GGST/Jack-O/Strategy: Difference between revisions

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Jack-O' has several other ways of achieving a knockdown, be it from stray 6Ps or from combos. These rarely allow elaborately strong okizeme but are still useful to identify for maintaining pressure or even as a way to create resets.
Jack-O' has several other ways of achieving a knockdown, be it from stray 6Ps or from combos. These rarely allow elaborately strong okizeme but are still useful to identify for maintaining pressure or even as a way to create resets.


; 2H Safejump Reset
; 2H Safejump Reset (Kazunoko Safejump)
{| class='wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed' style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 0px 0px;"
{| class='wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed' style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 0px 0px;"
|+ style="white-space:nowrap; text-align: left; margin-bottom: 5px;" colspan=4 | <code>... > {{clr|4|2H}} > {{clr|1|236[P]}} > delay > 9 jump > dl.AD > {{clr|5|j.ws.D}} > dl.{{clr|1|j.P}}</code>&nbsp;
|+ style="white-space:nowrap; text-align: left; margin-bottom: 5px;" colspan=4 | <code>... > {{clr|4|2H}} > {{clr|1|236[P]}} > delay > 9 jump > dl.AD > {{clr|5|j.ws.D}} > dl.{{clr|1|j.P}}</code>&nbsp;

Revision as of 03:06, 21 November 2021



Combo Notation GuideCharacter Name Abbreviations
7 7 8 8 9 9
4 4 5 5 6 6
1 1 2 2 3 3
Numbers represent direction on a keyboard numpad. For example, 236+P becomes 236P.
> = Proceed from the previous move to the following move.
/land = Indicate that the player must land at that point in the sequence.
, = Link To perform a second action after the first action completely finishes its animation. the previous move into the following move.
->/~ = Cancel To bypass the remaining time or frames in an action by proceeding directly into another action. the previous special into a follow-up special.
dl./delay = Delay the following move.
whiff/(whiff) = The move must whiff (not hit).
c. = Close
f. = Far
j. = Jumping/Aerial
hj./sj. = High Jump/Super Jump
jc = Jump Cancel
hjc/sjc = High Jump Cancel/Super Jump Cancel
dc/adc = Dash Cancel/Air Dash Cancel
CH = Counter Hit
AA = Anti-Air
IAS = Instant Air Special
[X] = Hold input.
]X[ = Release input.
(move) = Move is optional.
[X] or [Y] = Perform sequence X or Y.
[sequence] xN = Repeat sequence N amount of times.
(N) = Hit N of a move or move must deal N amount of hits.
IAD = Instant Air Dash
BRC = Blue Roman Cancel
RRC = Red Roman Cancel
PRC = Purple Roman Cancel
YRC = Yellow Roman Cancel
YYXRC = Dash Input X Roman Cancel in Y direction i.e: 22PRC
XRC~Q = Cancel the X Roman Cancel into Q i.e: RRC~5K
WS = Wall Stick/Wall Splat
AB =  A.B.A
AN =  Anji Mito
AS =  Asuka R♯
AX =  Axl Low
BA =  Baiken
BE =  Bedman?
BR =  Bridget
CH =  Chipp Zanuff
EL =  Elphelt
FA =  Faust
GI =  Giovanna
GO =  Goldlewis
HA =  Happy Chaos
IN =  I-No
JC =  Jack-O'
JO =  Johnny
KY =  Ky Kiske
LE =  Leo Whitefang
MA =  May
MI =  Millia Rage
NA =  Nagoriyuki
PO =  Potemkin
RA =  Ramlethal
SI =  Sin Kiske
SO =  Sol Badguy
TE =  Testament
ZA =  Zato-1

Jack-O specific notation

  • ns.2P = Pick Up Servant (2P while near a servant).
  • ws.P/K/S/H/D = P/K/S/H/D while holding a servant.
  • ws.6X = Throw Servant with a button of your choice.
  • 5K* = Hit a servant with 5K, but not the opponent.
  • 5K& = Use a 5K to hit both a servant and the opponent.
  • 236K*(hit)~214K = 236K a Servant. That servant projectile from 236K hits the opponent, then cancel into 214K.


Useful Links

Resources and References
Combo and Setup Videos

General Strategies

Servants

Servant Gauge

Summoning

Gameplan

Offense

Okizeme

For the sake of brevity, the strings only list until the first mixup hit. From all aerial starters it is followed up by a dl.2K as a combo hit confirm while still being able to block a reversal, while grounded starters except Throw may be followed up with 214K or 2D.

When a Throw (4/6D) is listed as hitting "Meaty", it means it hits on Frame 6. Due to the wakeup throw immunity of 5 frames it is impossible to defeat a wakeup jab with a throw, but this can always be used to defeat meterless invincible reversals as they lack throw immunity and take longer than 5 frames.

