Melty Blood/MBTL/Mash Kyrielight/Strategy
| 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. |
Gameplay Overview
Mash will primarily be fighting at close and mid-range, so as a Mash player you'll need to be comfortable there. Pokes and rushdown both are a valid part of Mash's kit and should be applied liberally, but have to be exercised a bit more carefully due to whiffs being extremely brutal for her and her normals being a bit on the slow side; however, the ground that her moves can cover and the space they challenge within her range means that having good awareness of what to use when will allow you to get some spectacular punishes. The main thing to avoid with Mash, in general, is being too predictable, which can be kind of challenging if the opponent has a good read on how to keep you out of your optimal distance.
Neutral
Mash is a balanced character who wants to leverage her big shield normals and forward moving specials for approaching and cornering her opponent. Though she has several tools to force her way in, you must be careful about doing so recklessly and without a real game plan. Unlike a lot of the cast, Mash does not have strong air normals to contest the air space above her. So instead focus on staying grounded and covering your opponent's landing positions instead of taking into the air. Maintaining a good defense and using your pokes and anti-airs to stuff approaches is another way to score hits versus very aggressive characters.
You will notice very quickly that Mash has a limited selection of tools against zoner characters. Focus on using shield to build MD and BC follow up to approach when needed. As per most characters, dash blocking is a good way to safely approach and reposition yourself.
Normals
Mash's main pokes are her crouching normals and 5C. 5[C] is notable as it crushes low shield, as the rest of her pokes lose to it. 2A is her fastest and safest approach option as 5A is her best rebeat option in strings. 2B is an intermediate between 2A and her C buttons, sporting good reach for its speed. 5B has short reach but is very tall, making it an excellent dash-under anti-air.
In the air, j.B is her best air-to-air due to its long active time and having the most horizontal reach, while j.A has good downward reach and j.C is a huge button for crossups. Mash is best in the air when her opponent is on the ground.
Special Moves
- Mash's 236X moves are the (charging) star of her neutral game. She can use them to suddenly change her position due to their speed, which is great for catching landings after opponents have expended their air options. It's also not too bad on block, as 236A and 236B can be 0 on block at max range. 236[B] having clash frames on frame 12 onwards is particularly nice for Mash, and can also be whiff cancelled due to being a special move, letting her potentially air-unblockable an opponent above her. Opponents who are aware of the clash frames can still respond even if the clash is triggered as it follows the same rules as any other clash interaction in the game. Your opponent may cancel into any special move or EX, jump cancel, or activate MD to save themselves and potentially punish you. This can be particularly dangerous if your opponent has fast reversal options that can cleanly beat 236[B] before Mash is able to cancel into her own EX or Moon Drive.
- 214X has interesting uses as a potential low crush option for people trying to poke with low attacks in neutral. It also functions as a semi-antiair which can cover opponents trying to super jump at you or floating around at normal jump heights. It's particularly good against call out against people who try to jump out of your grounded pressure.
- For zoning, Her 22X are decent against characters that lack projectiles or ranged options, but they are limited in effectiveness vs characters with stronger projectile options (ex. Vlov, Ciel). Reward is also questionable on hit as it's difficult to confirm off the wave from fullscreen. IF your opponent is near the corner however, they will wall bounce and this can give you opportunity to combo if you are close enough.
- Mash has several options to stall in the air and change her landing position. Her j.236X divekicks can be used for neutral as a callout for anti-airs or opponents trying to predict your landing. They are not particularly safe so always have meter or Moon Drive available to keep yourself safe. An alternate option is to use j.214X as they come down at different angles compared to the j.236X series.
- 623X is her DP which is a staple part of her defense. The A version is primarily combo filler but is very fast at 5f allowing her to challenge airborne opponents and people who are trying to press buttons at her. If you have meter you can option select the 623A on hit or block with 623A > j.2147A~C which will give you a meterless confirm on hit or an EX cancel into plus frames on block. The B version is primary reversal option since it has startup invincibility. It's a bit slower compared to most meterless DPs but still have the same functions. The EX version is an incredibly fast reversal option with great vertical and horizontal reach. If you manage to fatal someone in the air you also get a free combo off of it as well.
