Theatre of Light/Samurai

Overview

Samurai
Archetype:	All-rounder
Health Defense Multiplier:	Melee: x1.0 Ranged: x1.0
Stagger Defense Multiplier:	Melee: x1.5 Ranged: x1.5
Walk Speed:	17
Max Light:	3

Samurai is a well-rounded character that functions comfortably at all ranges but excels particularly at keeping the opponent at the mid range, where he can land his Overthrow sweetspot for good combos that leave him with potentially large amounts of Strength buffs. With a simple gameplan and the tools to run it, Samurai is a good option for any player.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Jack of all trades: Has tools for almost any situation, whether for mobility, offense or defense. Reliable damage: All of Samurai's moves are combo starters, and he can convert all of them into good damage given the proper execution. Good defense: Samurai has 2 parries and a long evade, which lets him easily punish unsuspecting opponents. Good light economy: Parrying restores 1 light and ending a combo with Atk allows Samurai to keep 2 light next turn. Innate Buffs: Thanks to his innate Strength gain, Samurai is able to set up devastating snowballs on opponents with the right routes.

Light dependant: Most of Samurai's good tools require light. Without light, he is forced to rush in and land Atk. Requires good reads: Samurai's parries have long recovery, while S2 costs 2 light. Without good reads, Samurai can easily get baited and punished or run out of light. Easily kited: Fast or long-ranged characters can bait out any of Samurai's S1 variants then punish while his parries are on cooldown. Prone to getting rushed or pressured: Samurai's move are quite slow and even his parries have a windup, making it hard to counter quick rushes or corner pressure.

Move List

Normal moves

Draw of the Sword ATK Grounded Grounded Air Air	Version Base damage P1 Scaling Value P2 Scaling Value Light cost Emo level Hit type Properties Startup Active Recovery Grounded 6 0.9 0.8 0 0 Melee - 21 3 13 Restores 1 light on hit. Air 8 0.9 0.8 0 0 Melee - 16 1 21 Slash straight downwards. Has high startup and poor range, but can thankfully be used during Gleaming Step, allowing you to extend off of it.

Slay ATK~ATK Inconsistent my ass Inconsistent my ass	Base damage P1 Scaling Value P2 Scaling Value Light cost Emo level Hit type Properties Startup Active Recovery 4 - 0.8 1 0 Melee - 16 3 21 Follow up attack, can only be done if ATK hits. Cannot be done after air ATK. Gives Samurai 2 Strength next turn. Usually a combo ender after S1 ATK, if not enough light is available for S2.

Overthrow S1 Shares the same startup animation as ATK Shares the same startup animation as ATK IIIII SEE THE CIIIRCLE IIIII SEE THE CIIIRCLE	Base damage P1 Scaling Value P2 Scaling Value Light cost Emo level Hit type Properties Startup Active Recovery 7 (normal) 8 (sweetspot) 1 0.85 1 0 Melee - 21 1 (normal) 3 (sweetspot) 18 Has a sweetspot at the farthest point of the move that does a bit more damage, and more importantly, has more hitstun.

Deflect S1 (hold)	Base damage P1 Scaling Value P2 Scaling Value Light cost Emo level Hit type Properties Startup Active Recovery 0 - - 1 0 - Block 11 27 33 Parry Landing this refunds 2 light and cancels the recovery of the move. Cooldown only starts if it's whiffed

Rising Blade S2 Evade on startup Evade on startup Send 'em skyhigh Send 'em skyhigh	Base damage P1 Scaling Value P2 Scaling Value Light cost Emo level Hit type Properties Startup Active Recovery 10 1.1 .9 2 0 Melee Evade 36 30 10 A DP-esque move with evade on startup. Sends opponents flying high in the air on hit. Great as a combo extender. Useable on neutral, if the opponent is close.

Gleaming Step SP	Base damage P1 Scaling Value P2 Scaling Value Light cost Emo level Hit type Properties Startup Active Recovery - - - 0 0 - - 0 0 0 Can be canceled into all of his moves except his parries.

Psyches

To Claim Their Bones S1~ATK Yield My Flesh to Claim Their Bones Yield My Flesh to Claim Their Bones	Base damage P1 Scaling Value P2 Scaling Value Light cost Emo level Hit type Properties Startup Active Recovery 10 + (damage reflected x 2) 0.5 0.5 2 2 Melee - 11 27 53 (whiff) 60 (successful) Counter Psyche. Restores all light when landed. Damage is based on damage taken times two, resistances unaccounted for. Use this against strong, single-hit classes such as Charger and Assassin.

