GGACR/Testament/Matchups

Kesuke's Matchup Ratios

Testament's MUs. Mirror is obviously 5:5

7:3

Justice

6.5:3.5

Ky

6:4

Potemkin

I-No

Bridget

Robo-Ky

Kliff

5.5:4.5

Sol

May

Eddie

Johnny

Venom

Zappa

A.B.A

HoS

5:5

Jam

Anji

Testament

4.5:5.5

Chipp

Faust

Slayer

4:6

Millia

Baiken

Axl

Dizzy

A.B.A

A.B.A

Anji

Anji Mito

Axl

Axl Low

Baiken

Baiken

Bridget

Bridget

Chipp

Chipp Zanuff

Dizzy

Dizzy

Eddie

Eddie

Faust

Faust

I-no

I-No

Jam

Jam Kuradoberi

Justice

Justice

Johnny

Johnny

This MU is of a very explosive nature: either Testament will bully Johnny to death with EXE Beast, webs, 2H, 6H and 3H, or Johnny will hit a random poke into a 60% combo that leads to Enkasu. Besides all of that, this MU is very well balanced.

Neutral

Try not to fight exactly at mid range, where Johnny exceeds. Testament would like to fight at 6H and 3H distance, zoning Johnny with his traps and EXE Beasts to maintain this distance. If you happen to be at mid range, use f.S instead.
2H is definitely an option in neutral, as a lot of Johnny players will say. It can dodge a lot of his buttons like 5K, 5S, 5H, 6H and even coins, and subsequently lead into a 2D oki or Zeinest launch for us. However, a lot of 2H are hard reads and can easily be baited into a 3H, 2S and even a 6H, leading into a high damage combo for Johnny. An exemple of that is using 2H as Testament to go under a coin (5H>236H). If Johnny uses 5H and cancel it into a Mist Finer instead (5H>236[P/K/S]~H>3H or 2S), you will 100% get punished. The safest option is to back dash or just block the coin (preferably a high block, to avoid getting hit by a meaty one).

Anti-airs

Anti airs against Johnny are hard due to his long hitboxes like j.H; use 2S, back dash or just block the jump attack (Johnny mixups are not hard to read). 2H can also be used to put pressure due to its invincibility frames, but it can be punished very hard if missed. 2H has to be used when Johnny is the lowest possible to the ground for it to work, so that the hitbox isn't active long enough to punish you. Sadly, most of the time, that's not the case.

Defence

Back dashes are a valuable tool to avoid pokes, coins and Killer Joker confirms (at max range), just don't corner yourself: Johnny normals are really hard to avoid or counter while cornered. If you happen to be cornered, you can try to super jump and dash away (you can also cancel your dash with a web to reduce landing time). Using Warrant (counter) when you're cornered can be highly beneficial, since you can change places with Johnny and start your corner pressure. However, it can also be baited into a free high damage combo for Johnny, so use it wisely!

Kliff

Kliff Undersn

Ky

Ky Kiske

May

May

Millia

Millia Rage

Order Sol

Order-Sol

Potemkin

Potemkin

Overview:

Don't be fooled by Potemkin's sluggish nature. One mistake can cost you a round in this MU, as long as Potemkin is alive, he can win. Once Potemkin gets close to Testament, your defensive options become extremely limited. You'll have to rely mostly on blocking mixups and pushing him away with Faultless Defense A special type of blocking in Guilty Gear that negates chip damage and pushes the opponent back further than usual. This type of blocking comes at the cost of a resource., or using IB Instant BlockA special type of blocking. Usually improves frame data against blocked moves or gives more meter than a normal block or both. to setup WarrantGuardStartupRecoveryTotal 52Advantage-, because you won't have room to use Warrant without it. It's best not to get yourself in this situation.

Things to watch out for:

HammerfallGuardMidStartup19~27Recovery33Advantage-18 - One of his main mobility tools. Since it takes two non-Overdrive hits to stop him, keep a healthy amount of traps/Phantom Soul (P)GuardAllStartup30RecoveryTotal 58Advantage+2 in between yourself and him.

