Melty Blood/MBTL/Kouma Kishima/Strategy

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Fundamental Strategy

Kouma is a grappler and also somewhat of a brawler in Type Lumina.

His main goal is to punish aggressive opponents and run his terrifying okizeme game. Kouma can kill in very few touches, and as such, making the right reads reward you heavily in your favor.

With all that said though, he has various problems in neutral, as expected for a character with poor range. Unlike Miyako and Arcueid, Kouma's air game runs into several problems: below average jump startup, slow airdashes, and he has the inability to cancel his air normals into other air normals, as well as not retaining air options after j.A. This makes "air blockstrings" out of the question for him, and his attempts at "air footsies" and overall air presence very committal. If Kouma whiffs an air button, he's essentially deadweight to whatever the opponent does next.

As such, he has to play a much more grounded game, fishing for the opponent's mistakes to get in. While he does have various armored tools (all charged C normals, 236[B], 236C, 22X), they can all be countered by a wary opponent, so do be careful when you put out your armored tools, as you can eat a big punish if they are used incorrectly.

If you do take the time to learn what to do, where to do it, and how to get in consistently, Kouma can be one of the scariest characters to fight in the entire game, as only a couple mistakes can lead to your opponent's death.

Neutral

Kouma's limited air options force him to play a much more grounded game than the rest of the cast. However, thanks to various sources of armor, excellent pokes, and a surplus of anti-airs, Kouma has a lot of potent neutral tools for a character who falls into the brawler/grappler archetype to compensate for his lack of more freeform air options.

Moves like j.[C], 3C, and 2C are all good neutral tools. At lower levels, j.[C] is a common jump-in option. However, active opponents will often try to interrupt it with super jump j.A, air throw, or simply run under Kouma and reposition. There are some options that Kouma has to call this out. Regardless, j.[C] truly shines as a neutral jump option to dissuade jump ins and run under attempts. When done from neutral jump the opponent reaches Kouma later and gives j.[C]'s armor more time to start. Additionally, j.[C]w is a popular option to whiff after IAD on landing into command grab or other offensive options. Mixing in whiffs and the actual hit itself are useful ways to play around shield RPS and add to the opponent's mental stack.

3C, 5C, and 2C are amazing grounded neutral pokes with good active frames and massive reach. Kouma can utilize these buttons to catch forward movement, or punish backdashes after a deep run. 2C in particular is great for catching stand shield and low profile attempts. 5C serves as one of the most effective counterpokes in the game due to its massive amount of active frames. Both are vulnerable to IADs, but 3C will stuff those when used well. Both options are vulnerable on whiff but their massive range will make punishment unlikely due to the ranges Kouma likes to start operating at. 2[C] is also a solid callout option given its immense hitbox and armor. This is more useful against passive opponents as a way of pushing them towards the corner at the risk of eating one of Kouma's best starters.

Kouma's specials can also serve as potent neutral tools to contribute to his more defensive style of play. Kouma's rekkas can be used as low commitment defensive pokes to stop more aggressive opponents trying to approach him from the ground, with plenty of cancel options on whiff or block to cover or press his turn. 6BC serves as a terrifying option to chase backdashes due to its speed, range, and reward

When the opponent wants to start taking to the air to either escape Kouma's grounded game or engage him with their air options, he is well equipped to stuff more direct approaches. Despite its short horizontal range, 2B's massive vertical hitbox combined with its air invulnerable properties, fast startup, and active frames makes it one of his best reactive anti airs (as well as one of his most rewarding ones). 3C also serves as a nice way to catch people in the air due to its massive range, forward movement, and air invulnerability. 22A and 22B can also serve as effective anti-airs due to their tall hitboxes, frame 8 armor, and ability to cover the blindspots of every one of Kouma's other anti airs, with a variety of cancel options on whiff to punish opponents attempting to whiff punish them. Good utilization of these should make Kouma an extremely difficult character to approach from the air

In the air, Kouma is very limited by his mechanics. Whiffing an air throw or air normal leaves Kouma dead weight in the air. He loses all options (including air movement) except for Moon Drive, j.6BC, and his 236X specials after recovery. Moon Drive can save Kouma in some situations because it restores Kouma's air options, but it is quite pricy. His air buttons also don't have good backwards hitboxes. This makes it is very beneficial for the opponent to run under him. j.6BC can be used as a niche option in the air to either escape these situations, leave the corner or catch people trying to j.A him. This option is niche because it's usually unsafe on block and has long recovery on whiff. This all makes it terrifying for Kouma to whiff an air button in many circumstances.

