BBCSE/Rachel Alucard

Rachel Alucard

Overview

Head of the infamous Alucard vampire family, Rachel has spent countless years watching as the world repeated the same 100 years over and over. However, the world has finally broken free of the bonds that held it for so long, and Rachel is determined to put an end to Terumi with her own hands.

In the BlazBlue universe, Rachel is an extremely powerful individual, controlling wind and lightning. While she will rarely directly interfere with the events that surround Kagutsuchi, her primary goal is as an observer, and gently (or less so) nudges the pieces into their places. She has several servants under her command; Nago, a cat familiar, and Gii, a bat familiar, which serve as her weapons, furniture, and anger relief. Her butler, Valkenhayn R. Hellsing, is also notable for being a werewolf, as well as one of the Six Heroes.

Health: 11,000
Guard Primers: 4
Play-style: Zoning, Trapping
Movement Options: 1 Double Jump/Airdash, Run-type Dash

Drive: Slypheed

You press D to make wind blow across the screen. You may put in a directional command to make the wind blow eight different ways. Wind affects Rachel, her projectiles, and her opponent.

Rachel has a gauge that indicates how much she can use Sylpheed. Her gauge has a max of four stocks that slowly regenerate as long as Rachel is on the ground. The longer she regenerates, the faster the rate of regeneration is.

This is the core of Rachel's game play. You manipulate the wind to combo, pressure, approach, run away, and be a general annoyance to your opponent.

Move List

See also: Rachel Full Frame Data

Normal Moves

5A

• 

  Auto 2-hit normal. Decent for pressure.

Damage	Heat Gain	P1	P2	Startup	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Hitbox
300x2	124*2	80	84	6	2(6)3	11	-2	Click!

Rachel's jab. Nago slaps the opponent twice. 5A is Rachel's fastest normal, however it has very short range. There is a gap between the two slaps. Rachel can gatling from the first hit or the second hit and both hits are jump cancellable. It's also one of the few 5As that will hit crouching characters. It is used in very few combos, however it can situationally be used to continue or reset pressure. It also chains into itself on whiff.

5B

• 

  Risky poke with high reward. Key move in Rachel's mix up and combos.

Damage	Heat Gain	P1	P2	Startup	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Hitbox
550	227	95	89	8	6	19	-8	Click!

Rachel summons a small gust of wind to hit the opponent. 5B has a very wide hitbox compared to a lot of Rachel's normals, making it a fairly decent poke, however it is also somewhat risky due to it's long recovery time on whiff. Due to it's hitbox reaching infront of her, 5B (like 5A) has limited anti-air uses. It is also Rachel's second jump cancellable normal and a key part in a lot of Rachel's mix ups, particularly her 50/50 option of 2D j.A (a fast overhead) or 2B (low).

5B's active hitbox reaches pretty much all the way to the ground, so it's great to use against low profile attacks like Makoto's 3C. It is also active for fairly long, which makes it great to use as a meaty attack.

5B has physical/projectile properties, so it can cancel out moves that also have projectile properties. However, moves that have projectile invulnerability will go through it (IE- Tager's Sledge attack). Since 5B is the main starter for a lot of Rachel's more damaging combos, it is a great starter to use when Rachel is able to punish an opponent for using a risky move. Air unblockable.

5C

• 

  5C is one of her two Fatal Counter moves. Very limited use outside of combos.

Damage	Heat Gain	P1	P2	Startup	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Hitbox
750	310	100	92	17	4	32	-17	Click!

Rachel transforms her umbrella into a sword and stabs the opponent. If the player presses C again, Rachel will do a follow up attack where the umbrella will open and groundslide the opponent. 5C on CH is a Fatal Counter and has great p1 and p2 values, making it a very rewarding combo starter. However, due to it's slow start up, it is very hard to land as a FC. Because of this, 5C is primarily used in combos. Air unblockable, but due to it's hitbox it is a very poor choice to use on an opponent in the air.

5CC

• 

  Great corner combo ender. Offers strong okizeme options in the corner.

Damage	Heat Gain	P1	P2	Startup	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Hitbox
850	351	100	94	9	8	24	-11	Click!

This is the follow up to 5C. It is generally used as a combo extender in the corner in order to give Rachel time to regain wind as she combos the opponent. However, 5CC has a 50% repeat proration, thus it is difficult to loop more than once (and usually impossible after the second time). It is also a good option as an ender for hard knock down in the corner.

5CC doesn't have much use in a lot of mid screen combos (aside from the kero-kero combo path) due to it's ground slide property, but it is sometimes used as a mid screen combo ender to put the opponent in the corner or to knock the opponent away so Rachel has space to set up her zoning tools. 5CC reaches very far to the ground and is capable of hitting opponents on the ground, but it is not a great option as Rachel has much better OTG moves (like 5B, 2B, or 2A). However, if an opponent crosses Rachel up for any reason while she is doing 5CC (for example, a knocked down opponent tries to roll behind her), Rachel will autocorrect as she does the follow up.

