Ok before we dive into fundamentals and improving yourself at Blaze, I'd like to shout out a couple resources that will help you get a better understanding of what I'll be covering:

Daiotzu's image breakdown of every characters angles[imgur.com]

Metaphist's fantastic angle simulator[www.metaphist.com] (which I will be pulling a lot of displayed information from)

Mecha Soul's compact image showing hitbox/hurtbox of doombox and dice

LLB frame data[docs.google.com] (WIP)

So if you're coming over from LL1 there's a few core mechanic differences between both games:

• Spikes: A new swing attack that has a hitbox beneath you, performed by pressing down and swing. Spike has its own set of angles that differ greatly per character, but share the characteristics of one straight down angle, and angles that go forwards or backwards relative to the orientation of the character. They can be used both offensively and defensively, thanks to the unique hitbox and the three angle options that rarely allow for full coverage. If you do not want to accidentally fast fall whilst spiking, hold jump.
  
• Health: Whilst Blaze still maintains its stocks format in matches, there is now a health mechanic to alleviate the old instant losses to low ball speed shenanigans. You have 120hp, and damage taken is 1:1 to ball speed, at a minimum of 30 damage taken. Health is carried over between stocks.
  
• Getup: Taking damage to your health will either make you flinch, or knock you down if the ball is >30 speed. After a knockdown, you have three options to use on getup:
  - Neutral getup: You get up slowly with some invulnerability, but cannot actively swing for some frames.
  - Bunt getup: You get up with an invulnerable bunt.
  - Getup attack: You perform a getup taunt with a huge catch hitbox where if the ball is in the vicinity as you get up, the ball is given to you as if you were serving it. The risk of this method is upon missing the ball, you perform the entire taunt animation and are vulnerable for the duration.
  
• Parry extension: When you parry there is minimum duration it remains active (24 frames) that extends the hitlag and parry. You can continue to hold a parry for hitlag's entire duration, extending it up to 22 percent. Before you get all hold heavy on your parries the next mechanic might change your mind.
  
• Grabs: A new action that allows you to literally a grab a ball (with 4 frame startup) and throw it forward, backward, or downward. Whilst semi useful as a timing mixup, its main purpose is to counter parries. Whilst bunts, swings, and spikes get stuffed by parries, grabs bypass them and take the ball. The resulting special animation gives a free hit on the parrying opponent. The trade off is that if you attempt to grab an unparried ball you will be grab denied and put in a state similar to parrystun.
  
• Double Jumps: Every character now has one extra jump, which means they have a wealth more options in both coverage and combo tools
  
• Invested Turns: So in Blaze when you attempt to turn there is a 4 frame turn animation whilst grounded. You can, however, cancel this turn lag with any input, be it grab, swing or bunt. In the air your jumps are a little more committal. You can not change your orientation unless you use a second jump with a directional input, or pressing up+direction+swing/bunt (grab or smash do not require an up input to turn) to instantly turn and perform the relevant action. (mention pivots here)
  
• Sliding Bunts and Grabs: Expanding on the sliding swing mechanic from LL1, Blaze adds this to bunts and grabs, use at your own discretion, be it for quick re-positioning or sneaky steals.
  
• Jump Charges: Whilst charging a neutral hit, you can now jump with appropriate directional input and floating. Good for setups and some receives.
  
• Serves: When the ball spawns following a lost stock it will fall in the middle and after a very short delay will follow the server where they move and position itself to be hit no matter what opening they choose. This can be used to threaten low health opponents by running at them, help deter serve guarding, and set up more convenient serves.
  
• Ball Speed Decay: Whilst there is still ball speed increase, it now decays the more you hit it consecutively. This can be circumvented by spiking the ball (resetting the decay) or if the opponent hits the ball.

Much like the first game, this game is about hitting the ball. With that in mind, your understanding of angles will factor heavily into the outcome of a match. Everybody has different angles, with a few exceptions. Some angles are identical between characters, and others only differ by a few degrees. The angles a characters has are the base tool set you have to work with and understand.

Tinker around with metaphist's angle simulator[www.metaphist.com] and see how their angles interact with different stages. Angles have both intersections and safezones that can vary depending on the stage.

What you need to learn immediately are the initial options your opponent has when they attack, whether it be a neutral, smash, spike, or special. Panic smash swinging and aimless jump bunting will only get you so far. Make sure you learn the base angles from each character well enough to know where it will be in at least 2 bounces before moving on.

So whilst Blaze has added much more threats and slightly limited mobility, it has also added a plethora of coverage options to alleviate those disadvantages.

Neutral: Keeping the same principles from LL1, neutrals allow you to cover an initial threat option and turn around to cover another option that most likely hits you from behind using a technique named Tap Charging. You can also jump while charging to meet midair balls.
Tap charging works like this: the initial frames of swing are active for 13 frames and the ending frames of the charge are active for another 13 frames. During a charge you are allowed to turn your character in whatever direction you wish. However, you will also have to realize when to stop charging and release the swing. If you misjudge the ball speed, cancelling your charge early is better than dying due to whiffed charge recovery frames.
Example: covering Latch grounded angles with a tapcharge









Spikes: The new swing type allows you to cover threats from underneath. Whilst the most common use is to cover high speed straights beneath you, they also allow you to cover certain neutral options against the wall and many horizontally skewed angles.

