< DNFD
Overview
Overview
Ghostblade is a unique space control character who fights alongside his Warrior Ghost counterpart. Using MS moves, Ghostblade can command the Ghost to attack independently from himself, making him a master of the neutral and whiff punish game, while also having options to attack and pressure in tandem with the Ghost for close range offense.
He can rule neutral by threatening high damage punishes via his long normals, and 5M
Guard:
AllStartup:
21Recovery:
Advantage:
-3(point blank), a fullscreen projectile which he can react to and hit confirm into 5M~M
Guard:
AllStartup:
Recovery:
Advantage:
-12 for a crumple on normal hit, starting high damage combos that reliably carry to the corner. Ghostblade can also effectively control the airspace with 6M
Guard:
AllStartup:
22Recovery:
Advantage:
+7, +45, netting a combo on a correct read, or otherwise putting him advantage, were the opponenet to block it on the ground. This is all tied together by 2M
Guard:
Startup:
19Recovery:
Advantage:
, a teleport that takes Ghostblade to his Ghost's current location in a moment's notice.
In pressure, Ghostblade makes use of 4M
Guard:
AllStartup:
40Recovery:
Advantage:
+ and j.M
Guard:
AllStartup:
34Recovery:
Advantage:
+39, +95 to mix up the opponent in between the Ghost's staggered attacks, threatening strike/throw mixups at any moment, mixing it up with tricky movement from his teleport to force mixups, bait attacks, or reset pressure. His combo routes also naturally lead into hard knockdowns that set up powerful Ghost-assisted safejumps into further mix ups.
Where Ghostblade tends to struggle is on defense; 2MGuard:
Startup:
19Recovery:
Advantage:
is not invulnerable on startup to make up for its great utility. This makes it so the opponent has more options to keep Ghostblade locked down on offense, and forces the player to think more carefully about when to take a chance and escape. In addition, Ghostblade lacks dedicated anti-airs besides highly committal and/or preemptive attacks in 5S
Guard:
AllStartup:
15Recovery:
16Advantage:
-20, 6MGuard:
AllStartup:
22Recovery:
Advantage:
+7, +45, or rising air normals, making it best to simply not engage in these situations.
If you enjoy a slippery neutral game that can transition into strong offense, and don't mind staying put on defense, Ghostblade might be the character you're looking for.
Ghostblade
 |
| Health |
| 950 |
| Guard Gauge |
| 1150 |
| MP Regen Rate |
| 12 /second |
| Prejump |
| F |
| Backdash |
| Fastest Attack |
| 2A (7F) |
| Reversals |
| None |
|
| |
| Pros | Cons |
|
|
Unique Mechanics
Unique Mechanic: Ghost
Ghostblade's MP Skills summon his soulbound Ghost onto the battlefield and have him attack in different ways. The Ghost can strike independently of Ghostblade, but it can also be attacked, disappearing instantly if struck by any attack, without absorbing the hit in the process.
Awakening Effect: 
Phantasmal Binity
Phantasmal BinityAwakening Effect: activates when entering Awakening mode at 30% HP or less.
Increases certain Statistics of the character.
- Increases damage dealt to opponents by 14%. (both red and white damage are increased).
- Increases Guard Damage.
- Increases Movement Speed.
Normal Moves
5A
Not very fast at 8 frames of startup, but covers a significant range to compensate. As it cannot be crouched and is relatively noncommittal, this normal is very useful in neutral, whether to apply pressure or as a whiff punish. Combo routes from it should be adjusted to account for its poor proration.
- Decent anti-air, if somewhat inconsistent.
- Being an A normal, it has a huge number of cancels on contact, including 5AA for catching rolls. This makes its -4 frame advantage more appealing than at first glance.
| Proration | On-Hit | Guard Damage | MP Gain | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60% | -1 |
5AA
Combo and blockstring filler. Slightly more negative than 5A but retains a huge amount of cancel options which makes it similarly scary. A whiff cancel option from 5A, making it great option to rollcatch after a corner throw.
| Proration | On-Hit | Guard Damage | MP Gain | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70% | -4 |
5B
Great poke with some forward movement, allowing it to hit from roundstart. Combos into 5MGuard:
AllStartup:
21Recovery:
Advantage:
-3(point blank) on regular hit at any range, allowing for a full combo when doing the followup.