Throw Midscreen


Throw is Jack-O's most straightforward method of gaining a strong okizeme. Throw has less frame advantage compared to 2D which can be good or bad depending on what you wish to accomplish, regardless she can still perform powerful okizeme.

Basic Midscreen Servant Set
Throw > 236P > 66.2K 
Option Meaty Inputs Notes
Low Meaty Throw > 236P > 66.2K
Overhead Meaty Throw > 236P > 66.5D Can be made advantageous on block using a very precise micro-dash.
Throw 6F Throw > 236P > 66.4/6D

The most basic okizeme possible. Unsafe against invincible reversals, relatively low reward on hit, but extremely easy to perform. It is recommended to move past this when possible, due to these flaws.

Servant Meaty Crossup
Throw > 236P > dl.5K > jc > IAD > dl.j.H 
Option Meaty Inputs Notes
Overhead Crossup Meaty Throw > 236P > dl.5K > jc > IAD > dl.j.H If the servant is bounced at the correct time, the IAD will be able to pass over some wakeup reversals, due to their hitstop on servants.

If the j.H is not delayed enough, the enemy will be in a true blockstring, meaning they do not need to block the crossup.

Alternatively, end in dl.214K to be safe against 6P option selects, at the loss of Command Servant Gauge.

Low Crossup Non-meaty Throw > 236P > dl.5K > jc > IAD > FD fast fall > Land > 2K
Overhead Sameside Meaty Throw > 236P > dl.5K > jc > IAD > 214K
Throw Non-meaty Throw > 236P > dl.5K > jc > IAD > FD fast fall > Land > 4/6D

A very easy and versatile okizeme, especially at a novice level. Even when delays are performed at incorrect timings, it should be very safe unless the opponent uses an invincible reversal. The end outcome is sandwich pressure, with a half-duration servant, making it relatively good on-block, and on hit can easily combo into a sandwich combo giving good reward.

The primary flaw of this okizeme is the necessity to use Command Servant Gauge to be safe on mixup options, and it trivially fails against  Leo's EisensturmGGST Leo Whitefang Eisen Sturm.pngGuardAllStartup9Recovery33Advantage-28, which can be input regardless of a crossup.
Servant Throw Sandwich
Throw > 236[P] > TK.ws.6X > dl.j.P 
Option Meaty Inputs Notes
Overhead Safejump Throw > 236[P] > TK.ws.6X > [dl.j.P] or [dl.j.K] The j.P must be delayed enough such that were it to connect it combos into the 2K.

j.P is much easier, but cannot true blockstring into 2K, making it still possible to lose to a reversal after being blocked.
j.K will true blockstring, but will whiff against reversal 2P and 2K attacks due to being fully crouched Frame 1.

Low Non-meaty Throw > 236[P] > TK.ws.6X > Land > 2K
Crossup Non-meaty Throw > 236[P] > 66 > TK.ws.6X > Land > 5P
Throw Non-meaty Throw > 236[P] > TK.ws.6X > Land > 4/6D
Note: Tiger Knee Throw Servant can be done by simply holding forward jump and pressing any attack button a few frames later.

Unlike most safejumps this one creates a sandwich setup between Jack-O' and the opponent with full duration, allowing it to trivially lead into strong sandwich pressure loops, making it the best safejump on block. If the j.K connects, the 2K will combo and go into a sandwich combo, otherwise it directly leads into a sandwich true blockstring, making it extremely safe on block. Its mixup options are relatively weak as they are all notably slower and lose to simple reversals like Throw, and are fuzziable, making it quite weak for securing a hit immediately.

Left-Right Servant Drop
Throw > 236[P] > 9 jump > dl.j.ws.D > dl.j.S 
Option Meaty Inputs Notes
Overhead Sameside Safejump Throw > 236[P] > 9 jump > dl.j.ws.D > dl.j.S The servant release delay must be during the rising arc of the jump, such that as the move descends the servant will not come into contact with the j.S.

If j.S hits the servant, it will not be a safejump, but does open new combo routes on hit. j.P is easier, but much lower reward.

Low Sameside Non-meaty Throw > 236[P] > 9 jump > dl.j.ws.D > Land > 2K
Overhead Crossup Safejump Throw > 236[P] > 66.9 jump > dl.j.ws.D > dl.j.S Due to the tight amount of time, the crossup variant is significantly harder to perform as a safejump compared to the sameside.
Low Crossup Non-meaty Throw > 236[P] > 66.9 jump > dl.j.ws.D > Land > 2K
Throw Non-meaty Throw > 236[P] > 9 jump > dl.j.ws.D > Land > 4/6D

A much harder to perform safejump than the Throw Servant variant. On block, the servant will land on the same side as Jack-O', giving weaker follow-up pressure. However, its crossup--while somewhat telegraphed--is safe, making it a viable mixup tool, furthermore the use of j.S allows much more punishing combos for hit, especially Counter Hit.

