GGST/Giovanna/Matchups

Overview

Starter Guide

Combos

Strategy

Matchups

Counterstrategy

Okizeme

Frame Data

Resources

Matchups

Table of Contents

Detailed

• Replay Theater is a great resource to find high-level matchup footage.
• High-level replays may also be found in-game (Main Menu > Collection > Replay > Search).
• The Counterstrategy page will generally have some basic counterstrategy against each character in the game.
• Please keep in mind that matchup charts are subjective and not all players may agree on them.

Anji Mito

 Anji MitoPlay safe and take minimal risks.

Even

• A matchup that demands awareness thanks to his autoguardGuardStartupRecoveryTotal 34~50Advantage- and large buttons.
• You also cannot outrange his counter superGuardStartup1Recovery10Advantage- with 2D nor can you safejump it, so performing oki on him while he has meter is inherently a risk unless you cross him up and force the counter to whiff.
• In neutral, try to rely more on your low recovery pokes that he can't punish off of autoguard, such as 5K or 2D. Another good way to counter autoguard both in neutral and on roundstart is to dash block. This lets you defend against any buttons he might try to use, and if he tries to autoguard as an opener, you'll quickly be in range to punish it with a throw.
• FuujinGuardAllStartup16 [32]Recovery21Advantage-8 [-6] is a very formidable pressure tool that can completely invalidate trying to Faultless Defense out of pressure, so use your meter wisely and try your best to react to the followups.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Anji's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
2PGuardAllStartup5Recovery10Advantage-2	66~(5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-2nc, f.SGuardAllStartup9Recovery16Advantage-4nc, 2SGuardLowStartup9Recovery15Advantage-6), dl.(5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5, 214KGuardAllStartup13Recovery20Advantage-4)nc	5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5, 214KGuardAllStartup13Recovery20Advantage-4	5PGuardAllStartup4Recovery9Advantage-2, 5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-2	2PGuardAllStartup5Recovery10Advantage-2cl, 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery11Advantage-2, 2SGuardLowStartup9Recovery15Advantage-6, 2HGuardAllStartup11Recovery21Advantage-8, 2DGuardLowStartup17Recovery12Advantage-8, 6PGuardAllStartup12Recovery15Advantage-9, 6HGuardAllStartup17Recovery5 + 10 After LandingAdvantage-10, 236KGuardAll [All (Guard Crush)]Startup27Recovery13Advantage+4 [+15]noteLeaves enough time for Anji to 6P after., 623SGuardAllStartup7Recovery21Advantage-15
6PGuardAllStartup10Recovery25Advantage-17	dl.(5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5, 5DGuardHighStartup20Recovery25Advantage-15, 214KGuardAllStartup13Recovery20Advantage-4, 214SGuardAll, HighStartup{4} 27Recovery21Advantage-5)nc, 662KGuardLowStartup6Recovery11Advantage-2*Fairly narrow window., 2DGuardLowStartup17Recovery12Advantage-8nc, 6HGuardAllStartup17Recovery5 + 10 After LandingAdvantage-10nc, 236KGuardAll [All (Guard Crush)]Startup27Recovery13Advantage+4 [+15]nc	5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5, 214KGuardAllStartup13Recovery20Advantage-4, 214SGuardAll, HighStartup{4} 27Recovery21Advantage-5		5PGuardAllStartup4Recovery9Advantage-2, 5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-2, f.SGuardAllStartup9Recovery16Advantage-4, 2PGuardAllStartup5Recovery10Advantage-2, 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery11Advantage-2, 2SGuardLowStartup9Recovery15Advantage-6, 2HGuardAllStartup11Recovery21Advantage-8, 6PGuardAllStartup12Recovery15Advantage-9cl, 623SGuardAllStartup7Recovery21Advantage-15cl
5KGuardAllStartup8Recovery9Advantage-2	dl.(5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-2, f.SGuardAllStartup9Recovery16Advantage-4*Only one hit of f.S connects, 5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5, 662KGuardLowStartup6Recovery11Advantage-2, 2HGuardAllStartup11Recovery21Advantage-8)nc, 665KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-2*Very narrow window, 2DGuardLowStartup17Recovery12Advantage-8nc, 6PGuardAllStartup12Recovery15Advantage-9, 6HGuardAllStartup17Recovery5 + 10 After LandingAdvantage-10nc, 623SGuardAllStartup7Recovery21Advantage-15	f.SGuardAllStartup9Recovery16Advantage-4, 5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5, 214KGuardAllStartup13Recovery20Advantage-4, 214SGuardAll, HighStartup{4} 27Recovery21Advantage-5	5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-2, 2HGuardAllStartup11Recovery21Advantage-8	5PGuardAllStartup4Recovery9Advantage-2, 2PGuardAllStartup5Recovery10Advantage-2, 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery11Advantage-2, 2SGuardLowStartup9Recovery15Advantage-6, 236KGuardAll [All (Guard Crush)]Startup27Recovery13Advantage+4 [+15]noteLeaves enough time for Anji to 6P after.
f.SGuardAllStartup11Recovery21Advantage-9	4~66~(5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-2, 5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5, 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery11Advantage-2, 2SGuardLowStartup9Recovery15Advantage-6)nc, 665KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-2, 5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5, 6PGuardAllStartup12Recovery15Advantage-9, 4~214KGuardAllStartup13Recovery20Advantage-4nc, 214SGuardAll, HighStartup{4} 27Recovery21Advantage-5nc	5PGuardAllStartup4Recovery9Advantage-2, 5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-2, f.SGuardAllStartup9Recovery16Advantage-4, 2PGuardAllStartup5Recovery10Advantage-2, 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery11Advantage-2, 2DGuardLowStartup17Recovery12Advantage-8, 6HGuardAllStartup17Recovery5 + 10 After LandingAdvantage-10, 214KGuardAllStartup13Recovery20Advantage-4, 236KGuardAll [All (Guard Crush)]Startup27Recovery13Advantage+4 [+15], 623SGuardAllStartup7Recovery21Advantage-15	2SGuardLowStartup9Recovery15Advantage-6, 2HGuardAllStartup11Recovery21Advantage-8
2SGuardLowStartup10Recovery16Advantage-6	4~66~(5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-2, 5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5, 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery11Advantage-2, 2SGuardLowStartup9Recovery15Advantage-6)nc, 5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5, 6HGuardAllStartup17Recovery5 + 10 After LandingAdvantage-10nc, 4~214KGuardAllStartup13Recovery20Advantage-4nc, 214SGuardAll, HighStartup{4} 27Recovery21Advantage-5nc	5PGuardAllStartup4Recovery9Advantage-2, 5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-2, f.SGuardAllStartup9Recovery16Advantage-4, 2PGuardAllStartup5Recovery10Advantage-2, 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery11Advantage-2, 2HGuardAllStartup11Recovery21Advantage-8, 2DGuardLowStartup17Recovery12Advantage-8, 6PGuardAllStartup12Recovery15Advantage-9, 214KGuardAllStartup13Recovery20Advantage-4, 236KGuardAll [All (Guard Crush)]Startup27Recovery13Advantage+4 [+15]	5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5, 2SGuardLowStartup9Recovery15Advantage-6	623SGuardAllStartup7Recovery21Advantage-15, dl.214SGuardAll, HighStartup{4} 27Recovery21Advantage-5
5HGuardAllStartup15Recovery23Advantage-8	66~(5PGuardAllStartup4Recovery9Advantage-2, f.SGuardAllStartup9Recovery16Advantage-4, 2PGuardAllStartup5Recovery10Advantage-2, 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery11Advantage-2, 2SGuardLowStartup9Recovery15Advantage-6), 5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-2, 5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5, 6PGuardAllStartup12Recovery15Advantage-9, 214KGuardAllStartup13Recovery20Advantage-4, 6~623SGuardAllStartup7Recovery21Advantage-15*Very narrow window	5PGuardAllStartup4Recovery9Advantage-2, 5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-2, f.SGuardAllStartup9Recovery16Advantage-4, 2PGuardAllStartup5Recovery10Advantage-2, 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery11Advantage-2, 2SGuardLowStartup9Recovery15Advantage-6, 2HGuardAllStartup11Recovery21Advantage-8, 2DGuardLowStartup17Recovery12Advantage-8, 6HGuardAllStartup17Recovery5 + 10 After LandingAdvantage-10, 236KGuardAll [All (Guard Crush)]Startup27Recovery13Advantage+4 [+15], 623SGuardAllStartup7Recovery21Advantage-15, 214SGuardAll, HighStartup{4} 27Recovery21Advantage-5
6HGuardAllStartup12Recovery21Advantage-8	66~(5PGuardAllStartup4Recovery9Advantage-2, f.SGuardAllStartup9Recovery16Advantage-4, 2PGuardAllStartup5Recovery10Advantage-2, 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery11Advantage-2, 2SGuardLowStartup9Recovery15Advantage-6), 5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-2, f.SGuardAllStartup9Recovery16Advantage-4*Only one hit connects without dash, 5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5, 6PGuardAllStartup12Recovery15Advantage-9, 214KGuardAllStartup13Recovery20Advantage-4, 44~236KGuardAll [All (Guard Crush)]Startup27Recovery13Advantage+4 [+15]nc, 6~623SGuardAllStartup7Recovery21Advantage-15*Very narrow window	5PGuardAllStartup4Recovery9Advantage-2, 5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-2, 2PGuardAllStartup5Recovery10Advantage-2, 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery11Advantage-2, 2SGuardLowStartup9Recovery15Advantage-6, 2DGuardLowStartup17Recovery12Advantage-8, 6HGuardAllStartup17Recovery5 + 10 After LandingAdvantage-10, 236KGuardAll [All (Guard Crush)]Startup27Recovery13Advantage+4 [+15], 623SGuardAllStartup7Recovery21Advantage-15, 214SGuardAll, HighStartup{4} 27Recovery21Advantage-5	2HGuardAllStartup11Recovery21Advantage-8
236HGuardAllStartup16 [32]Recovery21Advantage-8 [-6]	66~(5PGuardAllStartup4Recovery9Advantage-2, 5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-2, 6DGuardGround ThrowStartup2Recovery38AdvantageN/A), dl.(5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-2, 2PGuardAllStartup5Recovery10Advantage-2), f.SGuardAllStartup9Recovery16Advantage-4, 5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5, dl.2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery11Advantage-2, 2SGuardLowStartup9Recovery15Advantage-6, 2HGuardAllStartup11Recovery21Advantage-8, 6PGuardAllStartup12Recovery15Advantage-9, 214KGuardAllStartup13Recovery20Advantage-4, 623SGuardAllStartup7Recovery21Advantage-15, 214SGuardAll, HighStartup{4} 27Recovery21Advantage-5nc	5PGuardAllStartup4Recovery9Advantage-2, 5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-2, 2PGuardAllStartup5Recovery10Advantage-2, 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery11Advantage-2, 2DGuardLowStartup17Recovery12Advantage-8, 6HGuardAllStartup17Recovery5 + 10 After LandingAdvantage-10, 236KGuardAll [All (Guard Crush)]Startup27Recovery13Advantage+4 [+15]
charged 236HGuardAllStartup16 [32]Recovery21Advantage-8 [-6]	66~6D/4DGuardGround ThrowStartup2Recovery38AdvantageN/A

