GGST/Testament/Matchups

Overview

Starter Guide

Combos

Strategy

Matchups

Counterstrategy

Frame Data

Resources

Matchups

Table of Contents

Detailed

• Replay Theater is a great resource to find high-level matchup footage.
• High-level replays may also be found in-game (Main Menu > Collection > Replay > Search).
• The Counterstrategy page will generally have some basic counterstrategy against each character in the game.
• Please keep in mind that matchup charts are subjective and not all players may agree on them.

General Advice

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Testament often has to change their general playstyle depending on the matchup at hand. These matchups can mostly be simplified into a few categories with more information listed on specific character tabs:

• Characters you must keep out with strong neutral
  • Examples include May, Leo Whitefang, Giovanna, Anji Mito, and Baiken.
  • While it is often good for Testament to keep their opponent far, these characters represent both a deadly threat up-close and have strong tools to get there. Navigating neutral is key despite it often feeling like they are constantly skipping it, and a good mix of using your strong normals and special moves is needed. Their approaches usually revolve around a triangle of preemptive, reactive, and aggressive options that can be beaten with straightforward RPS.

• Characters who can out-zone you and prevent you from safely abusing your specials from afar
  • Examples include Axl Low, Potemkin, Jack-O, and Happy Chaos.
  • These characters usually require patience, reactiveness, and safe choices. You must expect their strongest tools at any range, and will need to approach more than you may want to.

• Characters who can out-space you with long ranged normals or with high mobility
  • Examples include Ky Kiske, Chipp Zanuff, Faust, Millia Rage, Ramlethal Valentine, I-No, Bridget, Johnny, and Elphelt.
  • These matchups can feel overwhelming and complex, but each of these characters have understandable tools you can pre-emptively, aggressively or reactively beat. Be wary though, as many of these characters have lots of moves that are less committal and have higher reward than yours that take up Testament's prime range. Having a clear understanding of how your moves interact with them is required to consistently beat these characters.

• Characters with strong offense who's specific pressure and strengths you must respect
  • Examples include Sol Badguy, Zato-1, Nagoriyuki, Goldlewis Dickinson, Bedman?, and Asuka R.
  • These are matchups where common situations must be understood, gaps in pressure must be found, and where you sometimes cannot escape their win condition from beginning. Surviving on the defense, or finding a way to not get trapped in the first place, will make or break your success in these matchups.
  • The positive side is that these characters usually have a harder time on average dealing with Testament's many strong neutral options. More often than not, they must take larger risks to close the gap between you and them, with the flipside being that once they do make the correct read you must respect them.

Matchups and RPS

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Understanding a matchup, means understanding your options, your opponent's options, how these options interact, and how to beat your opponent's options while putting in the least amount of risk and effort possible.

An RPS (Rock, Paper, Scissors) situation is when two players can choose multiple options and that some options can beat some of the opponent's options. Good RPS and Bad RPS are often defined by the amount of options you can cover against with just one approach as well the return that one might get off of choosing certain options over another.

There is no end to new options, strategies, and counter-strategies that may be discovered or change with patches. This page will help provide an understanding of the basis on how Testament can answer certain situations and play around common tools for a victory deserving of many nice bubble baths.

A.B.A

 A.B.AGoth lover meets real scary girl

Not enough data

A.B.A is a polarizing character who makes for one of Testament's most polarizing matchups between her easy to contest Normal Mode and hard to lock down Jealous Rage.

• In Normal Mode your gameplan against A.B.A is mostly straightforward keepaway at the mid-range. She's incredibly sluggish on the ground and in the air while her alternative movement doesn't provide much to cover ground.
  • Haul and HeedGuardStartupRecoveryTotal 26Advantage- is a command dash with upper body invincibility that allows her to travel past and under some of Testament's pokes, but tools such as 2SGuardLowStartup10Recovery18Advantage-7 and Grave ReaperGuardAllStartup16~22Recovery27Advantage-4 cover a good amount of space low to the ground.
  • Intertwine and TiltGuardAllStartup17Recovery12Advantage-1 offers the oppposite, giving A.B.A a low-crushing hopkick strike that's safe on block. It's slower to start and susceptible to Testament's anti-air tools so it's best to play reactionary from a safe distance.
• One of A.B.A's key anti-zoning tools is Frenzy and AstonishmentGuardStartup7Recovery15Advantage-, a parry that will nullify oncoming attacks and increase her Jealousy Gauge. This move will quicken the rate at which A.B.A can enter Jealous Rage which is when the matchup becomes much more skewed in her favor.
  • Rotating your choices and playing unpredictably may cause incorrect reads with Frenzy and Astonishment making her vulnerable to punishes for great reward.
  • If A.B.A uses Frenzy and Astonishment to parry a strike attack while in Stain StateGuardAllStartupRecoveryAdvantage-, then she will also nullify the StainGuardAllStartupRecoveryAdvantage- explosion follow-up.
  • While Frenzy and Astonishment will block incoming damage from Unholy DiverGuardAllStartup21RecoveryTotal 39Advantage+1, the attack will still apply Stain State.
• Jealous Rage is A.B.A's install state that immensely improves her movement, buttons, and gives her access to her most infamous special move.
  • A.B.A will want to play much more aggressively to make the most of her limited time in this state. If you're able to catch her making a risky play and begin a combo then Testament's longer combos will allow you to waste more time draining her Jealousy Gauge.
  • Judgment and SentimentGuardAll (Guard Crush)Startup17Recovery25Advantage+4 is a guard point, safe on block, giant hitbox with great use in starting and extending combos. You often do not want to be hit or block this attack with its main weakness being the long recovery. You can try to back dash or Deflect Shield to escape her offense. A riskier way to bait the attack would be an escape with PossessionGuardStartup16RecoveryTotal 35Advantage-, but this would require a placed Succubus and precise timing.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

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Anji Mito

 Anji MitoLet's dance

Slightly Unfavorable

Anji's autoguard mechanic on Suigetsu No HakobiGuardStartupRecoveryTotal 34~50Advantage- and other specials allows him to easily slip past many of Testament's long ranged tools.

• If his autoguard connects with one of your attacks, then be prepared to react to and possibly respect MidareGuardAllStartup7Recovery30Advantage+11.
• When you see his autoguard, try either grabbing him or waiting for the end of it's invulnerable duration to punish him.
• You can check Midare with a backwards PRC and punish with 6HGuardAllStartup23Recovery32Advantage-19 for a full combo as seen here.
• If Anji uses his Kachoufuugetsu KaiGuardStartup1Recovery10Advantage- parry after having been wall broken by NostroviaGuardAllStartup11+19RecoveryTotal 53Advantage+63, then meatying with Arbiter SignGuardLowStartup24Recovery26Advantage-12 will allow StainGuardAllStartupRecoveryAdvantage- to activate and beat out his parry.
• If you're hard calling out an Anji wakeup Kachoufuugetsu Kai parry after a Throw in the corner, then perform OTG Grave ReaperGuardAllStartup16~22Recovery27Advantage-4 into 2HGuardAllStartup23Recovery12Advantage-2. The first hit of the OTG Grave Reaper will cause the projectile to activate the parry which allows the 2H to catch his counterattack as seen here.
• Due to Anji's parry, it may be more dangerous to regularly safejump him than other characters. See here for a safejump setup that can beat both DPs and parries.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Anji's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
6PGuardAllStartup10Recovery25Advantage-17	dl.66 > 2K, 2S (CH), 236S	f.S (CH), j.236H (CH)	6P (Clash)	IADB > j.236H (Anji is forced to block)
f.SGuardAllStartup11Recovery21Advantage-9	6P (CH), 2S (CH), j.236H	f.S (CH), 236S (CH)		IADB > j.236H (Anji is forced to block)
2SGuardLowStartup10Recovery16Advantage-6	dl.66 > 2K	6P (CH), 236S (CH)	f.S, 2S	IADB > j.236H (Anji is forced to block)
Charged 236KGuardStartupRecoveryTotal 34~50Advantage-	IADB > j.236H, 6~6D	All Normals/Specials that reach it (punish varies heavily by button Autoguarded)
Charged 236HGuardAllStartup16 [32]Recovery21Advantage-8 [-6]	IADB > j.236H, Buttons that reach it after Autoguard frames end (depends heavily on how much the Anji player charged), 6~6D	All Normals/Specials that reach it during Autoguard frames (punish varies heavily by button Autoguarded)

The safest option against Anji's round start would be to alternate between backdashing into Grave Reaper or IABD Air Grave Reaper. While Anji is generally forced to block this option, constant use of this will force him to switch to using KouGuardAllStartup12 [28]Recovery14Advantage- round start, which will Counter Hit you out of Air Grave Reaper.

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Asuka R

 Asuka RTurn against your creator

Slightly Favorable

Many of Asuka's projectile spells cast by ChantGuardStartupRecoveryTotal 39 (empty Spell Slot)Advantage- can be easily destroyed by Testament's projectiles and stronger buttons. However, if Asuka can pull up the right cards in the right situation then he has the ability to snowball the matchup in his favor.

• Grave ReaperGuardAllStartup16~22Recovery27Advantage-4 can cleanly cut through his projectiles and moves like 6P and situationally 6H can be good for destroying groups of projectiles while still allowing for a special cancel to take back momentum.
• From afar, singular projectiles can be swiftly dealt with by using 5P and 2P as this allows you to easily be prepared to destroy incoming follow-up projectiles with a cancel into either another 5P or a 6P.
• 5P into 2P is a valuable string against Spells that summon projectiles lower to the ground such as Howling Metron MS ProcessingGuardAll [Guard Crush]Startup16, 21, 26RecoveryTotal 49Advantage+10 [+21].
• Cancelling a projectile destroyed by 6P into Arbiter SignGuardLowStartup24Recovery26Advantage-12 is a common string that can allow you to punish Asuka's projectile pressure from afar, while Grave Reaper can be a stronger cancel option when close.
• Once he tries to call you out by casting multiple Spells you either use chains with 5P and 6P or just hold it and force him to waste resources.
• Faultless Defense is really valuable for pushing him out as this gives you space to safely destroy and punish a slower projectile.
• If Asuka performs a safejump with j.DGuardHighStartup14Recovery25Advantage+7 (IAD) and cancels into a projectile Spell other than Howling MetronGuardAll [Guard Crush]Startup11RecoveryTotal 39Advantage+5 [+16], then you can often punish him with a well timed 6P.
• When close enough, 6H may even be able to cleave through his projectiles and connect with Asuka but always be cautious when throwing out a 6H in neutral.
• If he begins to Recover ManaGuardStartup13RecoveryTotal 25 (No Hold)Advantage-, then be prepared to swiftly punish with Arbiter Sign.
• When his Mana is entirely depleted, that is your chance to destroy him due to his lack of Spells and doubled damage intake.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Asuka’s Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
2PGuardAllStartup5Recovery10Advantage-2	6P, f.S			Everything else
5KGuardAllStartup7Recovery12Advantage-3	6P, f.S, 236S		2K, 2S, IABD j.236H
5HGuardAllStartup15Recovery29Advantage-13	6P (CH), f.S (CH), 2S (CH), IABD j.236H	236S (CH)		2K
2DGuardLowStartup12Recovery20Advantage-9	2K, 236S (CH)	2S (CH)	6P, f.S	IABD j.236H
Howling MetronGuardAll [Guard Crush]Startup11RecoveryTotal 39Advantage+5 [+16]	6P, 2S	2K, f.S (CH), 236S (CH), IABD j.236H
Metron Screamer 808GuardAll (Guard Crush)Startup12RecoveryTotal 34Advantage+16		Everything

Microdash 6P is a great method of calling out many of Asuka's projectile Spells from round start. Be wary with this option as can be shut down by his disjointed 2DGuardLowStartup12Recovery20Advantage-9. Always watch his round start Spells and pick an appropriate option to counter. For example if he draws a Metron Screamer 808GuardAll (Guard Crush)Startup12RecoveryTotal 34Advantage+16 the RPS suddenly shifts more in Asukas favor and vice versa for some different round start sets.

Dealing with Bit Shift Metron

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Bit Shift MetronGuardAll [Guard Crush]Startup14RecoveryTotal 39Advantage+8/+18/+28/+38/+48 [+19/+29/+39/+49/+59] is a Spell where Asuka fires a variety of projectiles depending on how long the Spell has been bookmarked ranging from Level 1 to Level 5. Bit Shift Metron has two versions, one that starts at Level 1 and one that start at Level 5. If starting at Level 1, it slowly gains Levels over time. If starting at Level 5, it slowly loses Levels over time.

Bit Shift Metron can be a dangerous tool with high range, speed, and damage, however, there are various methods of dealing with this Spell:

• 2P > 2P > 2P > 2P > 2P > 2P
  • Works from range to destroy all of the projectiles safely. Somewhat impractical option as it offers him ample time to recover.
• 2P > 2P > 2P > 6P > 236S
  • Similar use and problems as the previous option, although it can be a good method of setting up the Succubus.
• 6P > 66RRC > 66 > c.S > 6H > 236[H] ~
  • Great way to clear projectiles and then follow with a punish. If the 66RRC connects with Asuka, then you have the opportunity to convert into a full combo.
• 6P > 66RRC > 6P ~
  • Alternative to the above option if the 66RRC doesn't connect with Asuka, then you can atleast force him to continue blocking.

Axl Low

 Axl LowThis is what we've been doing to people?

Unfavorable

A matchup where Testament is strongly outclassed at the ranges they prefer.

• Testament's best zoning tools like Grave ReaperGuardAllStartup16~22Recovery27Advantage-4 are easily shut down rendering them much weaker in this matchup than usual.
• Lacking proper anti-zoning tools and losing the zoning war against Axl means that Testament must use their universal movement options to close the gap and hope to run their pressure to snowball into a victory.
• Many of your whiffed pokes will be swiftly punished by Axl's larger attacks that can sometimes lead into a full conversion.
• Sickle FlashGuardAllStartup24Recovery29Advantage-19~-9 is Axl's best tool for keeping Testament at bay. It cleanly beats Grave Reaper from range and you want to try avoiding blocking this attack as it allows him to keep you locked down with various follow-ups.
• Arbiter SignGuardLowStartup24Recovery26Advantage-12 can help keep Axl in check from near fullscreen if he choses to use Sickle Flash into Winter CherryGuardAllStartup18 [22]Recovery24Advantage-3 [+10]. Dash the explosion and use Arbiter Sign. Be careful as Axl may delay the explosion instead for a call out.
• Axl's grounded SnailGuardAllStartup14Recovery29Advantage-24 can be punished by 6HGuardAllStartup23Recovery32Advantage-19 if he's not too far away and can convert into a full combo as seen here.
• Using IAD with care to punish Axl's slow and committal moves such as 2HGuardLowStartup11Recovery26Advantage-18 [-8] or Sickle Flash is a key part of winning mid-range RPS to begin running your offense.
• If you can manage to place the Succubus on Axl, then he needs to be cautious of Unholy DiverGuardAllStartup21RecoveryTotal 39Advantage+1 and PossessionGuardStartup16RecoveryTotal 35Advantage-.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Axl's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
2PGuardLowStartup10Recovery14Advantage-6		6P (CH), f.S (CH), Walk Back	2S	j.236H (Axl is forced to block)
5PGuardAllStartup7Recovery19Advantage-11 [-3]	6P (CH)	f.S, j.236H (All CH)		2S
f.SGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-8	6P (CH)	f.S (CH)	2S	j.236H (Axl is forced to block)
2HGuardLowStartup11Recovery26Advantage-18 [-8]	2S (CH)	f.S	6P (Both characters are sent fullscreen)	j.236H (Axl is forced to block)
RainwaterGuardAllStartup24Recovery21Advantage+3	IAD j.H	6P, f.S, 2S		j.236H
IABD j.SGuardHighStartup14Recovery18Advantage-	IAD j.H, j.236H (CH, but can't convert)	6P, f.S		2S (Testament is forced to block)

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Baiken

 BaikenWho's showing the most leg?

