Flight is such an intricate part of Firebrand’s gameplay that I’m surprised we don’t have a thread about it. Anyway let’s discuss how to use his wings to our advantage. Please list any tips that involve flying with Firebrand. I still think the biggest issue alot of us have with him is mastering his unique mobility.
Flight Tricks I’ve picked up -
Hell Dive M kara canceled into Air S causes Firebrand to go flying through the sky diagonally with S instead of dropping down vertically. This kills hidden missiles and a bunch of slower assists.
-2H Slide can be made safe by canceling into 214M -> 214L. This also is a mix-up opportunity since Firebrand quickly changes screen sides.
Using Luminous body after two air movements resets the air movement counter. So you can hell dive from the top corner of the screen to the bottom corner of the other side all in one super jump without using a risky bon voyage.
-A flight mix-up that gets a lot of people for me is 2H slide canceled into 214H then using 236M then doing air bon voyage to get a hell of advantage. Since alot of people spam buttons after block you usually make them whiff and can punish.
You gotta be careful with canceling c.H into M hell elevator… a LOT of people read this, jumps and grabs you… I’ve been thrown out of this mixup more times then I can count.
To be really safe, you should always cancel into H Hell Elevator and from there you can do a dive kick, or command dash, fireball or bon voyage, L Hell Elevator is a lot safer than M, but can still be thrown.
It’s a tradeoff… M gives you more mixups and more risk… H gives you less mixups and more risk, L it the mid term.
I like to use demon missile H to move around, if you see that people is going to punish it, just cancel into Luminous body and continue from there…
If it hits, Just dive kick or bon voyage into a free combo, if it’s blocked, then use your mixup of choice.
One important weapon Firebrand players tend to forget is that Dark Fire hits imediately beneath him VERY QUICKLY after activated, I get a lot of random Dark Fire hits on assists and point characters by randoming this while at the top of the screen, just remember that you should do it when you want DHC brand out because he’ll die on the way down… lol.
I’d like to add, to get around, instead of using S, I use H from higher up. They have to block two hits and it still cancels the dash, and it can be used earlier.
I’m kinda experimenting with some use for the unfly for unexpected mixup from his swoop and also his grounded hell’s elevator. If only firebrand has a special means of quickly gaining height. His flight has slow startup. Oh well.
I just spam the Hell Dive L for fast high lows when mixed up with instand overhead L, which you can then cancel into Hell Dive L anyway. Hell Dive L from SJ lets you hit with a j.L on the way down if you time it right. Of course, Firebrand’s left/rights are great too so combine then all with lockdown and he’s fucking hard to block and it’s easier to convert.
Entering flight from the ground is very low to the ground and can be hard to see when using an assist that obscures his position. Cancelling Demon Missile M into Luminous Body makes you enter flight for a high many won’t see coming, especially when assisted, plus you can always unfly and go for a low relatively quickly.
After using Hell Dive M, canceling into M is my fav cause its fast and it gives me better cross up potential. And of course, fly in and before you hit him hell dive L to get a low. People suck at blocking in this game. lol
Firebrand can do thc combos using Luminous body. Because the super automatically puts him flight when in the you can combo into it. My combos would go like j.m>m>h>fireball>luminous body> l>m>fireball>l>m> fireball> l> m> h(one hit one most if any)> s
In luminous body body the combo is like m>m>h>fireball>l>fireball>l>fireball> l>s both of them do around the same damage
Any tips on running away? Like, if the game plan is not necc to land hits, but to avoid ever being hit. Combined with missiles (firebrand doom ammy), this could get really annoying really fast, softening them up for a gear shift to rushing down. But as I’m trying to use the various swoops and fireballs, I’m not doing the best job of avoiding hits. Inexperience. Just wondering if you guys have any recommended movement patterns for being uncatchable. Chrisis told me he thinks firebrand can be harder to catch than a missile-backed morrigan. If anyone agrees, please explain why/how. Thanks!
Use Hell Dive M/H -> flight to dodge things or avoid traps. It take’s practice but it helps. While I don’t think Firebrand is more difficult to catch than morrigan. Firebrand has WAY better rushdown than Morrigan and you cannot run from firebrand.
Let’s say I land a hit with firebrand and bnb… is there a good way, whether via reset or flying screen or whatever, does he have a good way to force them to block a new cold star? I don’t wanna waste meter on snapping, but I feel like people are easily escaping my wakeup situations when I should be able to force a cold star mixup. Or maybe I’m wrong on that? Or doing a jab reset or half of a jump loop rep+cold star… they always pop out. Even if it doesn’t involve cold stars, what are some good ways to flow from one successful mixup to the next attempt?