• ^nc - non-counterhit
• ^cl - clash

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Asuka R

 Asuka R

Slightly Unfavorable

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Asuka's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
5KGuardAllStartup7Recovery12Advantage-3	6PGuardAllStartup12Recovery15Advantage-9, 2DGuardLowStartup17Recovery12Advantage-8, dl.(5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5 5K)nc, 66~5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-2*1 frame 5K input to win, 2 frames trades, 3< frames gets counterhit	5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5, 66~f.SGuardAllStartup9Recovery16Advantage-4	5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-2	66~2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery11Advantage-2
2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery12Advantage-3	5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5, 2DGuardLowStartup17Recovery12Advantage-8, dl.(5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5)blocks, 66~2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery11Advantage-2	N/A	2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery11Advantage-2	6PGuardAllStartup12Recovery15Advantage-9, 66~5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-2
Metron Screamer 808GuardAll (Guard Crush)Startup12RecoveryTotal 34Advantage+16	5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5,66~(5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-2, f.SGuardAllStartup9Recovery16Advantage-4)*small window	everything else	N/A*can trade with delay 5h, 66~f.S/5k, etc.	44
Howling MetronGuardAll [Guard Crush]Startup11RecoveryTotal 39Advantage+5 [+16]	5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5,5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-2, 66~(5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-2, f.SGuardAllStartup9Recovery16Advantage-4)*small window	dl.5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5, 66~2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery11Advantage-2, 2DGuardLowStartup17Recovery12Advantage-8	N/A*can trade with delay 5h, 66~f.S/5k, etc.	6PGuardAllStartup12Recovery15Advantage-9
j.Metron Screamer 808GuardAll (Guard Crush)Startup12RecoveryTotal 34Advantage+16	66~(6PGuardAllStartup12Recovery15Advantage-9, 623SGuardAllStartup7Recovery21Advantage-15)	5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5,dl.5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5, 66~(2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery11Advantage-2,5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-2), 2DGuardLowStartup17Recovery12Advantage-8

Roundstart is slightly winning for gio. 5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5 dominates Asuka's roundstart options, except his 5KGuardAllStartup7Recovery12Advantage-3 can hit Gio's 5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5 hurtbox as it's extending. Delaying 5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5 will beat Asuka 5KGuardAllStartup7Recovery12Advantage-3, but will lose to Asuka's fast spells. Asuka can jump to beat both 5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5 and 5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-2, punishing with Metron Screamer 808GuardAll (Guard Crush)Startup12RecoveryTotal 34Advantage+16 on reaction if he has it in his starting hand. In addition, Asuka can back off and start slinging spells if roundstart 5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5 whiffs, so be ready to chase him down if he does.

For those ready to do 1-to-2-frame inputs, microdash (1 frame) 5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-2 roundstart will beat(or trade with, if you input 5k on frame 2) Asuka's 5KGuardAllStartup7Recovery12Advantage-3 and beat any of Asuka's fast spells.

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Axl Low

 Axl LowPatience getting in, then go ham.

Very Favorable

• Axl's fantastic air control buttons may often force you to play grounded, as Gio's air game is not very difficult for Axl to deal with. Due to this, the matchup may seem difficult for Gio at first, but with proper mastery of her step dash, Gio can challenge Axl's zoning quite well. Remember to always block while dashing so that you don't get stuffed by any RensensGuardAllStartup24Recovery29Advantage-19~-9 or 2H's he throws out. Stay patient in your approach, and you will eventually outpace his ability to keep you out.
• When you're in, try your best to keep that advantage with knockdowns and corner pressure. The hulking hitboxes of his c.S and f.S are a large threat to your ability to dodge around his normals at closer mid-range, but remember that 623S will easily low profile and punish his best scramble poke, 5K. Although he can still 2K if you aren't perfectly spaced.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Axl's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
2PGuardLowStartup10Recovery14Advantage-6
5PGuardAllStartup7Recovery19Advantage-11 [-3]
6PGuardAllStartup12Recovery22Advantage-13
f.SGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-8
2HGuardLowStartup11Recovery26Advantage-18 [-8]
214SGuardAllStartup24Recovery21Advantage+3
214HGuardAllStartup14Recovery29Advantage-24
IADB j.SGuardHighStartup14Recovery18Advantage-

