Red Earth/War-Zard/Tessa

Background

In the Year of our Lord 13XX, an incredible amount of storms began erupting around the world. A magician named Tessa noticed this, and realized it was the scent of danger.

" This isn't a natural phenomenon. There's something more...something evil. I must uncover what it is. "

Introduction

Tessa is a zoner with just about every tool you could want. Good punish game, excellent pressure, great setups, and obviously brutal zoning. Her versatility is one of her greatest attributes; on a dime she can go from playing lame with zoning to getting into the opponent’s face with divekicks and ghosts. Knowing when to switch between these two modes is important, and smart play will be rewarded handsomely.

Starting Element: Ice
Elemental Weakness: Fire and Meteor

Level 32 Passwords:

• Normal Staff: 4 6 3 1 1 2 3 2 4 4
• Sun Staff: 4 6 3 2 1 2 3 5 4 4

Normal Moves

1 1 followup.	Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel 1 7-8 Mid 4 1 5 +9 +9 Yes A quick flick of the wand that can be chained into another one. The wand tends to get stuck in places it shouldn’t be, so using this in neutral can be a real pain. This would be an amazing normal if the wand wasn’t so inconsistent. 1 > 1 7-8 Mid 13 2 5 +8 +8 No A follow up attack from 1.

2 Can be ducked but forces stand.	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel 11-13 Mid 15 14 20 -3 -8 No Tessa shoots an icicle from a vial out in front of her that can be ducked. One of her worst normals, avoid using it.

3 Can be ducked but forces stand.	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel 12-15 Mid 19 12 18 -1 -6 No Similar to 2, however this one shoots out at an upward angle. You can hold down the button to launch the vial further and release it to unleash the icicle. After holding it down for some time, the icicle comes out horizontal instead of at an angle. Can be a decent zoning tool.

4	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel 6-8 Mid 5 6 4 +1 0 Yes The first of Tessa’s amazing cat normals. One of her cats quickly pokes out at the opponent’s feet. It’s one of her only special cancelable normals, so you’ll be using this one a lot in combos.

5 Two hits, 6 frame gap between hits.	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel 6/7-8/8 Mid 9 3/3 7 +5 +5 No Similar to 4, the cat sticks out its leg twice for two hits with slightly longer range. Has marginally better startup and advantage than cr.5 but is ultimately outclassed by it.

6 Staggers Kenji (-2).	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel 12-15 Mid 7 Proj. 34 -7 -12 No Tessa’s bird flies out from her cloak and returns, only hitting on the way out. The button can be held down and released to send the bird farther. No 6 normals can be used until the bird returns to Tessa.

cr.1 1 followup.	Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel cr.1 7-8 Mid 4 2 5 +8 +8 Yes Exactly the same as the standing version but lower, sometimes. Still gets stuck. cr.1 > cr.1 7-8 Mid 14 3 5 +7 +7 No

cr.2 Forces stand.	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel 11-13 Low 13 12 18 -1 -10 No Tessa pops a vial on the ground, sending an icicle angled upward. Avoid using this one too.

cr.3

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel 12-15 Low 35 10 19 HKD -2 No Again similar to the 2 version, but the button can be held down to roll the vial forward, where on release it shoots out an icicle. It can go a surprisingly long distance before exploding automatically. The main problem is how slow this normal is; it takes a very long time to get any distance out of it. In the time it takes to send this to your opponent, they’ll already have jumped over it and nailed you. Use this sparingly if at all.

cr.4	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel 6-8 Low 5 9 5 +1 +1 No Another cat normal, which means that it’s really good. A quick long reaching move that’ll be your main low for mixups.

cr.5 Two hits, 2 frame gap between hits.	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel 6/7-8/8 Low 10 6/6 9 +4 +4 No Extremely far reaching poke that hits low twice. Very plus on hit and block, so make good use of this one.

cr.6 Staggers Kenji (+6).	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel 12-15 Mid 15 Proj. 26 +1 +4 No Basically 6 but slower. Still hits mid.

