Melty Blood/MBAACC/Powered Ciel/Crescent Moon

Powered Ciel

Additional Resources

Overview

Playstyle

C-P.Ciel is a character that has long, damaging, full corner carry combos, and projectile okizeme that nullifies wake up options, while also dealing significant chip.
Pros	Cons
Lots of Buttons: She offers a variety of (mostly) disjointed normals that complement her ability to combo, poke, anti-air, whiff punish, confirm at long ranges, and even mash, since 3C is a command normal, it's much easier to take advantage of it as an abare tool. C-Moon: Being able to ex-guard, ex-shield, and also having access to the fastest heat in the game (not counting necos) alongside with Hime, that has a pretty generous hitbox. Horizontal Lightning: The character's defining move, uncharged versions of 214A/B and j.214A/B have their purpose as good, long range pokes in neutral, while charged versions are used for setplay after every single hard knockdown, which is very difficult to disrespect. Air to Air: C-P.Ciel j.B and j.C are good air buttons that will secure your needed air CH's to get your game started. Timer Scammer: While not as good as F in that regard, C-P.Ciel combos still take a while to do, specially in the corner, creating checkmate situations in which your opponents don't have enough time to comeback. Comboable Throw: Just like Miyako, P.Ciel offers a combo after every successful grab anywhere on the screen, giving more reward compared to other throws in the game, and you can stale H-Moon Heat or even MAX Mode with a long combo, as they are unable to burst out. Pressure: C-P.Ciel's buttons have large cancel windows to compensate for their lack of + frames, giving her a pretty tricky offense. 623C: In addition of being a good anti-air, this move is also really good to escape the corner when you notice a gap in your opponent's pressure, or to disrespect certain setups, like C/F-Nero 236C, and since C-P.Ciel doesn't particularly need meter for combos or okizeme, you can use it more frequently.	Limited Neutral Options: On top of being a very slow character, P.Ciel doesn't even retain air options after a whiffed j.A, and this moon has kinda committal special moves that don't give you a lot of reward in most cases. Air to Ground: C-P.Ciel only jump-in is j.C, its quirky hitbox makes you susceptible to being anti-aired, specially against characters that have dedicated buttons for that, like H/F-Kouma's 2B. Weak Air Conversions: Unless CH, your only option is to try and confirm with j.236A~X, if you are below your opponent, the divekick will not hit correctly for the hard knockdown. Slow Abare: Even if 3C is good, it's tied with 2A at 5f startup, which is slower than average, and with poor health, it can be very risky and punishing to try and disrespect your opponent's offense by mashing. Slow Jump: Jumping with P.Ciel takes longer than other characters, this is not only an issue on defense, but also on offense, since this makes her unable deal with shield counters through chicken block. Meter Usage: She does have good meter gain but terrible meter dump options that don't help achieving her goal, so you are most likely going to use meter for Heat or burst when you are in MAX. Charged Lightning is Weak to Bunker: Bunkering is a strong option against your okizeme, particularly H-Bunker, since 214[A]/[B] goes away if C-P.Ciel gets hit. It's certainly possible to deal with it, but you need good reactions to do so.