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Baiken

 Baiken

Slightly Unfavorable

• WIP

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Baiken's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
6PGuardAllStartup9Recovery19Advantage-10	dl.5H, 2D, 214S	66~5K, f.S, 5H		block, 5K, 2K, 2S, 623S
f.SGuardAllStartup9Recovery15Advantage-7	6P, 623S	5H, f.S, 2S, 2D	5K	2K
2SGuardAllStartup11Recovery19Advantage-8	5K, f.S, 2S, 5H, 214S	6P, 2D, 623S
Walk Back 2HGuardLowStartup17Recovery26Advantage-13
Neutral Jump j.SGuardHighStartup8Recovery19Advantage+1 (IAD)

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Defense and Punishes

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• Blocking Tatami GaeshiGuardAllStartup15Recovery5Advantage-3 leaves Baiken at -3 but spaced far away from Gio to be out of reach of most buttons (notably 5K and f.S/2S). However she is still in range of Gio's 5H, which (often) allows Gio to take her turn back, or even score a counterhit should Baiken choose to continue her offense. This has several caveats however:
  • This not a true punish, and Baiken has ways to deal with that on a read (6P, parry, jump/backdash into whiff punish etc)
  • If Baiken spaces herself to end up out of range of the first hit of the tatami, and only hit you with the second (can be done via e.g. H-Kabari>f.S>2H>Tatami) she ends up being very plus on block, and not challengable (to the point where she can do H-KabariGuardAllStartup18Recovery19Advantage-3 and still counterhit you out of 5H startup). Also she ends up being spaced even further out so 5H no longer reaches in the first place.
    • However, in that case, you can (technically) dodge the tatami hit (iad/backdash/walkback) and whiff punish her.

• Blocking her Tsurane Sanzu-watashiGuardAllStartup8+1Recovery48Advantage-32 super leaves Baiken -32, meaning you can go for almost any punish you want.
  • At all but max range [5]D will connect for a homing jump combo and guaranteed oki. Good for a meterless kill or if you have your back to the corner.
  • Around midscreen, a RRC combo with a lot of corner carry can net you an free wallbreak. Example: c.S > 2H > 214K > 5K > 214K > RRC > dl.66 > c.S > 2H > 236K > WS > [5]D.
  • If they're in the corner you can use a meterless wallbreak combo like c.S > 2H > 236K > c.S > 2H > 236K > WS > [5]D (or 632146H if you have meter) to get positive bonus and possibly oki.

Bedman

 Bedman

Slightly Favorable

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Bedman's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs

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Bridget

 Bridget

Even

WIP

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Bridget's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
2HGuardAllStartup11Recovery24Advantage-18	5H	2STrades, but bridget recovers faster whereas Gio gets knocked down for an oki		Backdash
6PGuardAllStartup10Recovery20Advantage-12	2Dnc			5Hcl
f.SGuardAllStartup10Recovery18Advantage-9	5H[verify?I (moxian) have had numerous games where i counterhit bridgets out of their f.s startup, but frame data does not support this? Can't lab in training mode because dlc..]
2SGuardLowStartup11Recovery20Advantage-9	5H
6HGuardAllStartup13Recovery13Advantage-12	5H	623Snc
neutral jump > j.SGuardHighStartup10Recovery15Advantage+3 (IAD)

• ^nc - non-counterhit
• ^cl - clash

Bridget buttons are pretty slow, so the players tend not to contest Gio roundstart and instead opt for a backdash or jump>j.S. The latter might be called out by a 66623S. The backdash, however might be unpunishable?^{[confirm?Somebody please lab this out.. Thanks!]}

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Neutral

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• 623S (with or without dash) is a surprisingly useful button in this matchup. It is a good answer to both Rolling MovementGuardAllStartup20~38Recovery0Advantage+16 (Airborne) and f.SGuardAllStartup10Recovery18Advantage-9 usual followups to the Stop and DashGuardAllStartup15RecoveryTotal 38Advantage-4, as it scores a counterhit into very a damaging combo. But also - unlike 6P - it hits her out of the sky, should the opponent happen to be too jumpy.

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Chipp Zanuff

 Chipp Zanuff

Even

• Similar to  Sol, Chipp has many fast normals and a DPGuardAllStartup9Recovery23Advantage-27 to interrupt your pressure in ways most other characters can't. His neutral is also formidable, as many of his best buttons are difficult for Gio to evade around.
• Try your best to stay patient and minimize the openings in your pressure, while also knowing when to retaliate with your big counter-hit buttons before his mixups hit.
• Both his grounded Alpha BladesGuardAllStartup29Recovery19Advantage-4 as well as his command grabGuardGround ThrowStartup27Recovery15AdvantageN/A are great to contest with your S specials: 623S will interrupt them all and give you a huge counter-hit, whereas 214S can net a good low-risk sideswitch combo (on Alpha Blades only) and may even go above any lows Chipp tries to throw out to try and beat your 623S. Because you'll generally lose less from a trade than Chipp does due to the nature of his low health, it's even better than usual to take risks and force interactions.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Chipp's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
6PGuardAllStartup9Recovery25Advantage-16
f.SGuardAllStartup9Recovery20Advantage-8
2SGuardAllStartup10Recovery17Advantage-7
2DGuardLowStartup10Recovery19Advantage-7
IAD j.HGuardHighStartup8Recovery17Advantage+4~5 (IAD)

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References

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• "How to beat Chipp Zanuff" by Akarien - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF4UYDxhHoE

Elphelt Valentine

 Elphelt Valentine

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Elphelt's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs

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Faust

 FaustYou are the apple a day

Very Favorable

• Gio's dominant ground mobility makes it very difficult for Faust to create opportunities without incurring significant risk for himself. However, remember that he still threatens space with his buttons better than you, respect his space and don't overextend. You'll need to respect his 2H, 6H, and general item shenanigans, but you can easily 6P and 623S his ThrustGuardAllStartup26~37Recovery19Advantage-12.
• Gio's anti air game with 6P and 623S also force Faust to be careful in the air with using j.2K and other such moves, remain vigilant and you should have no problems with a jump-happy Faust player.
• His poor reversal means you can pressure him quite nicely when you actually get the lead, but be wary of his ability to hold 1 in order to low profile 236K, 214S, and mid pokes. This is especially a threat if the Faust is simply holding downback to block and you attempt to cross them up with 214S, as the crossup will cause him to be holding down forward and unintentionally(?) low profile the move.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Faust's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
2PGuardLowStartup7Recovery11Advantage-3	2K	5K, most buttons5H, 6H, f.S, 2S, 6H, 5P, 2P, 623S	66(1)5K, dl(1-2)2P	5K, 214Srecovers in time to block
6PGuardAllStartup9Recovery32Advantage-21	2K, 2D, j8>dl.AD>j.H	(66)5K, 5H, 662D, j9		j8, walkback, backdash
5KGuardAllStartup7Recovery8Advantage-2	6P, 662K, 662S, (66)2Dnc	5H	(66(1))5K	wait, 2K
f.SGuardAllStartup12Recovery20Advantage-8	6P, 662K, (66)5K, 5H	2K, 2D
2HGuardLowStartup14Recovery29Advantage-12	(66)2K, 665K, 662S, 5H, 214Snc	walkback, backdash		j8,j9
j.2KGuardAllStartup10Recovery9 after LandingAdvantage-

• ^nc - non-counterhit
• 6P, 2P, f.S, 2H reach from roundstart; 5K doesn't

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Offense

Remember that Faust can crouch under 214K and 236K. Use this to your advantage by dropping your combo when you do 5H and reset your pressure with a C.S or a 2S.

When you safe jump on Faust: remember that he can use Bone-crushing Excitement>FRC>Snip Snip Snip to punish the safe jump. Use Giovanna's safejump option select Super to punish

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Giovanna

 Giovanna

Even

Mirror match. You have the same tools.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Giovanna's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
6PGuardAllStartup12Recovery15Advantage-9
66 5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-2
f.SGuardAllStartup9Recovery16Advantage-4
2SGuardLowStartup9Recovery15Advantage-6
5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5

Notable Interactions

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• 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery11Advantage-2 lowprofiles 623S (for some reason).

