GGACR/Ky Kiske/Starter

(For an explanation of notation (ie. 236H), please click here)

Core

Key Moves

• f.SGuardMidStartup10Recovery19Advantage-11, 2SGuardLowStartup9Recovery13Advantage-1 and 5HGuardMidStartup10Recovery12Advantage+1 are your go-to pokes. 2KGuardLowStartup5Recovery6Advantage0, 2S and 2DGuardLowStartup7Recovery12Advantage-10 are all strong and fast low pokes (in ascending order of speed and range).
• 5KGuardLowStartup5Recovery7Advantage-5 and 2D are excellent at stuffing approaches as both are active for an unusually long time
• 2PGuardMidStartup4Recovery5Advantage+1 is your fastest button. 2K is slightly slower but has longer range.
• c.SGuardMidStartup7Recovery18Advantage-3 is an excellent close range button, combo starter and combo filler.
• All buttons mentioned except for f.S and 5H combo into c.S, and all buttons including c.S will combo into 2D
• Stun EdgeGuardAllStartup10RecoveryTotal 41Advantage-5 (236S/H, also works in the air) is your typical "shoto" fireball, but be mindful that Guilty Gear’s movement allows many characters to get around and possibly punish obvious fireballs.
  • Varying up both the ground and aerial Stun Edge versions alongside good use of anti-airs is key.
• If possible, end your grounded combos with a knockdown, ideally with 2D.
• 6PGuardMidStartup9Recovery15Advantage-6 is your go-to anti-air. Ky’s hurtbox quickly shrinks to his knees, causing many jump-in attacks to miss completely before Ky’s elbow connects.
  • The hurtbox shrinkage applies against everything (not just aerial attacks) and 6P combos into c.S, making it a viable button against grounded attacks.
• 2HGuardMidStartup12Recovery20Advantage-7 is a slower but taller anti-air, excellent when used preemptively.
• 5PGuardMidStartup5Recovery6Advantage0 is a quick and surprisingly strong anti-air option despite the hurtbox reduction or range of 6P and 2H respectively.
  • In situations where Ky attempts a 6P antiair but the opponent crosses up, Ky will often successfully antiair with 5P instead, so be ready to cash in with an air route combo (see below).
• j.PGuardHigh/AirStartup6Recovery6Advantage- and j.KGuardHigh/AirStartup7Recovery8Advantage- are serviceable air-to-airs and great for throw Option Selecting (ie. j.6P+H (press P and H at the same time), this will airthrow if possible; j.P if not.)
• Unlike many other fighting game Dragon Punches/Shoryukens, do not rely on Vapor ThrustGuardMidStartup11Recovery30+13 after landingAdvantage-33 (623S/H, also works in the air) as a go-to anti air due its slow startup and the opponent being able to air block.
  • Vapor Thrust can still be useful for cleanly beating some problem jumping normals from other characters.
• For general notes on defense, please click here. Some quick reminders/notes below:
  • As per most 2D fighting games, you should default to crouch blocking and switch to stand blocking on reaction, as low-hitting attacks are both far faster and far more numerous compared to overhead-hitting attacks.
  • Mindlessly mashing buttons either during pressure or waking up from a knockdown is a death sentence against competent players. Default to blocking/Faultless Defense on wakeup. Blocking first will often make escaping pressure or hitting back afterwards far more likely to succeed.
• Ky's character-specific defensive tool Vapor Thrust (623S/H) has some use as a standard risky reversal. It's best to have 50 meter handy to Roman Cancel, as the move is otherwise massively punishable if blocked.
  • The poor lower hitbox means that it can outright whiff on low-to-the-ground attacks such as Sol's 2D. The slow startup also means that many characters can time an attack to hit you as you wake up but still recover in time to block the Vapor Thrust.
  • The S and H followups stall Ky in the air and also have an Force Roman Cancel point (see the Further Learning section)
• Ride the Lightning is a 50% meter super that also acts as a reversal. It's as fast as H Vapor Thrust but with a much better advancing hitbox and greater damage.
  • A caveat is that Ride The Lightning can't move through projectiles, making it surprisingly poor against projectile zoning and okizeme.
• While Ky's reversals are not especially good, his excellent normals (particular his quick 2P) and easy conversions into a knockdown (such as 2P/2K > 2D) lets him steal the turn from the opponent.