Move Descriptions

Frame Data Help
Header	Tooltip
Move Box Colors	Light gray = Collision Box (A move lacking one means it can go through the opponent's own collision box). Green: Hurt Boxes. Red: Hit(/Grab) Boxes. Yellow: Clash Boxes (When an active hitbox strikes a clash box, the active hitbox stops being active. Multi-hit attacks can beat clash since they will still progress to the next hitbox.) Magenta: Projectile-reflecting boxes OR Non-hit attack trigger boxes (usually). Blue: Reflectable Projectile Boxes.
Damage	Base damage done by this attack. (X) denotes combined and scaled damage tested against standing V. Sion.
Red Damage	Damage done to the recoverable red health bar by this attack. The values are inherently scaled and tested against standing V. Sion. (X) denotes combined damage.
Proration	The correction value set by this attack and the way it modifies the scaling during a string. See this page for more details. X% (O) means X% Overrides the previous correction value in a combo if X is of a lower percentage. X% (M) means the current correction value in a combo will be Multiplied by X%. This can also be referred to as relative proration.
Circuit	Meter gained by this attack on hit. (X%) denotes combined meter gain. -X% denotes a meter cost.
Cancel	Actions this move can be cancelled into. SE = Self cancelable. N = Normal cancelable. SP = Special cancelable. CH = Cancelable into the next part of the same attack (Chain in case of specials). EX = EX cancelable. J = Jump cancelable. (X) = Cancelable only on hit. -X- = Cancelable on whiff.
Guard	The way this move must be blocked. L = Can block crouching H = Can block standing. A = Can block in the air. U = Unblockable.
Startup	Amount of frames that must pass prior to reaching the active frames. Also referred to as "True Startup".
Active	The amount of frames that this move will have a hitbox. (x) denotes frame gaps where there are no hitboxes is present. Due to varied blockstuns, (x) frames are difficult to use to determine punish windows. Generally the larger the numbers, the more time you have to punish. X denotes active frames with a duration separate from its origin move's frame data, such as projectile attacks. In this case, the total length of the move is startup+recovery only.
Recovery	Frames that this move has after the active frames if not canceled. The character goes into one frame where they can block but not act afterwards, which is not counted here.
Advantage	The difference in frames where you can act before your opponent when this move is blocked (assuming the move isn't canceled and the first active frame is blocked). If the opponent uses a move with startup that is at least 2 frames less than this move's negative advantage, it will result in the opponent hitting that move. ±x~±y denotes a range of possible advantages.
Invul	Lists any defensive properties this move has. X y~z denotes X property happening between the y to z frames of the animations. If no frames are noted, it means the invincibility lasts through the entire move. Invicibility: Strike = Strike invincible. Throw = Throw invincible. Hurtbox-Based Properties: Full = No hurtboxes are present. High = Upper body lacks a hurtbox. Low = Lower body lacks a hurtbox. Miscellaneous Properties Clash = Frames in which clash boxes are active. Reflect = Frames in which projectile-reflecting boxes are active. Super Armor = Frames in which the character can take hits without going into hit stun.

Normal Moves

Standing Normals

5A

Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
350		98	75% (O)	-SE-, -N-, -SP-, -EX-, (J)	LH
First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
7	3	9	0	3.5%	-
Knife stab. Very rare example of a disjointed 5A, the slow startup limits it's usefulness, but still nice to have. Used in pressure since it hits crouching opponents up close, and it can be used to occasionally stop grounded approaches in neutral or to catch extended hurtboxes.

5B

Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
600		392	80% (O)	N, SP, EX, (J)	LH
First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
8	3	17	-5	5.0%	-
P.Ciel swipes with her knife in front of her. Good button all around for pressure, poking and even anti-airing when spaced, thanks to the retreating hurtbox during startup and the ridiculous amount of disjoint when it gets active, all though not particularly spammable due to the few active frames + noticeable recovery on whiff.

5C

5C
5[C]

5C	Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
	1000		686	70% (O)	N, SP, EX, (J)	LH
	First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
	11	3	24	-9	5.0%	-
Large swipe with her pile-bunker. Good range, but it will whiff against all crouchers at further ranges except Nero, Hime and Wara, for that reason, it's mostly used in combos and to catch jump outs in the corner.
5[C]	Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
	1000		686	70% (O)	N, SP, EX, (J)	LH
	First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
	24	3	24	-9	8.0%	-
Charged version has slightly better hitboxes, moves you forward a lot, and that it wallbounces on hit. Mostly used in combos, it does it's job of catching jumps in the corner, but it's weak against mashing.

Crouching Normals

2A

Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
300		98	72% (O)	SE, N, SP, EX, (J)	L
First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
6	4	8	0	2.0%	-
Crouching knife poke that hits low. Decent range, it's your primary pressure, stagger and rebeat tool. Typically your combo starter, keep in mind that it cannot be whiff-canceled.

2B

Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
700		441	80% (O)	N, SP, EX, (J)	LH
First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
8	4	17	-6	6.0%	-
Crouching knife slash. This is your optimal combo starter, and your only other option outside of 3C to beat Standing shield, but it doesn't hit low.

2C

Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
500*2 (838)		(657)	70% (O), 65% (O)	N, SP, EX, (J)	LH
First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
10	2 (7) 3	11	-8, 4	5.0%*2 (10.0%)	Low 1-18
Multi hitting upward kicks. Used only for combos. The +4 on block is not abusable due to the large amount of pushback it creates.