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Goldlewis Dickinson

 Goldlewis Dickinson

Unfavorable

Goldlewis loves to play at mid-range and pressure you with Behemoth Typhoon hits on block, so staying right out of his effective range and then using a dash-in 5H to whiff punish is very effective against players who like to throw out Typhoons carelessly. Because his pressure is so good at pushing you back to mid-range and resetting itself, Instant Block and Faultless Defense are both very valuable for disrupting it. You may want to try and stay close enough so that you can use 5P/5K abare or even throw to interrupt Typhoons, or you may choose to simply FD out of it all.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Goldlewis's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
6PGuardAllStartup12Recovery27Advantage-19
5KGuardLowStartup10Recovery12Advantage-7
f.SGuardAllStartup11Recovery23Advantage-12
684HGuardAll* (Guard Crush)Startup12Recovery21Advantage-5
j.DGuardHighStartup14Recovery14Advantage+13 (IAD)

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Happy Chaos

 Happy ChaosWin in two hits, or get put into the blender forever

Slightly Unfavorable

Chaos has Giovanna beat in roundstart risk-reward, in pressure with his myriad of mixup tools, and in metergain with his wallbreak conversions off of stray hits. He slightly loses in neutral, but has a competent game to play with 2K and 2S to keep Gio out. Gio's saving grace is that she can output more damage than he does, though she has to work much harder to open him up. Try to play conservatively in neutral, punishing his attempts to zone, and make the few hits you get count.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Happy Chaos's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
66 5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-3*3 frame window		5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5, 66 f.SGuardAllStartup9Recovery16Advantage-4	66 (2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery11Advantage-2, 5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-2)
4 2SGuardLowStartup11Recovery18Advantage-7	66 f.SGuardAllStartup9Recovery16Advantage-4	5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5, 66 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery11Advantage-2
66 2SGuardLowStartup11Recovery18Advantage-7	5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5, 66 (f.SGuardAllStartup9Recovery16Advantage-4, 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery11Advantage-2, 5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-2)	44, 4 *Chaos 66 2S destroys Gio's reactive roundstart options
2SGuardLowStartup11Recovery18Advantage-7	5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5, 66 (f.SGuardAllStartup9Recovery16Advantage-4, 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery11Advantage-2, 5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-2)*the timings for the microdash K buttons is tight			4, 44
2DGuardLowStartup10Recovery19Advantage-8	66 (2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery11Advantage-2, 5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-2)*3 frame window	66 f.SGuardAllStartup9Recovery16Advantage-4*can trade unfavorably after a 1f microdash	5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5*trade leaves Chaos plus enough to start offense	4, 44

Happy Chaos goes even with Gio roundstart, but his reward for winning is almost always either hard knockdown or a wall-breaking combo, meaning that Gio should represent proactive options occasionally but default to disengaging and trying to fight Happy Chaos in neutral where she is slightly favored.

Roundstart centers around Chaos's 2S. Microdash 2S catches backdash/walkback, and walkback 2S catches Gio's 5H, 66 5K, and 66 2K. Gio can do 66 f.S (3 frame window) to beat both walk forward+back 2S, as well as catching reactive play. A 1 frame microdash allows it to trade with Chaos 2D (though Chaos gets hard knockdown so is very plus).

Chaos 2D, like other 10 frame sweeps, will trade favorably with Gio 5H and Gio's 66 f.S.

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Defense and Punishes

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Happy chaos pressure is centered around getting close to you using his +23 5H/gunshot that he can use essentially whenever. Once he's close, he can use throwsGuardGround ThrowStartup2Recovery38Advantage- , tap dustingGuardHighStartup20Recovery26Advantage-15, or crossup rollingGuard-Startup-Recovery35 totalAdvantage- to open you up and regain resources. Low profiles do well into happy chaos's advancing optionsGuardAllStartup12Recovery24Advantage-14. FD Faultless DefenceA special type of blocking in Guilty Gear that negates chip damage and pushes the opponent back further than usual. This type of blocking comes at the cost of a resource. is very important to make space and force him to use his resources.

Bullets are an essentially meaningless resource, as Chaos can do wall to wall combos with 1-2 bullets (reloading as he goes). Instead, watch his concentration. The lower the concentration gauge, the more mashable offense chaos will have to do, meaning you should fuzzy mash more on defense as you see his concentration start to dip.

Blockstring starters:

2KGuardLowStartup7Recovery12Advantage-4/5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-3: If chaos is close enough to, fuzzy throw to catch them tick throwingGuardGround ThrowStartup2Recovery38Advantage-/crossup rollingGuard-Startup-Recovery35 totalAdvantage-/6KGuardLowStartup16Recovery16Advantage-7'ing. FD Faultless DefenceA special type of blocking in Guilty Gear that negates chip damage and pushes the opponent back further than usual. This type of blocking comes at the cost of a resource.'ing 2KGuardLowStartup7Recovery12Advantage-4/5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-3 > tap dustGuardHighStartup20Recovery26Advantage-15 will usually make it whiff, but if Chaos has dash momentum and is as close as possible, 2K > 5D will connect. Gio's 6PGuardAllStartup12Recovery15Advantage-9/2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery11Advantage-2 will beat 6SGuardAllStartup12Recovery24Advantage-14 after 2KGuardLowStartup7Recovery12Advantage-4/5KGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-3, and she can throw him between 5K/2K>6K. However, both of these options are Chaos favored, as rotation of his options will lead to a juicy counterhit starter for him.

c.SGuardAllStartup7Recovery10Advantage+1: FD Faultless DefenceA special type of blocking in Guilty Gear that negates chip damage and pushes the opponent back further than usual. This type of blocking comes at the cost of a resource. this so roll won't cross up unless Chaos has dash momentum or does dash Kara Cancel A type of cancel where the beginning of an action is quickly canceled into another before the first action completes its startup. rollGuard-Startup-Recovery35 totalAdvantage-. If c.S is FD Faultless DefenceA special type of blocking in Guilty Gear that negates chip damage and pushes the opponent back further than usual. This type of blocking comes at the cost of a resource.'d, 5D will whiff. c.S is a high enough attack level to let chaos go into any of his string enders without gaps except 5D, so Chaos gets normal strike throw on top of his 6 gunshots.

6KGuardLowStartup16Recovery16Advantage-7: After 6k, Chaos has usually moved close enough to go for gapless gunflipGuardAllStartup9Recovery13Advantage+3 even on FD. After c.S > 6K, Chaos can still roll to crossup even if both hits are FD'd.

String Enders (Chaos must spend gunshot after these to continue pressure, or risk getting mashed on).

2DGuardLowStartup10Recovery19Advantage-8: If you FD 2D, backdash then either backdash again, block low, or rps with 2K to force Chaos to spend resources to get close again.

6SGuardAllStartup12Recovery24Advantage-14: Watch for 6S > 214K. If you FD 6S, gunflip will whiff. Be ready to punish whiffed gunflip. FD'ing 6s will make roll usually same side, but with dash momentum chaos can easily sideswap.

2SGuardLowStartup11Recovery18Advantage-7: Similar to 2D, FD this and backdash rps Chaos.

5DGuardHighStartup20Recovery26Advantage-15: The main mixup, and his reward for getting close to you using moves like 6S/walk forward/6K during pressure. At 20 frames, it is technically reactable (but good luck). Chaos cannot go into this gapless from any move, unless he chooses to use gunshot.

236S/GunflipGuardAllStartup9Recovery13Advantage+3: similar to blocking 2D. However, since gunflip leaves Chaos plus, challenging is a worse idea, and in the corner backdashing gets caught by 2S. Miscreen backdashing after blocking this is fine.

236K/Scapegoat/CloneGuard-Startup-Recovery29 totalAdvantage-/236P/CurseGuard-Startup-Recovery29 totalAdvantage-: Both of these moves are very reactable, and minus. Curse is 29 frames total. clone comes out in 10 frames, but has 43 total frames. If they ever do either of these moves in pressure, use dash + an advancing normal that can be cancelled to chase them down. If you hit clone, gatling into another button to reach Chaos.

