BBCF/Relius Clover/Strategy

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 Relius Clover



General Tactics

TL;DR (For Beginners)

Important Moves

  • 2A: Great for staggers. 0 on block.
  • 5B: Great standing poke. Practically as good as Ragna's 5B while having lower recovery. 0 on block at max reach.
  • 214C: Oki tool
  • 6D: Covers Relius on demand. Essentially makes Relius at least +23 on normal block whenever it's used.
  • 2C: Anti-air
  • j.B: Primary air to air
  • 3C: Basic Knockdown tool and counterpoke
  • 4D: non-committal anti-air. Layered with 2C, it'll disable divekicks and keep opponents cornered.
  • j.6D: Primary way to poke from the air and mobilize Ignis
  • 236A: A dodge with an offensive focus. Baits burst on frames 4-13. Denies DP > Rapid. Ignis can be controlled during this and can punish most grounded moves with 17 frames of recovery or more.


Relius is a strong setplay character built off of using Ignis to cover his actions and make himself safe. Done properly, Relius can guide his opponents into checkmate situations where they're left at his whim. Ignis's 6D in particular is an excellent move for Relius to cover himself. He can start frame traps like 5B > 6C and use Ignis to cover himself. This also applies to mixups and oki. Moves like 6A can be covered and converted into combos by Ignis. Specials like 214C let Relius attain strong oki without putting himself in danger.

Without Ignis, Relius's normals are still strong for keeping the opponent at bay. He can use moves like 5B and 2B to space out opponents, and his anti-airs lead to strong conversions. However, if Relius is put into pressure he needs meter for proper reversals. Counter Assault tends to be the defensive option of choice because it doesn't require Ignis. Keeping track of the IG bar is critical for Relius. He needs to find ideal times to summon and desummon Ignis while maintaining advantage. Should Ignis get disabled, Relius typically has Overdrive to bring her back. He can also change his combos to take longer and optimize for IG gain. With good spacing and Ignis usage, Relius can lock his opponents down and force them into making critical mistakes. The Ignis Gauge refills itself, and as such can be used to control the pace of a match akin to Hakumen's HT gauge. Without Ignis, Relius lacks conventional threats and mixups. However, the pressure of the doll's eventual return cannot be understated, and will often cause opponents to open themselves up to Relius' safer mids.


Detonator, In Further Detail (For Intermediate Players)

Detonator has many complexities. This section explains his Drive and Ignis's mechanics in depth. If you're a beginner, you can ignore this section.

  • Unlike Nirvana, if Ignis takes a hit, it will not Deplete the IG Bar.
  • Ignis has 10,000IG points. She loses 2 points per frame while summoned. In other words, she loses 120 points (1.2%) per second.
  • If Ignis is not present when commanded to do a move, she will appear behind Relius first, unless there is a specific location she teleports to for that move.
  • Ignis' state is indicated by her arm position. If she is holding her hands in front of her, she's in a grounded state. If her hands are by her sides, she's in an airborne state. This is independent from Relius's position.
  • When Ignis recovers from an attack on the opposite side of an opponent she will linger in that position for about 80F. While in this state Ignis will have collision whenever she performs an attack, pushing the opponent forward with such moves like 6D before they even become active. This can be refreshed by using additional moves while in that state. Normally, Ignis lingers in position for a much shorter period of time.
  • While Ignis is normally vulnerable while attacking, she is still completely invulnerable for the duration of 2D, 632146D, 236236D, or 214214D.
    • Ignis will not desummon during Vol Tedo or Duo Bios. Despite having armor on 2D, Ignis will still desummon if Relius is hit.
  • Ignis does not share hitstop interactions with Relius. Opponents that hit or are hit by Relius freeze alongside Relius, opponents that hit or are hit by Ignis freeze alongside Ignis. Gatlings, jump cancels, rapid cancels, OD cancels are all only available after hitstop clears and hitstun or blockstun begin, and this means opponents during this time are sitting ducks. When the opponent hits Ignis their active frames will extend for the entirety of the hitstop, so be cautious of running into these extensions.
  • Normal Drive moves can be performed by Ignis while Relius is performing other actions, however Special moves and Distortion Drives that use Ignis require Relius to perform his own gesture and thus must be done from neutral or a special cancel.
  • If Ignis does not have enough of her gauge left to perform a move, she will perform it anyway and then immediately become disabled afterwards.