5CC has a lot of recovery on whiff, does not gatling into anything, and is very unsafe on block. It is generally considered a bad idea to use this move outside of combos. If you opponent blocks this attack, cancel into A lobelia to save yourself. Air unblockable.

2A

• 

  Good poke. Leaves you at neutral frame advantage.

Damage	Heat Gain	P1	P2	Startup	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Hitbox
300	124	80	84	7	4	8	±0	Click!

Nago stabs at you with his tail. This move is fairly fast and chains into itself on whiff. It is a good poke and has decent range as far as Rachel's normals go. 2A is also good for catching rolls mid screen and is useful for cross under situations. And, because Rachel's hitbox is very short while she is crouching, in some situations 2A can be used to low profile jump ins as an anti-air. 2A also has very short recovery, so it's also useful for trying to bait an opponent into making a risky move and decent for tick throw setups.

2B

• 

  Really good low. Gatlings from 5B.

Damage	Heat Gain	P1	P2	Startup	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Hitbox
420	198	80	86	10	6	18	-10	Click!

2B looks pretty much like 5B, except Rachel is crouching. Like 5B it also has projectile and physical property, so watch out for opponents with projectile invulnerable moves. Other than that, is pretty decent a low attack. It's main use is for Rachel's 5B 2B gatling, which is a key part of her mix up. It can also OTG and is active for a fairly long time like 5B, so it is a good option for a meaty attack even though 5B covers more options.

2C

• 

  Full body guard point for one hit. Really unsafe if whiffed or blocked.

Damage	Heat Gain	P1	P2	Startup	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Hitbox
1000	414	50	94	23	13	42	-34	Click!

Nago turns into a chair and Rachel sits on him as Nago electrocutes himself and the opponent (if he hits the opponent). From frame 5, 2C has has a fully body guard point that can eat one hit. However, 2C obviously cannot guard point throws. It can only be used as a combo starter on CH or if you somehow hit your opponent into George. It does not require wind to combo, but the most damaging combos are only available if you use wind.

If opponent blocks or this whiffs, 2C has an extremely long recovery time. So please be careful when using this attack as it's very risky and many characters have ways to bait it. Takes off one Guard Primer (though unless you guard crush them, you'd better be prepared to Rapid Cancel or wind pumpkin to save yourself). It has really crappy p1, so the reward from it is not that great. However, you can use it to catch reckless opponents off guard. In some combos, you can use 2C mid-combo without needing to RC if you are able to hit them into George. Air unblockable.

6A

• 

  Main anti-air with Rachel.

Damage	Heat Gain	P1	P2	Startup	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Hitbox
620	256	80	89	13	5	15	-3	Click!

Nago becomes a buff pirate and uppercuts the opponent while Rachel curtsies. 6A has a head attribute guard point from frame 7 and it has a great hitbox, making a very strong anti-air. It leads good damage if it connects and on CH as you have a long time to confirm it into a combo. It floats the opponent on hit, so it's a good way to launch the opponent without using wind. It is also good for positioning the opponent for BBL combos. Air unblockable.

6B

• 

  Really good poke. Wall bounces a grounded opponent on counter-hit.

Damage	Heat Gain	P1	P2	Startup	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Hitbox
640	264	75	89	13	3	15	-1	Click!

6B is Rachel's longest normal and a very respectable poke. However, it is a bit slow and can be out-ranged by other character's pokes. Rachel's main use for this attack is to make characters think twice about approaching her mid screen (it is especially great on Tager as it makes it very hard for him to Sledge safely). If the opponent is counter hit while on the ground, it will wall bounce them and give Rachel an opportunity for a full combo or free summon. If the opponent is hit in the air or too far away from the wall, it will simply cause ground slide.

6C

• 

  Main corner carry normal when used with forward directional wind (D/6D).

Damage	Heat Gain	P1	P2	Startup	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Hitbox
241	99	100	60	13	3xN	13 after landing	4	Click!

Rachel twirls in the air and stabs her opponent with the over-skirt of her dress. It's primary use is for corner carry combos as you can loop 5B 6CD jC to carry them all the way to the corner or just use 6CD (pause) 8D (pause) 8D, etc. Using this attack puts Rachel airborne after frame 13 and also forces the opponent to stand on hit. This attack remains active and continues for as long as Rachel is in the air, so players have used it to stall for time by using 6C 8D 8D, etc to carry an opponent up into the air as time runs out. Each hit prorates, so after a while 6C will start doing little to no damage. It is also +4 on block and it's Rachel's only plus on block move. It is also an okay option to use in block strings and used in some fancier block strings, though if the opponent IBs all of it, they will gain a lot of meter.