Be aware that Chaos can clone prc in 18 frames total, which isn't reactable and leaves him in a position to do j.P > j.P > 2K > 2D, giving him time to regain his resources.

214K/RollGuard-Startup-Recovery35 totalAdvantage-: Roll cannot cross up when you're in the corner, but Chaos can and will use it to get out of the corner. Try to throw this move. FD'ing a move cancelled into roll will ususally cause it to not cross up, but Chaos can gunshot > dash > roll at basically any time. Off of 6S/c.S/gunshot, Chaos can time a gunshot to catch a throw attempt*this is a 1 frame gap for chaos, but 5 frames if the defender is trying to react, since chaos can shoot on frame 16 of roll. Cancelled off of any other button, throw will always win if mashed*There is a 1 frame gap where throw will get crossed up, similar to leo dashthrough, since the blocker isn't in enough blockstun for chaos to shoot before he gets thrown.

I-No

 I-No

Even

Try not to get into the situation where you have to block I-no mix as much as possible.

To that end it's probably a good idea to save meter for YRC but beware of her being able to block while her noteGuardAllStartup29RecoveryTotal 51Advantage-8 hits.

Fortunately, you can often play around I-No's neutral pretty well without meter purely by throwing out 214K in expectation of GGST/I-No#Stroke the Big Tree SGuardLowStartup16Recovery16Advantage-7/HGuardLowStartup28Recovery16Advantage-2, 236King through note, and anti-airing her air approaches. Your 623S is notably good in this matchup, letting you occupy a large amount of the air space I-No wants to approach you from, though it can now be low profiled and either trades or loses with Stroke the Big Tree.

If you block a wakeup Ultimate FortissimoGuardAll (Guard Crush)Startup7+2Recovery13Advantage+26, you can punish it with a tricky 2H combo starter right after the first hit.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

I-No's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
6PGuardAllStartup9Recovery18Advantage-9	2S (non-ch), 2D (non-ch), dl.2K/662K, 623S (non-ch)	f.S, 5H, 5K, 2H, j9	6P (clash)	block, 2K
f.SGuardAllStartup12Recovery18Advantage-13	66~5K, 66~f.S, 6H, 2D, IAD j.Xall aerial buttons score a non-ch punish, 66(2)2K	5P, 2S, f.S, 623S, 2K, 66(1)2K	dl.623S(clash), 6P(clash)	walkback, j8, j9
2SGuardAllStartup10Recovery23Advantage-11	214S(non-ch), dashblock>2K(non-ch)	5K, 2K	f.S, 2S, 5H, 2D, 662K, 665K	backdash, j8, j9, 623S(timingWhen 623S is delayed slightly, the moves trade in a mutual counterhit. Otherwise they whiff completely. Either way, probably a bad idea to use)
2HGuardAllStartup11Recovery14Advantage-5	5H, 66~5K, 66~f.S	2S, 2D		block, j8, j9
236SGuardLowStartup16Recovery16Advantage-7	2S, 2K, 6~6Dneed to step forward slightly for the throw to connect, 214S(non-ch)	5H, 66~5K, walkback	2H, 6P, 623S	backdash, j8, j9
66 j.SGuardHighStartup8Recovery20Advantage-	5H, 6P, f.S	2D
66 j.HGuardHighStartup12Recovery21Advantage-	5H, 6P, f.S, 2D

• jump > j.236KGuardAllStartup10 [37]RecoveryUntil Landing + 15Advantage-3 ~ -4 [+2 ~ 0]/j.236SGuardAllStartup10 [37]RecoveryUntil Landing + 15Advantage-2 ~ -4 [+4 ~ +1] is another tool that I-no has. Used as a whiff punish for slower buttons; but what exactly is a "slower button" heavily depends on the ino player in question, as the timing is extremely variable. Treat it as I-no's attempt to skip roundstart and go straight into neutral.

Notable Interactions

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• Stroke the Big Tree naturally lowprofile all your standing moves, so be wary of throwing those out recklessly.
  • 2S does not lowprofile them despite what the visuals might imply

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Defense and Punishes

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Stroke the Big Tree

S-strokeGuardLowStartup16Recovery16Advantage-7 is -7 on block, but it leaves I-No far enough away that Gio can't reach and punish her in time without microdashing.

• 2K might be an okay option sometimes - it is a tad big longer than 5K, and in particular reaches I-no after blocking roundstart-range S-stroke
• I-no's 6HGuardAllStartup7Recovery19Advantage-8 > S-stroke blockstring string consistently leaves her outside of 2K range
• 665P is one other punish option. However the dash must be 1-2frames long, and it still appears to not connect in time at longer ranges.

Jack-O

 Jack-O

Unfavorable

Your meter will be a toss-up between YRC, which is vital for stopping Jack-O's pressure; and Faultless Defense, that will help you resist her hefty chip damage if necessary. Since she likes to cancel all her normals into specials, YRCing after you block a normal is typically your best bet. If she sets up minions behind you, you can jump and do a quick j.K in order to hit behind you, and even cancel that into a double jump or airdash to turn your jump into an approach.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Jack-O's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
6PGuardAllStartup10Recovery20Advantage-12
f.SGuardAllStartup11Recovery17Advantage-9
5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery23Advantage-6
2DGuardLowStartup10Recovery18Advantage-19

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Johnny

 Johnny

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

Common Round Start Interaction Table

Johnny's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
f.SGuardAllStartup9Recovery22Advantage-11	66 5K1 (CH), 5K (CH), 6P	5H (CH), 2D (CH)
2SGuardLowStartup11Recovery21Advantage-10	66 5K1 (CH), 5H (CH), 2D (CH)	5K, 6P (CH), 2D (CH)
2DGuardLowStartup10Recovery26Advantage-15	66 5K1 (CH)	5K, 6P (CH), 2D (CH)	5H
6PGuardAllStartup11Recovery17Advantage-9	2D	66 5K (CH2), 5H (CH)	6P (Clash)	5K, 2K
Notes	You need to input 5K before his move can start up. You can dash for up to 4 frames against 2S, for up to 3 frames against 2D, and for up to 2 frames against f.S. Counter hits long (> 3f) dashes, punishes short dashes.

All of Johnny's proactive roundstart options get stuffed by microdash (2 frames) 5K from gio.

• The input is tight (though a 2 frame window means it's possible to do consistently)
• Johnny can 5K to trade, or 2K to cause both to whiff (causing Johnny to be about +2)
• Johnny can 6p to challenge both microdash 5K and 5H
• Microdash 5K will whiff if Johnny stands still roundstart, allowing him to whiff punish with a delayed button

Without microdash 5K, Johnny represents a very strong roundstart with his 9 frame f.S reaching roundstart and 2D trading favorably with Gio's 5H.

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Ky Kiske

 Ky Kiske

Unfavorable

6P is particularly handy in this matchup, as it will beat his f.sGuardAllStartup10Recovery16Advantage-5 at roundstart where your DP would only clash, and also actually clash with or beat his DPGuardAllStartup11Recovery43Advantage-33 [-28] given the right timing, and it isn't too hard for Gio to include in her pressure or oki thanks to her great special cancel options. Instant Blocking allows you to punish both Dire EclatGuardAllStartup14Recovery25Advantage-8 [-6] and Stun DipperGuardLow, AllStartup7Recovery30Advantage-19 [-14] with 5K > 214K, further disincentivizing him being on the offense. Once he's afraid to push buttons, go to town with throws and any other mixups. Be wary of his formidable low pokes that can stuff your dashes and prejump, and try to use as many opportunities as you can to safely dash in to close distance. Although his DP is trivial to deal with, Ride the LightningGuardAllStartup8+1Recovery99Advantage-82 has a very large hitbox that cannot be outranged with 2D, so exercise awareness and use any of your safejumps when he has meter.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Ky's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
6PGuardAllStartup9Recovery17Advantage-8	2D	5H
f.SGuardAllStartup10Recovery16Advantage-5	6P	2D	5H
2SGuardLowStartup11Recovery20Advantage-8	f.S, 5K	2D	5H
2DGuardLowStartup10Recovery18Advantage-10	665K	6P, 5H
236KGuardLow, AllStartup7Recovery30Advantage-19 [-14]		6P, 5K, 2D	2K

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Defense and Punishes

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• Stun DipperGuardLow, AllStartup7Recovery30Advantage-19 [-14] without meter can be punished with 6D or 4D. Even with Shock State, at all but the max range, a dash throw will beat his jab attempts. He will either need to tech it or jump both of which can be blown up with a 5H > 214K (or even 632146H.) If he does it without Shock State he just widens the windows and 5H covers everything.