However, it would be good to not underestimate Kouma's overall air presence because his air options have massive reward on hit as well as amazing properties, hitboxes, and active frames. j.B is a strong counterpoke against opponents trying to directly contest Kouma in the air due to its speed, hitbox, and active frames, and j.C with its charged counterpart is inarguably of the best pre-emptive counterpokes and jump-ins available to any character in the game due to its size, reward, and active frames. Kouma players should familiarize themselves with the character's air options to properly capitalize on Melty's freeform air movement during neutral

Offense

Blockstrings & Pressure

Kouma has very suffocating blockstrings and pressure at his disposal thanks to his strong, forward moving normals and great stagger potential thanks to 2[C] and 5[C], making it easy for him to create frametraps. Additionally, if he connects with the tip of 2C/5C, Kouma can continue his pressure using his drastically forward moving Rapid Beat series into a special of his choice.

2[C] is a great button to cancel into as Kouma will usually be fully armored once the opponent is able to act, moving Kouma close to the opponent and also generally punishing any mashing attempts.

5[C] is also almost fully armored when cancelled into and is used as a hard call-out against very defensive opponents. Do mind that unless your back is close to the corner this will result in a neutral reset.

214A is a pretty fundamental pillar of Kouma's pressure, as it grants him access to his powerful okizeme. Ways to land this move during pressure include a simple rebeat into dashing up to your opponent or using 22B.

214B, the alternative version of 214A, can be used a lot more ambiguously. Thanks to the delay, you can cancel directly into it after a normal, with Kouma usually being armored once the opponent is out of blockstun, allowing him to ignore mashing as a threat. Unfortunately, 214B's extra range is not the longest, so Kouma will have to 214B very early into a blockstring to avoid being out of range. Midscreen Kouma usually can only get away with a few A buttons before getting pushed out of range. In corner, since the opponent can no longer get pushed out however, this move can be used surprisingly late, especially when used in combination with forward moving normals like Rapid Beat 1.

236A/B~X~4X, Kouma's rekka, mostly sees use when hitting buttons from further ranges, like after a far-range 3C block. Since Rekka 3 is always an overhead, there is very little mix to be had here other than staggering your timing to catch a button - but a patient opponent can just block the whole thing or backdash out with very little risk. If your opponent tries to shield, you can simply not go into the rest of the rekka and punish the shield attempt. Make sure to hold 4 during the final rekka to be safe on block - your pressure will usually end here if the opponent is aware that you are -4. If you have the resources to spare you can use j236C after the final rekka to make it safe and continue your pressure thanks to the plus frames, or you can MD to create an ambiguous high/low 50/50.

236[B] can also be used in those long-range block scenarios after 3C to frame trap and stay safe. However, this button shines the most in corner, where it can be outright suffocating. Cancelling into this generally leaves a very small gap for your opponent to act in which Kouma is fully armored, blowing up any challenge attempts unless they are invulnerable. If the opponent blocks it, they will perform a slight hop on the ground, putting them airborne. If they jump out of this state, Kouma will be left -4 but the opponent without a double jump in the air. If they do that, Kouma will be able to deal with most things they can throw at him by simply doing 5A > 3C. If they land, Kouma will be left very close to the opponent +0. At this range you can continue your pressure with the usual 5A/2A buttons (which will clash if the opponent also has 5f 5A/2A buttons!) or straight up grab them with 214A as long as you perform a microwalk before going for it. Due to the fact that your opponent is in the air for 4 frames, you can even technically 214C right after you become actionable which will call-out any challenge/shield attempts and grab them, since throw-invul will have run out the moment 214C's grab box appears. Do note that Button > 236[B] will always leave room for the opponent to shield it, so don't get too predictable!

4BC can be cancelled into at any range thanks to the dash-up of the move, but due to its slow speed must be enjoyed with care. Generally, just a rare mixup to exploit the mental stack.

2BC/6BC both have overhead attacks to their moves, but these come out very late into the move. Similarly to 4BC, can be used to catch opponents off-guard not expecting the option, but not reliable.

22X Series in Pressure

This special is so important to Kouma's pressure game that it gets its own section.

22A

22A is a mid range hitting move which will "end" whatever blockstring you are running in Kouma's favor with a single plus frame. While this sounds insignificant, 22A after a common blockstring will usually leave the opponent at a range Kouma's C normals work very well at, while avoiding some counterattacks. This enables a sort of RPS situation, usually in favor of Kouma if the opponent is trying to be offensive. Here are a few things Kouma can do after it:

5C/2C will leave an 8/9 frame gap for the opponent to act and will beat any buttons slower than that. If the opponent continues to block, Kouma can just go into the Rapid Beat string into another 22A into the same exact situation. Do note that depending on the range, performing 2C after that will not cancel into 5C due to the 5C whiffing. But 5C > 2C will always work. 5C will deal with low shield with the special fail state while 2C will blow up high shield.

Below is a table of buttons that win against Kouma 5C after 22A when used at mid-high spacing (e.g. after a long blockstring or long range 3C hit). Entries in Italic merely clash and do not straight up beat 5C.