4B

• 

  Overhead. Try hiding your attempts in mix ups.

Damage	Heat Gain	P1	P2	Startup	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Hitbox
800	331	70	92	28	6	22	-9	Click!

Rachel turns around and her over-skirt becomes a large curved spike that stabs the opponent. This is a very slow overhead, but also Rachel's only windless overhead option. It can only be used once per block string and takes off a Guard primer. 4B can safely gatling into other normals on block, which makes it Rachel's safest and least expensive guard primer removing attack. Rachel can artificially extend the range of 4B by using 5D. Also, because 4B is so slow, it can sometimes catch opponents off guard. However, it is generally not a good idea to use this overhead if you have 2D j.A or 2D j.B available as those are less obvious and much faster. This is also sometimes used mid-combo as it's base damage is pretty high. Air unblockable.

3C

• 

  Low hit. Knockdown to safely summon frog or pumpkin.

Damage	Heat Gain	P1	P2	Startup	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Hitbox
300x3	124x3	90	92	11	4, 4	17	0	Click!

Rachel spins on the ground with her over-skirt turning into a circular chair-like object with large spikes. This is a low attack generally used at the end of blockstrings as it is safe on block and does not gatling into anything. It is also very useful as a combo ender for knock down into summon and it is her main way of getting knock down mid screen. Finally, it is used in a lot of combos to launch the opponent with 8D or Sword Iris (if a nearby rod is available). It can also be used in mid screen metered combos (3C -> BBL) but this does not work very well on characters with skinny hitboxes unless you use wind to blow them into BBL. Rachel can also travel very far and fast using 3C 5D, but this is generally used in combos rather than in her neutral game. This is also the go to move if Rachel does not have enough wind to combo into anything else. Finally, it is neutral on block so it is a safe way to end blockstrings.

3[C]

• 

  Mix up tool. Can also be used to extend combos.

Damage	Heat Gain	P1	P2	Startup	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Hitbox
220x3	??	90	92	11	4, 4	17	0	Click!

You can hold down 3C to extend the attack up to 7 hits. You cannot special cancel past the first two hits. 3[C] is used for mix up (opponents sometimes mess up their timing when trying to IB 3C and get hit) or to extend and add damage to combos. Must be blocked low.

j.A

• 

  Instant overhead if used with 2D/3D wind. Whiffs on some crouching characters such as Litchi.

Damage	Heat Gain	P1	P2	Startup	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Hitbox
300	124	70	84	8	3	7	--	Click!

Nago jabs a paw at the opponent. j.A is an extremely fast and sneaky overhead (13f total if done at the lowest height possible) and Rachel's most dangerous mix up tool. Requires 2D or 3D to hit most crouching characters (except Tager and Hakumen). It is a gapless from 5B on all characters except for Noel, Litchi, Rachel, and Hazama. On these short characters it is important to note that Rachel must use the move late to hit them crouching. Because of this it may be better to consider using j.B instead. It can chain into itself on whiff.

j.B

• 

  Used like j.A but it's a bit slower. Pretty good air-to-air uses.

Damage	Heat Gain	P1	P2	Startup	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Hitbox
460	190	80	86	9	6	12	--	Click!

Rachel stabs the opponent with her over-skirt. j.B is little slower than j.A, but still good as an overhead. Also needs 2D or 3D to hit most crouching characters, but overall has a lower and farther forward reaching hitbox than j.A which makes it easier to use for short characters. j.B is also decent as an air to air or as a jump in. Finally, it is very popular to use in fuzzy guard setups (2D j.B jc j.B).

j.C

• 

  Catch opponents in the air directly above you.

Damage	Heat Gain	P1	P2	Startup	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Hitbox
650	269	90	89	8	6	20	--	Click!

Rachel opens up Nago who turns into a spiky umbrella. It is a great tool for catching opponents who are in the air above you as the active hitbox is pretty huge. j.C is very untechable on counter hit and gives Rachel enough time to land and catch the opponent in an air combo. It is also used to extend certain block strings and 6C 5D corner carry combos as well as Rachel's BnB path of j.C 2D j.2C. Rachel can also use it as a jump in in some situations (for example, jump over an opponent's attack and hit them in the face with 3D j.C). It can also be used several times in air combo due to j.C and j.[C] counting as different attacks.

j.[C]

• 

  Can be used for mix up. Can also be used to stall for time.

Damage	Heat Gain	P1	P2	Startup	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Hitbox
--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	Click!