Jumping Normals

Notes:

P.Ciel's air normals cannot be canceled into other air normals, double jump, air dashes or air throw. They can still be Special/EX canceled on block, however.
j.A does not recover in midair, P.Ciel must land before recovering if j.A isn't canceled.

j.A

Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
300		98	75% (O)	SP, EX	LHA
First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
6	4	-	-	2.0%	-
Decent j.A, all though the lack of air options means that you would typically prefer to do other stuff, it's still your fastest button to press, and it can make you win an air CH in desperate situations.

j.B

Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
500		392	90% (O)	SP, EX	HA
First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
7	4	-	-	5.0%	-
Upward knife slash unique to C-PCiel. Decently fast, and it's not only disjointed in front of you, but also above, as such, it's a potent air to air that will make you win many interactions.

j.C

Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
1000		686	90% (O)	SP, EX	HA
First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
10	5	-	-	7.0%	-
Split-kick. This is also an air to air button, but you normally want to use it from further away in order to take advantage of it's superior range and active frames compared to j.B. As a jump-in tool, it can hit crossup, but it's startup and upward angled hitbox makes you very vulnerable to anti-airs, so be careful on how you approach a grounded opponent.

Command Normals

6B

6B
6[B]

Wake up please

6B	Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
	600		294	50% (O)	N, SP, EX, (J)	LH
	First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
	11	2	34	-18	4.0%	-
Hard knockdown vs any airborne target, crucial move for your combos just like 2C.
6[B]	Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
	700		294	50% (O)	N, SP, EX, (J)	H
	First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
	25	2	34	-18	5.0%	-
Charged version becomes an overhead, and it groundbounces an airbone target, which is useful for combos just like 5[C]. The pretty obvious startup animation of 6[B] makes it quite reactable on it's own, but it's possible to do half charge 6B > 2A for a Overhead/Low mix, and if they manage to block, you have a chance to continue your pressure unlike F-P.Ciel.

3C

The Princess Sweep

Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
800		294	65% (O)	N, SP, EX, (J)	L
First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
6	4	27	-13	5.0%	-
Sweet sweep. Doesn't move you forward unlike the other moons. Very fast for being a C normal, you can always press this magic button when looking for a fast whiff punish, it can also be used as a poke, or in pressure to try and and catch your opponent doing something, but be careful because if they block it, there's a big chance you are going to return to neutral, and if it ever whiffs, you are stuck in recovery for a long time.

4C

Linne is that you?

Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
800		686	80% (O)	N, SP, EX, (J)	LH
First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
12	3	23	-8	5.0%	-
Upward slash similar to j.B. Exclusively used for combos.

6C

I'm inside

Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
1000		490	70% (O)	N, SP, EX, (J)	LH
First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
12	4	25	-11	5.0%	Low 1-15
6C is special, it's used for both combos and pressure all around, but it has some particular uses on defense. It offers some low-invul from frame 1, this means that, your 6C, as a mashing tool, can low crush a lot of stuff, it certainly depends on the character, but to name an example, you can avoid C-Sion's 236A entirely. Don't try to abuse it though, because this move is very slow, and you will get blown by any mid or move that has enough hitbox to hit you out of it.

Universal Mechanics

Ground Throw

Ground Throw
6/4A+D

Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
600		392	30%	(Any)	U
First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
3	1	20	-	6.0%	-
A ground throw that gives no knockdown but acts as a combo starter similar to Miyako, but with better reward.

Air Throw

Air Throw
j.6/4A+D

Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
1600 (1408, Raw) 1200		1034	30%	(Any if Raw) (SP, EX)	U
First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
2	1	12	-	16.0% (Raw) 12.0%	-
When done raw, P.Ciel launches the opponent upwards very high, and you can easily get a pickup after you hit the ground. If done in a combo, it acts as an extender, resetting the bounce count, use j.236A~X to get a hard knockdown.

Shield Bunker

Shield Bunker
214D in neutral or blockstun

Bunker	Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
	500		196	50%	-	LHA
	First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
	26	4	19	-5	0.0% (-50.0% in blockstun)	Clash 1-10
(Clash)	Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
	500		196	50%	-	LHA
	First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
	8	4	19	-5	0.0%/-50.0%	Strike 1-7
Big bunker.

