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Pushing Daisies: Squigly Character Guide v3.0

guitalex2007

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This is the character guide for Squigly by me! I've played her solo and in teams and I enjoy her a lot. I hope you get to learn some stuff and get to like her as much as I do.

The guide is done for its current iteration, so please post any comments here, in the Squigly Tech thread or Squigly General. It's still a work in progress :)

How to navigate this guide:
Each section has its own post, linked under this table of contents. Click on it to go to the section. The text is in a spoiler tag, so click on "toggle spoiler" to view. Video demonstrations are in separate spoiler tags as well. Click on
<-Back to the Table of Contents to go back to this post.

Table of contents:
Future improvements: even more video demonstrations, more team strategies!

  • Added more video demonstrations for resets and Daisy Pusher setups.
  • Added Double Snaps section with notations and video demonstrations.
Added more video demonstrations for resets, particularly corner throws, high/lows and fakeouts.
  • Added "How to navigate this guide" section in first post.
  • Added video demonstrations for s.HK cross under resets, divekick cross under resets and basic stance cancel resets.
Added video demonstrations for high/low mixups, s.MP cross under resets, daisy pusher setups and burst baits! With my PC stick out of commission I can't really do combos too well so all you get is tiny, learnable bits :p
 
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Normals

Squigly has many decent normals. In fact, all of her normals are useful for something. Standing LP has little range, but can be mashed for a second, longer range hit and is fast. Standing LK is fast, but like standing LP it has little range. Also like standing LP, standing LK's second attack has longer range. Standing MP hits twice only from up close, but the second hit has pretty long range. The first hit has a vacuum effect (similar to Filia's c.MK), which when canceled puts the opponent right next to you, or even make you cross under. Standing MK has an upward angle, and when hitting opponents in the air it acts as a pseudo launcher. When hitting on the ground, however, you cannot jump cancel it. Standing HP is a two-part normal like s.LP and s.LK. The second part also has a slight bit more range. It has good hitstun for stance cancel and Seria cancels, but keep in mind that it counts as two attacks for undizzy. Standing HK is her launcher, and it has little horizontal range. To help with this, cancel it from c.MK, which moves you forward.

Crouching LP is not only cute, but can stop an opponent from moving in, and even stuff certain aerial advances. It can be help down for about a second, and does a maximum of 3 hits. Crouching LK has little range, but its greatest strength (other than hitting low) is that it attacks in both directions. This may sound odd, but in a crossup situation, c.LK will hit in both directions, then the chain will autocorrect after the first hit. So defensively, it has its dedicated use. Offensively, its range is short compared to other c.LK but deceptive. Crouching MP has long range and relatively good priority, even though it does not hit low. It's good for OTG purposes if c.MK is used up by IPS. Crouching MK is an excellent poke that moves her slightly forward. You can use it to move slightly before chaining into launcher from OTGs and far pokes. At max range, however, it still won't combo into launcher, so don't try that. It CAN, however, combo into c.HP, so that's a good option. Crouching HP is an excellent, fast poke that hits 4 times. It has pretty good priority, and has enough hitstun to combo into mediums using Seria cancels, or lights using regular stance cancels, and has enough hitstun to combo into every single stance move, except for uncharged Liver Mortis (qcf+LP). Crouching HK is her sweep move, and has good range. As sweeps go, it's pretty good, but as sweeps go, they can't be comboed from and will always be techable.

Jumping LP is a fast poke and it goes downward. It's an excellent answer to reset attempts as you're falling into the opponent's mixup. Jumping LK is another fast poke, and has enough hitstun to actually link into j.LP. It aims straight forward. Jumping MP is an important defensive normal. It stops her momentum and has good priority in front of her. Use this for stopping air dashes, or hit standing opponents. More on that in a later section. Additionally, the best use when stopping aerial approaches with this is that it can chain into j.HP, and chaining from j.MP will move you backwards to create more space. Jumping MK is a multihit attack. On whiff, it does nothing to your movement, but on hit it stops you and generates four hits total. It can also link into HP and HK which are also multihit in the air. Jumping HP is a very, very long range poke that hits up to four times. This move literally controls the sky, but it's vulnerable on its entirety, so beware anti-air, assists and hit throws when using this. Jumping HK is yet another mutlihitting move, but it aims straight downward. After the last hit, you hover a little bit, so unless you are very low to the ground it's hard to combo. Try canceling into a MK Fallen Woman instead to make comboing easier. The hitbox for j.HK is underneath her, so consider that if you need coverage in that area in the air.

