Attack Types
- Attacks come in three broad categories in Guilty Gear that define how they can interact with other attacks.
Strike
- Strikes are the most common form of attack in the game like punches, kicks, and sword slashes.
Basically any standard, blockable attack is probably a strike. Strikes can clash with other strikes, but not with projectiles and throws. There are a few strikes that can clash with projectiles like Ky's 5D or Johnny's Mist Finer.
Projectile
- Projectiles are attacks that are entities independent of the attacker, like Ky's Stun Edge.
Each projectile has a durability level. When two projectiles of equal durability clash, each projectile will lose one hit (so a 3 hit projectile will become a 2 hit projectile, and a 1 hit projectile disappears). Higher level projectiles will nullify lower level projectiles without losing any hits. Projectiles can not clash with strikes or throws.
Throw
- Throws are short ranged unblockable attacks that temporarily turn both characters invincible before dealing damage to the opponent.
Throw interactions are described in more detail here.
Eddie
- Zato-1's shadow, Eddie, is in his own unique category: he is technically a projectile (as Jack-O's Shield negates his attacks), but is surrounded by a hurtbox, so he can be hit by strikes and projectiles (but not throws).
Invincibility
Attribute Invincibility
- Some attacks are invulnerable only to certain types.
For example: Bursts are only invulnerable to strikes and projectiles, but not throws. Leo's K attack in Byrnhiildr Stance is throw invincible, but not strike or projectiles. These situations are very simple to describe. The attack is invulnerable to the specified types during the specified times. To beat these attacks hit them with a type they are vulnerable to, or hit them before/after the invincible period.
Hitbox Invincibility
- Some attacks shrink the hurtbox of characters, even when it looks like they occupy that space.
Most anti-air 6Ps fall into this category. Because of this, 6Ps can lose to air attacks when the opponent is able to get close enough to touch the character's hurtbox. Thus the same 2 attacks can win or lose depending on their spacing and timing. Players need to learn how their attack will behave in different scenarios, decide if the outcome is favorable, then correctly execute.
Example - Successful Anti Air
Sol jumps toward Ky
Both players attack. Ky's 6P is upper body invincible during startup, Sol's attack misses
Ky's 6P becomes active and above knees invincible. Sol's attack continues to miss as he falls into Ky's attack and gets hit
Example - Unsuccessful Anti Air
Sol jumps toward Ky
Both delay attacking, Sol is closer to Ky and the ground compared to the above example
Sol's j.S is now low enough to the ground to hit Ky out of the startup of his 6P
Example - Low Profile
Sol sweep can low profile under Ky's 2P
Sol using upper body invincible of his 6P to go through Ky's f.S
The frame data will state that attacks have "above knees invincibility", "above chest invincibility", "low profile", etc. to describe how the hurtboxes of attacks grow and shrink.