GGACR/A.B.A/Strategy

A.B.A

Overview

Starter Guide

Combos

This page covers advanced topics which require competitive expertise to confirm.

Content here can be considered incomplete until expertise is given.

This page is missing significant information.

You can help by editing it.

Learning Resources

Secret Sauce A.B.A Video ft. Skeletal Minion

Fuzzy Mixup Combo Guide by QuanGOD

Skeletal Minion's A.B.A Guide

General Tactics

The following content is ripped from Skeletal Minion's guide linked above.

Notable Moves

Normals: 5P, 2S, 5H, 6H, 2H (M), j.S, j.H
Specials: Bonding / Keygrab (63214H), Injecting & Displacement / Bloodpack (63214P), Eradication / Konzetsu (j.41236S), Judgement / Danzai (623H)
Force Breaks: Judgment / Danzai (623D), Dragging (236D), Avoidance / Bloodball, (236D)

Normal Mode (NM)

A.B.A.’s gameplan is very simple in Normal Mode: get out of it.

How you do this will obviously depend on your opponent’s character, but typically this will involve one of the following options at the start of the round and in other Normal Mode situations throughout the match:

Evade something with slide > Throw > Keygrab
Evade something with slide > Combo punish into Rekkas FRC > 5H > Keygrab
FB Slide is 100% invulnerable throughout the entirety of the move, and has zero recovery. So if you have 25%, you can get out of jail free, and if spaced right, you can FB Slide through most things and punish.
Anti-air > Combo > Keygrab
Raw Keygrab can be used as an extremely risky yet rewarding counter-poke in NM.
Rekkas for a slower option with some reach, if they hit use a Bloodpack.
j.H. If it lands, combo into Keygrab. If it gets blocked, you might be able to tick throw with 5P if you don't get thrown yourself. If people expect the 5P and FD it they will create enough distance to make the throw property of the Keygrab not activate, go directly into Keygrab after the j.H if you think they will FD.
Gatling into 2D > Keygrab
5H hit or block > Bloodpack
5H on counterhit > Keygrab
Bloodball to create space > Bloodpack
Reversal Mushroom Super (Evidence: Concealment) > Keygrab (after 1st cloud) or Bloodpack (after 3rd cloud)
Starter (which could be 5K, f.S, j.H, etc) > combo into Rekkas FRC > Dash 5H > Keygrab
Razor Kick (236K) to go over lows and bait throws. 236K staggers on counterhit, which combos into Keygrab guaranteed. You can also FRC 236K to combo on normal hit.
Wait and see what your opponent does. While NM A.B.A is very slow, she has amazing anti-airs and a great tool to get around pokes that don't hit low to the ground through Dragging (236P).

An important place where a lot of NM is played is right at the start of each round. Your options here are character specific. Do you start backdashing to create space for a Bloodpack? Raw Bloodpack, anticipating that they’ll back away instead? Raw Keygrab to catch their opening poke? Slide in to go for a throw? There are several choices that can be made here, and there’s never a really “right” answer, but smart play in the first few seconds of each round can be the difference in obtaining Moroha early on to stamp out your opponent or getting pushed into the corner and crushed while in NM because you weren’t able to transform. Some rounds are literally decided in the first few seconds due to this. Play smart here, and when in doubt, go with the safer options (backdash, IAD away, wait and see, etc).

When you land that Keygrab or Bloodpack, IT’S TIME. Now you can actually fight back, and that’s because you’re in...

Moroha Mode (MM)

Now that you’ve made it into Moroha Mode, you can start fighting back.