Be ready to supplement your traps with a , , or to ensure that you stop him in his tracks.

Superjump - His second mobility tool. Combined with j.PGuardHigh/AirStartup5Recovery6Advantage-, j.SGuardHigh/AirStartup14Recovery23Advantage- or j.HGuardHigh/AirStartup11Recovery16Advantage-, he can easily get rid of any webGuardAllStartup11RecoveryTotal 29Advantage+2, preemptively use your j.SGuardHigh/AirStartup8Recovery16Advantage- to contest him. Alternatively, you can also use Phantom Soul (K)GuardAllStartup30RecoveryTotal 58Advantage+2 combined with 6H if you notice they're not blocking it with FD.
SlideheadGuardLow, UnblockableStartup23Recovery25Advantage-11 - This is Potemkin's #1 tool to get rid of HitomisGuardMidStartupSee notesRecoveryTotal 27Advantage-, score a Hard Knockdown A knockdown that forces the character into a prolonged knockdown state. After a hard knockdown, teching is disabled briefly, allowing the player who is on the offensive more time to set up a meaty, a mix-up, etc. and move in with HammerfallGuardMidStartup19~27Recovery33Advantage-18. Generally, you have 3 ways of avoiding it:

Jumping - If you're at more-or-less mid-range from Potemkin, you can air-dash and punish him using j.HGuardHigh/AirStartup13Recovery15Advantage-, which can be converted into a knock-down.
Backdashing - Be careful when doing this, since Potemkin can chain multiple Slideheads and catch you off guard.
Running (Gliding?) towards Potemkin. Testament is somewhat special in this case because while they're gliding, they're immune to Slidehead's knock-down effect, as long as you're not close enough to get hit by Potemkin himself. If you anticipate a Slidehead, you can glide towards him and punish using 6HGuardMidStartup15Recovery28Advantage-15 from mid-range, if you're closer than mid-screen 6KGuardMidStartup15Recovery23Advantage-15 gets the job done.

Don't get too comfortable spamming traps/Phantom Souls. Potemkins pick up on that quickly and will counter you with Slidehead.

F.D.B (Flick)GuardAllStartup21Recovery12Advantage+2 - He'll use this to counter your EXE BeastsGuardAllStartup22~81+6RecoveryTotal 38Advantage+16, FB Phantom SoulGuardStartup80RecoveryTotal 35Advantage-, Nightmare CircularGuardAllStartup8+5Recovery9Advantage+9, and to a lesser extent Curse AttacksGuardAllStartup35Recovery16Advantage- and Phantom Soul (P)GuardAllStartup30RecoveryTotal 58Advantage+2. We deal with this in the following ways:

Try not to be predictable with your EXE Beast releaseNegative Edge: Using button-release to perform attacks. To perform, hold down an attack button, then release the button. Some Negative Edge moves also require special motions., this will prevent Potemkin from countering it with sheer muscle memory.
FB Phantom SoulGuardStartup80RecoveryTotal 35Advantage- is easy to flick since it moves slowly. You have to make him block just before the skull reaches him. Best options are (S)EXE Beast if he's far away, or f.SGuardMidStartup11Recovery13Advantage-5 if you're at mid-range.

If he does manage to flick something, you're going to have to play defensively and deal with the bullet. In most cases, your best bet is to jump and FD the projectile, otherwise Potemkin can use Slidehead to secure a knock-down. If you're feeling particularly confident, you can also try slashbacking it while in the air for some extra Tension gain. Keep in mind that Potemkin can use to grab you out of the air if you're close.

Attempting to the bullet isn't advisable, they'll most likely block it and counter you, but it's been known to work in a pinch.

Backdash - Potemkin's backdash is particularly nasty for a couple of reasons.

