GGST/I-No/Strategy

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 I-No




General Strategies

Round Start Options

From round start distance, I-No can either play it safe, or use her varied tools to enforce an RPS with high reward if she guesses correctly. Depending on the matchup, 2H, 2S, 6H, microwalk back f.S, 2S, hoverdash j.S/H, j.236K/S or TK j.236H can all find usage to call out her opponents' round start options. Generally, though, it's best to play it safe by walking back and observing what your opponent does first. Even from a little further out, I-No's disjoints and movement are great at controlling the pace of the round from the very beginning. It generally helps to know your opponent's round start options and how to beat them, however, so take care to learn these by matchup.

Movement

I-No's most unique ability in Guilty Gear Strive is her movement, allowing her to get off the ground easily and use overheads. This comes in the form of her Hoverdash and Sultry Performance. Her forward-dash floats her into the air at an acute angle, as though she is hovering slowly above the ground. Opponents get naturally overwhelmed if the very act of moving forward puts her in the air. Thus her nature as a mix-up heavy character. That aside, she also has some air and air-to-ground dashes in the form of a special known as Sultry Performance. Sultry performance is an attack that lunges I-No forward in a quick thrust, in an angle that depends on which button is pressed. She can either attack towards the ground at 30 Degrees j.236K or 60 Degree angles j.236S (measured clockwise), or attack parallel to the ground j.236H. This allows her to effectively travel all over the screen.

Tension Usage

Though I-No has some of the most fantastic meter dumps in the game with two amazing supers and plenty of great uses for PRC and RRC, it's offset by her weaker-than-average meter gain. Using the tension you do get is key to playing her well and understanding when to take meter gain over oki.

Purple/Red RC

Generally used to extend pressure or to force your way in. With 50 meter Sultry Performance goes from a low-reward divekick which is safe on block, to a neutral-skipping tool that allows I-No to go straight into her offense without an explicit mistake from her opponent. Extremely hard to anti-air, the counterplay to I-No's dives is usually to try to make them whiff altogether, and it doesn't work if it's PRC/RRC'd. The same applies to 236S; where its fast startup and low profile is usually balanced out by it being fairly punishable on block and its low reward on normal hit. With 50 meter it allows I-No to start or continue pressure on block, or convert fully on hit.

PRC can also be used in conjunction with Chemical Love in matchups where it's generally useful, allowing I-No to cover space and threaten multiple angles at once, while substantially improving its reward on hit compared to using it meterlessly. Generally, I-No doesn't want to use RRC or PRC for combos as her metered combo extensions are generally low-damage and may take away the chance to break the Wall for a HKD by a super which giving up her oki. However, using them to extend combos from starters that would normally not lead to good knockdowns isn't bad. Similarly, as I-No's meterless mixup is already extremely potent, using BRC or PRC for a stronger mixup isn't a very common tactic, though such mixups do exist.

Yellow RC

Universal guard cancel that leaves you +10. The number is a little too low for I-No to go for a high.

Ultimate Fortissimo

Grounded, 632146S is an invulnerable metered reversal boasting good speed and damage, and it can be used to pull I-No out of a jam on defense. It's main use, however, is as a finisher in corner combos, as in that context it allows I-No to continue her offense even after a wallbreak.

Airborne, j.632146S has no invulnerability but is much more versatile overall. A projectile that hits in a huge radius around I-No with good damage and incredible advantage on block, it can be used to trade with anti-airs, to force your way in with an absurd amount of plus frames, or to force a safe mixup from any air normal. That last point is especially important when it comes to j.D mixups as using Ultimate Fortissimo after j.D will both grant good reward for hitting the mixup and a second chance at opening your opponent up if they block it. No confirm needed!

There is a way to get the airborne version from grounded hits by kara cancelling 214K into j.632146S with an input looking like 632146K~S. This allows for a mixup similar to using a Roman Cancel but with the added benefit of increasing the R.I.S.C gauge and more plus frames if you can do the technique correctly.

