Cloud Strife (Dissidia 012)

Info
Name	Cloud Strife (クラウド・ストライフ)
Original game	Final Fantasy VII
Weapon	Sword, Greatsword, Katana, Spear
Armor	Shields, Bangles, Hats, Helms, Clothing, Light Armor, Large Shields, Chestplates
Base ATK (LV100)	110 (Average)
Base DEF (LV100)	112 (High)
Run Speed	7 (Average)
Dash Speed	77F (Average / Good)
Fall Speed	87F (Below Average)
Fall Speed Ratio After Dodge	39 (Below Average)
Exclusive weapons	Buster Sword, Force Stealer, Butterfly Edge, Fenrir

Strengths

Weaknesses

Solid, easy and straightforward gameplay with Double Cut pokes, Bravery to HP links and standard-fare movement speed. Ground combat. Firaga, Fire + Climhazzard combo, HP Damage assist combos, wall rush, bravery Good meter build, with Double Cut rewarding good EX and HP links enabling assist meter gains on hit Flexible assist synergy thanks to wall rush potential and Double Cut confirms (with either hit) EX Mode lets Cloud to power through guards with bravery Melee High priority and EX Burst deals more damage the more health he has, one of the most damaging bursts in the game. High base defense of 112 at LV100, reducing bravery damage taken more than majority of the cast

Vulnerable HP links can limit Cloud's opportunities for HP damage against characters who can escape with Assist Change more often. LV2 Assist Change can also restrict" Cloud's follow-ups or moment-to-moment interactions. Floaty aerial dodges and lack of a potent dodge coover make air dodging risky for Cloud at higher levels of play Aerial gameplay more linear than grounded. While more than serviceable, optimising his air gameplay requires plenty of micro-optimisations and fundamental skills. Lackluster vertical braveries. While good at hitting from their designated angles, reward on hit, tracking and end lag leave something to be desired.

Overview

Cloud Strife is primarily a close-range fighter who utilises a variety of pokes, huge sword swings and projectiles to establish his advantage. When fighting on the ground, Cloud can apply standard fare movement to close gaps and engage with straightforward, yet effective braveries or attempt to sneak in damage from further away with four different projectiles. Keeping his opponent in check with Ranged Mid Firagas, poking with Double Cut, setting up extended combos with Fire and dodge punishing with Sonic Break, it's all here. In the air Cloud trades most ranged tools for melee attacks that cover different positions, lending to a more close-range oriented playstyle.

Regardless of where you play Cloud though, he has access to quick pokes with Double Cut to test waters, punish dodges and safely build assist meter with. Sonic Break (ground) and Slashing Blow (air) braveries can also branch out into a dedicated HP attack with great wall rush potential, enabling meter independent damage output that can grow exponentially with meter. Because of that and his good base stats, Cloud has a lot of flexibility with builds, whether it's meter depletion, EX or assist oriented builds with Side by Side . And they're all worth investing in, as Side by Side enables big burst damage while his EX Mode allows him to guard crush with just bravery attacks alone, with increased damage multipliers on attacks that scale with more remaining health.

These traits make Cloud akin to an all-rounder much like Warrior of Light, with an emphasis on damage output instead of defense. But he is not without flaws. For one, his HP links from braveries are fairly long and punishable when Assist Changed out of, which can limit his damage output when the opponent has assist meter. Cloud's air dodges also pose a risk to him, as he is slow to fall after performing one and lacks effective guarding attacks to discourage dodge punishment. He often relies on clashing with Double Cut to make up for this, and if he cannot land braveries that lead to HP damage, he will rely on Double Cut even more to make ends meet.

Cloud's horizontal tracking is good, though not top of the line. While he has no problem whiff punishing with vertical attacks such as Rising Fang and Braver, they have more situational application and reward overall. Similiarly, lingering higher priority projectiles can be powered through with Braver, but will leave him wide open for whiff punishment. Cloud can generate a good amount of EX or Assist meter on hit, but he can also struggle to capitalise on them against characters such as Lightning, Ultimecia and Sephiroth.

Historically Cloud has been ranked at mid tier and high tier in competitive play. A fundamentally sound character, he has tools for many different situations. Verticality, post-dodge defense, Assist Change counterplay, as well as lack of aerial mid range attacks and utility for traps hurt him. However, his straightforward moveset is fairly easy to pick up and lends well to close-range duels such as against Squall and Vaan. A good character who can lay a solid foundation for understanding nuances in the metagame.

Bravery Attacks

Ground

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
7, 13 (20)	13F	Physical	Melee Low	90	Chase	30 (15)

[Close] Quick slash. Low power, fast execution.

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
8, 12, 25 (45)	21F	Physical	Melee Low	30	Wall Rush, Absorb	30 (15)

[Close] Strike with three powerful blows. Sends foe flying.