Offense
Pressure
Mash pressure is fairly flexible, all things considered. 2A is quite good as a pressure rebeat option, and though 5B is relatively short range it is also a helpful pressure tool since it has a decent stagger window. 236X has its place here much like in neutral, but with the right setups, 214X and 22X are also pretty good pressure tools: in particular, 22B and 22C are distinctly very plus. 214X, if its followups are timed correctly, can also be used for frametrapping and pressure, but this takes some practice to run with correctly.
5[C] is the most important normal for moving back as it has greater forward movement than knockback. 5{C} you can partial charge 5C enough where she will gain more forward movementum compared to regular 5C but not as much as full charge. 5C/2C/2B all move forward but have greater knockback than forward movement. 5B has no forward movement at all but has less knockback than the other three. 5A/2A have no forward movement but the least knockback of all her normals. They leave you at the closest possible range to be able to throw without having to rely on the auto-dash to get into range. 6C is mainly used as a final frame trap option to catch your opponent trying to mash if you feel like you are too far to continue your rebeat pressure.
Standard Blockstrings
All noted strings assume your opponent is in the corner and you started by dashing into them.
- 5A 2A, 5A ...
Short string but lets you take advantage of the +0 on block 2A to no cancel with only a 5f gap. Useful against 6f characters like Vlov who can't mash in the 5f gap. Good for keeping you close and setting up throws. Add small dash staggers and frame traps to make your throw attempts more ambiguous.
- [2A 5[C], 5A] x n
One of her few "infinite" strings that can loop into itself without having to dash back in since the knockback is equal to the amount of forward momentum. 7f gap between each rep, throwable gap between the 2A 5[C]. A string to use if your opponent is really respecting you and is too afraid to mash. It will pressure your opponent to eventually do something after which you can can opt for a frame trap rather than resetting your string.
- 5A 2A 2A, 5A 5B ...
Spacing trap that uses +0 2A to put you in a range where 5A will frame trap any 6f or slower button they press. The spaced 5A will whiff if your opponent does nothing but Mash will whiff cancel into 5B with a roughly 15f gap.
- 2B 2C 5C 5Aw, 2B 2C 5C 5Aw
Typical string you will find yourself using midscreen or when you're spaced out already. 10f gap.
- 2A 2A 2A 2B 2C 5C 5Aw, 5C/2C
Essentially the start of your BnB but on block making this string easy to remember. Leaves you at -1 after rebeat and you can continue with a spaced C normal which can outrange a decent number of A or B normals but loses to immediately pressed C normals. There's about an 11f gap if you try to rebeat into a C normal which your opponent can jump out of.
- 2A 2A 2A 2C 5[C] 5A 5B 2B 6C 22A
Long blockstring that uses all of your normals and ends in a safe special. There are gaps when going into 5[C] and 6C in this string but you can delay any button to create more gaps.
4BC Pressure
Mash's 4BC is the moon skill version of her rekka series (214XX) that is both fast and acts as a good combo starter. The last hit is an overhead AND also jump cancellable on block and hit. The overhead is quite telegraphed by the rest of the move but the fact that your opponent MUST block it standing is incredibly important for her pressure. Mash can do a rising dj.A on the latest jump cancellable frame of 4BC to do a gapless rising air button. This will force your opponent into blockstun even if they try to crouch after blocking 4BC since their hurtbox will be trapped in the standing animation. This works on nearly the entire cast with the exception of short characters (Miyako, DAN, Mario, Neco Arc). Here are some examples with what you can do with this:
- Gapless Blockstring: 4BC > rising j.A > j.C > j.B > land ex.
- Most overheads possible: 4BC > rising j.A > j.C > j.B > IAD cancel > j.C > j.214A/ land 2A
- Frametrap String: 4BC > rising j.A > dl.j.236A > land 22C
- Stand Shield Bait: 4BC > whiff j.A/IAD j.[C] whiff > land 2A/throw
Performing a gapless blockstring will lock out your opponent's ability to respond and force them back into a strike/throw scenario when you land. You can use the additional movement options (IAD cancel) to add more overheads before you land. This will introduce gaps into your blockstring which your opponent might try to mash on so you can delay your buttons to create frame traps or empty low/shield if they try to stand shield instead. If they start trying to input reversals (623X/22X) you can punish them with the gapless overheads to catch them not holding back. Essentially you can introduce more gaps to improve your mixup potential or keep it tight and still be rewarded with getting back in.
While in Moon Drive you have an additional jump to work with which can further increase your mixup potential, however you are still limited to one IAD use during the blockstring.