Sameside-Crossup Sequence Safejump
Throw > 236[P] > 66.9 jump > j.ws.D > j.S& > Land > 2K 
Option Meaty Inputs Notes
Sameside Mid → Crossup Low Safejump Throw > 236[P] > 66.9 jump > j.ws.D > j.S& > Land > 2K
Sameside Mid → Crossup Overhead Safejump Throw > 236[P] > 66.9 jump > j.ws.D > j.S& > j.H
Note: The servant must be hit such that it will cause a sameside okizeme before Jack-O' falls behind the opponent.
By performing a timing incorrectly the game's throw protection will nullify this sequence entirely, as the first hit will be blockable from either direction.

A bizarre variant of safejump, by enforcing the enemy to wakeup facing sameside their only reversal options will whiff Jack-O'. It leads into a sandwich pressure with a half-duration servant, giving decent reward on block. Its primary strength is in the visual ambiguity, being extremely deceiving about the sequence which must be blocked sameside then crossup, it can easily confuse opponents. Even after solving this, the safejump comes with a natural high-low mixup which cannot be option selected, but can be fuzzied.

Throw Corner


A lot of corner pressure enables Throws to make corner okizeme achievable. It is often much safer than midscreen, especially leading into powerful corner pressure, however it also disables the option for left-right mixups.

Basic Servant Set
Throw > 236P > (microwalk back or microdash forward) c.S > 2D/5D& 
Option Meaty Inputs Notes
Low Meaty Throw > 236P > 5P* > (microwalk back or microdash forward) c.S > 2D Movement is not important here however helps keep it looking the same as the overhead option
Overhead Meaty Throw > 236P > 5P* > (microwalk back or microdash forward) c.S > 5D& Microwalk back vs regular block; Microdash forward vs FD. Can combo after servant hit with 5K > 6H for wallbreak
Throw Meaty Throw > 236P > 5P* > (microwalk back or microdash forward) c.S > 66 4D/6D Can be good once opponent starts to respect the mixup

Really basic option that gives you High/Low/Throw while beating reversals. The only problem with this is FD causes too much push back making it difficult to be sure what will work

Servant Throw Bounce Safejump
Throw > 236[P] > TK.ws.6X > Land > 2K  
Option Meaty Inputs Notes
Low Safejump Throw > 236[P] > TK.ws.6X > Land > 2K
Overhead Safejump Throw > 236[P] > TK.ws.6X > j.P Unreactable, fuzziable against the Low, lower damage.
Delay overhead Meaty Throw > 236[P] > TK.ws.6X > dl AD > j.S Reactable, unfuzziable against the Low, higher damage.
Throw 6F Throw > 236[P] > TK.ws.6X > Land > dl 4D/6D

An executionally easy safejump with an extremely strong high/low mixup. The thrown servant falls on top of the opponent during wakeup, meaning they will always be hit meaty. The follow-up 2K does not hit the servant, this means the mixup leads into a blockstring with a full duration servant, allowing easy corner pressure. This is generally the best option for corner okizeme, due to its versatility.

Sweep


Sweep (2D) is Jack-O's primary okizeme tool, with huge frame advantage and the option to OTG it opens up many possibilities, and is usually the main goal of Jack-O'. An interesting property of Sweep okizeme is any move that hits or confirms into 2K can immediately combo into 2D to restart the okizeme, sometimes using the additional summon to deal more damage on the second loop, though this loses the combo potential of the first okizeme, and gives more probability of failure.

Servant Drop Safejump with Fake-Out
2D > 236[P] > 9 jump > j.ws.D > dl.ABD > dl.j.H 
Option Meaty Inputs Notes
Overhead Crossup Safejump 2D > 236[P] > 9 jump > j.ws.D > dl.ABD > dl.j.H Delay the Air Backdash until after crossing past the opponent, therefore not going past them, instead only stalling in the air for a few frames.

The backdash is not needed if the jump is delayed, but it introduces a feint sound to confuse reactions, and avoids telegraphing the option.

Low Crossup Meaty 2D > 236[P] > 9 jump > j.ws.D > Land > 2K
Overhead Sameside Safejump 2D > 236[P] > 9 jump > j.ws.D > ABD > dl.j.S Can be a safejump but the inputs must be performed extremely quickly, usually requiring releasing the servant before the peak of the jump.
The jump can be delayed to defeat  Leo's EisensturmGGST Leo Whitefang Eisen Sturm.pngGuardAllStartup9Recovery33Advantage-28 being performed on wakeup without the tight safejump timings, at the cost of the attack no longer being meaty.
Low Sameside Meaty 2D > 236[P] > 8 jump > j.ws.D > Land > 2K Telegraphed by a slightly different jump trajectory, but avoids being fuzziable.

