The Emperor (Dissidia 012)/Combos

The Emperor

General	Starter Guide	Combos	Strategy	Frame Data
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Overview

The Emperor has a variety of combos, but only few of them are stable for competitive play. Thunder Crest, Flare (air) Wall Rush and assist punishes are some of the most reliable combo starters for The Emperor. Assists can help a lot in converting to HP damage or otherwise. Even if the assist does not lead to much damage, they can still buy time for The Emperor to set up more traps or cast Starfall.

Generally speaking The Emperor has high potential for damage or momentum. However, optimizing his combos requires a degree of adjustment and improvisation as they happen. He has to consider his current position in the stage, the placement of his other traps and their absorb effects affecting knockback trajectory.

Solo

The Emperor's practical solo combos revolve around Thunder Crest. Dynamite (LV3) can also start combos, but this requires more prep time, being close to ground and the opponent... and of course, Dynamite must connect too.

Notation Info
AC	Assist Chase
AST BRV	Assist (Bravery) +
AST HP	Assist (HP) +
Chase	Chase
Empty Chase	Begins Chase, then nothing.
DC	Dodge Cancel +
LL	Landing Lag
WR	Wall Rush

Condition Combo Base Damage EX Notes
Punish / Trap Starter Ground Staple BRV > HP Combo Recommended! Thunder Crest > Flare ~40 + HP 120 Base Damage (Breakdown): 2 x 17, 6 + HP Opponent Assist (Comrade's Vow): ??? EX Force (Breakdown): 60 > 60 The Emperor's staple solo combo for HP damage. A bread-and-butter, so to speak. This can be done whenever Thunder Crest connects and The Emperor is close to opponent. Block staggers, trades or just stray hits are all ok. If Thunder Crest connects before The Emperor can move afterwards, the grounded blue Flare can be pressed repeatedly and it works consistently.
Punish / Trap Starter Ground Higher HP Damage Thunder Crest > DC (↑) > Flare (Midair) 17~ + HP & WR 120~ Base Damage (Breakdown): 2 x 17 > HP + WR Opponent Assist (Comrade's Vow): ??? EX Force (Breakdown): 60? > 60 In close range, The Emperor can also dodge upwards and combo into the red midair Flare for more HP damage with Wall Rush. The dodge cancel can be pressed repeatedly and the Flare has enough time to connect afterwards. Since red Flare forces ground Wall Rush, an early hit can take away max damage from Thunder Crest. This is often negligible, as The Emperor benefits a lot from assist combos and Side by Side's assist gain. For assist combos, it is best to call assist right before red Flare Wall Rushes. This is to ensure The Emperor can do another Thunder Crest as a follow-up.
Punish / Trap Starter Ground BRV Damage Recommended! Thunder Crest > Move Closer > Landmine 110 60 Base Damage (Breakdown): 2 x 17 > 35 + 35 Opponent Assist (Comrade's Vow): ??? EX Force (Breakdown): 60 > 0 + 0 This combo capitalizes on Landmine's high damage for Bravery. To ensure both Landmines connect, move closer to the opponent for a split-second before using the attack. This can be made slightly easier if Landmines are set to up ↑ + Circle . That makes it so that The Emperor only has to hold up and press Circle when appropriate. It is assumed that Thunder Crest connects when The Emperor uses it. If the opponent gets hit by Thunder Crest when The Emperor is already actionable, it is possible to dash to the opponent and potentially do Landmine twice for more damage.
Punish / Trap Starter Ground, Free Air Dash BRV Damage Thunder Crest > DC (↑) > Mine (Delayed Hit) > Free Air Dash > Mine ??? ??? Base Damage (Breakdown):  ??? Opponent Assist (Comrade's Vow): ??? EX Force (Breakdown): ??? This is a harder combo, but it lets The Emperor combo aerial Mine into itself for even more bravery. Thunder Crest sends flying and Mine hits. As this happens, use Free Air Dash to follow the opponent and use Mine again when The Emperor is close.
Projectile Starter Near Ground, Dynamite Aimed at Ground Solo HP Damage Dynamite (LV3) > Free Air Dash > Flare (air) ??? ??? Base Damage (Breakdown):  ??? Opponent Assist (Comrade's Vow): ??? EX Force (Breakdown): ??? A fully charged Dynamite holds the opponent long enough to Free Air Dash and do a follow-up attack. Make sure to aim Dynamite downwards, so that the opponent it sticks on the ground. As such, this combo is not as practical as it may sound at first.
Projectile Starter Near Ground, Dynamite Aimed at Ground BRV Damage Dynamite (LV3) > Free Air Dash > Mine ??? ??? Base Damage (Breakdown):  ??? Opponent Assist (Comrade's Vow): ??? EX Force (Breakdown): ??? Same as the above Dynamite > Flare combo, but with air Mine instead. Free Air Dash cloe to the opponent, then use Mine. Mine pushes the opponent out of Dynamite, so keep that in mind if you're looking to optimize Dynamite's own damage first.