Hold down the C button and Rachel will keep the umbrella open and float in the air. You can move her around with wind and she can airdash after frame 10. One of the popular ways to use this attack is as a time out tactic by super jumping with wind to put Rachel very high in the air and using j.[C] plus wind to keep her up in the air for a very long time. However, the higher Rachel is and the longer she stays in the air, the faster she will fall. This move also allows her to use j.C several times in air combos (for example sj.[C] j.C jc j.[C] j.C) which is a good way to add damage to the end of combos or position someone for a j.C BBL combo.

j.2C

• 

  Has 3 levels. Level 2 and Level 3 are used to extend combos.

Version	Damage	Heat Gain	P1	P2	Startup	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Hitbox
Level 1	680	281	90	94	13	until landing	31 after landing	--	Click!
Level 2	1200	496	100	94	13	until landing	31 after landing	--	Click!
Level 3	2000	828	100	94	13	until landing	31 after landing	--	Click!

Gii turns into a platform with a drill while Rachel sits on him and reads books. It's her only air normal that's not an overhead, but she can chain into normals or specials on landing. She can also special cancel the move in the air on hit. There are three levels of this move and the level depends on Rachel's momentum along with the amount of time she spends in the air. The higher the level, the more damage and untechable time it gives you.

Level 2 will bounce the opponent off the ground. Level 3 will Fatal Counter even on normal hit and bounce the opponent very high in the air. Level 3 takes off one Guard Primer. Level 2 j.2C combos are part of Rachel's primary combo path while Level 3 j.2C is used in metered combos in order to tack on a lot of damage (as it's base damage is 2k). j.2C level 1 is sometimes used in blockstrings and as an ender to air combos, but it is also a nifty tool to use in cross ups as due to wind, Rachel can easily make j.2C hit either side of her opponent.

It is important to note that unless Rachel is low enough to the ground to cancel her landing recovery into a normal or special (or rapid cancel), a blocked j.2C will very likely get you punished. Also, the move has a very huge and obvious landing recovery (Rachel will bounce slightly off the ground) on whiff so it is very risky to use this attack without a plan in mind.

Throws

Forward Throw

• 

  Use with wind to follow-up with a combo.

Damage	Heat Gain	P1	P2	Startup	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Hitbox
0, 1200	0, 496	90	100, 55	7	3	18	--	Click!

Rachel's ground throw has very short range. Thus, she does not have much of a throw game compared to other characters. However, tick grab setups can be very useful for her. Unfortunately, unless they hit the corner, Rachel needs wind to combo from her ground throw.

Back Throw

• 

  Use with wind to follow-up with a combo

Damage	Heat Gain	P1	P2	Startup	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Hitbox
0, 1200	0, 496	90	100, 55	7	3	18	--	Click!

Rachel's back throw is used very much like her ground throw. The exception is it can be used to try to throw the opponent into the corner if Rachel is the one who's cornered. Her back throw combo is exactly the same as her forward throw combo and is also wind dependent outside of he corner.

Air Throw

• 

  Follow-up with a downward directional wind if too high to combo normally.

Damage	Heat Gain	P1	P2	Startup	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Hitbox
0, 1600	0, 662	100	100, 55	7	3	24	--	Click!

Unlike her ground throws, if Rachel is low enough to the ground or is fortunate enough to throw the opponent into George, she does not need wind to combo from her air throws. Like most other airthrows, Rachel's air throw is a good option for threatening the opponent or catching them off guard when they try to jump out of pressure. One particularly unique thing thing about Rachel's airthrow game is that Rachel is able to move very fast and very far in the air thanks to wind, so she is capable of zooming across the screen and grabbing her opponent (possibly out of their attack) when they least expect it.

One thing to keep in mind is that, despite how the animation looks, Rachel's air throw does not reach very high above her and instead reaches mostly in front of her.

Special Moves

Tiny Lobelia

236A/B/C air OK

• 
• 

Version	Damage	Heat Gain	P1	P2	Startup	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Hitbox
Ground A	500	207	70	92	11	26	47 total	-4	Click!
Air A	450	186	80	92	9	--	53 total	--	Click!
Ground B	600	248	80	92	20	45	58 total	-6	Click!
Air B	550	227	80	92	22	--	55 total	--	Click!
Ground C	600	248	80	92	20	45	58 total	-6	Click!
Air C	550	227	80	92	22	--	55 total	--	Click!

Rachel's most basic zoning tool. Rachel shoots a football shaped seed with a lighting rod printed on it. This projectile is active from appearance until it lands on the ground. When it lands, a lighting rod spawns. She can also shoot them in the air. She has three ranges where she can shoot the projectile- short, medium, long (A, B, C on the ground and C, B, A in the air). Also, after the seeds are shot, Rachel can alter their direction by using wind.

A maximum of three rods can be out at any given time. When Rachel shoots more than three rods, the new rod will replace the oldest rod.

George the XIII

214A air OK

• 

  Stays out even on block.

Version	Damage	Heat Gain	P1	P2	Startup	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Hitbox
Summon	--	--	--	--	25[24]	540	49 total [until landing]	--	Click!
Attack	145x8	60x8	85	85	65+31	3x8	--	--	Click!

