Been labbing dahlia for a while now, and i'd like to give my feedback on her as of past install patch:
Normal Bullets (236P)
Problem:
She has to reload every so now and then to get these, so we can call them a resource. At use, they bring an air slow moving hitbox, that sounds amazing! Until you realize they go out when you're hit...
So if you were to, say, 236MP KK jMP to approach, and you get hit, your bullet wont cover you, therefore rn if you want to use it to approach you're far better doing 236MP dash_jump block on way down, wait for them to get hit by the bullet, then trying to low/high/throw, the thing is, said bullet not going that far does not make this second tactic effective.
At the end im left with using the bullets to zone/make space, and being bullets her main resource/gimmick, having them be a worse zoning tool than robo's beams / peacock's proyectiles / parasoul's tears, makes it so that you dont pick her for her zoning game, as there are far better options available in the game.
Request: Bullets not disappearing when dahlia gets hit, its a resource, if peacock has this on non-resource proyectiles dahlia could roll with it i think. This would shift Dahlia's neutral to shoot a bullet and approach knowing that the bullet might maintain her approach safe
Reload (214P~P)
Problem:
I like the idea of a reload mechanic, but by having the special bullets behind 2 normal bullets i cant reload mid-combo and go into a special bullet reset or combo string, its not that i cant do it right away, i literally cant, 2 bullets its what you spend on a combo since after the first one the knockdown isnt the same, therefore you cant really "dump" the first two bullets to do something after
Having that said the M reload makes no sense for me, if i want normal bullets i'll do 214LP, if i want special bullets i'll do 214HP, in what situation do i want special bullets but also not really? its just that that im not getting about M reload, so after the patch that came with the new bullets i mainly just use H reload.
Requests:
Give M reload a practical use, maybe loading 1 special bullet but its on the front?
Ive seen some people say things about giving H reload full RNG, i love the idea, i dont think it'll be broken, but i can think why it wouldnt be added based on the fact that you could say it'd be a meterless install, but RNG. Still love the idea and would love for it be added!
Onslaught (KK)
Problem:
This is supposed to be her unique movement tool, different to air dashes, so its not intended to work as an airdash from what i've heard.
The problem i have though is:
1) It being a special move that you cant cancel into it, therefore jHK conversions get really hard, so do IOHs
2) It not having a backwards version, Dahlia feels like a midrange character, her unique movement tool not allowing her to make distance really makes me struggle at neutral rn, and i feel like 4KK j236MP/jHK would improve her neutral tremendously
3) Not being able to block after doing KK. This part specifically makes it officially worse than an air dash, im locked into attacking after KK, meaning if i approach with it the enemy can ALWAYS do DP and will ALWAYS hit, so basically i cant use KK to approach... so its a combo tool now, but then again you cant cancel into it, so its a really really specific combo tool, just for conversions too cause it doesnt do damage...
Requests:
Im not gonna request what i said was a problem, i feel like she having an unique movement tool is amazing and should be focused to not being an airdash, therefore i request the following:
1) j236P Doesnt stop your KK momentum, you could approach with KK while throwing a proyectile, this would also enhance her combo damage
2) Give her 3 (LK/MK, MK/HKM, LK/HK) versions of it with different angles, including one of the air ones being 45 degree down, you could do jHK KK down, dash 2LK to convert with this, or KK down dash 5HP 236LP/LK, it'd be terrific!
3) Let her call assists while doing KK
Tea Time (214K)
Problem:
So this is a resource-based, with slow recovery teleport, that you can fake...
In all honesty i started using it to make my blockstrings safe, but at some point i just stopped and went with the usual just use an assist for it since sometimes the teleport would be right where we are and would not complete the only purpose i was giving it...
I cant use the teleport in combos because the recovery is too slow for me to convert with
i cant use it in neutral because i get punished with a super
i cant crossup with it using a bullet because as said before, you dont get a conversion from it, and if they hit you the bullet goes away, plus its really slow so its predictable.
Ive been really really trying to make it work in some way or another but i just have no use for it, i stopped placing it down, and using that free time to reload instead...