Slightly Favorable

Baiken can be effectively zoned out and hardly ever get started herself because of how well Testament's zoning tools work against her. However, Baiken's destructive offense means it’s a matchup where you have to make every decision make sense, as autopiloting into a poor choice could cause the round to be lost.

• Once Baiken is cornered, her defense against Testament's attacks is weaker than usual thanks to their range. Keeping her away at fullscreen is useful, but cornering her is your priority.
  • To accomplish this, you must thread the needle between winning the RPS situations the mid-range forces upon you and use your special moves to control space when far enough.
• Once Baiken is close to your face, she has strong and overwhelming mix-ups from everything that can difficulty be defended against. Avoid this situation in the first place by keeping her away and saving meter to reset to neutral.
• In mid-range, use fast recovery normals and jumping normals to avoid committing too hard, while threatening the air and the ground against Baiken.
• Avoid backdashing impulsively against Baiken, as doing so after your offense and on defense often risk losing to her strong but committal options.
• Baiken's far reaching, fast IAD j.SGuardHighStartup8Recovery19Advantage+1 (IAD) YouzansenGuardHighStartup9Recovery7 after LandingAdvantage-14 (IAS) double overhead coupled with her far reaching 2HGuardLowStartup17Recovery26Advantage-13 force Testament to be careful when using their specials or cancelling into them when she's in the air or grounded.
  • Against Baiken's j.S Youzansen, hold back long enough to cover delayed Youzansen, then either continue blocking, or challenge with 2PGuardAllStartup5Recovery10Advantage-3.
  • Baiken's advancing 2H has a massive hitbox and can low-profile meaning it can even travel under Unholy DiverGuardAllStartup21RecoveryTotal 39Advantage+1, be careful when using this move in neutral and keep note of her distance away.
• After making Baiken block a f.SGuardAllStartup12Recovery18Advantage-7 or 5HGuardAllStartup13Recovery25Advantage-8, opt for cancelling into uncharged Grave ReaperGuardAllStartup16~22Recovery27Advantage-4 followed by 6PGuardAllStartup11Recovery15Advantage-7, and use level 2 charge Grave Reaper if she IADs.
• Meatying with projectiles can deny Baiken's ability to wakeup reversal with HiiragiGuard-Startup1Recovery32Advantage-.
  • Due to Baiken's parry, it may be more dangerous to regularly safejump her than other characters. See here for a safejump setup that can beat both DPs and parries.
• KenjyuGuardAll (Guard Crush)Startup8+3RecoveryTotal 47Advantage+5 beats reckless usages of Grave Reaper and Unholy Diver from fullscreen. While this is usually your safest position against Baiken, play with caution and unpredictability when she has 50% Tension.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Baiken's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
6PGuardAllStartup9Recovery19Advantage-10	Walk back > f.S, 2S (CH), 236S, j.236H	f.S (CH)	6P (Clash)
f.SGuardAllStartup9Recovery15Advantage-7	6P (CH), 2S (CH), Walk back > f.S	f.S (CH), 236S (CH)		j.236H (Baiken is forced to block)
2SGuardAllStartup11Recovery19Advantage-8	2S (CH), Walk back > f.S	6P (CH), f.S (CH), 236S (CH)		j.236H (Baiken is forced to block)
2HGuardLowStartup17Recovery26Advantage-13	f.S (CH), 2S (CH), 236S (CH), j.236H	6P (CH), Walk back

Round start is very much in Testament's favor. 2SGuardLowStartup10Recovery18Advantage-7 can Counter Hit all of Baiken's options except KabariGuardAllStartup29Recovery15Advantage+3 as the startup takes her slightly too far back when she retracts her arm. 2S allows Testament to start immediately pushing her towards the corner with a cancel into Grave Reaper.

Mid-Range

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When playing neutral at mid-range, you will have to contest both the air, and the ground.
There is no guaranteed win here and this situation is highly RPS based. Choosing the wrong option may open you up to lose against some of hers, but Testament still has cards to play that can win at this range:

• Pressing fast grounded buttons like 5KGuardAllStartup7Recovery11Advantage-3 and 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery13Advantage-3 to stuff melee approaches without extending Testament's hitbox. This may bait reactions from Baiken while still enabling you to block or punish in time.
  
• Jumping around with j.SGuardHighStartup9Recovery19Advantage0 (IAD) or j.DGuardHighStartup12Recovery22Advantage- can cover Baiken's air approaches and recover fast enough to j.KGuardHighStartup8Recovery12Advantage-3 (IAD), block, or airdash at Baiken, punishing possible committal answers. These can be used aggressively or to retreat and create space, however this plan can become predictable if abused and is susceptible to Air Throw.
  
• IABD Air Grave Reaper can create distance while staying safe from 2H's low hitbox but loses to buttons such as f.SGuardAllStartup9Recovery15Advantage-7 due to the extended hurtbox.
  
• Pressing f.S from a distance can be risky due to Baiken's options. Cancelling f.S with uncharged Grave Reaper followed by 6P or level 2 charge Grave Reaper if she IADs are both good follow-ups. They will cover j.S, 2H, and even Kabari with proper spacing.
• If she blocks a c.SGuardAllStartup8Recovery10Advantage+1, f.S, or 2S while close, then cancel into 5H. After she blocks 5H cancel into uncharged Grave Reaper followed by 6P, full charge Grave Reaper if she IADs, or Arbiter SignGuardLowStartup24Recovery26Advantage-12 to cover jumps.
  
• Using 6HGuardAllStartup23Recovery32Advantage-19 is a high risk gamble that can cover many of Baiken's dangerous approaches but will be heavily punished if she plays patiently.
  

In conclusion, avoid committing too hard to f.S in neutral and instead prefer fast grounded buttons like 5K and 2K or air buttons such as j.S or j.D. If she blocks a c.S, f.S, or 2S punish her response with a strong cancel.

Weaknesses

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Baiken has many highly committal moves, that are weak in neutral but strong when cancelled into.

• Youzansen is -14 on block TK'd giving you time for a decent punish if you manage to block the overhead.
  
• Kabari can be low-profiled by 2K for a punish with 2S or 5H. At closer ranges it may lose to 6P.
  
• Kabari can be jumped over, and is slow on whiff. If she doesn't use Kabari follow-upGuardAllStartup11 [23]Recovery14 (23 on block)Advantage-7 the whiff lasts for 48 frames total.
  
• Whiffing 2SGuardAllStartup11Recovery19Advantage-8 takes 33 frames before Baiken can act again. You can whiff-punish it on reaction with f.S, but if this move connects Baiken can cancel it into 2HGuardLowStartup17Recovery26Advantage-13 or Kabari.
  
• Whiffing 2H is highly dangerous for Baiken as she remains committed for 49 total frames.
  
• 2H also has no safe cancel options, so if she tries to cancel out of it instead of blocking then Calamity OneGuardAllStartup11+4Recovery67Advantage-38 will make a great call out.
• When blocking IAD j.S Youzansen you can punish it if you IB one of the hits and throw Baiken, however this is risky to try because of frame-traps through delayed Youzansen. On block Baiken's 5PGuardAllStartup4Recovery10Advantage-2 is fast enough to beat even Testament's 2P but many Baiken players will choose slower buttons for higher reward, allowing you to often press 2P or 2K after blocking.

In conclusion, making Baiken whiff her move with good spacing will net you high reward punishes. Kabari can be jumped over, creating an opening for you to IAD if she uses it too close.

IAD j.S Youzansen

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At IAD height, j.S might whiff if you continue crouching and might get low-profiled by 2K. If it connects you want to hold block long enough to cover delayed Youzansen, then you usually want to challenge with Counter Hit 2P and combo into 2K > 2D > Grave Reaper for oki or continue blocking and try guessing and surviving the incoming mix-up.

Baiken can cancel into Youzansen right away leaving her +1 which is positive enough to trade with Testament's 2P using her fast 5P. Baiken's other buttons should lose to Testament's 2P and sometimes 2K but the safest answer is simply blocking.

When blocking this string, it's possible to IB one of the hits and throw Baiken but this is a risky choice. Trying to IB her j.S is often unrealistic and using a 6P anti-air may serve you better. Trying to IB Youzansen is also a poor idea as the timing can be varied and turned into a frame-trap.

Baiken can delay the special cancel, turning j.S Youzansen into a frame-trap powerful enough to beat both your 6P and Calamity One. This makes Baiken's pressure even more safe so continue blocking after you block the j.S.

After Youzansen connects Baiken has many follow-up options.

• 5P which beats out any options as it's faster than any of Testament's buttons.
  
• c.SGuardAllStartup7Recovery10Advantage+1 to mix you up and sometimes continue her strings. Challenge this with 5PGuardAllStartup6Recovery9Advantage-2 or survive the incoming mix.
  

She can do anything that ends with a relatively safe string ender.

• Tatami GaeshiGuardAllStartup15Recovery5Advantage-3: If press buttons or jump you will get hit. It's -3 if you block it close and you can try making it whiff by FDing the previous hits.
  
• KabariGuardAllStartup18Recovery19Advantage-3: Catches backdashes and cannot be jumped when blocked during strings so you have to block it. It leads to the following situations:
  
  • Kabari > Kabari follow-up (hold) you Option Select with 4P+K.
    
  • Kabari > Kabari follow-up (no hold) you block it and she's -7 so you can get a punish with 2K.

Bedman

 Bedman6P :)

Balanced

Bedman has tricky offense that can be hard to play against, but Testament can use 6PGuardAllStartup11Recovery15Advantage-7 to take down pokes, air approaches, and even avoid zoning.

• Be wary of Bedman's j.HGuardHighStartup15Recovery24Advantage+10 (IAD). Testament can 6P it, but the button hits very deep and you might not always be able to.
• Its projectile, call 4BAGuardAllStartup16RecoveryTotal 46Advantage-11, is small and high enough that Testament can both 6P and 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery13Advantage-3 through it. 6P is much larger and leads to more reward on Counter Hit, but 2K is faster and less committal.
• Bedman has White Wild AssaultGuardAll (Guard Crush)Startup20~31Recovery20Advantage+7, meaning that it is invulnerable fairly early in the animation. At round start, be careful as none of Testament's pokes are fast enough to contest this.
• 6P is very good at round start, as it beats out Bedman's f.SGuardAllStartup11Recovery17Advantage-9, 2SGuardLowStartup12Recovery22Advantage-11, 5HGuardAllStartup13Recovery22Advantage-7 and 2HGuardLowStartup16Recovery30Advantage-15.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Bedman’s Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
6PGuardAllStartup11Recovery24Advantage-16	2S (CH), Walk Back	f.S (CH), 236S (CH)	6P (Clash)	2K, IABD j.236H
5KGuardAllStartup8Recovery14Advantage-7	2S (CH)	6P (Clash), f.S	236S	2K, IABD j.236H
White Wild AssaultGuardAll (Guard Crush)Startup20~31Recovery20Advantage+7	Throw	6P, 2K, f.S, 2S, 236S, IABD j.236H
Jump Back IAD j.SGuardHighStartup10Recovery22Advantage-	f.S, 236S, Walk Back	IABD j.236H		6P, 2K, 2S

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Bridget

 BridgetTrans rights!

Balanced

Bridget uses long ranged pokes and quick advances to take over neutral and run a terrifying mix-up game. Be proactive to control space with Testament's zoning tools for a set-up in order to force her into disadvantageous situations before she can get a hard knockdown and set-up against you.

• Testament can contest a Bridget that prefers to stay airborn with their strong anti-air moves such as 6PGuardAllStartup11Recovery15Advantage-7 and Grave ReaperGuardAllStartup13~19Recovery21Advantage+2 or their air-to-air moves such as j.SGuardHighStartup9Recovery19Advantage0 (IAD) or Air Grave Reaper.
• Bridget being overly committal to f.SGuardAllStartup10Recovery18Advantage-9 and 5HGuardAllStartup11Recovery29Advantage-17 can usually be answered by Testament's 6P, allowing Testament to start their pressure up while denying Bridget her setplay and corner carry.
• However, caution is in order when using Testament's specials in your blockstrings. Bridget's normals are quick enough to punish Arbiter SignGuardHighStartup28Recovery26Advantage-12 at distances many other characters can't and will usually convert into solid damage and put Testament into the corner.
• Bridget's 6PGuardAllStartup10Recovery20Advantage-12 covers a massive amount of screen space, and can win out against some of Testament's go to ground buttons. Using Grave Reaper or whiff and block punishing Bridget is recommended here.
• On approach, Bridget j.SGuardHighStartup10Recovery15Advantage+3 (IAD) covers a lot of ground with IAD and can easily catch lazy zoning.
• Return of the Killing MachineGuardAllStartup9+1RecoveryTotal 37Advantage+16 can be used to punish zoning from afar. You can PRC and block if you've already committed to an attack.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Bridget's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
5PGuardAllStartup8Recovery14Advantage-6	6P	f.S (CH)		2S, j.236H
2PGuardAllStartup7Recovery9Advantage-3	6P, f.S, 2S			j.236H (Bridget is forced to block)
2SGuardLowStartup11Recovery20Advantage-9	2S (CH)	6P (CH), f.S (CH)		j.236H (Bridget is forced to block)
5HGuardAllStartup11Recovery29Advantage-17	6P (CH), j.236H	2S	f.S

Neutral

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Bridget has some powerful neutral tools in her arsenal, it's best to be aware of the advantages and disadvantages each hold:

• Kick Start My HeartGuardAllStartup10Recovery9Advantage-20~+4
  • While not as strong as its +R version, Kick Start My Heart can still catch people off guard due to its speed, and with meter it becomes an incredibly safe option to get in and cause a knockdown with BrakeGuardAllStartup7Recovery19Advantage-6 or get a full combo off of ShootGuardAllStartup3Recovery29Advantage-35, especially with Counter Hit.

• Stop and DashGuardAllStartup15RecoveryTotal 38Advantage-4
  • Bridget's ability to poke with the various versions of Stop and Dash can be tricky for Testament to deal with. The 236S/H versions are safe on block unless in Throw range, and attempting to punish the 214S/H versions with Arbiter Sign can be difficult on account of distance and determining which version of Stop and Dash was used. As a zoning tool, however, it does leave Testament with enough time to close the distance and react to her follow-up options.

• Rolling MovementGuardAllStartup20~38Recovery0Advantage+16 (Airborne)
  • While more obvious approaches using Rolling Movement can be easily punished by Testament's 6P, Bridget has various options to call out anti-air attempts including Roger DiveGuardAllStartup25Recovery15Advantage-5 or landing shallow via jumping normals. 6P can tend to be an unreliable choice as it's unlikely Bridget will roll directly towards you. Charged Air Grave Reaper and Charged Grave Reaper do a good job at controlling space and stifling her movement. j.HGuardHighStartup10Recovery22Advantage+2 (IAD) can also give Bridget an overhead option here that has to be respected if spaced well, though 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery13Advantage-3 can low-profile this hitbox.

