Melty Blood/MBTL/Arcueid Brunestud/Strategy
Pressure
Your advancing normals are 2B, 5B, and 5C. 5B advances more when delay-cancelled, and 5C advances more when half-charged. Use these to stay close to the opponent in rebeat pressure.
Using half-charged 5B and 5C into a low (most often 2B) creates a high/low mixup with 5[B] and 5[C]. The most common counterplay to this is fuzzy stand shield (1~4D~1) or fuzzy throw, but both require fast reaction and a quick input.
Special Move Plus Frames
- 214A is slightly plus on block when spaced. It's possible to be +1 on block in 2A range, which is extremely powerful - the opponent cannot jump out or directly contest with any non-invulnerable option. Sample blockstring: 2AAA > 2B > 5C > delay 2C > 214A. The spacing is fairly lenient (particularly in the corner) so many blockstrings can set this up, especially when using staggers and rebeat resets. At the spacing where it is +1, 214A is 19F, making it Arc's fastest plus frame option - a true frametrap from C normals, and extremely difficult to react to.
- 623B is slightly plus on block always. May be preferred over 214A for catching backdashes midscreen and resetting pressure at closer distances. Leaves you +2 in 2B range - this is notably less favourable than being +1 in 2A range as described above, as the opponent has many more options. As Arc, press 2B after to establish pressure on block and beat slower mash options. Most opponents can jump out of this (although not Vlov, Kouma, Kohaku, or the Count), and if they press a 5F 2A, it will clash. 5B is an option to beat jumpout attempts and be safe to low shield, but it loses to fast buttons. 2A beats fast mash attempts, but doesn't connect on block and can thus be jumped out of or whiff punished via fuzzy mash. 623B is 20F, making it a true frametrap from C normals, and the second hardest plus frame option to react to.
- 236[A] is very plus on block and vacuums the opponent close to Arc. At +6, can lead gaplessly into A normals. Aside from the shorter range, the biggest downside is the speed - at 23F, it is notably more reactable than 214A and 623B (although still not easy), can't frametrap 7f buttons or faster, and doesn't combo out of 2C as well as the others.
- 214B second hit is plus on block but leaves the opponent actionable in midair. Jumpout and mash can both be covered by 3C. Since there is a shieldable gap inbetween the two hits, the utility of this move comes from the fact that it can be hard to distinguish from 214A. Has a few tells, however: at longer ranges the movement speed difference can be seen; one-third of the time, the voiceline will give it away; 214A and 214B have different dust-cloud effects at the characters' feet, although this is especially difficult to see under pressure.
Okizeme
| Notation Help | |
|---|---|
| Disclaimer: Combos are written by various writers, so notation may differ slightly from this notation. | |
| X > Y | X input is cancelled 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 | Input "X" or "Y" can be used. |
| dl | There should be delay before inputting "X". |
| w.X or Xw | Attack "X" should whiff and not hit the opponent. |
| j.X | Button "X" is input while jumping or in the air. |
| dj.X | Button "X" is input after a double jump. |
| jc | Jump cancel the previous action. Will occasionally be omitted due to being obvious. Will occasionally be notated with 7/9 to indicate backwards/forwards. |
| sj | Perform a superjump, which is performed by inputting 2~8. |
| sjc | Superjump cancel the previous action. |
| IAD | Instant Air Dash. |
| AT | Air throw, often used as a combo ender that leads to knockdown. |
| md.X | Perform a micro-dash before performing "X". Unused in favor of writing "microdash." |
| tk.X | Indicates the motion "X" is input immediately after leaving the ground. Stands for tiger knee. |
| (X) | Input "X" is optional. Typically the combo will be easier if omitted. |
| [X] | Input "X" is held down. Also can be known as "Increase" or "IC" for short. 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. |
| {X} | Button "X" should only be held down briefly to partially charge the attack, instead of the full increased version. |
| X(#) | Attack "X" should only hit # of times. |
| X~Y | This notation has two meanings.
|
| (...) OR (...) | Use only one between the two alternative routes. |
| RB1/2 | The first or second hit of Rapid Beat auto combo. |
| CH | The first attack must be Counter Hit. |
| FC | The first attack must be Fatal Counter. |
| MD | Perform a Moon Drive, which is inputted by pressing 5B+C. |
| Heat | Perform Heat, which is performed by inputting A+B+C. |
| AD | Perform an Arc Drive, which is performed by inputting 236B+C. Characters with more than one Arc Drive will have theirs notated by input. |
| LA | Perform a Last Arc, which is performed by inputting A+B+C+D or successfully Shielding in Blood Heat. |
Concepts
For starters, check 2A/5A shield OS and safejump shield OS for some basics of reversal-safe options.