Ignis' gauge can only be regenerated when she is not present or has completely depleted. However, the rate varies depending on the situation:

  • If she is dismissed with 5D or j.D, she will have a red bar and regenerate very rapidly
  • If the IG Bar is completely depleted, Ignis is disabled for a set amount of time and her gauge will turn grey, filling up at the slowest rate. Once the gauge is refilled, she will dismiss herself.


The Blue IG Bar also has some interesting mechanics:

  • Progress toward erasing the blue bar is saved when Ignis is summoned with the blue bar. This duration does not refresh, therefore Ignis will not accrue any additional penalty for being forcefully desummoned while she already has a Blue bar.
    • For Example: Let's say Ignis has 20 frames of Blue Bar left and Relius summons her. No matter how Ignis is desummoned, she will still only have 20 frames of blue bar to recover from.

Blockstrings

Relius's blockstrings are about as diverse as they come in Blazblue. With Ignis on the field, he has access to powerful pressure extensions and unique mixups. Even without Ignis, Relius can lock down his opponent with frame traps and good pokes to keep them at bay while Ignis regenerates. Even if Ignis is summoned, Relius can opt to not use her as much in order to bait the opponent into taking an action. Relius has many options to choose how he pressures. These are only a small sample of what Relius can do. Use these ideas to get started and experiment with your play!


2A > 2A > 2B > 5B > 5D

This will place the opponent at the furthest reach of 5B, where it is neutral on block. Upon using 5D, Relius will be essentially -6 on normal block, but safely out of range of which anything but instant block and a select few supers will be able to punish. Relius additionally has a good few options here to keep an opponent guessing, in U.214A, 6C, or just letting the 5B recover, so it's not always easy to be ready for Relius just calling in Ignis. Some match-ups this is selectively stronger, as not every character has a move to play in the range this pushes the opponent into, but early game when this would be seen, all midrange pokes can be evaded and punished with 236A>6D if they try to attempt an obvious punish. If the opponent should flinch, Relius may seamlessly press his midrange options with 5B and 6D or chase the opponent's jump.


2A > 2A > 2C or 5C

Both Relius' 2C and 5C are natural frametraps when used along side his jabs. With 2A's 11F blockstun and these buttons 12F start-up, there is naturally a gap of 1 frame, that can never become larger than 4F, and thus will not allow the opponent to jump out regardless of how it is blocked.

5B > 6D > microdash > 5B

A basic pressure extension with Ignis. 6D is an amazing button to cover pretty much anything Relius does.


5B > 2C > 6D and jump > falling j.C > microdash > 5B

A close ranged pressure extension with Ignis. 2C's blockstun covers Relius' ascent, 6D then covers his descent, making j.C essentially a safejump.


(In the corner)2A > 2A > 5B > 214A > 665B > 2B

When a character is cornered, the pushback of a move is transferred onto the attacker, which in the case of 214A is Ignis. Typically 214A is + for Relius, - for Ignis, but Relius is unable to take advantage of that because of the range it is used in and the pushback being put on the opponent taking them further out of that range. In the corner there is no such concern. Creating space for Ignis to travel make the already +3 summoned 214A and +6 unsummoned 214A even more advantageous, and Relius is able to easily make his way back in on the opponent. This is ideal for calling Ignis in the corner without pausing to let the opponent breathe. 214A also extends on normal hit in the corner into 665B for high damage. Better yet, reversals that do not discriminate doll from puppeteer and that have hitboxes that come out over time tend to get caught up hitting Ignis which allows Relius to recover from the move and capitalize.


5B > 6C > 41236B > RC

Realistically speaking if Ignis is not on the screen both 6C and 41236B carry some heavy risk. Nothing Relius has can really cover ether of these moves, and they're both mid, so the opponent loses nothing for just buffering DP whenever they see them. That said, if you're going to try and catch jump out with Relius they're not bad to throw out now and then. This string will also vacuum and most likely allow Ignis to fully regenerate after it's followed up, which means 2A > 2A > 5B > 214A is a suitable way to go afterward.

Okizeme

Options on Id Naiads (236C-214B or j.236C-j.214B)

Depending on the height relative to Relius when 236C/j.236C was performed, after recovering from from the grounded version of Naiads or landing from its aerial version, one can IAD to safe-jump any reversal with j.C. If during this airdash the opponent has not done an emergency tech, using j.B instead will pick up non-tech and some rolls for a new combo.

