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916zking

A Relius Beginner Guide

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Hello! You must be here because you are looking to play Relius Clover. Well you’ve come to the right place. This guide is designed to give you insight into how to start learning how to play the character at a basic to intermediate level in preparation for CP. (Also a CP guide will most likely be made when the time comes)

This guide also assumes you are already familiar with the number notation as well as common terms used in fighting games. These can be found here: http://www.dustloop.com/forums/showthread.php?8396-Terminology-Used-on-Dustloop-Defined

Table of Contents:

I. Introduction to Relius

II. Normals

III. Special Moves

IV. Distortion Drives

V. Basic Game Plan

VI. Block Strings and Mix-Ups

VII. Beginner Combos

VIII. How to Put it All Together and Get Playing

(Use Cntrl+F to find and skip to a section ^_^)

I. Introduction to Relius

Playstyle: Rushdown and Frametraps

Health: 11,000

Primers: 5

Relius is a mainly rushdown oriented character that focuses on frame-traps and keeping your opponent under pressure with the use of Ignis. Relius can command Ignis independently from himself and by using the two in conjunction with one-another you can keep the opponent blocking. Ignis however, is limited by a meter and this is one of Relius’s faults and main gameplay mechanics: balancing the Ignis meter so that you can continue to pressure and then combo afterwards. He also needs Ignis to be able to do significant damage, as well as “zone” the opponent from afar to make an opening to get in. A buff he is receiving in CP however is that he will be able to fend by myself much better with the addition of two non-Ignis special moves.

How does Ignis play exactly though? Ignis starts off the match unsummoned which means you are unable to use her until you summon her with a special move or a D normal. Each move (either a normal or special) she does costs points from the Ignis meter (which has a total of 10000 points). Special moves cost more if they are done when she is unsummoned. Move point costs are listed below in their respective sections. Ignis meter is also depleted at one point per frame when she is idle. Ignis gauge is replenished when she is unsummoned. If Relius or Ignis is hit while Ignis is summoned (meaning Relius is hurt by a move, blocking a move will keep Ignis summoned but teching a throw sadly unsummons her) she will be desummoned and will enter a blue state. During this blue state Ignis recovers at a much slower pace until she returns to the normal red, but you can still summon and have her attack during the blue state. If the gauge is reduced to zero, Ignis will stop and the gauge will turn black with an X over Ignis’s symbol. She will be unusable as she recovers the gauge at 15 points per frame until it is once again full. Your main goal is to use Ignis to her maximum potential without letting her gauge be completely used, then safely desummon her to let her recharge.

Pictures and hitboxes can be found here: http://www.dustloop.com/wiki/index.php?title=Relius_Clover_(BBCSE)

Important notes about the hitboxes will be in the descriptions as well.

All frame data and gatling lists can be found here: http://www.dustloop.com/wiki/index.php?title=Relius_Frame_Data_(BBCSE)

Important gatlings and cancels will be mentioned in the descriptions however.

II. Normals

5A- Relius slaps at the air with his hand. Your standard 5A, nothing too special. Not used very often. Doesn’t work very well as an anti-air due to its poor hitbox and slower start-up. Also whiffs on all crouching characters except for Tager.

5B- Relius sends out a long reaching robotic fist from his cape. One of Relius’s best pokes. Has a very far reach and is a common combo starter as well pressure tool. Air-unblockable as well. Extends Relius’s hurtbox on the last few frames.

5C- Relius uses two robotic fists and crushes the opponent. Hits twice and is jump cancellable on hit. Mostly used in combos. Same frame advantage as 5B. Also air-unblockable.

2A- Similar to 5A but Relius is crouching. Does not hit low. Good pressure tool for Relius and can lead into mix-ups.

2B- Similar to 5B but Relius is crouching. Your standard low. Has very good reach and is used in pressure strings as a low attack. Leads into combos and is also air-unblockable. Good for catching opponents trying to tech after a knockdown.

2C- Relius spins on the floor and punches the air with a robotic hand. Relius’s most common anti-air. Causes fatal counter on counter hit and leads to good damage. Also has head invulnerability. Needs to be timed well though due to slow start-up. Air-unblockable of course.

3C- Relius sweeps at the ground with a robotic hand. Low sweep that is a very important normal to Relius. In pressure strings is jump –cancellable even on block while also being a low hitting move. Also used in corner combos as well as setting up oki in the corner. Air-unblockable.

