This page has been flagged for deletion.If you believe this is a mistake, contact the administration on Discord.
For now Dustloop will just host the starter guide written by xSolBadguy. You can find this guide at this URL as well: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jjse_T5Yg3dJlkLLoCk4ettEHHOqNj72SKwgpBiDrK4/edit.
These notes themselves also use information from the JP GG2 wiki which you can find both of Valentines pages in the link bellow:
JP Wiki Character Page: https://w-atwiki-jp.translate.goog/guiltygear2/pages/43.html?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp
JP Wiki Tribe Page: https://w-atwiki-jp.translate.goog/guiltygear2/pages/47.html?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp
Notes:
Good at fighting at long range. Can do strong combos, but weaker in master combat due to attack speed and reach. Also the master is fragile (lowest hp in the game) and has a slow blast drive, which can make escaping difficult. Wants to fight with servants, not on her own. Strong servant killing potential. Gains tension very quickly which allows her to use Brutus and MCs frequently. Excellent servants to fight along side of. Strong in large scale fights due to use of projectiles with large AOE/penetration, servant killing potential, and tension gain. Not the greatest choice among elite units due to their typing(Armor, Magic, Mobile, Range). Weak elite ranged unit. Not great compatibility among unit types in tribe. Good early game due to cheap units (Candy) and a relatively strong elite Armor unit. Very momentum based. A strong early game will lead to a strong late game and vice versa.
Not a bad master/tribe to pick by any means, but is more difficult than others. Need to be careful to not waste time with blast drive by running into walls, time management is important. Strong portable elites in Mille-feuille and Miss Tiramisu
Combos:
L4XXX > J8X > Sidestep > L4XXX(only the third hit) > J8X > JC > J8X > Ender
L4XXX > J8X > JC x 2 > Delay J8X > JC > J8X > Ender
XXX > MC (Land) > (insert any L4XXX combo)
(F)8X > JC > (delay if close, air dash if far) JX > J8X(MC 2nd hit)> J8X > JC > J8X > Ender
- Ender: Item or JC > J8X or Zest
Pressure up close with J8X, it seems very safe on block. Afterwards you can either dash away, side-step, or JC air dash into them with JX > JX > JX > J8X. Remember that the spinning move ender JX can combo into J8X. J8X just seems like a great move in general with how much you can JC and air dash around after it
Skills:
Zest:
MANA 180 CD 18s TG 10%
Hits 10 units max. 112 power, 225 damage to servants without defense buff. High recovery frames.
Kind of expensive purchase, but good value for the low amount of tension it takes. Lots of damage to a group of servants. Keeps units off of you to keep you safe. Decent for combos, useful for aerial tech chase if you bounce them off a nearby wall or something. semi-essential skill for Valentine. Bye bye
MANA 50 CD 15s TG 10%
Single-use. CD is before use (takes 15s before you can use it), needs to be purchase before you need it. Can be interrupted very very easily. Should not be used often, only really for emergency use when they have a ghost near your base or something but you want to pressure elsewhere on the map. Cheap at 50 MANA. Useful if you want to get back to your MG and recover HP and TG (operate the Organ while doing so) TG is required to use it Brownie Summon
MANA 120 CD 30s TG 10% Duration 60s
They counter attack when attacked. Useful in master battles. Debatably too expensive (can use mana on Candy instead and carry Candy in place of Brownies). Die instantly to dispel as opposed to carrying a Candy. Purchasing it can force the opponent to buy Dispel (but honestly Dispel is so common that you should always have on on hand anyway). Can be used similarly to a Scarecrow item versus servants (they’ll attack them instead of you). Good to use early on in any kind of engagement since they last so long and follow you wherever you go. Lots of opportunities to use the skill. Use it just before you go into the Organ due to its long duration and casting time.