In Moroha, you have the upper hand, and once you get in you can straight up bully your opponent. Please note that it’s not entirely free though: DAAs are a free knockdown, so they must be baited/punished accordingly (or if you’re styling, Danzai on reaction). A.B.A's mistakes can also be punished extremely hard through her Suka Motion.
While you're in MM, your opponent should fear you, or at least be very wary (and if they aren't, they will be soon.) A.B.A is a character centered entirely around risk and reward. Observe your opponent to gauge the amount of risk you can take, and you'll be rewarded accordingly.
In neutral, Danzai is a risky yet amazing and highly rewarding option that A.B.A has. The range of Danzai coupled with it's armor makes it an incredible counter-poking tool that combos into a knockdown, allowing A.B.A to begin her offense.
A.B.A's MM j.H is a ridiculous button that you should abuse whenever possible. Due to the active frames of j.H as well as it's huge hitbox and disjoint, your opponent has to preemptively anti-air you to beat this move before you even start doing it.
If you’re not in yet, play footsies by utilizing your huge normals, namely f.S. When something connects, A.B.A's amazing corner carry usually guarantees that your opponent has their back to the wall once they get up.
If your opponent blocks, draw them in with 2H and 5H, then go to work wrecking their guard gauge. If they start getting pushed too far away, re-vacuum them back in or burn 25% to extend your pressure via 2H FRC or Rekka 3 FRC.
Observe when they’re trying to poke out and frame trap as necessary - A.B.A.’s frame advantage on most normals in Moroha is pretty damn great.
Mix up your timings by using delayed Rekkas in blockstrings. Rekkas are another one of A.B.A's risky yet highly rewarding tools, as Rekkas are very minus on block but convert into generous amounts of damage and meter on hit.
Pay close attention to your Moroha gauge. If it dips below 30% then back off to use a Bloodpack or go for a transformation through Keygrab or GM activation. Once your gauge is this low, you risk going into A.B.A's Suka Motion, which many characters can use a guaranteed IK on.
Do your best to capitalize on the hits you land, and tailor your combos to your needs at the moment.
- I.E: Your Moroha gauge is low? Combo into FB Danzai > Bloodpack > Keygrab to refresh your Moroha gauge. To safely exit MM, Keygrab can be used on it's own at the end of most combos. Alternatively you can try to extend your combo as much as possible to get the meter needed for GM Activation. Pushing for GM can be risky depending on the situation but getting into GM is well worth the risk.
- If their guard bar is flashing, DESTROY.
If you ended your combo with a Keygrab, then you’re back at step one in Normal mode. Do your best to Bloodpack back into Moroha or try to land another hit to confirm into Keygrab.
If you're still in Moroha after a combo, depending on how your opponent was knocked down you can run in and time a 2H to bait throws and begin your pressure anew, jump and fuzzy your opponent while also safejumping reversals, meaty with an FB Bloodball to set up A.B.A's unblockable Flipkick (41236K), run up and go for throw... it’s up to you.
Knockdowns are extremely important for A.B.A! Failing to knock your opponent down means that not only do you lose your amazing oki, but you risk your opponent teching out and mashing. Since A.B.A drains her own health when she lands a hit, your opponent teching at the wrong time could very easily lose you a round.

After you get a lead in Moroha Mode and want to cement your win, with 50 meter you can transform into...

Goku Moroha (GM)

Take all of the attributes that A.B.A gains when she enters Moroha Mode and multiply them by ten. That's Goku Moroha, and it's as incredibly powerful as it sounds. While A.B.A is in Goku Moroha her normals are improved overall, with many becoming faster and more advantageous on block, and ALL of her ground normals become jump cancellable on block or hit. She gains a second airdash, and her speed is greatly improved, allowing her to traverse the entire screen in just a moment. Note that all of the strategies listed in the Moroha Mode section apply here as well. You're still in Moroha, just in a much better version.

While you're in GM, use A.B.A's speed to your advantage. When you want to use a normal, dash and then use the normal. The momentum you gain from A.B.A's improved dash will allow you to control huge swaths of the screen with little effort.
A.B.A's air buttons (namely j.H, j.S, and j.D) become much faster. Whenever A.B.A jumps in GM, she can use j.S twice, or j.S > j.H, all on whiff. Use this to exert more control over the screen.
Dash > Rekka 1 becomes a nearly fullscreen option which has more range than dash > f.S or dash > 6H, yet is riskier due to the extended hurtbox. While risky, this is another great option for controlling the screen.
Danzai is significantly faster while in GM, and is unpunishable on block without an IB or SB. You can now use it freely, but don't be predictable with it.
Use f.S > Rekka 1/2/3 FRC on block to lock your opponent down and begin your offense when you get a chance. Mix up which Rekka you FRC to mess with your opponent's timings.
Many of A.B.A's blockstrings become gapless in GM through placing the right normals in the right spots. Refer to the Blockstrings section for more info.
Flipkick (41236K) becomes a powerful tool on it's own while in GM. Use it to keep your opponent on their toes, and to condition them to jump or mash on defense more.
GM A.B.A does incredible damage without any guard bar, and with an even slightly cranked guard bar her combos become near-ToDs on a lot of characters. Watch your health while you do combos to be aware of when you may need to heal or transform.
Use 2S to anti-air a lot while you're in GM. It's GM frame data is ridiculous and so is it's return on counter-hit.
Remember to keep an eye on your Moroha gauge since it drains much faster while you're in GM. If it's low, any single one of A.B.A's GM combos can combo into Keygrab. If your health is low, then use a Bloodpack to heal and refresh your Moroha gauge. Though, keep in mind that if you refresh your gauge that you won't be in Goku Moroha anymore.
If you need to Bloodpack out of GM, use Bloodpack FRC.