j.1 1 followup.	Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel j.1 7-8 Mid 4 2 Until landing Varies Varies No Another wand normal, another wasted potential. Wand's position depends on your movement, so advantage can vary wildly. j.1 > j.1 7-8 Mid 12 3 Until landing Varies Varies No

j.2 Forces stand.	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel 10-13 Mid 14 14 Until landing +2 -8 No An icicle move, but in the air. Using this stops your momentum, which would be useful if j.3 didn’t do the exact same thing. It’s the best of her 2 normals. Still useless.

j.3 Forces stand.	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel 12-15 High 14 14 Until landing +11 +6 No Yet again similar to the 2 version, again can be held to send the vial flying downward with an icicle shooting out on release. Definitely her best 3 normal, you’ll be using this one to punish opponents trying to follow your back jumps in the air or to add jumping pressure from afar.

j.4	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel 6-8 High 8 9 Until landing +15 +15 No Long range cat normal, good for air-to-airs. You’ll mostly be seeing this when you mess up the divekick.

j.5 First and third hit. Second and fourth hit, 2 frame gap between hits.	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel 7/7/7/7-8/8/8/8 High 7 5/5/5/5 Until landing +15 +15 No Same as j.4, but multiple hits. An all around good jumping normal. If you’re in the air and want to press something, this is a safe bet.

j.6 Staggers Kenji (+33).

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel 12-15 Mid 5 Proj. Until landing +27 +22 No The ultimate bird normal. This move is a contender for the best normal in the game. What makes it better than the other bird normals is its versatility due to its speed and the ability to release the bird at any height. This should always be your primary jump in. As with the other bird normals, no 6 normals can be used until the bird returns. See the section on zoning for strategies involving the bird.

Command Normals

df+4	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel 9-11 Mid 5 5 7 +3 +3 No One of the more mediocre cat normals. You could use it as an anti-air that combos into her DP, but Tessa already has so many good anti-air options.

df+5 Can be ducked.	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel 10-12 Mid 7 5/5 21 Launch -10 No Tessa’s launcher. Very similar in appearance to df+4, however there isn’t a hitbox on the way up so it can be ducked. Pretty good in combos.

sj.d+4 Must be in the air for at least 7 frames for the move to come out.	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel 6-8 High 7 9 Until landing +9 +9 No Tessa’s divekick. This move will keep your opponents awake at night. An incredible mixup and pressure tool. Master doing it as fast as possible.

Special Moves

Chakura Wave QCF+1/2/3 Tessa’s fireball, hits twice.	Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel 1 12-14 Mid 12 Proj. 38 -4 -5 No Fastest startup, slowest speed. The startup for the other two versions is significant enough that this should be the only version you use on the ground. 2 12-14 Mid 16 Proj. 38 -4 -5 No Never use this version. 3 12-14 Mid 20 Proj. 38 -4 -5 No NEVER use this version.

Reverie Sword DP+1/2/3 Five hits, 4 frames of invincibility.

Tessa’s invincible uppercut. Without question the best move in the game. You’ll be using this in combos, for punishes, and as anti-airs. Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel 1 13-22 Mid 3 19 21 Launch -30 No Safest version. Since they all do the same damage, this is the one you’ll be using the most. Hard to punish, good horizontal distance. This move will treat you well. Can follow up with pursuit on everyone except for Mai Ling. 2 13-22 Mid 3 24 27 Launch -41 No Less safe than dp.1, less range than dp.3. Almost never used. Can follow up with pursuit on Kenji. 3 13-22 Mid 3 29 32 Launch -51 No Very punishable, but the horizontal range is insane. This thing will be able to punish moves that most likely weren’t meant to be punished.

Air Chakura Wave j.QCF+1/2/3 Tessa’s air fireball, hits twice.	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel 12-14 Mid 10 Proj. Until landing +5 +4 No This will be your main zoning tool as it’s significantly better than the grounded version. The main kicker is that it can be performed while dashing, so it can be used on the ground. They all have the same frame data, so stick to the 3 version for the most speed on your fireball.

