Under Night In-Birth/UNI2/Eltnum/Strategy
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Disclaimer: This is a community written page and may contain opinions that not all players may agree with. Use at your own discretion.
General Gameplan
Eltnum is a jack of all trades character with an emphasis on offensive rushdown and pressure. She excels in the close range, but has tools to deal with some of the longer range characters in the cast. Ultimately, Eltnum's goal is to convert off a stray hit (close/long range) into a combo and knockdown in order to begin running okizeme and pressure. Thanks to Eltnum's wide range of metered tools, this is made possible. Yet, her reliance on meter and chain shift relies heavily upon the player's knowledge of GRD and GRD control. With the diverse cast of UNICLR, her multitude of tools can be used in various ways to deal with the different match ups, such as ricochet gunshots being much more useful for dealing with air approaches and slow fireballs but less useful for contesting fast projectile/hitbox zoning. In any matchup, dash blocking always prevails as one of the best options, as Eltnum's optimal situation is to put her opponent in the corner and kill them. Once she gets in, she has excellent stagger windows to use in pressure and strike/throw offense. When Eltnum performs a perfect reload with 22C, she receives enhanced bullets for each reloaded bullet. Enhanced bullets (from this point on referred to as ENH purple bullets) have improved frame data and damage, which add to her offensive potential. In terms of shortcomings, Eltnum is prone to heavy zoning, lacks way to extend pressure with meter, and is punishing when failing combo execution; dropping a combo and being unable to reload is a huge setback for new and experienced players alike.
Neutral
Eltnum’s main neutral tools are her 236X, dashblocks and 2C. Depending on the MU she can use more freely her far reaching moves like 236[A]/[B] or 5C/5[C] and in some other MUs she will need to rely mostly on dashblocks to get in, normally against heavy zoners like Yuzuriha or Hilda. Her main neutral tool is 236X that is an instant “fireball” that can be really oppressive in neutral for most characters, using both the A and B versions to mix between shots and ranges, and then once people start to respect it you can use that window to dash in and use your close range tools like B and A normals, and if they get hit by the gunshot you can confirm with resources.
It’s worth noting that with ENH bullets 236X becomes even more safe, the A version goes from being -3 to +1 and the B version from -6 to -1 becoming even more oppressive in neutral and even in pressure, which is one of the reasons you want to have the buffed bullets as much as possible.
Also, it is worth noting that you can use 2C as a more risky neutral tool since it’s a far reaching low that can poke unsuspecting opponents that are walking back, but it has a clear weakness in assault so it should be used sparingly. Keeping a midrange presence with your neutral tools can give you the hit to start your offense or the window to dash in since this is the character’s main objective.
Approach
Like said above, dashblocking safely into a range that you can start using your midscreen tools or even close range normals like 2B, 5B or 5A is one and the main way you will be trying to approach to start your offense, and to put it bluntly, the only way you will have against some of the heavy zoners like Hilda or Yuzuriha. Also, she can use her far reaching pokes like 236A/B and 2C to make the opponent respect her midrange and use that window to dash in.
Another way to force your way in safely when needed is using 236A/B CS since it becomes extremely plus (around +20) and leaves the opponent in a long blockstun for you to dash in, this is mostly used in MUs where getting in is more difficult and Eltnum can’t use her C normals or gunshot to establish a midrange presence. This can also be done with 214X CS and the frame advantage will be more less the same but 236X is preferred since it’s a stronger neutral too with less recovery.
Assaulting is also a general option that is available, since Eltnum can Assault j.[C] that even on shield will remain plus on block to force her way in, but this is a risky option that can get anti aired if the intention is too obvious.
Against projectiles Eltnum also has the option to use her 421A since it’s a command dash with projectile invul that can give you the chance to avoid a projectile and punish the recovery or just getting in, also 421B can get a hit if you are close enough, but both of this risky options are more akin to a read on the opponent, but the option is there. Lastly, against some projectiles you can also use 214X, this special will give invul to Eltnum on hit so if done correctly to call out the opponent’s fireball/projectile you will invul through the fireball and then have a chance to confirm into a combo or simply dash in.
