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Skankin Garbage

ES Guard Cancel unblockables, demystified

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So, some people know that there are unblockable ES Guard Cancels. This information isn't as widespread as I would like it to be, so I'm fixing that now.

 

For starters...

 

Characters with ES GC unblockables: Anakaris, Bishamon, Demitri, Felicia, Lilith, Morrigan, Rapter (his DF Guard Cancel)

 

 

Why only ES?: I asked KENGALLON, a high-level Wolf player in Japan who knows some English, about how this all works. He told me, "You cannot take guard pause for [seven] frames after ESGC flash." Guard pause, I imagine, is what they must call proximity block. In other words, the ES Guard Cancel flash is a separate phenomenon from the standard GC flash, and you can't even guard attacks for seven frames afterwards.

 

...Thus:

 

- Characters with ES GCs that have less than or exactly seven frames of startup (i.e all the characters listed above) can create a situation where their ES Guard Cancel can't be blocked.

 

- Since ES GC flash is apparently different from standard GC flash, characters with normal GCs that are lower than seven frames can always be blocked. This unblock phenomenon applies to ES GCs only.

 

 

Yeah, but dawg - I blocked one of their ES GC's before. Explain that.

 

It's important to note that blocking is only disabled for seven frames afterward. Characters with shorter-range ES GCs that move forward (for example, Morrigan's) have a chance to be blocked. Continuing with Morrigan as an example, her ES Shadow Blade has thirty-two (32) active frames, and four (4) frames of startup. So, only the first three (3) active frames of her ES Guard Cancel are actually unblockable. If you create a situation where she fails to hit you within those frames, you can safely guard the rest.

 

This has some bigger implications, as well. Felicia's ES GC can be unblockable, but only the first active frame of the attack. Naturally, this means that the second half of the move is very, very blockable. Same goes for Lilith - only the first three (3) active frames of the first attack of her ES GC is unblockable, so if you dodge the first hit, you're definitely in the clear, and can safely block the remainder of the attack.

 

This has more powerful implications for characters with ES GCs with static hitboxes, or ones that already have very good range. In particular, this phenomenon heavily benefits Bishamon and Demitri. It would probably benefit Anakaris for the same reason if his ES GC didn't suck so much.

 

 

The numbers

 

Anakaris: 6F startup, Frame 7 unblockable

Bishamon: 3F startup, Frames 4-7 unblockable

Demitri: 4F startup, Frames 5-7 unblockable

Felicia: 6F startup, Frame 7 unblockable

Lilith: 4F startup, Frames 5-7 unblockable

Morrigan: 4F startup, Frames 5-7 unblockable

Rapter (DF): 4F startup, Frames 5-7 unblockable

 

 

tl:dr

 

- Proximity Guard is disabled for 7 frames after ES GC flash.

- Characters with ES GCs that have less than 7 frames of startup have unblockable startup on their GCs.

- Emphasis on startup; the entire attack is not unblockable.

- Bishamon rules you.

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