Grabs: A few specials can be grabbed directly from hitlag, in conjunction with neutering parries grabs are a viable option to contest hitlag, covering two out of three possibilities. Grabs also serve as a valid response to hitlag instead of swinging/bunting the ball to generate a near instantaneous threat or have a different variant of ball control.

Stage size: Whilst not immediately apparent, LLB overall has larger stage size compared to LL1. While this most likely is a result of the double jump being a universal mechanic, it actually gives you more time to react to threats and allows double swings/bunts to be more viable. This is very important in conjunction with ball speed to give you an idea of when it is appropriate to tap charge vs re-swing.

Multiple jumps: Having multiple jumps might not be inherently obvious as a coverage tool, but the vertical freedom you have means you can contest high balls or strafe above balls beneath you. With the hitboxes of smashes and spikes, you can cover the top and bottom of your character respectively. The extra jump can also be used to quickly reposition to cover missed angles or safezone depending on what you need.

Sliding: Similar in application to multiple jumps, sliding will help you quickly reposition in many cases. Slides can be used to get out of parry range, slide into a parry with a slide grab, or sneakily slide downbunt someone.

A note about bunts: whilst still a powerful receiving tool they no longer have a hitbox directly above your head, so positioning to catch certain angles is not quite the same as LL1. Beware of this when attempting certain things, such as catching balls whilst hugging the bottom corner.

Ok, assuming you understand your angles, you should be realizing that there are angle intersections, and beyond that, safezones. Positioning can be categorized into three things:

Immediate angle interception
Safezoning
Response to opponent positioning

So the bare bones basics of good positioning is the immediate coverage of all 3 options of neutral or singular option of smash. Usually these convenient coverage situations occur on ground but there are cases where aerial neutrals can be completely covered with the exception of character specials.

However when your opponent spikes the ball, it is nigh on impossible to cover all 3 options immediately without stealing the ball due to the nature of a backwards and forwards angle. Here you prioritize covering the most immediately threatening angle which is usually the angle that will bounce back towards you. Some characters however, have the ability to special out of spike. This means you have more options to consider and might want to either take a more aggressive stance to take the ball directly, or play passively and safezone all immediate spike options, being ready to receive their possible special.

This is where safezoning and more advanced positioning comes into effect. An important but ignored mindset is realizing when you cannot cover everything immediately, and will have to learn to deal with the aftermath of uncaught angles. What you aim for in safezoning is the coverage of immediately dangerous options and allowing yourself time to read/react to the uncovered option. Whether you manage to regain ball control or not, the important thing is that you did not lose a stock to the uncovered option.

It's important to be able to quickly switch from defensive position to offensive. For example, aerial smashes are great for catching the ball because they have a huge hitbox. They're often very easy to return however, putting you back in the same situation. Try to gain ball control in a way that makes you immediately be threatening again. Continue being threatening even after you hit the ball back at them, don't just assume they'll die to your mixup. Positioning should be a constant thing. Always be moving to where you think you'll need to be, be this to regain ball control or to reduce the options your opponent has. Position in a way where your opponent has fewer options and must take risks or rely on poor return options, like smashes.

Blaze, like any fighter-esque game, centers around interaction between players. This means your opponent's positioning is information you should be keeping track of, along with their movement and reaction preferences. When you're new to the game, you'll primarily focus on just hitting the ball, learning angles and figuring out safezones, option coverage, etc. Everything we've talked about in positioning. On the other side you'll learn about your threats, or how to control the ball and send it at dangerous angles. Learning to use specials and parries to your advantage are also important. When you're more comfortable with the game, your play should be a seamless combination of these fundamentals, and the application of these will primarily be in response to your opponent.

You can't make your opponent do stuff, and while it's important to recognize and capitalize on habits you do notice in them, don't blindly assume they will do certain things. It's important to be flexible and reactive to what they're doing. The best way to do this is to be in a position where you can react to whatever option they happen to chose. Are they bunting unsafely? Be close to them, punish that nonsense. Swing and parry or bunt it back and regain ball control. Relying on extended parries? Be close so you can grab on reaction/prediction. Returning with smashes? Be in a spot you can Charge swing or bunt setup or really whatever you want since it's one angle. Watch where your opponent is positioning and reposition to follow up always.

On a similar thread, watch what your opponent is trying to set up so you don't have purely rely on reactions. If you had to raw aerial smash the ball and you see your opponent positioning to return it be already thinking what you're going to do. Where can you get to to cover/safezone? If you're returning with a neutral, what's the most threatening way for them to catch and return it? Where do you need to be/get to to deal with that?