Rachel sets down a frog which will walk towards the opponent. Rachel may wind the frog towards the opponent (frog will only slide towards the opponent, if winded away the frog will walk in place). When the frog is near the opponent, it'll activate by setting off an electrical shock. She may also summon him in the air.

The frog itself has an HP of 700 and, unlike the pumpkin, the opponent can hit George when he is not active. George will also remain out even if Rachel blocks an attack, but will still disappear if she is hit or if she is grabbed/opponent techs Rachel's grab. George also disappears on his own after a set amount of time and he will also disappear after activating.

If George disappears after activating (whether killed, finishing his attack, or Rachel is hit/techs a grab/opponent techs Rachel's grab), a cool down meter will appear for Rachel. This meter lasts approximately 2 seconds and during this time, Rachel may not summon the frog.

George is good as both a offensive and defensive tool. On offense, George is used to continue pressure and lengthen combos. Lengthening combos with George is ideal in situations when you want to regain wind. On defense, George is used to trap opponents and by standing near him, most opponents will be cautious when approaching Rachel. If an opponent is forced to block George, Rachel gets a free mix up opportunity.

Impish Gypsophilla

214B air OK

• 

  Respect the pumpkin.

Version	Damage	Heat Gain	P1	P2	Startup	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Hitbox
Summon	--	--	--	--	29[21]	300	46 total[41 total]	--	Click!
Attack	300	124	80	86	5F after wind starts	20	--	+10	Click!

Rachel twirls around and summons a pumpkin. Rachel can wind this pumpkin in any direction as many times as she wants, but it can only hit the opponent three times before disappearing. It will also disappear on its own after a certain amount of time. She may also summon it in the air.

The pumpkin only has a hitbox when it is active (opponents may only hit it with another projectile to make it disappear) and therefore opponents cannot hit it while it is not active. However, an opponent can cause the pumpkin to disappear by hitting Rachel, making her block an attack, or grabbing her/teching her grab.

Pumpkin is the best of Rachel's zoning tools and being able to keep it out is vital to her game play. While pumpkin is out, Rachel is able to safely approach the opponent, zone, keep the opponent in pressure, and extend combos. Pumpkin travels very fast and with Rachel's ability to make it go pretty much any direction she wants it to, it can prove to be an extremely annoying obstacle for your opponent.

Sword Iris

214C air OK

• 

  Used to extend combos or to catch opponents on their approach.

Version	Damage	Heat Gain	P1	P2	Startup	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Hitbox
Ground	600	248	80	86	19	8	42 total	+2	Click!
Air	600	248	80	86	22	8	45 total	+25	Click!

When rods are planted by Tiny Lobelia, Rachel may do a command to activate the rods. When she does this, a pillar of lighting will appear where ever the rods are and shock the opponent. She can also do this in the air. All rods will disappear after activation.

Sword Iris is generally used to extend combos and to make opponents think twice about rushing in on Rachel. Another common use is to run away and activate Sword Iris as your opponent chases you down. Also, as stated in the description for Tiny Lobelia, it's great for catching people during air dashes. The air version gives frame advantage when done as low as possible.

Distortion Drives

Baden-Baden Lily

632146C

• 

  Mainly used for combos.

Version	Damage	Heat Gain	P1	P2	Startup	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Hitbox
Ground	500x6	0	80	85	13+4	2x6	21	+63	Click!
Air	500x6	0	80	85	29+2	2x6	8 after landing	+66	Click!
Per Rod	150x4	0	80	100	*	2x4	--	+39	Click!

Rachel floats in the air and does a bigger version of Sword Iris, except lighting will also appear where Rachel is. She may also do this in the air.

Baden Baden Lily is mostly used in combos, but may also be used in pressure if you want to Guard Crush your opponent. Each rod and Rachel take off a primer, totaling up to four primers. This makes it really good for potential Guard Crush setups. Outside of that, Baden Baden Lily is used for combos.

Tempest Dahlia

632146B air OK

• 

  Used for mix-up, regenerate wind, or to guard crush.

Version	Damage	Heat Gain	P1	P2	Startup	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Hitbox
Level 1	200x7, 500	0	100	90x7, 30	10+9	--	73 total	+15	Click!
Level 2	200x9, 950	0	100	90x9, 30	10+0	--	73 total	+28	Click!
Level 3	200x7, 1550	0	100	90x7, 30	10+0	--	73 total	+29	Click!
Level 4	200x5, 300x3, 1600	0	100	90x8, 30	10+0	--	73 total	+43	Click!
Level 5	300x5, 400, 1800	0	100	90x6, 30	10+0	--	73 total	+51	Click!