Heat

Heat
A+B+C

Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
100		0	100%	-	U
First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
15	5	26	-	-100.0% (min)	Full 1-19
Second fastest heat startup in the game along with Hime's, generous hitbox.

Circuit Spark

Circuit Spark
A+B+C during hitstun/blockstun at MAX

Ground	Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
	100		0	100%	-	U
	First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
	11	10	20	-	removes all	Full 1-39
Air	Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
	100		0	100%	-	U
	First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
	12	10	15	-	removes all	Strike 1-30
Universal burst mechanic. Unlike Crescent/Full Heat activation, the hitbox and frame data doesn't vary between characters. However, you can be thrown out of this move if you input it in the air.

Special Moves

Grounded Specials

236X

Rapid Stake
236A/[A]/B/C
(236B~A/B/C)

A

[A]

~A

~B

~C

A	Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
	800*2 (1575)		(964)	100%, 50% (M)	-	LH
	First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
	12	3 (8) 3	34	-19	7.0%*2 (14.0%)	Low 23-37
First, P.Ciel dashes with her pile-bunker, and a hitbox appears to stab the opponent, the second part is an automatic, flip-kick follow up. 236A is EX cancellable on whiff until the kick animation starts. On grounded opponents, the kick will launch them into an air techable state, but you have enough time to jump and confirm it with j.B/j.C > j.236A~X to have a hard knockdown. Hitting an already airbone opponent with this move will make them able to tech much sooner. This is -19 on block so it’s VERY punishable, use only when you need to.
[A]	Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
	800, 1100 (1865)		(1439)	100%, 70% (?)	-	LH, H
	First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
	12	3 (19) 4	29	-35, -15	7.0%, 12.0% (19.0%)	Low 34-55
Charging the move makes the kick follow up change, suddenly it becomes an overhead, has a thicker hitbox, deals more damage, and your opponent can no longer tech mid air. Almost exclusively used for combos.
B	Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
	-		-	-	-CH-	-
	First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
	-	-	46	-	6	Clash 6-20
P.Ciel rushes forward pretty much like 236A, except that it moves her 3/4 of the screen very fast, and the stab hitbox is replaced with a yellow clash box. You only have a single point of clash, so it's nothing that you can abuse. The actual good thing about 236B comes from his 3 optional follow ups, it’s important to know that if you were to cancel into any of the follow-ups listed below, you instantly lose the clash box.
~A	Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
	1200		980	50% (O)	-	LH
	First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
	23	4	30	-16	12.0%	-
Large, unshieldable, and air unblockable pile-bunker explosion in front of you. The least used follow-up, only good use is for one specific combo in the corner. Still, you might catch your opponent off-guard if you do this in neutral every once in a while, but do it from far away since it's quite minus.
~B	Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
	1500		980	100%	-	LH
	First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
	19	6	39	-27	10.0%	-
This move, being also unshieldable and air unblockable, with the added bonus of a hard knockdown, might be tempting to use as an anti-air, but the hitbox is not as big as the animation suggests, and it has 39f of recovery, so if it whiffs you should get punished every single time, same thing if they block it in the ground because it’s -27. The real use for this move is to OTG after every single combo you do, letting you start your setplay.
~C	Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
	700		490	70% (M)/65% (O)*	-	LH*
	First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
	9	4	30	-15	5.0%	Low 9-24
Your most common follow up, it is the flipkick from 236A, but it's air untechable whenever you hit a grounded opponent. You can occasionally use it as an anti air, a regular hit doesn't give you good reward, but an air CH will give you a full combo, just be careful on how you use it, because the flipkick has a significant amount of recovery, and it's very minus, so best case scenario will be your opponent taking his turn.
EX	Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
	250*10, 1400 (3106)		(1324)	100%	-	LH
	First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
	1+3	36	27	0	-100.0%	-
This EX Move is not very good, it doesn't have combo uses, and it doesn't offer you + frames, however, it has a relatively fast startup and good forward movement, this will allow you to punish certain options on reaction, like H-Kohamech's 22A/B in pressure.

