Character Overview: Felicia is a very fast character with many interesting tools. She has several specials that resist advancing guard, a very useful low-hitting assist, one of the best command grabs in the game, several safe specials, the fastest possible jab, a universal OTG that can be comboed afterwards, a level 3 hyper, the ability to set up unblockables without an assist, and is a very strong X-Factor character and anchor.
Pros:
- Great command grab
- Low assist
- Combos off of just about anything
- Good hypers
- One of the better low-hitting assists
- Several specials negate advancing guard
- Can end the DHC trick effectively
- Strong X-Factor character
Cons:
- Below average health (880,000)
- Struggles with dealing with projectiles
- Struggles at air-air combat, or anti-airing
- Mild damage output outside of X-Factor
X-Factor Bonuses:
Level 1: 120% damage, 115% speed
Level 2: 140% damage, 130% speed
Level 3: 160% damage, 145% speed
5L: A great jab, and should be used often. At 4 frames of startup, it’s incredibly fast, considering that most of the cast have their fastest moves coming out at 5 frames. Coupled with the speed, it has an incredibly long range to poke at opponents with and continue a combo afterward.
2L: While not as good as 5L in range or speed, it is a low attack that still comes out very fast and does more damage, and the range is enough for it to never be a real issue when dashing in for a combo.
5B: A solid move. Comes out fairly quickly and has a good hitbox on it. Generally, there isn’t much reason to just throw this move out during footsies, as it is best used in a chain after a light attack or during combos. Start combos with this if it’s a punish and you’re sure it will hit; otherwise, start with a light attack.
2B: Similar to 5B in speed, range, and damage, although the damage is slightly less (only 2,000 less), and the move is more unsafe, but that’s insignificant because there is never really a reason to use either 5B or 2B at the end of a combo or blockstring without using something like 4H or a special move that’s significantly safer.
5H: A good move in a variety of aspects. The 3-hit property can be good for eating through certain types of hyper armor, and the hitbox is deceivingly good at anti-airing. Generally, you want to avoid this move in combos because the damage, split among the three hits, isn’t that great, and it prorates combos unnecessarily when used early on. It is, however, effectively safe on block, and, if cancelled into her charge (down, down + H), gives heavy frame advantage.
2H: Standard sweep move. Comes out just as quickly as 5H, but unsafe on block. Generally only used at certain points in certain combos, albeit only as an extra hit if you’re confident in your timing.
S: Coming out in 8 frames, it’s a mildly safe move that can be utilized as an anti-air, particularly if you manage to dash under an opponent quickly and throw it out. However, the recovery on it isn’t very good, and it’s easily punishable on whiff and occasionally on block. In addition, if it hits, sometimes the opponent is too high to be able to combo effectively afterwards. Best left in combos, unless you know it’s going to hit.
Air L: Though fast, there’s really no reason to use this move either in combos, air to ground, or air to air situations.
Air M: Fast air normal that is aimed at a slight downward angle. The only reason to use this move outside of combos is when you feel a throw attempt or an air H will whiff, during resets (when the opponent expects an air throw), or to try get them out of the air and keep them blocking all the way to the ground by chaining jM jM jH jS (this can open up a high/low mixup as well, if you take them to the ground early and switch between using jS or landing and doing a low). Air M is okay as an air-to-ground attack, but air S does better damage and has a better hitbox.
Air H: Definitely a move to be thrown out when trying to chase down an opponent out of the air. Generally, the idea is to be going for air throws, but if it doesn’t happen, this move will come out, which is still desired. The upward angle is good for poking enemies above you, and can be cancelled into air S to keep them blocking on the way down to the ground. The angle makes it a bit more difficult to use as an air-to-ground attack, and air S does the same damage, so stick with air S for that.
Air S: A good hitbox on this move; it can be used for some close crossups, Street Fighter style, and is your most damaging option (tied with air H) to start a ground combo after a jump in. Be careful when using it as an air-to-air attack, however, because the recovery isn’t good, and attacking at the wrong angle can leave you open for an air throw after the blockstun ends for your opponent.