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
3 x 4, 8, 15 (35)	27F	Physical	Melee Low	30	Wall Rush	30 (15)

[Mid] Charging attack. Slow strike, easy to wall rush.

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
15, 5, 10 (30)	37F	Magical	Melee Mid (sword), Ranged Low (projectile)	90	Chase	30 (15)

[Mid] Launch shockwave. Fast, but has weak homing.

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
each (7, 10)	25F	Magical	Ranged Mid	0	-	30 (15)

[Long] Shoot three fireballs. Short range, but can restrain opponent with explosions.

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
5 x 3 (15)	25F	Magical	Ranged Low	0	-	30 (15)

[Long] Hurl fireball. Faster than Fire.

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
10	25F	Magical	Ranged Low	0	-	30 (15)

[Long] Hurl fireball. Slowly tracks opponent.

Aerial

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
5, 10, 25 (40)	21F	Physical	Melee Low	30	Wall Rush	30 (15)

[Close] Powerful slashes. Change combo with analog stick.

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
25	25F	Physical	Melee Low	0	Wall Rush	30 (15)

Diving attack, scooping foe with sword. Useful from above.

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
3, 1 x 10, 17 (30)	21F	Physical	Melee Low	33	Wall Rush	30 (15)

Powerful upward lunge. Effective near ceiling.

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
7, 13 (20)	13F	Physical	Melee Low	90	Chase	30 (15)

[Close] Quick slash. Low power, fast execution.

HP Attacks

Ground

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
5, 5 (10)	41F	Physical	Melee High	30	Wall Rush	30 (15)

[Close] Break through defenses with cross-shaped slashes.

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
each (10)	21F (up), 81F (down)	Magical	Ranged Mid (up), Ranged High (down)	each 60	-	30 (15)

[Long] Send countless meteors towards opponent.

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
1 x 4, 2 x 5 (+ = 34)	?	Physical	Melee High	27	Wall Rush	30 (15)

Branching from Sonic Break. [Combo] A whirlwind of attacks.

Aerial

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
2, 1 x N (4+)	47F	Physical	Melee High	each 15	Wall Rush	30 (15)

[Close] Midair charge. Effective against any height.

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
each (10)	21F (up), 81F (down)	Magical	Ranged Mid (up), Ranged High (down)	each 60	-	30 (15)

[Long] Send countless meteors towards opponent.

No horizontal tracking unlike the ground version.

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
2 x 4, 5, 7 (+ = 35)	?	Physical	?	36	Wall Rush	30 (15)

Branching from Slashing Blow. [Combo] Series of speedy slices.

EX Mode: Equipped Ultima Weapon! / The power of mako!

Effects:

• Regen
• Critical Boost
• Ultima Weapon (CRUSH)
• Ultima Weapon (ATK)

Ultima Weapon (CRUSH)

[Always active while in EX Mode] Each attack becomes even heavier, crushing all attempts at blocking.

All Melee attacks become Melee High priority.

Ultima Weapon (ATK)

[Always active while in EX Mode] The higher the user's HP, the sharper the weapon's blade.

Damage multiplier scales to x1~x2 accordingly to current HP%, round down to nearest integer.

EX Burst: Omnislash

An attack slicing the opponent over and over. Repeatedly press circle to raise the gauge.

Damage multiplier (initial)	Damage multiplier (rest)	Type
14, 14 (28)	2 x 20 (40) (68 total)	Physical

Builds

Builds here.

Stats
HP
CP
BRV
ATK
DEF
LUK
Max Booster

Special Effect:

Equipment
Assist
Weapon
Hand
Head
Body
Accessory 1
Accessory 2
Accessory 3
Accessory 4
Accessory 5
Accessory 6
Accessory 7
Accessory 8
Accessory 9
Accessory 10
Summon

Stats
HP
CP
BRV
ATK
DEF
LUK
Max Booster

Special Effect:

Equipment
Assist
Weapon
Hand
Head
Body
Accessory 1
Accessory 2
Accessory 3
Accessory 4
Accessory 5
Accessory 6
Accessory 7
Accessory 8
Accessory 9
Accessory 10
Summon

Assist

Cloud's assist data.

Type	Attack	Startup	Position	Spawn	Damage multiplier	Effects
BRV	Sonic Break	21F	Ground	Opponent	8, 12, 25 (45)	Wall Rush
BRV	Slashing Blow	21F	Air	Opponent	5, 10, 25 (40)	Wall Rush
HP	Cross-slash	41F	Ground	Opponent	5, 5 (10)	Wall Rush
HP	Braver	47F	Air	Opponent	2, 1 x N (4+)	Wall Rush

Cloud works well with tournament viable assists.