From further away a 9 jump can be used, and still remain sameside.

Throw Non-meaty Throw > 236[P] > 9 jump > dl.j.ws.D > Land > 4/6D
Note: From further away it becomes nessecary to perform a micro dash before the jump. For ABD varients this makes the entire sequence near frame-perfect, but can be performed from almost any distance.

A popular and somewhat lenient okizeme, the overhead options have lenient timings and the confusing left-right motions disrupt opponents. It allows a four-way mixup plus Throw, but only one option is easily made a safejump without very tight execution. On samesides it will lead into sandwich pressure, but not on crossups, however the servant will be at full duration providing good follow-up pressure.

OTG Crossup Safejump
2D > 236P > c.S& OTG > 9 jc > dl.AD > j.H 
Option Meaty Inputs Notes
Overhead Crossup Safejump 2D > 236P > c.S& OTG > 9 jc > dl.AD > j.H
Low Crossup 3F 2D > 236P > c.S& OTG > 9 jc > IAD > FD Fast Fall > Land > 2K
Will defeat Chipp's  Chipp's 5PGGST Chipp Zanuff 5P.pngGuardAllStartup3Recovery10Advantage-2.
Wakeup throw will whiff this option.
Overhead Sameside Safejump 2D > 236P > c.S& OTG > 8 jc > dl.AD > j.H
Low Sameside 3F 2D > 236P > c.S& OTG > 8 jc > IAD > FD Fast Fall > Land > 2K
Will defeat Chipp's  Chipp's 5PGGST Chipp Zanuff 5P.pngGuardAllStartup3Recovery10Advantage-2.
Loses to a wakeup Throw.
Throw 6F 2D > 236P > c.S& OTG > 8 jc > IAD > FD Fast Fall > Land > dl.4/6D Can be done from crossup but needs a run-up first.
Note: 2D must land at close-range such that Jack-O' will perform a c.S. Adding a microdash after the servant summon can slightly extend this range, but is quite precise.

A fairly potent mixup plus Throw, with the overhead left-right mixup being fairly low execution, making it excellent for securing an attack in offense, only held back by its requirement to be close range and the ability to be 6P'd by the opponent. Due to the issues of 6P from the opponent, using j.S instead of j.H can help avoid wiffing or getting counter hit in certain situations. Also deals 39 extra damage via the OTG attack. When performed as a crossup, leads into sandwich pressure, and all outcomes provide a half-duration servant, making sameside options particularly mediocre on block, but this block is also much less likely to happen.

Other


Jack-O' has several other ways of achieving a knockdown, be it from stray 6Ps or from combos. These rarely allow elaborately strong okizeme but are still useful to identify for maintaining pressure or even as a way to create resets.

2H Safejump Reset (Kazunoko Safejump)
... > 2H > 236[P] > delay > 9 jump > dl.AD > j.ws.D > dl.j.P 
Option Meaty Inputs Notes
Overhead Safejump ... > 2H > 236[P] > delay > 9 jump > dl.AD > j.ws.D > [dl.j.P] or [dl.j.K] j.P is much easier, but cannot true blockstring into 2K, making it still possible to lose to a reversal after being blocked.
j.K will true blockstring, but will whiff against reversal 2P and 2K attacks due to being fully crouched Frame 1.
Low Meaty ... > 2H > 236[P] > delay > 9 jump > dl.AD > j.ws.D > Land > 2K Delay jump timing slightly less than the overhead safejump.
Some long combo strings make it impossible to hit meaty, even with no delay.
Throw 6F ... > 2H > 236[P] > delay > 9 jump > dl.AD > j.ws.D > Land > 4/6D Delay jump timing slightly less than the overhead safejump.
Note: The delay before jumping is dependent on the combo used into this. The lengthier a combo the less delay must be used.

By ending a combo early with a 2H, it becomes possible to reset into a safejump, with the option for a high-low and Throw mixup. This usually comes at the cost of losing a potential wallbreak for better damage, Positive bonus, and recovering any spare servants to regain gauge. It will usually leave Jack-O' on a pressure string with no servants and minimal gauge, making it not very strong as a pressure option, unless coordinated with a combo to land near to a servant.

With the reversal-safe reset it can be potentially quite punishing, especially if it manages to corner carry and enables Jack-O' to begin corner pressure, which is a far bigger reward than a wallbreak. The variable and tight timing is problematic, making it extremely difficult to do a meaty safejump successfully, meaning usually either some abares or a fast invincible reversal will succeed.

