Under Night In-Birth/UNIEL/Merkava

Merkava

Introduction

"BRAWK BRAWK BRAWK BRAWK"

Unique Trait/Health

Health: 9,200

Merkava's unique trait is the ability to fly. By pressing up twice Merkava will begin to fly. From flight he can perform air normal/special moves. Flight is a very important tool to learn to use well. In neutral it gives him a lot of strong space control and when used for okizeme it can have very strong results. He also gains access to a glide attack that comes in very fast and can be hard to anti-air. He can cancel into normals from this attack on hit or block, even if your opponent shields it. Cancelling into j.B leads to a short combo on hit and frame advantage on block, so it's a good idea to do so most of the time. If he flies for too long without landing or performing a move, he will fall to the ground and be subjected to a large amount of recovery.

"Fast Flight" is a very important technique to master to get the most out of your flight. It's necessary in neutral to quickly and safely get spacing moves out, and you'll need it to get flight okizeme set up in time. It's very simple to perform. All you need to do is jump diagonally either forward or back, quickly input a seceond upwards motion, then quickly switch to holding down on the joystick. If performed correctly Merkava will quickly enter flight low to the ground. In neutral this allows him to get low to the ground air normals and keep himself safer when deciding to fly. Throwing out j.B low to the ground is very common, since it covers a large amount of space with a very small amount of recovery.

When used for okizeme, flight can become a very strong mix up. After 66C ender, immediately fast fly and you have a few different oki options. j.A hits high and can safejump certain reversals. If somebody respects your oki or lacks a reversal, you can attempt to set up something like j.C > j.B for multiple high hitting moves in one string. The low option is to whiff a button to get rid of flight recovery, then go low with 2B. The whiff can also be used to bait reversals or set up a throw. There's a very large amount of mind games past the high/low/throw game, so be creative with it.

Gameplay

fluff

Move List

L = Low, H = High, UNB = Unblockable, CS = Chain Shift

Startup includes the first active frame.

Normal Moves

5A	Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox 160 8 4 11 -3 Sp,EX,CS HL - Pretty standard 5A. Doesn't see much use outside of reverse gatlings in pressure strings.

2A	Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox 262 6 3 20 -2 Se,Sp,EX,CS L - 2 hit low, can gatling into itself. Good for starting pressure since it cancels into itself and hits low.

5B	Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox 440 11 2 22 -12 Sp,EX,CS HL - Merk just kind of sticks his arm out. Knocks the opponent airborne on hit. Pretty decent poke since it has good range, and is used in combos.

2B	Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox 445 7 2*2 22 -4 Sp,EX,CS L - This thing is pretty awesome. 2 hit low with a lot of active frames. Great in pressure since it hits twice and can gatling into small gaps with things like 2C. Has deceptively long range as well, so can be used to get things started. Be careful though, on whiff this move leaves you really open.

5C	Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox 710 14 5 23 -10 Sp,EX,CS HL - Merkava just shoots his arms out at about 3/4 of the entire screen. Big silly poke, also makes its way into combos. Be careful, has quite a bit of recovery to compensate for its range.

5[C]	Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox 805 26 5 23 -10 Sp,EX,CS HL - Same as 5C, just takes a bit to charge up and wallbounces the opponent on hit. Mostly used as a combo extension after things like anti-air 6C.

2C

Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox 570 12 7 24 -9 Sp,EX,CS L - Merkava takes a second to lunge forward with a low hit that knocks the opponent airborne on hit. This thing is also pretty awesome. It's one of Merkava's main combo tools, since it leads to 2CC or 5C. It's also fairly useful in pressure since the delay on it creates a bit of a framtrap, and on block you can gatling out of it. The range on this thing is also great, which leads to some good punishes and call outs.

j.A	Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox 150 10 2 X+2 Varies Sp,EX,CS H/AS - Mostly used in combos or as a safejump/whiff for flight okizeme. More on that later. Doesn't see much use outside of that.

j.B

Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox 504 10 3*2 X+3 Varies Sp,EX,CS H/AS - j.B - 2 hit move where Merkava throws his arm out across the screen. Its primary use is to control space and it does a very good job of that. Combined with low flight, Merkava can throw this out very low to the ground to cover great space with very little recovery. Its 2 hits also make it good for extending air combos as Merkava lands.

j.C	Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox 666 15 4 X+4 Varies Sp,EX,CS H/AS - Merkava spins around in a big dumb circle. Go to jump in and assault overhead, also used in combos. It's pretty big so don't be afraid to throw it out sometimes.