Squigly only has one command normal, called Ashes to Ashes (f+HP). It's slow enough in startup that it can't combo into ANYTHING, but from c.MK on hit the space between is very, very tight. So tight you can only see the green vulnerable boxes when watching at 60fps. It's likely only 1 or 2 frames of neutral in between, so it makes for an excellent frame trap on hit. It also makes for an excellent assist, and a good followup for Opera. It also has enough hitstun to combo into mediums from Seria cancels, lights from regular stance cancels and every stance move except uncharged Liver Mortis, much like c.HP.

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Specials

Squigly has a variety of specials that make her unique. First of all, it's important to note that every one of her ground moves have vulnerable startup because of her stance moves. She has two different stances. Dragon's Breath is done by holding the punch button when performing any of her punch moves. Serpent's Tail is done by holding the kick button when performing any of her kick moves (on the ground). While holding the stance, you can still move left or right, but you cannot jump, block, crouch or throw. Hitting any other button than the one you're holding will cancel out of the stance. Both stances have an uncharged and charged state. Charged Dragon's Breath is determined by a flame appearing on Leviathan's head, and charged Serpent's Tail is determined by Squigly spinning Leviathan around. When the stances are charged, the stance startup is faster, and all stance moves from the charged stance are their Seria variants. Seria variants are much more powerful and have different properties than their uncharged versions. A stance will gain charge as long as you don't begin performing the stance move. If you get hit when charging or cancel your charge, you will keep however many frames you were charging it. It takes 60 frames to go from completely uncharged to fully charged, and it's important to note that both charges are completely separate from each other. You can gain charge even when moving in the stance.

Liver Mortis (qcf+LP) is a slow move to start up which does not combo from any normals. During its post-stance startup, it's completely hit invincible until its active frames. On hit, Liver Mortis causes a sliding knockdown, so the opponent cannot tech it. It gives you enough time to charge up a stance from a completely uncharged state. From a heavy attack, it sets up a frame trap, so if the opponent tries to reversal Liver Mortis will connect. Liver Mortis Seria, however, is fast enough to combo from light attacks while also retaining its hit invincibility. However, it causes a regular knockdown midscreen. In the corner, it causes a wallbounce you can OTG from. You can tell which version you did by its startup, the voice clip (Leviathan yells "Mortis!" after the Seria version, while he just says it in the regular version) or a screen flash that occurs when the Seria version becomes active.

Center Stage (qcf+MP) is a very strange move for a fighting game. If it's possible, the camera will move so as to put Squigly in the center as she sings a note. Then, the camera stays where Squigly was when she performed the move for a certain amount of time. Uncharged, it stays for about a second. Center Stage Seria has super flash, so it adds 8f of hitstop to the opponent. This makes it safer than regular Center Stage and also allows for Daisy Pusher setups (see Pushing Daisies section). The Seria variation also makes the screen smaller, and allows for throw -> Center Stage Seria -> wallbounce to be possible.

Drag N' Bite (qcf+HP) is a four-hit move that travels about a third of full screen. It's a good assist, but you cannot follow it up meterless. Drag N' Bite Seria hits seven times and is faster, but again it can't be followed up meterless.

Draugen Punch (dp+P) is an invincible uppercut. Still important to keep in mind that when done from neutral (and not from being in Dragon's Breath stance already), the startup of the move includes a vulnerable period of entering into the stance, which is shorter when Dragon's Breath is charged. However, on hit it knocks the opponent VERY high in the air and almost fullscreen. They can recover in the air, so if they have aerial movement they can use it to close the gap before they hit the ground. It can also be canceled into MH Opera (see the Blockbusters section) and confirm into a combo. Draugen Punch Seria, however, has a much better use. It becomes a three-hit attack, and if any of those hits connect it causes a regular knockdown. The very last hit will send the opponent fying the same distance as before, but they cannot recover because it causes a knockdown. It is excellent for creating space, but requires patience and a little reading in your part. This is because it is very punishable. This move can see a lot of use in corner combos as an extender, or set up resets.

Arpeggio (qcf+LK) is a fast, totally safe attack with good priority. If the opponent is in the ground, it's safe enough on block to block a Fenrir or jump a Ultimate Showstopper done on reversal. It causes a tiny bit of chip damage, and only slightly more actual damage on hit, but it can serve as a combo extender because it has enough hitstun in the end to combo into any standing or crouching lights. The last hit of it pushes far enough during combos to put the opponent where LM Opera would be, so on block you can also do that to keep you safer. Arpeggio Seria is the same attack essentially, but adds one more delayed hit that causes yet another sliding knockdown. This knockdown is also long enough to let you charge a stance from nothing.