Moves: (F)X(X),8X: Guard Crush setup Quick and can be hard to see coming (F)8X: 75 Dmg Can hit 5 units Guard Crush Best GC in the game, probably. Can JC into combos. Very wide range. Very long range. Long recovery, so if the opponent jumps over it or you miss, you may get punished. LXXX: 83 Dmg Basic combo Fast startup, but low reach. Can combo from MC at the end of the combo (into both ground combo or air combo). Can be useful to stuff opponents approach from close up. L4XXX: 82 Dmg Slightly slower startup than LX. High combo starter for no tension. Launches and automatically jumps on final hit. L8X: 75 Dmg Can hit 3 units Knocks enemy down for a long time. Can cancel on hit/block with jump, side-step, back step, special move. Slowish startup. Decent damage to the opponent’s guard. Valuable single shot damage. Useful for catching people jumping at you. Useful for getting people or units off the ground. Relatively risky in master battles due to the long recovery, but can be used if opponent is low life/close to guard crush. Very useful for GC L8X (MC) > L8X will GC
L6X: 120/150/225 Dmg (25 x n for spin) 450 damage to servants if hit with only the final hit with no defense buff and max charge. 4 spins for max charge, which guard crushes. This move max charge gives her some of the strongest servant killing potential. You want to hit multiple servants with the final move. Long recovery after the hit, so you either want to MC sometimes or go into the Organ. Use versus multiple units and slow units. Hitting with the spin on multiple units is a great way to get TG filled. Even versus one servant, if you hit with 8 hits you’ll recover 16% of TG and a total of 290 Dmg to that servant if no defense buff. Does lower damage the more spin hits land before the final hit. L2X: 45 Dmg Long reach Unusually high stun value. Useful for punishing side steps. Must side-step FL(Free Lock) to land versus stationary opponent or go Free mode and turn to the side. Can cancel on hit/block into side-step, jump, etc. Can combo L2X > Side step > L2X with proper spacing which will lead to stun. Can always combo L2X > MC > L2X.
J8X: 42 + 60 Dmg Can cancel into jump, side step, etc. Strong versus things that it won’t knock down like elite servants and MG (J8X > J8X > J8X). Tracks well horizontally can be good for pressure.
Special Moves:
Judas (Y): TG 4% 42 Dmg Can hit 3 units, penetrating projectile. Small Dmg but low TG cost. Check opponent for pushing buttons, stops them from moving. Slight homing. Vulnerable to jump-ins (use L8X or Zest to punish jump-ins).
Brutus (8Y): TG 15% 105 Dmg Hits up to 3 units. High Dmg, high TG cost. Decent vertical range, can catch low jump-ins/air dashes. Can be useful to pursuit people trying to run away and those far away with. Useful for punishing enemy master for ignoring you and attacking your servants. Good AOE dmg. Useful for knocking down master/units allowing you to focus on other units. Cassius (2Y): TG 5% 28 x 2 Dmg Penetrating, hits everything on the path to the target. Can create irregular paths by doing (FL)2Y with back facing opponent and then locking onto opponent.
Unravel the chain of Chiron (JY): TG 10% 48 x 3 Dmg Good damage to groups of servants. Can get many uses out of the move from a single jump by jumping/air dashing again afterwards.
