Testament Combo Theory (WIP)
General Structure
Testament's main combos generally follow a similar structure, with various elements being adjusted depending on the situation. But, for the most part the majority of the combos you will be doing follow this format:
Starter > 6H/2H > 236[H] > Extension > Ender
Let's break down each of these sections to understand how to put together a combo in a similar way.
For Starters, c.S is the main button needed to convert into high damage combos. Because c.S needs to either aerial hit or be a counter hit to gatling into 6H or 2H, those are the most common starters that you'll need to route into the above combo. So, a list of the starters that you need to go into the general structure are:
- c.S CH...
- c.S Anti Air, c.S...
- 5K Anti Air...
- Up-close 2S CH...
- 2D CH... (skip 6H/2H)
6H/2H into 236[H] are the main way you'll be launching the opponent. Minus some exceptions noted further down, you will basically always have this in some form in all of your combos. This is slightly spacing dependent, and at certain ranges the second hit of 236[H] might whiff, so there may be times where you will have to bite the bullet and instead end your combo early with a 236[S] instead.
A notable exception to this is in the corner, in which you can link 5K > 6H from a 2H point-blank.
Extensions refers to the routing done to, well you guessed it, extend the combo. These are short and also follow a similar pattern:
- ...66 5K > 6H...
- ...66 c.S > 6H/2H...
- ...66 c.S > 214[P] > 5K > Stain Pop...
These are sorted by consistency, as spacing is also needed for all of these to combo properly. 5K > 6H is the most stable and easiest, but if you have time to get the run up c.S you can. To get a juggle with 214[P] you need to have run under them high enough to have the 5K connect. After, you can continue the combo but only with one of the other two extensions above. When converting off of awkward Stain pops, you may need to skip straight to these instead of going into 236[H], especially midscreen.
When selecting an Ender for your combo, there are a variety of things to keep in mind. These range from screen position and wall damage to character matchups. The most important ones are listed below:
- ...214H
This is your most basic ender, netting a small bit of damage in return giving up a strong okizeme situation. The soft knockdown from the Arbiter Sign and the far range you will most likely be at when you finish your combo essentially resets back to neutral. This can be a good or bad thing depending on both the character you are fighting as well your comfort navigating neutral. These are things you should try and keep in mind when ending this way.
- ...236[S]
A soft reset that allows for much strong okizeme. The Grave Reaper hits meaty enough to catch options like backdash and jump and leaves you far enough away to have DPs whiff and able to FD cancel your dash to block reversal supers. This also allows for an easy setup to apply Stain State safely.
- ...(WS) 236236P, 214H/6H
Metered ender. You can get this from any 6H or 2H. This should also be the only way you spend meter to break the wall. Although Calamity One technically does more damage, its poor scaling and the immense utility of having both hard knockdown and Stain State after wallbreak leads to Nostrovia being the much better pick. 6H is an easier alternative to using 214H for added damage. You can just mash the button during the recovery of the super if you don't feel confident about timing the Arbiter Sign right and losing a negligible amount of damage.
- ...WS 214[P]
The strongest meterless wall-break option. Although big damage buttons and moves like 6H and 214H do more damage, unless you are 100% positive it will kill opting to use Crow instead leads to a much more favorable situation post wall-break. This can be game-winning, or at the very least makes your opponent respect your options much more when you return to round start position.
Stain Routes
Converting off of Stain is key to Testament's gameplan, and there are a variety of ways to do so:
- Stain Pop > 66 5K > 6H > Ender
The basic way to confirm long range Stain pops. Although seemingly meager, you will almost always be able to convert into this, even at the tip of f.S.
- Stain Pop > 66 c.S > 214[P] > 5K Stain Pop > 66 c.S > 6H/2H > Ender
A similar route is listed above under Extensions, but this is also a very consistent combo off of up-close Stain pops. The extra hitstun from counter hits also allow for enough time to run-up c.S into it.
Although it does not do that much damage, it has excellent corner carry and meter gain. This can be especially helpful for converting stray Stain pops in neutral to corner pressure and your win condition.
