GGReload/Offense

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Command Normals

GGAC Command Normals.png

Command normal are performed by pressing a specific direction with a specific button. Every character has both a 6P and 6H command normal, and some have command normals with 6K, 3S, etc. as well. It's up to you to learn the different command normals and the properties of each for your character.

Most 6P command normals are anti-air attacks with upper-body invincibility. This makes them great tools to punish opponents who jump at you.

Dust Attack

Hold up during the homing jump to make ALL normal attacks homing jump cancellable for a while!

Everyone's standing Dust is an overhead attack that launches opponents into the air for a flashy air combo. Hitting a standing/crouching opponent will launch them into the air. After that, hold any upwards direction to perform a Homing Jump and follow them up. From here, it's up to you to slap them up with your best air combo.

After reaching a certain height in the Homing Jump, the background will change from the normal stage graphics, to a burning blue display. At any time before the background changes colors, hold up to make ALL of your air normal attacks are cancellable into the homing jump. This makes it so that you can perform otherwise impossible combos, such as Ky able to use j.S SIX times in a Dust combo!

Dust Attacks will only launch your opponent if their feet are on the ground. Hitting an airborne or downed opponent will not result in a Dust Attack air combo opportunity.

Impossible Dust

Impossible Dust combos are combos that look "impossible": an opponent is launched, struck, rises then falls almost to the ground, and is struck again by a standing player. Impossible Dust combos take advantage of the some of the special technicalities of Dust combos to work. An in-depth explanation is shown below:

Directly following a Dust launch, there is a 29 frame window where the opponent will be unable to tech. This is approximately the time before the screen begins transitioning to the blue/red background. Any attack during this 29 frame window will be untechable for 48 frames.

The first part of an Impossible Dust is to strike the opponent as close to the 29th frame as possible so the opponent will be unable to tech for an additional 48 frames. 29+48 frames is usually enough time for the opponent to fall back to the ground after a Dust launch. Obviously hitting on the 29th frame is the the most optimal situation, however striking between 25th-29th frame is usually sufficient for most Impossible Dust combos. This 5 frame window is called the "safe-zone".

The second part of an Impossible Dust is to land and get close to the opponent before he can tech. This can be done a few ways: The one is to cancel the homing jump into a Double Jump or Air Dash to stop your ascent and allow you to land, another is to use a special that travels downward quickly, yet another is to use FD to cancel the homing jump, then fall to the ground.

Note: The two parts do not need to be done in order; it is possible to launch the opponent, double jump, then strike the opponent during the "safe-zone".

Sweep

GGAC Sweep.png

Press 2D to perform a sweep. A sweep is a basic attack that knocks down the opponent, but each character's sweep enables different okizeme and combos so it's important to learn what options are available with your character. Sweep attacks provide a great alternative to Dust Attacks as they must be guarded against low.

Note that Robo-Ky does not have a Sweep with 2D, but his 2S serves the same purpose.

Throws

GGAC Throws.png

Throws are short ranged, fast attacks that can not be blocked nor comboed into (with the exception of opponents in Stagger).

Normal Ground Throw
To perform a normal ground throw, press either 6H or 4H while next to your opponent.Throws have absolutely no startup at all, so the instant you input the throw is the instant it happens. Keep in mind though that if you miss, you will get a 6H or 4H instead, which is often not good at all.
Because ground normal throws have no startup, it is possible to perform a wake up throw, even if the opponent already has an attack out! To counter this, attackers need to be far away enough so that they will be out of the range of an opponent's throw on wakeup.
You can not perform a throw while running, nor can you perform a throw with the diagonals (1H, 3H, etc.). Players often run > Dash Brake > throw to get around the no-throwing-while-running limitation.
Normal Air Throw
Air throws follow the same rules as ground throws; when near an opponent that is not in block-stun, hit-stun, press 6H or 4H to air throw them. Keep in mind that you cannot air throw someone using diagonal directions. You must press 6 or 4 (forward or backwards).
Air throws often give people trouble because they are not quite as easy to space as ground throws. The ideal way to air throw someone is to be slightly below them and rising up to meet them. Typically if you are above the other person, you will not be able to throw before they do.
Another typical use for air throws is throwing people out of techs or bursts, neither of which are throw invincible. Doing so usually requires you to bait out the escape attempt and punish it.
Command Throw
Command throws are similar to basic throws except they require specific joystick and button combinations to perform. On the whole, command throws inflict more damage than basic throws and often have better follow up possibilities. Command throws also have more range than normal throws, and can be canceled into like other special moves. They also can be done while running, so no need to Dash Brake. Command throws however do have startup frames, so usually can't be used on reversal safely like regular throws can be.