Rachel puts on a Nago cloak while Gii puffs up into a giant and blows out a huge gust of wind. Depending on the number of wind stocks Rachel has, different projectiles will shoot out. There are a total of five different levels. Only level 4 and 5 break guard primers (4 breaks 1 and 5 breaks 2).

Tempest Dahlia is used for defensive purposes. It's not very good in combos because the proration of the last projectile is 30%, severely limiting the combo potential of this move. The good news is all version are plus on block. Also, due to the lengthy time of this super, it can be used to stall for time or (more importantly) regain a lot of wind stock. Even during the level 1 version, Rachel can regain 2-3 stocks, making Tempest Dahlia a pretty decent super.

One thing to keep in mind- The closer Rachel's back is to the corner, the faster the projectiles will appear on screen. Also, once a projectile appears, it's active frames are guaranteed.

Another thing to note is that Rachel can move before Tempest Dahlia is completely done. This is especially useful during the level 4 and 5 version where Rachel can get a free mix up while both she and the opponent are obscured by King George or King Pumpkin.

Astral Heat

Clownish Calendula

222B

• 

  Can be used in certain setups to guarantee a win.

Damage	Heat Gain	P1	P2	Startup	Active	Recovery	Frame Adv	Hitbox
Death	0	--	--	51+80	40	26	--	Click!

Rachel sets her umbrella into the ground and a glowing red pillar of light appears around her. After the umbrella is set into the ground, Rachel is completely invulnerable and cannot be hit or grabbed until she goes into recovery. The red pillar is unblockable. If the opponent touches the red pillar, the attack activates and they are killed. Rachel may also manipulate wind (and therefore any projectiles she has out) during this attack.

Like most Astrals, this attack is very rarely used. The start up on the attack is extremely long, it costs 100 meter and a burst, and in pretty much every situation there is something better you can do with those resources.

Rachel can combo into it (although it is difficult to do), but in cases where she can it is easier to use Baden Baden Lily to kill the opponent. There are some corner setups involving George and pumpkin that trap the opponent and force them to get hit, but these are also rarely used.

The only other positive thing to say about this attack is if the opponent for some reason air dashes or is somewhat at close range, you can wind them in or use pumpkin to knock them into the attack.

Strategy

Offense

Rachel is primarily a zoning character. All of her tools are designed to keep her opponent where she wants them. With proper placement, she can force her opponent to attempt risky approaches and then push them back out to reset her zoning tools again.

However, Rachel's physical game isn't anything to be trifled with. Due to her wind, she is able to deploy unseen mix-ups, such as instant overheads, which make for excellent damage opportunities as well as pushing her opponent back out for more zoning.

Defense

Rachel's defense game is fairly weak due to the lack of a good reversal, but she has some unique ways to improve it.

Her most reversal-ish move is her 2C, also known as cat chair. It has a full body guard point that absorbs one hit 5 frames after it comes out. However, the full body guard point doesn't affect throws, so she can be thrown out of it. Because the guard point comes out after frame 5, it's not really reliable unless you know your opponent will throw out an attack that has a big gap or startup. On CH you can use wind to combo afterwards. Refer to the combo section if you want to know more.

As mentioned earlier, Rachel has some unique ways to improve her defense with her tools combined with wind. A blocked 2C can be made safe with a pumpkin (214B). You won't see yourself often in this situation because the pumpkin disappears after you block one hit, but in case you ever do a 2C on neutral or when the opponent is approaching you for whatever reasons, it's a good way to commit them to attack you and eat a CH pumpkin that can lead into a nice combo.

Another unique defense option Rachel has is George (214A). George does not disappear on block, making him very useful to scare the opponent even though you are getting pressured. During gaps of the opponent's blockstrings you are still able to use wind. This is great because you can wind him directly in the opponent's face while blocking. Most opponents won't let George activate though because he disappears after you get thrown, no matter whether you break the throw or not. Keeping this in mind, prepare yourself to tech a (pink) throw after George is near your opponent.

Rachel's backdash itself isn't very good, but combining it with wind makes it a reliable backdash. You will almost backdash the maximum screen distance if you use wind. This is very useful in oki situations like Tager's gadget finger.

After a knockdown, you can use wind while you tech. There are many situations where this proves helpful, especially in the corner and after oki setups. If the opponent tries a meaty 2A, you are able wind tech in a way that lets you escape the corner. Some oki setups can be completely avoided and sometimes even punished, for example:

• Lambda's 236D oki, can also be punished
• Mu's corner 214D oki
• Relius' unblockable setup
• Ragna's meaty 214D, can also be punished

Though it's a good strategy to wind tech, your opponent is able to bait it in not doing his oki setups. It's not a big disadvantage because the only thing that happens is that you will find yourself blocking. Always keep in mind that you lose one wind stock though. You should judge the situation before you use wind tech. If you know for sure your opponent won't do a oki setup you can escape or doesn't go for things like meaty 2A in the corner, don't use wind tech. You only waste a wind stock and running out of wind hurts Rachel's game plan.