Command Normals

5BB	Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox 293 3 4 21 -9 Sp,EX,CS HL - Usable on even whiff from 5B: looks a lot like 5B. Makes confirming 5B a bit easier but doesn't pop up all that often.

4B	Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox 666 10 5 19 -4 Sp,EX,CS HL - Merkava gives them the elbow. This is a strong AA that leads to a full combo on hit and is a pretty good starter. On air hit it spikes the opponent down to the ground and causes a knockdown, so it also is a primary combo ender for a large amount of combos.

6C	Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox 754 18 6 20 -8 Sp,EX,CS HL - Anti-air version of 5C, looks the same just angled upwards. Good anti-air that covers a lot of space and can be followed up. It's also a good combo extender as well. As with 5C, be careful throwing it out as it has a large amount of recovery.

6[C]	Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox 862 28 6 21 -9 Sp,EX,CS HL - Combo extension.

2CC	Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox 302 15 4 24 -11 (Sp),(EX),(CS) L - Launches the opponent pretty high on hit, making it a primary combo tool. On block this is very unsafe and cannot gatling anywhere, so don't autopilot this.

4C

Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox 862 29 2 23 -7 Sp,EX,CS H - Merkava tilts his arms back, then slams them down. Hits overhead. Has quite a bit of range, so you'll see this towards the end of pressure once Merk has been pushed out a little bit. The delay sometimes catches people trying to do something, and since it comes down it will catch people attempting to jump out. Pretty safe if blocked from far out, but don't try using it at close range. Can be followed up on hit but might be a little tricky.

3C

Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox 488 ~18 3 45 Landing: 14 -9 Sp,EX,CS H - Merkava goes airborne and slams down with an overhead. This move is really good. Since Merkava is so high, he'll go over a lot of grounded moves and throws, catching opponents who like to mash. On hit it is easily confirmable into a combo. Has a hitbox on the way up that is a surprisingly good anti-air as well. On block it's unsafe, but can be special cancelled into air fireball to make it safer. It's also used as a combo extension in the corner.

j.2C	Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox 410 10 21 (max) 10 Stand: -6 Crouch: -3 Sp,EX,CS HL - Divekick. Has quite a bit of recovery so it's hard to make safe. On hit, it causes a knockdown that can easily be followed up or used for okizeme. Mostly used in combos for the knockdown, but has gimmicky uses for oki and pressure.

Dash Normals

66B	Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox 789 9 3 21 -2 Sp,EX,CS L - Dash version of 2B. Since it has limited cancels it is mostly useless.

66C	Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox 800 ~18 2 43 Landing: 19 -7 Sp,EX,CS H - Sped up version of 3C. Has all the same benefits except it is faster and goes a bit farther. Since it's faster you'll see it used as a combo extension for a lot of BnBs. This move really is the god sometimes.

Universal Mechanics

Force Function B+C	Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox 1630 11 3 22 -9 (CS) HL - Shake the baby. Can't think of many uses for this other than as a combo extension in the corner. Pretty unsafe on block as well.

Throw A+D	Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox 1730 (max) 4 1 22 +29 (hit) - UNB - Merkava slams the opponent around. To get more hits(up to 8) and damage, spin the stick in 360 motions while mashing all your buttons. If you're not getting all hits, you're not mashing early/hard enough. No really, I'm serious.

Guard Cancel 214D	Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox 0 16 5 27 Blocked: -14 Hit: +40 - HL - Fluff

Veil Off A+B+C	Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox 0 21 (min) 69 (max) 2 37 Blocked: -13 Hit: +36 - HLA - Universal reversal. Invincible from start-up until the first active frame. Not throw invincible. You can delay the start-up until the 69th frame, but there's no real incentive to do so outside of thwarting meaty attacks.