As an example, if an opponent is opting to cover one option of spike you have a few choices:

• If they're covering your forward spike angle, you can opt to maintain ball control by choosing the backwards spike angle or even straight down
  
• If they're running underneath you to cover one of your possible angle options (be it smash, spike, neutral or special) you can opt for straight down spike and catch them off guard.
  
• If they're simply not contesting your ball control then opt for spike straight down and create a new threat that they must respond too

Opponent proximity:
Different opponents like to keep different distances from the ball when it is not in their control. Some may hover very closely ready to steal at any gap in your hits, others are more comfortable allowing you space so they can receive your end threat and take ball control for themselves. Learning the strengths and weaknesses of either tendency is important, however these styles of play aren't set in stone. Players may derive from both archetypes or even create their own.
For the former more aggressive playstyle, it is best to mix up your timings, utilize option selects, and have few gaps between hits to mess with their interception. These players protect themselves by being difficult to read and hard to grasp the timing of.
For the latter more passive playstyle, you can either make as much of a threat as possible with specials, timing mix ups, parries and so on, or invade their serves and combos to interrupt their rhythm and strings.

Another thing to note with opponent positioning is your return options. If they hit the ball towards you and follow it, bunting is likely pretty unsafe. If they're on the other side of the stage, you can bunt for ball control. Similarly, if they're far from you you can send it at an angle that will take a while to get to them (eg. Dice up angle) and then follow it so you can act immediately on their response. If they're positioned well to cover the angles you're threatening, send it at an angle they can't immediately cover but you can intercept at a position that is less comfortable for them. Try to force them out of position.

Following your opponent and responding to their angles is very important, however with the diversity of options and responsive tools in Blaze you may notice they tend to respond in an explicit way to certain stimulus. These are habits that can be punished, changed or left alone depending on how you make use of this information. This is known as conditioning. Conditioning is a different sort of tool that can completely define the outcome of a match, for example if you notice an opponent continues to cover your ground down/straight angle as latch you can opt to pick up more often to test if they're capable of dealing with this new option. If they aren't, continue to abuse this information, if they are capable, change your avenue of attack via cancelling into special or bunting into different hits. It is important to remember that you are as vulnerable to conditioning as your opponent, so try no to be rigid or predictable in your options.

Following opponent positioning is the concept of punishing habits or mistakes your opponent makes. Some examples include:
Your opponent has made an unsafe choice to bunt in your proximity. You can jump in with a swing and parry, contesting their control of the ball and perhaps even taking a stock in the process. Just be cautious, as some players might be aware of this and opt to grab in response.

You see your opponent charging up a neutral in response to your hitlag, you can throw off their timing, with a parry extension or special. This however, might also be a bait to make you waste resources, and they will cancel their charge and prepare a new avenue of coverage.

Your opponent has parried early and is holding the parry, you can run in to grab it and take the stock, or hover around them waiting for them to stop parrying in respect of you grabbing, letting you steal it directly or even downbunt them based on the ball's position. Be wary however, as the opponent can drop the parry early when they expect you to grab, causing you to get grab denied and possibly lose a stock.

You notice your opponent has been doing the same serve repeatedly, you jump in smash and parry right after they hit to throw off their rhythm and possibly get some damage in. However repeating this punishment might have them adapt and change their serve accordingly so you get autoparried, or even follow up their first hit with grab.

Blaze is not a one dimensional flow chart about the most optimal choice in a given situation, it is continual interaction that conditions both you and your opponent into varying interplay. Whilst punishing opponent mistakes is important, respect the fact it might be part of their plan to condition you to react that way and vice versa.

LLB has 12 characters with quite a diverse set of movement, angles, specials and threats. Whilst this guide won't analyze every point of coverage, it will discuss and formulate and understanding of each character's strengths, weaknesses, and options, then suggest some coverage methods when fighting against them.

If you don't quite remember every character's special and options, check out PKPenguin's Guide to get a better grasp of what each character is capable of. https://steamoss.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1557328016

Ground Neutral:
Simple intersection to cover similar to Raptor and Jet (A),








if unable to position to catch up cover the other two options whilst safezoning it (B)








Air Neutral:
Also like Raptor and Jet, having high variance doesn't lead to threatening angles, it is usually best to cover two angles and safe zone the other, be it up/straight (A), down/straight (B), or all three (C).








Spike:
Usually more useful as a combo tool Toxic doesnt really generate threats due to the ease to safezone/cover fspike and bspike (A). just be aware due to the shallowness it shares with her ground down and air down it may cross you up.








Special:
First thing to note is that applying Toxic's special does not change the hitlag of the ball, though grafitti itself has a set hitlag of 22 frames that homes the ball to the opponent, but with no adjustments unlike Doombox's special. Due to the positional nature of the special Toxic can interrupt its travel to you to further mix you up. Dealing with the special once activated can be done by either receiving the ball immediately if Toxic isn't in position to intercept it, or quickly changing your positioning (usually done by jumping) to mess with the Toxic's preconceived notion of where the ball will go. A further thing to note is that if Toxic chooses to special early you can immediately take the ball from hitlag since she can no longer parry.