Combos

Grounded Combos

• (Almost any grounded button) > (c.S) > 2D - Flexible and always-relevant combo route that leads to a knockdown. A few other examples of useful routes:
  • 2P/2K > 2D
  • c.S > 5H > 2D
  • 6P > c.S > 2D
  • 5K > 5H > 2D
• 2K > c.S > 5H > Stun DipperGuardLow, MidStartup8Recovery26Advantage-15 (236K) - An example route that leads to a Stun Dipper knockdown
  • Stun Dipper has a lot of use in ending combos in a knockdown where 2D may not reach, but can often not combo correctly otherwise and is unsafe on block.
  • Stun Dipper's animation has Ky slide forward (the first hit) and then slash with his sword (the second.) This does not naturally combo. For both hits to combo, Ky must hit with the tip of his slide so that the second hit happens immediately after.
    • Outside of combos, if Stun Dipper counter hits then it will always combo properly regardless of positioning.
• c.S > 6KGuardMidStartup17Recovery11Advantage+4 > Stun Edge (236S/H) - Grounded combo route that ends in Stun Edge
  • By itself, this route wouldn't be preferred over a 2D route, but is worth remembering as a combo starter if you eventually wish to learn Stun Edge FRC routes (If interested, please check the Further Learning section)
  • Is a fine blockstring by itself, especially if using the S version of Stun Edge.
• 5DGuardHighStartup25Recovery22Advantage-12 on grounded hit > hold 9 > j.S > j.S > j.H > 623H (Vapor Thrust) > S or H followup - grounded Dust combo
  • 5D is a risky overhead (must be blocked standing) and be easily gatling'd into from most of Ky's other normals. Between the slow telegraphed animation and being punishable on block, this should be rarely used to catch the opponent off guard, rather than a staple tool.
    • 5D will only have the special launch property if the opponent is grounded.

• Basic combo into 2D > setup Charged Stun Edge

• Basic combo into Stun Dipper

• Basic combo into Stun Edge

• Simple Dust Combo

Some examples of routes that lead to an air/juggle combo:

• 5P / 6P > c.S > 2H > … - Anti-air route
• Greed SeverGuardHigh/AirStartup18Recovery5+11 after landingAdvantage-14 (214K) > c.S > 2H > … - Greed Sever route
• Ground Throw (4H or 6H when close to the opponent) > Roman Cancels > c.S > 2H > … - Throw route

After the previous routes you can finish with these:

• … > 623H (Vapor Thrust) > S or H followup
• … > j.S > double jump > j.S > j.H > 623H (Vapor Thrust) > S or H followup (can also use this route from an air-to-air such as j.K)

• Anti-air Starter into Vapor Thrust ender

• Throw Starter into air combo ender

Okizeme

Spending Meter

• While not character-specific, don't forget to save meter for Faultless Defense and Dead Angle Attack
• Save 25 meter for Lightning SphereGuardMidStartup6Recovery4Advantage+8 (236D > 4D) This is an all-around excellent tool that can act as an anti-air, pressure extender, approach callout and combo tool.
  • An aerial equivalent is Stun RaisingGuardMidStartup45RecoveryTotal 22Advantage- (j.214D) which effectively places a stop sign on the screen for almost 3 full seconds
• Save 50 meter for Roman Cancels. This allows you to safely use otherwise punishable tools such as Stun Dipper (236K), Greed Sever (214K), Vapor Thrust (623H) and 5D.

Ky can get excellent okizeme off knockdowns (i.e. from 2D) with Charged Stun EdgeGuardAllStartup43RecoveryTotal 68Advantage+18 (236D) and 3HGuardMidStartup23Recovery3Advantage+15. These can be easily timed to be hitting/on top of the opponent as they wake up from a knockdown. If any of these hit, Ky can do a simple combo route into 2D into Charged Stun EdgeGuardAllStartup43RecoveryTotal 68Advantage+18 (236D etc. to force the same advantageous situation.

Other tools for okizeme would be Aerial Charged Stun Edge (j.236D) and Stun Raising (j.214D).

• Ky knocks down a mashing Sol who catches Ky's poorly timed offense with 2P. Ky then uses Charged Stun Edge (CSE) which cleanly beats Sol's mash and combos into the same CSE okizeme

• Ky uses CSE okizeme which is beaten by Grand Viper, as it instantly ducks under CSE. Next time, Ky uses his 3H as a meaty, cleanly beating Grand Viper

• Ky times 3H to the last couple of active frames to meaty Sol and also be able to recover and block Sol's fully invulnerable Volcanic Viper in time

Further Learning

(These are intermediate/high level techniques that are best gradually learned and integrated into your play rather than learned up-front.)

• Force Roman Cancel (FRC) points
  • Throw FRC is a simple and riskless thing to attempt to get throw combos for half the meter cost
  • Stun Edge FRC turns Stun Edges from a middling blockstring and neutral tool into a pressure extender and combo tool. Extremely important for optimal Ky play.
  • Stun Dipper FRC lets you get away with Stun Dipper on block for half the meter cost
  • Vapor Thrust's S and H followups FRC lets Ky get out of a blocked/whiffed Vapor Thrust with relative safety.
• Vapor Thrust / Lightning Javelin loops
  • 623H (Vapor Thrust) into S follow up (Lightning Javelin) near the corner wallsticks the opponent. You can pick up with 6H > 6K > meaty 236D for example, but these require some manual timing and adjustment for different character weights/hurtboxes.
  • H followup midscreen is often used for a knockdown, but it is possible to pick up midscreen with a 2P with specific timing.
• Meaty 3H
  • Timing this normally is very easy due to the massive amount of active frames, but is still vulnerable to invulnerable reversals. However, if you time the 3H so that it is at the tailend of its active frames, you can get away with a minimum of 4F of recovery, allowing you to block almost all reversals in time.