The Silver Chord (qcf+MK) is a projectile that is a hit/throw (thus, it breaks armor). On hit, it will drag the opponent to be next to you and put them in a stagger (using up your one stagger per combo). Being a projectile, it can be canceled by projectiles and hit assists (won't do the dragging/stagger part), and unlike many projectiles it's very unsafe on block because she reels Leviathan in. Its height is enough to hit any instant air dashes, but low enough to hit low dashers like Fortune or any crouching characters. Its primary use can be to keep armored-based moves at bay and discourage both excessive airdashing and attacking your vulnerable assists. It also discourages approaching from the ground, so you can then use your normals to control the air. Its range is about half of full screen. The Silver Chord Seria starts up faster and travels nearly 3/4 of full screen in the same time, so the end result is it travels much faster and allows for throw -> The Silver Chord Seria to connect with good timing on some characters.

Tremolo (qcf+HK) is a very odd projectile attack. It only hits up close, but hits low and does a maximum of three hits. Good news is that this move is also completely safe on block to both Fenrir and Showstopper reversals, and puts the opponent in the right distance for LM Opera to hit. The bad news is it has terrible recovery, so though it causes a knockdown you could potentially follow up, meterless you can't recover fast enough to make use of it. Tremolo Seria, however, is a totally different beast. It does seven hits, and on block it's also safe against Fenrir and Showstopper, but for a different reason. The seven hits actually push the opponent away from you. Not only that, but the first hit will always appear immediately in front of the opponent, so you can hit the 7 hits from full screen. This is a great chipping tool and also another way to discourage approaches from the ground.

Fallen Woman (in air, qcf+K) is a divekick. Before you panic, there are restrictions on the divekicks. First of all, the divekick that can be done the lowest instant height is LK Fallen Woman, but it does not have enough hitstun to combo into lights unless you happen to hit the absolute lowest height possible, which does not happen often at all. MK Fallen Woman has enough hitstun to combo into lights (hitting from around waist height) or mediums if it hits low enough, but has to be done from a higher point than LK Fallen Woman. HK Fallen Woman can be done from a larger height, but is different from the others. On hit, it causes a long hitstun, followed by a launch behind Squigly. This can be followed up with jumping attacks, OTGs or LM Opera and continue. This can only be done once per combo. If you try a second time, the opponent will recover and there will be no launch. Important to note: only HK Fallen Woman hits overhead, so LK and MK versions can be blocked crouching. Also, all divekicks have a 14f window to input the following normal, so as long as you select the proper normal that will combo from that height, it will come out at the earliest possible time.

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Blockbusters

First of all, her outtake (qcf+tag). She hits you with her butt, and it has pretty good horizontal range. As with all outtakes, it is now not blockable after the flash, so the opponent must have been blocking before the super flash.

Opera (qcb+KK) is a projectile that keeps its position relative to the actual TV or monitor you're playing on. This sounds odd because it is; the projectile will usually change positions relative to the characters or the stage as the camera zooms in or out, but it will hover around the same spot, as if it was a spitball someone threw at your screen when playing. It has good range, but its startup is not invulnerable long enough for Opera to hit as a reversal ever, outside of a few trades. The curious thing about Opera, if you've been reading the previous sections and are still wondering what LM Opera means, is that the initial position of Opera is always relative to Squigly, and depends on which two kicks you hit to perform the move. LM Opera (that is, Opera done with LK+MK) appears in front of her, but leaves enough space between for any character standing next to her to not be hit, so doing Opera from up close is never a good idea unless you plan to DHC. MH Opera (Opera with MK+HK) appears roughly at that same distance, but at jump height. This is good for forcing ground approaches and preventing excessive air dashing or double jumping approaches. LH Opera (Opera with LK+HK) appears directly above Squigly, and is good for helping to follow HK Fallen Woman, or if the opponent is approaching from above.

Daisy Pusher (qcb+throw) is a command throw that has long range, nearly 1/4 of full screen. However, it has frames after super flash where the opponent can jump or use invincible moves to beat it out, including DPs and supers. Against an opposing Squigly, the opponent can react to a Daisy Pusher attempt with another Daisy Pusher and hit you. As a result, it's usually not a good idea to throw this out, but there are many setups that make Daisy Pusher a great asset, even unjumpable. Check out the Pushing Daisies section.