Blockstrings

Normal Mode (NM)

In Normal Mode, you won't get many opportunities to do blockstrings, and when you do they'll be incredibly short. More often than not your blockstrings will begin with a jump in j.H or j.S, and of course your goal is to land a keygrab.

j.H > 5P > Keygrab can be used to to a quick and extremely rewarding tick throw. Be aware that if your j.H is blocked too early you will be thrown instead.
j.H > 5P > 2D can be used to catch people trying to jump out of your tick throws, and is also a frametrap.

These are most likely your two best options for blockstrings as they're the closest you'll get to strike / throw mix while in Normal Mode. However, Normal Mode A.B.A has a lot of tricky things she can do. She can reset her pressure off of almost any grounded button due to jump cancels and slide. Buttons > Slide > Throw is a tricky and often unexpected way that Normal Mode A.B.A can open someone up.

Moroha Mode (MM)

While in Moroha Mode your goal is to crank your opponent's guard gauge whenever you get the chance, and to do your best to open your opponents up once it's cranked. You'll mostly be doing this using 5H > 2H which is an incredible blockstring. Using just these two buttons in succession (or by themselves) can be used to build an oppressive offense.

5H on it's own can be used to tick throw if your opponent is close enough once they're pulled in by 5H(2). However, there's a large gap between 5H(2) and the throw, so to catch people who try to throw you, or press buttons in response 2H can be used. In order to catch people who jump after 5H(2), gatling into 2D > Rekkas / Goku Moroha actvation
If your opponent blocks 2H, they'll have to make some sort of decision to get out of your offense if they failed to FD you out. To catch people who hold up back, 2P can be used. 2H > 2P is also a very tight frametrap which can used to beat mashing. Keep in mind that 2H > 2P will lose to low profile moves such as Sol's 2D, so instead 2H > delayed Rekkas should be used.
If your opponent commits to blocking after either 5H or 2H, you can either run in for a throw or reset your pressure using 2P > 5H or 5P > c.S > 5H if you're in range of 2P. 2P > 5H has a large gap in it but leaves your opponent much closer to you while 5P > c.S > 5H is gapless.
Another way to open up opponents who like to block is Flipkick (or 41236K.) 5H(2) or 2H(1) are both very good spots to place a Flipkick, and Flipkick is best used when you have 50 meter to cancel it into Goku Moroha activation.
Once your opponent begins to push you out with FD, you can begin to use Rekka 3 FRC to continue your offense and get your opponent to waste meter in the process.
After any blocked 5H(2), 5D can be used. While your opponent's guard bar is flashing 5D can convert into extremely damaging IAD Orbs(2) combos.
To catch your opponent mashing and make them feel it, any one of A.B.A's grounded attacks can be cancelled into GM Activation. Cancel into Gm Activation while in recovery from another move to purposefully leave a gap where your opponent can press a button.

Once you have 50 meter and get a knockdown, (5H(1)) > 2H > Danzai(1) > Goku Moroha activation becomes an extremely strong blockstring which leaves your opponent's guard gauge one touch away from flashing at minimum. After landing a hit or two in Moroha Mode, cranking the guard gauge like this means that the next hit you land is death for your opponent. GM Activation gives you an extremely strong method of making that happen - the plus frames that GM activation gives you and GM's improved frame data and speed means that you force your opponent to guess for the round after using this blockstring if they have ~60% health or less.

Goku Moroha (GM)

While in Goku Moroha (or GM) A.B.A's gatling limits are removed, allowing you to chain any button into any other button (and in the case of 2S, into itself.) Keep in mind that while you have many more options once in GM, the general ideas listed for offense while in Moroha Mode still apply.

Any button other than 5P or 2P into 5H becomes a true blockstring.
Buttons can now be cancelled into 5P, which allows buttons such as 2D, 6H or even f.S(1) to be plus on block. By using the increased speed that GM gives A.B.A, this allows you to apply strike / throw mix at a greater range than normally expected. 5P whiff cancels are also just one way that you can reset your pressure while in GM.
Through GM's nonexistent gatling limits, 5H > 2H can become a true blockstring by doing a string such as 5H > 2D > 2H. A blockstring like this pushes you out a bit further than usual, but the lack of gaps makes it incredibly strong.
While in Moroha Mode, A.B.A's 2H has a very large special cancel window. While in GM this window is extended to her normals, allowing a string such as 2H > 2D to have as small as a one frame gap, allowing A.B.A to do some incredible frametraps. This is even more prominent if 2H(2) whiffs, as you can press a button on reaction to 2H(2) whiffing to continue your offense.
In GM, every single one of A.B.A's Rekkas gets an FRC point. Using these FRC points is great way to continue applying pressure, but be sure to mix up which Rekka you FRC to mess with your opponent's timings.
Once you get pushed out, Butt (214H) becomes another great way to reset pressure. While there will always be a gap when cancelling into Butt, at the right ranges it becomes a frame trap tight enough to catch prejump frames. At this distance and a little beyond, iad j.H becomes a true blockstring and an extremely potent pressure reset.