4H: Fantastic combo filler, a good way to end blockstrings, and a decent long-range poke. It’s essentially safe on block, being only -5, and pushes the opponent far enough away to be unpunishable except by the fastest supers. The move is great for going over and punishing low pokes at a certain range, but that can be risky, particularly if they jump over it, or hit you before it starts up. It can also be used to kara special moves effectively, such as H delta kick or hellcat.
3M: Toy touch, Felicia’s universal OTG normal. Though not special cancellable, it is jump cancellable, and this allows specials and hypers to be use afterwards with “tiger knee” motions (explained later in the video). There’s not much reason to use this move outside of combos, unless you have a need to hit low and jump immediately afterwards. At -7 on block, it is punishable by jabs and other moves.
Wall Cling: Jump towards the wall and hold back to cling onto it for a limited time. Not all that useful, except to obtain the faster horizontal jump arc that results. Once on the wall, you HAVE to jump at them. Assists can be called while on the wall, be since the wall cling can’t be done after a super jump, there’s not much reason to do it.
Rolling Buckler: Lower strengths come out faster, heavier strengths travel farther and do more damage. This move is generally used in combos, although it can be a decent way to eat through pushblock at the end of a blockstring, or to quickly come in on an opponent if they aren’t expecting it. You should ALWAYS, no matter what, do some sort of follow-up for the move, as all versions are -32 on hit and and on block if you do not.
Neko Punch: L follow-up to rolling buckler. Fastest, safest follow-up, being -2 on block. Generally the best way to attack after using rolling buckler to go through pushblock, and then mixup with a low, a grab, or a command grab. Used in some combos, but mostly in X-Factor.
Rolling Slide: M follow-up. One of Felicia’s most useful moves. It hits low quickly and from a distance, and can be comboed afterwards with a 5L. At -4, it’s effectively safe on block, but attacking immediately afterwards can lead you to be counterhit. An H Hellcat can catch the opponent offguard here if they didn’t pushblock, because it starts up in one frame.
Rolling Uppercut: H follow-up. Comes out incredibly fast, and does good damage. Can be used occasionally if you see the opponent jump in reaction to your rolling buckler, but if they stay grounded, it’s very unsafe on block. Generally used to end combos if you don’t want to spend meter.
Cat Spike:
L: A great move all around. Comes out quickly, goes through push block well, can be comboed afterwards on hit with a 5L, and gives frame advantage on block. In X-Factor 2 or 3, can be looped into itself indefinitely.
M: Also good. Though slightly slower, it goes farther and through push block very well. However, it has the added bonus of going over low pokes. On hit, a 5M or a 2M will link afterwards, and is generally the start of her most damaging combos. On block, it will give a frame advantage of +9; more if they push block. On most crouching opponents, this move will also hop over them and crossup when used close enough or early enough in blockstrings. Causes ground bounce on aerial opponents for easy hitconfirm.
H: Not all that great. Felicia hops in the air to “spike” the opponent down, causing groundbounce. Barely hits grounded opponents, if at all (and is -5 on block when it does hit), and due to its slow startup, isn’t a very good anti-air. Has uses in some combos, but that’s about it.
Sandsplash: A highly, highly underrated move. The charge motion makes it a bit awkward and difficult to find an opportunity for, as Felicia is often busy moving forward, but it’s less of a projectile and more of a “projectile destroyer.” Lighter versions come out faster and give better frame advantage, but the heavy version has an incredibly long hitbox and a lot of projectile durability (be careful, however, as at close range or on whiff it is very punishable). Notable projectiles that H Sandsplash beats/clashes with include: standard hadokens/kikokens/soul fists, Zero’s hadangeki, Deadpool’s trigger happy, Chris’ everything (except air magnum), Dormammu’s flame carpet, Doom’s photon shot and light plasma beam, Dante’s missiles, Trish’s low voltage, Tron’s beacon bomb, Captain America’s shield slash, Sentinel’s crouching laser, and more. Look out for Magneto’s disruptor, stronger versions of plasma beam or unibeam, Taskmaster’s arrows, Wesker’s gun, Storm’s whirlwind, and Amaterasu’s cold shot, as these still beat all versions of sandsplash. (Thanks CrispyTacoz for this list).