Important note, that rising j.A can be blocked crouching because it does not hit overhead due to rising overhead protection. Immediately pressing j.C will whiff if your opponent manages to low block rising j.A, but a slight delay can hit your opponent. This prevents your j.C from being gapless and can also open opportunities for your opponent to attempt reversals.
Okizeme
Mash's oki options come mainly from her throws and if you have resources, her EX enders (214C/j.236C).
Airthrow Oki (requires a double jump remaining):
- j.AAA/j.AAB > AT > double jump j.C will let you safejump against fast DPs.
- AT > [8] > [6] will immediately airjump you after the throw, and the [6] input will cause you to drift forward a bit (or a lot, if you hold it longer). A small drift will let you stay on the same side, while a bigger one will let you switch sides.
Additional notes about Mash Air Throw oki. You spend more time in the air relative to your opponent by:
- Raising AT height (only Mash's own position matters for this)
- Delaying the j.C after AT
j.AAB or j.AAA keeps the opponent in hitstun until you have reached the apex of your jump. Unfortunately you will still be too low to get a safejump after AT, even when delaying jc after AT as much as possible. You will land before the opponent becomes vulnerable and your jump-in will barely whiff.
To gain that extra bit of time needed, your only option is to execute AT from a little higher up since you're already delaying j.C as much as possible.
Mash's airdash moves in an arc, meaning she gains a little bit of extra height at its apex before falling again. This is enough to extend your air time after AT enough to barely get a safejump.
Ground Throw Oki:
- Throw > j.Cw > 2A is a timed framekill that will let you shield against fast DPs.
- Throw > 9 > 8 > [9] j.C is another drift setup similar to the last one above which will allow you to safejump DPs.
- Throw > 5Aw > 22B is a setup for catching the opponent mashing and is especially potent when they're in the corner.
- Throw > 214Aw > 2A will put you behind your opponent
- Throw > dl.214Aw > 2A will put you in front of your opponent.
- Throw > 623Aw > 5A~4AB
214C oki:
- 214C > 7j.C whiff > Superjump j.A > land 2A > 2AD: Mash's best "4-way" mixup. The timing at which you press j.A will determine whether she ends up in front or behind. You can also immediately double jump j.214A before you land to go high instead.
- Corner oki variations
- Corner oki variations by Roger
- Even more corner oki variations by Rikir
- Further oki variations
- Midscreen oki variations by Roger
j.236C oki:
- j.236C > superjump > double jump > drift j.C/land 2A: Fairly easy midscreen setup where the timing at which you double jump will determine if you can go high/low and drifting left/right will determine which side you end up on.
- IAD double jump > drift > land 2A
- j.236C > Throw whiff > neutral jump j.C: Corner only easy safejump. Looks a bit silly but the throw whiff perfectly times the safejump.
22X oki:
Arc Drive oki:
- 6A+B > 9 > j.C~D > 5A: Difficult but will cover every EX reversal option that isn't a command grab.
- Superjump > land 5A > 5B+D Covers 6f DPs and reversal heats.
- Midscreen her oki options are limited and she can only afford to get a meaty button.
Defense
Mash's defense largely boils down to a few options. 5A and 623A are her fastest attacks. 5A is decent for stuffing people who are too close to her and 623A covers a huge amount of space for its speed but is unsafe without resources. 2A isn't super solid for abare due to its startup, but it's suitable for counterpoking; her 2B works well for this purpose too, and her 5B is, as noted earlier, decent enough for stuffing people jumping at you with the right timing. 3C also has high reach similar to Aoko's 3C so it's another good option as far as normals go.
If you want to go for harder callouts, then your invulnerable options are 623B, 623C, and Arc Drive. 623B in particular is usually your meterless reversal workhorse, since it reaches up fairly high and can easily convert into a proper combo by using j.214C. By comparison, Mash's Arc Drive has much less vertical range but will cover the entire horizontal portion of the screen in front of her.
Option Selects:
- 7BC~AD : Throw tech os connected to her j.4BC that lets you tech throws and cover low approaches. Will lose to opponents dashing back in with most standing normals or IADs.
- 3C~AD: Universal anti-air OS + throw tech. Mash's 3C isn't amazing but it's good enough for hitting someone trying to bait your throw tech with an IAD.
- 623AD: Alternative to 3CAD which has better space coverage and speed using A DP. Best used with meter so you can cancel into j.214C on block.