Okizeme

- Which oki is best for which KDs can vary widely depending on the player's preferred combo routes, setups, and the character matchup. This covers a few common scenarios and some general concepts.

Ground slide: it may depend on distance, but delay dash jump (669) is usually a good option. You can safe jump most DPs with a well timed 669 into deep meaty j.S, OS certain options, and fuzzy your opponent on block.
- If your opponent doesn't have a reversal or a low profile move, you can also opt for meaty Orbs oki which is best in corner since Orbs(2) can connect once you're deep enough in their hurtbox. Orbs loses to DP and mistiming it can get you thrown or worse, but landing it low enough makes it plus, you can FRC it for gimmicks or mixup, and if it hits (or especially if it CHs) the damage is extra juicy.
- The j.S fuzzy is: deep j.S > dj.S > j.H > Combo, OR deep j.S > land > low. If you're quick enough, you can react to the hitstop of the j.S being blocked and fuzzy on reaction.
- Another note about the j.S fuzzy: which type of jump and the timing can differ depending on character and dash jump momentum. Ex: you might need to 669 j.S > 9S, or you might need to 669 j.S > 8S. Play around in training mode to get a feel for it.
- There are a few OS's that you can do with deep j.S oki. Some examples: against Kliff, deep j.S, then input 4H during blockstun. If they dodged, you'll land and throw (all chars can do this specific OS on Kliff, but it's good to know). Another general example would be deep j.S, then input 44 during blockstun. If the j.S whiff due to, say, certain single hit DPs, you'll backdash and be able to punsih. You could even do deep j.S, then input Danzai during blockstun. Experiment to see which of your options work best versus your opponent's

After Keygrab knockdown: against most characters, this leaves you at perfect spacing for a meaty f.S or 2D, or a non-dash meaty j.S for fuzzy.
- In NM, you might be able to Slide back in, early j.H, or even 236K (staggers on CH for freely Keygrab, but can be unsafe if blocked and not FRC'd).
- In MM, Meaty 2D works great as a DP bait here: if spaced far enough away, stuff like Vapor Thrust or even VV (2D needs to be at max range) will whiff, and you can punish hard. Just beware of DP followups as they can stall and mess up your punish timing. Watch for this and adjust accordingly.

The unblockable setup: After scoring a KD that leaves you at approx max 2D range, throw out FB Bloodball > dash > Flipkick. If they block the Flipkick, they get staggered and you can follow up with meter (50%/BP to cancel into Goku if in MM. No meter needed for conversion if already in Goku). This loses to DPs, DAA, and Burst, but you can call these out with Danzai/FB Danzai. In Goku, against DAA and Burst, Flipkick FRC > block > punish works as well. If they actually get hit by the Flipkick, they get launched and will die.

Fighting A.B.A

Don't let A.B.A get into Moroha mode.
- A.B.A has two methods of entering Moroha mode: she can land her command grab or consume one of her three blood packs. A few useful notes on those:
  - The command grab is actually only a grab for the first few frames ("Keygrab"), after which it is a blockable pseudo-grab ("Keystab").
  - The blood pack special has 18 frames of startup before A.B.A actually consumes the blood pack and switches modes.
Don't let A.B.A get out of Moroha mode safely, either: get knockdowns and pay close attention to her Moroha Gauge.
- A.B.A's Moroha mode is limited to a slowly draining meter above her Tension bar.
- If this meter runs out, A.B.A will go back to Normal Mode, undergoing a 52-frame-long animation during which she can easily be Instant Killed.
  - This animation activates as soon as A.B.A is in a neutral state; if she is performing a move or getting up, it will be delayed until then.
  - A.B.A thus wants to exit Moroha mode with her Keygrab/stab or Bloodpack, which are much safer and heal her (see below).
- If she gets knocked down, she will lose about a third of her Moroha meter.
  - So, naturally, pay attention to her meter. If you land a knockdown move while A.B.A's Moroha meter is low, you have ample time to activate Instant Kill mode ASAP, then finish the round during her animation.
Expect A.B.A's health bar to melt during Moroha mode, and partially refill going back to normal mode.
- During Moroha mode, A.B.A will deal small amounts of damage to herself if she connects any move, blocked or not.
  - This self-inflicted damage will not kill her, but it can very well leave her at a mere 1HP. A perfect opportunity to finish the round!
- Depending on how she shifts back to normal mode, A.B.A may heal:
  - 80% of self-inflicted damage with Keygrab/stab.
  - 120% of self-inflicted damage with Bloodpack.
  - NOTHING if her meter runs out.