Offense

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Stay close as possible when pressuring on the offense as her buttons can compete with your usual range advantage. RPS is generally in your favor and you don't want to give up your turn and return to neutral when fighting Bridget. Her backdash is incredibly strong and she can use it to escape your pressure and take the advantage. Be aware of her backdash habits and call them out according. Bridget does have one other defensive ace up her sleeve:

• StarshipGuardAllStartup9Recovery39Advantage-28
  • Bridget's meterless reversal and the only reversal in her toolkit. A shorter range DP boosted by forward momentum, allowing it to punish more spaced attacks on its later active frames. As with most DPs in this game, your best choice is to block the attack for a deadly punish. Both Bridget's reversal and her backdash are risky yet powerful ways to escape your pressure, be cautious with your gaps and keep an eye on her habits. Starship is also fast enough to deny a safejump with j.H after a hard knockdown wall break, so it's best to opt for a different option against Bridget as she'll always have a meterless call out.

Defense

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You have to be prepared to hard call out her options on the offense. Off of Rolling Movement oki, her first hit is a true mix-up, however if she decides to go back into Rolling Movement you need to call it out with 6P because it's fake. Additionally, you need to see what options she's using at the end of blockstrings and call it out as well. 6P her longer pokes and shut down Kick Start My Heart with 2S.

Chipp Zanuff

 Chipp ZanuffStop running you're ruining my nice stroll

Slightly Unfavorable

Chipp is incredibly mobile, allowing him to out maneuver many of Testament's slower tools.

• 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery13Advantage-3 and 6PGuardAllStartup11Recovery15Advantage-7 are good for low profiling many of his preferred neutral options such as 5PGuardAllStartup3Recovery10Advantage-2, 5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery8Advantage-3, f.SGuardAllStartup9Recovery20Advantage-8, and 5HGuardAllStartup11Recovery16Advantage-4.
• 5PGuardAllStartup6Recovery9Advantage-2 and 2PGuardAllStartup5Recovery10Advantage-3 are good abare tools to mash against any fake set-ups or blockstrings he might be doing.
• Grave ReaperGuardAllStartup13~19Recovery21Advantage+2 can be a decent choice for calling out fullscreen Air Alpha BladeGuardAllStartup27Recovery17Advantage-2
• It’s best to not try to fight Chipp in air-to-air if he decides to go high up to approach, instead run under him to fullscreen and Grave Reaper while he’s coming back to chase you or use Unholy DiverGuardAllStartup21RecoveryTotal 39Advantage+1 while he’s near the Succubus is since it reaches higher up than the Grave Reaper projectile.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Chipp’s Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
6PGuardAllStartup9Recovery25Advantage-16	Everything Else			IABD j.236H
f.SGuardAllStartup9Recovery20Advantage-8	6P, Walk Back	f.S (CH), 2S (CH), IABD j.236H, 236S (CH)		2K (dl CH)
2SGuardAllStartup10Recovery17Advantage-7	6P (CH), 2K, Walk Back	236S (CH)	f.S, 2S	IABD j.236H
IAD j.HGuardHighStartup8Recovery17Advantage+4~5 (IAD)	6P, Walk Back	f.S, 2S, IABD j.236H (CH), 236S (CH)		2K
2DGuardLowStartup10Recovery19Advantage-7	2K (CH), Walk Back	6P (CH), f.S (CH), 236S (CH)	2S	IABD j.236H

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Elphelt Valentine

 Elphelt ValentineHang on is this a tragedy or a comedy?!

Slightly Favorable

Elphelt has strong pokes and a tracking projectile that she can use to close the gap and begin running her mix-up based offense so be prepared to shut down her approach and stop her from putting you on the defense.

• Miss CharlotteGuardAllStartup16RecoveryTotal 50Advantage-15 can be destroyed by the strike and projectile of Grave ReaperGuardAllStartup13~19Recovery21Advantage+2 through it's entirety while still setting up the Succubus. Do note that the grounded version of Grave Reaper's projectile may travel under her projectile.
• Testament may also opt to jump the projectile of Miss Charlotte or low-profile it using 6PGuardAllStartup11Recovery15Advantage-7 or 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery13Advantage-3, though be wary of the projectile homing in as it stays out.
• Bomb-Bomb ChocolatGuardAllStartup29Recovery0Advantage+14 (mid air) can be clashed with and destroyed by Grave Reaper as well while still setting up the Succubus.
• Due to how high up they hit, Testament can low profile many of Elphelt's pokes with 2K. These include her 6PGuardAllStartup9Recovery20Advantage-10, 5KGuardAllStartup7Recovery13Advantage-4, f.SGuardAllStartup11Recovery18Advantage-7, and 5HGuardAllStartup14Recovery26Advantage-11.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Elphelt’s Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
6PGuardAllStartup9Recovery20Advantage-10	2S (CH), 236S, Walk Back	f.S (CH)	6P (Clash)	2K, IABD j.236H
f.SGuardAllStartup11Recovery18Advantage-7	6P (CH), Walk Back	f.S (CH), 236S (CH)	2S	2K, IABD j.236H
2SGuardAllStartup13Recovery15Advantage-7	2S (CH), Walk Back	2K, f.S (CH), 236S (CH)	6P	IABD j.236H

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Faust

 FaustMid-range zoning war

Balanced

Testament and Faust are both characters who are similar in the fact that they excel at the mid-range and use an arsenal of projectile setups and pokes to take control over the screen for a victory.

• CrawlGuardStartupRecoveryAdvantage- causes Testament's pressure to be finnicky due to the low-profile and his ability to go into his strong crouching buttons such as 2PGuardLowStartup7Recovery11Advantage-3 and 2HGuardLowStartup14Recovery29Advantage-12.
• Faust's wide dashing hurtbox gives Arbiter SignGuardLowStartup24Recovery26Advantage-12 utility to shut down his approaches and make him maneuver around it. Be prepared if he chooses to play the aerial game with jumps and super jumps against Arbiter Sign and anti-air him accordingly.
• Arbiter Sign can also be used to call out What Could This Be?GuardStartup26RecoveryTotal 40Advantage-.
• Testament's neutral control means that they can make use of and counteract some of Faust's Items.
• If you have proper control of the screen, then TrumpetGuardAllStartup69~70RecoveryAdvantage- should be within reach if he happens to throw it out.
• BombGuardAllStartup68 to Land, 143 After LandingRecoveryAdvantage- can be stuffed by pushing it away with Testament's large buttons and special cancels or using Arbiter Sign and your movement to punish him hitting the Bomb in order to force Faust to hold it. You can use the explosion to apply a hidden mix-up with Arbiter Sign.
• Calamity OneGuardAllStartup11+4Recovery67Advantage-38 is a good option to represent if Faust's begins his pressure after HammerGuardAllStartup1RecoveryAdvantage- as the Hammer will cancel the recovery of Calamity One and allow you to convert.
• AfroGuardNoneStartup110 To LandRecoveryAdvantage- will dramatically reduce the effectiveness of the upper body invulnerability attached to your 6PGuardAllStartup11Recovery15Advantage-7.
• Because of the effects of the Afro, using 6P after being grabbed by Snip Snip SnipGuardGround ThrowStartup6Recovery41Advantage- is dangerous. PRCing Calamity One's startup may be a strong option after being hit by the command grab.
• After blocking j.2KGuardAllStartup10Recovery9 after LandingAdvantage- if Faust cancels into LoveGuardAllStartup27RecoveryTotal 48Advantage-, then you can run under him and punish with a Counter Hit anti-air c.SGuardAllStartup8Recovery10Advantage+1 into a full combo as seen here.
• Many Fausts prefer to do 6HGuardHighStartup25Recovery44Advantage-34 into ThrustGuardAllStartup26~37Recovery19Advantage-12. The incoming Thrust can be punished by 6P, however he may choose to delay the attack as a bait. Using NostroviaGuardAllStartup11+19RecoveryTotal 53Advantage+63 after blocking 6H will cause it to trade with Thrust in your favor for a full combo punish.
• Be wary when Faust has 50 meter in neutral as ScarecrowGuardAllStartup54 [84]Recovery10 [7]Advantage-8 [+7] PRC is a quick anti-zoning punish.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Faust's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
2PGuardLowStartup7Recovery11Advantage-3		6P, f.S, 2S (all CH), Walk Back	2K (Clash)	j.236H (Faust is forced to block)
6PGuardAllStartup9Recovery32Advantage-21	2S (CH), j.236H (CH)	f.S (CH)	6P (Clash)	Walk Back
5KGuardAllStartup7Recovery8Advantage-2	6P (CH), 2S (CH)	f.S (CH)		j.236H (Faust is forced to block), Walk Back (can't truly punish)
f.SGuardAllStartup12Recovery20Advantage-8	6P (CH), 2S (CH), j.236H		f.S	Walk Back
2HGuardLowStartup14Recovery29Advantage-12	f.S (CH), 2S (CH)	6P (CH), Walk Back		j.236H (Faust is forced to block)
j.2KGuardAllStartup10Recovery9 after LandingAdvantage-	6P (CH), f.S (CH)	2S		j.236H (Faust is NOT forced to block)

Using 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery13Advantage-3 from round start is a great option because Faust has a really wide crouching hurtbox and you can go into a 2DGuardLowStartup14Recovery22Advantage-8 conversion on hit. He can punish this with j.2K but that doesn't allow him to combo into anything.

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Giovanna

 GiovannaMay the most patient win

Balanced

Both Giovanna and Testament have intimidating pressure meaning a win in neutral can lead to both character's win condition pretty quickly. Creating and keeping distance away from Giovanna while punishing her patience is key to this matchup.

• Giovanna is a fast character with a great step-dash and powerful jump ins so can easily whiff punish any of Testament's buttons if she has the correct spacing. You can try throwing out faster buttons to try and bait whiff punishes.
• She doesn't have much to contest Testament's pressure besides her speed and 2DGuardLowStartup17Recovery12Advantage-8.
• Once she is cornered, expect her quick IAD and step-dash as options for her to escape. Testament's 6HGuardAllStartup23Recovery32Advantage-19 can cover both, but it may lose to 2D and higher jumps.
• Grave ReaperGuardAllStartup13~19Recovery21Advantage+2 will help jail Giovanna in the corner, but the charged version may lose to 2D.
• f.SGuardAllStartup12Recovery18Advantage-7 and 2SGuardLowStartup10Recovery18Advantage-7 can effectively trouble Giovanna's grounded approaches.
• Giovanna's quick IAD can easily punish f.S and Grave Reaper. Patience in neutral enables you to counter IAD with 6PGuardAllStartup11Recovery15Advantage-7.
• Faultless Defense can help tremendously against Giovanna's pressure by weakening her strike/throw game and opening up more frames to interrupt her gaps with 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery13Advantage-3.
• Use 2K to interrupt Giovanna's pressure as it's the best button to beat Sol NascenteGuardAllStartup7Recovery21Advantage-15 thus making her offense more linear and predictable.
• Giovanna's 2D is incredibly strong in this matchup. It can punish a charged Grave Reaper and is more disjointed than Testament's 2S.
• TrovãoGuardAll [All (Guard Crush)]Startup27Recovery13Advantage+4 [+15] can nullify and beat both Grave Reaper and Unholy DiverGuardAllStartup21RecoveryTotal 39Advantage+1. With its startup slower than Arbiter SignGuardLowStartup24Recovery26Advantage-12, you can use this advantage to condition her to not use it. 6P can beat it as well while backdashes and jumps can make it whiff.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Giovanna's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
6PGuardAllStartup12Recovery15Advantage-9	2S (CH)	f.S (CH)	6P (Clash)	j.236H (Gio is forced to block)
Dash 5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-2	6P (CH), f.S (CH), 2S (CH)			j.236H (Gio is forced to block)
5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5	6P (CH)	f.S (CH)	2S	j.236H (Gio is forced to block)
Walk Back 5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5	j.236H	6P	f.S (Gio blocks)	2S
2DGuardLowStartup17Recovery12Advantage-8	f.S (CH), 2S (CH)	6P		j.236H (Gio is forced to block)

Dealing with Giovanna's pressure reset

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There are three specials to look out for when being pressured by Giovanna, one to block and two to react to.

• SepulturaGuardAllStartup13Recovery20Advantage-4, spinning her dog at you safely to finish her turn. You want to block this attack. This move means it's time to take your turn with 5KGuardAllStartup7Recovery11Advantage-3 or 2K, as she is merely -4 after it. Riskier options like f.S or 5HGuardAllStartup13Recovery25Advantage-8 can work to cover her possible backdashes.
  
• TrovãoGuardAll [All (Guard Crush)]Startup27Recovery13Advantage+4 [+15], drilling into your face and being positive. You must react to this attack and punish with 6P. This move is positive so if you blocked this attack, continue blocking and wait for another opening. She places both of her hands on the ground first, this is when you should prepare to punish. This move can also be low-profiled by 2K for a punish and full combo as seen here.
  
• Sol PoenteGuardAll, HighStartup{4} 27Recovery21Advantage-5, jumping above you with an overhead that can sometimes even cross you up. As with the previous attack, 6P can punish this move. A light cloud of dust will appear behind her feet as she rises, this is when you should prepare to punish. Similarly to Trovão, this move can also be low-profiled by 2K for a punish and full combo as seen here.
  

In conclusion, block Sepultura and punish with a fast button like 5K or 2K and react to Trovão or Sol Poente with a well timed 6P.

Covering the air, the ground, and patience

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There is a triangle of options Giovanna may use to approach.

Giovanna may IAD at you evading moves such as f.S and Grave Reaper and punishing with an aerial attack, similarly to  Baiken.

• React with your 6P for a safe anti-air punish.
  
• Preemptively use Grave Reaper to cover the air with a projectile and convert on hit with 5K for damage and space.
  
• Contest with a strong air-to-air such as either j.SGuardHighStartup9Recovery19Advantage0 (IAD) or j.DGuardHighStartup12Recovery22Advantage- and follow up with an aerial conversion.
  
• As a riskier option, try to preemptively run under her IAD and reactively use c.SGuardAllStartup8Recovery10Advantage+1 as your most damaging anti-air.
  
• Be wary as Giovanna can start varying her jumps timing, air-dashing higher up, or double jumping to mix-up her air options. Thankfully, these variations are much slower and easier to react to. Try to react to her air-dash's animation rather than her jumps.

Giovanna may step-dash at you, punishing your extended hitboxes on moves such as f.S or 6H and gaining the advantage.

• Properly space yourself by running forward, walking back, and backdashing will throw off Giovanna's own spacing allowing you to fight from a range where many of her moves will whiff.
  
• Giovanna's 2D is a problem. Preemptively using f.S, 6H, or IADing at Giovanna can help manage Giovanna's 2D in this situation.
  
• Testament's f.S can be dangerous because it loses to both 6PGuardAllStartup12Recovery15Advantage-9 and IAD. It remains a powerful button because of its range and discourages reckless approaches, poorly spaced specials, and longer range moves from Giovanna.
  
• 2S will beat Giovanna's 6P and trades longer range from f.S for more safety.

Giovanna may dash block forward and play patiently to wait and see if there is an opening between your Grave Reaper and Unholy Diver for a Trovão or an IAD to stop your pokes from connecting.

• This is where Arbiter Sign shines. Any second of hesitation from Giovanna will be punished and forced to react and block low or high while taking chip damage.
  
• The point of using Arbiter Sign is conditioning Giovanna to do one of the following things.
  • Walk herself into the corner allowing for Testament's corner pressure to begin.
  • Commit hard to rushing forward, giving you time to cover her options and corner her.
    
