Faust is a unique zoner hybrid whose RNG-based Items bolster all aspects of his gameplay. He's big and has long buttons. He's incredibly wide in many of his animations, and incredibly short in others. In some cases, his ability to pull items can cover him as he pulls even more items. This can lead to entire rounds devolving into absolute chaos as the screen fills with meteors, hammers, miniature Fausts, fresh produce, weights and bombs.
Faust focuses on a few things: Strong, reliable whiff-punishment through his long reach and notably fast back walk; Covering the air with fairly dominant anti-airs (6P) and air-to-air options (j.H); and capitalizing on the opponent's hesitation with his command grab ('Snip Snip Snip', 236H).
Throughout the match, Faust will create opportunities to guarantee an Item Toss ('What could this be?', 236P). Item Toss has a chance to produce a handful of dominating projectiles, if you're lucky, which can cover you for subsequent pulls. With enough luck, you can chain pull after pull for quite a while, forcing the opponent onto defense while you build meter and create an advantageous game state for yourself.
Some of his Items inflict Guard Crush state on block, such as Afro (When throw with Love), 100t Weight and Meteors. Guard Crushing an opponent is a very advantageous situation for Faust, and can set up a very potent 'Strike vs. Throw' mixup that you wouldn't get in standard on-block situation.
Weaknesses
Faust generally struggles against characters with strong forward movement options (Such as those having really good runs). His mid-range options are slightly slower than average, and after touching the opponent, his ability to meaningfully trap the opponent is limited after key buttons like 2P.
This doesn't hold true in matchups where a character's forward movement is subpar, such as Nagoriyuki, Potemkin and Zato.
You'll want to explore movement options in situations of frame disadvantage to compensate for this. Luckily, Faust's whiff punishment game is quite strong given his reach. If an opponents whiffs a dominant option in front of you, you're well-equipped to punish them for it compared to some other characters.
Troubleshooting Situations Yourself
Summary
Finding the right set of tools to deal with a situation can be very tricky to figure out. The first video below tries to lead you through the process from beginning to end, and the second two some general ideas about offense and defencse. It can be invaluable (and enjoyable!) to learn and discover things for yourself rather than reading about them with little understanding of why you would do them.
Faust's 2K is -2 on block, leaving it throw punishable point blank; however, Faust's cancel options leave him able to challenge this and other counterplay.
Gatling into 2D:
Fast low option.
Safe turn ender on block.
Beats mashing and buffered jumps.
Loses to backdash. 1f gap makes it (technically) consistently punishable by reversals, but the timing is hard against a multi-hit.
Tick throw (into Throw or Snip):
Requires point blank spacing.
Punishes respecting 2D.
Loses to mashing, jumping, and backdash.
Link 5K:
Beats backdash, leaves Faust plus against jumps.
Loses to mashing.
Oki Summary
Oki Summary
Do meaty attack Hitting an opponent to cover the moment as they lose invincibility. The most common one is performing an attack early on okizeme to gain frame advantage and bait reversals.c.S
Do meaty attack Hitting an opponent to cover the moment as they lose invincibility. The most common one is performing an attack early on okizeme to gain frame advantage and bait reversals.c.S a smidge later
Sudden j.Sj.H to bait throws/late jumps
Throw sometimes
Bait reversals sometimes
2K sometimes
2K5D RC
Try not to overextend without meter to RC.
Kara Cancelling Thrust's Follow-ups
After using Pullback, Faust can Kara Cancel A type of cancel where the beginning of an action is quickly canceled into another before the first action completes its startup. Hole In One! into either of his Overdrives, although Bone-crushing Excitement will only initiate a cinematic when done early enough (opponent must be above Faust's head at time of activation). Cancelling into Bone-crushing Excitement creates a weird RPS around burst timing, with early burst beating Bone Crushing Excitement, and late burst beating everything else. Cancelling it into W-W-What Could This Be? yields varying results, but gives your opponent less space to play around the Items that appear.
Offense after an Airdash
Fausts steerable airdash and unusual air attacks give him great oppurtunity for offense if he is able to airdash at the opponent. While it is possible to do this without any prior setup, it is risky and relies on your opponent not being ready for it.
More practical is to airdash while covered by an item, or on a knockdown.
Safejumps
Faust's steerable airdash gives him access to safejumps off of almost any hard knockdown as long as you are close enough to your opponent. Any air normal can be used to safejump, but the most common choices are j.H and j.D. When airdashing for a safejump, you may choose to instead drift down and whiff an air normal to land and throw your opponent or go for a low.
Post 2D Safejumps
For any of these safejumps you may omit 236[P] and time the safejump more manually. Doing so is harder, but gives you access to meaty Crossup Mix Mix Mix and meaty lows if you whiff your air normal early.
236[P] ▷ IAD[~2] dl. j.D
Anywhere,Anyone,Medium
Slight delay is required, but eating an item kills frames to make it slightly easier to time properly
236[P] ▷ dl. IAD[2] j.H
Anywhere,Anyone,Hard
This safejump is almost completely manual, but rewarding on hit and on block. If done very cleanly, j.H will give you access to a rising j.K f-shiki on block which you can convert with meter.