Keep Away
Since Eltnum has different tools for different ranges she can run some decent keep away, although she can’t run a traditional “zoning” in any capacity, she definitely can force an approach depending on the match up. Her 236X comes again as usual as a mid-range tool that for a lot of characters can be obnoxious to deal with since it’s fast, deletes projectiles, catches assault start up and with purple bullets being +1 can be difficult to challenge for most characters. Be aware that once they are a little bit closer there’s a spot where the Gunshot won’t catch the assault unless you catch it early in the start up, but in the end you can bully characters with gunshots and they will need to dashblock or find another way in. But in general, Eltnum can maintain distance throwing multiple 236X and even more with purple bullets after a perfect reload. Her 236C thanks to being a fullscreen laser can be used to whiff punish certain attacks or projectiles, besides you can also use it to force a reload if you used too much bullets, which is not optimal meter usage but is there to save you in a pinch.
Another thing she can do to mix up a little is throw some C normals with 2C, 5C and 5[C] to keep some distance and force the opponent to get in, mixing in with her specials, be aware that the reason this are not her main way of keep away is that this attacks normally extend her hurtbox and don’t cover aerial approaches very well despite of what the animation looks, besides 5C is a hard move to confirm from and 5[C] even though is big and covers a good chunk of the screen is extremely slow so be aware of this weaknesses while using them but don’t neglect them.
She also has the option to bully characters from far away with her 236[X] ricochet shots, but since these have slow start up, are mids and easily shielded you must not depend much on them. They are worth using when the opponents are trying to setup fireballs from far away to approach or just throwing stuff to get a Counter hit which you can confirm even from full screen without resources, and it the end force the opponent to do something and check them, but if used recklessly you are giving free shields and GRD.
Lastly, against opponents prone to assaulting you can catch them with preemptive 236X, 214X and 3C acting as the dedicated anti air button. For what is worth, Eltnum’s FF can work as a riskier, slower but bigger anti air that can be useful against some specific situations.
Offense
Pressure
Despite having a standing overhead Eltnum doesn’t have good high/low mix up, so you need to use your big stagger windows to create frame traps, ambiguous points in your pressure and establish your strike/throw game to open the opponent up. Also it is important to note that once Eltnum has acquired her purple bullets her pressure becomes one of the most scary in the corner since she has another way to get plus frames that doesn’t use meter nor CS to keep the pressure that is usually her 236[A].
Notable moves to use in pressure
- 5A/2A: She has fast A normals, 5A being 5f and 2A being 6f but slightly longer, to start her pressure and make good points to go for a strike/throw and assaults. With vorpal these moves gain another quality that will be discussed later which is whiff cancels.
- 2B/5B/3C:Out of A normals, Eltnum B normals are spectacular since both has good range, moves her closer to the opponent and has a long cancel window, so despite being unsafe you can delay cancel them a lot to create frame traps and even just let them be to go for a reset pressure. 2B is infamous since you can “re approach”with it because it advances Eltnum a fair bit. Also is worth noting mentioning 3C/3[C] here since it has a similar range to B normals, not so great stagger window but you can still rebeat from it or go into specials like 22A or 236[A], stronger with purple bullets. This is one of the best ranges for Eltnum to pressure the opponent.
- 5C/2C:Eltnum’s C normals vary a lot more, 5C in a vacuum is not that great since it has poor staggers and is more to transition into 5CC which is +3 and closes the gap between your opponent and you, you can use it to reset pressure, go for a mix or keep the pressure but it has its weakness. 2C now in pressure is a lot more useful since you can use it from afar to bully characters with smaller hitboxes, mix with some 236A, 214X or just no cancels to keep people guessing. From close you can use 2C(1) since it can be canceled into specials or even FF to keep the pressure tight, make frame traps or just make some mix ups when people are being over defensive. For example a really classic string for Eltnum is 2B 2C(1) 236[A] with ENH bullets since you can loop it making it tight for a true blockstring or delay the attacks to create frame traps.
- 236X: If Gunshot is scary in neutral, in pressure it can be really annoying for some characters for its range and frame data, even more considering that ENH 236A is +1, which can be difficult to get out of the corner for some characters. The big one though is ENH 236[A], the normal version is not great and normally not used, but the buffed version is one of her most important pressure resets since it is +3 on block which lets you run her really strong corner pressure, making it true gapless blockstrings, leaving frame traps, or stop to go for a throw mix. In a sense, therefore you want the perfect reload at the end of the combo.
