Melty Blood/MBAACC/Shiki Tohno/Crescent Moon/Strategy

General Gameplan

C-Tohno specializes in controlling the mid-range (more specifically, at about the round-start range). Emphasizing this most generally are his j.C, 2C grounded dash, and pushback; while his other tools such as 22x, 214x, and 236x, supplement his horizontal dominance in more offensive situations. What Tohno wants to do with this control of the mid-range is what most mid-range "footsies" characters do: Threaten the opponent by using hitboxes in a way that keeps their position teetering uncomfortably. More specifically, where it's hard for them to approach in neutral because of the space your j.C covers. By extension, this should also ideally make them want to keep backing up in order to compensate. Establishing this basic advantage makes it possible for the rest of your options to truly shine. What makes the grounded dash scary isn't just the fact that it travels fast and a good distance, but that it allows for instant approaches in tandem with your other tools. Frankly, by itself, it isn't too scary. But a large reason why this movement option is so versatile for a grounded dash is because it's so complementary. Provided the range at which you'll want to be playing neutral, this makes it possible for your opponent to become so focused on so many other things, they don't see the dash coming. Of course, that's assuming the opponent will stay defensive. Should they choose instead to move forward (be it in the attempt to escape or attack), what's good for C-Tohno is that backwards movements can easily cover that, given how much space he should be controlling. A single backwards jump for instance, would lead the situation back to Tohno's advantage, leaving plenty of space to compensate even if the read happens to be incorrect. From there on, your other movements and tools (airdashes, 236a, single jumps, superjumps, etc.) should be used to round out any predictability. Use and vary Tohno's options well, and you should find yourself winning neutral by merit of good fundamentals.

As far as offense is involved, the first thing to keep in mind is that you're working with pushback. (Most noticeably, on his 5C and 2C.) This pushback makes it extremely difficult for him to maintain any real pressure using his Normals alone. Midscreen, his opponents get pushed back, while in the corner, that pushback is converted to Tohno himself. What this means is that midscreen, your blockstrings should be used as cheap but equally quick pressure that moves the opponent towards the corner, and thus back to your preferred range for neutral. In the corner however, his Specials (236B/[B], 214B, 22X) work in tandem with that pushback, and begin to show their true potential. At point-blank range, his 22X mixup can easily be reacted to by mashing, and what makes them safe (like just about any moving hitbox data) is the range at which the move hits. At the max range at which 5C can touch the opponent, a cancel into 22A will naturally frametrap the opponent, and catch any jumps, leading to a combo. The best part about this is that even if 22A is blocked, Tohno is safe against any mashes or scrambles, and is left in a position where his horizontal dominance is still a risk at large. Most of the same idea applies for 236B, while 214B is there to catch anything more delayed. (Do note that unlike the other two specials, 214B puts you point-blank and unable to keep any momentum against the opponent if blocked, so do be careful about that.) And where this comes back to his Normals is that, while they aren't good for pressure, their delay windows can be used to ambiguate when and how you'll lead into your Specials (should you even choose to). And while it is true that good blocking can be used as a strong measure against all of this, the key thing to remember is that the defender has to move eventually. It's just a matter of playing around that in a way that can constantly both threaten and throw off the defender. To which your 22B~D, as well as the pushback in general, can make your position variable enough to confuse the opponent on when, where, and how you'll be approaching.

Lastly, if you ever find yourself on defense, there isn't much to say. You have Crescent Moon mechanics, but you need to be privy on when and how you're able to escape, meaning you'll need good defense like everyone else. On the other, you have a 623A which is invulnerable for its startup, and has its hitbox active when the hurtbox becomes active too. This is what leads to so many trades and counter hits, making it a prime tool for getting a BnB's worth of damage and your turn back. Furthermore, the 623A can be made safe if the first hit is cancelled into 236C. And less known is that his 214A makes his hurtbox extremely low. Low enough to low profile Warachia 5B. It becomes low within about 3 frames, making it his fantastic go-to low profile option, wherever the use for that may arise.

The following clip of Narusora vs. GO1 can be taken as a model example of all the above concepts in action. https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1256&v=O4xGiwVqzlI&feature=youtu.be