623X

Shaft Drive
623A/B/C
(623A~X)

623A~X followup

My people need me

A	Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
	500*3 (1336)		(883)	100%	-CH-, -J-	LH (1), LHA (2-3)
	First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
	5	11	19	-	5.0%, 2.0%*2 (9.0%)	-
DP that hits up to 3 times, it doesn't have any invul, and it's air blockable, but it's still a reliable anti-air, since your hurtbox shrinks a bit during startup and has a nice hitbox. You are able to move in the air after the recovery so it's an extra option to move around instead of just using your regular jump.
~X	Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
	350*N		196*N	90% (M), 70% (O)	-	LHA
	First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
	10	X	15	-4	2.0%*N	-
Optional divekick follow up. Opponents can immediately take their turn if they block it, or do a throw punish if they are close enough. If you hit them with the DP and you cancel in the follow up, you will be able to OTG with 3C into a combo if you can make the divekick hit 4 times, like in this example, but depends a lot on hurtboxes. When you don't get 4 clean hits, opponents are able to tech, but you can punish a back tech with 5C > 236B, and a Forward/Neutral tech with anything else.
B	Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
	500, 1500, 110*4, 1000 (2318)		(1594)	100%, 40% (O)	-	LH (1), LHA
	First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
	11	14	27	-	5.0%, 15.0%, 10.0% (30.0%)	-
Similar to A version, except this sends you flying MUCH higher, while still retaining your air options on whiff, and now works as a hitgrab. It's ok to sometimes throw this to reposition yourself better in neutral, just beware of how much space you are giving by doing that, since you can't use 623B and control neutral like H does. Alright as an anti-air, because it has a much bigger hitbox and shrinks your hurtbox further than 623A, but the extra startup makes it situational, better used preemptively rather than on reaction. Only the 1st part of the move (before you leave the ground) is air unblockable, your opponent can block the rest of the move in the air.
EX	Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
	1500, 250*6, 1000 (2489)		(1645)	100%, 40% (O)	-	LH
	First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
	1+0	10	(~40)	-	-100.0%	Full 1
Fake reversal, any move in contact with your hurtbox during the super flash will kill you, so you are unable to wake up with this because meaties. Since your gameplay doesn't really need meter, you can use this move more often than the other moons, for escaping the corner whenever you see a gap in your opponent's pressure, or as an anti-air, if it ever whiffs, it also retains your air options.

214X

Numeral Secret Crest - Lightning Fury
(EX: Numeral Secret Crest - Blue Storm)
214A/[A]/B/[B]/C

A

B

[A]/[B]

EX

The reason why you should play this character.

A	Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
Horizontal Lightning series, these reach out 3/4 of the screen.
	1000		686	50% (O)	-	LHA
	First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
	22	4	17	-6	5.0%	-
Single hit poke, recovers rather quickly but has poor reward and frame advantage.
[A]	Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
	250*14 (1514)		(1184)	50% (O)	-	LHA
	First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
	34	49	64	33	0.8%*14 (11.2%)	-
Charged version is your most common okizeme tool after every 236B~B, deals okay chip damage, and gives you a lot of + frames to recover, run and start your pressure. Dissapears if C-P.Ciel gets hit during the active frames.
B	Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
	500*6 (1490)		(1023)	50% (O)	-	LHA
	First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
	22	8	20	-1	1.0%*6 (6.0%)	-
Very similar to A version, except the hitbox appears a bit lower to the ground, and that it becomes multihit, dealing greater chip on block, and launching on hit. Tipically overshadows 214A in neutral, but it has a bit more recovery, and the lower hitbox makes it easier for your opponent to just IAD and punish if you happen to be close.
[B]	Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
	250*17 (1528)		(1195)	50% (O)	-	LHA
	First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
	30	38	60	26	0.5%15, 2.5%2 (12.5%)	-
This, just like 214[A], can also be used as an okizeme, it deals greater chip damage on block, but offers less + frames to work with. It also disappears when you get hit during the active frames. Works as a pressure reset against well conditioned opponents, don't use if they have a move to go though it on reaction, like H/F-Arc's 421C.
EX	Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
	450*10 (2151)		(1876)	50% (O)	-	LHA
	First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
	6+18	40	6+54	20	-100.0%	-
If your opponent is already blocking 214[A] or 214[B], you can use 214C to increase the chip damage, otherwise not really used since it gives you less + frames compared to the other two, it's a gimmicky pressure extender at best. Unlike other lightning specials, 214C doesn't disappear if C-P.Ciel gets hit.