Running up and using 2A or 5B to meaty the opponent is also a very good option. 2A has 9 frames of recovery, and so may bait reversals of 11 frame start-up or slower. 5B has more recovery, but the arm retracts quickly once actives have been run through. At range, 5B can safely meaty some 7 to 9 frame reversals. If during these meaties the opponent should backdash, you may ether recover and microdash 5B for a punish, or react and use 6D then dash in for a punish.

Should you see the opponent has not emergency teched in its short window (8 frames), they are locked out of all tech options for 18 frames. During this time you can 3C to switch to more powerful oki while retaining the damage gained from Naiads. If the grounded version was used and combo time still remains, you can use 214A and followup into more. This works because Ignis dwells behind the opponent.

Options on 6A knockdown or 3C

Summon/Desummon

With 5D, Relius can summon or desummon safely. This is exclusive to 3C, but its utility cannot be understated. One may follow up by meatying the opponent with 2A or 5B, or if they continue to not tech, one may use 3C until they do or the combo timer runs dry. This will not add much damage, but it will shorten the time needed to replenish Ignis at virtually no risk.


Val Tus (214C)

  • Requires good timing, and can cover all techs.

A very strong oki option. During 3C or 6A knockdowns you can time this move to beat just about all techs. It will start a new combo on non-tech, catch forward and backward rolls, and meaty both emergency tech and neutral tech all on the same timing. Tus is one of Relius' best starters, with meterless damage typically running between 4-5.5K, so this attack commands respect. During its start-up Relius can jump forward and barrier until the third hit has been blocked. The opponent is trapped in 13 frames of hitstop and 20 frames of blockstun, so a late airdash j.B or a landing 2B can be completely covered. Ignis is able to be hit by reversals however so there is little risk for an opponent to reversal then rapid, although with awareness Relius doesn't need to be caught up in that reversal and can still contest the situation after. The 15% Ignis cost is hardly comparable to the 50-100% meter the opponent needs to spend. Tus also has a 1 frame gap between the second and third hits if the opponent instant blocks so be weary of reversals at that time.


A Geara Lugia (22A)

This projectile has 58 frames of duration, 42 of which is start-up, and this means it can only be used preemptively to a tech. With the move being +5 on block at the very least and having 12 active frames, it can force an opponent to block and be safe to all but OD Houtenjin if timed right. On hit 22A > 5B is guaranteed, and goes into a sizeable amount of damage. This attack's ease of use utility is somewhat less than Tus, but with no cost it can be a good solo option.


Geara Nose (214D)

  • Unblockable Setups

A set doll move that hits high about 20 frames after Relius recovers from casting the move, with some give or take based on distance. This is another Oki tool that relies more upon a tech prediction, but is less committal than Lugia. Relius can set this move, then attack an opponent that hasn't teched with 2B or 3C. When the opponent does tech Relius has a few options. This move's primary intended use is as an unblockable component. Ignis hits High, Relius hits low. and as such is often paired with 2B, then confirmed into 5B > 236C. Occasionally this move is used as the opponent is teching, and an unblockable is then created by forcing the opponent to block 2A or 5B, which is then cancelled into 2B as 214D hits for an unblockable. All of these unblockables share a commonality in that they can be hit by most reversals, and with this in mind there's an additional use for 214D that doesn't commit. Should Relius guard as Ignis descends, and the opponent blocks 214D, Relius may attempt a fuzzy j.B > j.C > delay > j.2D > 5B or a run up 2B as a mix. This is generally safe and confirms well into pressure too.


Val Lanto (214A)

Pairs well with Tus and Nose in the corner. If the opponent is weary of those two more powerful options and is hesitating to tech, Lanto can quickly OTG them for a lot of damage. 214A is also quite cost effective and + as a meaty, so it's not a dreadful use of the move overall.


2D

Quite pricey, but keeps Ignis armored, keeps Relius in motion, and offers two chances to cross-up or fake cross-ups by jumping over the opponent as the move makes contact, it vacuums and pulls the opponent out of the corner even allowing cross-ups there. With its low blockstun cross-ups do come easy, but the move is prone to getting reversaled so be on guard. That said when used in preparation for a reversal it will keep the opponent trapped even if they rapid cancel off of Ignis.