OTG c.S Safejumps
Off OTG c.S, safejumps are much easier to time, but Crossup Mix Mix Mix and whiff into low will not be meaty. Whiff into throw is also easier to time.
IAD[~2] dl. j.D
Anywhere,Anyone,Medium
Slight delay is required, but eating an item kills frames to make it slightly easier to time properly
IAD[2] j.H
Anywhere,Anyone,Easy
This safejump is autotimed, and will give you an f-shiki on block (convert with meter). The f-shiki is easier if you hold 9 to jump for the IAD.
Post 236S Safejumps
After 236S, safejumps are fully manual. You may choose to OTG c.s and route accordingly, or you can perform a fully manual safejump with any air normal. Depending on spacing, you'll want to delay your airdash and attack more or less to avoid overshooting, but if you are very close, such as after Kara MMM, you may want to back up before airdashing. The knockdown timing can vary based on your combo decay and how high up your opponent was at the end of 236S as well.
General Airdash Situations
IAD[(~)2] j.D
Anywhere, Everyone, Medium
j.D can be manually steered down, up to +10, but easily ~+8. j.D is often the best button to use when doing a safejump after a hard knockdown, or otg c.S.
After 236H (SnipSnipSnip), j.D will hit meaty and be +10, even without steering.
Generally, j.S is not useful to use unless you are intending to gatling into j.H. If they are not steered down, j.D will be +5 and j.S will be +6.
IAD[(~)2] j.H
Anywhere, Everyone, Medium
j.H will typically be +9 after IAD[2], but will whiff on crouching, most pre-jump startup, most crouching normals. However, its huge range means it can be a good option if you are far from your opponent. Can hypothetically be up to +13 with a perfect delay, or when steering fully down after a otg c.S after a short combo.
IAD[8] j.Sj.H ▷ ... )
Anywhere, Everyone, Easy
IAD[8] j.S will put the j.H at the minimum height, leaving you +13. The steer up coupled with the long delay means this can be used to bait antiairs against some characters. If done on a knockdown, can be 6Pd always. Can be prone to whiffing behind the opponent, especially if you are airdashing into the corner, so be cautious. j.H will whiff on crouching hit, though j.S will be +5 on crouching hit (can link 5P). IAD j.S will take 39f to hit from the first jump input. Being +13 is especially valuable, as it means you can do rising j.K as an f-shiki Sometimes known as "Fuzzy Overhead". When you are in blockstun, you can switch high/low blocking, but your blocking animation and hurtbox does not change until you leave blockstun or block another attack. F-Shikis take advantage of this and use overheads that would miss on crouching characters, but not on standing characters..
IAD[~2] j.Pj.P ▷ (c.S ... )
Anywhere, Everyone*, Hard
Up to +6 if done at the perfect height (Requires specific manual down steer), though the first j.P can often hit later in the active frames or whiff if the opponent is crouching (depending on character), disrupting the height (stable on afro).
IAD[2] j.P (no delay) will be 0 on block (crouching hit will range from +5 to +7, depending on character - cannot get second j.P from IAD[2]).
IAD (dl.)236S [2]
Anywhere, Everyone, Hard
Crossup Mix Mix Mix from an airdash. Can be as little as -1 on block if the 236 is input slowly to steer down a tiny bit. Easy to get -3. Can link into c.S for a mix loop on hit.
Other Airdash Options More uncommon or niche situations
j.2K ( ▷ 2K/2P / j.236S/j.236P)
Anywhere, Everyone
j.2K has been included in this section, as it often fulfills a role similar to an IAD in Faust's gameplay. On CH, or a sufficiently close crouching hit, combos into 236S.
Very variable on block, both framedata and spacing. From point blank a j.2K as low as possible will be -2, and leave Faust at point blank spacing. A perfectly spaced low j.2K can be +4, and outside 5P range, but this is not possible to do consistently, do not rely on this. A well spaced low j2k will usually be somewhere unpredicatable between these two values, about -2 is fairly common, and a reasonable default to assume.
A high j.2K without meter (even on hit) forces Faust into an unfavourable RPS between j.236S and j.236P.
IAD[2] j.Kj.2K ▷ (2K ... )
Anywhere, Everyone, Medium
The j.2K can be up to +4 (minimum height, inside the opponent) and link into 2K on crouching hit. The j.2K can be manually delayed to frametrap, though it is extremely difficult to do this and also get the perfect height, as a delayed j.2K will whiff from IAD[2], will require manual IAD[~2].
IAD[2] j.K (no delay) will be +2 on block (+6 on crouching hit). IAD j.K (and j.P) will take 32f to hit from the first jump input.