• Remember that you can simply play patiently yourself by reacting to her options instead of committing to your own.
  
• If Giovanna plays remarkable patiently, try running at them and throwing to make them reconsider.

Goldlewis Dickinson

 Goldlewis DickinsonWin in minutes or die in seconds

Slightly Unfavorable

A matchup where Testament can mostly control the neutral but will be annihilated if cornered by Goldlewis' great anti-zoning tools and forced into his oppressive pressure.

• Goldlewis has three unique anti-zoning tools to be aware of that are powered up by his Security Level. It's vital to avoid or counter these attacks in order to hold your ground against him.
  • ThunderbirdGuardAllStartup57Recovery42 TotalAdvantage- is a drone that advances forward destroying any projectiles in its path. Take note if Goldlewis is generally keeping his distance and punish preemptively with Arbiter SignGuardLowStartup24Recovery26Advantage-12. If he has already used the attack, then whiff Grave ReaperGuardAllStartup13~19Recovery21Advantage+2 as you have space to move backwards a bit and force Goldlewis to be unable to both follow the projectile and stop you from using PossessionGuardStartup16RecoveryTotal 35Advantage- to teleport out.
  • SkyfishGuardAllStartup35Recovery84 TotalAdvantage-13 is a rapid fire minigun attack that cancels out other projectiles and can cause fullscreen rolling tumble on hit when at Security Level 3, thus it's an important gap closer for Goldlewis. If you're anticipating it, then IAD j.HGuardHighStartup13Recovery16Advantage+5 (IAD) can be a potent solution. Otherwise the best option is to simply respect it and block.
  • Burn It DownGuardAllStartup13+(84 Flash)+79Recovery27 TotalAdvantage- summons a vertical laser from behind the opponent that will travel back towards him. Your most reliable solutions are to try running up and throwing him or blocking the attack and preparing to go on the defense.
• With 50% of his Burst gauge, Goldlewis is granted access to what is probably the most powerful approach tool in the game in the form of White Wild AssaultGuardAll (Guard Crush)Startup20~31Recovery20Advantage+7. It is a threatening tool from round start, in neutral, and in his pressure.
  • It's great for cutting through zoning and forcing hard knockdown to begin his offense and Testament unfortunately does not have many good methods of playing around it.
  • This tool and Goldlewis' access to it are matchup defining. If you're able to bait it out of him, avoid it, or throw him out of it then you have the perfect opportunity to turn the match in your favor. Just make sure not to get hit if he uses it a second time.
• If Goldlewis tries to approach with j.DGuardHighStartup14Recovery14Advantage+13 (IAD) or IAD Behemoth TyphoonGuardAllStartup10RecoveryUntil landing+10Advantage-25~+7 then you can at worst clash with 6PGuardAllStartup11Recovery15Advantage-7, but more often than not you will land the 6P.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Goldlewis's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
6PGuardAllStartup12Recovery27Advantage-19	2S (CH), j.236H	f.S	6P (Clash)
f.SGuardAllStartup11Recovery23Advantage-12	6P (CH)	f.S (CH), j.236H	2S
684HGuardAll* (Guard Crush)Startup12Recovery21Advantage-5	6P (CH), 2S (CH)	j.236H (CH)	f.S (HKD for GL)
j.DGuardHighStartup14Recovery14Advantage+13 (IAD)	6P (CH)	f.S, j.236H (CH)		2S

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Happy Chaos

 Happy ChaosBringing a scythe to a gunfight!

Unfavorable

Testament's goal is to get Happy Chaos cornered against the wall and pressure him without letting him escape.

• Testament wants to RPS at round start against Chaos by using 2SGuardLowStartup10Recovery18Advantage-7, j.SGuardHighStartup9Recovery19Advantage0 (IAD), and dashing with f.SGuardAllStartup12Recovery18Advantage-7 or 5HGuardAllStartup13Recovery25Advantage-8 to snowball a round into a victory.
• When Chaos starts shooting with At the ReadyGuard-Startup-RecoveryTotal 12Advantage- and Steady AimGuard-Startup-RecoveryTotal 18Advantage-, stay aware of his Concentration gauge. He will leave an opening by using FocusGuard-Startup41RecoveryTotal 46Advantage- for 46 frames, giving Testament plenty of time to close the gap and use f.S or Arbiter SignGuardLowStartup24Recovery26Advantage-12 before he can shoot again.
• Keeping his gun out extends his hitbox when using Steady Aim, and prevents him from blocking, keeping him weak to Testament's f.S range.
• You can reduce the chip damage suffered by his Steady Aim shots with Faultless Defense.
• As long as Chaos has Ammo he can shoot at Testament while whiffing an attack, making him difficult to whiff punish and forcing you to respect him.
• While pressuring Testament, Chaos can use RollGuard-Startup-Recovery35 totalAdvantage- to change sides and force Testament to block a different direction. Be ready to react to this option and block appropriately.
• Using FD when blocking Chaos' pressure weakens his offense and reduces his options in general, making it harder for him to run in and throw Testament.
• If Chaos starts mixing his close range pressure with throws try pressing a fast button like 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery13Advantage-3 to interrupt his approach or backdashing to avoid the throw as these may allow you to begin your own offense.
• Chaos may want to jump and dash out of corner to deny you your win condition. Grave ReaperGuardAllStartup13~19Recovery21Advantage+2, j.S, and j.DGuardHighStartup12Recovery22Advantage- all can contest the air space efficiently when expecting him to jump.
• Chaos can guard crush you by shooting with Steady Aim, leaving little time to close the gap. If he's good at consistently guard crushing you, then don't take risks and approach patiently.
• Testament can't really use Grave Reaper or Unholy DiverGuardAllStartup21RecoveryTotal 39Advantage+1 in neutral because of Chaos' zoning. Respect this and keep these options for oki and pressure.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Happy Chaos's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
6PGuardAllStartup9Recovery25Advantage-16	2S	f.S, 5K		2K
5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-3	6P, 2S			2S
2KGuardLowStartup7Recovery12Advantage-4	f.S, delayed 2S		2S
f.SGuardAllStartup10Recovery21Advantage-14	2S	f.S	5K	2K
2SGuardLowStartup11Recovery18Advantage-7	2S	f.S
6SGuardAllStartup12Recovery24Advantage-14	2S, f.S, 6P
2DGuardLowStartup10Recovery19Advantage-8	2K, 5K		2S, f.S
236PGuard-Startup-Recovery29 totalAdvantage-	f.S	2S, 5K, 2K

Common Happy Chaos round start options are the following:

• Creating distance with backdash into CurseGuard-Startup-Recovery29 totalAdvantage- which effectively makes him move back twice. This will lose to our dashing f.S.
• Using buttons like 2SGuardLowStartup11Recovery18Advantage-7, f.SGuardAllStartup10Recovery21Advantage-14 and 6SGuardAllStartup12Recovery24Advantage-14, powerful buttons which all lose to our 2S.
• Jumping at the opponent with j.SGuardHighStartup10Recovery23Advantage+2 (IAD) and starting his offense, an option weak to our strong 6PGuardAllStartup11Recovery15Advantage-7 or j.S.

Gameplan

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A general gameplan against Happy Chaos would be:

• 1: Force RPS situations at round start with 2S, j.S and dashing forward to try and snowball a RPS win into a victory.
  
• 2: If this succeeds, make sure not to wall break except if you can NostroviaGuardAllStartup11+19RecoveryTotal 53Advantage+63 or Wild AssaultGuardAllStartup16~28Recovery20Advantage-4 to sustain your pressure.
  
• 3: If the RPS failed, or he manages to escape your pressure then FD against his gunshots and wait for an opening caused by Focus, Curse, or ReloadGuard-Startup23RecoveryTotal 23~77Advantage-. Once the opening occurs, dash towards him.
  
• 4: Once his opening window ends, win the RPS situation. Either f.S before he uses a fast attack, 2S to whiff punish his 6PGuardAllStartup9Recovery25Advantage-16, block his bullet in time, or use Arbiter Sign before he can press anything.
  
• 5: If you ended up having to block Chaos' mix-up, hold FD and expect both throw and Roll to mix you up. Challenge with 2K when an opening presents itself, but mostly be prepared to block.
• 6: Once you've stolen your turn, continue overwhelming him until you win or start over from step 3 if he takes his turn back.

Opening windows, resources, and RPS on approach

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Happy Chaos will leave a few, wide openings, related to his resource management:

• Ammo: As long as he still has a single bullet loaded, he's able to zone you. Having more loaded gives him more options for close-up situations, so he might attempt to load a few more before approaching. From afar, don't expect more than the minimum 23f of reload from this move, and continue blocking. Expect him to reload between 1 and 3 bullets to sustain his pressure when close, sometimes leaving openings to punish with a fast move such as 2K.
• Concentration: If this gauge becomes empty, it will turn red and Chaos cannot use his Ammo until it's fully recharged. To replenish this gauge, Chaos will need to either need to wait for it to naturally regenerate or use Focus to buff the recovery and replenish it faster.
• FocusGuard-Startup41RecoveryTotal 46Advantage-: Chaos' widest, biggest opening. Being 46 frames total, it's your "go" signal for closing the gap by running.
• CurseGuard-Startup-Recovery29 totalAdvantage-: Chaos' debuff affliction and distance maker. You can run through it and hit Chaos. The effect will be nullified by hitting Chaos or by waiting 5 seconds. Chaos using this move gives you an opening to advance. From afar, prefer jumping over it to avoid the effect.

Dealing with gunshots

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Shooting with At the Ready or Steady Aim extend Happy Chaos's hurtbox forward and prevent him from blocking.
If you're not afflicted by Curse, his fastest gunshots will need good RNG, and his Steady Aim shots will be slower to guard crush. Expect Chaos to try and renew the affliction every ~5 seconds as that is the duration of the effect.
From a distance, he will attempt to deal non-negligible chip damage with his Steady Aim shots. While keeping you locked down, Chaos hopes you open yourself up. Prefer FDing by using the macro to avoid opening yourself up for a frame with a button press.
From up close, he will pressure you, protect himself from getting whiff-punished, and mix you up with throw and 5DGuardHighStartup20Recovery26Advantage-15.
When close, it is usually advised to FD his buttons. Be ready for his 5D, throw, and Roll which each give him diverse mix-up options.

I-No

 I-NoOh, she flies

Balanced

I-No is at her strongest when she gets a knockdown and can start mixing you up with highs and lows. Keeping her away and winning the mid-range neutral situations will be key to victory.

• I-No can very efficiently wall slump you in the corner, thus forcing you into a unique untechable state instead of the usual wall splat state. This allows her to run oki pressure in the corner for as long as she desires.
• I-No's Chemical LoveGuardAllStartup11Recovery22Advantage-9 is low-profiled by Testament's Grave ReaperGuardAllStartup16~22Recovery27Advantage-4 from the start of the move all the way to the end of its recovery. Running at I-No and using Grave Reaper in neutral can beat many of her options, but loses to I-No's f.SGuardAllStartup12Recovery18Advantage-13.
• I-No's Chemical Love also gets low-profiled by Testament's running animation.
• From far enough distances, I-No's dash will hover over Testament's Grave Reaper projectile, therefore the version can be a stronger alternative.
• I-No can move her projectile, Antidepressant ScaleGuardAllStartup29RecoveryTotal 51Advantage-8, up and down after firing it. It can be destroyed by Grave Reaper's strike hitbox and on contact to Testament's projectiles.
• Keep in mind I-No can hold Sultry PerformanceGuardAllStartup10 [37]RecoveryUntil Landing + 15Advantage-3 ~ -4 [+2 ~ 0] and vary its angle to mix her aerial approach.
• Stroke the Big TreeGuardLowStartup16Recovery16Advantage-7 is able to low-profile and punish Testament's f.SGuardAllStartup12Recovery18Advantage-7 and 5HGuardAllStartup13Recovery25Advantage-8. This move isn't as threatening as  Ky's Stun DipperGuardLow, AllStartup7Recovery30Advantage-19 [-14] or  Jack-O's 2DGuardLowStartup10Recovery18Advantage-19 because of its slower start-up.
• On block, you can punish I-No's metered reversal, Ultimate FortissimoGuardAll (Guard Crush)Startup7+2Recovery13Advantage+26, with c.SGuardAllStartup8Recovery10Advantage+1 to lead into high damage combos. If out of reach, then you can instead use j.SGuardHighStartup9Recovery19Advantage0 (IAD) or j.DGuardHighStartup12Recovery22Advantage- to punish it on block.
• Once I-No starts mixing you up, she can meaty you with multiple highs, lows, and even grabs. Your metered reversal, Calamity OneGuardAllStartup11+4Recovery67Advantage-38, may often be too slow and lose to her meaties. Her mix-up game is very strong and you will have to guess right. Ideally you don't get into this situation in the first place as it is her win condition.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

I-No's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
6PGuardAllStartup9Recovery18Advantage-9	2S (CH)	f.S (CH)	6P (Clash)	j.236H (I-No is forced to block)
f.SGuardAllStartup12Recovery18Advantage-13	j.236H		6P (Clash), f.S	2S
2SGuardAllStartup10Recovery23Advantage-11		6P (CH), f.S (CH)	2S	j.236H (I-No is forced to block)
2HGuardAllStartup11Recovery14Advantage-5			f.S, 2S	6P, j.236H (I-No is forced to block)
236SGuardLowStartup16Recovery16Advantage-7	2S (CH)		6P, f.S	j.236H (I-No is NOT forced to block)
66 j.SGuardHighStartup8Recovery20Advantage- / j.HGuardHighStartup12Recovery21Advantage-	6P (CH), f.S (CH)	2S		j.236H (I-No is NOT forced to block)

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Jack-O

 Jack-OHaemomancy is sadly no match for the power of child labor

Unfavorable

Jack-O has great tools to win neutral against Testament, force RPS situations in her favor, mix Testament to death, and even win the zoning war. The only times of safety when fighting against Jack-O are when pressuring her in the corner, while staying mindful of her dangerous 2DGuardLowStartup10Recovery18Advantage-19, and not leaving gaps wider than 10 frames without jumping around.