Duo Bios (236236D)

Best used in reaction to the opponent teching as they cannot jump out of its start-up. They can however backdash, and if the backdash is a hop style backdash an opponent is liable to try and take a hit and then airtech out. This can be confirmed from in the corner into 2C > j.B > dj.B > j.C >j.236C which will combo into the last three hits of Bios that will not allow an airtech. If the opponent does not have a hop backdash or the HP to take a hit and tech out, they will be subject to 8 frame tight hits from Ignis, then 3 hits that have gaps. During these frametight hits high/low mix is suggested, although it is also a good time to opt for positioning, pushing the opponent toward the nearest corner by running forward or jumping over. If the opponent has a low barrier gauge a crush trigger here is also not a bad idea, although be somewhat weary of OD > EA as that will desummon Ignis. During the last three hits, green throw, and cross-ups become available.

Options from Burst

Val Lyra (214B)

Not always a good idea especially if the opponent is familiar with the match-up, but it can score hits on opponents that are in too much of a hurry to approach after being bursted, or harass people trying to avoid a time-out. On hit it can combo into 22C and not much else, but then that can be follow-up up with 214C which will pave your way in. This is very expensive, and if it misses Ignis is not coming to your rescue, as she's stuck in the special state she enters when she ends recovery behind an opponent. Relius has to fare for himself if the opponent rushes him down. Can be faked out with 5A or 214A to put an opponent that is looking for it in a worse spot.


C Geara Lugia (22C)

Harasses opponents in a similar way, although it's better at catching rolls and non-tech than Lyra. It doesn't have the sort of reward Lyra does because Ignis is not placed, and is a projectile hit instead of a physical hit, which means it's open to many more means of avoidance through its property, and can potentially be punished by things like Nine 236236A. It may be better to just call Ignis or run in against an opponent that's aware.

Exceed Accel

During Exceed Accel (A+B+C+D while in OD) one may use 6D once or twice then use 2D to get semi-solid oki on an opponent. It's costly, but with the regen available from OD, it may be called upon as there is no other way to gain oki from EA.

Tips and Tricks

  • You can use moves like 214A to get Ignis behind an opponent for sandwich situations
  • Use Dio Bios to bait out Counter Assaults! As long as Ignis teleports to Relius, she won't go away, even if Relius is hit.
  • Try to use Counter Assault > 2D to steal your turn back. Very effective when the opponent spends too much trying to force their own way in.
  • Moves like 5B and 2B are great to keep your opponent at bay and stall for time
  • Use Ignis to absorb projectiles and cover you against zoners! You have to use an attack in order for her hitbox to become active, though.
  • Most Ignis move costs are taken 6-7 frames into the move. using 4D during a frametrap can let you desummon Ignis when you're forced to block and she has low remaining gauge.
  • Throwing the opponent is a good way to guarantee desummon. On throw break, Ignis is desummoned. On hit, you can desummon with 41236B > 3C > 5D. Unlike 5B > 5D, 5C > 5D, or airdash backwards > j.D, throw tech places you at an even frame advantage and in 5B's approximate range. This will apply blue bar to Ignis so it's best used with a deflated blue bar already stored.


Relius Fuzzy Chart

Created by Scopey (https://twitter.com/ScopeyDo)

Fighting Relius

  • If Relius uses 214B, you can jab Ignis outright. Her Hurtbox extends forwards before she even attacks.
  • In certain matchups, it's best to force Relius to burn through IG and force him to end his turn. If you can keep him from gaining heat, it will be harder for him to keep his game going.
  • If the IG bar is low and Ignis is summoned, it's Likely Relius will desummon her. Use that to press the advantage rather than desummoning her yourself.
  • 2A>5B(throw) is something every character can do to hitstop OS Led Ley. If 2A whiffs 5B won't come out and throw will instead. Alternatively if you are able to cover Relius as he techs, 7~22 frames after he techs, and then again 32 to 35F after he techs, you will have covered all of Relius' defensive options outside of blocking.
    • Covering Req Vinum (2363214C) is easy if you have a jab with fast recovery (9F or less), otherwise a safejump or a projectile invulnerable move must be called upon.
  • If Relius is using his j.D or j.2D to stall in the air, instead of using a grounded anti-air, meet him in the air with your best counter hit or an air throw.

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