IAD[~2] j.Pj.2K ▷ (2K ... )
Anywhere, Everyone*, Hard
The j.2K is up to +4 if done at the perfect height (minimum height, inside the opponent) and will frametrap (Requires specific manual down steer), though the first j.P will hit later in the active frames or whiff entirely if the opponent is crouching (depending on character), disrupting the height (stable on afro).
IAD[tap 8] j.Kj.D ▷ (c.S ... )
Anywhere, Standing Only, Medium
Up to +10 if done at the perfect height (Though more usually +6, if IAD[8]), j.D will frametrap. The j.K will whiff entirely on all crouchers, and is prone to whiffing behind also, very unstable. If not cancelled the j.K will be around -7.
Love Oki
In the corner, ending with j.D236P will net you a meaty love. This gives you projectile oki, giving you uncontestable and reliable plus frames, and covering you for other options. One particular invaluable option is to airdash in after the Love, though this will sometimes get you hit by wakeup reversals.
It is also possible to land a meaty Love from any hard knockdown midscreen by just jumping, and doing love. However, the setups described below will not work as you will be at a lower height, and it is easy to accidentally hit yourself with it. This is most likely to be useful against Baiken or Anji, with their parries beating safejumps.
The Basic Idea
A good way to f-shiki
Dealing with Crouching
c.S2S236S[6661], c.Sj.Kj.D236P
The most common way to route into love oki is after a Mix loop approaching the corner, when you don't want to break the wall. This will work independently of the exact starter. After the Love, you can dash up and c.S, or throw, or other pressure as desired.
If you airdash after the Love, you can get a j.Sj.H followup, which leaves you +13. This is plus enough to do an f-shiki Sometimes known as "Fuzzy Overhead". When you are in blockstun, you can switch high/low blocking, but your blocking animation and hurtbox does not change until you leave blockstun or block another attack. F-Shikis take advantage of this and use overheads that would miss on crouching characters, but not on standing characters.j.K, though you will need to spend meter convert. There are quite a few alternative ways to spend meter, see below section for more.
Awkwardly, if the opponent crouches and gets hit by the j.S, the j.H will whiff, disrupting the setup. The j.S will be +5 on hit, so it is not the end of the world, but can be challenging to react and adapt to.
Variant to call out preemptive crouching from the opponent.
The below section is an alternative way to do Love oki, cutting the j.D for a lower love, giving much more potential variation in the setup. However, unlike the version above, it is fairly challenging to have the Love hit meaty and catch jump, and requires a difficult manual delay. There is no reason to go for this version over the above if you do not intend to airdash.
c.S2S236S[6661], c.S dl.jc.9 j.K j.236P AD
It is very important to delay the jump cancel for as long as possible, so the opponent falls as low as possible, otherwise the first hit of Love will whiff and the opponent can easily jump out.
... dl.jc.9 j.K j.236P AD[8] j.Sj.H
+12 j.H, which is plus enough to lead into f-shiki j.K - see below section for advice on that.
... dl.jc.9 j.K j.236P AD([tap 2]) j.S2K
Going low after the j.S, instead of high the the j.H. Tapping 2 during the airdash will make it gapless, steering neutral will frametrap instead.
... dl.jc.9 j.K j.236P AD[2] j.S(whiff) (2K)
Going low after the airdash instead. You will be +11 after the j.S(whiff), so can gaplessly string from the Love
... dl.jc.9 j.K j.236P AD[2] j.Pj.P
Double overhead from a down steer - your opponent can attempt to predict whether you are going high or low from the way you steer the airdash, and this option is excellent at disrupting that. First j.P will be +1 (autotimed command grab, frametrap with j.2K), second will be +6.
... dl.jc.9 j.K j.236P AD[2] j.Pj.2K
Frametrap, complement the idea of grabbing after 1 j.P. j.2K will be +3 on block here, so will combo into 5K on normal crouching hit.
F-shiki setups
Items and Airdashes
Defense
A Quick Summary of Defense
Jump back falling j.D is your answer to throws.
Sometimes, you won't have an obvious opportunity to escape. Jumping out or making use of 6P, 5K or 5P on a read might be your only option. Gaps come hard and fast.
Some characters like Giovanna are very weak to Crawl (3 input).
Players fearful of reversal super might leave opportunities to escape.
Try FD out on defense sometimes, it might ruin your opponent's offense.
Super (632146H) to punch through reactable gaps can be a reliable option in some cases.
Punishing Throw Attempts
Punishing Throw Attempts
There are a handful of ways to deal with throws in Strive. Each option hedges against multiple options from the opponent a little differently. Consider which handful of options you'd like to play around on defense.
Jump/Fuzzy Jump
Can lead to j.D, especially rewarding if the opponent has an afro.
Backdash/Fuzzy Backdash
Safe option and leaves you plus if correct
Throw Break/Throw Break FD
Resets back to neutral. Not too helpful if you know a grab is coming
Mashing 5P
Can lead to 6P > Mix Mix Mix loop
Wheelchair PRC
Very rewarding if done correctly, can lead to Charged Dust
Faultless Defense
Faultless Defense
Summary
If you're just going to block, FD a little and see how it affects your opponent's offense. Some characters are affected more than others.