Aerial Specials

j.236X

Shaft Drive (Air)
j.236A/B/C
(j.236A~X)

j.236A~X followup

B/EX

A	Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
	500*2 (925)		(543)	100%	-CH-	LHA
	First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
	10	6	12	-	2.0%*2 (4.0%)	-
~X	Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
	350*N		196*N	90% (M), 70% (O)	-	LHA
	First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
	10	X	15	-4	2.0%*N	-
B	Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
	1500, 110*4, 1000 (2061)		(1361)	100%, 40% (O)	-	LHA
	First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
	10	5	12	-	15.0%, 10.0% (25.0%)	-
EX	Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
	1500, 250*9, 1000 (2674)		(1754)	100%, 40% (O)	-	LHA
	First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
	1+2	5	12	-	-100.0%	-
For some reason you have a different input for your DP in the air, but they are mostly the same as their grounded version, j.236A itself does 2 hits instead of 3, and you still have the divekick follow up, understanding how it works is important for C.Pciel combos, j.236B and j.236C are just going to be round enders. One VERY important thing to know is the fact that air dp’s DON’T retain air options, so if you did j.236A, your only option will be the divekick, otherwise you will be vulnerable even when you hit the ground, until you recover.

j.214X

Numeral Secret Crest - Lightning Fury (Air)
(EX: Numeral Secret Crest - Blue Storm)
j.214A/[A]/B/[B]/C

A

B

[A]/[B]

EX

No lightning sprites due to a framedisplay bug.

A	Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
	1000		686	50% (O)	-N-, -J-	LHA
	First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
	26	4	14	-	5.0%	-
While there's not a lot of reasons to use this over j.214B in neutral, j.214A deserves special mention because it will grant you the maximum amount of damage C-P.Ciel has to offer in combos.
[A]	Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
	250*14 (1514)		(1184)	50% (O)	-	LHA
	First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
	36	49	12	-	0.8%*14 (11.2%)	-
Don't use j.214[A].
B	Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
	500*6 (1490)		(1023)	50% (O)	-N-, -J-	LHA
	First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
	26	8	10	-	1.0%*6 (6.0%)	-
Main neutral tool just like the grounded version. It doesn't have extra recovery compared to j.214A, and the lower position of the hitbox actually matters now that you are in the air.
[B]	Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
	250*17 (1528)		(1195)	50% (O)	-	LHA
	First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
	35	38	12	-	0.5%15, 2.5%2 (12.5%)	-
Don't use j.214[B].
EX	Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
	450*10 (2151)		(1876)	50% (O)	-	LHA
	First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
	6+18	40	12	-	-100.0%	-
There's no good applications for j.214C, only a gimmick which is to use it after 236[A] to make it "safe".

Arc Drive

Seventh Holy Scripture - Impeachment of Original Sin
41236C during Max/Heat

Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
700, 400*16, 2700 (3526)		(2685)	50% (O)	-	LH
First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
3+10	18	27	-12	removes all	Full 1-30
C-P.Ciel's only reversal outside of heat, she rushes in with her pilebunker, and on hit, finishes with a 236B~A-like attack that knocks the opponent down but leaves you very far from them no matter where on the screen you perform this move, which gives you bad okizeme.

Another Arc Drive

Seventh Holy Scripture - Saint's Burial
41236C during Blood Heat

Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
700, 40016, 7000, 6008 (4965)		(3602)	50% (O)	-	LH
First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
2+10	18	27	-12	removes all	Full 1-29
Similar to Arc Drive, but the followup on hit does much more damage and launches the opponent upwards, still not particularly good okizeme.

Last Arc

Numeral Secret Crest - Heavenly Nest
Grounded EX Shield during Blood Heat

Damage		Red Damage	Proration	Cancel	Guard
52300 (4328 ~ 7254)		(3522 ~ 5973)	50% + 50% * remaining BH time	-	U
First Active	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Circuit	Invuln
0	2	23	-	removes all	Full
Fullscreen-type Last Arc that is instant and goes into a cutscene on hit. P.Ciel launches the opponent into the sky and summons a 99-hit lightning strike.

General Gameplan

C-P.Ciel overall gameplan revolves around trying to secure a hit in neutral, getting that hard knockdown, locking your opponents with Lightning Okizeme, starting your offense and forcing them to guess, primarily with your strong Strike/Throw game, and if they make a mistake, you loop the process over and over again until they lose.

