Tidus (Dissidia 012)/Starter Guide

General	Starter Guide	Combos	Strategy
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Overview

Tidus is an agile close-range fighter with fast and evasive bravery attacks and multi-hit HP attacks. Mobility is a premium trait with Tidus, and the key to winning with him is utilising his amazing run speed, dash speed and braveries to catch the opponent whiffing or off guard.

At a glance:

Great mobility - High run speed, dash speed and movement during attacks provide utility on offense and defense. Tidus can be very difficult to punish when played well. Post-dodge fast faller - After air dodging, Tidus' fast fall speed lets him evade attacks naturally with ease. Double dodges - Dodge attacks allow Tidus to extend invincibility against imminent counterattacks. Consistent gameplan - Hop Step pokes, Reverse Ground Dash turtling and symmetric ground & air moveset are reliable at all levels of play. Good EX - Builds EX reliably from pokes and HPs. Strong EX Mode that's more powerful at high health, with one of the strongest EX Bursts in the game. Call Assist during moving attacks to increase vertical tracking Death by a hundred Hop Steps - Tidus cannot output massive burst damage on demand unless he gets a sneaky bravery break or high health EX Mode combo. Primary mixups involve delayed attacks, watch out for command blocks and Assist Change when finishing combos. Not a Side by Side user, all HP links are tied to slow dodge braveries.

Key moves

• Hop Step - Poke, meter building, whiff punisher, assist combo starter
• Full Slide - Alternative meter building, whiff punisher, higher damage counter after block, assist combo starter
• Cut & Run (midair) - Last resort defensive attack, one of Tidus higher damaging moves with HP link
• Quick Hit - HP link off of Cut & Run and other dodge braveries, wall rushes.
• Slice & Dice - Lateral range HP for calling out ground dodges, reflecting HP projectiles and surprise attacks with assist.

Strategy

Tidus works primarily as an aerial fighter. You will be using Hop Step a lot, this lightning fast bravery is at the core of Tidus' poking, meter and punishment game, with other moves supporting it in different ways. Build assist meter with Hop Step and alternate with Full Slide to avoid diminishing returns, then look for an opportunity to convert either of those moves into assist. Dodge cancel any and all attacks with R () + Cross (). Free Air Dash to close the gap, then strike immediately or delay with an air jump. Air jumps let Tidus move comfortably without much risk, which is good for feints, positioning and turtling. Air dodging backwards is often enough to avoid any typical close range attack, especially at beginner level. So pay attention to when the opponent is approaching and create space with a well timed dodge.

If it looks like the opponent will hit you after the dodge is over, it's time to use one of your dodge attacks as the third aerial bravery. Cut & Run's evasion and damage output provides a good balance against most characters, but others work situationally just as well. If this dodge attack connects, transition to the Quick Hit HP link by pressing Square () and reap the rewards.

Hop Step is life.

There are few reasons to play on the ground. If there are no quickmoves nearby, touching ground resets air jumps. Reverse Ground Dash (basic ability) helps Tidus create distance safely and build assist gauge. When your assist gauge is locked, this is an excellent strategy for just buying time, even though it doesn't generate any meter. Tidus moves fast enough to force most opponents into guessing when he stops. Keep them guessing with Hop Step, Sonic Buster and Sphere Shot, but most importantly Hop Step. Do not use the dodge bravery attacks carelessly, they are slow and they lose to regular block on reaction. Always try to confirm an opening with Hop Step (or Full Slide) first, then save HP attacks and dodge attacks for big, clear openings.

Combos

Tidus has very few solo combos and they're not very beginner friendly. The most practical solo combo involves Dart & Weave, which is not his most commonly used dodge attack. Don't sweat it though, Tidus builds meter well and he relies on it most of the time to convert to HP damage.

As for assists... Tidus works really well with Aerith assist. If you're not used to her, Tidus is a great opportunity to learn. With Aerith, Tidus can combo pretty much anywhere on the stage without ever getting a Wall Rush while still getting plenty of EX. What makes her awkward to use at first is the longer startup on Seal Evil assist, you are required to call her a bit earlier than other assists.

Hop Step is your most important bravery, so learning to use Aerith with it will go a long way. The basic idea is to do both attacks with Hop Step, call Aerith with L + Circle before the Chase prompt appears, then go into Chase and do an HP attack. If the opponent dodges the HP, Aerith will trap them. If not, Tidus will inflict HP damage. Look at the example videos linked in the table below, it will make more sense when you see it first-hand.