Special Moves

Ware, Ugatsu 「我、 穿つ」 236X

Version Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox A 1335 9 8 25 -5 EX,CS HL - Merkava flails his arms forward in a flurry of punches. Pure combo fodder to be used at the end of combos. Version Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox B 1510 13 8 29 -9 EX,CS HL - About the same as A version but moves Merkava forward and deals a bit more damage. Version Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox EX 1955 12 16 22 -2 (CS) HL - Super version. Has invuln up until it's active, which means it can be used as a reversal but is at risk to trade or be beaten outright, so be careful. On block it's safe unless the last hit is shielded. On hit, it wallbounces the opponent which can easily be followed up.

Ware, Kyuuryuu o Tsuranuku 「我、 穹窿を貫く」 623X

Version Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox A 1412 14 14 20 +1 EX,CS HL - Looks like 236A but Merkava leaps of the ground in a short little arc. Mostly just combo fodder since the A version can be followed up on hit. Version Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox B 1392 7 28 22 -5 EX,CS HL - Like 623A but can't follow up, so it's pretty much never used. Version Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox EX 1714 7 28 28 -36 (close) (CS) HL - Merkava really takes off with this one. Again, not really any use to this one.

Ware, Hokakushite Kurau 「我、捕獲して喰らう」 214X

Version Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox A 1476 26 (full screen) 12 12 -12 to -15 (CS) HL - Merkava extends his arm horizontally across the screen, and on hit it grabs the opponent and brings Merkava to them where he then eats their face. This is completely blockable and whiffs entirely on airborne opponents. The arm will go through projectiles, making this a very good way to punish or discourage people from using them. If you press D while the arm is extending, the arm will stop and stay active for a few frames. On hit, this can be Chain Shifted which leads to really big damage from across the entire screen. On block this is very unsafe point blank, but most of the time you use it your opponent will be very far away and will have a tough time punishing depending on who they are. Version Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox B 1476 26 (full screen) 12 12 +39 (combo stun) (CS) UNB - Functions the same as 214A, but goes at an upward angle. Can grab airborne opponents but whill whiff on standing ones. Aside from being used as an anti-air, is also commonly used to end air combos. Version Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox EX 1980 15 (full screen) 23 9 -4 to -14 (CS) HL - Is a very fast and more damaging version of 214A, with the exception that it can grab airborne opponents.

Ware, Ibuku 「我、息吹く」 j.214X

Version Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox A 700 15 30 (max) 22 + to +1 EX,CS HLA - Air fireball. Pretty straightforward to use in neutral to control space. Is also used after a blocked 3C to help make it safer. Can be used as a combo extension in some cases as well. Version Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox B 700 16 53 (max) 20 +26 to -1 EX,CS HLA - Same as the A version except it travels at a more horizontal angle. Version Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox EX 1725 7 86 (max) 19 +13 to -6 (CS) HLA - Fires off 3 fireballs instead of one. Can be used to end air combos or to make certain situations safer.

Ware, Shitsuyou ni Matsuwaritsuku 「我、執拗に纏わり付く」 22X

Version Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox A 427 168 (worm) 4 47 (Merkava) + - HL - Merkava throws down his arm and spawns a little worm creature after a bit of time. If Merkava is hit, blocks, or techs a grab the worm disappears. The worm itself can also be hit before it becomes a threat. This takes way too long to come out and the worms are easy to deal with, so you rarely see it. Version Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox B 427*2 169 (worm) 4 47 (Merkava) + - HL - More or less same thing as 22A but the worm bites twice. Version Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox EX 666 (Merkava) 1228, 836 (Worms) 18 (Merkava) 169 (Worms) 1 (Merkava) ~16 (Worms) 22 (Merkava) -5 (Merkava) + (Worms) - H - With the super version, Merkava will actually hit the opponent with his arm and knock them down, giving him much more time to set up. Additionally, this versions spawns 3 worms that will attack twice. The same drawbacks as before still apply, but since this gives Merkava time to set something up they can be useful, especially versus characters with weak reversal options. Note: Merkava hits you with an overhead as hes setting down his worms.