Apart from Rachel's defense options, you can also rely on the defensive system mechanics. Try to IB hits, push the opponent away with barrier or do a counter assault. Don't use a counter assault just because it's the easiest way to escape pressure though. Only use it if everything else fails. With 4 primers, Rachel can be guard crushed easily. Using a burst and a CA in one round reduces her guard primers to 1. This is a situation where running out of barrier or getting guard crushed is more or less guaranteed. Always try to avoid it.

Despite of having a weak defense game, her anti air is one of the best AAs in the game. It is not head attribute invincible like the most AAs, but has a guard point against head attribute attacks from frame 7-12, making it even reliable against air attacks with a huge attack box like Hakumen's j.2C or Ragna's j.C. It covers most of the space around Rachels upper body hitbox: vertically, horizontally and even behind Rachel. This makes an excellent choice if the opponent is trying to approach you from the air. Due to its great hitbox, you can even AA cross-ups like Carl's IAD j.2C or Jin's IAD j.D. On CH, your opponent can't tech until he hits the ground, making it very easy to hitconfirm with Dash > 5B. On block, cancel 6A to 5B and begin your pressure.

Combos

Notations

> = Next notation of attack

j. = jump.attack

sj. = Super Jump.attack

jc = jump cancel

RC = Rapid Cancel

IAD = Instant Air Dash

(NW) = No wind is required to do this combo

(1-4) = X amounts of wind stocks are required to do this combo

(N) = Only use the Nth attack of the move (for example, if 3c(2) is written, you only use the first two hits of 3c)

(text) = Whatever's listed in the parentheses is optional

Blue text = Opponent must be crouching for combo to work

Red text = Requires 50 heat in order to use the combo

Green text = Combo is character specific; check the notes to see who it works on

Yellow text = Fatal Counter combo

[*c] = close/point blank confirm, relative to the hitbox of the attack

[*m] = midrange confirm, relative to the hitbox of the attack

[*f] = long range confirm, relative to the hitbox of the attack

Midscreen

[*c] (NW) (2A) > 5B > 3C > 214A
Damage: 956, Heat Gain: 7

+ 214A

+ 214B

[*m] (NW) 6A > 5B > sj.B > j.A > j.B > j.C > jc > j.2C
Damage: 1779, Heat Gain: 15

+ j.214B

[*m][*f] (NW) CH 6B > (dash) > 5B > sj.B > j.A > j.B > j.C > jc > j.2C
Damage: 1726, Heat Gain: 15

+ j.214B

[*m] (NW) CH 2C > sj.C > jc > j.C > j.236A Damage: 1556, Heat Gain: 11

[*m] (1) (2A) > 5B > 5CD > 3C
Damage: 1261, Heat Gain: 10

+ 214A

+ 214B

[*m] (1) 5B > 5CD > 3C > 236B > 5A(1) > 5B > j.B > j.C > jc > j.B > j.C > j.214C
Damage: 3004, Heat Gain: 26

Notes: Doesn’t work on Ragna, Noel, Litchi, Lambda and Makoto. Requires a very hard mini-dash after 236B on Platinum and Hakumen.

[*m] (1) 6A > 5B > j.C > 2D > jc > j.2C [lvl 2] > 236B > j.C > jc > j.C > j.214C
Damage: 2587, Heat Gain: 22

[*m][*f] (1) CH 6B > (dash) > 5B > j.C > 2D > jc > j.2C [lvl 2] > 236B > j.C > jc > j.C > j.214C
Damage: 2484, Heat Gain: 22

[*m] (1) 5B > 5CD > 3C > BBL > 214A > 3C > 236A > (frog) > 5B > sj.B > j.A > j.B > j.C > jc > j.2C
Damage: 4532, Heat Gain: 29

+ j.214C

TODO: FIND A COLOR FOR 50 HEAT AND CHAR SPECIFIC [*m] (1) 5B > 5CD > 3C > 236B > 5A(1) > 5B > j.B > j.C > jc > j.B > j.C > j.214C > BBL > 214A > 236A > (dash) > 3C(1) > 214C > (frog) > 236A > 3C(1) > 214C > 3C(1)
Damage: 4009, Heat Gain: 42

+ 214B

Notes: Doesn’t work on Ragna, Noel, Litchi, Lambda and Makoto. Requires a very hard mini-dash after 236B on Platinum and Hakumen.