Inferno of Leviathan (qcb+PP) is her level 3 blockbuster, and it starts up looking similar to Filia's Trichobezoar. However, done from up close it can do 10 hits instead of 1. But on whiff (or when not every hit connects at first) is where it gets interesting. Inferno of Leviathan will continue to follow the opponent, losing hits with time until it becomes a one hit, 200 damage projectile. It follows up very fast, but it can be avoided with invincible moves and canceled with projectiles. However, even if some hits are canceled it will continue until the last hit is done. On whiff, the first pass will have about 6 hits, but if it's avoided there the next pass will have one or two hits left. Obviously for the most damage it's a good idea to do it from up close, with the opponent in the air. But if the opponent has barely any health left, you can use it for good chip damage.

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Stances: Charges, Cancels and Seria Cancels

Her stances set up very interesting situations. First of all, only the Squigly player knows exactly what move is being performed. The opponent can't tell which move is being charged. When Dragon's Breath is active, the opponent has to guess whether he can approach from the ground (risking Center Stage -> Daisy Pusher), try to zone (risking Center Stage -> LM or MH Opera), approach from the air with attacks (Liver Mortis or Draugen Punch), attack (Liver Mortis) or throw (Draugen Punch). So as you can see, just having Dragon's Breath charged is enough deterrent for approach, and being in Dragon Stance is good enough to deter approach. However, you cannot block, crouch, jump, attack or call assists while charging, so at times it's best to just cancel out by hitting a button.

When Serpent's Tail is being charged, the opponent is likely going to take to the air. If you want, you can wait until they land, or you can cancel and jump to attack. Serpent's Tail will help her zone, so when outside of reach, consider The Silver Chord (Seria is best) or Tremolo Seria to force an aerial approach.

Canceling out of a stance can leave you at an advantage where there wasn't one before. For example, her c.MK isn't safe on block unless you cancel it into a stance, then cancel out immediately. There are a few ways to do these cancels. First, doing the move with two buttons of the same strength. You will notice none of her blockbusters share motions with a stance move, and that is on purpose. Doing qcf+PP will go into Dragon's Breath and cancel immediately, so you can cancel normals into qcf+PP and be able to link other normals for extended combos, or end at a hit advantage to set up low/throw resets, or even give you more frame advantage on block. Another way to cancel is to hold a button, and do the stance motion with a separate button. You will enter the stance for the button you hit second, but cancel immediately. For example, holding HP then doing qcf+LK will enter Serpent's Tail and cancel it immediately. Knowing which stance to enter is useful when considering charged stances, since charged stances have a faster startup and recovery time and thus leave you at a much greater hit/block frame advantage.

There is a special way to cancel out of stances that are charged called Seria Cancels. A Seria Cancel will perform the stance entry and cancel without needing the motion as long as you have that stance charged. You can only perform Seria Cancels after hitting with a normal attack, and they are performed by hitting two buttons of whatever stance you want to enter/cancel. For example, if you have Dragon's Breath charged, during a normal attack you hit two punches and the entry/cancel will happen without needing a motion, or any timing really. If you have Serpent's Tail charged and do a normal attack, hitting two kicks will enter and cancel the stance. This only works if you have that stance charged, so if not you need the qcf motion at least. Also important to note: Seria Cancels can only be done on hit, so if they block you'll need to do either of the other methods to remain at an advantage.

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Bread and Butter Combos

To begin, let's talk about her chains. She has chains similar to Parasoul: one light -> one medium -> one heavy. Even with multihit normals, standing or crouching she will only be able to link either light into either medium/heavy, either medium into either heavy, and light into medium into heavy. Here's a few standing combos:

1) s.LP, s.LP, c.MK, s.HP, s.HP xx qcf+LK

2) c.LK, s.MP (2-hit), c.HP xx dp+P

3) c.LK, c.MK, c.HP xx qcf+HK

4) c.LP (hold for 3 hits), s.MP, c.HP xx qcf+MK, c.MK, c.HP xx qcf+LK

Next, let's talk about aerial chains. s.HK is her launcher (or when s.MK hits against an aerial opponent), so let's talk about a few possibilities for air combos. The first basic combo is a simple j.HP loop. I say simple, but getting the timing down at first will be a bit daunting. The simple part comes from the repetition. A j.HP has enough hitstun so that if you land before the opponent you can jump and hit them to do another loop. However, it's possible to have the opponent too high or too low to continue with the combo or to end it properly. The way to control the height rests on making j.MK hit once, twice or more. The hits of j.MK when canceled into something else will make the opponent drop slightly. So if you do one j.MK hit, the opponent will be lifted a little bit by the j.HP hits. If you let it hit two times, you'll make a lighter character drop a little bit, but heavier characters will drop too much. The loop loops like this:

launch, j.MK, j.HP, land, jump, j.LK, j.MK, j.HP, land, jump, j.LP, j.MK, j.HK xx qcf+HK