Delta Kick: All strengths start up in 7 frames. Higher strengths travel farther, but lower strengths give better frame advantage. All versions are safe on block. On hit, you can link a 5L off of a L and M delta kick. This move is Felicia’s best tool for traveling quickly across the screen and going over certain projectiles, even beams, when timed correctly. Using 4H to do a kara H delta kick will take Felicia from corner to corner; that’s far! At close range, M delta kick is good for pressure, hitting both on the way up, and TWICE on the way down, while completely ignoring pushblock. Keep in mind that this move has no invincibility, however, so it isn’t always fantastic as a reversal or to go through moves, only to avoid them.
Hellcat: A staple of Felicia’s game. Possibly the best command grab in the game, having incredible range (L hellcat), or 1-frame startup (H hellcat). L hellcat can be used after pestering the opponent with several standing L attacks and still hit. All versions can be comboed afterwards easily for good (UNSCALED? IS IT BETTER THAN DOING A REGULAR GRAB?) damage, using toy touch. It’s important to know the frame data for this move and for all of Felicia’s other moves, in order to effectively pick the best hellcat for the job (for example, after a blocked rolling slide, at -4, a H hellcat can be used before the opponent can counterattack, but after a blocked L cat spike, a M hellcat is best used for the frame trap, since it’s +2 on block, and M hellcat has 3 frames of startup). A kara hellcat (used after 4H), extends the range fairly significantly, although it has to be done quickly, or the 4H will come out and hit the opponent first. Lastly, though punishable, the whiff animation for hellcat isn’t that long, and opponents who jump to escape often struggle to punish it.
EX Charge: A useful move. It takes 13 frames to start up and begin charging, but upon release of H, it cancels immediately, making it very safe. The move builds hyper meter at a solid rate, but you cannot call assists during the animation, so it’s best used immediately after a covering assist call (such as jam session, lariat, sentinel force, etc.), or after a snapback or KO. Being a special move, all normals can be canceled into EX Charge, and often doing so and immediately canceling the charge will give heavy frame advantage; if they pushblock, then you can simply continue charging while at a safer distance.
Cat Crawl: Felicia’s “teleport.” This move causes Felicia to exit the playing field and dash through and behind the opponent. With the use of assists, it is very good for setting up ambiguous resets (often through toy touch > jump cancel cat crawl), or for any sort of left-right mixup. It’s also great for escaping pressure and getting out of the corner, although invincibility does not begin for 6 frames, and the very end of the move is punishable. A good special, but not to be used predictably.
Hypers:
Dancing Flash: Felicia’s only real, standard, “do some damage” hyper. Essentially the hyper version of her rolling buckler, it comes out fairly quickly, rolls towards the opponent, and executes a series of attacks. Throwing this out randomly is often not all that effective, as it is unsafe on block and has a small window of invincibility (frames 6-18); plus, anywhere you can use this as a punish, you can usually do rolling buckler into slide and combo afterwards for more damage and meter. Stick to using this in combos. The end of this hyper launches the opponent up and forces an air recovery very quickly, so try to reset them at this point. Keep in mind that, in certain scenarios (corner only?), you can end the DHC trick with this move by letting it whiff, and comboing afterwards.