CH 6P Left-Right Safejump
6P CH > 236[P] > 9 jump > j.ws.D, j.K > ADC > j.S 
Option Meaty Inputs Notes
Overhead Crossup Safejump 6P CH > 236[P] > 9 jump > j.ws.D, j.K > ADC > j.S Unsafe on block, but can gatling into j.H to be made safe.
Low Crossup ??? 6P CH > 236[P] > 9 jump > j.ws.D, j.K > ADC > FD Fast Fall > Land > 2K
Overhead Sameside Safejump 6P CH > 236[P] > 8 jump > j.ws.D, j.K > ADC > j.S Unsafe on block, but can gatling into j.H to be made safe.
Low Sameside ??? 6P CH > 236[P] > 8 jump > j.ws.D, j.K > ADC > FD Fast Fall > Land > 2K
Throw 6F 6P CH > 236[P] > 9 jump > j.ws.D, j.K > ADC > FD Fast Fall > Land > 4/6D Delay jump timing slightly less than the overhead safejump.
Note: Distance dependent. At some ranges the crossup variations may hit sameside, and sameside variations will not reach.

A potent safejump mixup off Counter Hit 6P giving substantial reward off grounded 6P attacks. Should be noted that Jack-O' can already combo off anti-air 6P CH and so should not use this.

Sandwich Pressure

Corner Pressure

Servant Pressure

Defense and blockstrings

Block-String Escapes

When Jack-O' is blocked from any unsafe move--which make up the majority of her kit--she is usually given a variety options to escape from being punished. When all are taken into account Jack-O' has the most complex options of escaping punish, which can be hugely difficult for her opponents. It is impossible to be completely safe, but by using a variety of these options you can make it extremely hard to challenge her repeatedly poking the enemy, especially when options are chosen based on their available tools and current habits. It is not necessary or even practical to use all of these within a game, but knowing a few of them is invaluable.

Every option depends heavily upon her having Servant Gauge available, so it is important to understand that this safety comes at a cost, and the Servant Gauge should dictate when you will utilize unsafe normals that will need to be cancelled.

  • Note that 2D > 236K; 2D >236P; and 2D by itself can all be punished by invincible reversals. To stop this you will need a servant already out or calling out the reversal with 236[P] > ws.S. This is an issue with 2D and highly skilled players who are aware of the matchup will abuse this.
236K

The first is to incorporate Servant Shoot (236K) after an unsafe normal. Almost all of her normals naturally frametrap, while Lv 4 normals (5H, 2H, 6H(2)) true blockstring into it. On top of that, it adds substantial pushback and even chip damage, making it quite beneficial. Given it can cancel into any of the upcoming options, the only reason not to use this is to either take a reversal-safe route (especially against users with meterless invincible reversals), or as a way of complicating timings so the enemy does not know when the blockstrings will end.

236[P]

The core escape option. Summon Servant Hold cancelling is incredibly safe from all normals. The primary issue is you can no longer block, so we follow this up with a variety of options. Due to the framedata, you will also no longer be Counter Hit punishable at all, and if you escape successfully you have a prepared summon to restart pressure in neutral. Put simply, the enemy is now forced to catch your retreat on a read, they cannot react to your movements fast enough to make it a punish.

236[P] > Backwards Dash

The simplest and least committal summon variant. Will escape most punishes, even long-range moves like Ramlethal's f.S if done from some spacing (e.g. after 236K). If the enemy whiffs an attack, you can then perform Throw Servant, or Release Servant and run up to punish. This is most weak to enemies chasing you, as you often corner yourself and won't have time to release a servant safely. In these cases you are forced into a guessing game, using Defend Command, jump and Release Servant, or Release Servant and poke directly, but you are likely to lose this interaction. You can also choose to FED backwards, but this input is quite difficult to do quickly.

236[P] > Instant Air Backdash > j.ws.D

Slightly riskier due to being in an airborne state and ends in Counter Hit recovery. This will defeat a lot of fast run-up punishes and any low attacks. Can be defeated by anti-airs if performed fast, but is generally safe from meterless reversal attacks like Sol's Volcanic Viper. Will lose to a lot of metered reversals like Ky's Ride The Lightning. Enemies running up will probably be blocked, giving no reward but no immediate harm. Generally this is low reward unless the enemy whiffs a slow attack.

236[P] > Back Jump > j.ws.D > j.S

More of a callout than an escape, this move will go high up and counterattack with a servant. Defensively avoids a lot of punishes, even avoiding run-up 6P, but it is slow and tall anti-airs will get substantial reward. It is also completely unsafe to meterless reversals.