Throw Invincibility

Opponents can not always be thrown. Below is a list of situations when the opponent cannot be thrown:

  • While the opponent is in hitstun + 6 frames after. Basically this means that after an attack strikes the opponent, even if you RC or FRC the move, they will be invulnerable to throws for an additional 6 frames from when they left hitstun.
  • While the opponent is in blockstun + 5 frames after blockstun ends.
  • While the opponent is knocked down + 7 frames after.
  • Ground throws will miss versus airborne opponents and vice versa.
  • Some attacks are throw invincible, such as Baiken's 6K. Attacks like this are often good for Wakeup pressure because they are immune to reversal throws. Some attacks also discretely count as being in the air, such as Slayer's 6K. These moves can't be ground thrown, but CAN be air thrown!

Priority of Strike vs Throw vs Command Throw

When two strikes hit each other, either a clash happens or both characters get hit, but what happens when throws are added to the mix?

  • Throw vs Strike: The throw will always win. This is the reason why wakeup throw works in Guilty Gear. Since throws are instant, a throw can beat an opponent performing a meaty on you!
  • Normal Throw vs. Normal Throw: Player 1 has throw priority.
  • Normal Throw vs. Command Throw: The Command Throw will always win.
  • Command Throw vs. Command Throw: Both throws whiff for that one frame. Meaning a Command Throw with more Active Frames will win in the end.


Special Attacks

GGAC Special Attack.png

Special attacks are attacks that require a more elaborate command input, and have unique effects and properties. These range from standard projectiles (Ky's Stun Edge) to fast invincible attacks (Sol's Volcanic Viper) to command throws (Potemkin's Potemkin Buster).

One distinct difference between special and normal attacks is that specials always build some tension, even if they miss completely. Special attacks also deal Chip Damage as well.

Most Special Attacks do not require any additional resources, but some characters have special attacks which change under certain conditions. For example, Johnny is able to power up his Mist Finer attacks by hitting the opponent with coins, and Robo-Ky's specials consume a portion of his Tension Gauge, but gain different properties depending on how much Tension he possesses.

Taunts and Respects

GGAC Taunt.png

Though it's not really "attacking", Taunt and Respect do have their uses.

All characters have both a Taunt and a Respect. To perform a Taunt, simply press Start (Arcade) or R (Respect on Console). Taunts can be canceled into into any attack after about half of the animation has played. Respects, on the other hand, can be canceled at any time. Respects are performed by pressing 6R (or 6Start). Both the Taunt and Respect can be used to give a false sense of vulnerability as your opponent may be lured into attacking. Since the Respect can be canceled at any time, it's usually the best choice for a lure attempt.

Performing a Taunt will raise your opponents Tension Gauge slightly.

Performing a Taunt at the end of the match after the opponent is defeated will give the other player 50% tension at the start of the next round! Truly a sign of confidence indeed!

Instant Kill (IK)

GGAC IK.png

Instant Kills are attacks that instantly win the round! While this sounds game-breakingly powerful in theory, the restrictions in place relegate it to a rarely seen spectacle.

To perform an Instant Kill:

  1. enter Instant Kill Mode by pressing P+K+S+H while standing
  2. while in Instant Kill Mode perform your Instant Kill attack. For almost all characters the command is 236236H.

Entering Instant Kill Mode changes your Tension Gauge into a timer. The timer's length is based upon how much Tension you had stored. It will gradually decrease over time and once emptied, your health will gradually decrease! This will continue until you either perform the Instant Kill or you exit Instant Kill Mode (P+K+S+H while standing). You cannot kill yourself in this manner, but it will leave you with one health, and the next hit or chip damage from a special will finish you off.

After performing an Instant Kill, you will lose your Tension Gauge for the rest of the round! This will prevent you from using all Tension related actions, such as: Overdrive Attacks, Force Break Attacks, Dead Angle Attacks, Roman Cancels, False Roman Cancels, and Faultless Defense. You will also be unable to perform another Instant Kill.

Exiting Instant Kill Mode by pressing P+K+S+H will revert the IK Timer back to an empty Tension Gauge.

Each Instant Kill has different properties and can be used in different situations. It's important to know what your characters Instant Kill looks like, and in what situations it may be useful.

Attack Level

Each attack has an Attack Level rating. Depending on the rating, the attack will inflict a different amount of hitstun / blockstun. Use the chart below to determine how much hitstun/blockstun an attack will inflict. The level rating for each attack can be found in the individual Character Analysis sections.

This chart is still being researched for accuracy.