- 22X: Both versions work differently, 22A is mostly a safe pressure ender at -1 which you can use it to make a gapless string or leave a frame trap that if you get the counter hit then you get BIG DAMAGE, but it screams that you have ended your turn, still a -1 at some distance and against some slow normal characters can be a pain. 22B is a great plus frame since it’s a +8 that lets you safely go on with your pressure, but this comes at the cost of 5 bullets which is considerable, and lowers your damage in a future combo, so basically is a huge plus frames on demand but that still cost “resources”, just not meter.
Whiff Cancels/Vorpal Trait
Eltnum’s vorpal trait is a particular one, if Eltnum has one the cycle and has Vorpal, she can whiff cancel her 5A and 2A into ANY other attack or move; any normal, special, EX moves and even CS. This is really interesting since challenging rebeats pressure resets is really common to stop the opponent when pressuring, but with Vorpal trying to challenge Eltnum’s rebeats can be dangerous since she can cancel into a B normal or even a 22A to get a strong Counter Hit.
This comes with a weakness though, and it is that doing a whiff cancel doesn’t count as a reset for your normals, so if you try to go for the read, whiff cancel into another normal and the opponent blocked then you ended your pressure there so keep that in mind when doing the whiff cancels. It is a good vorpal trait to have but it is as useful as your own creativity with it. (ADD AN EXAMPLE HERE)
Clearly there are more moves in Eltnum’s arsenal and more petty details to them but this are the mains ones, if you want to expand and go deeper you can check this Pressure Guide
Okizeme
Eltnum’s okizeme varies depending on if she’s ending the combo in midscreen or in the corner since she must reload after her combos, this is because she wants her purple bullets to run her gameplan and offense and you are hindering your gameplan in not doing so often. Also, she can run stronger oki if she uses meter to end her combo in j.214C that lets her in a better position and with more options.
Midscreeen
Eltnum is susceptible to backtech which makes it difficult to cover escapes like jumping, backdashes and put meatys safely. There’s a way to cover people trying to escape or mash out of the situations and it is cutting the combo short doing only 1 rep of the typical ender 22B 66C, this will allow to cover the following your opponent does:
- Back tech: You can cover and do a “meaty” with 214A, this will snipe assaults, jump backs or even your opponent trying to go in with an attack. There’s also 236A but they function similar, 214A is a low so it can catch people offguard and, if your execution is good enough, you can get a combo meterless with md2B.
- Another way to punish the backtech more indirectly is just dashing or dashblocking towards him to make him lose screen control and put him closer to the corner. Also, there’s the option to 5D/Concentrate to punish him for doing a back tech and losing GRD , this making a difference in the cycle and punishing with GRD.
- Neutral tech: If the opponents neutral techs there are a few more options, you can do a md5A to cover abares, also there’s a little space between you and the opponent to win with a B normal against short A normals.
In general, these are some options for when your opponent tends to challenge you in his wake up, but just closing the gap safely with a dashblock is always a safe option if you don’t feel like you will reach your opponent for the meaty.
Corner
Since backtech is not a problem anymore, here Eltnum can run more Okizeme stuff to cover multiple options:
- 5A: Your go to meaty option, and to be honest, the most reliable one after a meterless combo, since 66C 22C frame advantage is not that big, this what you normally have to do to not get mashed.
- 5A CS: If you have vorpal though you can do 5A CS which will cover every wake up option; if they mash you get the 5A Hit and if they do any kind of reversal you cancel the 5A and block the reversal to get a stronger punish.
- 623A CS: Similar to the 5A CS but open ups stronger combo routes for big damage.
Corner j.214C
This move leaves Eltnum at a distance and with more frame advantage than a normal 66C 22C which can leave her in better positions to do different options against wake ups.
- 5A: Same as above
- 623 CS: Same as above
- 5B: Bigger button than enables better combos, more active and even advances, also catches jumps easier than 5A.
- 22A: Strong meaty, difficult to challenge since there’s a bigger distance and it’s disjoint, if they mashed they are going to eat big damage. Also you can do 22A CS to bait reversals like the examples above.
- 66B: With j.214C you can meaty with 66B which can be great, can bait some command throws reversals, if they block you can go into j.214A to remain +6.
Gimmicks
- Assault j.A CS: Eltnum has access to one of the fastest OH in the game thanks to j.A, you can confirm this j.A into a full combo after CS, good way to open people up and can be hard to react. It is -4 though and can be punished.