FD makes tick-throw attempts harder/weaker for the opponent.
Whiffs caused by FD give you an opportunity to take back momentum.
FD can absolutely ruin some spacing-specific setups.
Use Faultless Defense to Create Gaps
Some strings are very weak to FD, usually 3-hit gatlings, or gatlings started outside of throw range. If you can upset spacing on the final attack in their string, you'll create a gap.
The pushback from FD can also make it hard for the opponent to do tight strings into throw. You may for a longer, more manageable forward dash in the opponent's pressure if they want to throw you.
Gaps come fast and quick. You may not be able to react to the gap itself showing up, but you might be able to react to the button about to be ruined by FD.
How do I punish gaps?
5H is a great whiff punish in close quarters.
j2K and j.D can be great bully options if you're uncertain a gap may or may not show
5K is very hard to contest for some characters, and it's very fast, just liable to whiff overtop of certain moves.
5P is very fast, and is going to be more reaction-friendly if you find yourself looking for the gaps you created.
Advanced Defensive Options
Crawl
Instantly shrinks Faust's hurtbox, letting Faust low profile under certain attacks.
Faust can crawl by pressing either down forward, or downback. Unlike other characters, this will not result in him simply crouching, but moving slowly forward or back with a low profile hurtbox. Usually, crawling backwards will not result in Faust low profiling, as he will instead crouch block (which is not low profile.)
Generally speaking, crawl is frame 1 low profile in neutral, and frame 2 low profile if Faust is leaving blockstun (see below for more thorough explanation).
Typically, simply holding down back will not have Faust low profile anything. This is due to proximity blocking: when most attacks get near to hitting an opponent, they will cause them to start a blocking animation before it even hits. For crawl, this means that back crawl will usually swap to crouch blocking, which is not low profile.
Faust can get around this by instead forward crawling; holding down forward will not try to block, and will instead low profile. However, this means that Faust is not blocking at all, and so leaves him very vulnerable while attempting this.
When Faust is acting from a neutral situation or on wakeup, both forward and back crawl are frame 1. This allows Faust to go under many projectiles and some pokes fairly easily. If Faust is leaving blockstun, then Forward Crawl is frame 2 if Faust would be proximity blocking, and frame 1 otherwise. This means that Crawl can always be hit by 1F frametraps, even if the second attack can be low profiled.
If Faust is exiting blockstun and was crouch blocking, then back crawl will not start until frame 12 if Faust simply holds 1, so will typically not low profile anything. However, it is possible for Faust to backcrawl on frame 2 if he swaps to down back, instead of simply holding 1. This can be achieved either by stand blocking the previous attack and then swapping to 1, or by standing very briefly and then swapping back to 1. Note that Faust must visually stand for a least a frame, this cannot be done during blockstun. While generally this will simply have Faust still proximity crouch block, against attacks that do not trigger proximity blocking (for example Rams Sword throws, Baikens Kabari, and many fS at long range), this can be extremely potent and extremely difficult or impossible to call out.
See the Table below for a full list of crawlable moves.
S3 Crawl Table v1.2
Moves that can be crawled with downforward crawl.
Notable (not exhaustive list of) moves that can be downback crawled fairly easily in neutral.
Moves that can only be crawled at distance.
Air moves were tested by cancelling out of an airdash.
Additional notes. Note that the number of moves that can be crawled is far less significant that which and when. For example, many characters 2H does not reach after f.S, even if 2H cannot be crawled.
Both versions of Tandem Top can be crawled, netting punishes on the S VersionGuardAllStartup12RecoveryTotal 45Advantage-10, or disrupting Oki on the H VersionGuardAllStartup73RecoveryTotal 51Advantage+36.
Error version of 236PGuardAllStartup8 [14]RecoveryTotal 0 [Total 30]Advantage+20 [+3] can also be crawled, Install Error 236PGuardAll (Guard Crush)Startup8 [14]RecoveryTotal 0 [Total 30]Advantage+47 [+30] cannot.
YRC is a strong tool to invalidate and upset the opponent's offense. In order to counter YRC, an opponent must hard bait the input, usually with a sudden jump cancel. You want to make sure you represent it through the course of a match for this reason alone.
After YRC Connects
YRC enacts a Guard Crush state on the opponent that's plus for you. Guard Crush offers no Throw Invulnerability on recovery. This means dash throw is very strong to represent, paired with c.S as a trap. If YRC is done too far away, your options may lose to mash 5P. Counterplay to an opponent mashing 5P would be CH 5H > Thrust > 4 > H.
In situations where you are in the corner, consider backwards throw, as it is easier to put out and secures the corner for yourself. In cases of air YRC, it means a return to neutral rather than a punish opportunity
Gold Burst
Similar to YRC, can require hard baits from the opponent, some kind of safejump, or a normal that recovers too quick to be clipped. Given the usefulness of meter, this is extremely powerful to land.