• You will not have a second to rest against this character. She has great air approaches, projectiles, strike/throw, and no distance is safe against her.
• Jack-O's 2D is a big threat at mid-range. Treat it like a light version of  Ky's Stun DipperGuardLow, AllStartup7Recovery30Advantage-19 [-14]. It always leads to a forced RPS situation where it is cancelled into either Servant ShootGuardAllStartup15Recovery25Advantage-12 or Summon ServantGuardStartup10RecoveryTotal 25Advantage-.
• Testament's 2SGuardLowStartup10Recovery18Advantage-7 loses to Jack-O's 2D on round start. Both are 10 frame startup, however it trades in Jack-O's favor.
• After blocking Servant Shoot, try j.SGuardHighStartup9Recovery19Advantage0 (IAD) as it often has the best RPS. If she stops jumping, use 5HGuardAllStartup13Recovery25Advantage-8.
• In zoning war situations, use Arbiter SignGuardLowStartup24Recovery26Advantage-12 when she's on the ground and stay ready to 6PGuardAllStartup11Recovery15Advantage-7 the Servants as they start jumping. Keep your eyes on her Summon Gauge and Command Gauge.
• IABD > Air Grave ReaperGuardAllStartup13~19Recovery21Advantage+2 is a useful round start against Jack-O and a safe way to extend your pressure while expecting a 2D.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Jack-O's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
6PGuardAllStartup10Recovery20Advantage-12	2S (CH), j.236H	f.S (CH)	6P (Clash)
f.SGuardAllStartup11Recovery17Advantage-9	6P (CH)	f.S (CH), 2S		j.236H (Jack-O' is forced to block)
5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery23Advantage-6	6P (CH), dl f.S (CH), 2S (CH)		f.S	j.236H (Jack-O' is NOT forced to block)
2DGuardLowStartup10Recovery18Advantage-19	8 > dl j.H	6P (CH), f.S (CH)	2S (HKD for Jack-O')	j.236H (Jack-O' is NOT forced to block)

Dealing with 2D

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Jack-O's 2DGuardLowStartup10Recovery18Advantage-19 is to be treated like a slower version of  Ky's Stun DipperGuardLow, AllStartup7Recovery30Advantage-19 [-14] that doesn't need meter to force a RPS situation on Testament, but doesn't low-profile f.SGuardAllStartup12Recovery18Advantage-7 or 5H. See here for more info.
10 frame start-up is pretty fast, meaning it often wins in trade situations and will virtually never be negative on block because Jack-O will cancel it into a special. If they don't cancel it, it's -19f, punishable with run up c.SGuardAllStartup8Recovery10Advantage+1.
At round start, 2D will trade with Testament's 2S, leaving Jack-O with enough advantage that you will get combo'd for it, effectively losing the round start.
While pressuring Jack-O, she may challenge any gap you leave with her 2D so do not let big gaps. To fill in gaps, try either IABD > Air Grave Reaper, or whiff j.S > j.KGuardHighStartup8Recovery12Advantage-3 (IAD), as both are safe ways to sustain your pressure while defending against 2D, and punishing it.

The RPS after blocking 2D is as follows:

• Cancelling into Servant Shoot is Jack-O's default choice. It's a strong frametrap and trying to IB it is risky as it may open you up in the process. It may seem -12f on block, but will be cancelled into Summon Servant.
  
  • This option loses to backdashing. Backdash > f.S is your best option at any range and will whiff punish Servant Shoot if executed fast enough. Do not try 2S after backdashing as it will whiff no matter the range.
    
• If she doesn't cancel into Servant Shoot, but into Summon Servant instead, then backdash loses this RPS. This is why you may want to be patient and block. IBing Servant Shoot, while hard, will net you a punish with 5KGuardAllStartup7Recovery11Advantage-3 or 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery13Advantage-3 and doesn't lose to a Summon Servant cancel.
  

After blocking Servant Shoot Jack-O will cancel it into Summon Servant. She has two options from here:

• Jack-O stands her ground, summoning a Servant and often pressing a button. You can take your turn with 5H, sometimes rewarding you with a deadly Counter Hit leading to Unholy DiverGuardAllStartup21RecoveryTotal 39Advantage+1 > f.S combos.
  
• Jack-O jumps after Servant Summon which is the most common situation. This will beat both your f.S and 5H. This situation has its own RPS as well, with two scenarios:
  
  • After jumping, Jack-O presses Defend CommandGuardStartup4RecoveryTotal 30Advantage+25 fast enough to beat Testament's j.S in which case you can dash under and use c.S for a deadly Counter Hit combo. Alternatively, you could try IAD > Air Throw.
    
  • After jumping, Jack-O does anything else, including Defend Command high enough to not get c.S Counter Hit. In this case, j.S will win and lead into a good conversion.
    
• Cancelling into Summon Servant right away. Her previous option was a frame-trap, but this one is more straightforward. Your buttons win, specifically 2S and c.S from close. It may lose to run up c.S if well timed. If you've already committed to a backdash, expecting her to use Shoot, hold block and let her have her turn.
  

The Zoning War

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Jack-O is powerful in zoning situations. You must respect her Servant projectiles and destroy them with either 6P or a well timed f.S. They win against all of your projectiles so avoid using Grave Reaper or Unholy Diver when Jack-O is on the ground. Charged Grave Reaper being slow means it can be more risky than usual.
Arbiter SignGuardHighStartup28Recovery26Advantage-12 is useful against Jack-O players who focus on a grounded approach from afar. Use it to force them to jump and reduce the speed at which she can Throw ServantGuardAllStartup12RecoveryTotal 27Advantage+5 at you.
Keep your eyes on her resources. The Summon Gauge is indicated by a green bar that represents the number of Servants Jack-O' can currently summon. The Command Gauge is indicated by a grey bar that represents the number of Servant commands Jack-O' can currently use.
Jack-O can have a maximum of 3 Servants on screen at a time.
Remember that Jack-O can use j.DGuardAllStartup21RecoveryTotal 44Advantage- instead. It's a diagonal air projectile that beats your grounded approaches and punishes your whiffs.

Johnny

 JohnnyJust gap

Balanced

Johnny's incredibly long ranged pokes and Mist FinerGuardAllStartup7+5Recovery30Advantage-15 allow him free reign over the mid-range where Testament usually excels.

• However, his step-dash is highly committal and doesn't allow him to dash block meaning that he may struggle to close the gap on Testament's projectiles.
• Grave ReaperGuardAllStartup16~22Recovery27Advantage-4 is an incredibly value tool in this matchup. Use it from afar to force Johnny to play around it and punish his approaches.
• 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery13Advantage-3 is a potent low-profile tool that can avoid many of Johnny's best pokes such as f.SGuardAllStartup9Recovery22Advantage-11, 5HGuardAllStartup13Recovery30Advantage-15, and 6HGuardAllStartup18Recovery36Advantage-19.
• 6PGuardAllStartup11Recovery15Advantage-7 is an especially threatening tool when outside of Johnny's 2SGuardLowStartup11Recovery21Advantage-10 range as he can't use his dash momentum to approach with low hitting attacks.
• The Turn UpGuardAll (Guard Crush)Startup16RecoveryAdvantage+24~+27 follow-up that occurs when Johnny slashes a DealGuardStartupRecoveryTotal 32Advantage- card with Mist Finer is considered a projectile and can clash with Testament's projectiles.
• Johnny's 6KGuardAllStartup15Recovery18Advantage-5 can slip under Air Grave Reaper for an anti-air punish.
• Many of Johnny's pokes have long recovery, if he whiffs be prepared to punish with Arbiter SignGuardLowStartup24Recovery26Advantage-12.
• Joker TrickGuardAllStartup6+1RecoveryTotal 48Advantage-16 is a quick projectile super that can shut down Testament's zoning from fullscreen. You can PRC and block if you've already committed to an attack.
• Bizarrely, Johnny's 6K may beat Calamity OneGuardAllStartup11+4Recovery67Advantage-38 if timed properly by pushing you both away from its hitbox.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Johnny’s Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
6PGuardAllStartup11Recovery17Advantage-9	2S (CH), 236S, Walk Back	f.S (CH)	6P	2K, IABD j.236H
5KGuardAllStartup7Recovery9Advantage-2	6P (CH), f.S, 236S, Walk Back			2K, 2S, IABD j.236H
f.SGuardAllStartup9Recovery22Advantage-11		f.S (CH), 2S (CH), 236S (CH)		2K, IABD j.236H
2SGuardLowStartup11Recovery21Advantage-10	2S (CH)	6P (CH), f.S (CH), 2K, 236S, Walk Back		IABD j.236H
Mist Finer : HorizontalGuardAllStartup7+5Recovery30Advantage-15	6P (CH), 2S (CH), IABD j.236H	f.S (CH)		2K
Mist Finer : DownwardGuardLowStartup7+5Recovery30Advantage-15	IABD j.236H	2K, 236S (CH), Walk Back	6P, f.S, 2S

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Ky Kiske

 Ky KiskeLearning the Stun Dipper matchup

Slightly Unfavorable

Stun DipperGuardLow, AllStartup7Recovery30Advantage-19 [-14] is a very strong tool against many of Testament's favorite options and pressure strings. It can efficiently exploit gaps in Testament's offense that few moves in the game can. Testament has to adapt to this move existing.

• Once Ky has 50% meter, he'll be able to mix you up for free if you block a single move, thanks to Stun Dipper RC. Keep Ky away from Testament and prefer fighting zoning wars over mid-range battles.
• From afar, preemptively using Arbiter SignGuardLowStartup24Recovery26Advantage-12 will discourage Ky from using Stun EdgeGuardAllStartup13RecoveryTotal 46Advantage-14 carelessly. It conditions him to run, jump, or Stun Dipper at you which are all options you can punish with a solid read.
• During the zoning war, while Testament can both attack and defend against Stun Edge simultaneously, Ky can only do the former. Ky's speed gives him a slight advantage thus balancing this situation, however Testament still has the tools to take a win.
• Testament actually has a few options to beat Stun Edge. 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery13Advantage-3 can low profile it, the upper body invulnerability of 6PGuardAllStartup11Recovery15Advantage-7 can dodge the projectile, and the strike portion of Grave ReaperGuardAllStartup16~22Recovery27Advantage-4 can destroy projectiles.
• Foudre ArcGuardAllStartup24Recovery6Advantage-2~+6 [+5~+12] loses to 5PGuardAllStartup6Recovery9Advantage-2 and 2PGuardAllStartup5Recovery10Advantage-3 on reaction. Preemptively, it will lose to anti-air moves like Grave Reaper and 6P for bigger punishes. Be wary, because if timed wrong you may suffer a big Counter Hit that often leads into great damage and corner carry. With the right resources, a 2P punish on reaction can be turned into a full combo as seen here.
• Use f.SGuardAllStartup12Recovery18Advantage-7 sparingly, as it loses to both Stun Dipper and IAD. Once Ky stops expecting f.S, then you can start representing it by encouraging him to take risks in order to beat it.
• Because of Stun Dipper, your j.SGuardHighStartup9Recovery19Advantage0 (IAD) and sometimes j.DGuardHighStartup12Recovery22Advantage- have stronger uses in RPS situations against Ky. It may help avoid his grounded options and win air-to-air while leaving you time to block Stun Dipper when landing.
• The low recovery of Ky's 5KGuardLowStartup7Recovery6Advantage-2 and 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery10Advantage-2 allow him to consistently Option Select A technique where one command (or series of commands) will perform a different action depending on the circumstances, thereby allowing one action to be able to handle two distinct situations. against Testament's Calamity OneGuardAllStartup11+4Recovery67Advantage-38 on wake-up. Avoid using this reversal carelessly, unless you expect him to meaty Hitting an opponent to cover the moment as they lose invincibility. The most common one is performing an attack early on okizeme to gain frame advantage and bait reversals. with higher risk buttons like c.SGuardAllStartup7Recovery10Advantage+1.
• Ky may be strong in zoning war situations, but he is way stronger in the mid-range against Testament's options, pressure, specials, committal moves and their best pokes. Keep Ky away, and once he is cornered do not leave many gaps without being ready to defend against or punish Stun Dipper.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Ky's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
6PGuardAllStartup9Recovery17Advantage-8	2S (CH), 236S	f.S (CH),	6P (Clash)	2K, j.236H, Walk Back
f.SGuardAllStartup10Recovery16Advantage-5	6P (CH)	236S (CH)	f.S, 2S	2K, j.236H, Walk Back
2SGuardLowStartup11Recovery20Advantage-8		6P (CH), 2K, f.S (CH), 236S (CH)	2S	j.236H, Walk Back
2DGuardLowStartup10Recovery18Advantage-10	f.S (CH)	6P (CH), 2K, 236S (CH)	2S (Ky's favor)	j.236H, Walk Back
236KGuardLow, AllStartup7Recovery30Advantage-19 [-14]		6P (CH), f.S (CH), 2S, 236S (CH), Walk Back	2K	j.236H

Playing around Stun Dipper

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Testament's number one enemy in this matchup is Stun DipperGuardLow, AllStartup7Recovery30Advantage-19 [-14]. Like  Anji's Suigetsu No HakobiGuardStartupRecoveryTotal 34~50Advantage- or  Baiken's HiiragiGuard-Startup1Recovery32Advantage-, this move simply existing forces Testament's offense and pressure to adapt to it in order to accommodate for this powerful answer in a variety of situations.

Stun Dipper's strengths are plentiful:

• It's very fast with 7 frames of start up, advances to reach far, low profiles f.S, punishes backdashes along with the start up of Grave Reaper or the recovery of Air Grave Reaper, hits as a low, beats walking back, and can be made safe or used to convert into higher damage once Ky has 50% meter.
  

There are few situations in which Ky may want to avoid using Stun Dipper:

• Being under 50% meter is one of them, but is not enough to dissuade many Ky players from gambling with it against you.
  
• Up close it even trades against strings like f.S or 2SGuardLowStartup10Recovery18Advantage-7 into 2HGuardAllStartup23Recovery12Advantage-2, meaning Stun Dipper can win after Ky gets hit, not just on block.
  

As strong as it is, Stun Dipper does have its weaknesses:

• It is very punishable on block, being -14 at best with Shock State or Dragon InstallGuardAllStartup11+1Recovery25Advantage+4 and -19 regularly. It leaves Ky open if you jump and IABD with j.HGuardHighStartup13Recovery16Advantage+5 (IAD) or Air Grave Reaper, making it whiff and open for a punish. It can also get hit by the projectile part of Grave Reaper.
  

After blocking Stun Dipper, Testament as a few options to choose between for punishes:

• Simple combos like 2K > 2D are consistent and reliable.
• Microdash c.S > 2D can be used to convert into a larger combo in the corner.
• You can also use buttons like 2S and 5HGuardAllStartup13Recovery25Advantage-8 to punish, but without meter there's not that great of a return. If you do want to burn some bar for a higher punish, you can get some pretty good damage and corner carry if done midscreen with a drift RRC from either of those options.
  

There are 3 main situations where you must keep an eye out for Stun Dipper:

1. He can use it during your pressure and on wakeup:

• Ky can block 2K > 2D and punish a Grave Reaper attempt with Stun Dipper.
• He can also use this move between Grave Reaper and Unholy DiverGuardAllStartup21RecoveryTotal 39Advantage+1.
• He can use it in the corner to punish 6HGuardAllStartup23Recovery32Advantage-19 on reaction as well the gaps you leave with it due to its extended hurtbox.
• When in the corner, Stun Dipper will punish walking back, meaning you cannot space yourself safely using that or backdash.
• Any f.S that is not hitting meaty will lose as well. 2S can win at specific timings, but often trades or loses to Stun Dipper. 2H is far too slow, and loses to Stun Dipper in almost all situations besides very far spacings of blocked 2S or f.S.

• Solutions:
  • Stop auto-piloting Grave Reaper after 2K > 2D.
  • Do not commit to Unholy Diver after making Ky block Grave Reaper.
  • Do not backdash or walk back after pressuring Ky, hold down-back instead.
  • Refrain from pressing f.S or 6H without a good reason or without an incredibly small gap between it and your previous attack.
  • With proper conditioning and consistent punishes you can start to incorporating some of these tools back into your gameplan as Ky begins to adapt to your countermeasures.

2. He can use it in neutral and randomly:

• Where other characters may have to use 6P in order to contest Testament, Ky's Stun Dipper instead beats many more options than merely f.S and has good odds to beat even 2S or 5H.
• You cannot approach the mid-range neutral game like usual. On top of that, he can simply IAD you instead.
• It even has good odds to win against IABD Air Grave Reaper. Using Air Grave Reaper from higher places will leave you even more vulnerable to Ky.
• During okizeme if you leave Ky with a small gap before hitting him with a meaty f.S, then it is not your turn anymore. When in doubt, try meatying him with projectiles instead.
  