- Generally undesirable as combo filler outside of confirming from A normals, as 2B has better followups in most scenarios and may whiff if cancelled into due to this move having more range than it.
| Proration | On-Hit | Guard Damage | MP Gain | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 75% | -3 |
2A
Ghostblade's fastest low. Its startup makes it difficult to use for abare, but similarly to 5A, it has great range that allows it to punish attacks that would otherwise be safe at certain spacings, allowing for a confirm into a full combo. Should not be used for neutral, however, as 5A is only one frame slower while having better range and still hitting crouchers, though 2A can catch low slides.
- Similarly to its standing cousin, it can be scary to challenge due to the large amount of cancel options despite its poor frame advantage.
| Proration | On-Hit | Guard Damage | MP Gain | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60% | -4 |
2B
Combos into 4S
Guard:
AllStartup:
22Recovery:
37Advantage:
-15 on air hit if the opponent is high enough and scaling isn't too severe; as a result, it's one of Ghostblade's most important combo filler normals, though unfortunately not fit for use in neutral due to having barely more range than 2A and more recovery.
- Similarly to most 2Bs, this move launches on hit. On counterhit, it gives a hard knockdown.
| Proration | On-Hit | Guard Damage | MP Gain | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70% | KD |
j.A
Quick horizontal slash. Great air-to-air and the closest thing Ghostblade has to an anti-air (aside from 5A). Chainable to j.B which can lead into j.S for a combo on air connect.
| Proration | On-Hit | Guard Damage | MP Gain | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70% |
j.B
Strong air button for jump-ins and air-to-air combos. Its vertical hitbox is much deeper than j.A, though it has slightly more landing recovery, making it less preferable in some safejumps.
- Hits some crouched characters when done rising. Make sure to do it outside of blockstun to avoid the anti-fuzzy protection.
- Rising j.B hits: Vanguard, Crusader, Hitman, Lost Warrior
- Hits standing opponents universally on the way up, which makes it useful as a throw tech bait.
| Proration | On-Hit | Guard Damage | MP Gain | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 75% |
Universal Mechanics
Throw
A+B
- DNFD Ghostblade AB Hitbox.png
The crux of Ghostblade's mixup. The throw itself is unremarkable and not even very threatening, but the abundance of situations where Ghostblade can force a mixup make it a strong tool nontheless, and Ghostblade also posesses damaging routes to punish someone looking to tech this. Unlike most characters, Ghostblade doesn't really mind sending the opponent away with a midscreen throw, since he's still very powerful at that range. As for the corner, the most stable post-throw option is 5A while inputting 5B, and holding block. This will whiff against several reversals while remaining safe, starting pressure, score a combo against abare attempts, and even catch jumps or rolls. Even if the opponent chooses to block, Ghostblade gets to maintain pressure.
- When setting up 4M
Guard:
AllStartup:
40Recovery:
Advantage:
+ in the corner, the opponent can be thrown before the first hit comes out, which will dump them into the third hit of the Ghost's attack, enabling a combo off of throw.
| Proration | On-Hit | Guard Damage | MP Gain | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0% | HKD(+3) |
Guard Cancel
6B+S
This basically never whiffs
- DNFD Ghostblade 6BS Hitbox.png
Ghostblade does not possess an invincible reversal, which makes the universal Guard Cancel very important for him. It uses 2S
Guard:
AllStartup:
23Recovery:
13Advantage:
-3's hitboxes, giving it extremely long range, and is highly unlikely to whiff unless hard baited. While this is very expensive for someone as meter-reliant as Ghostblade, this is still pretty much the best Guard Cancel in the game considering the massive hitbox and the frame advantage afterwards.
| Proration | On-Hit | Guard Damage | MP Gain | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0% | 0 |
Skills
Ultimate Phantom Slash
5S
Keep Swingin', I'm Sure I'll Hit Something
Slashes four times in a wide horizontal area around the Ghostblade, with a short pause before the final swing. While 5S is very unsafe on block, the threat of cancelling into other moves can make opponents afraid to challenge it. 5M, 6M, and 4M are all safe cancels after this move, with options to catch a roll or other defensive options. 4S is also a cancel option, which leads into that move's similar stagger situation that can be risky to challenge. Make sure to not run out of meter when using this move, or you'll have no safe followups.
