Sephiroth (Dissidia 012)/Matchups

Sephiroth

General	Starter Guide	Combos	Strategy	Frame Data
Matchups	Builds	Match Videos	Gallery	Resources

Matchups

Prishe

Prishe Even [Character Page] [Match Videos] [Recommended Build: EX or Damage]

Intro Both characters fight for position and EX gauge; Sephiroth wants to harass with Shadow Flare from afar before approaching, while Prishe wants to get close. The biggest plays happen in close quarters, where each action has a counter. Sephiroth's Godspeed is exceptionally effective for stopping charged One Inch Punch (OIP) from a distance, while other moves work in close-range. Mixing up all available options is important to stay ahead, as none of Sephiroth's options are risk free. This is not an easy matchup for Sephiroth at first glance, as it requires a good understanding of positioning, meter management and attack timing, but he has the necessary tools to succeed. {{#tooltip: Neutral | The stage of a fight where neither player is blocking or getting hit by anything. Both players are trying to figure out how to approach, or trying to hit each other. }} Fill assist gauge with Shadow Flare and then use the gauge for assist combos. Finish assist combos with Sudden Cruelty for EX, or Heaven's Light for HP damage. Use Godspeed / Fervent Blow from midrange to stop charged One Inch Punch Use Sudden Cruelty to punish air dodges that leave Prishe close to Sephiroth Use Sudden Cruelty as a surprise attack, {{#tooltip: whiff punisher | Hitting an opponent who missed (whiffed) their attack. }} for HPs or filling assist gauge occasionally. Air dodge above Prishe to disorient her dash. Verticality is one of her weaker points. Heaven's Light can go under Raging Fists if Sephiroth is not above Prishe at the beginning Heaven's Light staggers Prishe for clashing with uncharged OIP. Follow up with assist. Hell's Gate from above works as a {{#tooltip: mixup | A situation where a player has several ways to attack, which require different actions from the defending player. }} for Sephiroth's neutral. Vary the release timing to stay safe. Spot dash to fill assist gauge and create ambiguity for the next approach Neutral (In-Depth) Sephiroth's neutral game starts with Shadow Flare. Use it from a distance to fill assist gauge and {{#tooltip: convert | Turning a hit (unlikely or otherwise) into a combo through situational awareness. }} to a combo if possible. Don't expect to rely on it for damage, though. Once Prishe gets close, dodge above her. The goal is to exploit lackluster vertical {{#tooltip: tracking | Tracking refers to how effectively a move can follow the opponent once it is performed. Similar to "homing". }} on her moves and make it harder to get hit by them. Sephiroth's vertical options are decent, but telegraphed. He won't have access to Oblivion either, so vertical movement is used to buy time for filling assist gauge. Prishe relies on Free Air Dash to approach Sephiroth from below, so it is important to remain mindful of your patterns. Why not Oblivion? Godspeed. It's not typically used, but it stops Prishe from recklessly rotating between Raging Fists and uncharged OIP. Whenever Prishe charges OIP, Godspeed's barrage of projectiles can interrupt it. This is great, because it creates consequences for Prishe in a situation where she's normally safe. Godspeed's {{#tooltip: active | The period of time when an attack is capable of doing damage. }} frames have high coverage; They can hit Prishe out of OIP during the charge or after she releases it. Sephiroth can do this in response to OIP, but make sure to be at the same height with Prishe for this. Otherwise it can miss. Sephiroth can do an assist combo from the projectiles, though Kuja assist is prone to missing. Tidus and Yuna assists are more consistent, but don't provide high damaging routes for Sephiroth. That's ok because Prishe's base defense stat is low, so even a simple combo with Sudden Cruelty finisher hurts a lot. If Sephiroth finishes Godspeed, the wall rush can also lead to assist combos. Tidus ground BRV leads to Shadow Flare > Heaven's Light, which is reliable. Dodge towards opponent twice before doing Shadow Flare, though. Yuna ground BRV needs a wall nearby, but otherwise works fine if needed. Getting hits matters more in the end, and Godspeed is a good space control tool for doing that. This can cause Prishe to play more cautiously, or even more aggressively if she is trying to dash through Godspeed's projectiles. If Sephiroth reacts too late with Godspeed, Prishe can dodge next to Sephiroth and whiff punish with Raging Fists or OIP, the usual combo starters. Stay sharp when using Godspeed, so that Sephiroth has more control in the neutral. Then there is Sudden Cruelty. It works as a general purpose defensive attack. It stops Prishe from running in, punishes her for using HPs too early and most importantly, it catches her air dodges. Mainly, any air dodge that leaves Prishe close to Sephiroth. Dodging to make OIP and Raging Fists safe is a core Prishe strategy, but this is where Sudden Cruelty shines; The large {{#tooltip: hitbox | An invisible predefined area that determines how an attack can come into contact with a character. If this