Unique Coverage Option:
Her wall cling mechanic is gimmicky since it requires you to be at or past the apex of your jump to initiate it (you are better off using your natural mobility to cover options), however it also allows you to place graffiti without being in contact with the ball.










Graffiti is large enough that it will cover your wall clinging hurtbox or crouch hurtbox (if graffiti is on the ground), allowing you to rely on the graffiti to cover any angle threats the opponent generates. Be cautious of opponents who will use this information to take away the threat of graffiti and continue comboing the ball due to you not actively threatening them. If your timing is good enough you can interrupt the ball going back to them from the graffiti hit and take ball control for yourself.

Ground Neutral:
Having high angle spread, Grid ground neutral forces you to cover 2/3 options, assuming its not very close to the ground. You can either cover up & down and be ready to spike the straight (A) or cover down & straight and be ready to receive up (B). If behind Grid, opt to cover straight due to the steepness of both other angles, and be prepared to catch those assuming their paths don't intersect with straight(C).

Air Neutral:
If Grid is facing towards you, the intersect is pretty simple to catch (A). But if you're not in the ideal position, opt to catch down first and safezoning up (B). If above Grid, spike to catch straight and possibly down depending on ballspeed, whilst respecting up. (C)


Spike:
Opt to catch whichever will hit you first, sometimes there is an intersect between forward & back (A) but usually you will end up covering forward & down. Just be aware that Grid can special out of spike and present new threats.



Special:
This is where Grid's mobility kicks in, having an option of 1 or 2 teleports per special with 4 different directions. Grid's special relies on swing baiting and unfamiliarity with his special. If he teleports down or to the side, he will release a straight in the direction he is facing. If he teleports up he will use his smash angle. He can also change any of his releases into a straight down spike but it is usually for combo purposes more than threat. As long as you're aware of these options, just watch his special and either tap charge or jump above his straight to spike it. It is much easier to react to his special with distance vs giving him the benefit of an ambiguous crossup.

Down Special:
Grid will charge himself up granting his next hit bunted hitlag and increases the ball speed like a charged hit. The increase is affected by ball speed decay like normal. Be aware he can parry this next hit and watch for his imposition on the ball. Grid performing this special gives you some time to retake ball control and possibly parry him. If he does manage to hit the ball charged up, use the aforementioned knowledge of angle coverage to detract the threat of this special.

Ground Neutral:
Covered by standing directly in front of him just make sure you are not within parry range.(A) If behind Dice, the two main angles to look out for are straight and down, up takes too long making its way back to you to be a threat. However, due to Dice being able to easily reach his up angle, be on guard at lower ball speeds in case he re-catches it before you can receive it.

Air Neutral:
Because Dice does not have different neutral angles in the air, his threats remain the same. Dodge to cover cover down and straight by jumping if possible.(A1) If Dice is low enough to the ground all 3 options can be covered. (A2) Similar to his grounded neutral, beware of recatches at low ballspeed. Keep in mind the intersect of down & up (B) and the similar lethality his up angle has to spikes. (C)

Spike:
Having low angle spread Dice spike by itself isn't quite threatening vs being more of a coverage/combo tool, cover two out of three options if possible (A). If behind Dice, then cover his backward spike by standing behind him at a similar distance amount as you would to his forward spike (B).

Special:
Being the only character capable curving balls, Dice's hitlag cancelling special is both deadly and diverse. In high hitlag, hovering in front of his ball is incredibly dangerous. Although you can react to his special, the more optimal coverage is hovering behind him to provoke a parry. This safezones all immediate threats besides straight, and gives you ample time to react to his other options.
If you find yourself position in position (A), the threats will depend on which way dice is facing. He can roll the ball forward or backwards to directly attack either positon, and alternatively send it away from (A) to create a mixup.



If dice special hits the ceiling he has two different threats; ceiling release and ceiling to floor. The latter option is a swing bait assuming you're covering (B), so tapcharge to cover both or stand closer so the ceiling release will not hit you immediately (C).
If dice chooses to stall with his special via a plethora of options eg. special into wall, rehit parry, bunt out of special, remember to use the coverage explained above based on his new hit position and ideally maintain the same spacing you would when covering his grounded neutral.

Unique Coverage Options:
Due to Dice's fast horizontal and vertical movement he can contest many balls before the opponent can reach them. His hitlag cancelling special offers a free out/threat to compensate for many of his lacking angle choices especially when catching balls in inopportune manners eg. raw smashing a high speed ball.

Ground Neutral:
Standing in front of Latch is usually ok, however the up angle may sometimes go over you and threaten to hit you from behind. You can circumvent this by either tap charging at (A), standing closer so up does not hit you should you miss (B), or standing further to catch the intercepts at (C), depending on the situation.