Calvados (X+Y): TG 100% 78 x 6 Not as good for clearing units as one would hope for a move that takes 100% TG. Do not use very often. Game plan:
Early game, you mostly want to just mass produce Candy. Strong and cheap early game unit. You should be able to get out three stacks of Candy before you leave MG on any stage (you may have to wait for the third stack, but this is fine). Place Candy at critical locations to take ghosts away from the opponent and cut off their capture units, make sure you tell the Candy to hold position, this is of utmost importance or they will start walking away and do nothing. Valentine herself will need to deal with armor/ranged units since Candy do poorly versus them. Once you feel comfortable with the amount of units you have out, it’s a good time to start saving up for an elite. Usually this is around 1 minute left in the round. The go-to elite to get first is usually Charlotte, then Mille, then Miss Tiramisu. You can change this up and get Miss Tiramisu or Mille first vs Sol or Paradigm. Charlotte is not as good vs Sol and Miss Tiramisu is not as strong vs Valentine/Raven. You can prioritize Blancmange over elites by unlocking them first, but be aware that they die very quickly to the enemy master if left unattended. You often won’t have enough mana to spend on skills in the first round, but make sure to buy high cool down items like anti-rods before the round ends (the cooldown will be off by the start of the next round). You’ll also want to look at getting a Dispel at some point in the first round as they are incredibly useful. Rapid fire is also incredibly useful as LX > LX > RF forces the opponent to block your rapid fire while you run away. Important to remember at the start of the next round, units that you had “holding position” the previous round will return en-route to their assigned destination. You will need to give them new destinations (break them out of any group they’re in and tell them to go to the ghost you want them to defend or advance to). Mid-game, you’ll want to have Blancmange ready as the opponent starts producing elite units. This is also when you’ll start looking to buy skills and Zest will become more useful (as more enemy units will be clustered). You can also start buying Gateau and Blancmange to round out your army more. Since Candy are cheap, you can continue buying skills and items without too much restriction. Remember that Candy are the core of your army. For destroying the enemy MG, (L6X > MC > L6X > ~) is very strong and will kill the MG especially quick if it has no barrier. Capture cannon is always useful for pushing the enemy master ghost as it forces the enemy master to try to and destroy it or take a massive hit to the MG’s barrier. For defending your MG, if you’re often carrying around your elite units (Mille, Tiramisu, Eclair) then you’ll always be capable of having a strong defense at your MG (assuming the numbers aren’t too overwhelming). Bye bye is a very convenient skill to have on hand if you know the enemy has a large force near your MG, but remember it requires 10% TG and has a 15s cooldown when first purchased, so buy in advance and make sure you have tension. Keep in mind that the opponent can place landmines at your MG where you spawn. If you get caught by the enemy master, it’s important to not fight unless you have to. Ideally, you want to fight with servants around and not otherwise. Escaping is difficult, so look for a knockdown with L8X, (F)8X, 8Y, or L2X > L2X. Never try to blast drive away unless you get one of these hits, always do the short blast dash away first (be very careful not to run into a wall with this). She is strong in fights with units nearby though and has good clear, so don’t be too afraid of fighting, just make sure the odds and risk/reward are right. When in a fight near a ghost, make sure the enemy doesn’t take over the ghost and get the defense buff, or neutralize it if they do. You can use L6X in large scale fights if you have tension to MC because it does lots of damage to servants and guard breaks the opponent at max charge. Don’t do if the opponent too close, though. In master fights with servants around, it’s better to make sure there are servants between you and the enemy master. Lots of good projectiles to pressure the enemy master and hit enemy servants at the same time like Brutus (8Y). If Candy or another unit is forcing enemy master to guard, (F)8X is great to guard crush. Use lots of items, Candy are cheap. Operate the Organ during Brutus shooting animation. Items:
Valentine is a momentum based character, so it’s important to not fall behind. Purchasing items and using them well is a strong way to make up for mistakes and keep yourself from falling behind, as well as get further ahead. Because Candy are cheap, you can buy items without worrying too much about the MANA you’re spending in comparison to other tribes.
Anti-rods
First and foremost Anti-rods are some of the best items in the game and are essential. If you see them in the store, you need to remember to purchase them right before the round ends (to exploit the cool down reset at the start of the next round). Only purchase the rods you think will be effective, of course (don’t buy anti-mobile vs Sol). Anti-armor is generally the most useful rod. If the opponent can make armored units, they often will, as armor units counter both Candy and Gateau.
Dispel
Mostly essential versus everyone. You may need to buy two of them to hold in your inventory at all times versus certain masters (Raven in particular).
Large potion
Large potions are always very useful, even for simply healing up troops if you’re only missing 100 health, it can be worth using it since Valentine is fragile anyway.