Shiki Arceuid Akiha Ciel Hisui Kohaku Miyako Kouma Noel Roa Vlov Red Arc Saber DAN Aoko P. Ciel Mario Neco Mash Dantes Ushi
5B, 2B, 2C 2B 5B, 2B, 5C 5B, 2B, 2C 5B, 2B 5C, 2B 5B, 2B, 2C 2B 2B 2B None 2B, 2C 5B, 2B 5B, 2B 5B, 2C 2B 5B 5B, 2C 5B 2B 5B, 2B

3C will catch any jump-out attempts with ease thanks to its insane forward movement - capitalizing on the instinctual pressure-escape response of a lot of players.

2[C] can be used to, funnily enough, beat the couple of moves which would beat 5C thanks to Kouma typically standing outside range. Exceptions apply mostly to god-buttons such as Shiki 2C, which will hit still hit Kouma.

22A/B after 22A funnily enough will beat moves like Shiki 2C due to the armor starting frame 8 (so, frame 7 in this situation). Will also catch other mashing. Reward is not the highest since you can't convert off it and it will completely whiff on people doing anything other than pressing an offensive button, but it's there.

IAD/j9 j6BC will avoid low-profile counterpokes that still beat Kouma at the usual range such as the previously mentioned Shiki 2C, while also letting Kouma perform an overhead (does not apply to j6BC). Somewhat high risk due to how much it leaves Kouma open but a mixup is a mixup.

Neutral/Forward jump is a very safe option which, while not immediately posing a threat, gives Kouma time to check his opponent while avoiding most grounded counterattacks. He can then land with a jC for an overhead, empty jump to catch opponents off guard and do the usual things after. A forward jump will even let him catch backdashes depending on the backdash and your reaction time!

22B

22B looks and functions identically to 22A with the exception that is has Kouma perform an armored dash to his opponent, with him being -3 upon being actionable. While it is reactable, in the heat of a match, differentiating between 22A and 22B can be surprisingly difficult, which can allow Kouma to cancel into it instead of 22A to go for additional options such as 214A or even just a simple 2A/5A to catch someone pressing in anticipation of 22A. While it definitely is not a common option since if the opponent is able to tell it was 22B, they will simply be able to take their turn due to the 3 plus frames, even just having to keep track of that option can benefit Kouma in his other mixups.

22C

The infamous armor install. The way you enter it safely from a blockstring is by cancelling 22A into it. After that, you will be +0. Usage outside the corner will typically result in the opponent backdashing and playing keepaway in the air, exploiting Kouma's subpar air-game. A different story is told in corner, in which 22C becomes one of Kouma's best tools. With armor up, Kouma can afford to play a significantly more reckless pressure game, taking risks he usually couldn't afford otherwise such as more generous rebeat resets and grab attempts. One of the strongest things Kouma can do during this state is straight up just run up and press 5A, as it will catch jump-outs and still be low-commitment, allowing him to shield heat attempts. If you have the meter to spare and the opponent is close to the corner or straight up in the corner, entering 22C is almost never a bad use of meter and should be considered second-nature.

Okizeme

One of Kouma's particularly strong points in his close-range game is his okizeme potential. He has numerous combo enders that give him lengthy knockdowns to perform okizeme, and just as many if not more setups to establish offense relatively safely, and pursue mix-ups once the opponent has been conditioned to stave off using riskier defensive options on wake-up.

Kouma Knockdown Advantages

Move Advantage
214A/B +65
214C +55
236BC +65
214A/B~236C +66
Ground Throw +55
Air Throw +20~
4BC +65
623C +66
j236C +91 (TK)
ABCD +52

Common Frame Kills & Misc. Durations

Action Duration
5A(wc) -9
5A -17
2B -26
Moon Charge -23
Jump -42
Super Jump -43
Instant Air Dash -38
Heat -56
Charged Heat -71
22C -53

Advantage on Opponent Tech/No Tech

Action Advantage
22C > No Tech +38
22C > Neutral Tech +15
22C > Forward Tech +22
22C > Backwards Tech +20
(Charged) Heat > No Tech +23
(Charged) Heat > Neutral Tech -2
(Charged) Heat > Forward Tech +5
(Charged) Heat > Backwards Tech +3


Preface: 2A > Shield OS

A variety of Kouma's setups have him attack the opponent with 2A on their wakeup. For these, it can be useful to know the 2A > Shield OS. When you land, your 2A should hit meaty, and 2A is cancellable into anything on whiff, so if the opponent chooses to do an invincible reversal or Heat activation on wake-up, you can cancel a whiffing 2A into a Crouching Shield, shield the counter-attack, and punish. The input is simple: 2A~2D~2A. You can perform any other button instead of a second 2A, too.

- If the opponent got hit by or blocks: You get 2AA on hit/block and can start pressure/go into a combo.

- If the opponent chose to DP, normal Heat or activates Moon Drive: You get a shield.

This OS gets blown up by the charged version of Heat and isn't mandatory to know by any means, but it helps.

214A

All setups are performed immediately, unless stated otherwise.