Leo Whitefang

 Leo Whitefang

Unfavorable

His fireball is far too fast in the S versionGuardAllStartup10RecoveryTotal 50FAdvantage-12 to 236K on reaction, but it's a fairly reasonable option against the H versionGuardAllStartup35RecoveryTotal 66FAdvantage+17. His DPGuardAllStartup9Recovery33Advantage-28 is fast and naturally beats cross-ups, encouraging you to use a decent safejump for oki and also to keep your mixups unpredictable.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Leo's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
6PGuardAllStartup10Recovery17Advantage-5
66 5KGuardAllStartup9Recovery13Advantage-3
2KGuardLowStartup7Recovery11Advantage-5
f.SGuardAllStartup12Recovery21Advantage-13
2SGuardLowStartup10Recovery13Advantage-2
2DGuardLowStartup12Recovery19Advantage-8

Notable Interactions

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• Leo's 2DGuardLowStartup12Recovery19Advantage-8 highprofiles Gio's 2K, if Leo has +1 frame advantage or better, even point-blank.
  • Said differently: if Leo presses 2D and gio presses 2K one (or more) frame later, then Gio will get Punished (or Counterhit), despite 2K being the faster move of the two.

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May

 May

Even

623S can often get solid counter-hits on May's jumping normals that she usually gets away with uncontested. She also has a bit of a blind spot when it comes to being above her, as her 2H is very slow, forcing her to rely on 6P to beat your 214S and general air mixup. You can also throw out quick abare An attack during the opponent's pressure, intended to interrupt it. buttons like 5K in neutral to try and stuff an attempt at S dolphinGuardAllStartup7Recovery20 (24 OH)Advantage-3 or on reaction to H dolphinGuardAllStartup25Recovery20 (18 OH)Advantage+7. Her more disjointed buttons may be hard to contest, so try to play patient and punish her mistakes.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

May's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
6PGuardAllStartup12Recovery18Advantage-7	dl.5H, 2D, 236K	f.S, 5H	6P (clash)	5K, 2K, 2S, 623S
5KGuardAllStartup8Recovery11Advantage-5	6P, micro-walkback > 5H	f.S, 2S, 2D	5K, 623S	2K
2SGuardAllStartup10Recovery18Advantage-7	micro-walkback > 5H	5K, 2K, 6P, 2D, 623S	f.S, 2S
IADB j.HGuardHighStartup12Recovery15Advantage+9 (IAD)	IAD j.S
DolphinGuardAllStartup7Recovery20 (24 OH)Advantage-3	5P, 6P, 2K, 5K, 623S	5H, 2D	f.S, 2S

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Millia Rage

 Millia Rage

Even

While 623S will often net you huge reward against Millias who aren't expecting it, a competent Millia will know how to utilize her plethora of air options in order to misdirect your attempts to anti-air. Beware of her lows being fairly good at stuffing your dash-ins. Besides that, though, neutral can be in your favour if you manage to beat her approaches with your generally superior poke tools.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Millia's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
6PGuardAllStartup9Recovery16Advantage-11	dl.5H, 2D, jump forward j.H*While a tight window, it is possible to hit her before she can block, and even if she does you're still plus.	5K, f.S, 5H, 2H	6Pclash, 623Sclash	5P, 2P, 2K, 2S
5KGuardAllStartup7Recovery12Advantage-3
f.SGuardAllStartup9Recovery19Advantage-7	6P, jump forward j.H*Millia can always block in time, but you're plus.	5P, 2P, 2K, 5H, 2D	5K, f.S, 2S, 623S, walk back*Gio will always block here but is probably too far to get any punish	backdash
2SGuardLowStartup11Recovery18Advantage-6	2K, f.S, 5H, 214S, jump forward j.H*Millia can always block in time, but you're plus.	5P, 2P, 2H, 2D, 6P	2S	5K
2DGuardLowStartup12Recovery19Advantage-8

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Defense and Punishes

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• Iron SaviorGuardLowStartup20Recovery17 + 10LAdvantage-12 is -12 on block, but often gets spaced pretty far away after the pushblock for your faster buttons to reach. Your 6H is a guaranteed punish.

S Tandem Top

The S version of Tandem TopGuardAllStartup12RecoveryTotal 45Advantage-10 (immediate one) is technically -14 on block if it hits immediately. However, when properly spaced, its disadvantage goes down, as well as increases the distance, making Millia unpunishable by Gio's buttons.

It is a bit harder (but far, far from impossible) for Millia to safely space it when:

• in the corner (either you are or she is)
• doing it raw, outside of blockstring
• blockstring being too short (i.e. 2K>2D) and/or being started too close (i.e. point-blank)
• most importantly, having parts of the blockstring IB'd

When misspaced, both 5H and dash~5K reach her in time for a punish. Millia is in counterhit state during recovery and airborne except for the last 4 frames of it.

Barring that, Millia is still very minus and you can at least take back your turn.

Nagoriyuki

 NagoriyukiHave you heard of IBing? No? Allow me to remind you.

Slightly Unfavorable

With Nago's incredibly disjointed and low recovery buttons, it can be difficult for even Gio to whiff punish his attempts at throwing out buttons. There are ways to deal with this, however:

• Many of the pokes he tends to rely on are somewhat slow to startup, meaning if you've caught his pace and have a chance to press a button you can often challenge him with 5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5 and get rewarded with a counter-hit combo.
• 2S is still rather difficult to deal with, as it's fairly fast for how good of a low poke it is and Gio does not have any safe/reliable low crushes that go far enough to punish it. Just try to generally play it safe against this button and always block low when dash blocking.
• 5KGuardAllStartup7Recovery14Advantage-2 is another one of his most contentious buttons, as it will go over with your attempts to 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery11Advantage-2 in neutral and recover fast enough to still throw out another button.
• 623HGuardAllStartup11Recovery21Advantage-7 can be beaten roundstart by your 5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5, but it's generally too risky to try and whiff punish this move until you see the followupGuardHighStartup10Recovery29Advantage-16 come out to avoid getting counter-hit by it.
• Against Nagos who find your approaches easy to predict, neutral is still an uphill battle, so it's probably a good idea to try and avoid wallbreak as much as you can.
• When being pressured, exercise patience. He has no highs outside of 5DGuardHighStartup20Recovery26Advantage-15, so it's safe to primarily worry about blocking low and jumping over his best mixup: the command grabGuardGround ThrowStartup7Recovery48AdvantageNA. Remember that he cannot pressure you with special moves forever, and a reckless Nago will inevitably activate Blood Rage trying to do so and essentially lose the round on his own.
• When Blood Rage is active and you aren't able to punish the animation, always be on the defensive, as you won't lose anything doing so, while he is losing a very large chunk of his health over the duration.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Nagoriyuki's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
6PGuardAllStartup12Recovery15Advantage-6	2D	5H, 5K	623S(clash)	Block
5KGuardAllStartup7Recovery14Advantage-2	6P (punish), 623S	5H	5P, 5K	Block, 2D
2SGuardLowStartup12Recovery21Advantage-11	5H	2D		Backdash, 623S
214HGuardLowStartup14Recovery17Advantage-3	5H, 5K, 623S	2D, 2K
214KGuardN/AStartup-RecoveryTotal 16AdvantageN/A 214HGuardLowStartup14Recovery17Advantage-3	2D, long dash 5H/5K/623S	6P, 5H, 623S
623HGuardAllStartup11Recovery21Advantage-7	5H, dash 5K	623S, 2D

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Neutral

This matchup swings from defense to offense. You must approach Nago to condition him to use 5H or 2H in neutral. Once conditioned, you can play passively and bait a whiffed 5H or 2H. Giovanna can whiff punish anything that Nago can do with 5H or 66~5K.