Bombs
Bombs are very easy to use in large chaotic battles. They do large amounts of AOE damage and are unblockable. You can force an opponent to get hit by a bomb by locking them in blocking animation with either servants, rapid-fire, Cassius (L2Y), etc.
Banana/Landmine
Can be very useful to stay safe. You can sit on top of them and shoot projectiles and the opponent doesn’t have much they can do as they can’t attack you on top of them. Use these after your Brownies have been defeated.
Capture Cannon
Always useful when pushing a MG. With Valentine’s L6X, you can deal a large amount of damage quickly to enemy MG if they don’t come back and stop you soon enough.
S-Drive
If you have a large army, Candy and Mille + Mille Summons can become incredibly dangerous to the opponent with an S-Drive attack boost applied to them. Situational Openings:
Bye bye opening
You can start the rough with two stacks of Candy and a Bye bye. Set the destination of your second wave of Candy to your own MG. Run and place your Candy and then immediately Bye bye and collect more troops to deposit around the map. Works better on larger maps, not ever worth it on smaller maps.
Capture cannon opening
Purchase 2 waves of Candy + the Capture Cannon item. Collect two candy and deposit them at a ghost neighboring the enemy MG. Take the ghost as quickly as possible. As soon as you take the ghost, it will produce capture units and you immediately want to use the Capture Cannon on those units. Don’t let enemy capture units near or your capture units will self destruct on them as soon as they spawn. Send your Candy to the enemy MG and wait at the ghost for the second wave of capture units. Use the Capture Cannon on them and rush to the enemy MG. Beat on the enemy MG as much as you can and try to kill it. Banana/Landmine can help if the enemy master returns. If they do return you will certainly be in a dangerous position due to the defense debuff. If this fails to do enough damage or outright kill the enemy MG, you will likely lose the game. Servants:
Candy
Very good melee unit. Can be very useful against the enemy master due to high attack frequency, attack speed, and super armor. Average health pool but unlock their stronger moveset when they reach half hp. Gain health faster than other units from ghost hp regen and regen from capture units. The main unit of the Valentine/Raven army. Fast units to flood the map with due to cheap cost, high power, fast, and difficult to kill with defense buff.
Gateau Skin
Low cost (though you only get a single unit) and available from the beginning. The weakest ranged unit in the game and easily killed due to low health. Can be annoying for masters to clear due to its powerful wake-up attack. Low hp for the cost and will be focused by the enemy master when they’re killing servants. Generally, you want two or three in a group, rather than just one. If you use them, you want them in an area where you’ll be nearby as they can disrupt the enemy master during your fights and can be very useful during times like that. Avoid sending them off on their own. During the mid-game you’ll want to produce some to counteract any anti-melee efforts from your opponent and have better army diversity. Again, they’re better in groups of other units, not alone. They are weak units but can be excellent in terms of cost performance. 3 Candy will lose to 3 Soldiers, but 3 Candy and 1 Gateau will beat 3 Soldiers.
P. Blancmange
Expensive unit with low hp. They are easily hunted by the enemy master. They are strong additions to a group of Candy however as they counter armor units. Their slowdown skill slows both movement and attack speed, incredibly useful against enemy masters. Makes it difficult for enemy masters to dodge (F)8X guard crush. It is a very powerful skill for a non-elite servant and the duration lasts for a good amount of time (20s). Will cast the spell on passing enemy masters even if only briefly passing. Adding a Blancmange to a group increases the strength of the group significantly. Strong damage with their attacks vs armor, mobile, and even melee units. Very expensive and very easily killed; need to be careful to not feed them to the enemy master. It does take time for them to release when unlocking them (20 seconds). If you know they are going to produce a large amount of armor soldiers, Blancmange becomes necessary. May need to prioritize their release depending on how quickly the opponent rushes armor units. Charlotte
Excellent range attack ability. Fast movement and attack speed. Relatively cheap for an elite-armor unit. Relatively low hp for an elite-armor unit, but can regain hp due to its attack ability. Very strong in servant vs servant battles, incredibly good versus melee units. Very weak to magic units though. Its role is to clear the field of melee units. Very strong unit to fight around in master battles. Stronger the earlier you get it out as the opponent may not have many units other than melee. A strong unit to have in the main force. Often ends up with high experience due to its difficulty for servants to kill. Because of its abnormally fast speed for an elite armor unit, can be commanded to run around and clear individual units dropped by the enemy master which will level it up quickly (this is still less efficient than master clearing those dropped units, but can be useful). Can die relatively quickly to enemy master if left unattended without a defense buff from a ghost or against anti-armor rod, will need Valentine’s help in such a situation. Cannot be pocketed like other units can.