There is also a similar issue with neutral when Latch is facing away from you. Either opt to catch the up/straight intercept and be ready to receive down (D) or jump to receive down, getting ready to spike up/straight (E)

Air Neutral:
Depending on latch's proximity to the wall, you can either opt to cover his up by jumping then swinging while avoiding down as you land, as well as being prepared to spike to catch straight (A) or cover the intersection (B). The closer latch is to the floor or ceiling the more his up and down angles start to superimpose.

Wall latch:
Whilst the down option is usually not threatening and may even endanger Latch himself to being wallbunted, the straight option grants further ball control. Up also threatens to hit you after it loops back in a lot of cases. Usually the way to deal with latch on the wall is either to jump to catch the up/straight intercept (A) or opt to cover down and be ready to receive the up (B), whilst watching if he does straight and proceeds to continue his control.

Spike:
Latch's spike is vertically symmetrical with small angle spread it only really becomes threatening at high speeds. I heavily suggest against jumping towards his spike at higher speeds if he is close to a wall unless you are tapcharging because the away from you option will meet you quickly. Be careful of being behind Latch as he spikes as back spike has a high chance of crossing you up if you are too close, stand slightly further away to safely cover (A), the same logic also applies for his forward spike (B), as both can be easily safezoned if u cover the other option.

Special:
Interestingly, covering Latch special uses a lot of knowledge of coverage explained above, as his angles dont change. However due to his uninhibited turn mobility he may be able to quickly cross you up, so try to stay near latch when he has special but not near enough that this may be an issue. His directional bunt out of special combined with a double jump may also pose some threat, but just use the knowledge above to stay on top of his threat game.
Latch also has a unique angle option out of special when in the air, its a more lethal immediate threat that can't be safezoned easily like the rest of his options, be aware of his positioning especially if directly above you, do note that his upangle from the same position usually threatens the same way so responding to which side he releases with a same side swing (whilst grounded) is usually a good idea (A).

Unique Coverage Option:
Having the most stable wall mobility Latch can cover a multitude of options by simply swinging/bunting on the wall due to having to only worry about angles from one side. He is still vulnerable to certain cross ups but his instant uncling means he can respond to those as well.

Grounded Neutral:
Ideally cover all three angles whilst in front of her (A). Should you not be in this position, opt to cover straight/down intersect if possible preparing for up (B) depending on the ball speed.




You may also choose to spike slightly above and in front of her if she is facing a wall (C) if you do not want to deal with up at a later point.





Air Neutral:
Still maintaining the same angle set, covering all three options now depends entirely on the down/up intersect (A). If that intersect is higher than straight, either prepare to spike (B) or catch down straight preparing for up (C). If behind Sonata, do not swing immediately as this will cover nothing. Instead, safe zone up and respond appropriately for down (D), or contest straight whilst being aware of the other two options (E).

Spike:
Nearly identical to air neutral, the one caveat is her backwards spike backwards up angle. If possible try to cover backwards whilst safezoning forward (A), since forward usually gives you more time to prepare. The reverse is also valid if you choose to jump-charge to cover spike backwards while also catching spike forwards depending on the ball speed (B).

Special:
Having a plethora options, Sonata's special has three initial directions that follow into another six and then allow another six choices. However due to its fixed speed and angular simplicity (straights/45 degree angles) it gives you adequate time to react. You just have to be aware of what option was picked. Covering the special (or lack thereof) depends heavily on where Sonata initiated it, and what direction she is facing.

• If at top stage Sonata can opt to maintain ball control with ceiling special and generate a new threat, or opt for the threat immediately with an angle/different special. Contesting the high ball with bunt/smash is a solid option but if you fail to contest you are now in a disfavorable position if you can't maintain that height. So respond appropriately based on coverage of air neutral/spike whilst responding to a special if she chooses it.
  
• If Sonata is near and facing a wall, the high diversity of angles she has access to along with special means you can only cover a fraction of them. If she is near the floor or ceiling, some angle choices will superimpose, making them easier to cover. A spike will cover most floor options (A) whilst a bunt/smash will cover most ceiling options (B).
  
• At mid stage you will have determine what is most threatening. Covering her standard neutral whilst safezoning her special options is ideal (C), but covering her down/special down is acceptable as long as you prepare for the other options.
  
• Also note that if Sonata is positioned correctly from the wall, she can choose to change the angle just before it hits the wall for a deceptive angle (insert gif butters will never make here).
  
• https://gfycat.com/BackMiserableAplomadofalcon the floor Sonata special can stall (down->backwards is very common) leading into a multitude of ball control options and threats like grab that you have to be aware of. Thankfully, the set travel speed of her special allows you to react in time to her chosen options. This option is more effective the closer the ball is to the ground (insert another gif butters will never make here).
  
• Her other floor special gimmick is performing up special to keep out of your neutral coverage reach and either opting to hit you directly (following with forward down->backwards) or continuing into more ball control. Prevent this by immediately covering an upwards option along with her up/down with jump bunt/swing (D), or opt to cover her neutral, tap charging to receive a special threat.

Coverage Options:
Having three jumps Sonata's options for coverage are an extension of what was explained in TOOLS FOR COVERAGE. The third jump gives her more aerial presence which can lead to heavier ball control, maintained ball pressure in air, or additional repositioning.