Neutral

Getting anything done in neutral can be challenging against some MU's, but you are already struggling in general, since you are the slowest character in the game, so a lot of patience and good decision making is crucial to play C-P.Ciel.

If you want to move in the ground, her dash has a fixed travel distance, that also allows you to dashblock, just keep in mind that you are vulnerable during that extra startup frames. Also in the ground, the most common buttons you will be using are 5B, which is good for poking and anti-airing, for long range confirms and punishes, you have 5C > 236A for a guaranteed combo even at tip range, and whenever you are looking for a whiff-punish, press your magic 3C.

623A and 623B are DP's that retain your air options when the recovery ends, so you can use those as a tool to occasionally navigate through neutral instead of jumping.

You can sometimes try to chip your opponent with 214A/B and j.214A/B, it has increased utility against characters that want to put stuff on the screen, like Nero and Aoko.

In the air you will be trying to fish for counterhits, so you switch between j.B and j.C depending on the situation, and in extreme cases you can use j.A, if you have good reactions you can confirm a regular hit with any of these into Air DP.

j.C is your best jump in tool, but it's not particularly good for that purpose, and smart opponents will try to anti-air you a lot. In order to not become too predictable with your aerial approaches, you do have air dodge, and also j.214A/B for stalling, since it does actually retain your air options.

Pressure

C-P.Ciel is not as good as H in this regard, but still okay, having access to good buttons with large cancel windows. Using them properly will allow you to set up your strong, comboable throw, and a workable overhead/low game, how do you use these tools will depend on how your opponents reacts during the match.

Most of your damage will come from your Strike/Throw game, and 95% of your pressure resets will be done with your ground dash, IAD resets are not good with this character, and you don't have guaranteed ways to extend pressure with specials or EX moves.

2A > delay 5B > 5A whiff > dash X

2A > 2B > delay 5B

2A > delay 2A > dash 5A

2AA > 2B > delay 6C

2AAA > walk Throw/Button

These are just a few examples to get started on your pressure, the cancel windows on your normals alone can make your opponents think twice before pressing a button, but it can be difficult to prevent them from doing other options.

You can check jumps, but it can be difficult to get a good confirm out of these, depends on your reactions and positioning. Your opponent can also try to shield your buttons, and it's very annoying against H and F due to the fact that you can't chicken block shield counters, your only option against those are bunker or 623C on reaction for a guaranteed punish, but even if you do this, you are still returning to neutral, so you really want to condition your opponent to stop doing these things.

Once you condition your opponent to block more often, you can complement your offense with 6[B]/6B>2A to mix your opponent from time to time.

214[B] can be used as a pressure reset, but it might not work against good players without a considerable amount of conditioning, and some character have access to EX moves they can use on reaction to punish you whenever they feel like using meter, like C/H-Ciel's 236C, so you better know what are you fighting against.

Okizeme

You do your combo, get the hard knockdown with the divekick, then OTG with 236B~B, and finally, you put a 214[A] or 214[B] on their wake-up, pretty simple. Since your setplay is based around a projectile, which lasts for a very long time, and gives you a lot of + frames, your opponents have very limited options outside of blocking, we're gonna talk about them now.

Shield: If they decide to do this, they are forced to shield every tick of your lightning, so it's very easy to just punish with a throw, but some opponents might purposefully sacrifice a little bit of health to do it, since shielding your okizeme gives them a lot of meter, and if you decide to punish with a throw, you are going to give them even more. Unfortunately there's no way to prevent C and F moons from doing that, but you can actually punish H moon characters way harder, if they shield your lightning, you run and make them also shield your 5A, this will make them automatically do a shield counter, and since it has a fixed startup, you can ex-shield and punish, doing more damage than with a regular throw.
Bunker: The overview isn't lying, your charged lightnings disappear if you get hit, so regular bunker is a strong option against it. You have a harder time against H Bunker, because it's faster, safer, and gives even more reward to your opponent with a hard knockdown. Luckily for you, bunkers have fixed startup, you only got to look out if your opponent is using H or not, so it's possible to get consistent with your Ex-shield punishes, but you still have to be cautious, since your opponent can always alter their timing when they want to disrespect your okizeme.