Mille-feuille The strongest unit among Valentine’s elite. Not only does he summon units, but the unit himself is also strong and dies not die easily. The most expensive and slowest in the tribe. A corpse (friendly or enemy) is required for him to summon his stronger minions. Minion summoned from corpses are very powerful. Great range on attacks. Has an unblockable attack against enemy masters. Does not attack frequently. Carry him with you to kill enemy servants and protect you from the enemy master or leave him at key points you need to defend. Only do the latter with at least a small group of units so that he always has summon fodder. You can also use him with other elite units for strong pushes. Weak summons only last 30 seconds. Strong summon has a long duration (60 seconds) and can be summoned every 30 seconds as long as a corpse is nearby. Strong summons have high hp. Will stay behind to defend ghost if Mille-feuille moves on due to their long staying power. Strong summons have high attack power as well. They also have high stun potential due to their “Red Fog” skill.
Eclair The weakest elite unit with the weakest unit type among elites. Low frequency of attacks and has a bad habit of aiming for ghosts, not good for killing enemy servants. Good at neutralizing enemy ghosts from very far away. Can neutralize enemy ghost right as round ends to gain an advantage. Can be useful in battles by enemy ghosts due to it prioritizing neutralizing the enemy ghost. Original walking speed is slow and advances slowly to enemy ghosts (due to constantly neutralizing the enemy ghost from far away). If you give it an enemy ghost as its destination and then tell it to “hold position” it will continue to neutralize the enemy ghost from very very far away. If it is in range of sniping the enemy ghost that is its destination, it will occasionally prioritize that instead of defending you (if you’re carrying it as a bodyguard). You can counteract the sniping skill by setting it to advance to one of your ghosts (then telling it to hold position) or telling it to advance to the enemy MG; this makes the unit much more useful in general when you don’t want it sniping enemy ghosts and fighting instead. Important, if you have it constantly sniping an enemy ghost, if enemy units are at that ghost, they will continue to hit the ghost and level up quickly. This will cause the enemy units to level up approximately twice as fast. You mostly only want to snipe an enemy ghost right as a round ends so they don’t start the next round with it and lose out on bonus MANA. Low performance generally, but also low cost. When it does attack the correct target, it can be very useful and its power is doubled against the enemy master. Again, can be very useful in large scale fights by neutralizing the ghost and the attacks against enemy units are strong as well.
Miss Tiramisu Frequently launches large AOE attacks over a wide area. Highest damage in comparison to most soldiers due to it being a magic unit. It is top class at killing enemy servants, and becomes absolutely incredible at it when its level is maxed. Has a skill to prevent the enemy from attacking entirely, 6 seconds for enemy master 30 seconds for enemy servant. Unfortunately, the attack she prioritizes on targets with that effect on them is not strong. A very good unit to carry around as not only will it protect you, you will also protect it as it has a low health pool and it will help kill servants quickly. Probably the best unit for Valentine to carry. Fast movement. Will seal enemy master attacks when they briefly run by (similar to blancmange). Similar to the Blancmange unit, you don’t want to leave her by herself, she wants to fight with other servants by her side. Especially stronger with other elites in the same group. You may want to consider being aggressive in attacking with this unit to level it up quickly and gain an advantage, as many other elite magic units don’t level up while attacking like Tiramisu does.