Ware, Chouryou suru 「我、跳梁する」 41236C

Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox 2109 14 18 15 -6 (CS) HL - Merkava goes airborne then swoops at the opponent. On hit he slams them into the ground for a bit of damage and knockdown. Has a bit of invuln so can be used in reversal situations or to scoop somebody out of the air. Its invlun is up before it is active so you can't be too crazy with it. Doesn't see a whole lot of use since there are usually better options to go with.

Infinite Worth

Ware, Ikidouru 「我、憤る」 41236D	Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox 3062 13 72 44 -30 - HLA - Party Hard. Mostly just a combo ender if you want/need the extra damage. Has invuln though so can be tossed out to go through some attacks.

Infinite Words EXS

Ware, Juurinsen 「我、蹂躙せん」 A+B+C+D	Damage Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Cancels Guard/Shield Hitbox 3665 16 3 49 -26 - HLA - Same as other IWEXS moves. Starts with a pillar of light as the hitbox with some invuln. On hit, Merkava just eats the opponent in a pretty flashy animation. On block it's pretty unsafe.

Combos

Midscreen

• 2A(2) > 2CC > 6[C] > j.6D > j.A > j.B(2) > 66C > 66 > 2C > 5C > 4B [2396/42]

This is THE midescreen BnB that works from just about any starter.

• 2A > 2B > 2CC > j.C > j.A > j.B(2) > 66C > 2C > 5C > 4B [2327/44]

If your confirm scales too much for the IAD combo, you can keep it simple.

• 66C > 2CC > rest of BnB [2389/45]

If you land a raw 66C you can pick up with 2C and do pretty much whatever you want. Again, this works from just about any starter as long as it isn't super scaled. 66C, Divekick, etc.

• 66C > 2C > 5C > 6C > j.6D > j.A > j.B(2) > 5B > 5C > 6C > 214B [2629/48]

Sometimes your opponent will be too far away for 2CC to connect. This route allows you to continue the combo using 2C > 5C instead. Near the corner you may be able to link 66C after j.B but it's rather specific.

• 214A > CS > j.6D > j.C > j.2C > 2CC > rest of BnB [3482]

If you have CS available you can really make 214A count.

• 214B > CS > j.6D > j.C > j.2C > 2CC > j.C > j.A > j.B(2) > 66C > 2C > 5C > 4B [3366]

214B scales a bit harder so you'll need to do a shorter combo.

• 5BB > 5C > 6C > 214B [2151/25]

Max range 5B midscreen doesn't lead to a whole lot unfortunately. From close range, 5BB > 6C > j.6D etc works but you have to be practically point blank.

• AA 4B > 2CC > BnB [2627/44]

4B is a great AA and leads to a full combo too.

• 6C > 5[C] > j.6D > j.A > j.B(2) > 66C or 5B ender

AA 6C can convert into an IAD combo depending on spacing and height.

• Glide > j.B(2) > 66C > 66 > 2C > 5C > 4B [2307]

Oh hey, you can get a combo off glide.

Corner

A lot of the midscreen combos can be adjusted to work in the corner without the j.6D > j.A extension, where you simply do j.C > j.A > j.B(2) > etc instead.

• 2A(2) > 2C > 5C > 6C > j.C > j.A > >j.B > 66C > 2C > 5C > 4B [2570/47]

Basic combo that works from just about anything.

• 2A(2) > 2C > 5C > 6C > j.C > j.A > >j.B > 66C > 2C > 5C > 4B > 236B > 236C [3386]

If you want the damage you can tag on a super ender here.

• 2B(2) > 2C > 623A > 2B > 5C > 6C > j.C > j.A > j.B(2) > 66C > 2C > 5C > 4B [2922]

Big void creature combo in the corner from better starters. You'll need to delay the 623A in order to get the 5C to connect after 2B. If this is too much trouble, you can just do no delay and do 5B instead for a bit less damage.

• 5C > 2C > 3C > j.236A > 2B > 5B > 6C > j.C > j.A > j.B(2) > 66C > 2C > 5C > 4B [3290]

Big stupid confirm for big stupid damage.

• 66C > B+C > 4B > 2B > 5B > 6C > j.C > j.A > j.B(2) > 66C [2612]

Alternate combo from 66C that lets you squeeze out some extra damage if you want 66C ender for flight oki.

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