- 236X CS: Strong use of CS for Eltnum, especially in hard to approach MUs, since she will end extremely plus (around +20) and enable her to close the gap, a “neutral skip” like some people say.
- Dash TK j.214B: Eltnum has a slow command grab that can be jumped but used situationally can hit people by surprise, also can be used after 66B.
- 214C Ender into 421A: Fake left right mix up that people may not be ready to block and can catch people off-guard, but this is completely fake by UNI standards since it is a slow left right and the game has the cross up protection system
- 66B j.623A: Risky frame trap but can be worth it since people try to challenge 66B, and with good enough reason.
- 66B CS j.A: A situational mix up that can help you to open someone up, j.A comes out quickly and you can mix with landing 2A for a high/low. You can fuzzy block this but still this can help in a pinch or play with the respect your opponent gives you if they chose to wait.
- Assault wj.2B dash Grab: An Assault option that you can use if your opponent is shielding or blocking your other assault approaches, it can catch some people off guard as they expect a high attack. A gimmicky but strong option against people that like to shield assaults. Mind your distance when using this option though, as you want to whiff the j.2B.
Option Selects
Eltnum can input some offensive option selects to complement her pressure and cover some scenarios to get the most out of her toolkit while pressuring.
- 3C8B: An offensive OS, if you get a 3C hit but not CH then the opponent will recover in the air and you can’t wait to pick up with 5B, but with this OS if you get the 3C you will jump with a jB to confirm into a combo, if they block the 3C though you get a 5B and go into a blockstring. Good to learn to avoid relying on only getting CH 3C. Also worth noting you can mix this OS with 3CAD.
- 6B 2C2B: Another offensive OS, this one is to be used after a 6B, inputting a 2C and then another 2B will make you go into a 2C if the 6B hit the opponent and then you co do a standard route, but if the opponent blocked the 6B since it’s only special cancelable on block it will go into a 22B and leave you +8 to keep the pressure going.
- 6B 2C(1) 236[A]: ENH bullets only, the idea is that on hit 6B will go into 2c(1) 236[A] so you get a full combo, and on block you go into 6B 236[A] which can frame trap and will leave you +3 on block to keep your pressure going
Defense
Eltnum is blessed with really strong defensive options; a 5f 5A to mash out, a long and fast 7f counter poke in 2B, a meterless DP in 623B, one of the fastest reversals in the game with 623C and even a metered reversal that can go into a full combo in 421C besides all the system mechanic like VO or Guard Thrust. With all this, pressuring Eltnum can be hard or at least stressful for the opponent since there are a lot of ways that Eltnum can challenge okizeme options and blockstring pressure in general.
This means that with intelligent use of this plethora of options, patience and taking note of what the opponent likes to do on his pressure, Eltnum has an answer to bust out of the bad situation, but not to be confused with the idea that Eltnums HAS to force her way out; at the end being patient, blocking and winning the cycle is always a strong option in itself in UNI.
Reversal Tools
- 5A: fast 5f button to mash out of situations, your best bet if you want to mash and challenge your opponent.
- 2B: 7f long and advancing normal, this button it’s a great counterpoke since this button is fast and reaches far, thus forcing the opponent to structure his pressure around this button or stay close at the risk of getting hit by it. More useful when the opponent is pressuring with blockstrings than on wake up, but like a lot of things, that depends on the distance and situation.
- 5B: Similar to 2B, 8f and doesn’t advance you as much but the strong point that 5B has over 2B is that it has a lot more disjoint. Thanks to this, using 5B is a better option to challenge certain types of moves, especially if the opponent is pressuring Eltnum with low crushing moves like Akatsuki’s 214B/Tatsu.
- 3C: Not your common abare option but is worth noting when the opponent is doing jump ins or assault mix ups on his oki or as a way to reset his pressure, it’s a 9f start up move and if they block it you can go into a blockstring. Most commonly seen as part of a throw tech OS.
- 623B: Eltnum meterless reversal, not everyone in the game has one so already having it can force the opponent to structure his pressure on your wake up around the risk of you doing this on your wake up and not caring about his meaty, but at the end, it is a classic reversal DP and has the inherent high-risk low-reward of doing a wake up DP, so that means if it gets blocked you will, and should, eat a fat punish.