A large majority of the time, Kouma begins to approach okizeme after a 214A combo ender, as it grants him the longest and cheapest Hard Knockdown that also leaves the opponent the closest to him, allowing for the largest variety of setups. Below are a variety of setups Kouma may perform after a 214A knockdown, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.

Super Jump 44:

Easy to execute Safejump with limited mixup potential - great for beginners

Super Jump > Delay > 44 (Air Backdash) > jC

Easy to execute Safejump. A great pick for beginners.

How to perform:

  1. Land 214A
  2. Super Jump (any downards input > any upwards input)
  3. Delay until Kouma has jumped a certain distance past the opponent - Delay slightly longer to land behind the opponent
  4. Air Backdash (44, or 4 and Dash Macro)
  5. jC

This is a simple safejump. As such, it hits players performing non-defensive actions on wakeup as it hits on their first actionable frame and allows Kouma to land and block safely in case they respond with an invulnerable move, like a DP. You will have to hold back on landing for a few frames though, so make sure to input your 2A upon landing after a slight delay and by inputting 1A instead. As a simple mixup, Kouma can delay the air backdash a bit longer and land behind the opponent. This will make the overhead jC whiff, but allows you to strike from behind them, which might catch them off guard. Alternatively Kouma can hold jC (j[C]) to not hit overhead, then strike with a low.

Unfortunately all of these mixup options are heavily vulnerable to fuzzy mashing, a technique in which an opponent delays their mashing so it only comes out if they don't block anything on their wakeup. VS. opponents that know this popular technique, any mixup attempts of this setup will get Kouma punished or force him to block, as he is negative upon landing. While Kouma can use the additional jump to punish this behavior, the position at which he'd want to jump can be quite awkward. Nevertheless, this setup is still efficient against low to mid level players and will get you far if you are a beginner.

Video with more details: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBpkMHyWTFY

Corner Super Jump Double Jump:

Easy safejump for when the knockdown happens in the corner

Super Jump > Delay > Jump > jC

Easy to execute Safejump corner edition.

How to perform:

  1. Land 214A
  2. Super Jump (any downards input > any upwards input)
  3. Delay for a few frames.
  4. Jump again. (Can be super double jump depending on what timing you fancy)
  5. jC

Simple safejump for the corner while offering mixup potential in being able to airdash instead of jC. 100% manually timed, but generous window due to how fast Kouma drops down.

2B Framekill Safejump:

Another Easy to execute Safejump with limited mixup potential - also great for beginners

2B (whiff), 9 > j.C > D~2A

This is Kouma's easiest and most basic safejump setup; a setup in which he can establish offense, but at the same time will be safe to wake-up reversal attacks unlike regular, untimed meaty attacks. The 2B works as a "frame-kill", to perfectly time your jump so that the falling aerial will land in time to be safe. This works both midscreen and in the corner.

- If the oppponent blocks on wakeup, the j.C will allow for pressure afterward as Kouma will be plus on block.

- If the opponent blocks incorrectly, tries to jump, or attempts to mash buttons, they will get hit and Kouma can proceed into a combo.

- If the opponent attempts an invincible reversal attack or Heat activation, the j.C will whiff, and Kouma will land in time to block it or Shield it, and proceed with a punish.

This kind of setup is particularly strong and valuable to conditioning the opponent, as it influences them to block on wake-up rather than attempt to challenge you. This establishes Layer 1 of okizeme conditioning.

Once the opponent gets into the habit of simply blocking the safejump instead of contesting you with mashing or invincible reversals, you can add additional mix-up options to this:

- 2B (whiff) > 9 > late airdash j.C will result in a delayed overhead that will hit an opponent expecting to block a basic high to low mixup from the average safejump j.C > follow-up 2A.

- Immediate 9 jump > 9A+B (after crossing over) > j.C will result in an IAD back to the opponent after crossing to the other side of them, giving you a cross-up overhead that will hit an opponent expecting a regular 3-way styled mix-up. Particularly tricky as cross-up overheads are not very common in Melty Blood.

Note that neither of these mix-ups recover in time to block any retaliation, AND they may not hit meaty, thus they can get disrespected by an opponent mashing buttons or performing invincible reversals, and so it is important that you condition your opponent to block safe-jumps first before you can start going into this risky mix-up territory.

Video of the 214A safejump: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBHDXANekxw

Whiff 5A Left/Right

Ambiguous 50/50 with great mixup potential, but not a safejump

5A (Whiff) > (Optional Microwalk) > 9 > 2A

, Practically unreactable and "invisible" Left/Right in which your opponent has to guess which side to block on their wakeup.

How to perform:

  1. Land 214A
  2. Press 5A right after
  3. To land in front of them, simply hold 9 (Diagonal jump forwards) during the 5A, which will make you jump forwards as soon as the 5A is over
  4. To land behind them, perform a "Microwalk" before Step 3: hold 6 (forwards) for longer than 1 frame.
  5. Once you have landed, press 2A to hit them on their wakeup.