6A- Relius uses a claw to hit the opponent high. This is Relius’s only standing overhead. One of the slowest overheads in the game and is unsafe on block so needs to be protected by using an Ignis normal. Doesn’t cancel into any normals and can only cancel into specials (common follow-up is 236C or an Ignis normal to be able to continue to combo). Air-unblockable. Forces crouching on hit. Has a small vacuum effect.

6B- Relius lifts his hand and a robotic fist punches upwards. Another anti-air of Relius, but less commonly used. Most used in combos to launch the opponent upwards. Air-unblockable.

6C- Relius steps forward and hits the opponent with a robotic hand. A very odd move at Relius’s disposal. It’s unsafe on block so you need to make it safe by using and Ignis move or cancelling into a special move. Also has fatal counter properties so it leads into fairly good damage on counter hit. Also used in combos. Air-unblockable.

5D/2D/j.5D (Ignis Unsummoned)- Relius snaps his fingers and summons Ignis. The most common and better way to summon Ignis because it saves meter.

5D/j.5D (Ignis Summoned)- Relius snaps his fingers and desummons Ignis. Only way for you to manually desummon Ignis.

j.A- Relius spins a gear around his hand. A multi-hitting move that is good for locking the opponent down if it hits them. Not a great jump in since it does not hit high and the proation is poor due to its multi-hitting nature.

j.B- Relius uses a robotic arm to punch below him. Has a great hitbox that even extends behind Relius. Your go-to air-to-air as well as being a common jump in. Also used frequently in air combos.

j.C- Relius extends out a pocket-knife like object parallel to his leg to attack the opponent. This move has a horrible hurtbox that extends around the hitbox. It leads to very good damage however. Is used in combos but is not jump cancellable.

Ignis Normals (Gauge Usage in Parenthesis)

6D (1300)- Ignis claws at the air directly in front of her. Used mainly as a pressure tool during blockstrings as well as being used to make Relius moves safe. Used in a few combos.

2D (2000)- Ignis swipes at the opponent with an attack that hits twice. The second hit vacuums in the opponent a small bit. Keeps the opponent blocking and in place for a good amount of time. Also has super armor.

4D (1000)- Ignis turns her hands into needles and pokes them into the air. Has great range and is a very good anti-air. Is air-unblockable and allows for combos on counter hit. Also used for resets and combos in the corner.

j.2D/j.6D/j.8D (1000)- Ignis flies in the direction pressed (2 makes her go diagonally down, 6 makes her go straight horizontally, and 8 makes her go diagonally upward). j.2D is a good jump in that you can bait anti-airs with. j.6D is a good pressure tool from afar as well as a good anti-air. j.8D is mostly used in combos to continue the combo after a j.C.

Throws B+C, 4B+C, j.B+C- Relius uses his robotic hand to grab and slam the opponent. All of his throws can be followed up with for a small combo.

Counter Assault 6A+B during blockstun- Same animation as 5C. You will be using this a lot due to Relius’s poor defensive skills.

III. Special Moves

All special moves involving Ignis have the gauge usage in parenthesis, the first number being if Ignis is summoned and the second being if Ignis is unsummoned. If there is only one number there is no difference between the two.

Ignis can also be controlled by any of her special moves upon floating back from a different one.

Led Ley 236A- Relius spins around in a matador –like fashion. This move has invincibility from frame 1, but do to its vulnerable frames of recovery it isn’t a move you want to use on its own or as a reversal, especially since you can be thrown out of it. Mostly used to bait out moves during pressure as well as cause mix-ups since it can cause Relius to pass through opponents if he has momentum. Also if Ignis is summoned can be used while blocking and then use Ignis to hit the opponent.

Id Lauger 236C- Relius summons a giant fist from the floor that launches the opponent away from him. Has one follow-up. Should only be used in combos. Main ground combo ender with its follow up.

~Id Haas 214A (1000)- Ignis teleports in front of the opponent and takes the form as a buzz saw to hurt them. The only follow up to the ground version of Id Lauger. Used in corner combos due to its sliding property.

Air Id Lauger j.236C- Relius summons a giant fist to attack diagonally upward. Used in air combos midscreen as a combo ender. Used in corner combos to extend the combo. Has two follow ups.

~Id Haas j.214A (1000)- Ignis teleports in front of the opponent and takes the form as a buzz saw to hurt them. Used in corner combos due to its sliding property.