• Solutions:
  • Try to instead play passively and reactively by holding down back.
  • Air dashing backwards without committing to a Grave Reaper.
  • Jump block, without committing to moves other than j.S or possibly j.DGuardHighStartup12Recovery22Advantage- with spacing to contest air-to-air situations.
  • If Ky has 50% meter or more, try to make Stun Dipper whiff by using jumps, as if you end up blocking it he can RC to make it safe in lead into a mix-up.

3. He can use it during his pressure:

• This one is more straightforward, as once Ky has 50% meter he is able to use Stun Dipper while pressuring you for a safe and fast low to mix you up with.
• Trying to jump will lose to Ky's many dangerous frametraps. Block low, and simply accept that you will get mixed up for free.

• Solutions:
  • Do not get in this situation. It's a common one that will happen, but the only reliable way to avoid it is to keep away Ky from yourself or force him to use his meter for other uses.
  • Winning the projectile war, anti-airing him, controlling space better than him, and winning neutral will reduce the opportunities for him to start his pressure.

In conclusion, do not underestimate this move. It is very strong in most RPS situations and it will outright win unless you adapt to it. Do not overly commit to slow moves and specials, and instead hold down back or jump around. Remember that even though you're pressuring Ky, he can still steal a turn where few other characters can. Punish it heavily and consistently to condition Ky to stop using this move and change his approach. Playing the Stun Dipper matchup is a necessity when playing the Ky matchup.

The Zoning War

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Remember Grave Reaper has two hits, being the strike hit of the scythe and the projectile hit of the skull. The strike portion destroys enemy projectiles including both versions of Ky's Stun Edge. On the flip side, Grave Reaper's projectile will low profile Ky's projectile meaning Ky cannot destroy your projectile with his. Besides just dodging it, use this advantage to discourage him from mindlessly spamming his projectile in neutral. This can be difficult in practice due to the speed of Stun Edge and Ky's other pokes to watch out for, but if done right takes away a huge part of his neutral control. Keep in mind that Testament's Arbiter Sign will lose to Ky using Air Stun Edge.
Be mindful of his range and spacing. If Ky is in range to IAD over your Grave Reaper, then you're in danger if you use it. However, this also opens up the opportunity for you to do the same against Ky's projectile. Keep this in mind and be ready to wait and 6P his IAD or IAD yourself.
Overall, the fast startup, recovery, and travel speed on Stun Edge makes this zoning war tricky for Testament. Timing your Grave Reaper to cancel Stun Edge is sometimes a bit strict timing wise. One could argue Ky has a slight advantage in this situation, but both players have tools to overwhelm the other.

Dealing with Dire Eclat pressure

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Ky's Dire EclatGuardAllStartup14Recovery25Advantage-8 [-6] is a safe pressure ender, applies Shock State, and is negative on block being -8 or -6 with Shock State or Dragon Install.
The best solution against this move is to Instant Block it, thus leaving you close enough to punish with a Throw, 2K > 2D when not in Shock State, or at least take away his turn.
Another solution is to Faultless Defense his other normals to try and make Dire Eclat whiff. If it does, then you can preemptively run up for a 2K punish. FDing against the Dire Eclat hit can sometimes make it safer for him and enable him to jump over your f.S making it a dangerous choice.

If you block it without FD or IB, the RPS situation is as follows:

• If you're in Shock State:
  • You're back to a neutral situation and must be careful. Jumping, playing reactively, or stuffing Ky's approaches with a well timed preemptive 5KGuardAllStartup7Recovery11Advantage-3 or 2K are each solid solutions. Do not commit to slow buttons, as Ky can easily IAD over you and punish.
• If you're not in Shock State:
  • f.S is your default option. Being 12 frame startup, it's strong against Ky jumping at you.
  • Due to Dire Eclat being -8 without Shock State or Dragon Install and Ky's prejump being 4 frames, you'll be able to recover in time for a nice 5PGuardAllStartup6Recovery9Advantage-2 anti-air. This option wins against most of Ky's offensive options like Stun Dipper, Foudre Arc, or 6HGuardAllStartup15Recovery20Advantage-7. However, moves like his 6PGuardAllStartup9Recovery17Advantage-8, 5HGuardAllStartup12Recovery21Advantage-8, Stun Edge, or another Dire Eclat can punish it.
  • 6H is another good idea as it covers IAD, jumps, super jump forward, and run-ins. It also beats Stun Edge and gives great damage on Counter Hit. Keep in mind that it loses to backdash, super jump neutral or back, 6P, and most importantly Stun Dipper. Note that a delayed 6H will win against Vapor ThrustGuardAllStartup11Recovery43Advantage-33 [-28] but is weaker to Ky running in.
  • As Ky may use either a risky Vapor Thrust, or slow alternative as 5H or 6P , safer options can beat him. Dash blocking is fast and safe, beats many options including Vapor Thrust.
  • 2K is fast, relatively safe, and may win against his buttons in scramble situations but loses to Vapor Thrust.
  • Ky may choose safer options like backdash or blocking. React to this by waiting, and seeing what Ky does. Waiting will often win against Ky players willing to gamble with IAD or Stun Dipper after defending. You can punish Ky's backdash preemptively with Arbiter Sign, but this also loses to many common offensive options he may also choose.
    

Most of Ky's options after you blocked Dire Eclat risk losing to you waiting and reacting to his choice. These can be using 6P against a jump in, or checking a dash forward with 5K or 2K. Be careful as Ky may abuse your patience to reset his pressure thus stealing your turn.
If Ky stops using Dire Eclat in favor of Stun Edge, then remember you can low-profile it with 2K if you FD 2 hits before he goes for Stun Edge. Otherwise, you must block and accept the Shock State.
In conclusion, represent a strong button like f.S or 6H a few times to prevent Ky from resetting his pressure. See how he responds and adapt by waiting, blocking, and walking back if desired. If he backdashes, then stay ready for IAD and Stun Dipper as you're fully back to neutral.

Leo Whitefang

 Leo WhitefangPlease do not approach the gorilla

Slightly Favorable

Leo’s slow neutral makes it easy to keep him at bay with Testament’s strong pokes and projectiles.

• Unlike  Potemkin's F.D.B.GuardAllStartup18~36Recovery19Advantage-6, Leo's Kahn-SchildGuardAllStartup3Recovery18Advantage- cannot reflect Grave ReaperGuardAllStartup16~22Recovery27Advantage-4 or Unholy DiverGuardAllStartup21RecoveryTotal 39Advantage+1 however it's still projectile invulnerable.
• The projectile hitbox of Grave Reaper loses to Gravierte WürdeGuardAllStartup10RecoveryTotal 50FAdvantage-12 but the strike hitbox can nullify his projectile.
• Gravierte Würde can be punished on reaction by Arbiter SignGuardLowStartup24Recovery26Advantage-12.
• Be wary with 2K > 2D as the gap can be punished by EisensturmGuardAllStartup9Recovery33Advantage-28 or Leidenschaft des DirigentenGuardAllStartup10+1Recovery43Advantage-33. 2K > 6P > 236H works as a true blockstring but Grave Reaper will trade with Eisensturm at max distance.
• Safejump setups off of Grave Reaper can be especially good against Leo because it forces him to commit to his reversal or lose his charge for 30 frames, temporarily locking him out of Eisensturm during the next interaction.
• StahlwirbelGuardAllStartup4+1RecoveryTotal 27FAdvantage+14 can punish Testament’s zoning from fullscreen but can be PRCd against on reaction.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Leo's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
6PGuardAllStartup10Recovery17Advantage-5	2S (CH)	f.S (CH)	6P (Clash)	j.236H (Leo is forced to block)
66 5KGuardAllStartup9Recovery13Advantage-3	6P (CH), 2S (CH)		f.S	j.236H (Leo is NOT forced to block)
2KGuardLowStartup7Recovery11Advantage-5			f.S, 2S	6P, j.236H (Leo is forced to block)
f.SGuardAllStartup12Recovery21Advantage-13	6P (CH), 2S (CH)	f.S (CH),		j.236H (Leo can go into guardpoint stance to block this)
2SGuardLowStartup10Recovery13Advantage-2	f.S		2S	6P, j.236H (Leo is forced to block)
2DGuardLowStartup12Recovery19Advantage-8	6P (CH), 2S (CH)		f.S (Leo is sent fullscreen)	j.236H (Leo is NOT forced to block)

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May

 MayStrongest dolphin meets biggest hand

Balanced

Some of May’s best offensive options can be shut out by Testament’s screen control, beware of her approach and keep that 6PGuardAllStartup11Recovery15Advantage-7 ready.

• 6P is essential to Testament’s gameplan as it can take on Horizontal Mr. DolphinGuardAllStartup7Recovery20 (24 OH)Advantage-3 and Vertical Mr. DolphinGuardAll→HighStartup6Recovery7 (21 OH)Advantage0 (Airborne) as well as being able to shut down her SplitGuardStartupRecoveryTotal 20Advantage- and Dismount follow-ups.
• Alternating between 5PGuardAllStartup6Recovery9Advantage-2 and 6P can be quite effective against fake jump-ins meant to bait and punish 6P.
• Note that if May blocks a projectile while airborne, she'll gain another air option which can grant her the ability to continue her great aerial offense accented by a high jump arc and good aerial moves.
• Dash blocking while cornered can allow you to cross under May if she uses Vertical Mr. Dolphin for a side-switch and corner advantage.
• May’s 3KGuardLowStartup11Recovery15Advantage-10 has a low-profile hurtbox during its active frames allowing it to slip under some of Testament’s pokes such as f.SGuardAllStartup12Recovery18Advantage-7 and 5HGuardAllStartup13Recovery25Advantage-8.
• Arisugawa SparkleGuardAllStartup48RecoveryTotal 45Advantage+29 may be used to stop Testament from using projectiles from range. Arbiter SignGuardLowStartup24Recovery26Advantage-12 can be used to punish on reaction, however if it’s used too late the attacks will trade.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

May's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
6PGuardAllStartup12Recovery18Advantage-7		f.S (CH), 236S (CH),	6P (Clash), 5H (Clash)	2K, 2S, j.236H, Walk Back
5KGuardAllStartup8Recovery11Advantage-5	6P (CH)	2K, f.S (CH), 2S (CH), 236S (CH)		j.236H, Walk Back
2SGuardAllStartup10Recovery18Advantage-7		6P (CH), 2K, 236S (CH)	2S	j.236H, Walk Back
IADB j.HGuardHighStartup12Recovery15Advantage+9 (IAD)	236S (CH), j.236H (CH)			All ground normals, Walk Back
Horizontal Mr. DolphinGuardAllStartup7Recovery20 (24 OH)Advantage-3	6P (CH), 2K (CH)	f.S (CH), 2S (CH), 236S (CH)		IADB > j.236H, Walk Back (Blocks)

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Millia Rage

 Millia RageWho knew a scythe would be a poor bug swatter

Slightly Unfavorable

Millia has the ability to transition a tricky approach into a knockdown for a deadly looping mix-up that Testament may struggle to play against on the defense.

• Millia is going to set the tempo as much as possible as many of her air approaches are possible to anti-air, but you have to keep pace with her as she changes through the layers of her jump-in options. Testament has strong anti-air choices, however you must time them wisely and keep track of her air options and height.
• Preemptive Grave ReaperGuardAllStartup16~22Recovery27Advantage-4 is a great way to cover the space above Testament and may catch a Millia too reliant on air approaches thus forcing her to reconsider her options.
• Winning the resource war is key to winning the matchup. Keeping 50% Tension on hand for Roman Cancels can be useful to cover your mistakes as she only needs a single touch to begin her mix-ups. This is true even from afar due to the quick approach of her Iron SaviorGuardLowStartup20Recovery17 + 10LAdvantage-12 and metered projectile Septem VoicesGuardAllStartup4+5RecoveryTotal 43Advantage+8.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Millia’s Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
6PGuardAllStartup9Recovery16Advantage-11	6P (CH), 2S (CH), Walk Back	236S (CH)	f.S	2K, IABD j.236H
f.SGuardAllStartup9Recovery19Advantage-7	6P (CH)	f.S (CH), 2S (CH), 236S (CH)	2K	IABD j.236H
IAD j.HGuardHighStartup8Recovery25Advantage+1 (IAD)	6P, Walk Back	f.S, 2S, 236S (CH), IABD j.236H (CH)		2K
2DGuardLowStartup12Recovery19Advantage-8	2S (CH), Walk Back	6P (CH), f.S (CH), 2K, 236S (CH)		IABD j.236H

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Nagoriyuki

 NagoriyukiObjective: survive (until he has high blood)

Balanced

Nagoriyuki's Blood Gauge dictates the rhythm of this matchup. The more it is filled, the less options Nagoriyuki has to win against Testament's strong zoning tools.

• Bigger normals with higher Blood means Testament has to space themselves farther back each level.
• Testament actively has to play around ZarameyukiGuardAllStartup18~29RecoveryTotal 39Advantage+5 as it cleaves through their main gameplan. If this clone doesn't work out for Nago it's curtains for him.
• Conserve your Burst for the eventual Counter Hit you'll suffer once he's in. A Nago playing around Burst is spending Blood Gauge he doesn't need to.
• Nagoriyuki's 6KGuardLowStartup15Recovery13Advantage-2 can beat Testament's 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery13Advantage-3 because of its low crush, however it has 15 frames of startup. Using other moves like 5KGuardAllStartup7Recovery11Advantage-3 or stronger buttons will win against his 6K.
• When dealing with f.SSGuardAllStartup13Recovery19Advantage-8 or KamuriyukiGuardLowStartup14Recovery17Advantage-3: If f.SS, then FD or IB. If Kamuriyuki, throw, challenge with 2K, or walk back and whiff-punish FukyoGuardN/AStartup-RecoveryTotal 25AdvantageN/A backwards. For the cancels, block most of the time, but challenge with 2K every now and then. Calamity OneGuardAllStartup11+4Recovery67Advantage-38 can be used between the gaps to win, but loses to Nago blocking or cancelling into Fukyo.
• Watch out for Nago's 5HGuardAllStartup18Recovery27Advantage-14 at level 2 of Blood Gauge. This move covers a greater area than even Testament's f.SGuardAllStartup12Recovery18Advantage-7, is relatively fast, and disjointed thus you should respect his range.
• At round start, Testament's 2SGuardLowStartup10Recovery18Advantage-7 and walking back f.S are very strong options against Nagoriyuki.
• Grave ReaperGuardAllStartup16~22Recovery27Advantage-4 can help stuff Nagoriyuki's super jump-in attempts from afar as well as setup the Succubus for Unholy DiverGuardAllStartup21RecoveryTotal 39Advantage+1 or PossessionGuardStartup16RecoveryTotal 35Advantage-.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Nagoriyuki’s Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
f.SGuardAllStartup16Recovery28Advantage-17	6P (CH), f.S (CH), 2S (CH), IABD j.236H	236S (CH)		2K
2SGuardLowStartup12Recovery21Advantage-11	2S (CH)	6P (CH), 2K, f.S (CH), 236S (CH), Walk Back		IABD j.236H
5HGuardAllStartup20Recovery27Advantage-14		f.S (CH), 2S (CH), 2K (CH), 236S (CH), IABD j.236H	6P (Clash)
White Wild AssaultGuardAll (Guard Crush)Startup20~31Recovery20Advantage+7	Throw	6P, 2K, f.S, 2S, 236S, IABD j.236H
ShizuriyukiGuardAllStartup11Recovery21Advantage-7	2S (CH), 2K (CH), Walk Back	6P (CH), f.S (CH), 236S (CH), IABD j.236H

Testament's strong round start options can contest Nagoriyuki's options efficiently, but on low Blood Gauge you must respect Zarameyuki and his other specials as they are able to steal your turn and overcome gaps in your pressure. 2S beats many of Nagoriyuki's options, including his ShizuriyukiGuardAllStartup11Recovery21Advantage-7. Walking back is also a very safe option, even followed quickly by a f.S which will win against everything but Kamuriyuki round start.