Assist (Jecht)

The Emperor primarily uses Jecht's air BRV assist for assist combos. Long holds and the downward slam make it ideal for setting up more Thunder Crests, Dynamites and Flares. Jecht can pick up from Thunder Crests and Flare (air) Wall Rushes as well, though The Emperor may have to dash to follow up.

Notation Info
AC	Assist Chase
AST BRV	Assist (Bravery) +
AST HP	Assist (HP) +
Chase	Chase
Empty Chase	Begins Chase, then nothing.
DC	Dodge Cancel +
LL	Landing Lag
WR	Wall Rush

Basic Combos (Jecht AST)

◆ Basic Combos

Basic combos are simple combos with fewest conditions.
- Can be performed from most positions, or with Wall Rush
- Require no adjustments, or very few simple adjustments
- Intended for players new to the game, or the character

There are not many beginner friendly combos for The Emperor that are also stable. Thunder Crest and Flare Wall Rush are good starting points. If The Emperor gets a chance to interrupt opponents with Jecht assist first, that also creates an opening for combos.

Condition Combo Base Damage EX Notes

Punish / Trap Starter Ground BRV to HP Combo Thunder Crest > AST BRV > Move Toward Opponent > Flare (ground) ??? ??? Base Damage (Breakdown):  ??? Opponent Assist (Comrade's Vow): ??? EX Force (Breakdown): ??? The Emperor can combo into Flare by himself, but this is intended for players learning the game. Call Jecht assist after visually confirming the opponent got hit, and move towards them (running or dash is ok). Then finish with Flare as Jecht sends the opponent down.

Core Combos (Jecht AST)

◆ Core Combos

Core combos balance potency with consistency.
- They work against most characters in the game
- May require adjustments due to position, assist, resources or builds
- May require combo fillers during assist
- May require different combo enders from basic combos
- Are expected to be consistently performable by most intermediate and advanced players who main the character

Condition Combo Base Damage EX Notes
Punish / Trap Starter Ground BRV Damage, HP Thunder Crest > Move Closer > Landmine > AST BRV > Move Closer > Thunder Crest > Jump > Flare (Midair) 190 + HP & WR 180~ Base Damage (Breakdown): 40 > 35 + 35 (Landmine) > 40 (AST) > 40 > HP + WR Opponent Assist (Comrade's Vow): ??? EX Force (Breakdown): 60 > 0 + 0 > 60~ > 60 A fairly standard mid level Thunder Crest combo with Landmine fillers and HP Wall Rush. The following notes assume that Thunder Crest is done close to opponent. After Thunder Crest, The Emperor must move closer to connect both Landmines consistently. The BRV damage is high enough to outclass several combo fillers in the game, so it's recommended to practice this. Call assist immediately after doing Landmine, but before they connect. When done correctly, Landmines should hit and Jecht assist still picks up successfully. After Jecht assist connects, move towards opponent with basic movement or a Ground Dash. Then use Thunder Crest after Jecht assist has done two downward hits (he says "I'll give it to you!" during this). If done correctly, Jecht slams the opponent down and Thunder Crest connects smoothly afterwards. If Thunder Crest hits a bit later, The Emperor has more time to jump and midair Flare more easily.
Punish / Trap Starter Ground Combo After Side by Side Assist Gain Thunder Crest > Flare > AST BRV > Move Closer > Thunder Crest > Jump > Flare (Midair) 114~ + HP & WR 180~ Base Damage (Breakdown): 40 + HP > 40 (AST) > 34~ + HP & WR Opponent Assist (Comrade's Vow): ??? EX Force (Breakdown): 60 + 60 > 60~ + 0 If The Emperor needs assist gauge from HP attacks (EXP to Assist or Side by Side ), this is a useful route for air BRV assist. The timing is a bit strict though; Call assist almost immediately after blue Flare does HP damage. If done correctly, Jecht assist should pick up before Thunder Crest knocks the opponent too far. Afterwards the execution is fairly straightforward. Move closer to opponent and use Thunder Crest again. If Thunder Crest hits a bit later, The Emperor has more time to jump and midair Flare more easily.