Guaranteed, reactable gold burst opportunities are something to focus on. [Ed. Note: Video compilation would be nice.]
Blue Burst
Easier to land compared to Gold Burst, given that it can be done anywhere throughout a string, and even mid-combo. Some characters have burst-safe combos and routes, but in some cases, characters may struggle to convert and play around Blue Burst at the same time.
In some matchups, you don't have enough time to Item Toss on successful Blue Burst, be careful. In some cases, it may be useful to use blue burst offensively to keep opponents in the corner.
Instant Block
Instant Block
This can be used to upset spacing on certain attacks that are only safe due to said spacing. Situational and based on matchup. In general, it will offer up throw punishes where you wouldn't normally get them.
IBFD on Wakeup
Different from IBFD in general, and FAR more practical (As it has the same timing, every time.) It is quite useful to learn to do, as a way of reducing the effectiveness of Meaties and Safejumps. The pushback you get from successful IBFD means the opponent will need to overextend to represent tick-throws mid-string, making it easier for you to fit more dominant counterpokes on defense.
Meaties eat shit
Safejumps get pushed out.
Takes tight throw attempts off the table in most situations.
Because this is a fixed window, it's more reliable to input.
Playing Around with Items
Bomb
Tennis!
Both players can hit the bomb back and forth to each other, which will explode after about 3 seconds, pulsing 6 times. The explosion can hit both of you, so be very careful. Generally, you want the bomb to explode on the opponent, rather than yourself :)
You will often get a bomb on screen in a fairly neutral situation after hits like 2H, airhit 6H and 5HH, as well as if you just happen to chuck an item in neutral.
Different attacks will launch the bomb at different angles and speeds. You cannot hit the bomb while it is in the air, and must wait for it to touch the ground first (except 5D). If you hit the bomb, your attack acts similarly to how it would if you hit the opponent, so there will be hitstop and you can gatling and special cancel as you normally would. Cancelling into 236P both to retract your hurtbox and get another item out is generally a good idea.
There are 3 different kinds of launches - Short, Far, and Tall. The exact move you use to hit the bomb does not effect the launch, it will always be one of these three launches. This is also true for other characters hitting the bomb. You can tell which of the three launches an attack will do by the direction of hitsparks on block. If they go down (the attack is swinging down, usually), it will be short. Horizontal sparks will give Far, and upwards hitsparks (typically up-swinging attacks) will be Tall.
A bomb launched from the ground, at fullscreen. Note that tall goes well off the top of the screen in game.
A bomb launched from the air - the launches are mechically the same, but note the difference in Short
2P - quick low commit poke that launches the bomb Far, landing at fullscreen. Great for launching the bomb towards the opponent in a way they might be able to return, while recovering fast enough to return their return.
2H - Has the same Far launch as 2P, but hitting the bomb from further away can easily leave the bomb behind your opponent. When the bomb is hit by an attack, it apples hitstop to the hitter - in the case of 2H, this makes it effectively have 17 active frames. With its disjointed hitbox, this makes it a great option to smack the bomb with if you think the opponent might try and hit it themself. CH combos here are very timing and spacing specific, but try routing into 236S if you CH near the beginning of the bomb timer, and 41236K if you CH near the end of the timer.
5K - many actives frames at head height and low recovery make this a great option to return the bomb back to the opponent if they hit it at you.
2S - launches the bomb a short distance, but almost straight up, making it challenging for you opponent to return it. 2S can also be used to return a bomb that is either inside or behind you. Will not push the bomb out of range horizontally, but if timed well can have it explode so high up that it doesn't hit you.
j.2K - a Short launch that can be accessed quickly on ground.
2K - can be used to hit a bomb inside you forward at a low angle
5D - if it hits the bomb after it has landed, has the same launch as 2S. However, can uniquely hit the bomb before it lands, hitting it directly forward at an angle dependent on how high the bomb is when you bat it. This probably isn't useful, but feel free to play around.
A selection of good attacks to launch the bomb from different locations.
Goals of Bomb Tennis
First and foremost, try not to get blown up yourself. Once you have managed to make the bomb explode on your opponent, there are a few options.
You can use the blockstun from the bomb to either toss another item, or approach yourself. In general, the existence of the bomb on screen is going to make your opponent more cautious in general, as once the bomb is on screen, it will explode, even if you get hit. If you are very confident of the spacing, you can crossup behind the opponent with 214K, but it is extremely easy to accidentally blow yourself up doing this.
Converting off a bomb that hits the opponent is often challenging, but extremely rewarding if you can manage it. They will be launched away from the bomb - for this reason, getting the bomb behind them is incredibly valuable, as it means both that they cannot (easily) hit it back, and are much easier to combo from. If an opponent is launched towards you, dash 5K into either 236S, 6H or j.H is your best bet. If they are launched away, it is usually difficult to followup, but if you are very alert you can sometimes hit them with 214K PRC~5K, or rarely j.H and dash 5K.
A common time to throw an item is on a hard knockdown, after Throw, 2D or 236S.