[*m] (1) 6A > 5B > j.C > 2D > jc > j.2C [lvl 2] > 236B > j.C > jc > j.C > j.214C > BBL > 214A > 236A > (dash) > 3C(1) > 214C > (frog) > 236A > 3C(1) > 214C > 3C(1)
Damage: 3782, Heat Gain: 38

+ 214B

[*m] (1) CH 2C > 1D > 6A > BBL > 214A > 236A > (dash) > 3C(1) > 214C > (frog) > 236A > 3C(1) > 214C > 3C(1)
Damage: 2717, Heat Gain: 22

+ 214B

[*m] (2) 5B > 5CD > 3C > 8D > 5B > sj.B > j.A > j.B > j.C > jc > j.2C
Damage: 2684, Heat Gain: 21

+ j.214B

[*m] (3) 5B > 5CD > 3C > 8D > 5B > j.C > 2D > jc > j.2C [lvl 2] > 236B > j.C > jc > j.C > j.214C Damage: 3494, Heat Gain: 29

+ 214A

+ 214B

[*m] (3) 5B > 5CD > 3C > 8D > 5B > j.C > 2D > jc > j.2C [lvl 2] > 236B > j.C > jc > j.C > j.214C > BBL > 214A > 236A > (dash) > 3C(1) > 214C > (frog) > 236A > 3C(1) > 214C > 3C(1)
Damage: 4691, Heat Gain: 44

+ 214B

Corner carry

[*c] (1) 5B > 6CD > j.C > 5A(1) > 5B > 3C
Damage: 1507 Heat Gain: 21

+ 214A

+ 214B

[*c] (2-4) 5B > 6CD > [8D]xN > j.C > 5A(1) > 5B > 3C
Damage: ~1700-2200 Heat Gain: ~21-33

+ 214A

+ 214B

Corner

[*c] (NW) 4B > 5CC > 236B > (dash) > 5CC > (dash) > 3C(1) > 214C > (dash) > 5CC
Damage: 2516, Heat Gain: 29

+ 214A

+ 214B

[*m] [near corner] (1) 2AA 5B > 5CDC > 236B > (dash) > 5CC > (dash) > 3C(1) > 214C > 3C(1)
Damage: 1933, Heat Gain: 25

+ 214A

+ 214B

[*m] [near corner] (1) (2A) 5B > 5CDC > 236B > (dash) > 5CC > (dash) > 3C(1) > 214C > (dash) > 5CC
Damage: 2802, Heat Gain: 28

+ 214A

+ 214B

[*m] (1) 6A > 5B > j.C > 2D > jc > j.2C > 2A(w) > 5C(w)C > 214A > (dash) > 3C(1) > 236A > (dash) > 4B/6B > 5CC > (dash) > 3C(1) > 214C > 3C(1)
Damage: 3260, Heat Gain: 38

+ 214A

+ 214B

[*m] (1) 5B > 5CDC > 214A > 3C(1) > 236A > (frog) > (dash) > 4B/6B > 5CC > (dash) > 3C(1) > 214C > 3C(1)
Damage: 3291/3200, Heat Gain: 31

+ 214A

+ 214B

[*m] (1) 5B > 5CDC > 214A > 3C(2) > 236A > (frog) >(dash) > 6B > 5CC > (dash) > 3C(1) > 214C > 3C(1)
Damage: 3350, Heat Gain: 32

+ 214A

+ 214B

Notes: Makoto, Noel and Carl specific of the combo above.

[*m] (1) 5B > 5CDC > 214A > 3C(3) > 236A > (frog) > (dash) > 6B > 5CC > (dash) > 3C(3) > 214C > 3C(1)
Damage: 3557, Heat Gain: 36

+ 214A

+ 214B

Notes: Lambda specific of the combo above.

[*m] (1) CH 6B > (dash) > 5B > j.C > 2D > jc > j.2C > 2A(w) > 5C(w)C > 214A > 3C(1) > 236A > (dash) > 4B/6B > 5CC > (dash) > 3C(1) > 214C > 3C(1)
Damage: 3122, Heat Gain: 39

+ 214A

+ 214B

[*m] (1) 5B > 5CD > 3C > BBL > 214A > 5CC > 236A > (frog) > (dash) > 4B > 5CC > (dash) > 3C(1) > 214C > 3C(1)
Damage: 4875, Heat Gain: 32

+ 214A

+ 214B

[*m] (2) 5B > 5CD > 3C > BBL > sj.8D > j.2C [lvl 3] > 214A > 5CC > 236A > (frog) > dash > 4B/6B > 5CC > (dash) > 3C(1) > 214C > 3C(1)
Damage: 5673, Heat Gain: 39

+ 214A

+ 214B

[*m] (3) 5B > 5CD > 3C > 8D > 5B > j.C > 2D > jc > j.2C > 2A(w) > 5C(w)C > 214A > 3C(1) > 236A > (dash) > 4B/6B > 5CC > (dash) > 3C(1) > 214C > 3C(1)
Damage: 4177, Heat Gain: 45

+ 214A

+ 214B