Some other kara cancelling are cancelling a divekick followup into j.632146S. This isn't a true kara cancelling because the input looks like this 632146 K/H+S. Same benefits as the other kara cancelling j.632146S.

Megalomania

It's a command throw that does a lot of damage. Great for closing out rounds. Generally better if it can wallbreak but it can wallbreak all the way from midscreen. Silly move, just press it.

Neutral

Mid Range / Footsies

The range where I-No is generally most comfortable. At mid-range, she can threaten almost every one of her moves effectively. 236S/H have obvious use in low profiling useful pokes, and hoverdash complements those normals by high profiling buttons that catch them. However, I-No doesn't need to use those moves to get in, as the threat of them is enough to shake up their opponents' playstyle, and she has some of the best mid-range buttons in the game. Her S buttons are both excellent in their own right. f.S is almost completely disjointed and hits extremely far, while 2S, though it sports less range and is not disjointed, is much quicker to start up and recover than its standing counterpart while still having good range.


Normals
On hit, you'll usually want to buffer 5H behind these normals if you're close enough, as on hit it will lead to a combo and knockdown with 236H, and on block it will frame trap for high reward. 5H is also significantly safer on block than either of her midrange S buttons.


Normals

I-No's H buttons are a little unusual compared to the rest of the cast's.

These normals, accompanied by I-No's excellent movement with Stroke the Big Tree, her airdashes, and Sultry Performance, allow I-No to play a very calculated and safe midrange that she can abandon at any time to transition into a fast-paced, oppressive approach. Playing neutral against I-No can be one of the most demanding tasks in the game for a lot of characters.


  • IMPORTANT NOTE: Using I-No's high and low profile moves to constantly coin-flip her way into winning neutral exchanges. IS NOT AN ADVISABLE PLAYSTYLE. I-No has lower-than-average health and often the punish for guessing wrong on your approach is much more brutal than what you'd get if you successfully gamble your way in. Hoverdash and Stroke the Big Tree approaches are still valuable and should be used, but only if you have a good understanding of your opponents' habits, and must still be used sparingly.

Close Range / Brawling

I-No is pretty good in close range scrambles.

Close Range

I-No can also, of course, go for a short hoverdash into an overhead in these situations. However this is ill-advised as almost any normal will catch hoverdash in its startup. It should only be used if you have the initiative, and your opponent has demonstrated they'll somewhat respect your other options.

Long Range / Zoning

I-No has two specials that seem prime for her long-range game: Chemical LoveGGST I-No Chemical Love.pngGuardAllStartup11Recovery22Advantage-9, and Antidepressant ScaleGGST I-No Antidepressant Scale.pngGuardAllStartup29RecoveryTotal 51Advantage-8. Both are projectiles but they serve very different functions from matchup to matchup.

Chemical Love serves as a low-reward poke that is nevertheless almost completely disjointed, and reaches near-fullscreen. Its main weakness is how easy it is to low profile - any character with a run can avoid it completely simply by holding the dash macro. Don't be fooled, however - 214K is essential to I-No's kit. Though it's universally avoidable through a run, committing to a long-range run up button against I-No is extremely dangerous due to her disjointed pokes, and must be done on a read rather than reaction. This makes Chemical Love especially potent against characters such as  Anji or  Goldlewis, who have options they'd want to use at Chemical Love's max range that would be stuffed by the quick projectile.

Antidepressant Scale seems almost the opposite. It's slow to come out and slow to travel, but no matter whether your opponent blocks or gets hit, you're in a great position. The ability to control its vertical position can also allow I-No to lock off strips of the stage and make her opponents' movement more linear. However, its extremely slow startup and recovery can allow opponents to punish from many ranges, and it's near-useless against high-mobility characters such as  Millia,  Gio or  Chipp. Antidepressant Scale is best used in matchups against characters with poor movement or poor fullscreen options like  Pot,  Goldlewis and  Nago at high blood.

The effectiveness of I-No's projectiles varies greatly from matchup to matchup, just like most of her other tools. Generally, though, it's more effective to try and get into the midrange than to play far out.

