Dragon is one of the most consistent close to mid range zoners in this game. With deceptively good close range buttons, pressure-heavy mix-ups that keep opponents on guard, and a means to keep active hitboxes out at all times, Dragon has options for everything, and ways to slowly space out his opponent at every range. However despite impressive close and mid-range options, Dragon lacks a reversal and successful high low game to go with it. Dragon instead works with his spear, special cancels, and a mix of safe and strategic whiff punish tools to rout his opponents in neutral and advantage, while turtling his way through neutral. Because he's a slow character, he will want to take advantage of his coverage and options by building up the lead, and playing to his zoning strengths. Knowing oki and oppressive zoning options will help Dragon immensely in keeping advantage, and keep opponents in tight situations when trying to play around slide. Dragon can zone out opponents with moves like flamethrower to lock opponents into place or juggle them in the air, spear to force opponents off the ground, or create passive zone control with flags, all tools that will help bridge mid range and neutral to put him in range for his most potent mix-ups: slide and spear.
Every range is an opportunity for Dragon to build up his gameplan or put the opponent on edge. With safe defensive options, pokes, and active options, Dragon will have means to force neutral on his terms while boxing out his opponents when it comes to approach.
Archetype: Brawler / Zoner
Strengths
Weaknesses
Quick Frame Normals: All of Dragon's WK, WP tools are typically safe, cover right in front of him, and combo into each other for special moves. However, this pales into comparison into his next best move...
Slide: As Dragon's best tool, slide is capable of being your approach tool, your most active move, your safest punish, and a way to harass opponents in neutral, in disadvantage, and when landing. Upon knockdown Dragon can follow up with oki-pressure, where he has multiple ways to trap in his opponent.
Potent Zoning Tools: When you are in advantage, you can use one of several active special moves to extend your pressure, punish, or lockdown your opponent. From fireball, to flamethrower, and spear, Dragon can extend his quick close range and mid-range neutral pokes into conversions that extend his pressure game. Furthermore Dragon can special cancel into flags from knockdown, or throw it out to reset to neutral.
Active Hitboxes: Most of Dragon's tools are active, as several of his normals, command normals, fire specials, flags, unblockable spear, and super all prolong for various times and can cover close-mid range. However because his attacks are active, they tend to be much slower, meaning he will always want to be closer to his opponent. Because Dragon has so many active hitboxes, he can encourage defensive play and frustrate his opponents into a never-ending turtle gameplan.
Unblockable Spear: Dragon can harass characters in mid-range, assuming they don't have a quick enough punish, and force opponents to waste 2 airdodges to set up for conditional neutral play and mix-up. With this tool, Dragon can trick up, chip up, and mix up opponents at any given moment.
Slow: Dragon's dash speed is among the slowest in the game, putting him among the likes of Heavy Arms, the Zaku, and Sandrock. Because your best whiff punish mid-range tools may not be safe, approaching requires conditioning opponents, and mix-ups on approach, resulting in uphill neutrals. Dragon's speed means he will have to play defensively more often than not if he wants to work take advantage of his best angles.
Struggles to High/Low: Dragon is one of the few characters to not have a good high/low game. This puts him among the likes of Wing, RX-78, and Nu in the highest tier range. Because of this, Dragon will need to mix up with a barrage of specials, well-spaced unblockable usage, and gradual neutral exchanges and special conversions to create a successful advantage state.
Lack of Reversal: When in wake-up or disadvantage situations, Dragon has no way to get opponents off of him. Due to his slow speed, he will have a harder time landing without incurring more disadvantage/chip or meter exhaustion depending on the matchup, leaving him vulnerable to mix-ups. This means Dragon will have to make more commitments to reset to neutral and claw back away from disadvantage.
All damage values were tested on characters with 100% damage taken
Character Summary
Move list
Special Moves
26P - Dragon Fire: Fireball attack that shoots out 6 fireballs that cover a 180 radius with gaps at the edge of the screen.
24P - Dragon Flame: Also known as his flamethrower, Dragon shoots out flames where its active duration changes with button strength. This attack can be aimed up or down, and passively locks opponents into place. Great soft neutral/punish tool that can be low commitment.
624P - Fei Long Attack: Perhaps Dragon's best special, his Fei Long Attack (also known as Dragon Spear) creates an active mid range spear attack that does three up/down swipes that juggle his opponent. Great mix-up tool, or special cancel.
j.624P - Fei Long Jump: Slow up rising air unblockable that descends with an active spear attack. Very telegraphed move and has uses only as a hard read tool to force opponents into meter burn.
34K - Fei Long Flag: Location of flags depend with button strength, with the weaker version putting the flags right in front of dragon, and the stronger version having the flags up to the edge of the screen. This tool allows Dragon to reset to neutral, and put on pressure to further entrap opponents.
262K - Hardspring Kick: Despite being a DP move, it has no invul frames, and cannot be used as a reversal. This move launches Dragon into the air and once again has active frames and upwards knockback that can make the move hard to punish or contest from above.
Super
26X+X - Shin Ryusei Kochoken: Aerial super that slowly flies across the screen. Can rarely contest and get in through projectiles. Best follow up into this super is from j.WK to j.SK. This move is difficult for whiff certain moves in neutral.
Command Normals
6SP - Dragon Punch: Forward mid range strong poke. Not fast on start up, while sending the opponent to the edge of the screen on knockback at an unfavorable angel, can be cancelled into specials.
j.2SK - Stomping: Slow descent divekick with active hitbox, can be followed up with another stomp or special cancelled.
Any additional information that doesn't fit with the main description, such as it whiffing on certain characters.
Toggle Hitboxes
Toggle Hitboxes
Strategy
Neutral
Describe how a character plays the neutral game. Add sub-categories if necessary, these should usually be on how you use a specific move.
Offense
Describe how a character runs their offense.
Defense
Describe how a character defends themselves when they're on the receiving end.
Additional Resources
Links to any additional resources, delete category if there are none.
Additional Categories
Add any further categories as needed, just make sure they're worth a whole section.
Combos
Midscreen
Commbo Example (5WP > 2WP > 2SK)
Damage. Describe when to use the combo and how hard it is.
Corner
Combo Example
Combo desc
Matchups
Overall
Their general matchup spread, how good are they across the board. Do they have weaknesses against an archetype? Does they do especially well against a certain group?
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"
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.