Grounded Neutral:
Having the only neutral in the game with a backwards option, Switch purports heavy ball control, however this means he doesn't really threaten much with his grounded neutral at lower speeds due down/straight intersecting should you be in front of him (A). At higher speeds however, up angle is more dangerous and you have to safezone it (B) or tap charge (C) to not get hit. If standing behind Switch, you can either cover up/straight (D) or up/down (E) covering straight with spike. Just beware possible recatches due to Switch being able to pick the side you're not covering and position accordingly.

Air Neutral:
Sharing some weaknesses with grounded neutral switch doesn't really threaten with the initial neutral unless he has special then you just need to stand either under him (A) or further away from him (B) to catch the down/special intercept.

Spike:
Whilst not really threatening due to the highly limited symmetrical angle spread switch spike serves a different purpose aside from quick downwards kills, spike into rawflip is very powerful threat tool that you need to look out for, which will be covered in...



Special:
Whilst the angle released is identical to his grounded down, Switch's special has many applications [www.twitch.tv]and can cancel from most of his hits or even be thrown out as its own lingering hitbox. Covering this special comes down to game sense and reaction. Switch's special variations are:

• Rawflip - Out for however long Switch wants, as he can action cancel this with any button but grab. Untill he hits the ground, rawflip is an instant hit special that comes out in 23 frames that can choose either direction. You would ideally be positioned to cover one option and safezone the other (A) however due to his delayed options where he can threaten this at any point attempt to be slightly below level with him (B) so you might cover both options with a tapcharge/spike.
  
• Crouchflip - Same as rawflip but a little easier to cover due to no initial verticality. It is usually utilized in conjunction with low straights or looping angles that will hit you, but are "extended" via switchflip's 23 frames of hitlag to make you whiff.
  
• Smashflip - Cancelling smash in Switch's overhead animation (C) allows him to choose both options in special, or opt to not special at all and threaten his smash angle to kill, the best way to approach this is to jump for the down/backspecial intercept (D), safezoning forwardspecial, or the inverse (E). In his second stage of smash he can only cancel into forward switchflip, meaning you can stand at (E), or opt to cover his special, letting the smash go to be received later (F).
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Neutralflip - Switch can cancel his neutral into forwardspecial, if grounded this is no different from covering his grounded neutral normally. If in the air, opt to cover up/special if possible (G) or down/special (E) and react accordingly if that option wasn't chosen.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Upside-downflip - Very telegraphed and more trouble to land than its worth, you have much more time to react to this than standard rawflip setups (go for this if you're a man).

Unique Coverage Option:
Switchflip has a similar, albeit wder, continuous hitbox that resembles spike. Anytime you opt for spike coverage, consider raw flip instead to create instant threats and as a more consistent coverage tool for balls beneath you.

Grounded Neutral:
Simple intersection to cover (A) just be conscious of the ball's closeness to the floor because you can receive it much close (B) or down may fly over you.





Air Neutral:
Despite the high variance, Raptor's angles lack alot of threat. It is usually best to cover two angles and safe zone the other, be it up/straight (A), down straight (B), up/down (C) or even all three (D).





Spike:
With the lowest angle spread of all spikes and no special cancel Raptor's spike is incredibly nonthreatening and attempts at direct steals are usually not directly punishable. You might be able to cover all three options depending on his proximity to the ground with a swing (A) or spike (B).

Special:
Having one of the most diverse specials, Raptor has incredibly flexible timing mix-ups along with several angle AND bunt choices. Covering Raptor's special can seem difficult, especially considering that you should be positioning to catch his immediate non special angle selection in the first place. My advice for Raptor is to cover what you deem to be the most dangerous, considering the angles of both before and after special. Pressuring him into a special or parry may also be to your favor, as you can directly steal and more easily cover his options. You can do this by hovering behind his ball and threatening a direct steal. Do note that Raptor's special grab denies so you cannot grab to cover both special/parry.

Unique Coverage Option:
Like Dice, Raptor's special allows you to cancel your hitlag. This allows Raptor to make less than optimal coverage like a raw smash more safe.

Special Mentions:
∞ Jumping:

There is no known way to counter this playstyle. You can only pray.

Grounded Neutral:
Stand in front of him (A) to cover all 3 angles, if behind him cover straight/down if possible, watching for up (B) otherwise safezone down (C). Can jump to cover up/down if covering straight isn't favorable (D) due to threat of special.




Air Neutral:
Maintain the same spacing as his grounded neutral to cover all 3 angles (A) however if not able to reach this position, prioritize covering his down angle and safezoning up (B). You must tap charge to cover both at (C). Jumping above him can also work but if you have to precisely time your spikes against his down angle should you miss.


Spike:
Opt to cover his forward spike due to the relative lack of threat his back/down spike present. Usually there is an intercept between forward/back (A) but make sure you are not positioned too closely to Candyman so as not be crossed up by backwards. Be wary of mix-ups that
can be made from back spike if Candyman retains ball control after using it.