Combo	Damage	EX Force	Notes	Video
Hop Step > Aerith > Chase > Chase HP > HP dodged > air jump (behind opponent) > Cut & Run > Quick Hit	55-61 + HP WR (7, 13, 2x2~2x5, 24, 1x4, 3 + HP WR)	195 (90, 15, 90)	If the opponent dodges the chase HP, this generates more EX and still lets Tidus follow up with more bravery damage. But only if it's evaded this way; Opting to eat the chase HP can end the combo early without wall rush.	Video
Full Slide (2 parts) > Aerith > DC > Free Air Dash > Cut & Run > Quick Hit	54~66 + HP WR (2x3~2x6, 5, 8, 2x2~2x5, 24, 1x4, 3 + HP WR)	120 (30, 90)	Reliable wall-less combo. Call Aerith after pressing the second attack. If the ceiling is closer than wall, you can opt for Jecht Shot ender instead for wall rush damage.	Video
Full Slide (Wall Rush)> Aerith > WR > Free Air Dash > Jecht Shot	49~60 + HP WR (40 + WR, 15~20 + HP WR)	60 (30, 30)	If you know you can get a wall splat, call Aerith right before the opponent sticks on the wall.	Video
Cut & Run > Quick Hit > Aerith > Wall Rush > DC > Cut & Run (midair) > Quick Hit	70~82 + HP WR (28~34, 7 + HP WR, 28~34, 7 + HP WR)	180 (90, 90)	If Quick Hit Wall Rushes, call Aerith right before the opponent sticks on the wall.	Video
Slice & Dice > Aerith (immediately after HP damage) > Free Air Dash (behind opponent) > Cut & Run (midair) > Quick Hit	45~51 + HP WR (10, 28~34, 7 + HP WR)	180 (90, 90)	--	Video

These combos cover the basics, but that's not all. That trick where you call Aerith right after Slice & Dice's last hit works with Energy Rain HP too! And if you have two assist bars, aerial Cut & Run is great at adding damage... check the combo section if you want to learn more.

Build

Stats
HP	10299
CP	450
BRV	917
ATK	181
DEF	182
LUK	60
Max Booster	x8.2

Special Effect: Seal of Lufenia

Equipment
Assist	Aerith
Weapon	World Champion
Hand	Lufenian Dirk (CP Glitch)
Head	Lufenian Headband
Body	Lufenian Vest
Accessory 1	Hyper Ring
Accessory 2	Muscle Belt
Accessory 3	Dismay Shock
Accessory 4	Large Gap in HP
Accessory 5	Summon Unused
Accessory 6	Pre-EX Mode
Accessory 7	Pre-EX Revenge
Accessory 8	Aerial
Accessory 9	After 30 Seconds
Accessory 10	Opponent Summon Unused
Summon	Scarmiglione

Bravery attacks
Ground	Aerial
Hop Step	Full Slide
	Hop Step
	Cut & Run (midair)
HP attacks
Ground	Aerial
--	Slice & Dice
	Energy Rain (midair)
	Jecht Shot
	Quick Hit E (from Cut & Run)

Basic Abilities
Actions	Support	Extra
Ground Evasion	Always Target Indicator	Precision Jump
Midair Evasion	EX Core Lock On	Precision Evasion
Ground Block	Assist Lock On	Sneak Attack
Midair Block		Disable Counterattack
Aerial Recovery		EXP to HP
Recovery Attack
Controlled Recovery
Wall Jump
Free Air Dash
Reverse Ground Dash
Multi Air Slide
Free Air Dash Boost
Assist Gauge Up Dash
Speed Boost++
Jump Boost+
Jump Times Boost++
Ground Evasion Boost
Midair Evasion Boost
Evasion Boost
Descent Speed Boost

This is a general purpose build with Aerith assist with good physical damage and EX gauge depletion. Start with Cut & Run (midair) as your third aerial bravery and then change it when the backwards evasion cannot avoid most attacks. More info on the build here.

What to focus on?

Tidus has access to most of the same moves on the ground and in the air, so you can practice getting comfortable with the Hop Step / advancing bravery / dodge attack loadout wherever you want. You have to cancel attacks often with a dodge, but your dodge fall speed can save you a lot early on.

Try to get used to moving and attacking with intent, and calling Aerith after landing Hop Step. Tidus can feel very responsive to control and he usually approaches in a very similiar manner with dashes and braveries. If you can condition the opponent to block your dashes or Hop Step, the layer 2 options of delayed Hop Step or an early HP can get you good damage with assist.

Matchups?

Tidus can fight well against the conventional close range fighters such as Warrior of Light and Cloud, but you have to be careful to not run into Warrior's Shield of Light or Cloud's block cancels on whiff. Leverage your fast movement with air jumps by moving sideways and away. Use Reverse Ground Dash or just run around on the ground. You can make a lot of moves miss that way, Squall especially won't like it.

Watch out for The Emperor and Ultimecia, their traps and projectiles can easily keep you out if you don't attack the first chance you get. Tidus has disjoints in Stick & Move and Sphere Shot, but you may not be able to hit them consistently if they are the only thing you can do. Both mages have floaty air dodges though, so if you Free Air Dash at the right time, they're wide open.

About increased vertical tracking

During certain attacks, Tidus' vertical tracking increases drastically. Basically, the idea is to call the assist as Tidus moves during it and this will move Tidus much further than usual. This is good for surprise attacks and punishing long-winded attacks from long distance. The most practical application is arguably with Full Slide and Slice & Dice; They can scoop opponents from below who just dodged.

General	Starter Guide	Combos	Strategy
Matchups	Resources	Match Videos	Gallery