He's completely invulnerable for 20F, he can use it to dodge pretty much any conventional okizeme From Japanese "起き攻め". Attacking an opponent about to wake up after they were knocked down, usually with meaty attacks or mix-ups. Testament can do.
If you're not careful, he can use it to set up a Potemkin BusterGuard176 pixelsStartup3Recovery37Advantage-.

You can deal with his backdash by keeping a moderate distance as he's getting up, setting up an EXE beast of your choice, and timing its release as his invulnerability wears off, to be extra sure you can summon both EXE Beasts. This is a fairly safe method, as even if he chooses not to backdash, you're at a safe-enough distance so he can't use Potemkin Buster, and if he decides to Hammerfall or jump out, you can release EXE Beast and counter-attack.

j.D aka Butt DiveGuardHigh/AirStartup11Recovery8 after landingAdvantage- - It's contestable, but risky. The risky way is to just jump straight up, block it (IB Instant BlockA special type of blocking. Usually improves frame data against blocked moves or gives more meter than a normal block or both. or slashback if you're feeling adventurous) and airthrow him, but if you fail, you might get caught with a Buster once you land. One sure way to counter it is to predict it and place a web on the ground, then jump to block it, and as you keep falling together, he'll get caught by the web. It's fairly easy to predict when they're gonna use j.D, because it's usually in situations where they got caught with a high web, so you have time to react.

General gameplan:

FB Phantom Soul is key, because Potemkin is slow and has a hard time evading it. While he's cursed, he's going to have an even harder time moving around, so you have more time to set up even more traps, build tension, and the cycle continues.

If the Pot likes to evade FB Phantom Soul by crouching, don't try to rush him, it's bait and you'll get hit with a . Instead, first use 41236S (hold it), release the Beast as you're moving towards Pot so he can't retaliate, and then mixup of your choice (classic choices include 2P->6P or 2K->6P). This will force Potemkin to stand up and get cursed.

Alternatively, you can also use as it's an overhead, or since it has to be blocked high which will make Pot stand up, guaranteeing either a curse, or a hit if the Pot doesn't stand up.

Goals:

Keep Potemkin busy with traps/curse/EXE Beasts, until there's an opening to move in and do damage. Cast FB Phantom Soul often and work towards a Master of PuppetsGuardMidStartup7+4Recovery41Advantage-24, place powered up traps, rinse and repeat.

Neutral

Having at least ONE tree active at all times is a must to help with countering random Hammerfalls.
Don't be afraid to cancel Phantom Soul and re-cast it high/low depending on your needs, this will keep Pot guessing on whether he should opt for clearing the ground or trying to jump over everything.

Anti-airs

This is one of those MUs where Testament can't rely on their 2SGuardMidStartup10Recovery16Advantage-8 as a reliable anti-air defense. So instead, the idea is to always have at least one high web which Pot can't jump over, but since it's easy for him to get rid of the web, you can either choose to supplement it with a (K)Phantom Soul + 6HGuardMidStartup15Recovery28Advantage-15., or preemptively hitting Pot with j.SGuardHigh/AirStartup8Recovery16Advantage-.

Structuring offence

Overusing standard blockstring that have 2HGuardMidStartup16Recovery20Advantage-4 or end in 2DGuardLowStartup14Recovery30Advantage-16. Don't get lazy with these. A good Potemkin will eventually catch on and interrupt your attack with a Buster, so mix it up a little.
If you manage to pressure Pot into a corner, you should see to it that it's his final resting place. But don't abandon safetyYou've sacrificed sure footing for a killing stroke. -Ra's al Ghul, right before beating Batman in training. if you feel like you're losing control. You can reset and win from neutral, one Buster can turn the tide around.

+ EXE Beast is your friend here. Pot will have a hard time Flicking out of this if you FRC your EXE Beast.

Defence

Do NOT mash backdash unless Pot is attacking from the air. Backdashing Potemkin's ground oki is extremely difficult and you're better off gambling on blocking a mixup.