Special:
One of the most versatile specials in the game, can be rehit multiple times which allows Candyman to make hard to read/react to angles. Can be spiked which creates a whole new world of combo possibilities. Candyman is also capable of parrying candychains so unless you know your opponents habits attempt to obstruct subsequent hits by hitting the ball first, if this isn't possible be prepared to either grab directly (covers both special/special parry) or give enough space that he cannot pressure you with it.
The variety of angles Candyman can get out of it paired with the ability to make the candyball switch sides with air turning is enough to consider trying to pressure him before he gets meter.


Unique Coverage Option:
Candyman's floatiness and large jump offer good air control and ability to contest some balls. He also has the easiest time hitting spikes due to this and the fact his spike is out the longest (21 active frames vs everyone else at 18).
Candyman's wall slide teleport is a surprise tool usually best at low speeds, catching opponents off guard be it interrupting serves/combos or not expecting Candy to receive in his new position. You can cancel slide with any input so directly stealing balls is possible if the opponent is positioned on the wall, whilst jump cancelling will allow for vertical coverage from a position no other character could pull off in that short time.

Grounded Neutral:
Having a simple intersection with a very shallow down angle you can easily cover the intercept (A) or at least catch down/straight (B) whilst safezoning for up.





Air Neutral:
Due to the high variance but lack of threat that Jet's angles provide, it is usually best to cover two angles and safe zone the other, be it up/straight (A), down/straight (B), up/down (C) or even all three (D).




Spike:
Symmetrical with very low angle spread Jet spike usually is a combo tool that might catch people off guard. Cover two out of three options (A) and chase after the third.





Special:
Creating a parry bubble around the ball, Jet special forces you to either respect her space or receive it with a grab. It has no new angles she doesn't already have so respond appropriately, be warned that when she re-bubbles it is invulnerable to grabs/hits so approach with caution. Jet can also bunt and grab a bubbled ball setting it back to neutral state, this means her next hit on it will give her bar for parry, so get familiar with grab countering.

Unique Coverage Option:
Jet's hover is useful for maintaining vertical height to either contest or cover balls. Just note that performing any action will cancel hover.

Grounded Neutral:
You are unlikely to cover all options immediately, unless the ball is close to the ground (B). Catching Doombox's neutral angles is a decision on what to cover and what to safezone/tapcharge. Cover both down/up by jumping and be ready to spike straight (A), down/straight by standing near him safezoning up / tapcharging depending on your position,(B) or up/straight by standing far from him, charging for down (C). If behind Doombox, opt to cover his straight along with an intersecting angle. At mid stage this is normally down (D). Closer to the wall it becomes up (E), safezoning the other if possible.

Air Neutral:
Whilst all three angles maintain an intersection if Doombox is mid level in air (A), Doombox's aerial movement and control rarely allow you this convenient position.




Most likely, Doombox will threaten with high neutrals, the up/down intersection being much lower than him (B), or lower nearly grounded neutrals with the intersect being higher (C). Due to the steepness of both options, you may be able to cover his straight if behind him, and have enough time to respond to a different option. Jumping towards him with a swing is usually to your detriment in this situation, since you are giving yourself less time to react.

Spike:
In conjunction with Doombox's flight mechanic his spike acts as either ball control (usually down/forward) or a threat (backwards) due to how different his backspike is compared to all his other angles. If in front of him when he spikes, intercept forward spike(A) and if behind him cover backspike (B) and be ready to receive other options he might make.

Special:
Whilst technically the most divergent special in the game, its limitation that it must aim at the opponent makes this somewhat simple to cover. Beware that he can slightly vary how it comes at you depending on your position relative to him; slightly above/below if you're beside him, slightly to the left/right if below/above him. To circumvent this either jump as the special will release throwing out a hitbox (since the special determines its path on your position as hitlag ends) or taking it directly, possibly stuffing any attempts to bunt cancel the special.

Down Special:
Whilst Doombox down special does have a swing hitbox the angle is straight and simple to cover. The real threat this special has is the ability to displace grounded/near grounded opponents, pushing them into his other angles, having great synergy with his steeper angles due to players not recognizing them as an immediate threat[www.twitch.tv].

Unique Coverage Option:
Doombox's flight gives him a multitude of ball control options, but also allows him to contest balls in positions other characters struggle to reach or maintain. Remember to use up+action to turn around and be aware that bunting/grabbing will cancel his flight.
The other unique thing about Doombox is his size. Dwarfing the rest of the cast, his swings can cover options other characters cannot eg. latch grounded neutral can be covered consistently by standing in front of him and bunting. However his larger hitbox also lends to being more susceptible to crossups, so position accordingly. Doombox crouch is also the smallest of the cast, so the near immediate size difference can dodge a lot of threats players wouldn't expect you to be able too.

Grounded Neutral:
Can cover all three angles at (A) but when not in this position, cover straight whilst preparing for up and safe zone down (B), or catch down/straight under the same conditions if able.