The core advantage of this setup is that it's relatively simple to perform, has a decently large margin of error and is very effective at what it does. If the opponent wants to block, they are essentially forced to flip a coin which way you will land. The counterplay the opponent has is performing low shield, which will automatically block the right direction, performing a DP since this isn't a safejump, Moon-Drive Activation and Heat.

  • Low shield can be worked around by airdashing or double jumping instead of landing, since Kouma still has all of his air options available to him.
  • Most DPs follow a 623 input, which means that if they want to perform a DP, they will still have to guess which side to input it, making this option much less effective than you'd think. The exceptions are 22X DPs, however Kouma can simply block them or perform the 2A > Shield OS.
  • Heat can be dealt with using the same Option Select mentioned above.

Misc. Information:

  • If you land same-side (aka don't perform a microwalk), you are +6 with perfect execution.
    • If you then also input a j.A the moment you jump, you will be +5 upon landing (Because you spend 1 frame less in the air due to j.A changing air trajectory, but experience 2 frames of landing lag, so +6 - 2 + 1 = +5!
    • This is the exact timing needed to perfect meaty with a landing 2A, allowing you to OS even 5frame EX DPs.
  • If you cross-up, you are +4 with perfect execution.
  • In other words, to beat an opponent mashing you have 6 frames of wiggle room for same-side, and 4 frames for the cross-up, making the margin of error for this setup pretty workable.

The "Wellington" Mixup:

Alternative ambigious left/right setup with more flexibility

8 > optional drift forwards with 6 > delay > 9 > 2A

,

The lovingly called "Wellington" is another 50/50 in the form of a left/right mixup.

How to perform:

  1. Land 214A
  2. Hold 8 during 214A to jump as early as possible
  3. To land in front of them, delay for a bit
  4. To land behind them, hold forward (6) for a few frames while you delay to drift forwards a tiny bit
  5. Input diagonally upwards (9) to perform a double jump
  6. Depending on if you have drifted or not, you will have landed either in front or behind of them
  7. Press 2A to attack on their wakeup

The strength of this mixup over the aforementioned 50/50 is the fact that you can smoothly turn this one into a safejump by not drifting at all, delaying for a bit longer than usual and pressing jC during your descent after the forwards double jump. The ability to smoothly transition between L/R and safejump is fairly powerful, but the main downside of this setup is that due to the way drifting works in this game and how hard it is to not accidentally perform extra directional inputs with a stick (though this downside is nonexistant on stickless controllers) the results and the frame advantage you end up with might vary wildly, which makes landing in time for the 2A > Shield OS difficult.


Rekka Oki:

Unreactable high/low using the Rekka Series

5A > 236A > Delay > (4)A > Variable Delay > 4A/2A

Unreactable High/Low exploiting the fact that the second Rekka allows you to cancel it very late.

How to perform:

  1. Land 214A
  2. Whiff 5A
  3. Whiff Cancel the 5A into 236A
  4. Delay for a short amount of time
  5. Perform the second rekka part by pressing A. Depending on your comfortable timing, 4A can also be used for the 2 frames of less recovery.
  6. Delay for a short amount of time
  7. Either delay even further, then press 2A to hit them on their wakeup, or stop delaying and input 4A to input the rekka, hitting them with an overhead.

Situation setup with very tricky and variable timing, however if you get it down it can become a very powerful tool in Kouma's toolbox, as an unreactable high/low is about as close to a valid 50/50 you get. The problem is consistency with this setup, as there are tons of points you will need to hit "just right" to hit the optimal timing. However, even if you are off with your inputs, it can still be enough to finish off a round. It should also be noted that this setup will lose to any DP/Heat unless you input it perfectly (e.g. with enough time to do the 2A OS). If you decide to go for the overhead, you will lose to heat/DP either way. You will also need to spend resources and either MD or j236C to convert off the third rekka hit if you do hit it.

Dash Momentum Mix:

66 > 8(~6) > j.[C] (land cancel) > 2A or j.[C] (timed to hit)

Another tricky mixup, this time involving dash momentum and the ability to alter the trajectory of neutral jumps. After a 214A knockdown, run up closer to your downed opponent and neutral jump. Your dash momentum should still move you forward a bit off of this jump, and paired with Kouma's j.[C] animation makes it hard to tell which side you will land on, and by using this fact, you have options:

- 66 > 8~6 at the apex of your jump > immediately start pressing j.[C] after tapping [6] > land 2A will drift you forward just enough to result in a cross-up low that's hard to see.

- 66 > 8 > j.[C] > land 2A results in a same-side low to trip up an opponent expecting a cross-up low, as cross-up drift mixups are common and thus somewhat anticipated.

- 66 > delay 8 > j.[C] results in a same-side high to throw off an opponent anticipating blocking or shielding the basic left/right 2A.

You can also layer this setup with the aforementioned 2A > Shield OS.