Kitty Helper: A great hyper, that if you ask a Felicia player for tips, they will tell you to spam more. This summons a feline friend onto the screen that follows Felicia around, and jumps in a very specific arc towards the opponent with every button press. This jump attack is actually an overhead, so when executed carefully, Felicia can set up unblockables by herself; this is especially deadly in the corner, because the opponent has a lot of trouble escaping in time before they make a mistake in blocking the deadly barrage of high and low attacks. If the opponent pushblocks you during kitty helper corner pressure, going through the pushblock with rolling buckler into rolling slide can often be a good idea because of the low attack. Even better, meter can be built while the helper is out! This hyper is also great for ending the DHC trick anywhere on the screen. Keep in mind, however, that sometimes the helper will disrupt combos. Get used to this during pressure, and just keep it in mind when using it as a DHC.
Please Help Me!: Felicia’s level 3 hyper. It does standard, good, unscaled level 3 damage at 400,000, is able to be comboed into and, under certain circumstances, out of. The entirety of the startup is invincible, but it is incredibly unsafe on block or whiff. The startup is also painfully slow, and can only be used as a punish for the most laggy moves or to hyper combos. Felicia’s level 3, can, however, go effectively full screen; by holding L, M, or H during the flash, it will go varying distances. If Ryu or Akuma launches a shinkuu hadouken your direction from full screen, Please Help Me! will go right through it and start the animation. Keep this in mind, but don’t forget about DHCs or X-Factor.
Assists:
α – Alpha: L Rolling Buckler > Rolling Slide
The meat and potatoes, the bee’s knees. If you’re looking for a low-hitting assist on your team, Felicia is for you. It comes out very quickly (35 frames), but what makes it stand out as a low-hitting assist is the fact that it travels very far very quickly, and hits twice. While the first hit isn’t low, it puts the opponent in blockstun (that can’t be push blocked) to help your point character set up their high attack more effectively. It’s worth noting that this assist knocks the opponent up slightly into the air, however, so if your point character has trouble with juggle combos, it may not work as well. This assist can be used as a combo extender for certain characters, however.
β – Beta: Sand Splash M
The assist to use if you want to have a “projectile,” but other characters will serve you better for this purpose. In addition, the move is sand splash M and not sand splash H, so the durability on it isn’t very good at all.
γ – Gamma: Cat Spike M
The most damaging assist, and the best for extending combos, since it causes ground bounce on aerial opponents (it also causes ground bounce on counterhit). The startup is rather slow, however, and there isn’t really an effective window of invincibility to use this anywhere but in combos.
C-c-c-c-combos
(Exceptions? MODOK and AMMY?)
OTG Enders:
[dash] 3M 2369AA
3M 2369H>H
3M into reset; go for air grab, cross-under, jump attack, etc.
3M 6239AA (Kitty Helper pressure)
3M (assist/X-Factor) 623M 236AA/214AA
3M 2369L>M 236AA (the rolling buckler must whiff, only the slide should hit)
3M 2369L>M 214AA
3M 2369L>M 214AA, 3M 2369AA (easier in X-Factor?)
3M (X-Factor) 623M (S (sjc) jH jS 3M 2369L>L) x N?
Easy mode:
[jH/jS] L/2L M H 2H(1 hit) S (sj) jM jM jH jS OTG ENDER
(After any strength of hellcat, throw, or DHC trick) [dash] 3M (jc) jM jM jH jS S (sj) jM jM jH jS OTG ENDER
Better:
L/2L M 4H 236H>M, L M 3M (jc) jM jM jH jS M 2M [2H?] S (sjc) jM jM jH jS OTG ENDER
(After any hellcat, throw, or DHC trick) [dash] 3M (jc) jM jM jH jS M 2M [2H?] S (sj) jM jM jH jS [dash] OTG ender
236A(whiff)>M L M 3M (jc) jM jM jH jS (land) jM jM jH jS H 2H S (sjc) jM jM jH jS OTG ENDER
214AA, 3M (jc) jM jM jH jS M [2M/2H?] S (sjc) jM jM jH jS OTG ENDER
623 M …?
L/2L M H (X-Factor 2 or 3) (623L x N)