Keep in mind that the weight of each character will determine how many hits of MK you will want to hit. For Double specifically, this loop is difficult to maintain past one rep because she will drop like a rock. In that case, and if the opponent is too low or you don't want to do many aerial loops, consider a Fallen Woman (divekick) loop. They are slightly more damaging but they are more difficult to time because divekicks don't have that much hitstun (except HK). Additionally, they will need to use grounded chains into another relaunch most of the time, so if you've already had all your grounded normals watched by IPS, then this is a bad idea. The loop looks like this:

j.MK, j.HK xx qcf+MK

light or medium normal, chain, s.HK

j.LK, j.MK, j.HK xx qcf+MK

other light or medium normal, chain, s.HK

j.LP, j.MK, j.HK xx qcf+MK etc.

The key for this is to hit as many j.MK and j.HK hits as possible to be as low to the ground as possible. This will make your standing/crouching normals combo easier. It's important to note that it's difficult to be low enough to combo mediums but very possible and repeatable with practice. However, comboing into heavies is impossible from MK Fallen Woman no matter how low to the ground you are.

There's a special way to start this loop which, surprise surprise, doesn't work on Double.

s.HK, j.HK xx qcf+HK, j.MK, j.HK xx qcf+MK

The HK Fallen Woman will toss the opponent in the air behind you, so jump back with j.MK j.HK connecting as many hits of both as you can, canceled into qcf+MK. Usually you'll be low enough to combo into a medium with no problem, after which you can continue the loop as normal or do j.HP loops.

There are also stance cancel loops. For uncharged stances, they consist of a heavy punch, either standing or crouching, followed by a stance cancel and a link into a light attack. They look like this:

s/c.HP xx Stance Cancel, any light

Then there are Seria loops. These involve canceling out of a normal in a chain with a Seria cancel, then following with a lower or equal strength normal. Here are a few examples:

any HP xx Seria Cancel, any light (very easy)

any HP xx Seria Cancel, any MP (a little more difficult)

any mediums xx Seria Cancel, any lights (a little more difficult)

any HP xx Seria Cancel, any MK (medium difficulty)

any HP xx Seria Cancel, any HP (most difficult)

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Mixups and Resets

Squigly has a lot of tools to set up ambiguous resets. Most of them deal with stance canceling, but we'll see others in this section.

First, EVERY stance cancel is a possible low/throw opportunity. If the cancel is Seria, you can do an instant qcf+HK in the air for an overhead, but it's unsafe so keep that in mind.


Next, let's talk about high/low mixups. Her f+HP command normal is slow, but useful in opening up a crouching opponent. c.MK, f+HP is a proper frame trap, with a VERY small gap (near 1f) on hit. So in the middle of a combo, do c.MK, f+HP in order to try to reset. If f+HP hits you have a few options. With a stance charged, you can Seria cancel and link any normal you want from there, except s.HK. If not, a qcf+LK xx qcb+LK+MK will let you continue by using a meter, or a qcf+MK can help you continue using up the combo's stagger. c.MP, f+HP is also a frame trap, but has a larger gap, and thus would be easier to mash out of it.

The partner to this mixup comes thanks to stance canceling. c.MK xx stance cancel, c.LK for example will cancel out of c.MK and have enough advantage to frame trap with the c.LK. If there is a charge already, this will combo so instead, try c.MK, f.HP (0 hits) xx stance cancel, c.LK. This will be especially useful if your opponent has been conditioned to block that c.MK, f+HP frame trap. Make sure you option select into c.MK at least to hit confirm. On block, cancel it into c.HP and stance cancel manually to stay safe.


For most of the case, hitting qcf+HK in the air can be followed up by a rejump into j.LK. A simple left/right crossup mixup involves delaying a qcf+HK after that j.LK to cross up, or fake it.

There is a tricky low/throw setup that involves doing a jump loop and properly timing j.HK so that only three or less hits of it connect before both players land. To do this, do launch, some normal into j.MK, then let j.MK hit too many times, and chain into j.HK coming down. As soon as you land, you'll be in neutral, and the first few hits of j.HK have very little hitstun, so c.LK or throw xx qcb+LK+MK to continue.