~Id Naiads j.214B (1000)- Ignis teleports above the opponent and takes the form of a drill to drill them towards the ground. Hits more times the higher up the opponent is. A common combo ender in both midscreen and corner combos. Able to combo off of in the corner if used high enough.

Val Lanto 214A (2000, 3000)- Ignis turns into a buzz saw and rush towards the opponent. A good way to pressure the opponent due to the large space it occupies. Also a good way to nullify projectiles. Primary way to get Ignis across the screen to pressure from afar.

Val Lyra 214B (1500, 3000)- Ignis teleports behind the opponent and slices at them once. Good oki tool after knockdown to cause them to block. Also good move fullscreen to catch zoners off guard.

Val Tus 214C (1500, 3000)- Ignis slides forward and does a dancing-like 3 hit attack. A very good oki and pressure tool due to the long time it keeps the opponent in blockstun. Leads to insane damage anywhere. Breaks one guard primer.

Bel Lafino j.214B (1500, 3000)- Ignis teleports in front of Relius and drills towards the floor. Not really used in any situation besides in odd situations where you need to summon Ignis. Breaks one guard primer.

Geara Act 236D (1500, 3500)- Ignis turns her hand into a small energy ball and rolls it forward and then it returns. This attack hits multiple times, with the first hit being a low hit and the rest being mids. This is mostly used in unblockable situations combined with a jumping attack to create a pseudo-unblockable.

Geara Nose 214D (1500, 3500)- Ignis coils diagonally up back and then lunges forward towards the ground. Hits high. Not uses much due to its slow start up. Can also be used in pseudo-unblockables with a low hit from Relius. Causes bounce on hit.

IV. Distortion Drives

Ignis gauge usage values are once again in the parenthesis.

Req Vinum 632146C- Relius slams his hands on the ground and creates a bunch of gears that ensnare the opponent. This DD has some invincibility so it is your go-to reversal super. It has a poor vertical hitbox however so be careful when using it. On hit can set up a combo or pseudo-unblockable.

Vol Tedo 632146D (1000)- Ignis lunges forward and grabs the opponent (not a command grab) in an orb and fires them off. This is a staple combo ender for around 1K more damage. Also can catch opponents from half screen away for whiffing something.

Duo Bios 236236D (1500)- Ignis moves forward and does a series of punches. Use when you know the opponent will block it such as during a blockstring or on wakeup (for neutral tech). Once blocking jump over and back and so forth over them to do infinite mixups while they block the Ignis punches. Also can do high-low mixups during it as well. Careful though since some characters can get out of it or clash their way through it.

Astral- The Puppeteer’s Altar 214214D (Entire Gauge on SuperFlash)- Ignis appears in front of Relius and swipes the air in an attempt to catch the opponent. Relius’s astral is unique in that it is different for every character he uses it on. There are a few different ways to combo into it but that won’t be discussed here.

V. Basic Game Plan

So you’ve read through all the moves, and now you’re ready to start learning how to use these moves inside of an actual match. A lot of your gameplan will revolve around keeping Ignis safe and using her to her strongest ability to help you mix up the opponent and then do damage when you finally get a hit in. So let’s break apart the gameplan into different sections:

i. How To Get Ignis Summoned

ii. What To Do Full Screen With Ignis Summoned

iii. What To Do Close Up With Ignis Summoned

iv. How To Desummon Ignis Safely

v. What To Do If Ignis Is Recovering/Disabled

vi. What To Do On Defense

i. How To Get Ignis Summoned

This should be your main goal at the start of the match, because when Ignis is summoned you are at the best Relius can be and can do the most to pressure your opponent. To do this you may want to jump back and airdash into j.5D at the start of the round and then continue on your way. You could as 214A at the start of the match and try to begin pressure that way. If you are in the middle of the match and need to get Ignis summoned however, try to find a way out and dash away to summon her, or you could always use one of her specials to manually summon her while also beginning the start of your pressure.

ii. What To Do Full Screen With Ignis Summoned

At full screen Relius can’t do much, so here your goal should be to create a safe opening with Ignis to allow Relius to dash in and start your close range game. To do this, you are going to want to use 214A or 214B to send Ignis to the other side of the screen, and once she is done with that move use another move to push her forward or pressure the opponent, and here you have a few options. If the opponent is just sitting there you can 2D or 214C to keep them in place and then dash in with Relius. You could also use 6D if you need a quick hit to stop them from doing something. If they begin to try to jump over Ignis knock them out of the sky with 4D and the air Ignis normals, using airdashes to get ever closer.