Glace Cannon QCF+4/5/6 2 frames of invincibility.

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel 5/14-7/17 Mid; Low 23 40 76 -96 -98 No The first of Tessa’s awful cannon specials, and it’s the worst one. A cannon appears and sends out a little pixie that runs along the ground hitting low and knocking down the opponent. The cannon itself has a hitbox, but you’d never want to connect with it as it’s a beautiful -96 on hit. Never EVER use this move.

Flamma Cannon R.DP+4/5/6 2 frames of invincibility.	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel 5/14-7/17 Mid; Mid 23 35 41 -56 -57 No Another cannon move, but it’s much better than qcf.K. Only -56 on hit if the cannon connects! It shoots out a pixie that travels in a straight line, similar to her fireball. Actually has a great variance in speed for the different versions, but it being so slow makes it virtually useless.

Electron Cannon DP+4/5/6 2 frames of invincibility.

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel 5/14-7/17 Mid; Mid 23 14 41 HKD -10 No The only cannon that has some potential. The projectile comes out fast enough that it will combo from the cannon’s hitbox, actually making connecting with the cannon a good thing. The pattern of the projectile is good too, flying forward a bit before shooting straight up. The pixie waits to fly up later in its horizontal flight depending on the version you use. You can use this to trick your opponents into trying to jump over it, only to be met with it in the air. The main issue however is speed, 23 frames is very slow and Tessa’s other zoning tools are just so much better anyway.

Ghost Jammer HCB+1/2/3 Staggers Kenji (+10).

Tessa sends out a ghost projectile that tracks the opponent. If it hits, four ghosts will gather around the opponent to pummel them after a bit allowing insane pressure opportunities. One of her best and most feared projectiles, well worth the startup. Did I mention that the startup has iframes? Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel 1 5-7 Mid 31 Proj. 22 +5 0 No Slowest moving projectile in the game, which is a good thing. This thing takes so long to go full screen that Tessa is able to run up to the opponent before it reaches them. Between that and the fact that it tracks if they jump, it can lead to some pretty crazy setups depending on how the opponent chooses to defend against it or you when you run up. The only downside is that on hit, the ghosts will only attack one time. 11 frames of invincibility. 2 5-7 Mid 31 Proj. 22 +5 0 No Slightly faster than the 1 version, but the ghosts attack twice. 11 frames of invincibility. 3 5-7 Mid 33 Proj. 22 +5 0 No Fastest version, has the most iframes, and the ghosts attack twice. Usually your go-to unless you’re doing setups with the 1 version. 14 frames of invincibility.

Death Phenomenon HCB+4/5/6 Can be ducked. Will deal more damage if more hearts connect. 4 version. 5 version. 6 version.

Tessa’s command grab. When it connects, balloons surround the opponent’s head and a timer begins counting down. When it reaches 0, the balloons pop one after another. The popping is unblockable, so this is a very scary move to get hit by. A good meterless punish for whiffed UG’s. It’s greatest downside is that it can be ducked, so it’s a bit tricky to get working. One bizarre quirk is that for whatever reason, Leo’s parry animation will duck this move. Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel 4 5-6 UB 8 55 12 HKD UB No 4 balloons. Timer starts immediately. 5 5-6 UB 8 55 12 HKD UB No 6 balloons. Timer starts after about 3 seconds. 6 5-6 UB 8 55 12 HKD UB No 8 balloons. Timer starts after about 6 seconds.

Super Moves

Tricicle Edge QCFQCF+1/2/3 12 frames of invincibility.

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel 32-39 Mid TBD 32 21 HKD +28 No Tessa throws out a vial that shoots out three huge icicles. Like all her vial moves, the button can be held to delay the icicles. All things considered, there really isn’t too much special about this super, but there’s one aspect about it that makes it incredibly useful: it’s the only move in the entire game that cannot be blocked in the air. This super is a true anti-air, combos into itself for dizzy, and its ability to be held makes timing it a breeze for super jumps or other setups. The only issue is its speed, so you’ll need to be really sharp to anti-air a regular jump in. Do it too late and they’ll land in time to UG and punish.