236[P] > ws.S > ws.D

A hard callout on the enemy going for a meterless reversal attack, or doing a high-reaching punish. By dropping the servant on the exact moment a meterless reversal is parried (you can mash the input, or get used to the timing of their reversal), their hitbox is completely nullified, without putting them into Guard Crush. This allows big Counter Hit punish combos on meterless reversals. Alternatively, allow the Guard Crush for an unburstable Forever Elysion Driver punish. This will lose to every other option they could go for, including Overdrives.

214S (When servant is nearby)

Sets up a shield, shutting down any punishes or abares the enemy could go for. This leaves Jack-O' extremely disadvantaged and is reactable so watch out for being in enemy grab range. However, the shield will last for up to 7 frames after Jack-O' has recovered, giving her enough time to begin new pressure with 5K without them being able to hurt her, even if they timed an attack perfectly. If they do get Guard Crushed, you can punish with Forever Elysion Driver or simply take it as an easy pressure reset. This will easily lose to fast Overdrives. This costs Command Servant Guage, so be careful of over-use.

214K (When servant is nearby)

The most obvious option. If a servant is in attack range, cancelling into Attack Command can act as a true blockstring, which prevents any form of punish being possible while dealing minimal chip damage, and even lets you reset your pressure. This has less effective range than 214S, and costs Command Servant Gauge, so it will not always be a viable option. If used as a frametrap, it will only lose to invincible reversals, otherwise it is practically unreactable, thereby conditioning opponents to respect you on block.

214P (When no servant is near)

The poor man's escape. If you have any other option, I truly do not recommend this one to be used. The only realistic use case is off 2D when you have no servants nearby and no Summon Servant Gauge to use, but this leaves you easily punished in full Counter Hit recovery and is begging to be hurt. Badly. The only time this will work is if the enemy is severely conditioned to respect you. The 214P variant is functionally cheaper if it can recover servants in the process, making it usually a better choice, but when no servants are available all four commands are identical.


Below is a chart of the enemy's common punish options, and the general interaction with the escape options.

Block-String Escapes
Option Invincible reversal Invincible Overdrive Run up Anti-air Direct punish
236K Punished (CH) Punished (CH) Safe Safe Safe
236[P] > BD Safe Safe Unsafe Safe Safe
236[P] > IABD > j.ws.D Safe Safe Unsafe Punished Safe
236[P] > j > j.ws.D > j.S Punished (CH) Punished (CH) Safe Punished (CH) Safe
236[P] > ws.S > ws.D Safe Punished (CH) Punished (CH) Safe Punished (CH)
214S Safe Punished (CH) Safe Safe Safe
214K (Blockstring) Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe
214K (Frametrap) Punished (CH) Punished (CH) Safe Safe Safe
214P Punished (CH) Punished (CH) Punished (CH) Punished (CH) Punished (CH)

Counter-pokes

Abare

Anti-air

Jack-O's main control on opponents will derive from her grounded tools utilising servants, however she possess an extremely wide assortment of methods to control aerial opponents. The option will largely depend on available resources, servants, and the opponent's position. Unlike most characters, Jack-O' suffers greatly from even blocking air attacks, due to losing any active Servants, making it very important to avoid the situation. To this end it is often valuable to consider the Servant Gauge, as while many of her options provide little combo potential, they can allow her time to build space for neutral, recharge servant gauge, or deploy servants.

5P - Fast, short-range poke. Weak hurtbox, but is able to act faster than any other option, making it versatile at interrupting fast aerial approaches from close-range. Can combo into 6P for a full-screen knockdown, giving very low damage but time to set up servants.

6P - A very safe anti-air. Has full upper-body invulnerability. Among characters' 6P attacks, Jack-O's is especially versatile with an extremely short hurtbox and good speed, leading into knockdowns at full-screen. Low damage reward, but easily sets up more servants.

2S - Powerful anti-air for opponents directly above Jack-O'. Extremely strong hurtbox/hitbox and fast speed, but its extremely narrow range makes it only useful against attacks directly above her. It can provide substantially better combo potential for high damage output, but can be risky against enemies carefully spacing their attacks.

2H - High risk, high reward. It is a disjoint but has overall short range and is very slow, making it very difficult to land against most air-to-ground attacks. Usually better when an opponent jumps at close range. If it lands, however, the damage potential is immense due to its 100% proration and ground bounce.

6H - Jack-O's longest-range attack. Can anti-air from extraordinary distances with complete safety. However, it is very slow and does not cover above Jack-O', making it only useful against distant foes or pre-emptively attacking an opponent's jump. Has virtually no combo potential even on Counter Hit, but will send opponents full-screen to allow time to set up more servants.

Throw Servant (ws.6X) - If Jack-O' is already holding a servant, throwing it provides a very high projectile to disrupt air-approaches. Doing so sets a servant between herself and the opponent, or by comboing with Attack Command (214K) can set an opponent in the corner with a servant for pressure.