Video example of this okizeme setup: https://twitter.com/fabiastr/status/1444671055998726144

Air Throw

Kouma does not have any particularly easy to execute and/or consistent and strong setups off Air Throw, and generally prefers to end his strings in the much more powerful 214A/214C enders. With specific timing however, he can get a fairly strong safejump off, specifically off Rapid Beat 2, the Autocombo Launcher.

Rapid Beat 2 Air Throw Safejump:

Safejump with tricky timing

5A > 236A > Delay > (4)A > Variable Delay > 4A/2A

Roughly where you should doublejump after an airthrow in order to get a safejump

Safejump off Rapid Beat 2 into Air Throw.

How to perform:

  1. Perform Rapid Beat 2
  2. Immediately hit j.B
  3. Slight Delay
  4. Airthrow
  5. Perform a jump roughly at the height of where the "HIT" text in the UI appears
  6. Input an air button off your choice, such as j.B

Difficult to time, but can become doable with enough practice. Generally not recommended over the likes of 214A/214C but in specific situations, can win a round.

Videos: https://twitter.com/MBTL15/status/1580213577377468416, https://twitter.com/MBTL15/status/1580319823384301568

214C/Ground Throw

214C and Ground Throw both get to typically make use of the same setups because they are both +55 on hit, although 214C has you standing much further away than Ground Throw.

9 IAD Safejump:

Easy and consistent safejump with some mix potential

9 > Instant Air Dash > Delay > 8 > Drift Forwards (Hold 6) > jC

Easy to execute safejump off Kouma's most popular EX Ender.

How to perform:

  1. Land 214C/Ground Throw
  2. Hold 9
  3. Buffer the Instant Air Dash by either inputting 66 or simply doing 6 and the Dash Macro
  4. Delay until roughly half of Kouma's airdash has passed
  5. Perform a neutral jump (8)
  6. Drift forwards
  7. jC

It's a safejump with the usual safejump strengths. While the jump out of the Air Dash is manually timed, the initial jump and IAD has a very generous input window, especially with the jump forwards (9) being automatically input ASAP by holding it. Limited mix potential, but you can jump out of the air dash early to vary your timing and instead go for a meaty 2A/mess with fuzzy mashers, but that timing can be a bit difficult/inconsistent. When performed off Ground Throw, you will cross up during the Instant Air Dash. Skip the Drift in that case.

This safejump also works if the opponent is in the corner. Same timing.

Superjump 8 Safejump:

Slightly less easy safejump with a bit more mix potential

Superjump > Delay > 8 > jC

Another safejump, this time Kouma keeps the airdash option for some extra mix potential.

How to perform:

  1. Land 214C/Ground Throw
  2. Superjump
  3. Delay
  4. Perform a neutral jump (8)
  5. jC

For Ground Throw, the timing for the neutral jump is just when you are about to cross-up. Can bit a bit finnicky to input and get used to, but the extra air option does come in handy for mixups.

Rekka Oki:

The famous high/low now for your +55 enders

236B > Delay > (4)B > Variable Delay > 4B/2A

Check the 214A variant of this oki for more info. It's the exact same idea, with the same downsides and upsides. You just use 236B this time to close the distance 214C leaves, and also skip the first 5A because you don't need the extra time delay.

4BC

In the rare case that you tick throw someone midscreen with 4BC, you can get some safejumps off of it. Due to the distance created by the move, it cannot allow for a L/R as of writing.

IAD Superjump Safejump:

Manual safejump off Kouma's most underused moon skill.

Safejump off 4BC midscreen

How to perform:

  1. Land 4BC midscreen
  2. Buffer the IAD by holding 9 and pressing the dash macro or pressing 99
  3. Perform a super jump (28) just slightly after you are actionable from airdash (6-7 frames)
  4. Press a jump button of choice (B or C)

It's a simple safejump that's manually timed, but fairly easy to get. Easy to practice and get consistent, and realistically no different from the other safejump.

Forward jump Superjump Safejump:

Manual safejump off Kouma's most underused moon skill v2.

Safejump off 4BC midscreen v2

How to perform:

  1. Land 4BC midscreen
  2. Buffer a forward jump (9)
  3. Perform a superjump (28) and around the peak of Kouma's jump (12 frames)
  4. Press a jump button of choice (B or C)

Another manually timed safejump. Tighter due to the one frame window but can still be manageable and practiced consistently.

Miscellaneous

Of course, you can do other stuff than just go for a safejump or L/R setup - such as using Resources to gain an additional advantage.

22B Moon Drive Oki:

Powerful Okizeme to "Checkmate" just about anything at the cost of activating Moon Drive

Framekill > 22B > MDA > React

Powerful Setup at the cost of the expensive Moon Drive Activation.