5S > 4S is a central meterless combo route for Ghostblade, and a core way to convert into a combo when you lack the mana for 5M~5M's crumple. The final hit launches and naturally combos, but 2B > 5S(2) > 4S also works for less scaling and more consistency at different ranges. 6SSS can also work in long-range conversions, especially useful when you have no meter to convert a hit that would otherwise drop.
| Proration | On-Hit | Guard Damage | MP Gain | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80%×4 | KD |
Spectral Eradication
2S
Do NOT get counterhit by this
A massive horizontal slash that reaches a little more than half the screen. Cancellable to 2MS on hit or block. Has no true strings into it.
Very strong, long ranging poke that is barely - on block, but punishable if made whiff preemptively with a roll or jump. With good knowledge of the opponent's options and tendencies, 2S is a strong option to fish for hits with, especially considering that it's possible to confirm into a full combo with the cancel to 2M. Even if 2S gets blocked, an instant cancel to teleport is still +1, which lets you restart pressure against many characters from up close. On top of that, the move is completeletly safe from roll into a punish in cancels from B normals, but can be delayed if someone is eager to mash roll and claim their turn, leading to a big damage combo. 2S is also your single best starter on counterhit, which makes it especially rewarding as a frametrap to punish mashing.
An absolutely vital combo tool in the corner, as it gives way to damaging and meter-efficient combo enders. Thanks to its recovery, most aerial hits of 2S can link into another, and sometimes even a third one, depending on the opponent's character, while still setting up for a 2B > 4S ender, leading to a safejump. This makes Ghostblade's corner combos very beneficial for his meter economy, while also setting up his strong okizeme.
| Proration | On-Hit | Guard Damage | MP Gain | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80% | +10 |
Drive Slash
6S 
Temporarily invincible against projectile property attacks 
Temporarily invincible against throws
Guard button check, whiff punish tool, and game thrower
Just finish the rekka, please
Pretty bad knockdown, but can be salvaged with meter
A dashing 3-hit rekkaA series of special attacks that are only available after the first one is performed. that can only chain into subsequent strikes on hit. Has unique properties on its individual hits, though all of them are generally similar. Combo starter and ender that leads into Awakeneing Skill.
- 6S
The first hit. Has brief projectile invincibility. Very fast for its range but in exchange it's rarely not punishable on block or if no followups are input on hit. Is a crossup but can whiff at close ranges. Has great synergy with Conversion and j.M/4M, which make it a safe tool to enforce guard bar usage and give way to strike/throw mixups. Cancels into Awakening skill.
- Using Conversion makes this move a 15 frame, half screen lunge attack that immediately lets you start offense, which makes you very threatening after getting thrown or getting out of offense.
- Time the 6S between the two attacks of j.M to get a safe guard button check.
- Stay close to the opponent before the first hit of 4M to make 6S whiff and you'll be safe in way that can even give you your turn, while checking for guard button usage.
- 6S~S
Identical to the first hit, but is guaranteed to hit if the first one has already landed, and not available otherwise. As such its uses are extremely limited and it's rarely, if ever, worth stopping here.
- 6S~S~S
Sends the opponent into a soft knockdown, securing miniscule frame advantage depending on the height of the hit. Cancellable into any MS move, making it a good tool to convert long range hits into combos for cheaper, or give yourself time to recover meter in your regular routes. A reliable ender in juggles, but has an awkward tendency to fall out in grounded confirms with highly prorated hitstun. Can once again be cancelled into Awakening Skill.
- Provides a slightly better knockdown than the other two attacks, nearly eliminating any reason to end in those ones, even in juggles.
- Doing IASInstant Air Special
Conceptually includes Tiger KneePerforming a special as soon as possible after becoming airborne. Usually, but not always, involves an input trick.
For Example: 2369S for a j.236S input. j.M j.A will allow for a very quick safejump, but when and against who it's possible depends on the juggle height.
| Version | Proration | On-Hit | Guard Damage | MP Gain | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6S | 70% | -13 | |||
| 6S~S | 80% | -13 | |||
| 6S~S~S | 80% | KD |
- Throw and projectile invuln from frame 7 to frame 15
Soul Strike
4S 
Inflicts hard knockdown on hit 
Can hit a knocked down opponent off the ground
The Safejump King
A massive downward slash that can be cancelled into MS moves. Useful in pressure as a highly threatening tool to keep people from mindlessly rolling the gap it leaves after any hit it's cancelled into from, but heavily whiff punishable if the opponent takes the risk and guesses right. Despite the hilarious disadvantage on block, it's pretty scary to punish due to the potential followups. Inflicts a huge amount of blockstun, so cancelling it into 4M lets you recover before the opponent, which makes this a sequence pressure reset. A cancel into 2M also leaves you up to +5(?).