- Stain Pop > 66 236[S]
Setup into meaty Grave Reaper from far range Stain pops. Off of pokes like Arbiter Sign you often won't be able to run up fast enough to confirm, but if you fully charge S Reaper you can get a really strong okizeme situation instead, similar to the one listed in Enders.
- Stain Pop (Heavy CH) > 66 dl c.S...
Because of how high Heavy Counter Hit lifts your opponent, you have enough time to run under and c.S into combos following the theory listed above.
- Stain Pop (Heavy CH) > dl 214[P], 214S/f.S...
Routing into non-Stain Heavy Counter Hit combos. Delay on the held Crow depends on space between you and the opponent, but otherwise is the same theory as listed below under Heavy Counter Hit.
Regular Hit
On regular hit (no counter or Stain), Testament is at their weakest in terms of combo ability. This is two-fold midscreen. You are able to go into the normal theory above by replacing the 6H/2H with 2D and not charging the H Reaper. The starters for this are c.S, 5K, and 2K, but the microdash timings are much tighter and require you to be basically point-blank so both hits of the H Reaper connect. It is again very important to keep in mind whether or not it is worth it to go for a full conversion or instead just take the knockdown and go for a much stronger okizeme setup with an OTG 236[S].
With your pokes f.S and 2S, you also often have to work pretty hard to convert into anything more than just 236S. If you're willing to spend meter, you can just a drift RRC to extend the hit. For routes like this, its often more stable to omit the c.S and 6H or 2H and just go straight into the 236[H]. Even on counter-hit, the most you will get off of far hits is an Arbiter Sign.
Heavy Counter Hit
Because of the extreme vertical blowback H normals cause, you to get access conversions you would otherwise not be able to. The key to this different routing is 214[P]. You can combo directly into this, then link into 214S or f.S to pop Stain. Midscreen, that is about the most you can get, which is actually very strong considering the hard knockdown that gives you a lot of freedom for pressure and okizeme setups. In the corner, you can actually follow up after the 214S into even more damage.
5H CH > 214[P], 214S > (66 5K) 6H Ender
This is VERY strong, as not only does it do lots of damage and build a lot of meter, but it also is very difficult to burst due to the fact that for most of the combo you aren't extending your hurtbox at all.
6H and 2H have other more niche routes that are listed in the Heavy Slash Starter section of the Combo List. Apart from that, this is a stable and very powerful route to learn, especially when using buttons like 5H and 2H to frame-trap.
Side Switch Routes
It is actually possible for Testament so side-switch out of the corner when doing certain combos. Because of the large vertical hitbox of c.S, it can actually hit the opponent's falling hurtbox behind you. Because the hitbox of the Crow when doing 214[P] starts behind Testament's head, you can then combo into that for a full conversion. Be careful, because even though the opponent switches sides, you technically haven't yet, so input the 214[P] on the same side you initially comboed from, then switch your inputs for the other side. Examples:
c.S CH > 6H > 236[H] > 66 (cross under) c.S > 214[P] > (now side switched) 5K > 6H WS 214[P]
Stain Pop > 66 (cross under) c.S> 214[P] > (now side switched) 5K > 6H WS 214[P]
Getting the side switch after 236[H] is considerably more difficult than off of Stain, but what normal you use to pop Stain can also make that route also difficult. You also need to not run too far ahead, or else the 214[P] input will be read as 6P because you actually switched sides. Try to get the dash as soon as you can out of the buffer, or else you won't be able to run far enough to hit the opponent just right from behind. Practice the Stain starter with low recovery moves like 2P or 5K to start to get the feel if you are having difficulty.
Kara Reaper
With the new Season 2 dash cancels from 5K and c.S, Testament can use a Kara Cancel A type of cancel where the beginning of an action is quickly canceled into another before the first action completes its startup.led 236H as a great pressure and combo tool. You execute this by buffering a dash during the 236H motion, either with a 66 input or the dash macro.
On regular hit, you can get 5K > 6H > Ender, but on counter hit you can run up c.S instead. On block it is at least +2, and the pushback allows for a very strong frame-trap with the huge disjoint of 5H. This makes Kara Reaper overall a very strong technique, both on hit and on block.