Them's Fightin' Herds/Paprika/Strategy
Neutral
Paprika's ground normals are very powerful. 5B and 2C are very long buttons that come out quite fast, making them great pokes for footsies. Cartwheel A ([4]6A) has some utility as well as an advancing button that can catch jump-ins, but it is much worse to whiff as it puts Paprika right next to the opponent for a punish. Pap's neutral gameplan is therefore focused on keeping herself in range and attempting to whiff punish or connect a normal on the opponent's block in order to begin running offense with Cart A. Paprika's shorthop jC also is good for controlling space due to its massive wide hitbox and great plus frames on block.
Compared to most of the roster, Paprika's antiair game is somewhat lacking. Many players will attempt to jump at you, as 5B and 2C are not very high profile and can be called out by opposing jump ins. Paprika's nature as a charge character means that she does not always have access to her universal antiair 6A. She instead uses Cart A, air to air jA, or system mechanics such as pushblock and backdash to evade air options. Belly flop ([2]8X) is a risky, high reward callout on jump ins but relies on having a down charge and can be baited.
In order to get in range, Pap primarily uses dashblocking--inputting 664 in this game allows you to block incoming mids while still advancing forward. She is somewhat slow compared to the rest of the cast, so often against zoners Paprika needs to be somewhat patient in her approaches. Backdash from neutral is cancellable into normals, so backdash 5B is a great tool for spacing in general. Her teleports can be used to suddenly skip neutral, but be careful about this, they're somewhat slow and attentive players will punish you for attempting them too often.
Offense
Paprika's offense contains threatening, unreactable mixups coupled with high damage, making her one of the most terrifying characters to block against. The key constraint of Paprika's offense is that 2A is her only low normal, so many players will opt to pushblock Paprika and chicken block/upback when out of 2A range in order to attempt to escape mixup attempts. As Paprika, your goal on offense is to try to get into and stay in 2A range in order to mix between 2A, command grab (623X), or Cartwheel C ([4]6C), while utilizing Cart A and frametraps to keep opponents locked down. Cartwheel A is a good way to deal with opponent pushblock, and presents a RPS situation for the opponent -If the opponent tries to mash, Paprika can frametrap with 6C -If the opponent continues to block on the ground, Paprika is free to run her close range mixups -If the opponent tries to jump out, Paprika can choose to either catch the jump with 2A's preblock or attempt to air to air the opponent, typically with jA. Since Cart A doesn't get pushed back far by pushblock, this is a challenging to escape RPS situation, and with Paprika's great combo damage, is very scary to engage with. It gets compounded even further when the opponent is on an edible gift in the corner. Paprika's 6C rekka also causes difficult RPS for the opponent. While the opponent's pushblock is more effective against these moves, Paprika retains the ability to reset her pressure with a 5B->Cart A to threaten her mix to the opponent again. Paprika always has the option of going further down her 6C chain in order to disincentivize mashing.
Okizeme
Paprika's long, soft knockdown combos typically end with the opponent in the corner and she typically has time to throw an edible gift by ending with a normal->2D or 5D. Being on a gift in the corner locks the opponent out of jabs and 6A, which gives Paprika more leeway on her frametraps and can lead to devastating counterhits if the opponent eats a gift. Generally your most common meaty will be 2A in order to safely keep the opponent locked out of upbacking, with the option to threaten command grab or Cart C for heavy damage. If the opponent attempts to techroll out of the corner, you can preemptively jC for an ambiguous meaty safejump scenario or command grab the techroll on reaction.
With 6A, Paprika has standing combo reset potential before the opponent reaches JDMax. 6A->(delay)236D can lead to dashup 2A, dash up command grab, or teleport sideswap mixes. 6A->2D can lead to situations where after a cart A, opponents are being pressured by a falling gift to allow for a strike throw mixup.
Defense
Paprika lacks a true conventional reversal, and so she has to rely on good blocking and system mechanics on defense. Belly flop is not a true flash kick, but it has extreme low profile and can call out certain moves. Teleport C ([6]4C) is always vulnerable for a frame before exiting the screen making it dubious as a reversal option, but it can occasionally call out poor meaty timings. Paprika level 1 super (236 or 214 XX) is invulnerable when leaving the screen but can be hit as she runs back on, so it often loses to active moves and should be used with caution. With her reversals being as unreliable as they are, being comfortable with pushblock, instant block, and abare is very important to the character. Her jab has good range, so it can be used to counterhit gaps in pressure. A well timed pushblock can often lead to an opponent whiffing a button, and Paprika's long normals like 5A and 5B are well equipped to whiff punish.
Matchups
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