In combos, options and routes depend on height:
Higher connects can be followed with 236MSGuard:
AllStartup:
22Recovery:
Advantage:
+7, +45, and 214MSGuard:
AllStartup:
40Recovery:
Advantage:
+'s ability to hit OTG makes it a consistent followup at any height, and a key part of most combos. Any 4S ender can lead to safejumps, but timing can vary. High hits require the safejump to be delayed, whereas grounded or low air hits guarantee it by simply holding 9 after the ender and using j.A or j.B as your meaty.
| Proration | On-Hit | Guard Damage | MP Gain | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80% | HKD |
Cross Slash
j.S 
Overhead attack. Must be guarded standing Can hit a knocked down opponent off the ground
Reactable
My Turn
Downwards midair slash that halts air momentum and launches on hit. Risky in pressure due to its sluggish startup which makes it heavily counterable if used as a divekick, regardless its guard bar damage is nothing to be ashamed of, same for the frame advantage it leaves you with. Used during 214MSGuard:
AllStartup:
40Recovery:
Advantage:
+ loops to extend combos. Can be cancelled into from air normals, which is very useful as Ghostblade relies on rising j.A as his Anti-Air due to lacking a grounded one. This leads to a full combo on hit with j.A > j.B > j.S.
- Cancels into grounded MS moves.
- Only hits once if used as an IASInstant Air Special
Conceptually includes Tiger KneePerforming a special as soon as possible after becoming airborne. Usually, but not always, involves an input trick.
For Example: 2369S for a j.236S input.. This still leads to a combo.
| Proration | On-Hit | Guard Damage | MP Gain | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80%×2 | KD |
MP Skills
Ghost - Single Strike
5M 
5M is a projectile attack Dyad: Soul Cross forces a hard knockdown on hit
First active frame
Traveling frames
Followup
- 5M
Sends the ghost fullscreen as a projectile. Can be followed up by Dyad: Soul Cross. Good neutral tool, fast enough to whiff punish some moves on reaction at full screen. Also makes for a strong and safe frame trap from pressure tools. The only move it is a true blockstring from is 4SGuard:
AllStartup:
22Recovery:
37Advantage:
-15, which itself has no true strings into. Is always safe and becomes up to +3 at max range.
- Cancelable into 623M
Guard:
Startup:
19Recovery:
Advantage:
and 5M~M
Guard:
AllStartup:
Recovery:
Advantage:
-12.- 623M cancel is safe and can be plus at max range. Also sideswaps at close range.
- In addition to being an excellent whiff punish tool, combined with the followup this move is Ghostblade's most rewarding combo starter.
- 5M~5M
The Ghostblade very quickly rushes to the Ghost's destination, where they both attack the enemy simultaneously. If opponents start acting immediately after 5M, this is a risky but rewarding way to abuse that habit, as the move is massively unsafe, although it is cancelable into 2M, putting you at a safe distance and cutting the huge recovery, albeit at a high price. As it crumples on hit, Ghostblade can confirm 5M hits and use this move on reaction for a full combo from very far away. This property also makes it a reliable tool for confirming pokes like 5B.
| Version | Proration | On-Hit | Guard Damage | MP Gain | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5M | 90% | +16 | |||
| 5M~5M | 90%×2 | Crumple |
Ghost Retracer
2M or 623M 
Temporarily fully invincible
Teleports the Ghostblade a set distance forwards. Despite sharing an input commonly reserved for invincible reversals, the move has very little invincibility and it is not in the early frames. This makes the move harder to properly use than other reversals, but has incredible utility to make up for it.
In neutral, this is probably your best "anti-air", but the reward is obviously non-existent. Can be used preemptively to make ground pokes whiff, then punish them, but even if the opponent doesn't use any, it's not very easy to punish this move on reaction.
Spotting or reading adequate gaps in the opponent's offense and using 2M to escape can lead to whiff punishes or turn-steals that a regular roll simply cannot give you. This becomes especially potent when in the corner, where a single mistake by the opponent can lead to them losing their turn and having to endure Ghostblade's strong offense.
- Can also be used to bait Guard Cancels with the displacement or brief invincibility.