How to perform:

  1. Land some kind of knockdown
  2. Perform an appropriate frame kill
  3. 22B
  4. Immediately cancel into Moon Drive
  5. React to what your opponent did, and perform your next action accordingly

The idea behind this setup is that, because 22X is a unique projectile, Kouma is allowed to cancel 22A/22B into MD/EX on frame 8 - 2 frames before the actual hitbox comes out. This means Kouma can enter Moon Drive while a hitbox is covering him. Combined with the Screen Freeze and the fact that a Moon Drive cancelled 22B is incredibly + on block, Kouma will either punish his opponent's option or will be allowed to run his powerful pressure.

Example framekills to get the timing include 5A > 9 > jA after 214A, Microwalk backwards > Heat after 214A and 236B~B after 214C.

  • Ideally, you will want to start entering Moon Drive on frame 5 of your opponent's wakeup - any later, and you run the risk of getting EX DP'd.
  • This means you will hit your opponent from frame 7-10 and become actionable on frame 10, and that you will want to input the 22B > MD when you are +3.
  • You do not have to be precise however, this setup works even if you fumble the timing a bit.
  • Due to how 22B Armor works, the Armor granted by 22B will carry over after Kouma has activated MD for a few frames, weighing things even more into his favor.
  • Additionally, Moon Drive Activation will prevent the opponent from performing any shield follow-ups due to internal game workings - which means the only shield follow-ups they can perform have to be immediate.
  • All of these properties mean that, if you act accordingly, it is impossible for the opponent to avoid getting hit. Hence it was coined the "Checkmate Oki"

Options covered:

  • Mashing/Hit: Convert into a powerful Counterhit Combo.
  • Blocking: Run a mixup with the +30 frames given to you. These are enough for a simple 50/50 with an IAD, or go for the 5[C] unblockable.
  • Heat, Charged Heat: React to the fairly obvious Activation animation with, for example, Shield, and punish accordingly.
  • DP/EX DP: Same as Heat, Shield it. For the non-EX DPs you can even fumble it and not shield at all, the residual Armor of 22B will protect you and allow you to punish.
  • Counter MD: With proper timing, the hitbox of 22B will continue to linger after they leave MD, which means they will have to perform some kind of action that makes them deal with a hitbox. And even if you fumble the timing, residual armor is still a thing, which means Opponents mashing or attacking after their MD will be stonewalled by the remaining Armor, allowing you to e.g. go for a grab or delay your strike in anticipation of a reversal.
  • Moon Skill Clash: React to the Clash with a Shield. Once again - residual armor is there too, which means you can straight up just eat the Moon Skill and then punish it.
  • Shield: Because you enter MD during shield freeze, you are fully actionable, thus you can react to what happens during the freeze. The opponent must input the shield followup immediately, or else MDA will lock them out of followups.
    • A Counter: Block and punish (2B) or clash with a Moon Skill (not guaranteed?)
    • B Counter: 2B/2BC and punish
    • BC Counter: Reshield, then B+C yourself - true punish.
    • No followup: As mentioned above, if they do not input a followup before MDA, they will still be shielding during actionable frames and are vulnerable to 214C or Arc Drive.
  • Backdash: React with a Backdash catching move, like 6BC.

Options not covered:

  • Wakeup EX Grabs, Arc Drive Grabs: Moon Drive Activation is completely grabbable, which means they will just grab you out of it. In an ironic twist of fate, the biggest counter to this setup is Kouma himself.

22C Oki:

The Kouma Corner Pressure Classic

22C

The Kouma Special, especially for the corner.

How to perform:

  1. Land any Knockdown
  2. 22C

22C's lengthy startup means very little when you perform it after one of Kouma's long knockdowns. Particularly powerful in corner, being fully armored as your opponent wakes up is a powerful position to be in which will naturally cause opponents to try to either break your Armor or run away. Performing this midscreen isn't recommended - Opponents will typically be able to exploit Kouma's below-average speed and simply play keepaway as Kouma struggles to catch them while armored.

Often just doing 22C and just standing there is enough to cause opponents to either wake up with Heat or an EX DP - both things you will be easily able to punish as you are just standing there. Once opponents stop doing this, they will typically try to jump out of corner to escape - which you can catch with an airgrab or one of Kouma's fantastic anti airs. If your opponent is particularly defensive you can run your armored pressure blockstrings and go for daring mixups which would usually be vulnerable to mashing.

A core pillar of Kouma's gameplan and great use of meter.

Defense

General Defense

Kouma arguably has the best defensive options in the game. Between having armor on some of his moves, the ability give himself armor on demand, and having unique answers to frametrap and pressure reset situations, Kouma can defend against just about any kind of offense in this game if he feels like it, especially with his metered options.

Abare

Kouma has good Abare options in the form of 5A and 2A, both being 5 frame startup. Both have small range, so it's really good when the opponent is next to you. Another option is 2B, due to it being 7 frames of startup and covering a good angle if they decide to do an IAD. The recovery is longer, however, so your opponent could punish you if you use it incorrectly. Kouma also has access to 214A, his 6 frame command grab. If the opponent goes for a regular throw, you can retaliate with 214A due to it's throw invincibility. This is very niche, unfortunately, and it will usually work once against a competent opponent.