Bomb is a particularly challenging item to use effectively on hard knockdowns, due to the large amount of time that you need to kill before it explodes. A selection of ideas are listed below;
Immediate strike throw - If you command grab the opponent as they wakeup up, the Snip will combo into the bomb, and the resulting Afro explosion gives you more than enough time to run up and 5K, comboing meterlessly from throw for around 160 damage.
Safe Blockstring into item toss or reengage - Doing any typical blockstring, for example c.Sf.S5H, will leave your opponent in a precarious position where they are sitting directly on top of a bomb. You can use their fear here, and also the blockstun of the explosion when it does arrive, to cover for either an item toss or run up again, or perhaps both.
Try and convert meterless mix - it is generally very difficult to block string for long enough to reach the explosion, and still have potential for mix when the bomb explodes. Below are possible ideas HKD > 236P (bomb) meaty 5Kc.S 9 dl. j.Sj.H jc.7 j.D Bomb A meterless f-shiki Sometimes known as "Fuzzy Overhead". When you are in blockstun, you can switch high/low blocking, but your blocking animation and hurtbox does not change until you leave blockstun or block another attack. F-Shikis take advantage of this and use overheads that would miss on crouching characters, but not on standing characters., but leaves a large gap after the c.S and very difficult to time. You can do similar options from a cS IAD instead, which are easier to time but leave a greater gap. Meterless Ideas continued (Placeholder)
Mix Mix Mix FRC - A potent set of metered options, where you roman cancel 236S to get mix, and then use the bomb to convert. You will need to manually time the RC in all of these options to get the bomb to hit at the time needed, but the long duration of 236S means you can easily delay to account for any kind of hard knockdown. HKD > 236P(Bomb) c.Sf.S2H (hit bomb) 236S[6] (wait for bomb timer) FRRC j.K(hit) c.S(knock away bomb) jc. Bomb Explosion HKD > 236P(Bomb) c.Sf.S2H (hit bomb) 236S[6] (wait for bomb timer) 22FRRC 2K(hit) Bomb Explosion HKD > 236P(Bomb) c.Sf.S2H (hit bomb) 236S[6] (wait for bomb timer) 66FRRC j.K jc.9 (jump over their head for a crossup) Bomb Explosion HKD > 236P(Bomb) c.Sf.S2H (hit bomb) 236S[6] (very quickly) FRRC j.Kc.S(knock away bomb) 5D Bomb Explosion (very picky about spacing) There are numerous small alterations you can make here if you wish. For example, you could start the string with c.S2S5H instead, use a different jumping normal, command grab them after jK instead, use a different jumping normal. However, all will work using very similar ideas - whatever mix you usually like doing with MMMFRC, backed up by a bomb.
Hammer
Throws a powerful hammer in a fast arc that causes a lot of hitstun/blockstun on contact. If it misses the opponent, it will bounce on the floor a few once before it leaves play.
You can smack the hammer with 5D to launch it at the opponent like a traditional projectile. This can be useful for contesting an opponent that wants to stay out of hammer's effective range.
When pulled in neutral, it serves as a great cover for the space right in front of you, both for air and the ground. Pulling a hammer out in neutral will cover for another item toss.
For close-up pressure, hammer has even more uses. Below are a couple options after a throw/2D > item toss:
Command GrabGuardGround ThrowStartup6Recovery41Advantage-: Hammer is the best item that will cover your throw attempts. Hammer leaves a gap wide enough for throw protection to end after recovery, but tight enough that you earn an advantage after whiffing. Opponents who jump will have to block the hammer in the air, giving Faust an advantage even after whiffing, allowing for extended pressure. If the opponent were to backdash, they would be safe but unable to punish as the hammer serves as a shield. In the corner, hammer would hit the opponents who attempt to backdash due to its long active frames.
c.S > Item Toss: This string is a way to extend Faust's item pressure. Faust will be left at an adavantage after the item toss if hammer were to hit/be blocked. If you are lucky and can react quickly, you can further extend pressure utilizing whatever item that comes from the second item toss. Read more of this section to figure out how to use each item.
Mini Faust
Creates a miniature Faust that gets furious when hit by a projectile, makes contact with the opponent, or triggered bomb or LoveGuardAllStartup27RecoveryTotal 48Advantage-. It will throw a tantrum then leap at the opponent, doing many hits. Persists even if Faust takes damage, so it can interrupt combos, or cover Faust from punishment when he takes risks.
Mini Faust can jump quite a far distance, so even if it gets set off far away by something like Bomb or Meteors, it can still reach the opponent.
Mini Faust is great for covering the ground game for Faust, as triggering this small fellow means Faust can gain an advantage anywhere on screen. Even when you are too far away for actual pressure, a triggered Mini Faust can net you a safe item toss.
Similar to hammer, Mini Faust can be used to extend pressure with item throw or cover for a command grab. Since Mini Faust has two stages, you will be able to throw out two items with a String such as c.S > Mini Faust (triggered) > Item > 2H > Mini Faust (Attack) > Item.