Defend Command (214S) - So long as Jack-O' has servants available, Defend Command acts as a low-commitment and very safe anti-air at the cost of Command Servant Gauge. The Defend Command shields are extremely large and able to catch many common air-to-ground attacks. Guard crushing an enemy in the air provides no damage, but gives Jack-O' time to begin pressure safely. Furthermore, the Defend Command has very low recovery time and protects Jack-O' even after her recovery, making it overall low commitment when dealing with highly mobile opponents with unpredictable air-approaches.

Attack Command (214K) - If Jack-O' has a servant at a high elevation, or is currently holding one, the Attack Command acts as an extremely high-reaching disjoint with decent combo-potential. This costs Command Servant Gauge but is easily her most powerful anti-air when the opportunity presents itself. Performing 236[P] > ws.K is functionally very slow, but hits extremely high-up and will defeat almost any normal air-to-ground approach, particularly good against opponents using Superjump.

Air Throw (j.6D/j.4D) - A useful anti-air for all characters, especially against opponents that like to jump into block. Can be somewhat risky as Jack-O' will be vulnerable until she lands and will not have access to her servant commands.

Additional Info

Servant Trajectories

For playing neutral with Jack-o it is important to also know the trajectory of the minions after they have been hit.

236P minion trajectory

  • A
    • 2P,5P,j.P,5K,j.K,j.D, f.S, c.S
  • B
    • 6P,j.H,5H
  • C
    • j.S, 2H*
  • D
    • 2S,5D,6H(1)

2H goes slightly higher than j.S A and B will be the most commonly used for neutral.
Because of this you typically will be using 5P,5K, and 6P to hit the servants.

  • 6P is useful because it can send it a bit further than normal and has fairly fast recovery
  • 5K is jump cancelable which gives you many options and great for setups
  • 5P fastest possible hit and allows you to combo in certain situations
  • As of patch 1.10. f.S and c.S changed from arc B to arc A. May be unintentional nerf but has been significant

Frame Traps

Unfortunately for Jack-O, exceptionally few of her normals naturally frame trap into other normals, so you're better off utilizing stagger pressure between normals. However, when it comes to cancelling into special moves from normals you will find that 214K or 236K are sufficiently delayed enough to cause natural frame traps. These frame traps are easy to perform, and since both of these special moves can be combo starters given the correct servant positioning, they have the potential for big and easy damage. Be wary of the frame traps based on Tiger Knee specials, as it is possible to accidentally delay them. Also, specifically for j.236K, frame traps involving this move can be beaten by 6P. The same is rare, but possible for 214K/j.214K while the servant is falling. When the servant is floating at their natural height, Attack Command cannot be dodged by 6P (needs testing on all characters).

To explain the significance of the Frame Gaps;

  • 1-2f - Invulnerability of some sort is required to beat this frame trap.
  • 3f - Sol's 5K and Chipp's 5P will trade with these frame traps.
  • 4f - Sol's 5K and Chipp's 5P beats this, and Giovanna's 5P will trade.
  • 5f - A majority of the cast can trade with this, but some characters with slower startups (MI, ZA, AX, FA, AN) still can't.
  • 6f+ - By this point, almost all of the cast has an option that beats this frame trap. The rest of the characters (MI, ZA, AX, FA, AN) all have an option that trades. Essentially, this is the point where a string stops being a frame trap in this game.
String Natural? Frame Gap Difficulty Notes Video
5P > 6P Yes ???f Very Easy Simple gatling.
2P > 6P Yes ???f Very Easy Simple gatling.
6P > 236K Yes 1-2f Very Easy Simple special cancel.
5K > 214K Yes 1-2f Very Easy Simple special cancel.
c.S > jc j.214K Yes 1-2f Hard Tiger Knee special cancel, leads to a free jumping normal overhead and further pressure.
2S > 236K Yes 1-2f Easy Simple special cancel, although it is hard to use this move in a blockstring.
2D > 236K Yes 2f Very Easy With dash momentum it will lose to long-range Throws from  Potemkin,  Nagoriyuki, and  Goldlewis.
j.K > j.214K Yes 1-2f Easy Simple special cancel. j.K whiffs on many crouching opponents, so this is only useful when you know the opponent will be stand blocking.
j.S > j.236K Yes 1-2f Very Easy Simple special cancel.
j.H(2nd) > j.236K Yes 1-2f Very Easy Simple special cancel.
2K > 214K Yes 3f Very Easy Simple special cancel.
c.S > jc j.236K Yes 3f Hard Tiger Knee special cancel, leads to j.214K into a free jumping normal overhead and further pressure.
f.S > 236K Yes 3f Very Easy Simple special cancel.
j.H(1st) > j.236K Yes 4f Very Easy Simple special cancel. Only works on exceptionally tall characters while standing (FA, PO, NA).