236C

This move, whilst technically not being a true reversal, has frame three armor. This allows you to blow through many projectiles and frametraps, and can even catch redashes if you have a keen eye. It's relatively safe on block as well, pushing the opponent backwards to a range where both of you are forced to return to neutral. On whiff, this can be easily punished due to the high recovery, but don't discount what it does, this is still an option that you have to escape pressure sequences from time to time.

623B

A fully invuln DP is always nice in a kit, but on a grappler is a little crazy. Solid use of this will force respect from an opponent's offense even when Kouma doesn't have resources to use. This DP with Kouma's 5F jabs enable him to play into the standard mash > block > reversal wakeup RPS at all times. On top of all of this, Kouma can combo from DP with j.236C into a hard knockdown. A basic confirm with this is 623B~B > j.236C > dash > C autocombo.

623C

623C's main benefits are its ability to armor break, increased damage, and hard knockdown. It's usually more efficient to just use 623B, but if you are in a pinch, this is a okay option. It's worth noting that this can escape some setups, most notably Akiha's Throw > 236C setup.

22C vs 214C

22C and 214C are great reversal options on their own, but together make for disgusting defensive RPS. Simply put, 22C and 214C often force the opponent to guess between using an OS into shield or air options. Shield blows up 22C attempts, but will lose hard to 214C reversals. It should be noted that characters like Akiha can safely avoid this RPS by spending meter. For example, Akiha can simply throw > 236C, and the EX ring will Armor break 22C attempts while keeping her safe from 214C.

236BC

As a defensive option, Arc Drive is a better version of 214C. Up close it hits on Frame 1, it travels farther, and has more invuln. Used well, this will force the opponent to play a very safe offense whenever it's available. This will blow up many frame trap attempts that 214C fails to cover, while doing great damage.

Defense on Wake-up

With meter, Kouma has several ways to beat tradtiional safejumps, especially with 236BC and 214C. Kouma still has to respect opponents faking out safe jumps and general setplay. Rather than using his wakeup reversal options all of the time, it's important to *show* many of them to get respect from your opponent. If done well the opponent will use less tricky mixups and more noncommittal pressure. This all translates to Kouma getting more chances to escape to neutral or steal his turn.


Tips, Tricks, & Miscellaneous Information

Armor-Breaking Moves

To offset the buffs to Kouma's armor, there are now numerous methods of immediately breaking his armor. Versus your armored normals and specials, moves that "Armor Break" will do just that; it'll ignore his armor and Kouma will be affected as if it were a normal hit, and if Kouma has his 22C armor buff active, it will both do that AND get rid of his remaining duration of armor. Here's a list of moves that have "Armor Break" properties:

  • All Shield follow-ups (Counter, Crossup, Lunge)
  • Heat Activation (Both raw or Guard Cancel)
  • All throws (Ground, Aerial, Command)
  • All EX Edge specials
  • All Arc Drives
  • All Last Arcs
  • Shiki 5[C] (lol)

As you can see, opponents with meter have numerous options to break your armor, so be wary in such situations.

5[C] Unblockable Setup

Kouma can get a guaranteed setup into an unblockable 5[C] by using his resources. The notation is:

(Blockstring) > 22A > (MD) > 5[C].

The Moon Drive cancel must be immediately after 22A is blocked, and the 5[C] afterward must also be immediate, but both have a long buffer window in these situations so this setup is actually very, very easy. As a result, you opponent will be hit by 5[C] while they are still forced into blocking due to blockstun, making it conventionally inescapable. Since the opponent can be kept in constant blockstun into 22A to perform the unblockable setup, this means that the only way out of such a setup after blocking a Kouma is a Guard Cancel Heat.

Due to costing your Moon Gauge to perform, and the relatively low damage of 5[C], this unblockable setup is not very common or impressive, but you CAN pull a full combo off of 5[C] if your back is to the corner and with specific positioning, making the reward greater if that condition is met too. In either situation, it's good for closing out rounds as it can very well be a checkmate situation.

Fighting Kouma

Kouma is an intimidating character to fight for a variety of reasons for every character in the roster (including himself!)

Despite his limitations he's a very flexible character with tons of unique options in every gamestate that everyone has to look out for

Armor Armor Armor (How can you beat it)

Armor is one of Kouma's strongest attributes and he has a lot of it. 22C is one of the most terrifying moves in the game at every level of play. Learning what options can neutralize or beat it outright is key to having a fighting chance against him

Universal Options:

  • Heat Activation
  • Shield Counters
  • Throws
  • EX Moves

The effectiveness of EX Moves will vary wildly between character to character, its important to lab what ranges they're effective at and what situations they're needed for.

Typically EX DPs will service as a way to preemptively or reactively punish certain commitments Kouma makes during his armored state

EX projectiles are a great way to punish attempts to activate armor from longer distances


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