GGACR/Zappa/Starter

Unique Mechanic

Orbs and Summons

Summons

There are 3 different main summons that can be called upon using 236PGuardMidStartup10Recovery20Advantage-12 or randomly when exiting hitstun. The different summons have different playstyles, attacks, and strengths. Take the time to get comfortable with each individual summon in training mode by setting the Menu's Possession option to Dog, Sword, or Triplets.

	Dog - A puppet like entity that can be controlled with the D button even while blocking, it also disables D normals.
	Sword - Alters S and H normals and allows you to attack and mix from afar.
	Triplets - Alters S and H normals and lets Zappa bombard the opponent with projectiles.
	Raou - Appears when 8 orbs are collected. Raou has amazing damage, range, and speed. Alters S and H normals and 5D.

Orbs

These are a resource that are collected by hitting the opponent with certain special moves such as , 63214H with Sword, and 2D with Dog. Once you get 8 orbs the next time you use Raoh will appear. You can practice Raou easily in training mode without having to generate orbs first by setting the Possession option to Raou.

Universal Options

P Normals and K Normals can all be used regardless of what summon you currently have. Keep in mind however that some gatlings change depending on your summon: for instance 5P can only self cancel with Triplets, Sword, and Raou.
Zappa's dash (66) is fast and shrinks his hurtbox considerably. Use it to slip under various moves, especially when the opponent is attacking from the air.
Zappa's backdash (44) is invincible for 10 frames and moves him backwards very quickly, making it an invaluable tool for both movement and defensive play.
AirthrowGuard88 pixelsStartupRecoveryAdvantage- is Zappa's best option for antiairing the opponent.
214DGuardHighStartup16Recovery11Advantage+3 is a fast, plus on block overhead that gets rid of your current summon, knocks down, and gives you two orbs. It also combos into 236PGuardMidStartup10Recovery20Advantage-12 if you are close enough so it can act as a "reroll" of sorts.

Key Moves

236P
Reversal and chaos creator.
6P
Goes under a majority of attacks.
2H
Essential to use alongside the Dog.

236PGuardMidStartup10Recovery20Advantage-12 is your most essential move due to letting you summon, but it is also very powerful in its own right as a reversal and counterpoke. It is also how you will usually end your combos when naked due to hitting otg opponents and knocking them down, giving you ample time to set up oki with your new summon.
2PGuardMidStartup5Recovery9Advantage-2 and 2KGuardLowStartup7Recovery7Advantage-1 are fast, somewhat low profile options that can be used to start pressure with after dashing in.
6PGuardLowStartup11Recovery18Advantage-7 is very low profile from frame 1 until the end of its actives and can go under most standing normals.
5KGuardMidStartup9Recovery8Advantage-2 has lower body invincibility throughout the entire move and can go over many low pokes.
5KGuardMidStartup9Recovery8Advantage-2 and 2SGuardMidStartup11Recovery12Advantage-7 are effective tools for stuffing the opponent due to their long actives, disjointed hitboxes, and favorable counterhit properties.
f.SGuardMidStartup13Recovery10Advantage-5 has good range and creates a puddleGuardLowStartup34RecoveryAdvantage- that can knock down the opponent.
2HGuardMidStartup15Recovery14Advantage0 is a very strong attack that has many offensive attributes. While you cannot combo into it on standing opponents it is 0 on block, gatlings into every other Zappa normal, and inflicts doubled stun and a sizeable chunk of damage on hit.

Dog

Sword

f.S, 2S are both fast pokes with great range. Main difference between the two is that f.S moves the sword forwards, while 2S moves it downwards and hits low at ground height.
6H is a 2-hit plus on block normal that starts as a fast overhead and then a low. Moves the sword diagonally downwards.
2H is another 2-hit plus on block normal. It is the only sword attack that can be jump cancelled and has great use as an anti-air. On block it's best to use j.S after jump cancelling this attack.
j.S practically works the same as f.S except it hits overhead. Take advantage of its speed on a low blocking opponent.
63214H has massive range and will knockdown the opponent on hit. Good to end combos and further ranged blockstrings with.