Wrathful Rave S2 (hold), ATK>S2>ATK>S1>ATK>S1>S1 "How do I input Wrathful Rave?" "How do I input Wrathful Rave?"	Base damage P1 Scaling Value P2 Scaling Value Light cost Emo level Hit type Properties Startup Active Recovery 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 20 48 in total if all hits are landed. 1 0.95 3 3 Melee Evade 31 4 57 (whiff) 38 (successful) 150 (failed) Deadly Rave. 8 hits, excluding the initial S2 (hold)

Strategy

Recommended Decks

Kim
EL1: Cardless
EL2: Cardless
EL3: N/A
The best way to play Samurai.

Combos

Combo Notation Help
Disclaimer: Combos are written by various writers, so the actual notation used in pages can differ from the standard one. For more information, see Glossary.
X > Y	X input is cancelled into Y.
dl.X	Wait for a short period before inputting X.
X, Y	X input is linked into Y, meaning Y is done after X's recovery period.
[X]	X input must be held down.
X~Y	Use attack X with follow-up Y.
j.X	X input is done in the air. Only used by characters with moves that put them in the air and air variants of moves (currently only applies to Ranger, Samurai and Vigilante)
X(info)	Used for when you would like to specify how a move is done. e.g. X(N) meaning X should hit N times, X(whiff), etc.
(XYZ)xN	XYZ string must be performed N times. Combos using this notation are usually referred to as loops.
(XYZ^)	A pre-existing combo labelled XYZ is inserted here for shortening purposes.
dash or (direction)dash	Performs a dash, directions are notated as f for forward, b for back, s for side. If there is not direction specified assume it is a forward dash.
cl.	Clean Hit, almost exclusively used for Brawler but can be used for Samurai's sweetspot attacks as well.

Condition Notation Base Damage vs Samurai Light after Turn Notes
Basic starter 0 Light ATK > (back)SP > S1, ATK. 14 +2 Light Gives 2 Strength at the end of the turn.
Basic starter 3 Light (cl.S1,) ATK > S2, dl.j.ATK, dash ATK~ATK > (back)SP > cl.S1, ATK. (30) 26 +2 Light Gives 2 Strength at the end of the turn.
Basic starter, Light positive 2 Light (cl.S1,) ATK > S2, dl.ATK, dash ATK > SP > cl.S1, ATK. (29) 26 +3 Light ???

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Gameplan

Samurai's gameplan revolves around landing an ATK > S2 to lead to a combo. However, getting there requires some gamesense, reaction and aim, and how the opponent plays. Below are some general playstyles:

Kiting: Involves using Samurai's fluid movement to dodge around the opponent and get in the correct range for sweetspot S1. This is the most consistent playstyle, which can also trick defensive opponents by using ATK>SP to feint a S1, which may force a block/evade. Despite this, this playstyle can still be very predictable and you can get caught by fast attacks between your dashes.

Aggressive: Involves rushing at your opponent and using ATK to pressure, S1 to catch their escapes and S2 to counter attacks. Can be very effective against passive opponents as they don't expect an aggressive Samurai, but once they adapt, Samurai's attacks are too slow to consistently pressure and may get you countered.

Defensive: The most infamous playstyle, involves mainly using Samurai's parries and S2. Relies a lot on your reads and reactions, but can lead to free combos. Most opponents will try feinting a lot more after getting parried once or twice, but this means you can attack them while they try to whiff you. Use this playstyle sparingly.

Keep in mind that you can and should switch up your playstyle often to adapt to how your opponent is playing.

While in the air after using S2, you can use ATK>SP cancel to stay in the air longer and potentially bait out block/evade.

At EL2, you get To Claim Their Bones. While flashy, it has even longer recovery time than a normal S1 parry, and usually results in less damage than a regular parry combo, unless it is used on strong single hit classes like Assasin, Brawler, Samurai and Charger.

At EL3, you can use Wrathful Rave, which is the highest damage move in the game provided you perform the move successfully. It is not recommended to use most of the time, as the startup is too long to hit on anyone that knows how to dodge. However, if you get a stagger from parry or single Atk, it can do 80+ damage, which can instantly kill any Gluttony reliant character.