Defense

As C-P.Ciel, you don't struggle as much as the other two, but your defensive options are still not good, so a careful use of your system mechanics and the tools in your kit is very important to do well with this character.

You have access to a really fast heat, with a good hitbox, you use it on wake up or against predictable approaches. It will certainly save you from a lot of bad situations, but use it sparingly, since it's your only reversal, and smart opponents will try to bait it. You can also flip the coin doing wake-up shield whenever you feel like it, but you would want to block most of the time, do ex-guard as much as you can to push them away and have more opportunity to do stuff, and if you are paying attention, you can even start shielding and punish your opponent for fake stuff like F-Miyako's 421A, you can also bunker specific multi-hitting stuff, like C/H-Aoko's 63214B.

The easiest option when you notice a gap in your opponent's offense is to jump, which might have increased startup than the rest of the cast, but it still works and is not as risky as trying to press your slower than average buttons.

When you want to mash, you might be tempted to use a lot of 3C as abare, but this button has a lot of recovery on whiff, making it particularly weak against IAD resets, so i suggest mixing it up with 2A, it's not very good, but that faster recovery time might prove useful sometimes. If you are expecting an IAD reset you can always try to use 5A or 623A when you see it.

Speaking of 623A, it's faster than 2A and 3C, but take in consideration the extra time and effort to put the motion. If it whiffs or it gets blocked, you are left in the air and close to the opponent, which is not the best place to be, if the DP actually hits, sometimes you won't get a good confirm, but if you are lucky, you might get a CH trade on your favor, giving you enough time to recover and do a 3C pickup for a combo.

In any gap during your opponents pressure, you can use 623C as a sort of get out of the jail free card, since you don't need meter to do combos or extend pressure, and very few characters can actually punish you for doing it, C/H-Ciel's 236C, H-Roa's 236C and Hime with j.236C.

As a bonus, 623C can actually avoid certain setups, like C/F-Nero's 236C.

Combos

Combo Notation Help
Disclaimer: Combos are written by various writers, so the actual notation used in pages can differ from the standard one. For more information, see Glossary and Controls.
X > Y	X input is cancelled into Y.
X > delay Y	Must wait for a short period before cancelling X input 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	Either the X or Y input can be used.
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.
X(w)	X input must not hit the opponent (Whiff).
j.X	X input is done in the air, implies a jump/jump cancel if the previous move was done from the ground. Applies to all air chain sections: Assume a forward jump cancel if no direction is given. Air chains such as j.A > j.B > j.C can be shortened to j.ABC.
sj.X	X input is done after a super jump. Notated as sj8.X and sj9.X for neutral and forward super jumps respectively.
dj.X	X input is done after a double jump.
sdj.X	X input is done after a double super jump.
tk.X	Stands for Tiger Knee. X motion must be buffered before jumping, inputting the move as close to the ground as possible. (ex. tk.236A)
(X)	X is optional. Typically the combo will be easier if omitted.
[X]	Input X is held down. Also referred to as Blowback Edge (BE). 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. This type of input is referred to as Negative Edge.
{X}	Button X should only be held down briefly to get a partially charged version instead of the fully charged one.
X(N)	Attack "X" should only hit N times.
(XYZ)xN	XYZ string must be performed N times. Combos using this notation are usually referred to as loops.
(XYZ^)	A pre-existing combo labelled XYZ is inserted here for shortening purposes.
CH	The first attack must be a Counter Hit.
Air CH	The first attack must be a Counter Hit on an airborne opponent.
66	Performs a ground forward dash.
j.66	Performs an aerial forward dash, used as a cancel for certain characters' air strings.
IAD/IABD	Performs an Instant AirDash.
AT	Performs an Air Throw. (j.6/4A+D)
IH	Performs an Initiative Heat.
AD	Performs an Arc Drive.
AAD	Performs an Another Arc Drive.

All C-P.Ciel's routes will have a demonstration video if you click on the expand button. Sometimes when you are going for j.C > j.236A~X, due to the hurtboxes of some characters like Hime, Ries, and particularly Nanaya, the divekick will make you switch sides, which really hurts your okizeme with 236B~B, so against those character, i suggest skipping j.C and doing j.236A~X, or do some more advanced corner carry combos.