Hyper Cannon QCFQCF+4/5/6 Invincible for entire startup. 4 version. 5 version. 6 version.

Tessa brings out her cannon and fires one of three different elemental cannonballs depending on the button pressed. This move is hands down the best super in the game. Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel 4 40-47 Mid TBD 14 41 HKD Guard Break No Ice, the only version that should be used. What makes this version so insane is how it freezes most of the cast and does an absurd amount of damage. The freezing aspect works on everyone except for Tessa herself. 5 40-47 Mid TBD 14 41 +56 Guard Break No Fire version, nothing remarkable. 6 40-47 Mid TBD 14 41 +56 Guard Break No Lightning version, identical to fire version.

Universal Mechanics

Throw F+2/3 Loopable. Can be softened.	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel 14-17 UB 0 - - - - - 2 throw and 3 throw are identical, and can only throw forwards. Can followup with DP if they soften it, otherwise it can always be followed up with lightning super.

Dash F, F or B, B Forward dash Back dash	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel - - - - - - - - Tessa is airborne during her dash, allowing her to perform air special moves as well as crush low hitting moves. If she enters preblock before backdashing, she’ll be able to block during the backdash.

Ultimate Guard P+K Ultimate Guard Parry	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel - - 1 60 31 - - - Tessa's ultimate guard.

Ultimate Counter R.QCB+1/2/3 Only version. Staggers Kenji (+5).

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Special Cancel 5-6 Mid - - - +1 +1 No The giant ball descends from the ceiling during the super freeze, however the super freeze ends before it reaches the ground thus making the startup varied. The move itself is independent of Tessa, so even if she gets hit during it the hitbox won’t go away. Can combo after in certain situations after it hits an opponent in the air.

General Strategy

Overview

Tessa’s main gameplan is switching between zoning and rushdown, so knowing when to switch between the two is important. She has plenty of tools that allow her to excel at both. Usually you should default to zoning when possible while paying attention for any opportunities to go for her powerful mixups. Abuse her good normals and options to completely take control of the match.

Zoning

Chakura Wave is Tessa’s main zoning tool so you’ll be throwing this out a lot to control space on the ground. That said, you should mostly be sticking to performing the air version out of a dash. The dashing version has several benefits: it allows you to move either forward or backward slightly will zoning to help positioning, it has a faster startup than the grounded version, and most importantly it recovers much much quicker. As soon as Tessa touches the ground again, she can perform actions. This can easily catch unsuspecting opponents off guard, so when they try and jump your fireball for a punish they’ll be greeted with an unexpected Reverie Sword.

Once you’ve put some fireballs on the screen, it’ll be a good time to unleash a Ghost Jammer here and there. This thing has some tracking on it, meaning that an opponent that tries to jump over your zoning will meet it in the air. It’s really bad news for them if it hits, so make sure it’s a constant threat in their mind. Mix up between throwing out the slow 1 version and fast 3 version to catch them off guard. Having the slow ghost on screen will give you a ton of wiggle room, even if it’s a bit weaker on hit than the 3 version.

The final piece of the zoning puzzle is Tessa’s bird, specifically j.6. While Chakura Wave covers the ground, this little guy will cover the air. For whatever reason, the bird beats absolutely everything, most notably beating projectiles. It’s so powerful that it even beats out projectile supers! A great tactic is simply jumping back while holding 6 and either releasing to cover the air, or waiting to react to something. If your opponent tries to pursue you in the air? Bird them. They try and chase you on the ground? Wait and release to hit them out of their dash. They try and super on reaction to seeing you charge? Have the bird rip through that super while also nailing them in the process. That said, the one weakness of using this strategy is that you’re completely open while charging the bird. If you’re too reckless, a smart opponent will just wait and hit you with lightning or ice, so play smart.

There are miscellaneous zoning tactics, usually involving 3 normals, but they aren’t critical to her zoning strategies. If you’re looking to experiment, 3 and j.3 are a good start.