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Potemkin

 Potemkin

Favorable

While his long range buttons, air control, and close range reward can cause Gio some difficulty, remember the strengths you have in being able to outspeed many of his buttons in neutral. Your standard c.S strike/throw mixups require you to be in close range and thus make you very susceptible to Potemkin BusterGuardGround ThrowStartup5Recovery37Advantage-, demanding more mid-range play and possibly thinking on some creative long range pressure. Other than that, the multi-hits of your f.S and 2S force Potemkin to be careful when he decides to use his armored moves. Avoiding Slide HeadGuardLowStartup29Recovery24Advantage0 by backdashing or using an airborne special (623SGuardAllStartup7Recovery21Advantage-15, 214SGuardAll, HighStartup{4} 27Recovery21Advantage-5) is also a pretty good way to beat his full-screen game without having to jump and be susceptible to his threatening anti-air tools (though, Heat KnuckleGuardAir Guard CrushStartup12Recovery18Advantage+10~+3 can still catch you even during 623S sometimes).

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Pot's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
2PGuardAllStartup8Recovery9Advantage-1	5K	6P, f.S, 2S, 5H, 2D	623S
6PGuardAllStartup11Recovery25Advantage-15	2D	f.S	dl.6P (clash)	6P, 2S, 623S
f.SGuardAllStartup12Recovery18Advantage-8	6P, 5K, f.S, 5H, 2D	2S	623S	2K
2DGuardLowStartup13Recovery18Advantage-8	f.S, 5H, 214S, 665K	6P, 5K, 2K, 2S, 2D, 623S	214K
Megafist ForwardGuardHighStartup25Recovery16Advantage-6	j.X j.P and j.K need to be delayed slightly not to whiff; when jumping backwards j.P whiffs no matter the delay, (dl.)623S[3]	5H(non-ch), f.S, 2S(non-ch)		j7,j8,j9, 2/5K[1], 662/5K[2]

• [1] Megafist connects, but Gio recovers fast enough to block
• [2] Both whiff, sideswap happens - watch which direction you're blocking
• [3] Can delay 623S quite a bit, and use it on reaction, although the practicality of such is not apparent. Keep in mind that switching from block to 623 motion might be tricky, regardless of your input method.

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Offense

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• It might be a good idea to either completely avoid 214S or at least use it very sparingly if Potemkin has meter, for obvious reasonsGuardAir ThrowStartup12+0Recovery16AdvantageN/A

Defense and Punishes

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• MegafistGuardHighStartup25Recovery16Advantage-6 is not countered by 6P - at best the two clash. However 623S has good enough hitbox, and comes out fast enough to answer megafist on reaction.

Ramlethal Valentine

 Ramlethal ValentineDash 5k, Far slash whiff punish. heh

Slightly Unfavorable

Much like  Nagoriyuki, Ram is very formidable at the longer mid-ranges. This makes her very good at stuffing both your pokes and your attempts at approaching. Since being in neutral against her is so threatening, you should probably opt for not breaking the wall whenever you get a combo and simply go for corner pressure for as long as you can. The immense range and speed of nearly all her sword-related moves will rarely let you get out a 2D in neutral, generally urging you to go for fast pokes and low profiles. Her f.SGuardAllStartup11Recovery21Advantage-10 [-13], 5HGuardAllStartup12Recovery28Advantage-12 [-13], and BajonetoGuardAllStartup20RecoveryTotal 43Advantage+3 can all be beaten by 6P, and might urge her to start throwing out 2S to beat it. You can then abuse the short range of her 2S to land a whiff punish in response. Ram f.S is a very rare case of a button that can't be low profiled by 623S but can be by 6P. Her j.H is quite good at beating Gio's anti-airs even post-nerf, so trying to react to her double jumps with an air-to-air that can then be confirmed into airdash j.D can be a very unexpected and rewarding way to deal with such a typically uncontested button. Since her anti-air options are pretty limited in range, a back jump is generally a low risk idea in neutral and as a round opener. Her reversalGuardAllStartup7+2Recovery51Advantage-38 [-38] {-43} cannot be outranged with 2D, but you can still do a safejump setups to guard against it..

Corner pressure is where Ram excels the most. Fortunately, Giovanna's dash is actually fast enough for you to block the first hit of the Bajoneto sword throw and then dash forward to avoid the explosion, although Ram may be able to stop you and continue pressure with a quick normal if she's still in range for it. Her air control is also far stronger while in the corner thanks to S sword throw and j.P spam to keep you locked down until you land again. All in all, her corner pressure is scary, and saving your meter for YRCing out of it can serve you quite well.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Ramlethal's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
6PGuardAllStartup9Recovery18Advantage-9	2Dnon-counterhit dl.2K 2S	5K 5H	6P	Block
5KGuardAllStartup7Recovery11Advantage-2	6P	5H 2D	5K f.S	Block 2K 2S
2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery9Advantage-2				Block
2SGuardLowStartup10Recovery18Advantage-5 [-8]	214S (non-ch), 4~66~X(see below)	most buttons5P, 2P, 2K stop being active before Ram's 2S active frames and get Punished; the rest get Counterhit. Delaying fast buttons does not help to tip the scales in our favor	2S, f.S, 5H, 665K	5K 6H, walk back, j8, j9jump up/forward. Ram recovers before any of Gio's aerial attack can connect, and can block in time
IADB j.SGuardHighStartup12Recovery24Advantage+5 (IAD)

• Ram's 2S can be punished by micro-walk back > dash forward > 5K (f.S or 5H also work), or micro-walk back > micro-walk forward > 5H. 5K can score a counterhit that way, but not f.S or 5H. The timing and execution requirements for that are somewhat strict though, so it's advisable to practice in training mode first before implementing the technique in real match.
• Ram's f.SGuardAllStartup11Recovery21Advantage-10 [-13] loses to Gio's 6P, 5H and 665K, but there is no reason for Ram to use f.S as a roundstart over 2S after patch 1.18. So that's more of a noob-trap.

Notable Interactions

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• Ram's 5HGuardAllStartup12Recovery28Advantage-12 [-13] can *technically* be low profiled by 623S, but only once the latter becomes active (frame 7 onwards), not frame 1, which makes it highly impractical. 6P is a much more reliable option.
• Ram's 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery9Advantage-2 sometimes (depending on the timing) lowprofiles Gio's 214S.
• Ram's 5PGuardAllStartup5Recovery8Advantage-2 reliably counterhits Gio's 214S startup out of block at pretty much any range

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Defense and Punishes

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• Blocking her MortobatoGuardAllStartup7+2Recovery51Advantage-38 [-38] {-43} super leaves Ramlethal -38 or worse, meaning you can go for almost any punish you want.
  • Due to pushback [5]D will only connect at close range (around less than 5K's max distance.) This leads to a homing jump combo and guaranteed oki. Good for a meterless kill or if you have your back to the corner.
  • Around midscreen, a RRC combo with a lot of corner carry can net you an free wallbreak. Example: c.S > 2H > 214K > 5K > 214K > RRC > dl.66 > c.S > 2H > 236K > WS > [5]D.
  • If they're in the corner you can use a meterless wallbreak combo like c.S > 2H > 236K > c.S > 2H > 236K > WS > [5]D (or 632146H if you have meter) to get positive bonus and possibly oki.