Air Neutral:
Same angles as grounded with similar intersection (A), apply the same coverage as his grounded if not in position.






Spike:
Usually a combo tool, just be ready to receive back spike, if under him cover down/forward (A).







Special:
A very safe special with many options; you can not grab nitro's special whilst its cuffed, and if caught will return to nitro and release at a shorter hitlag (much shorter if you bunted it). Nitro has no new angles out of special however his mobility is enhanced via his special, sending him across the screen either fully or halfway, just be sure to follow his chain and position accordingly.
If contesting his special, immediately make sure you are ready to receive his followup as it comes back to him.This is threatening because Nitro can bunt out of his special after the chain movement is over but also at lower speeds (<60) if in immediate proximity to Nitro the ball comes out faster than you can recover so it will hit you. If contesting after it releases from cuff, know that he can not parry the ball so you can take it directly afterwards. Nitro gets his second jump back after special however, so he may keep the ball out of reach with a bunt and follow up with another hit.

Ground Neutral:
Ideally stand close in front of him to cover all 3 (A). If you are further away in front of him you can opt to cover down/straight (B) or down/up with a jump (C).








The same principles for coverage apply if behind Dust if he is near a wall except you cannot cover all 3; you can cover straight/down (D) or jump to receive down/up (E).








Air Neutral:
If Dust is vertically half stage he has a consistent intersection between all 3 angles that can be covered, if he is closer to the wall he is aiming at jump behind him on the same plane (A), and if he is further from the wall delay your jump (to not immediately get hit by straight) and jump ahead of him (B).








Usually Dust isn't in this convenient position however and you have to prioritize what you want to cover first. Most of the time this is his down angle due to its immediate threat (A) but do note that in certain situations if Dust is near a top corner up/down will intersect (B). Covering his straight is very rarely worth it because up and down will come to cross you up.
Spike:
Similar to Doombox Dust uses his spike as either ball control in tandem with his glide, or as threat (usually backspike). Due to the high angle spread you can usually only cover one of three angles immediately, but if dust is near a wall when he spikes you can cover forward/back spike intersects based on which way hes facing: (A) if facing towards the wall, (B) if facing away. If below Dust cover his back spike because it is his most immediate threat whilst safezoning forward spike (C).
















Special:
Regardless of what position Ashes hits the ball when special is activated he will immediately become grounded and move either right or left, and release right or left, this takes a long time to come out however so you have a lot of time to reposition based on his special. Generally you should be attempting to take it directly but if it successfully releases opt to safezone his down/up options whilst covering his straight/airdown* (A) options.








If timed well you will always have priority on hitting the ball before Dust because he cannot swing until Ashes is finished releasing from special so do not be afraid to directly contest it.
Dust may also choose to bunt out of Ashes from special which releases in a direction relative to his position, just remember the coverage explained earlier and cover the followup appropriately if unable to contest this immediately.

*A probably unintended "feature" of Dust is the ability to release his airdown angle from special is if he is in the air and holding down, if you notice Dust is in the air be wary of this option, but note that it will take a long time to come back to you if not aimed directly at you.

Unique Coverage Option:
After expending both jumps Dust can glide slowly on a limited duration, this is useful for covering floortraps beneath him with spike, or contesting high ball control a bit longer than other characters can.

THANKS TO THE PEEPS WHO HELPED ME WRITE THIS GUIDE
SHFFL - I THINK HE HELPED BUT HE WAS BUSY PLAYING MAGIC THE GATHERING
DOGCOMPLEX - FLAMES ME BUT ALSO HELPED PROOFREAD
SAXXY - LAGGY MORAL SUPPORT BUT ALSO HELPED ME MAKE SENSE OF SONATA
MAFFEW - DREW BETTER LINES AND CIRCLE DOODLES

HOPE THIS GUIDE HELPED MAKE YOU A BETTER PLAYER HOPEFULLY IDK JUST GO JUMP BUNT SMASH IF THATS YOUR SHTICK.

cutebot: "LL 2 did come out awkward"
Mecha Soul: "bitnix is NOT from australia he is from NEW ZEALAND"
DogComplex: "All of these guys used to be melee legends, but they lost hope after mang0 fell into alcoholism so now they just jack off in corners smashing their balls into the wall."
Saxxy: "Playing against division 8s is like suplexxing a baby, and the baby explodes"
Shffl: “The parry/grab mechanic is so neat. Why bother responding to position and angles and habits and options when you can reduce the game to a 50/50?"
Butternubs: "Why would I ever write in your guide"
k9999: "only bitnix is allowed to make me mad, and only when he presses switchflip and then grabs the ball"
Somebody: "K9 Sucks"
MaffeW: "every time you smash and parry-delay at least 3-4 times consecutively a black hole appears"
CloudyNinja: "Uhhh"
Kanubai: "how did you become even more like a fish"
109: "I don't wanna play ball anymore"
Lalo: "actually don't put that"
BadJoe: "I don't remember anything quote worthy"