Starfall Loop

Condition Combo Base Damage EX Notes

HP Starter Starfall, 1 Assist Gauge, Side by Side Starfall Loop 1st Starfall > DC > 2nd Starfall (Hold , Move Away ) > 1st Starfall WR > AST BRV > 2nd Starfall OK > DC > Repeat... 69+ HP & WR 0 Video Base Damage (Breakdown): ~9 x 3 + HP & WR > 42 + WR (AST) > Repeat... Opponent Assist (Comrade's Vow): ??? EX Force (Breakdown): 0 > 0... The infamous Starfall loop. This is what The Emperor works towards in any given match, so if he gets this far, victory is pretty much guaranteed. If Starfall activates, The Emperor can use Jecht assist to buy himself enough time to cast another Starfall before the opponent can interrupt it. Side by Side causes subsequent Starfalls to fill assist gauge even with the initial bravery hits, which guarantees assist for each repetition. This may not be intended by developers, but it is a very strong side effect for The Emperor. The mileage of Starfall loop can vary greatly depending on the matchup and the stage, but the general rule is longer distance means higher chance of Starfall activation. If the opponent has no long-range attacks to stop The Emperor, that is even better. This is best done in large stages such as Order's Sanctuary or Old Chaos Shrine, where Jecht assist can create larger gaps while The Emperor is running away. The Emperor must start casting the second Starfall while the first one is raining down. Assist must be called after the Wall Rush, while still casting Starfall. To ensure only BRV assist is used, hold Square and Circle , then press L . This can be tricky to perform with the face buttons, but it is the most consistent way to do it with 2 full assist gauges. Remember to move away from the opponent while casting Starfall as well. Once Starfall has activated, the only thing opponent can do is use Assist or EX to escape. If they mistime Assist Change early (see video example), they can still get hit by Starfall and suffer the loop regardless. Without Side by Side , The Emperor cannot guarantee nearly as many Starfalls even with 2 assist gauges. This is still unavoidable HP damage, but naturally it gets cut off much earlier, while relying on existing resources. This is one reason to use Side by Side builds over others.

Extra Combos (Jecht AST)

◆ Extra Combos

Extra combos are miscellaneous routes that are possible, but are not necessarily stronger or easier than other combos.
- May have any number or combination of requirements and conditions; Character, position, resource, or specific situation
- May provide more advantage, or less advantage than other combos
- May be more difficult than other combos
- May require more specific circumstances execute

Condition Combo Base Damage EX Notes

Projectile Starter Near Ground Midscreen Air BRV to HP Dynamite (Shot, LV1 / LV2) > AST BRV > Free Air Dash > Flare (air) 41 + HP & WR ??? Base Damage (Breakdown): 1 > 40 (AST) > HP + WR Opponent Assist (Comrade's Vow): ??? EX Force (Breakdown): ??? When Dynamite hits, it pushes the opponent back. Then they start falling. Jecht assist can be called slightly before the opponent starts falling down, which makes this a notable combo starter for The Emperor.