There is another low/throw setup after a j.HP loop. It's very simple to do; do one j.HP loop or two, then just run forward and c.MK, or qcf+MP Seria xx qcb+throw, or throw, or f.HP.

Then there's the s.MP corner cross under. You may have seen it in action quite a few times and wondered what the hell just happened. Squigly's s.MP has two hits: one that is close range and pulls the opponent in to make the second hit connect, and a second longer range hit that pushes the opponent back. If you perform a j.HP loop in the corner, and time the hits so that the opponent is right where your head is when you land, s.MP (1 hit) xx stance. The result is that the first hit will carry the opponent above your head and into the other side. There are several things you can do from here.

s.MP (1 hit) xx stance cancel, c.MK

s.MP (1 hit) xx stance cancel, throw into corner

s.MP (1 hit) xx qcf+hold (LK or MK or HP), release button to reset


There are also mixups to do after a launcher. The first one is whiffing LK divekick to do a crossup or fake crossup.

s.HK, jump, qcf+LK (qhiff)

Simple, but depending on the height of the divekick you can land in front or behind the opponent. This might pose a problem for you since your normals will come out in the direction you're facing but the opponent might cross up, or so you might think. The truth is that here is where c.LK and double tapping s.LP finally comes in handy. c.LK hits in both directions, and chains autocorrect in this game, so c.LK c.MK will combo even if c.LK hit behind you. Double tapping s.LP similarily has that autocorrect nature on the second hit. Additionally, you can do any of your stance moves to try to cross up (or Center Stage Seria xx Daisy if you are so inclined).


The second launcher reset is simply by canceling launcher into a stance move and holding it, then moving forward. You can move forward and a little back, or move forward a little later to remain on the same side, but you can cross up. The stance moves of choice are Arpeggio and Draugen Punch because they're the fastest. Draugen Punch is good when the opponent has wisened up to the cross unders and tries to attack their way out of the reset.


In the corner, her throw wall bounces. This sets up a followup opportunity very easily. Doing c.LP for two hits is enough to restand, making a c.LK or throw (LK kara throw, to be specific) a possibility. Additionally, in this next video, the Daisy Pusher reset works because of what's explained in the Pushing Daisies section.


The rest of the resets I'd like to discuss are in the next section.

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Pushing Daisies: Setting Up Daisy Pusher

Daisy Pusher is a unique move, but tricky. It can set up for a full combo from it, but it can be jumped on reaction. There are only a handful ways to hit Daisy Pusher with 100% certainty:

1) As reaction to an opponent's blockbuster, only if the opponent has no more teammates (if they have meter) or no more meter at all. In this case, consider that Daisy Pusher's initial invincibility is good enough to outlast most blockbusters IF it's done second. Also note that it's a ground attack, so it will not work to counter aerial blockbusters unless they fall into it (such as with Fortune's Feral Edge).

2) If Double, Parasoul, Peacock or Cerebella have already used up their aerial movement options (double jumps, floaty moves, air dashes) and are jumping in with an attack, you can anti air with Daisy Pusher. HOWEVER, if they do not actually attack, they can hold up when landing to jump out of it. Make absolutely sure they are attacking, and used up all their aerial options.

3) Center Stage Seria (qcf+MP). If you have a Dragon stance charge, Center Stage will add a super freeze and additional hitstop. This additional hitstop makes it so that if the opponent was not already jumping or invincible when the super freeze starts, Daisy Pusher will be unjumpable and uncounterable.

So OBVIOUSLY, there's a benefit to doing the latter, because you can set up inescapable reset situations. If you're sneaky about it, you can catch the opponent off guard multiple times. The limit is almost your imagination. Almost. Here are several situations. Remember than you need a Dragon charge.

j.HP loop, land, Center Stage Seria xx Daisy

low j.HK xx qcf+MK, land, Center Stage Seria xx Daisy

(corner) j.HP loop, s.MP (1 hit) xx qcf+hold MP, release MP xx Daisy

Then there's double dance. Double dancing gives the impression that there's just regular stance canceling going on. However, after the seria cancel, you're actually starting up a second stance. This time, you're actually doing the Center Stage Seria, and from there the Daisy will be unjumpable. Here are a few setups.