Overview

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A matchup with two rhythms: Nagoriyuki's Blood Gauge dictates whether Testament should play more defensive or aggressive. The more the gauge is filled, the less options Nagoriyuki has.

• Playing conservatively early in this matchup is generally advised. And once his blood gaughe increased: Playing aggressively with projectiles, representing Arbiter SignGuardLowStartup24Recovery26Advantage-12 often, and occupying space, is preferred.
  
• Because of Nagoriyuki's limited movement options, Testament can abuse Arbiter Sign and projectiles to pressure Nagoriyuki constantly.
  
• When attacking Nagoriyuki, you usually want to end your combos by leaving him as far from you as possible, usually at fullscreen distance. This will cause Nagoriyuki to struggle when approaching due to his limited mobility options in this situation, thus allowing you to safely and freely use your zoning tools to cover space and chip away at his big health bar.

At lower Blood Gauge

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After starting the round with one of Testament's strong options, you want to avoid committing to slow moves like f.S, 6HGuardAllStartup23Recovery32Advantage-19, Grave Reaper, and Arbiter Sign as Nagoriyuki can evade or punish most of them with Fukyo, Kamuriyuki, and Zarameyuki.
Punishing Fukyo is a key part of the matchup on defense as Nago's command dash is used to reset his pressure. A sometimes risky but fast 5K or 2K will punish his attempt to reset his pressure and give you your turn. Know that Nago's cancelling his 5H into Fukyo forward is -7 frames, beating our c.SGuardAllStartup8Recovery10Advantage+1.
A safer option is to simply jump against his command dashes. This protects you from Bloodsucking UniverseGuardGround ThrowStartup7Recovery48AdvantageNA attempts while air blocking and allows you to react and punish his openings in case of whiffed grab attempts.

Blocking Kamuriyuki and f.SS

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Blocking KamuriyukiGuardLowStartup14Recovery17Advantage-3:

• Nagoriyuki has two options after you block it: being -3 on block, or cancelling into his other specials which cost him more Blood Gauge.
  
• Your best situation is blocking while they chose to cancel and use blood, or hitting a button and taking your turn.
  
• Your worst situation is getting Counter Hit and exploding.
  
• Because Testament's 2K is fast, low profiles, doesn't extend your hitbox too far, and leads to a knockdown it is often your best option when challenging after Kamuriyuki. It is relatively safe against most backward Fukyo follow-ups.
  
• Kamuriyuki is throw punishable, unless he cancels it into a backwards Fukyo. Trying to grab him and losing, results in you exploding. It covers all his options other than backward Fukyo}, making it a useful but dangerous option.
  

Blocking f.SSGuardAllStartup13Recovery19Advantage-8:

• The easy solution is to Faultless Defense the f.SS. This prevents Nagoriyuki from doing f.SS > Bloodsucking Universe, resulting in it whiffing and giving you a free Counter Hit. Note that walking backwards for at least a few frames then FDing is key to making the command grab whiff.
  
• The hard solution is to Instant Block the f.SS and punish it with a throw, beating most of Nago's options other than backwards Fukyo. Note that Nago could also spend Blood Gauge and cancel f.SGuardAllStartup14Recovery28Advantage-17 instead.
  

Once his f.SS got FD'd, your opponent has three options:

• Continuing with a f.SSSGuardAllStartup14Recovery35Advantage-22, reducing his blood gauge but being -25 on block.
  
  • This means a free 6H punish but do not Faultless Defense the third f.SSS hit.
    • Easy combo: 6H > 214S/H for 112 damage and fullscreen distance
      
    • Hard combo: 6H > 214P > f.S > 6H 214S/H for 169 damage and fullscreen distance.
      
  • If you Instant Block the f.SSS, you can use your most damaging punishes against him, starting with 6H > 236[H], and going wild on him from there.
  • With 50% meter, you may be tempted to use Calamity One between f.SS and f.SSS. It will win but is a high risk and costly in meter option that can surprise and frustrate opponents. Representing this option can condition him to use the next option.
    
• Stopping at f.SS and being -8 on block.
  
  • This can take advantage of your habit to block and allow Nago to reset his pressure for free. Pressing a button late after making sure you would've blocked f.SSS is a way to take back your turn. Nagoriyuki's c.SGuardAllStartup7Recovery10Advantage+3 being frame 7 leaves room for Testament's faster buttons to challenge late.
    
  • This option will beat your Calamity One reversal attempts, and make you explode.
    
  • Overall this is often Nagoriyuki's safest option, but it's advantageous to Testament in this matchup.
    
• Cancelling into a special move.
  • This is where many Nagoriyuki players will chose either to Fukyo forward to continue his pressure, or Zarameyuki for the same purpose and stronger pressure, but higher blood cost.
  • Respect and block Zarameyuki, continue holding block once the clone's animation begins.
    
  • Blocking Zarameyuki > Fukyo leads to a real strike/throw mix-up. Pick one and guess. Backdash or jump against his throws or block the incoming hits.
    
  • Fukyo follow-ups must be handled as discussed above. Both forward and back will beat Testament's Calamity One, therefore gambling with this move is dangerous.
    

In conclusion, block most of the time, but challenge with 2K every now and then.

At higher Blood Gauge

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Once his Blood Gauge is higher, his Bloodsucking Universe's ability to reduce blood becomes much more dangerous. Avoiding the command grab with a jump or backdash will become the lower risk option on defense, as Nagoriyuki will have very few options of extending combos without needing to use meter.
Pay attention to when his specials risk forcing him to pop. Nagoriyuki's only option to stop the Blood RageGuardAll (Guard Crush)Startup4+(38 Flash)+3Recovery70Advantage-12 activation from happening is landing Bloodsucking Universe. He can hold Faultless Defense to delay it slightly, but not prevent it.
Once Nagoriyuki enters Blood Rage, you can punish at many range with a run up c.S as a combo starter or with 6H instead if you're close enough. Comboing with meter often means an assured victory once added to the life he loses from Blood Rage activation itself. Comboing with Wild AssaultGuardAllStartup16~28Recovery20Advantage-4 as a starter also allows for high damage conversions and stops him from bursting out of the combo to steal the game.
At higher blood, 5H and 2HGuardAllStartup15Recovery29Advantage-17 become bigger and faster moves. Watch out for Nago's 5H range being dramatically extended and faster at level 2 Blood Gauge, making Testament's f.S a weaker option. It is completely disjointed so do not try to 6PGuardAllStartup11Recovery15Advantage-7 it.

Potemkin

 PotemkinWhat do you mean the matchup is bad? Isn't he a grappler?

Slightly Unfavorable

Be careful with your pokes and be unpredictable with your zoning.

• F.D.B.GuardAllStartup18~36Recovery19Advantage-6 reflects both Grave ReaperGuardAllStartup16~22Recovery27Advantage-4 and Unholy DiverGuardAllStartup21RecoveryTotal 39Advantage+1. Potemkin will want to flick your projectiles a lot, but this can countered with Arbiter SignGuardLowStartup24Recovery26Advantage-12.
• 5KGuardAllStartup7Recovery11Advantage-3 to 5K stagger and 5K or 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery13Advantage-3 into 2DGuardLowStartup14Recovery22Advantage-8 lose to Mega FistGuardHighStartup25Recovery16Advantage-6. Luckily Testament can jump cancel on reaction and Air Throw against Mega Fist, however this leaves them vulnerable and in Potemkin BusterGuardGround ThrowStartup5Recovery37Advantage- range should he not use Mega Fist.
• If one of Testament's pokes comes in contact with Hammer FallGuardAllStartup18~62Recovery26Advantage-9's armor, then their projectiles are too slow to break the armor.
• Testament's 6PGuardAllStartup11Recovery15Advantage-7 can do what nearly no other can and hit Potemkin out of Mega Fist. However, it's still not very lenient so don't rely on this.
• If you're fairly far away from it, Arbiter Sign can be a deterrent for Potemkin approaching behind a deployed Giganter KaiGuardAllStartup10+1Recovery17Advantage+100.
• NostroviaGuardAllStartup11+19RecoveryTotal 53Advantage+63 can be a useful lockdown tool in neutral as Potemkin cannot jump over it, giving you an opportunity to try a mix-up.
• Slide HeadGuardLowStartup29Recovery24Advantage0 is a very large threat if the Testament starts preemptively zoning, as it knocks them down and deletes all of their projectiles. Make use of Air Grave Reaper to avoid this move.
• If Potemkin is in Stain StateGuardAllStartupRecoveryAdvantage-, then hitting him early in Hammer Fall can knock him out of it due to the follow-up explosion. However, this is more preemptive than reactive as the Stain explosion takes a brief time to activate.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Potemkin’s Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
2PGuardAllStartup8Recovery9Advantage-1	2K (CH)	6P (CH), f.S (CH), 236S (CH)	2S	IABD j.236H, Walk Back
6PGuardAllStartup11Recovery25Advantage-15	2S, IABD j.236H, Walk Back	f.S (CH)	6P (Clash), 236S	2K
White Wild AssaultGuardAll (Guard Crush)Startup20~31Recovery20Advantage+7	Throw	6P, f.S, 2S, 2K, 236S, IABD j.236H
Kara Potemkin BusterGuardGround ThrowStartup5Recovery37Advantage-	2K, 2S, IABD j.236H	6P, f.S, 236S, Walk Back
Mega Fist (Forward)GuardHighStartup25Recovery16Advantage-6	IABD j.236H, Walk Back	6P, f.S, 2S, 236S (CH)		2K
Kara Mega Fist (Backward)GuardHighStartup25Recovery6Advantage+4	dl 6P	Everything Else
HammerfallGuardAllStartup18~62Recovery26Advantage-9	IABD j.236H	6P (CH), f.S (CH), 2S (CH), 2K, 236S (CH)

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Ramlethal Valentine

 Ramlethal ValentineI'm you, but stronger

Unfavorable

Ramlethal is known infamously for massive buttons and suffocating pressure, both of which she is considered to do better than Testament. Fret not, as Testament still has some tricks up their sleeve that can allow them to take the upper hand.

• Her f.SGuardAllStartup11Recovery21Advantage-10 [-13] is big, fast, safe, and disjointed. This tool alone forces Testament to take an entirely different approach to neutral as wild swinging will net her free counter-pokes. The best solution is to use 6PGuardAllStartup11Recovery15Advantage-7 with caution to score a hit and begin your offense.
• Be wary with 6P, Ramlethal also has 2SGuardLowStartup10Recovery18Advantage-5 [-8] which is smaller than f.S but hits low to the ground with many of the same benefits. It doesn't reach as far, meaning it can lose to our own f.SGuardAllStartup12Recovery18Advantage-7 from a distance.
• BajonetoGuardAllStartup20RecoveryTotal 37Advantage+9 is a powerful projectile and zoning check where Ramlethal will launch one of her Brigadier Swords across the screen. If it connects it has great corner carry and Ramlethal can begin her suffocating pressure. However, if it doesn't connect then she'll lose access to one of her Brigadier Swords which will will greatly weaken her neutral presence.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Ramlethal’s Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
6PGuardAllStartup9Recovery18Advantage-9	f.S, 2S (CH), 236S, Walk Back		6P	2K, IABD j.236H
f.SGuardAllStartup11Recovery21Advantage-10 [-13]	6P (CH), IABD j.236H	f.S (CH), 2S (CH), 2K, 236S
2SGuardLowStartup10Recovery18Advantage-5 [-8]	Walk Back	6P (CH), 2S (CH), 2K, 236S	f.S	IABD j.236H
5HGuardAllStartup12Recovery28Advantage-12 [-13]	6P (CH), IABD j.236H	f.S (CH), 2K, 236S (CH)	2S

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Sin Kiske

 Sin KiskeTestament's favorite nephew

Slightly Favorable

Sin often plays most effectively at close range combined with an arsenal of deadly pokes that can allow a careful Sin player to close the gap against Testament's zoning and begin his suffocating pressure.

• Be cautious when using non disjointed pokes from midscreen as f.SGuardAllStartup11Recovery19Advantage-8, 2SGuardAllStartup12Recovery13Advantage-5, and Beak DriverGuardAllStartup16Recovery22Advantage-14 are all both great counter-pokes with potential for deadly reward. Testament's 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery13Advantage-3 is fast with low-profile meaning it's very useful for dealing with these moves.
• Elk HuntGuardLowStartup21Recovery15Advantage-8 is a quick advancing low that can be by shut down by a throw or preemptively using either a 2HGuardAllStartup23Recovery12Advantage-2 with it's disjointed active hitbox or with a Grave ReaperGuardAllStartup16~22Recovery27Advantage-4 to control more space. Treat it like a light version of  Ky's Stun DipperGuardLow, AllStartup7Recovery30Advantage-19 [-14] that can low-profile and punish many of Testament's slower attacks.
• 2K and Grave Reaper are both susceptible to the low-crush of Sin's Hoof StompGuardHighStartup21Recovery22Advantage-11.
• Sin's meterless reversal, Hawk BakerGuardAllStartup9Recovery36Advantage-26, forces Testament to be cautious with any gaps within their pressure. The move consists of two hits and can be punished between the hits on block by c.SGuardAllStartup8Recovery10Advantage+1 for a full conversion.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Sin’s Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
6PGuardAllStartup11Recovery20Advantage-12	2S (CH), Walk Back	f.S (CH), 236S (CH)	6P	2K, IABD j.236H
f.SGuardAllStartup11Recovery19Advantage-8	6P (CH), 2S (CH)	f.S (CH), 236S (CH)		2K, IABD j.236H
2SGuardAllStartup12Recovery13Advantage-5	2S (CH), Walk Back	6P (CH), 2K, 236S (CH)	f.S	IABD j.236H
Beak DriverGuardAllStartup16Recovery22Advantage-14	6P (CH), f.S (CH), 2S (CH), 2K (CH), IABD j.236H	236S (CH)

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Sol Badguy

 Sol BadguyHe/him neutral vs they/them neutral

Balanced

Keep him out with your strong pokes and projectiles while being wary of Night Raid VortexGuardAllStartup15~31 [32]Recovery32Advantage-17.