And since that was kind of off topic, ill also ask: after a landed raw dive kick, firebrand is left in a flight state that seems to have a lengthy delay. I’m willing to bet he can combo or attack off that, but I’m not sure how. Thanks!
I’m in search of a strong meter building point for the xxx doom ammy shell. Lots of great choices… task, mag, viper,spencer, zero, morrigan, etc etc. I think 'brand fits perfectly, but I’ve got to level him up to be able to compete for the spot. But it seems like missiles and cold star are beautiful assists for arremer.
After your combo end with bon voyage and backdash and do st.h while calling ammy assist. Which, forces them to recover in the air so you can go for unblockables mix-ups etc.
Firebrand can combo off his dive kick but needs to use hell dive L.
Firebrand gets his best mix-ups off snap ins. You should definitely use the meter if available. I use drones for my unblockables of snap ins and I’m successful about 90% of the time, (I use drones since cold-star is really only useful as a lock down assist and I need more versatility)
When I hit someone with the unbockable dp+(H), and am left in a flight state, I’ve been doing jS to exit flight and contine to combo. But often upon landing the combo drops. Do I. Need to either qcb+L first, or is there a specific normal to use upon landing from the jS? Little is more frustrating than successfully trapping them then dying when my combo inexplicably stops chaining. Lol
Also, I know we get massive frame adv from standing L, but what are some things we can do off a blocked jab to take advantage of this? Aside from tick throws, and maybe a cH+cold star xx dp+(H), I can’t think of any broken ways to show how unfair that jab is. Without Luminous, there doesn’t appear to be any good way to go into instand overhead jL goodness from the blocked sL. I’m sure I’m wrong and hoping you guys can explain why.
Sorry for the slight off-topic-ness, but this seems to be the only firebrand thread getting any responses. Thanks!!
Got 2 questions, one 100% on topic, one less so (sorry, but like I said above, this is the only fb thread getting replies):
Since we spend a lot of time in the air flyin around, how do we deal with vajra players? My guess is. Using a lot of horizonal movement so as to make it whiff. But that may not always be possible. Thoughts?
Does firebrand have a safe block string? Or rather, if we mixup or attack, what should we usually go into? Assume assist not available because its what got me in. OR, should I. Be trying to get in assistless so I have one available for this situation? My biggest issue with firebrand is I feel like once inside, if I’m not actively comboing them, I don’t feel at all confident. Like a vergil or dorm pressing buttons will just fuck me up. I know this term gets a bad rap (and it shouldn’t), but does fb have a good ‘flowchart’ for the attack?
Wesker’s S is safe, or can teleport away. Taskmaster can go into swing stuff, which is punishable, but not by jst hitting buttons. Even doom can just cancel to plasma beam. Etc etc etc any thoughts on this? I really REALLY like firebrand as a candidate for my point (xxx doom ammy) but I find I either have to destroy someone, or play a 2 man team. Thanks for listening to my bitching, thanks especially to anyone who shares a response.
The best thing you can do is not be predictable. It is avoidable with horizontal movement, but it is not the easiest thing. Also you don’t always have to be super-jumping, especially against a Vajira. All I can say is do safer movements and be less predictable when Vajira is ready, and go crazier when it’s not.
If we’re talking without special moves, the highest damage move you can end with is a standing H. You can’t end with a crouching H, albeit how tempting it may be to slide at all opportunities. You can always cancel your specials into his fireball/flight specials, however, if you’re using the L or M flight special, you are susceptible to being thrown or hit out of them. If you use H, you give up your position attacking them.
I understand being frustrated because someone who knows Firebrand knows that all they have to do is hold down back and you can’t instant overhead them without an assist/luminous body. You have to frustrate the person, with up/down mixups to the point that they forget they can just hold down back, or start going for left/right mixups with M flight special and M demon missile + assist. I wouldn’t say there’s a flowchart atm, at least not for me.
I feel exactly the same way regarding the flow of a match, either Firebrand wrecks them, or I feel like I’m fighting a 2v3. -_-
As for your previous post regarding the unblockable, if you hit them in the air you should always go for the 2H for any type of consistency.
Hope I’m not forgetting something, my brain is kind of fuzzy today.