Attack Level Lv 1 Lv 2 Lv 3 Lv 4 Lv 5
Standing Hitstun 10 12 14 17 19
Crouching Hitstun 10 13 15 18 20
Untechable Time (Air hit) 10 12 14 16 18
Ground Normal Blockstun 9 11 13 16 18
Ground FD Blockstun 11 13 15 18 20
Ground IB Blockstun 7 8 10 12 14
Air Normal Blockstun 9 11 13 16 19
Air FD Blockstun 11 14 17 20 23
Air IB Blockstun 3 5 7 9 11
Ground CH Hitstun +0 +2 +4 +8 +12
Air CH Untechable Time +6 +9 +16 +18 +??
Hitstop 11 12 13 14 15
  • Ground Counter Hit and Air Counter Hit add the indicated amount to Frame Advantage.
  • Example: a Lv 3 attack with Frame Adv of +3 on Standing Hit will have a Frame Adv of +7 on Counter Hit (+3 standing hit added to the +4 Ground Counter Hit).
Hitstop
When an attack connects in Guilty Gear, both players pause briefly to make moves appear more powerful visually. For the player, this actually gives you a bit of extra time to buffer inputs for moves. This is extra beneficial for charge characters (May, Venom) because it gives them extra time to charge moves, allowing them to perform some combos that would normally not seem possible.
Hitstop only affects the people involved in being hit. Projectiles, for instance, cause hitstop only on the projectile and the person being hit by the projectile (not the person who fired it). This also means that if a projectile is active on the screen and then one player hits the other with a melee attack, the projectile continues to move even while both players are in Hitstop.

Bear Stun

GGAC Bear Stun.png

If you are struck repeatedly over short amount of time, your character will become stunned (also known as "dizzied"). You will be unable to perform any actions such as blocking, attacking, or even teching combos while dizzied!

Dizzies are indicated by angels flying around your character's head. The angles act as a timer and when all the angels are gone, you will regain control of your character. You can speed up the recovery by shaking the joystick in all directions and rapidly pressing the buttons.

Dizzying an opponent mid-combo will allows players to land and begin another combo (or an Instant Kill) on a dizzied character if their opponent doesn't shake out fast enough!

Each move contains a different "dizzy potential". Depending on the dizzy potential, it will take a different amount of consecutive hits with the move to make the opponent dizzy. Each character has their own Bear Stun Rating which is basically their "dizzy resistance". The higher the number, the less likely it is they will get dizzy.

Bear Stun Formula

((Move Damage x Combo Hit Modifier x Character State Modifier) - 5) x (random value between 1.0~1.3) x 0.15
  • Combo Hit Modifiers - dizzy potential decreases per combo hit. (combo hit number / modifier)
Bear Stun Resistance Chart
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12+
100% 75% 69% 63% 56% 50% 44% 38% 31% 25% 19% 13%
  • Character State Modifier - state the opponent is in while struck (IK Mode refers to the striking character)
    • Normal Hit = 100%, Counterhit = 200%, OTG = 25%, IK Mode = 50%


Examples
Example 1 (Normal Hit) - Potemkin's 6H (90 damage)
If Potemkin's 6H strikes the opponent on a normal hit, this is how the dizzy potenial is calculated. First the damage is taken into account (90), then the combo hit modifier (say this is the first hit, so 100%), then the state the character is in while struck (normal hit, so again 100%).So far we have 90 x 100% x 100% = 90.
Next we automatically subract 5. Total is now 85.
The total is then multiplied by a random number between 1.00, 1.01, 1.02, or 1.03. Let's say in this case it's 1.03 (best case scenario), so we now have a total of 87.55.
Finally, we multiply the total by .15, and end up with a grand total of 13.1325 (so basically 13 stun is inflicted).
Example 2 (Counter Hit) - Johnny's 6H (76 damage)
Using the same formula above, except changing the "Character State Modifier" to 200%, we can attain the total amount of stun inflicted.
76 x 200% x 100% (assuming it is a single hit, not combo hit) = 152
Subtract 5 (147), Multiply by random number between 1.00, 1.01, 1.02, or 1.03 (lets say 1.00 this time) = 147 still.
Multiply the entire sum by .15 and we get 22.05 (so basically 22 stun is inflicted).
Now you compare the number against a characters Stun Resistance Rating and you can see how much closer they are to becoming dizzied after your hit strikes. For example, Chipp's Stun Resistance is 50, so subtract the 22 stun inflicted from Johnny's counterhit 6H and you can see Chipp only has 28 stun points left before he is rendered helpless!!!

Healing Rate

If you do not take damage, the amount of stun you have received will gradually heal (be subtracted). As long as you are not taking damage, the healing rate is as follows:

  • 2.4 per second (normal state)
  • 4.8 per second (while opponent is in IK Mode)
  • 6.0 per second (while your character is downed)

If you've read the chart carefully, you can see that the system has been designed so it is harder to activate IK Mode and then dizzy the opponent for the Instant Kill. While you are in IK Mode, you will only be inflicting 50% stun, and your opponent's stun will be healing at a rate of 4.8 units per second.

Bear Stun Resistance Table
Resistance Character(s)
50 Chipp, Dizzy
55 Baiken, Bridget, I-No, Millia
60 Axl, Eddie, Ky, Sol, Venom, Zappa
65 Anji, Faust, Jam, Testament
70 Johnny, May, Slayer
80 Potemkin, Robo-Ky
Guilty Gear XX ♯Reload
Click [*] for character's frame data
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