Still, Mini Faust needs to be activated to utilize it for pressure. At midscreen, it may be hard to trigger him as the ground he covers is limited as he walks back and forth a set distance.
100t Weight
A cracked-up version of hammer with downsides as well. Causes guard crush to all grounded players on impact with a persistent box that can clip an airborne opponent, offering combo opportunities on hit or putting them into blockstun until landing on block.
The time it takes for weight to reach the ground gives Faust enough time to throw another item then backdash out of the ground slam. There aren't many ways the opponent can punish this without being hit by the weight itself or the ground slam, so you can use it to your advantage.
For pressure, j.2K is the go-to button after throwing out a weight as it leaves the ground to avoid the shockwave and spirals down to recover on the ground quickly. In most cases, j.2K would be minus on block/hit, but the guard crush state of the weight leaves you massive frame at a frame advantage.
Alternatively, c.S > IAD [3] > j.H is a way to do a "safejump" pressure. The initial c.S will leave your opponent in blockstun, forcing your opponent to eat the shockwave as it covers for your IAD approach.
With certain setups to force the opponent to block 100t weight on the ground, a BRC done during the guard crush state can set up a high/low mixup (Rising j.K > j.D > MMM vs. 2H > MMM)
Meteors
The best item Faust can pull. After approximately one and half second, meteors fall from the sky in a random pattern. Near half-screen space control and guard crush on block.
In neutral, meteors can cover Faust for another two item pulls.
Meteors can create an ambiguos left/right mixup anywhere on screen when used in conjunction with scarecrow. The meteors will cover for the long startup of the move and obscure the red sparkle in Faust's eye that indicates which scarecrow is real.
Alternatively, when you are close to the opponent, you can jump forward for a crossup or air backdash after to fake the crossup. However, it may be hard to confirm this into a combo/hard knockdown
Banana
c.S > 5H is normally gapless, but...
Utilizing the banana's blockstun for a throw
A two-part move. Picking up the Banana restores health and produces a peel. The peel has a persistent hitbox.
There is a chance that you can only pull the Banana Peel. This is usually a much more useful item to pull especially in zoning due to it landing directly in front of Faust.
The peel can be used as a sort of wall that forces the opponent to either make an aerial approach or wait it out, allowing Faust to get more items and decreasing the number of tools you need to be ready to check.
The slipping animation of the peel hit launches very high, letting you consistently get a 5K anti-air combo, be that with a simple 5K-6H or a jump-cancelling combo involving j.H if you're in the corner. Depending on the position of the peel you can combo the opponent into it to get some fancy moves going.
With precise spacing, the peel can extend the blockstun of the move that pushed the opponent into it, or offer a pickup you wouldn't get normally. It's finicky, however.
Some situational strike/throw setups utilize the peel's ability to change the enemy's blockstun. This can cause an unexpected tick throw, but the enemy can mash out of this very easily even with S or H buttons. For example, c.S can be up to -18.
Trumpet
Either player can pick this up, and in approximately two seconds, a horde of Mini Fausts, each with their own hitbox, stampede across the stage. It's important to jockey for this when you throw it, as both players will want it.
It can be okay, in some cases, to force the pickup with Mix Mix Mix, as the summoned Mini Fausts will cover you from punishment in some matchups. This isn't foolproof, however, as opponents may be able to run-up throw you to avoid the trumpet entirely.
Much like other items, picking up a trumpet gives you ample time to throw out another item in a blockstring. In this scenario, you will have to delay the item toss to ensure your opponent is locked in blockstun.
Trumpet is also the easiest way to meterlessly combo off from an uncharged 5D or throw, though the ladder only works in the corner. It is still inconsistent at times considering that number of hits of the horde is random.
Example routes:
5D > Trumpet (hit) > c.S > 2D/5HH
Throw (throw as soon as / right before picking up the trumpet) > Trumpet (hit) c.S > 2S > 236S
Donut
Recovers health on pickup. Does nothing. Powerful at low life to avoid chip death, otherwise a terrible pull.
Afro
Video Summary
Base your mixups around the moment afro explodes for the most damage/success. Making use of rising j.D, rising j.K>j.D and j.S>j.H will give you anywhere from one to two really strong mixup opportunities after Snip. Video from 1.17, but still largely applicable.
For more up to date advice on afro pressure in text form, see the Snip section in the Starter Guide.
For additional information on the general framedata of Afro, see the Overview.
The Afro acts as an additional hurtbox that can be hit, which generally makes characters substantially taller. This makes many characters vulnerable to instant overheads from rising air attacks, and usually makes anti-airing Faust substantially more difficult.
Many characters are extremely tall when standing
Ky's usual crouching hurtbox is extended greatly upwards while wearing afro.
For example, the upper body invulnerability on 6P will be overriden for most characters, as the Afro itself can be hit instead. If a character is fully strike invulnerable (like during an invincible reversal or backdash), the Afro hurtbox will be temporarily removed for the duration.