Almost any safejump setup can be converted into a double overhead via slightly delaying some parts of the setup. In conjunction with empty lows (which can even be meaty), this can be a worthwhile mixup option at the expense of safety.
Knockdowns
214C
IAD > delay dj.8 > j.X
Safejump which switches sides, letting you keep the corner. Typically done with drift forward j.C or j.A.
Alternate version uses drift back j.B, which leaves you much farther away but can safejump Shield BC, as well as automatically dodging Heat and command grab Arc Drives.
Can be turned into a left/right setup by doublejumping slightly earlier and then drifting. The timing can be difficult.
Neutral jump > slight drift forward > dj.9 > 2a
Superjump > dj.8 > drift forward > 2a
Two left/right setups which work anywhere, both similar in function. Side is determined by amount of drift and the timing of the doublejump. Manually timed, so attempting Heat OS can be a risk.
Can airdash back, which is very important for beating low shield, as well as making certain reversals whiff. Alternatively, the setups can be turned into a safejump by going same side while delaying the jumps even more.
Microwalk back > forward jump > 2a
Midscreen-only left/right. Two simple variants: microwalk back then forward, or whiff a 5A to hide your walk back.
Allows airdash back to beat low shield and some reversals. Can be made into a safejump by delaying the jump while going same side.
j.7 whiff j.A airdash
Midscreen only left/right. See Hare's demonstration. Side is determined by airdash timing.
Given that this consumes your airdash, it can struggle more against low shield than other options.
Throw > 2
Delay forward jump j.X
Simple safejump. Manually timed; most players will microwalk to help time it. Omitting the microwalk can make it more ambiguous with the 2A Heat OS option below.
Immediate forward jump 2A Heat OS
Simple Heat OS. Beats 5F reversals with frame perfect landing 2A.
Neutral jump airdash left/right
One of the few mixup options from midscreen throw. Delay the airdash more or drift forward more for the crossup, and less for sameside. Meaty 2B is necessary from the crossup, and avoids some reversals. Meaty 2A can be used instead on the sameside and allows usage of Heat OS, but will whiff if you cross up when you didn't expect to.
5A (whiff) IAD j.X
6F safejump. Autotimed but vulnerable to 5F reversals.
Airthrow (Midscreen)
Airthrow > (delay) neutral jump > drift > 2A
Drift left/right. Requires a slight delay on the doublejump in order to cross up; needs good timing to cross up and beat wakeup mash.
Frame advantage is too low to cover fast reversals with Heat OS. Quite weak to Moon Drive.
Airthrow > doublejump crossup > airdash back > j.C
Delayed high option, useful from the above drift setup. Also possible (and easier) from doublejump forward, but weaker without the threat of the left/right.
Beats wakeup shield and causes most reversals to whiff. Also useful against throwtech attempts.
Airthrow (Corner)
Airthrow doublejump > late airdash jX
"Fake safejump". Beats most immediate invincible reversals and wakeup mash. Loses to heat and slow/manually delayed reversals, and is disadvantaged on Moon Drive. The opponent can also walk under you.
Airthrow (delay) superjump > jC jA / empty land 2A
Double overhead vs. empty low mixup. Unreactable and can't be fuzzy blocked, but can be fuzzy mashed. The high option is unsafe to most reversals. For the empty low option, if you do immediate superjump, you can be safe to fast reversals, but this can be a tell.
To beat fuzzy mash attempts, try late j.C or delay airdash. You can also choose to airdash cancel the j.C instead of doing a double overhead.
Airthrow (Corner Stolen)
Requires specific combo routing, (e.g. 2a > 2b > 5c > 4c > 214b, 236[a], 2c > 5b > 623aa > j.C > Airthrow), whereby you pull the opponent out of the corner with 236[A], create a variable amount of space by delaying the following moves, and then airthrow them back into the corner. Depending on the delay timings there can be enough space for you to sideswap and hit crossup, or no space so you hit same side.
After the airthrow, typically just doublejump or IAD forward and meaty 2a. Similar options to midscreen airthrow, except they won't know which way to block.
236BC
Forward jump j.C (whiff) > superjump j.X
Simple safejump, autotimed, works anywhere.
236C
Work in progress. Isn't usually a knockdown after optimized combos, but can be used for corner carry if you cut combos short.