s.HP xx Seria Cancel, Center Stage Seria xx Daisy

c.HP xx Seria Cancel, Center Stage Seria xx Daisy

c.MK xx Seria Cancel, Center Stage Seria xx Daisy

There is an additional advantage to the Center Stage Seria xx Daisy setups in that you can see if the opponent is in jump startup or a blockbuster startup. This takes a while to get used to along with some quick reactions, but if the opponent is in jump startup you can do a MK+HK or LK+MK Opera to force them to jump into a projectile and block, as well as not leave yourself open to retaliation from whiffing Daisy. If you see the opponent is in a blockbuster startup, do Daisy Pusher. The initial invincibility of Daisy Pusher is long enough to outlast most blockbusters, including Fenrir Drive, Ultimate Showstopper, Silent Scope, Death Crawl and others. Against a rival Squigly, however, Daisy Pusher will beat the Daisy Pusher setup because the second Daisy Pusher will remain invincible during the first Daisy Pusher's active frames, and will be active by the time the first Daisy Pusher leaves its invincible state. However, in order for it to beat the setup the Squigly player must have been already doing Daisy Pusher's startup before the super freeze, or else the player will still get caught.


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Matchups

Filia - Not having a true invincible reversal will be tough to deal with against a Filia and her pressure. If she has no meter, remember to use Daisy Pusher to catch her approach if air dashing in, but don't rely on this too much. Instead use instant j.MPs and option select them into j.HP (jump, j.MP j.HP regardless of whether the j.MP hits or not) so that if j.MP hits or is blocked, the j.HP can create some space. Keep Dragon stance charged just in case; Liver Mortis Seria and Draugen Punch Seria are her best meterless reversals, although they have two frames of vulnerability, and both can push the opposing Filia fullscreen (especially Draugen Punch Seria).

Peacock - Charge up Dragon stance. Center Stage Seria xx LM Opera is fast enough that the Peacock player will have no choice but block or trade with Argus. Regardless, just Center Stage Seria closes the gap and puts Peacock close to you. If you also prefer, you can charge Serpent stance. Tremolo Seria homes in on Peacock, and causes a long enough knockdown to charge up another one. Having that stance charged will make the Peacock hesitate to throw too many Georges. On hit, you can cancel the last hit into LM Opera and run in to close the gap. For a more aggressive Peacock, punish air dashing in with raw Daisy Pusher if they try to attack.

Ms. Fortune - Charge up Dragon stance and be prepared to use the reversals to create space. If she drops her head and you land a hit, use the stagger from Silver Chord to position her on top of her head, and use c.HP and Seria cancels to punish the head for a lot more damage. Another option is to position LM Opera to hit both the head and the body as well. If the body is far away, c.HK xx Tremolo to punish the head, and you can even cancel into LM Opera to combo the head. If you have Serpent charged, MH Opera helps you approach and punish a dash in approach with Silver Chord or Tremolo. Punish air dash attack attempts with raw Daisy as long as she does not have three meters, and especially if she's headless.

Parasoul - Charge up Dragon Stance. If she ever does any Napalm Shots or Tears, Center Stage Seria xx LM Opera will hit her and she will have no option but to use Level 3. Silent Scope doesn't have invincible startup, and Bikes will be canceled by it. For a more aggressive Parasoul, still keep Dragon charged, and don't be afraid to punish a j.LP or j.HP/j.HK approach with a raw Daisy Pusher. Just make sure they are actually attacking you. Since her reversal is a charge move, she is more susceptible to the high/low mixups than any other characters, so give those a shot.

Valentine - Keep Dragon charged as often as possible. It will be hard to keep her away, but option select j.MP into j.HP. j.MP can even hit her out of Savage Bypass approaches. Otherwise, j.HP will hit her out of her aerial approaches. Never try to raw Daisy Pusher against her as an anti-air, unless she has absolutely no meter. Either aerial super she does will keep her off the ground long enough or allow for a followup to keep her in the air, safe from Daisy.

Cerebella - Keep Serpent charged as much as possible. Bella's approaches are mostly thwarted on the ground since Silver Chord breaks armor, and so does raw Daisy Pusher. Once she takes to the air, use j.HP to control the air, and try to build up to a Dragon charge. If Bella is in range of glide, Draugen Punch will reclaim your space. When she's far away and gliding in, you can use Tremolo Seria when they land to force them fullscreen again.

Painwheel - Keep Dragon charged, and use j.HP and j.MP to control the air. j.HP should be your number one priority, as j.MP has very little range and priority against Painwheel's ridiculous aerial priority. Be advised that Painwheel can do Buer Thresher in the air and catch j.HP, dragging her in for the rest of the super and the fly canceled followup combo, so be judicious in its use. Draugen Punch is your reversal of priority in order to create your space again.