• Night Raid Vortex is a powerful option against Testament as it low profiles some of their best pokes like f.SGuardAllStartup12Recovery18Advantage-7 and 5HGuardAllStartup13Recovery25Advantage-8, as well as 2PGuardAllStartup5Recovery10Advantage-3 when used recklessly. When you expect it, use moves like 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery13Advantage-3 and 2SGuardLowStartup10Recovery18Advantage-7 to space it out or preemptively use Grave ReaperGuardAllStartup16~22Recovery27Advantage-4 to take up space.
• FafnirGuardAll (Guard Crush)Startup24Recovery16Advantage+11 can be easily beat by 6PGuardAllStartup11Recovery15Advantage-7.
• 6P can also be a helpful tool for punishing a grounded Bandit BringerGuardHighStartup30Recovery13Advantage-3 that can lead into a full combo as seen here.
• When spaced correctly, a wakeup Volcanic ViperGuardAllStartup9Recovery18+10 LandingAdvantage-28 can be entirely avoided with a meaty 2HGuardAllStartup23Recovery12Advantage-2 due to the disjoint.
• Many of Sol's moves can be low profiled by 2K, including his f.SGuardAllStartup10Recovery13Advantage+2, 5HGuardAllStartup11Recovery20Advantage-5 from certain distances, and 6SGuardAllStartup15Recovery20Advantage-9 which is one of his best pokes.
• Make use of safejump A very well-timed jump attack on a character who is rising from a knockdown. Your goal is to attack extremely close to when you land so that, if the character performs an invincible reversal attack, you will land and be able to block. The opponent is then forced to block your jumping attack, since reversaling doesn't work, which will give you some nice pressure and hopefully an opening.s off of Grave Reaper to mitigate the threat of a wakeup Volcanic Viper.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Sol's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
6PGuardAllStartup9Recovery20Advantage-11	f.S, 2S (CH), 236S, j.236H		6P (Clash)	2K, Walk Back
f.SGuardAllStartup10Recovery13Advantage+2	6P (CH), 2K (CH)	f.S (CH), 236S (CH)	2S	j.236H, Walk Back
2SGuardAllStartup10Recovery15Advantage-7		6P (CH), 2K, 236S (CH)	f.S, 2S	j.236H, Walk Back
6HGuardAllStartup9Recovery43Advantage-27	j.236H	6P (CH), 2K, f.S (CH), 2S (CH), 236S (CH)		Walk Back
Dash 2DGuardLowStartup10Recovery18Advantage-4	6P (CH), f.S (CH), 2S (CH), 236S (CH)	2K		j.236H, Walk Back
Dash 623HGuardAllStartup13Recovery19+10 LandingAdvantage-26				Walk Back

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Testament

 TestamentA test of your reflexes!

Balanced

One of the mirrors of all time. Testament is well equipped to deal with Testament.

• Arbiter SignGuardLowStartup24Recovery26Advantage-12, especially 214S because of its quicker startup, is an excellent counter-poke at range against Grave Reaper and preemptive poke versus Unholy Diver, stopping and dissuading your opponent from using their zoning specials. With a 4 frame gap between 214S and 214H making it a relatively easy move to fuzzy guard A defensive technique where the defender changes their guard direction rapidly and precisely to cover multiple ways they can be hit such as high/low or left/right., its a mediocre and slow startup mixup tool that's good when paired with mental stack.
  • Testament can often overextend and go for preemptive 214S in neutral which is a great chance to make it whiff and begin your pressure by doing an Instant Air Dash into a jump in button such as j.HGuardHighStartup13Recovery16Advantage+5 (IAD) or j.SGuardHighStartup9Recovery19Advantage0 (IAD) or simply dashing without slowing down.
• Grave ReaperGuardAllStartup16~22Recovery27Advantage-4 is your bread and butter A staple combo that is relatively simple and effective. to keep your opponent's movement and choice of reaction constrained while simultaneously resetting or continuing pressure, with 236H in particular leaving you +2 on block. Grave Reaper's strike is useful for removing your opponent's projectiles, and Grave Reaper's projectile is excellent at clashing with and nullifying their projectiles. The projectile leaves a Succubus on the field which can be targeted by Unholy Diver or PossessionGuardStartup16RecoveryTotal 35Advantage-. At range, j.236S is a great choice to zone a lot of space and make it difficult for your opponent to approach.
  • Due to Grave Reaper's extended hurtbox during its strike portion, long recovery, and Counter Hit state throughout, it can be a dangerous and very punishable move in neutral. The grounded variants can be punished with jump ins, preemptive and whiff punishing normals, and Arbiter Sign at range. The air variants are even worse with the inability to block while falling after their use and extended landing recovery, both being punishable with Arbiter Sign at range and dash momentum 6PGuardAllStartup11Recovery15Advantage-7 at the very least.
  • As a specific but common interaction, after a Blue Psych Burst Testaments often autopilot into 236S to set up zoning which is punishable with a microdash The act of doing a quick dash, usualy seen in combos or pressure, by quickly tapping forward twice (66) or tapping a dash button. 214S.
• Unholy DiverGuardAllStartup21RecoveryTotal 39Advantage+1 is excellent at full screen zoning, preemptive counter poking, and forcing a choice from your opponent. Great to pair with Grave Reaper as it leaves a Succubus on the field that 214P can target and apply Stain StateGuardAllStartupRecoveryAdvantage-. 214[P] is great at catching Instant Air Dash and jumps during pressure, and using 214[P] immediately upon its return will fly low enough to hit your opponent.
  • Can easily be nullified with Grave Reaper or outright avoided and punished with dash momentum 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery13Advantage-3 and 6P to low profile it, and sometimes carefully spaced and timed jump ins. Often used immediately after Grave Reaper at range, punishable with preemptive 214S.
• Your best buttons just became even better. 6P and 2K are prevalent and powerful counter-pokes, and you'll need to play around both.
• Lacking a meterless reversal and having a slow metered reversal of Calamity OneGuardAllStartup11+4Recovery67Advantage-38, Testament relies heavily on system mechanics on defense. Obtaining and keeping pressure against another Testament, especially in the corner, is a potent win condition.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Testament's Button	Loses To	Beats	Clashes	Whiffs
6PGuardAllStartup11Recovery15Advantage-7	2S, 2H, 6H, 2D	f.S	5H
f.SGuardAllStartup12Recovery18Advantage-7	6P, 2S	5H, 2H, 6H
2SGuardLowStartup10Recovery18Advantage-7	2H, 6H	6P, f.S, 5H		5K
5HGuardAllStartup13Recovery25Advantage-8	f.S, 2S	2H, 6H	6P
2HGuardAllStartup23Recovery12Advantage-2	f.S, 5H	6P, 2S, 6H
6HGuardAllStartup23Recovery32Advantage-19	f.S, 5H, 2H	6P, 2S, IADB j.236H
IADB j.236HGuardAllStartup13~19Recovery21Advantage+2	Dash 6P, 6H

Note that slightly delaying or walking back a round start option can have wildly different results, such as a slightly delayed 6P or 2S beating 6H, or a walk back f.S or 2D beating 2S. Walking back and back dashing are also a common round start choice that you may call out with a dash forward into a round start option or 236D. Rotate your choices wisely and stay unpredictable.

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Zato-1

 Zato-1The grim reaper comes for Eddie

Favorable

While Testament has stronger tools to win the neutral game, all Zato needs is one knockdown to start his suffocating offense and possibly snowball into a win.

• Zato has few defensive options other than Eddie's "Oppose"GuardAllStartup74 {78}Recovery(Summon Vanishes) [36 Zato]Advantage-. Once cornered and pressured, Testament can suffocate Zato to death in the corner.
• Zato's Eddie Gauge is key to fighting against him. If he tries to summon Eddie in neutral, Arbiter SignGuardLowStartup24Recovery26Advantage-12 can efficiently punish him for it at most ranges.
• Arbiter Sign is a strong tool in this matchup when Zato is on the ground.
• Zato will feel inclined to jump, use Flight, and his air approaches to play around Testament's tools. 6PGuardAllStartup11Recovery15Advantage-7, j.SGuardHighStartup9Recovery19Advantage0 (IAD), j.HGuardHighStartup13Recovery16Advantage+5 (IAD), Grave ReaperGuardAllStartup13~19Recovery21Advantage+2, and Air Throw will help when contesting in the air.
• Because of Arbiter Sign and your great anti-air options, Zato may start running at you and use 2SGuardAllStartup11Recovery20Advantage-10 or 6PGuardAllStartup12Recovery12Advantage-6 against your f.SGuardAllStartup12Recovery18Advantage-7 to start his offense. Both options struggle against Testament's 2S.
• Zato's Drunkard ShadeGuardAllStartup9Recovery12Advantage-8 cannot reflect any of Testament's projectiles.
• Drunkard Shade may push Eddie forward, leaving Eddie weak to a low hitting normal. Expect Eddie's travel, and kill him that way.
• Eddie's "Pierce"GuardAllStartup21 [25]Recovery24Advantage- leaves a gap in-between the two hits, which leaves a small window for killing Eddie safely with 2PGuardAllStartup5Recovery10Advantage-3, or trading hits, therefore killing Eddie, with 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery13Advantage-3.
• Zato's Invite HellGuardAllStartup18Recovery2Advantage-7 is a strong tool for controlling the ground, beating Grave Reaper's extended hurtbox and can even beat Testament's projectile at certain ranges. It loses to Testament's fast and lengthy IAD j.H, as well as Arbiter SignGuardLowStartup24Recovery26Advantage-12 preemptively.
• Eddie "That's a lot!"GuardAllStartup27→42→57→72 [31→46→61→76]RecoveryTotal 74Advantage+55 can beat the projectile of Grave Reaper and sometimes even Unholy DiverGuardAllStartup21RecoveryTotal 39Advantage+1 but loses to Arbiter Sign.
• Eddie's "Oppose" can protect Zato from Arbiter Sign, and from hits. But from afar, leaves time for Testament to use and charge Grave Reaper safely.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Zato’s Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
6PGuardAllStartup12Recovery12Advantage-6	2S (CH), Walk Back	f.S (CH)	6P (Clash), 236S	2K, IABD j.236H
f.SGuardAllStartup10Recovery23Advantage-12	6P (CH), 2S (CH), Walk Back	f.S (CH), 236S, IABD j.236H		2K
2SGuardAllStartup11Recovery20Advantage-10	2S (CH), 2K (CH)	6P (CH), f.S (CH), 236S (CH)		IABD j.236H
2DGuardLowStartup10Recovery17Advantage-9	f.S (CH), 5H (CH), Walk Back	6P (CH), 2K, 236S (CH)	2S	IABD j.236H

Dealing with Eddie

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Eddie is usually summoned from one of three situations:

• Raw summoning: Simply summoning him in neutral is his riskiest option in this matchup. Testament's buttons and specials are far reaching making them strong here, especially Arbiter Sign. If Zato tries raw summoning, do not let him get away with it. Arbiter Sign should keep Zato in constant fear of staying immobile on the ground by summoning.
  
• After a normal: Cancelling buttons such as 2S into one of Eddie's summons will happen when Zato manages to make you block a hit or when he wins neutral interactions. This is the beginning of the end and you ideally want to avoid this situation. When it starts, react appropriately to the Eddie summon choice, but Zato starts to have opportunities to mix you up.
  
• Between big gaps: Using summons such as "Oppose" during your pressure, most notably after blocking Grave Reaper. In case of "Oppose" after Grave Reaper in the corner while close, Testament's 5KGuardAllStartup7Recovery11Advantage-3 sometimes reach far enough to Counter Hit him before "Oppose" is fully out, whereas f.S and 6HGuardAllStartup23Recovery32Advantage-19 are too slow and risk getting opposed. The safest option is to wait after Grave Reaper and see what Zato decides to do, then react accordingly.
  

Eddie's has four unique attacks:

• "Pierce"GuardAllStartup21 [25]Recovery24Advantage-: One of Zato's core and fastest moves. Gets killed by 2P mashing in between the two hits, however it can be cancelled in between the hits to a different Eddie special so be cautious. Zato can fill up the gaps using 2S as well. It's a great way for him to take and keep his turn so you ideally don't want him to make you block this. Thankfully, most of your options might kill Eddie if Zato uses "Pierce" unwisely. Expect this after blocking 2S.
  
• "That's a lot!"GuardAllStartup27→42→57→72 [31→46→61→76]RecoveryTotal 74Advantage+55: Beat projectiles such as Grave Reaper and Unholy Diver, occupies space, and can even stop Testament from using IAD against Zato. Using Arbiter Sign will win. If jumping in, then do a full jump instead followed by j.HGuardHighStartup13Recovery16Advantage+5 (IAD) > Air Grave Reaper as this will work where IAD fails. "That's a lot!" will lock you in the block animation during mix-ups.
  
• "Leap"GuardAllStartup21 [25]Recovery34Advantage+46: Occupies air space and stops you from jumping. Used often in combos and during pressure to keep you grounded in the corner. If you have time to input a jump and be grounded by it, then you probably have time to 6P it and kill Eddie that way. In general, respect this move and don't take risks as it deals high damage.
  
• "Oppose"GuardAllStartup74 {78}Recovery(Summon Vanishes) [36 Zato]Advantage-: Protects Zato from hits and is the safest summon Zato will choose in most situations. It loses to throws. Zato will often cancel "Oppose" into another Eddie option or launch Eddie forward with Drunkard Shade. Both of these options will lose to Arbiter Sign if he cancels "Oppose" before the attack connects. If he keeps "Oppose" out from fear of Arbiter Sign, the move might kill Eddie by entirely depleting Eddie Gauge on its own. It takes time when raw summoning "Oppose" for it to activate and hitting Zato early will reward you a Counter Hit. This move is strong and can even lead to punish Arbiter Sign from afar if it successfully absorbs the hit. Staying unpredictable with your timings and options will help avoid this situation.
  

Zato can use Summon EddieGuardStartup20Recovery8Advantage- without needing to perform any of these moves. Keeping Eddie out and vulnerable, but giving him more independence from Zato. This allows both Zato and Eddie to both have full control over all of their moves. Remember that once Zato blocks a move, Eddie is unsummoned. Grave Reaper is a safe answer to this, but Arbiter Sign may be better at nullifying it. Nothing is too scary in raw Summon Eddie situations, not even from afar, since you'll probably shut it down quickly. However, it may lead to creative and unique approaches if Zato manages to keep Eddie out.

Keep in mind that Eddie can be controlled independently of Zato once Eddie is summoned. Both characters can cover each others' weaknesses. Eddie will die from a YRC hitting Zato unless Zato blocks the YRC and from a Burst hitting Zato. Using your meter defensively to end his pressure while Eddie is out as it interrupts Zato's win condition. Be careful of Zato players expecting and baiting these two options.

Dealing with Flight

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Now that the ground is lava for Zato thanks to Arbiter Sign, he will try to exploit your Grave Reaper's recovery with jump-ins, and in general risks flying towards you. Zato has lots of control over the time he remains in the air and the angles he can attack from. Thankfully, Zato is slow in the air and doesn't have a traditional air dash. But don't worry, if Zato starts flying that means you're winning and denied his ground game successfully. You now have more options than he has, and great options to win from here.

• 6PGuardAllStartup11Recovery15Advantage-7: A fast button for fast anti-air punishes. If it whiffs, then you can always try using a second one. Use it when expecting Zato to do something fast.
• c.SGuardAllStartup8Recovery10Advantage+1: A higher risk, higher reward anti-air. It leads to higher damage and better combos, but is trickier to use as an anti-air than other options.
  
• j.SGuardHighStartup9Recovery19Advantage0 (IAD) and j.HGuardHighStartup13Recovery16Advantage+5 (IAD): The former is faster while the latter is generally safer. Both of these air buttons are fantastic to challenge the air space Zato occupies with Flight and can lead to more damage with further pressure.
  
• Grave ReaperGuardAllStartup13~19Recovery21Advantage+2: The strongest choice for contesting the air in this matchup. The uncharged version helps keep Zato grounded while the charged version can create a lasting projectile in the air, keeping the air covered while your normals challenge the ground. If he's hit by the projectile, then you can consistently convert to damage with moves such as 5K. Try using this option preemptively.
  
• Air Throw: If Zato decided to fly above you and block, waiting patiently for the Eddie Gauge to refill, then jump or super jump to throw him back down and make him rethink this option.

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