Ice Hyper Cannon

Tessa’s qcfqcf.4 super is one of the most devastating punish tools at your disposal. What makes it so good is the effect it has when connecting with the opponent on the ground: it will freeze them solid. What this means is that they’ll be trapped there for quite some time, allowing you to run up and continue with a followup. The most brutal followup? Another cannon. Meaning another freeze. Meaning another followup. This alone would be godly enough, but on top of this property the super also does an insane amount of damage and stun for whatever reason. Usually two cannons is enough to dizzy everyone, and three is a TOD on everyone that can be frozen. For this reason, make sure you steal as many orbs as possible. There is some nuance to it though. The cannon itself must hit in order for the freeze property to take effect, and even then there are some strange punish scenarios where the opponent is launched instead of being frozen (for example, interrupting any of Leo’s qcf moves won’t result in a freeze). Tessa herself actually can’t be frozen by the super, so the cannon is much less effective in the mirror. Still, this move is absolutely deadly and will make your opponents second guess UG’ing mindlessly. All it takes is three orbs and a whiffed UG to end the round.

Anti-air

Tessa has no shortage of anti-airs, but some are certainly better than others. Obviously the opponent can just air block, but you still need to establish that they can’t just get in for free.

• dp.1: Your bread and butter when it comes to anti-airs. Huge hitbox, great horizontal range, insanely fast, hard to punish, and does a decent amount of chip so even if it gets blocked you’re still getting some damage in.
• Jump back j.6: A safe option without too much reward. Good for when you want to run away. Bad for when you’re getting put into the corner.
• qcfqcf.1/2/3: One of the only true anti-airs in the game as it cannot be blocked in the air. Connect with two to guarantee a dizzy into a possible TOD with cannon. Hoard as many orbs as you can so that you can always have the threat of this move. Simply having them stocked will force your opponent to think twice about jumping at you. The main issue here is speed, so you’re going to need to either be really sharp or have anti-airing on your mind. That said, it’s very easy to react to super jumps at least.

Pressure

Not only is Tessa a great zoner, she’s also great at opening up the opponent with pressure. Her divekick is her main pressure and mixup tool. Doing it as fast as possible leaves almost no room for the opponent to react, so a powerful strategy is mixing between divekick and cr.4 forcing your opponent to scramble. The most common thing people do under pressure here is UG. This can be a death sentence if you have some orbs. Read this properly, and you can go straight into hyper cannon shenanigans. Doing this a few times will make the opponent much less likely to UG while under divekick pressure, thus making your mixups much safer.

A good time to switch from zoning to rushdown is when the opponent is hit by ghosts. The ghosts will essentially cover you while you go for mixups and add extra damage. The opponent can simply UG to shrug off the ghosts’ attacks, but this also works in your favor. If you suspect they’ll UG, you can simply go for a grab or even Death Phenomenon. So if they UG, grab them. If they don’t for fear of being grabbed, then free mixups with divekick. There is one more method the opponent can employ to avoid these mixups all together, which is simply jumping away while blocking. They no longer have to worry about grabs, overheads, or lows, and can just block the ghosts’ attacks in the air. While doing this they’ll be susceptible to universal guard break setups with elemental supers, but Tessa has an even better counter. Just wait for them to fall to the right height and hit them with qcfqcf.P for an unblockable anti-air. However, if you’re out of orbs, then this jumping strategy is a perfect way to escape any ghost pressure. This is yet another reason why it’s crucial for you to stockpile orbs.

Setups

Due to how slow light Ghost Jammer is, it’ll stay on the screen for a long time letting you run up to the opponent alongside it to have it protect you while you attempt mixups. This method is best done from full screen to give you plenty of time to run up with the ghost. The opponent has several choices to make here, so having good reactions/a good read is key:

• Attack: An optimistic response that the ghost should cover for you. If they try and poke you while you run up to them, the ghost will catch them. Usually people are smart enough to not do this, but it still should be mentioned.
• Block: What at first glance seems like the safest option, however a blocking opponent is your opportunity to mix between divekick and lows for free. Best part is that if they fail to block the mix, the ghost is right there behind you and will likely hit them, allowing you to apply even more pressure while they now have to deal with ghosts.
• UG: This seems to be the most common response, usually an attempt to avoid the mix altogether. Very easy to react to, simply grab them or command grab them. Works even if the UG of the ghost is successful.
• Jump: Thankfully the ghost will track them in the air, so while they can’t be mixed in the air, they still need to block unless they want to eat some ghost pressure. If they end up jumping and block the ghost, you have enough time to land an unblockable anti-air qcfqcf.P which can be devastating if you have the orbs.
• Super Jump: This one can be a bit tricky. The ghost won’t be able to follow them all the way up there, and they have a lot of air control making their position unpredictable. Nonetheless, keep a sharp eye on where they are in the air and attempt to anti-air them.
• Counter Projectile: The ghost is the lowest priority projectile in the game, even losing to Kenji kunai. A smart opponent will simply fire off their own projectile if they have one to blow through it while also hitting you in the process. If you find your setup being beaten out by this often, start divekicking over their projectile. Depending on how late they react to the ghost with their fireball, you can potentially get big punishes, so keep an eye out.

Tessa actually has a setup involving her command grab for oki, which if performed successfully will put a lot of pressure on your opponent. As a consequence of the strange property of waking up backwards for the first frame after crossing up, the command grab can actually catch opponents rolling behind you even if they’re crouching. So if you suspect they’re going to roll behind you on wakeup, you can catch them with the grab. Spacing and timing is important here, and this setup works best against opponents trying to escape the corner. Best part is that if they do get hit, they’ll be teleported in front of you, right back into the corner. There are some strange quirks however that need to be taken into consideration. Firstly, the opponent is able to hold down+forward to duck the command grab. This is due to the game putting them immediately into preblock (which again, is a consequence of facing backwards after a crossup) which allows them to crouch instantly instead of waking up standing. Secondly, this setup has a much harder time working on Kenji. Long story short, the hitboxes for the hearts are disabled during wakeup but usually reactivate in time to grab the other characters. Kenji is special in that he’s able to duck before the hitboxes activate again. Due to a glitch however, one heart’s hitbox stays active, meaning that if you want this setup to work you’ll have to time it just right so that this one heart connects with Kenji on wakeup. You probably should avoid this setup altogether on Kenji due to this, but if you still want to try for that golden timing, then make sure you activate the command grab before his wakeup animation begins. If you wait until he’s already begun his wakeup animation, the glitch won’t happen and all the hearts will be turned off. Finally, this setup can be tricky to do on Mai Ling given that she can change the distance of her roll, so it’ll take some more precise timing and a good read to get it to work on her.

One last basic setup you should get used to doing is crossups using j.6. The distance at which this move crosses up is disgustingly deceptive, so be sure to experiment in training mode. A good use is for oki where the crossup can be very ambiguous. Be careful doing this against characters with good wakeup reversals however.

Combos

• j.6, 4 xx dp.1

Standard jump in and crossup combo.

• j.6, 5, dp.1/2/3

Alternate jump in combo. Does more damage, but can be tricky to space properly.

• sj.d+4, 4 xx dp.1

Conversion off of divekick.

• 1, df+5, dp.1

Combo using the launcher. Can substitute dp.1 with qcfqcf.1/2/3.

• hcb.3, 1 xx dp.1

Good meterless punish, usually done after a whiffed UG or a dizzy.

• hcb.3, 1, 1, 1, 1, dashx2, 1, 1, 1, 1, dashx2, 4 xx dp.1

Big boy combo. Corner only, and usually as an extender after a cannon freeze near the corner. There are many different stylish enders you can try, but 4 xx dp.1 is the most consistent.

• qcfqcf.1/2/3, dp.1

Anti-air combo, can substitute the dp.1 for a second qcfqcf.1/2/3 for a guaranteed dizzy.

Trivia

• Tessa's japanese name is Tabasa, most likely a mispronunciation of Tabitha.
• Tessa’s cat normals change which cat is attacking based on which side of the screen Tessa is facing.