Double - Keep Dragon charged to do Seria cancels. Counter j.HP attempts with Draugen Punch, and use the bounce time to charge up another one. I wish it was more specific than this, but it's a pretty generic strategy. If you expect a LK Hornet Bomber (or in reaction to any Hornet Bomber), use a raw Daisy Pusher. The opponent will need to cancel in a very tight window to avoid getting caught by Daisy (and if you happen to land a Center Stage Seria setup, it will be inescapable).

Squigly - You will see lots of j.MP, j.HP, j.HK and Divekicks. Charge up both stances in this order: Dragon, Serpent. If the opponent is charging a stance (especially a Serpent), attempt to interrupt them with Tremolo Seria and charge up another Serpent during the knockdown to keep the full screen pressure. When you jump with j.HP, try to force the opponent to block or get hit with it before you do. Once you start getting hit by j.HPs you start losing momentum, so try to change that with a Silver Chord or a raw Daisy Pusher to counter j.HP, j.HK and Divekick approaches.

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Team Strategies

Squigly as an assist has several options. Drag n' Bite will help lock the opponent down to be mixed up with high/lows or left/right mixups, or to keep the opponent in place while you run or set up. c.HP is a four-hit lockdown assist for the same purpose. f+HP will also serve the same purpose, but will also give characters without access to overheads the ability to set up high/low mixups and lock down at the same time. Silver Chord helps you approach while being protected with a projectile that will stagger on hit, but does very little against projectile zoning and doesn't really knock down. It can be used to set up crossup situations if timed properly. Center Stage does interesting things for rushdown characters like Filia and Valentine, suddenly making a seemingly impassable distance be close enough for an IAD to catch them. Center Stage for Bella means she can charge back, hit forward with assist to start a run, and then almost instantly after Squigly appears she can do either throw, including Ultimate Showstopper, and she will be in range. This makes Center Stage useful at first glance, but there is a simple trick. Once the opponent realizes that the assist is Center Stage, they can plan for the exact strategy to counter. If the opponent sees Squigly coming in, they may throw out a heavy attack or move that would not hit, only to connect thanks to Center Stage just as easily as the Squigly team player could. As a result, Center Stage is rather risky as an assist, though the possibilities are pretty promising.


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Burst Baits

c.HP has a very unique property: it extends much further than your vulnerable space, giving it some nice priority. This is more apparent when c.HP is triggering an IPS burst. With proper spacing, if c.HP triggers IPS, she will be too far for any bursts to hit if the opponent bursts; thus, she can do easy burst baits that, even if the opponent doesn't burst, can add more damage to a fully exhausted combo.

The easiest way to set it up? Silver Chord. Make sure you use s.HP or c.HP during a watched chain, and use Silver Chord to stagger. Then step back to the max range of c.HP and do it. If the opponent bursts, stance cancel, Silver Chord or LM Opera, then proceed. Bursting clears all stun and IPS so you can do the longest possible combo after one of these bursts.

If you have a charge, you can Seria cancel to set it up. Make sure you use c.HP and cancel after the fourth hit, which pushes the opponent back. Then trigger IPS with c.MK and do c.HP. Unless the opponent is mashing out of IPS, c.MK will move back and c.HP will keep you out of range.

c.LK, c.MK, c.HP xx Seria Cancel, c.LK, c.MK, c.HP xx Seria Cancel, c.MP, c.HP xx Seria Cancel, c.MK, c.HP...


You can also burst bait with j.MP due to its knockback, but it's tricky to set up because you have to hit it in a stage 3 or above and continue. Silver Chord is the easiest way to set it up, but an assist could help as well.


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Double Snaps

If you use an Outtake on both the point character and an assist at the same time in the corner, you can OTG the assist and combo the assist infinitely. They do gain meter while you're doing it, and damage scaling still happens, so the best way to do them is usually dropping the combo, allowing the assist to recover in the air. If they recover in the air, the OTG is regained and the damage scaling is reset. Since Squigly has so many multihit normals that screw with the damage scaling, usually the most damaging double snap combo involves:

OTG c.LK/MK, (s.HK xx stance xx cancel) x until death

Against Double it helps to lift her a little bit higher.

OTG c.LK, s.MK, (s.HK xx stance xx cancel) x until death

Here's what it looks like.


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This is the current end of the guide. Any posts beyond this are reserved in case more space is needed for additional sections.

MOD EDIT: There's currently no limit to post length on the forums, so I've deleted the reserved ones.
 
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