6H Range

The second hit of 6H ("6H(2)") applies a chain of hitboxes in sequence, each one is higher up and further away. The below table demonstrates at what ranges this move will work on specific characters and the timings of these hits.

Hitbox number 1 2 3 4 5 6
Total range
(Pixels, 1080p)
307 487 637 787 937 1087
Active Frames 19~20 19~22 21~24 23~26 25~29 27~29
Highest hit on characters
Standing
 Giovanna  Jack-O'
 May
 Chipp
 Sol
 Ky
 Axl
 Milla
 Zato-1
 Ramlethal
 Leo
 Nagoriyuki
 Anji
 I-No
 Potemkin
 Faust
 Goldlewis
None
Dashing  Giovanna
 Jack-O'
 May
 Chipp
 Ky
 Milla
 Ramlethal
 Leo
 Anji
 Zato-1
 Goldlewis
None  I-No None
Crouching None
Note: Nagoriyuki is not listed for crouching because Fukyo (214K or 236K) low profiles the entirety of 6H(2).
Potemkin is not listed as he has no dash equivalent.

Advanced Tech

Misc. Mechanics

These are additional details and quirks about Jack-O's moveset. They either do not provide a vital tactical use or are too specific to be noticed outside precise optimisations.

214PGGST Jack-O 214P.pngGuard-Startup10RecoveryTotal 19Advantage-
  • When one (non-held) servant is available, using Recover Servant will spend 0.86 ~ 1.10 bars less Command Servant Gauge and 1.36 ~ 1.60 bars less Summon Servant Gauge than using Defend Command (214S) or Attack Command (214K), followed by improved recharge rate.
  • If Jack-O' hit a servant before recovering it, and only recovers one servant, it is impossible for her to break-even on the cost of using the command even when accounting for the improved Servant Gauge recharge rate.
  • Due to the loss of Command Servant Gauge lowering the gauge limit, the Summon Servant Gauge restored will often be lower than the potential amount.
214SGGST Jack-O 214S.pngGuardStartup4RecoveryTotal 30Advantage+25
  • On successful parry, the command spends a total 0.24 ~ 0.48 bars of Command Servant Gauge, because the recharge rate is still paused.
    • 0.12 ~ 0.24 bars if only a Held Servant is used.
  • While it is +31 at minumum, it is unlikely to parry on the first frame, making it usually even more frame advantanged.
214HGGST Jack-O 214H.pngGuardAllStartup3+180+25RecoveryTotal 24Advantage-
  • Unlike all other Guard Crush attacks, Defend Command counts for the first hit of a combo. This means its proration and RISC reduction will influence all follow-up attacks.
  • The Defend Command (214S) cannot prevent Jack-O's own Countdown explosion, and it will still hit Jack-O' and the opponent.
  • When the explosion begins, the servants are immediately removed and cannot be interrupted. They have no collision, are fully invulnerable, and do not count as an active servant for Jack-O's Servant Gauge recharge. They will also disregard any further commands issued, including Recover Servant (214P).
632146PGGST Jack-O 632146P Whiff.pngGuardAllStartup10+1Recovery58Advantage-41
  • Opponents in Faultless Defense are only inescapably vulnerable to the first active frame, meaning the move has marginally less effective range against these targets.
236236HGGST JackO Cheer Servant On H Buff.pngGuard-Startup3RecoveryTotal 15AdvantageSee Notes
  • Will not remove a Servant Gauge pause from a servant command issued prior to using Cheer Servant On H.

Hitbox Nullifying

When using Defend Command (214S), if the servant is released or picked up on the same frame (input buffering enabled) as the enemy strikes the defend hitbox, the servant will not perform a guard crush, instead the hitbox will be nullified without ending their animation. This can enable a lot of unique punishes.

Usefully, you cannot drop a servant during the Defend Command animation unless this occurs, so you can Defend Command (214S) and rapidly press D until it parries.

This technique is used primarily as an extension of the 236[P] > 214S string, to provide meterless punishes, especially against invincible reversals. The only drawbacks are that you cannot regain Command Servant Gauge, since you did not apply Guard Crush, and moves with very fast recovery may not be easily punished. If you intend to punish with Forever Elysion Driver (632146P) then there is no benefit to this technique.

This technique is utilised in the following sections:

Fighting Jack-O

Matchup Specific Interactions

Instant Overhead

By cancelling a drift Roman Cancel into j.P Jack-O' can perform an extremely fast overhead attack.

This will fail on some characters, as it will whiff on MA, CH, GI and JC due to their short heights.

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