Anti-Air

I-No's 6P stands out as one of the best in the game, with great range, reward, startup, and recovery. Most air approaches can be taken care off simply by varying its timing. However, in situations where you might not feel confident in 6P's speed, 5P also functions well if they're close enough. As a hard callout, 6H, despite being very slow, is also a disjoint that hits directly above I-No's head, and has great reward on counter hit. To mess with people trying to be cheeky with air options that alter their momentum, air throwing or j.P make for great air-to-airs. j.H can also function as an air-to-air, but has to be done preemptively due to how slow it is.

To catch characters like  May,  Ramlethal or  Ky who like to jump back and use their air normals to stuff people running up on them, using 236H to low profile the normal and get in, if well timed.

Okizeme

Antidepressant Scale

I-No is one of few characters to have Guilty Gear's "traditional" projectile okizeme in Strive, and hers is notable for being by far the most versatile. Though Antidepressant Scale may look slow at first glance, its range and speed are outstanding when compared to other okizeme projectiles, and it allows I-No to set up her infamous note oki from almost any hard knockdown A knockdown that forces the character into a prolonged knockdown state. After a hard knockdown, teching is disabled briefly, allowing the player who is on the offensive more time to set up a meaty, a mix-up, etc..

I-No's hard knockdowns come from her throws, landing either version of Ultimate Fortissimo, ending a combo with a grounded hit of 2D, or with an air hit of 236H. Her air throws do not grant her note oki, but she can set it up from any of the other knockdowns. On 2D knockdown, she needs to cancel into note slightly late in most situations, but for any of the other knockdowns I-No can simply buffer the projectile right as the move's recovery ends for the setup. On 236H she will need to TK note to make the note hit meaty, otherwise the opponenent can jump out of I-No pressure.

However, not every knockdown is a hard knockdown...

Meaties and Safejumps

With Strive's knockdown system, I-No often won't have enough advantage to set up a note. However, she can still continue her offense from a knockdown by chasing the opponent's recovery with a j.H/j.S, stuffing attempted jump outs, normals, throws, or even block a reversal DP. If she's close enough to her opponent, I-No can even time her hoverdash well to safejump. I-No can convert almost any combo into a safejump, with the exceptions being combos that end high in the air with j.H or j.236K/S, or combos that end with Chemical Love. Learning to cut off combos for oki and time the subsequent safejumps is a huge boon to your offense! Here are some common safejumps off different knockdowns to help get you started here.

Deciding Between Safejumps and Note

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Sideswap setup

Sideswap

From a hard knockdown, instead of setting up note oki, I-No can instead hoverdash over her opponent's head and perform a high/low with airdash back j.K or (whiff) j.H > land 2K. It's not as threatening as her usual okizeme, but it's useful for stealing the corner if you happen to hit a combo while cornered.

Mixups

I-No's hoverdash grants her the most potent high/low mixups in the game, and is the genesis of her overwhelming offense.

j.S

Your "default" pressure starter. You can cancel this into j.D for a second overhead that leaves a 3f gap, or land and hit 2K for a low. This forms I-No's most basic and safe high/low. Alternatively, you can forgo your high/low mix, and walk up to throw your opponent after they block this normal.

I-No can also perform an F-Shiki Sometimes known as "Fuzzy Overhead". When you are in blockstun, you can switch high/low blocking, but your blocking animation and hurtbox does not change until you leave blockstun or block another attack. F-Shikis take advantage of this and use overheads that would miss on crouching characters, but not on standing characters. by jump cancelling this normal and going straight into j.S or j.K. However, if they do not block the first j.S, it will whiff, and the combo you get afterward is generally low reward, but it can be an important tool to bring out once in a while.

j.K

A more dangerous option due to its lower blockstun, but j.K's lower pushback can also make it useful against opponents holding FD on wakeup. You can also take advantage of the lower blockstun and set up faster tick throws than you'd be able to with j.S

j.D

Raw j.D is slow, but that can be used to your advantage to break the fuzzy guard technique, or to catch opponents mashing fuzzy backdash during your safejump, or during note's blockstun.

