SP (First Hit Only) or 5SP (Second Hit Only)). Delete this line when it's finished.

Chains
WP WK SP SK Special Cancel
5WP - - - - Yes/No
2WP - - - - Yes/No
5WK - - - - Yes/No
2WK - - - - Yes/No
5SP - - - - Yes/No
2SP - - - - Yes/No
5SK - - - - Yes/No
2SK - - - - No
Air Chains
WP WK SP SK Special Cancel
j.WP - - - - Yes/No
j.WK - - - - Yes/No
j.2WK - - - - Yes/No
j.SP - - - - Yes/No
j.SK - - - - Yes/No
j.2SK - - - - Yes/No
Specials
Cancel Options
XP XP, XK
XP XP, XK
Special Name (Input), Special Name (Input), and Special Name(Input) cannot be special canceled into.
X = X is available on hit
X[+] = X is available on hit, block, or whiff

Trivia

  • Add any fun facts about the character worth noting.
File:GBA2 X Ending.png
X's ending picture. Only add if they have one.



Deathscythe Wiki Roadmap

90% complete
Page Completed To-do Score

Overview

Descriptions and images

Hitboxes

22/25
Strategy

Neutral, Offense, Defense

None

25/25
Combos

Midscreen, Corner

None

16/16
Matchups

Most of them

Hygogg, GP-02A, Ball, Zaku II, Zeta, Qubeley, Hamma Hamma

27/34

GBA2 Navigation

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Controls
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Game Data
Neue Ziel
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ν Gundam
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Deathscythe Hell
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Burning
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Rose
Master
​Hidden Characters
Zeta
The-O
Qubeley
Hamma Hamma