Additionally, when done while the Ghost is active from other MS moves, the teleport's destination will be the Ghost's current location, which can include mid-air positions from 6MGuard:
AllStartup:
22Recovery:
Advantage:
+7, +45 or j.MGuard:
AllStartup:
34Recovery:
Advantage:
+39, +95.
| Version | Proration | On-Hit | Guard Damage | MP Gain | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 623M |
Ghost: Sky Slash
6M or 236M Is a projectile property attack Inflicts hard knockdown on hit
First active frame
Last active frame of ascent
First active frame of descent
Last active frame
Launches the Ghost forward into the air at roughly a 30 degree angle, then comes back on the same path back to the Ghostblade, striking once on launch and once on return. Leaves Ghostblade at advantage even on the first hit. The angle the Ghost launches at is great at stopping opponents from jumping at midscreen or farther and can be converted into a combo.
- Second hit will often whiff on crouching opponents and in the corner, but Ghostblade will still be plus enough to keep his turn.
- There is enough of a gap between the two hits to time a throw.
- The second hit slams the opponent into a soft knockdown very quickly, which can make comboing from this move difficult, but not impossible, with moves like 2S, 4S, or 2B
| Version | Proration | On-Hit | Guard Damage | MP Gain | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 236M | 85%×2 | KD |
Ghost: Phantom Wind
4M or 214M Is a projectile property attack Can hit a knocked down opponent off the ground
First hit
Second hit
Third hit
Summons the Ghost to move forward and attack with 3 greatly staggered slashes. The Ghostblade can move and attack freely while the Ghost is out. Hits OTGThe act of hitting the opponent when they are knocked down. Short for "off the ground" or "on the ground." to launch knocked down opponents back into the air for extended combos, which is used in a lot of Ghostblade's routes.
There is a gap between each hit where Ghostblade can throw the opponent, and since this move catches jump attempts, they are forced to either reversal or tech the throw, both of which can be shimmy'd and punished for astronomical damage. If a throw is done before the first hit lands, the final hit will catch the opponent, letting you combo off of your throw in the corner, and removing all white life the opponent has from the throw and holding your offense. These routes are usually pretty low on damage on their own, however in Awakening, the threat of Awakening Skill means a potential extra 200 damage is waiting for the opponent if they get thrown like this.
| Version | Proration | On-Hit | Guard Damage | MP Gain | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 214M | 90%×3 | KD |
Ghost: Targeted Hit
j.M Is a projectile property attack Can hit a knocked down opponent off the ground
The Safejump Queen
Up you go!
Can whiff on SM, somehow
Quite large
Enormous
One of Ghostblade's most versatile moves. Summons the ghost after a delay, dealing a falling strike that inflicts a Hard Knockdown followed by an uppercut slash, launching the opponent; both hits hit OTG. While the first hit has a deadzone between Ghostblade and the Ghost, the second hit is absolutely massive, hitting everything in a gigantic bubble around the Ghost. Using it halts all air momentum and it also lets Ghostblade attack almost immediately after, which can help bait more committal anti-airs that whiff above a certain height and give safejumps in unlikely situations. Can be cancelled into from j.A and j.B which allows for repeated, if reactable, overheads to check the opponent's defense, as well as air-to-air conversions via j.A > j.B > j.M > j.B, where the Ghost slams, then relaunches the opponent for a regular grounded combo followup.
- In crumple routes from 5M~M or Counterhit 2S, using it as an IASInstant Air Special
Conceptually includes Tiger KneePerforming a special as soon as possible after becoming airborne. Usually, but not always, involves an input trick.
For Example: 2369S for a j.236S input. will grant enough time to fit a 2S between the two hits, giving a high launch and setting up for Ghostblade's most damaging combos. - Has a throwable window before and after the first hit, which is useful in safejump oki.
| Proration | On-Hit | Guard Damage | MP Gain | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90%×2 | KD |
Awakening Skill
Phantasmal Slayer
AS
Not as severe a trade-off as most other characters
Ghostblade's Awakening Skill. Good range, little below half screen, and has a surprising vertical hitbox, but Ghostblade's other neutral tools make its uses as one obsolete. Can be cancelled into from any S move or regular normal. The ability to hit OTG makes it a good ender after 4S, but can hit after any hit of 6S, sometimes even on grounded connect.
| Proration | On-Hit | Guard Damage | MP Gain | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90% | KD |
Colors
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 |
 |
C-Type Color (DFO) |
D-Type Color (DFO) | ||
 |
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B-Type Color (DFO) |
GhostbladeTo edit frame data, edit values in DNFD/Ghostblade/Data.
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