Empty hoverdash

I-No can whiff j.P/j.H, or FD immediately after a hoverdash to land faster and go into a low or a throw. As most people will be blocking high on default this can catch opponents anticipating the j.D/2K mixup off guard.

Walk up 2K

Instead of another option for a low without hoverdashing. 2K is safer and more rewarding than 236S on hit, but it doesn't work from as far out.

j.P

An option to use when your opponent is blocking high by default. j.P is technically I-No's fastest hoverdash overhead, but whiffs on crouchers. However, it also has a unique self-gatling, allowing you to chain up to three overheads into a blockstring. Its low blockstun also makes it good for tick throws, meaning that if they block the first j.P, you can chain it twice and land into a low or a throw, don't chain any at all, or chain it three times for three overheads. This mixup is vulnerable to fuzzy throws, but I-No can bait it by airdash cancelling one of the j.Ps.

Pressure

I-No's pressure works a little differently from other characters in Strive. As she lacks a normal run and her walk is very slow, she can't go for throws nearly as easily as other characters. However, many of the general concepts still apply.

How to structure I-No offense

On knockdowns:

  • Safejump j.S/j.H - Beats low blocking, mashing, DP's and basically loses to nothing. Do the backdash OS to beat backdashes. Great mix afterwards if blocked. Can easily be fuzzy blocked. Don't always pick this option because your mix becomes weak and predictable.
  • Hoverdash Empty Low 2K - loses to DP. Can easily be Fuzzy blocked. Weak options afterwards if blocked.
  • Fuzzy Overhead j.D - Beats Fuzzy Blocking, loses to DP. Pretty weak on block.
  • Throw - Beats Fuzzy blocking and DP's. Loses to mashing, jumping and backdashes. Very punishable if the grab is whiffed. In my opinion this is the last resort if inital options aren't working.

After a blocked j.S/j.H:

  • Meaty Low 2K - True Blockstring, loses to nothing.
  • Overhead j.D - Loses to DP, and 6P. Use j.1D to beat backdashes.
  • Frame trap c.S - Gives more gatling options if blocked. Catches mashing.
  • (walk) Throw - May be more harder to tick throw if the j.S/j.H is FD.
  • Dash j.S - Reset, loses to mashing, DP.

After a blocked 2K:

  • 2D - Pretty safe Blockstring. Can be DPed out of.
  • 6H - Blockstring, riskier than 2D if blocked. (IB the 2nd hit of 6H gives the opponenet a easy punish)

After an blocked ender (2D , 5H, 6H, 2H, 2S, 6P)

  • 236S - Frame trap blockstring. Awful if blocked. RCing after being block this makes this safe.
  • 214S - Reset the pressure. Loses to mashing.
  • 236D - Reset the pressure without any risk.

Frame traps

After a hoverdash, frame trapping with 2K, c.S or 6H is the go-to option to establish respect. If they don't get hit you can continue frame trapping, either with 2D from 2K or 2S > 5H from c.S. If you've exhausted all your gatlings and they're still blocking, you can try to catch jumps or mashing with 236S, delaying it as necessary to account for blockstun or your opponent's habits. However, if they block 236S your turn should be up, so don't go for it everytime.

If you're willing to disrespect your opponent, you can try to jump back airdash to high profile their attempted punish after 236S and get a combo of your own. If they start anticipating this, you can low profile their attempted anti-air instead.

Resets

If you've noticed your opponent's respecting your frame traps, it's time for you to force them open. After landing from a hoverdash, quickly hoverdash again into j.S for another quick overhead. You can also do this from a low-recovery normal like 2K or c.S. You can also do IAD > j.S/j.K from c.S. 214S is another great reset that can be used off a frame trap like 5H, 6H, 2S and f.S. These resets are extremely difficult to react to and a lot of people will have to guess or mash if they don't want to get opened up.

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