The majority of 6Ps are rendered mostly useless while wearing Afro
Though some can still be effective (pay attention to where their head is!)
Some otherwise mediocre attacks can have unexpected utility
As the Afro hurtbox is not tied to the character hurtbox or collision box, but instead determined directly by the position of their head during their animation, it can often interact very unexpectedly. Things which do not usually matter, like the actual animation of a 6P can come into play, as the way a character moves their head will determine their hurtbox while they have afro on.
Faust's pressure options after applying Afro vary per character. Some characters will not be hit by certain options while crouching such as rising j.K, requiring Faust to adjust his pressure or risk being whiff punished. Rising j.D is generally fairly consistent and should be a go to overhead option, working on everyone except Faust and Jack-O (Giovanna and Bedman need special care), but rising j.K is very character specific, and should be avoided unless you are very sure of what you are doing.
Relevant Strings for the Table of Afro interactions below
c.S > j.D
Rising j.D, unreactable overhead. This is consistent and universal, except on Faust, Jack-O', Gio, and Bedman.
j.K > j.D
Even faster overhead. Raw rising j.K, when the opponent is not in block or hitstun. Remember that this will not cause the afro to pop if it is already flaming, as j.D is not the starter.
c.S / 5K (blocked) > j.K > j.D
Rising j.K, when the opponent is in blockstun (caution on flaming afros, again).
c.S / 5K (hit) > j.K > j.D
Rising j.K, when the opponent is in hitstun. Many characters blockstun and hitstun flinches are slightly different, which can be important.
(c.S / 5K > ) j.K > j.2K > 236S
Rising j.K into j.2K instead of j.D. Gapless overhead option on a flaming afro.
Table of important interactions during Afro pressure
Hitstun animation causes j.K to miss from jump cancel options on hit, though it can still connect on block, due to a different blockstun animation.
Johnny's 2S can low profile rising j.D even in its very early frames if done after c.S for a mutual whiff, but the total duration is too long for Johnny to secure a punish.
Hitstun animation causes j.K to miss from jump cancel options on hit, though it can still connect on block due to a different blockstun animation.
Meterless Invincible Reversal. Sin 2D can low profile rising j.D even in its very early frames if done after c.S for a mutual whiff. Sin will be left only very slightly plus - can throw punish if Faust jumped forward for the j.D, but not otherwise.
Parry. Baiken's 2D can low profile rising j.D even in its very early frames if done after c.S for a mutual whiff, but the total duration is too long for her to secure a punish.
Meterless invincible reversal. Bridget's 2K can low profile rising j.D even after a c.S, for a mutual whiff that lets Bridget punish with any option she chooses, including anti air c.S if Faust is close enough.
Ramlethal's 2K can low profile rising j.D even after a c.S, for a mutual whiff that lets Ram punish with any option she chooses, including anti air c.S if Faust is close enough.
Rising j.D will generally whiff in neutral, but will connect during either hitstun or blockstun due to their animation (for example after a jump cancel c.S, on either hit or block).
Giovanna's 2K can low profile rising j.D even after a c.S, for a mutual whiff that lets her punish with any option she chooses, including anti air c.S if Faust is close enough. She can also counterhit it directly with 623S.
Rising j.D will generally whiff in neutral, but will connect during either hitstun or blockstun due to their animation (for example after a jump cancel c.S, on either hit or block). It is also fairly easy for the j.D to whiff both in front of and behind the Afro, depending on spacing.
Bedman's 2K can low profile rising j.D even after a c.S, for a mutual whiff that lets them punish with any option they chooses, including anti air c.S if Faust is close enough.
Too Short for anything fancy. Can scrounge a meterless f-shiki conversion with (deep j.H land) j.Kj.D.
Short >:( Will require dedicated character specific pressure
Moves with fire properties, such as j.D, Love!, Bomb, and Meteors, as well as certain moves from other characters, can ignite the Afro, causing it to explode after a short while if triggered. On fire hit the explosion happens immediately, whereas on fire block it stays Flaming for a few seconds before exploding.
If ignited on block, it will explode by itself after two seconds (120F) but will be delayed by hitstop When a character is hit, both characters are stopped in place to visualize the hit and give feeling of impact. Hitstop describes this phenomenon. Typically hitstop affects both players equally, but this is not always true. For example an attack may cause the opponent to be in hitstop longer than the player, or in cases of most projectiles, the attacker does not experience hitstop at all. and Overdrives, so will take longer in real time. This delayed hit is very useful for converting off otherwise low reward hits, such as 2D, and will Guard Crush on Block.
See the Starter Guide for advice on running pressure.
If an Unlit Afro'd character blocks or is hit by a total of 10 hits, the Afro will disappear. If the Afro is neither lit nor takes 10 hits, it will vanish by itself after about 10 seconds. A Flaming Afro will not time out, nor be removed by many hits, but it will be removed on wallbreak (dealing no damage. An Unlit Afro will persist through wallbreak).