Sin Kiske

 Sin KiskeOne-Liner

Even

WIP

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Sin's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs

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Sol Badguy

 Sol Badguy

Slightly Unfavorable

Sol has fast, pressure-interrupting buttons that can make it very tough to do things with Gio that typically work well in other matchups. Overall, playing your cards carefully and at the right moments is key. Play it cool and condition him to throw out buttons on your pressure, then try to bait and punish said buttons. Fortunately his reversals are trivial to outrange, but when it comes to neutral, his buttons can be a massive threat. You can 6P most of his pressure if you're at the right distance, now including 6S thanks to the nerf.

Your fast normals also come in handy here, as 5P, 5K, and 623S are all solid for abare against Sol's pressure.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Sol's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
6PGuardAllStartup9Recovery20Advantage-11
f.SGuardAllStartup10Recovery13Advantage+2
2SGuardAllStartup10Recovery15Advantage-7
6HGuardAllStartup9Recovery43Advantage-27
2DGuardLowStartup10Recovery18Advantage-4
Dash 623HGuardAllStartup13Recovery19+10 LandingAdvantage-26

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Offense

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• Sol's 5KGuardAllStartup3Recovery25Advantage-16 and 5PGuardAllStartup4Recovery9Advantage-2 are very fast at 3 and 4 frames, respectively. However they are also very short-ranged, and rarely can be used as a punish. Specifically, the can connect after blocked 5K(x1-2)>214K or c.S>f.S>214K. Adding 5H to the c.S string sufficiently spaces it to not be punishable. 214S can always be nudged to land out of range as well (although it can still get swatted out of the air during startup by either of the two buttons, as per usual).
  • Both of those whiff on crouching giovanna after blocked 236K. Even though Sol's 5K trades with Gio's 2S when both are inputted immediately after 236K, delaying the 2S/f.S for a couple of frames scores a hit and a minor combo. This is not an optimal punish (since 236K, 5K CH > 6HHH or 236K, dl.66c.S > ... give much better damage), but it's an easy autopilot.

Defense and Punishes

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• Sol's Bandit BringerGuardHighStartup30Recovery13Advantage-3 loses to 623S regardless of the distance. It is possible to answer it on reaction, but one needs to react to his initial jump - inputting 623S when sol is already in the air tends to be too late. If you missed the jump, there's little you can do other than block high. Sol is unpunishable after (at -2), although you might be able to take your turn back. How far away he lands from you varies a lot, so take that into account when choosing the next button to press.

• (Not Gio-specific) Sol's Bandit RevolverGuardAllStartup12Recovery9+6 LandingAdvantage-7 can have either a single hit, or two (initial and a followup). This creates a bit of an RPS situation - after having blocked the first one, pressing a button to punish it might get counterhit by the second. Regardless, if you do successfully block all the hits, then Sol is left standing in point blank range from you, -7 frames at best and -11 at worst, opening himself up for a full c.S combo of your choosing. Or a throw.
  • The gap between the first and the second hit can be as big as 5 frames (maybe more??), and is thus not really fuzzyable

Match Footage

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• A long set of Mocchi (high ranked Japan Sol players) vs TY (high ranked Japan Gio player): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spsKV2BpPes (27-07-2022)
• And another one from before Season 2 update: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZl4qFBWWPk (01-05-2022)
  • and its analysis/commentary by Sajam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5irbb7UfZUw

Testament

 Testamentyou reap what you sow

Favorable

• Testament's wide array of projectiles, large buttons and anti airs might lead you to believe that neutral will be an uphill battle, this is an illusion, as you aren't trying to get in, they're the one trying to keep you out.
• Grave ReaperGuardAllStartup16~22Recovery27Advantage-4, CrowGuardAllStartup21RecoveryTotal 39Advantage+1, and Arbiter SignGuardLowStartup24Recovery26Advantage-12 are all tools that Testament has to commit to, one at a time. Grave ReaperGuardAllStartup16~22Recovery27Advantage-4 projectiles are relatively easy to avoid or block, however they place a succubus that will make the CrowGuardAllStartup21RecoveryTotal 39Advantage+1 go to it, making it significantly harder to avoid as gio normally avoids the crow by... standing up. ArbiterGuardLowStartup24Recovery26Advantage-12 can be dashblocked easily, just be mindful of the overhead version.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Testament's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
6PGuardAllStartup11Recovery15Advantage-7	2Dnc, 662K, 662S	5H, 662D		6Pcl, 2S, j7,j8, IAD j.X[3]
f.SGuardAllStartup12Recovery18Advantage-7	5H, 665K	2D
2SGuardLowStartup10Recovery18Advantage-7	214Snc, step back -> dl.66 X[2][nc]	2Knc, 2D	5H, 665K, 66/dl.2K[1], f.S, 2S	5K, 623S, walkback, j7,j8,j9
j.236HGuardAllStartup13~19Recovery21Advantage+2
Walk Back	662D

• ^nc Non-counterhit
• ^cl Clash
• [1] Either delay or microdash works, but the timing is rather tight in either case
• [2] A single step back is enough - don't walk all the way. Then wait a tiny bit, and dash in with a button. 5K needs a longer (non-micro) dash, 5H or f.S/2S are fine with shorter ones. Non counterhit, just a regular whiff-punish.
• [3] 6P whiffs, but testament recovers in time to block the jump-in attempt.

Notable Interactions

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• Testament's 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery13Advantage-3 lowprofiles Gio's 214S.
• 236K destroys Grave ReaperGuardAllStartup16~22Recovery27Advantage-4 projectiles. The practical implications of that are unclear.
  • Doing 236K on reaction does beat the charged Grave Reaper, but is too slow to beat the uncharged one (except if gio is outside of Grave Reaper range during the startup). And reacting to the amount of charge (and inputing 236K after making sure that the fireball is charged) does not appear to be feasible either (i.e. that makes 236K too slow, and it gets counterhit, just like the tap version).
    • Trying to RPS this is probably not in Gio's favor, since charged Grave Reaper is a somewhat niche tool, and Testament would not be too upset losing it.
  • However if gio is already outside of Grave Reaper range (or just barely within it), and Testament is throwing out a "zoning" Grave Reaper with the intent to deter Gio, but not to outright hit her, then you can on-reaction 236K your way in.

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Zato-1

 Zato-1

Even

It's important to try and ensure Zato doesn't get his pressure off, as Gio has fairly limited ways to escape it. If you expect anything other than "Oppose"GuardAllStartup74 {78}Recovery(Summon Vanishes) [36 Zato]Advantage- at roundstart, you can attempt to throw out a microdash 5K or f.S to outspeed his sluggish buttons or pressure his block. Otherwise, you can patiently dash block and then react to Oppose by grabbing Zato out of the animation. You can use 6P to hit Eddie's frog form during neutral, and your 5P is fast enough to land a hit on Eddie during pressure. The back hitboxes of 214S and j.K can have a situational use for hitting Eddie behind you, an important spot where most Zatos don't expect him to get hit. As it is with facing Zato in general, try to play around Eddie's timer by putting on the pressure when Eddie is down and respecting moves like "That's a lot!"GuardAllStartup27→42→57→72 [31→46→61→76]RecoveryTotal 74Advantage+55 that occupy a lot of the space Gio likes to be in.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Round Start

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Common Round Start Interaction Table

Zato's Button	Loses To	Beats	Trades	Whiffs
2PGuardAllStartup6Recovery9Advantage-3 [-1]	2K	5H 2Drecovers in time to block	5K 2S 2Pclash	Block
6PGuardAllStartup12Recovery12Advantage-6	2D	f.S 5H	6Pclash	Block 2S 5K
f.SGuardAllStartup10Recovery23Advantage-12
2SGuardAllStartup11Recovery20Advantage-10	5K 2K 5H
2DGuardLowStartup10Recovery17Advantage-9
Walk Back 5HGuardAllStartup13Recovery19Advantage-9

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References

• S2 Akarien Giovanna matchup tier list - https://twitter.com/Akaraien/status/1553646432426631168

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