I feel like a teleport that you have to set up beforehand shouldnt be worse than Double's movement tool or peacock's teleport
Requests:
1) Make her teleport recovery faster mid-combo. This would allow for sick combos without it being a problem in neutral
2) Make both, doily setup and doily teleport "Air OK"
2) Or make her teleport have 3 versions:
LK - Fast startup but slow recovery
MK - Slow startup but fast recovery
HK - Slow startup and recovery but invuln frames on startup
3) Make the fake teleport explode like a manual detonation C4 trap beneath the doily and launch them in your direction, this would give her sicker combos and would make her "trap character" theme so much better, if so make it consume the doily too.
Or make it so you can spend empower (yet another resource to make this other resource-based tool worth doing yes...) to do that explosion, kind of like half teleporting, shooting and coming back or something.
4) Or Give her doily a hitbox while in the air, that would trap enemies like a fishing net, and allow you to teleport there.
5) Or, a cool thing could be to be able to KK after teleport, that would definetly make both, KK and 214K more usable
Backdash (4PP/44)
Its too slow, and cant really go into anything not even another backdash from it, apart from j236P or KK, but im talking about getting away/making space.
Im finding trouble getting away to reload, often times i'd use 2MK instead of backdash, i feel like if you could 2MK > backdash faster that could be awesome, or to make it faster in a way idk, i keep comparing it to parasoul since she has the same "fast forward dash" and a thematic of being a semi-zoner, and her backdash is wonders compared to dahlia's
I AM using it however, i love the fact that you can do j236MP after it, hit ground n' recover > 236LP, with Lightning Shot + Rail Shot you can throw an electric and get them with beam, or react if they jumped, and you do that faster than if you'd do 236LP > 236LP. So at the very least it has a good use
Fire Chip (LK Bullet spam on corner)
Problem:
Not gonna lie, i love it when im the one doing it... not so much when im being done tho...
Currently, it does 4200 CHIP damage after 6 fire bullets had been blocked... cant get out even push blocking, i feel like too many people have said something about this anyways but it'd be wrong if i wouldnt too i think
Requests:
I dont really think it should be GONE gone, but i'd ask for it to have less chip damage, and/or meter gain on-block.
A cool way to balance this while not really being a nerf to a character with already a lot of things going on, would be to make it so that if you shoot a fire bullet and it lands on a fire pit, the fire pit explodes into a tall flame that launches on hit, pushes on block. Could make for interesting setups with it, and it would fix the fire chip, giving the oponent a gap to jump out after blocking it
Stage Hazard or "Barrel" (236KK)
Problem:
Doesnt do the damage of a decent damage super, even worse when at the corner.
Cant use it at the end of a combo for extra damage.
So therefore it must be a combo tool... right? But it scales a friggin LOT your combos!
Even using it at before the last string on a combo isnt that much big of a deal since as the first thing i said, it does too little damage!
I personally just use it for ground throw conversions, it allows me to convert and not even use OTG, amazing. But i cant go into a cool barrel combo after it... i have to forget about it and go into a normal combo into 2HP ender, or if i reset then just forget about the 1 bar i used to convert, which isnt that bad when you bring in the argument that robo has to do the same to convert off of throw, but still, thats its only use...
I feel like if its not a damage super, or a combo tool, it should be a neutral tool.
Requests:
Let her decide the length of the barrel, with it rolling at the same speed for the three, just like SBO with LK/MK, MK/HK, LK/HK. That would allow for a sick combo off of a throw, and for sick DHCs too!
And as for the DHC thing, make it so that the barrel doesnt explode from more than 5 hits till the end of a super, so you could convert with SSJ, CSF or Robo Beam super
Final thoughts:
I wont lie, i love her concept, i love the fact that you can have 60 different setups based on bullet sequence, position on stage and resources available. im loving 2MK, jMP, jHK, Empower, heck! even though i talked down on normal bullets im loving that mechanic too!
I feel like this is one of the most unique characters in fighting games, and i want to main her, even if these things dont get adressed i will add her to my team. But as for now, the only really astonishing thing she brings to a team is her fire chip oki. i just do a ms fortune/parasoul combo into CSF or Sniper Shot and call in dahlia with an install DHC all fire bullets, 5,460 "free" chip damage (at x1.3). Her install was an amazing idea, its one heck of a super! i can change my playstyle by what bullet i choose depending on what i need, while also getting empowered, really good.
Hope this feedback helps!