iii. What To Do Close Up With Ignis Summoned

Up close with Ignis summoned is where you want to be, this is where Relius is at his best and where you can really start to dish out damage. You’re going to want to start forcing the opponent to block your Relius attacks while make the mixups safe with Ignis. Creating frametraps during this time is also essential and more of these blockstrings and mix-ups and the combos they lead into will be detailed in a later section.

iv. How to Desummon Ignis Safely

If Ignis is getting low on meter, you’re going to need to desummon her so she can charge back up and start helping you again. An easy way is to simply 5D after a knockdown and then create some space between you and your opponent so it’s almost like the start of the match again. If you are pressuring your opponent and he has not been hit then make them block a 3C and cancel it into a jump into an air-backdash into j.5D and you are once again back at neutral. These are just a few ways to safely desummon her but there are plenty more as well!

v. What To Do If Ignis Is Recovering/Disabled

If you are waiting for Ignis to recharge, what should you do? A lot of Relius’s moves are multihitting (such as 5C and j.A) so make them black those to waste time. Generally playing run away works as well, but doing super safe blockstrings that end in Relius dashing away help to waste time so that Ignis can recharge.

vi. What To Do On Defense

Defense is one of Relius’s main faults, with no real reversal and no extremely fast pokes; he’s kind of out of luck. You’re going to want to save some of your meter for counter assaults, since this is one of you only ways out of pressure. You could try and do a reversal Req Vinum but that doesn’t always work, and more often than not you are going to look for holes in their pressure so that you can escape.

VI. Blockstrings and Mix-Ups

How Relius’s pressure works is Relius does a few moves and then Ignis “links” them with a 6D or 2D. So a few of Relius’s blockstrings are:

5B>2B>3C

5B>3c

5B>66>Throw

5B/2B>6A

2B>6A

And so on and so forth. There are many many many more than this, and this is just a super simplified version of how his blockstrings work, but that is the basic gist of it. In between these you want to be doing 6D where you will be dashing in to do a different string of blocking.

Once you get used to those, you can start creating your own and then start doing the 3C jump cancel strings, which look like:

5B>2B>3C>JumpCanceland6D>AirDashForward>j.B>j.C

This is just one example, and you really want to make sure that you are able to do the jump cancel and the 6D at the same time and get them both to come out. Once you get used to that you can start throwing in empty jumps as well as 236A shenanigans along with throws and such.

This is really simplified, but it gives a basic idea of his blockstings, and a good idea would be to watch video to get an idea of other ways to mix-up the opponent and how other players use Relius to apply pressure.

VII. Beginner Combos

Here are some combos to start you off, and I’ve included multiple starts to the combos as well as their damage and heat gain so you can choose which you want to learn and use based on damage/heat vs. ease of doing, as well as the situation they call for.

Midscreen:

5A>5B>5C(2)>236C~214A 1683 DMG 14 HEAT

5B>6B>5C(2)>j.B>dj.B>j.C>j.236C~j.214B 2875 DMG 21 HEAT

6A>236C~214A 1659 DMG 10 HEAT

6A>6D>5B>2B>236C~214A 2086 DMG 16 HEAT

Throw>236C~214A 2067 DMG 13 HEAT

Corner:

5B>5C>236C~214A>66>5B>6B>j.B>dj.B>j.C>j.236C~j.214B 3613 DMG 33 HEAT

So those are some very basic and beginner combos and there are too many of them here, but this is just a beginner tutorial anyway so just practice those to get started and eventually you’ll be able to start doing the higher level stuff that requires more execution.

VIII. How to Put it All Together and Get Playing

Well, that all I have for you right now! But where can you go from here? From here you should go into training mode with Relius and practice a lot of these techniques so that they become muscle memory and you are just able to do them. Then, I would advise you go to the PSN and XBL matchmaking boards and see if anyone around your skill level wants to play and do a couple rounds with your new found Relius abilities.

Once you get used to all the stuff I’ve mentioned here, I would advise you to look at the Relius combo threads and see what new combos you can learn, as well as taking a look at match videos and the general forum so that you can improve your game overall and become a stronger player!

Well this is the end! Thank you so much for giving this a read, and I hope you have a ton of fun with Relius! I hope to see all of you playing him in CP! ^_^

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