- 623C: This one is worth noting since, even though you could do the B version and not waste meter, the EX version has a 3f start up, making it one of the fastest reversals in the game tied with Wagner’s 623C. This is relevant against characters that have safe jumps setups like Merkava that can mess up with them because of the fast start up, still this requires knowledge to recognize those safe jumps and when it is safe to use it. Also it can punish some otherwise safe attacks like Merkava’s 236C.
- 236A: Not so worth as a wake option but when the opponent is pressuring you from a distance this is a decent counter poke since it's fast and with a good disjoint, mostly used when the opponent does a rebeat from a far or end his pressure in a negative move to reclaim your turn.
EX Cutting Sync (421C)
Now this is the big one, Eltnum’s EX Cuttying Sync has the privilege of being a metered, horizontal reversal that goes into a full combo, you can do anything after hitting this; good damage, side switching, meatying, etc. This is really strong for Eltnum since it shifts the traditional risk reward of throwing a reversal; normally with a traditional DP you would get out of the bad situation and get around a miserable 1600-1800 damage, or they block the DP and proceed to do the best combo your opponent knows. Instead, with 421C you either get punished with a combo video, or get out of the bad situation plus get a full combo into sideswich and corner pressure, transforming the high-risk high-reward into a high risk-high reward option. Also, there’s a nitpick about the move and it's that it goes under certain moves and any kind of assault or jump in if they are done close to Eltnum, it will only intercept jumping opponents if they are far enough so be aware of throwing it and then whiffing because the opponent was assault next to you.
It’s worth noting that this move has great synergy with Vorpal since you can active CS to react to moves and interrupt them with 421C, or even get the CS during your opponent's blockstring, activating it and if they are leaving gaps in their blockstrings you can force your way out with 421C, thus making pressuring Eltnum while having both Vorpal and 100 meter very difficult. Addtionally this move has some applications as a fuzzy, there are situations where Eltnum can do a fuzzy 421C where if the opponents cancels a normal into a special with a gap the 421C will come out or if he does something else she will continue blocking, with this. (ADD AN EXAMPLE HERE)
Last but not least, Eltnum has the ability to whiff cancel some moves into others, most notably any of the gunshots (236X/236[X]/22X) and, if she has Vorpal, 5A and 2A. Why do I mention these moves? Because a more advanced application of this move is using EX Cuttyng Sync to bait some reversals or even projectile invul moves and then using a whiff cancel into 421C to punish the reversal attempt, this can be done more easily with CS and is normally done after reacting to the EX flash of the opponents EX moves, this giving you the time to react and input the 421C. (ADD AN EXAMPLE HERE)
EX Cutting Sync is a great tool with a multitude of benefits, but remember that at the end of it all, this is just a reversal, a really good one, but a reversal nonetheless, so if you throw it without thinking you will get blocked and eat a really strong combo so use it with care and know when to pull the trigger and when to hold it.
Option Selects
Eltnum sticks to the universal options selects on the defensive side but she has 2 notables ones that can be considered strong with her in the 3CAD and she also has access to the Air Throw OS since she’s one of the two characters with an Air Throw.
- 1AD: Basic OS that lets you tech throws while blocking, really good but can make you whiff croush shields if done in a bad timing
- 2AD: Another simple OS that lets you mash out of pressure while covering throws, not so strong on Eltnum since her 2A is 6f but still solid enough to use it.
- 3CAD: A common OS but still it's worth noting with Eltnum since it beats Assault, Throws and even if they try to bait a reversal with a dashblock you can rebeat from the blocked 3C to “force your turn”. Strong OS to learn and apply. To use it you do a 3C and then plink AD, if they Throw you tech it and if they assault with an attack they get hit by a CH 3C, there you can cancel with 2A to rebeat and go to a blockstring or whiff the same 2A and pick up with 5B if you got the CH since it gives a long time to do the pick up with the Counter Hit.
- AT OS: An option only Akatsuki and Eltnum have since they are the only characters with Air Throw, in general this OS is not as strong as 3CAD to cover the same options but it is really easy to apply. To use it you go from 1 to 7AD so you tech the throw and if they assault near you they eat the air throw.
Eltnum can use a lot more defensive OS but those 2 are the more notable for her since she can rebeat from the 3C and that being a solid OS, and the AT OS is exclusive to her and Akatsuki.
Counter Strategies
general ways to aid players having trouble fighting against this character
Videos
External Links