makes contact with a character, the attack connects. Bigger hitbox means it's easier to land the attack. }} ensures that Prishe gets caught if Sephiroth predicts her dodge. Pay attention to Prishe's position: If Prishe is at Sephiroth's height or slightly above after an air dodge, that's a good chance to use Sudden Cruelty. It rewards Sephiroth well with BRV damage, EX and assist combos if available. On that note, be careful about whiff punishing charged OIP with Sudden Cruelty. If Sephiroth attacks first, OIP staggers Sephiroth and leads to a combo. What about the HP attacks, then? Scintilla, Heaven's Light and Hell's Gate all have merit (Hell's Gate moreso for EX), so they're recommended here. Scintilla stops Prishe from dashing into Sephiroth, as well as any Raging Fists or uncharged OIP. Scintilla is risky to use due to its long recovery, but it's necessary to establish that Prishe cannot just run in and start swinging. It's a great answer to her instant attack timing, assuming Sephiroth has the {{#tooltip: read | A read is an educated guess informed by some knowledge or context in a match. An extremely risky move that works in this manner is considered a "hard read". }} on her. Heaven's Light and Hell's Gate serve a different role. They can be used to occasionally {{#tooltip: mix up | A situation where a player has several ways to attack, which require different actions from the defending player. }} Sephiroth's actions, something akin to a surprise attack or a call out for Prishe's next action. Of course, they also fill assist gauge and since they're not often used, they get the fresh move bonus. Heaven's Light can go under Raging Fists and hit Prishe, but this only works under two conditions: Sephiroth must not be hit out of Heaven's Light immediately, and he cannot be high above Prishe before doing this. The reason is simple, Heaven's Light always moves Sephiroth downwards and towards his opponent before lunging upwards. It has no invincibility, so he relies on the physical movement to evade attacks. Prishe may be tempted to attack often with Raging Fists or uncharged OIP, and Heaven's Light can stagger Prishe if it clashes with them. Most assists can combo from this, except Aerith assist. She would require a pre-emptive call, which can feel like a gamble in practice. Hell's Gate has some evasion to it, but it's slower than Heaven's Light (55 frames instead of 43). If Prishe is {{#tooltip: auto piloting | Acting without thinking, usually in a predictable manner. }} with Raging Fists, Hell's Gate can also hit Prishe. Hell's Gate works against a block as well. If Prishe charges OIP, both her and Sephiroth can get staggered. A BRV assist can follow up afterwards, but it must be used before the clash happens. This can be done by holding Square , then also holding Circle and pressing L . It can be awkward to input with a thumb and a left index finger, but it ensures that Hell's Gate doesn't stop early. Hell's Gate can also call out an air dodge near the ground; The idea is to fall to the ground so the crags surrounding Sephiroth hit Prishe during her descent. If Prishe moves out of the way, Sephiroth can also stop Hell's Gate early by releasing Square . This is good for Sephiroth, but it is important to vary the timing so that Prishe doesn't get a free opening afterwards. Dive past her, stop immediately or move away from her before stopping. This degree of ambiguity is what lets Sephiroth get away with it, especially since Prishe is expected to use Aerith assist, who cannot {{#tooltip: whiff punish | Hitting an opponent who missed (whiffed) their attack. }} it on reaction. Defense (or Neutral Part 2) Use Scintilla to block Free Air Dash or overextended Raging Fists. Recommended after dodging. Blodge after Shadow Flare to stop Prishe from dashing. Follow up with Heaven's Light if close to Prishe. Ground Dash under Prishe (who is midair) to reposition and fill assist gauge. Ground / short air dodges can lose to Banishga and charged One Inch Punch, watch out for them Dragon Kick + Aerith assist setups hurt, especially with assist depletion. Sephiroth can use Assist Change in a few ways: vs. Auroral Uppercut: LV1 Change > Heaven's Light vs. Banishga: LV1 Change as soon as Banishga starts > Free Air Dash > Sudden Cruelty vs. One Inch Punch, Dragon Kick or Auroral Uppercut: LV2 Change > Heaven's Light Defense (In-Depth) Sephiroth's defense is more or less tied to his neutral, but they're divided for educational purposes. This matchup is largely a mixture of neutral and defensive interactions, with Sephiroth being the defender in many situations. Whenever Sephiroth uses Shadow Flare, he can blodge during the {{#tooltip: recovery | The period of time that occurs after an action has finished, but before gaining full control of the character again. For example, many HP attacks in Dissidia 012 have long recovery. This may be occasionally referred to as "endlag". }}. This isn't recommended for new players just starting out, but it's a great asset at intermediate and high levels of play. The idea is to stagger Prishe for dashing in, and respond appropriately. If Sephiroth did not air dodge too far away, Heaven's Light does consistent HP damage (and meter depletion). Braveries also work if Sephiroth remains close , but note that staying close opens up Sephiroth to charged OIP. Assists can also combo from the stagger, but make sure LV2 Assist Change does not block the assist. If Prishe is blocked during a dash, the natural meter decay can activate and increase the chance of avoiding LV2 Assist Change if her assist gauges were full before. Scintilla was already mentioned in the Neutral (In-Depth) section, but it bears repeating here: It counters Prishe's dashes and low priority braveries (instant timing, particularly). Prishe is encouraged to do both of these, since Sephiroth is running away with Shadow Flares and air dodges. She wants to stop him from doing that, so Scintilla establishes that Prishe cannot do it for free. Usually the best time to use Scintilla is after an air dodge, when Prishe is lining up her next attack. Even if Prishe escapes with Assist Change afterwards, only BRV damage is guaranteed. The only way for Prishe to guarantee HP damage here is with Assist Storage Glitch, which is very rare. Unfortunately Scintilla also takes a long time to finish, which means a misplaced Scintilla opens up Sephiroth to attacks. Scintilla does not protect against charged One Inch Punch (OIP) or Banishga, so be careful Prishe does not see it coming. Banishga can call out Sephiroth's ground dodges and air dodges that keep Sephiroth at the same altitude. Do not use Scintilla for protection there. Calling an assist like Tidus or Kuja early won't do any good either, since the surrounding blasts hits both Sephiroth and assist. This only works for Prishe if Sephiroth is caught dodging at the exact same time when Banishga comes out. Sephiroth can neutral dodge when it's about to hit and {{#tooltip: whiff punish | Hitting an opponent who missed (whiffed) their attack. }} with Sudden Cruelty / Reaper or assist. Interrupting it with Sudden Cruelty or Reaper are also good options, if Sephiroth anticipates Banishga. Vertical air dodges evade Banishga consistently, so use them if Prishe is almost at same height. This also buys time for Sephiroth to fill assist gauge with Shadow Flare if it's needed. What to do if Sephiroth gets hit? Prishe is expected to have assist gauge depletion on her build, so it's often a good idea to use Assist Change to mitigate the damage. If Sephiroth only has 1 assist gauge, it's recommended to Assist Change after Prishe has used her assist first. LV1 Assist Change ( + ) gives Sephiroth a counter opportunity against Prishe's HP attacks; Auroral Uppercut loses to Heaven's Light. Prishe usually goes for Banishga since it's safer, but if Sephiroth escapes as soon as Banishga starts, Free Air Dash > Sudden Cruelty works. LV2 Assist Change staggers lead to Heaven's Light, which is a staple for Sephiroth. In that case it is better to stagger Prishe early, since her common braveries are all vulnerable to it. If Sephiroth suffers from Assist Lock, it's a good time to slow down the pace and focus on moving around. Quickmoves, Multi Air Slide and even air jumps can buy time for Sephiroth. Just like when playing neutral, dodging above Prishe can shake her off here. Ground Dash is also effective for going under Prishe, as long as Sephiroth doesn't get blocked along the way. He can still engage if he wants, but naturally the risk / reward is not in his favor. Meter depletion is useful, but depleting Prishe's gauges is not the main goal during Assist Lock. Take an opportunity to do damage if possible, but try not to force it every time. This is where Sephiroth is most vulnerable, and Prishe will try to capitalize on any mistakes he does. Offense Sephiroth rarely acts as the attacker, and most of what he can do on the offense can already be done in neutral. Any interaction from Neutral and Defense sections can be applied if the Prishe player is expected to respond. A full EX gauge can be used to guarantee an assist combo and even attempt Heartless Angel, it's recommended to have 2 assist gauges for that. HP attacks work against block. Use them as a {{#tooltip: mixup | A situation where a player has several ways to attack, which require different actions from the defending player. }} after a dash, but condition with braveries first. Sudden Cruelty can hit Prishe out of Free Air Dash {{#tooltip: startup | The time it takes before an attack can do damage. }} Free Air Dash > Sudden Cruelty works against ground dodges and some short air dodges Hell's Gate (landing) works against ground dodges EX Revenge {{#tooltip: checkmate | A situation where a player has no options to avoid losing a situation or a match. For example, hitting an opponent who has a full EX gauge and killing bravery can activate EX Revenge and guarantee a win. }} allows Sephiroth to Free Air Dash constantly and react with EX Revenge on hit. Watch out for block > Nullifying Dropkick on the ground. Meter Management Sephiroth can fill assist gauge in the neutral thanks to Shadow Flare, but he has to stop it eventually and interact with Prishe. Shadow Flare, Ground Dash and spot dashing are some of the safest ways to fill assist gauge. Just be careful to not get attacked when doing them. Many of Sephiroth's moves cannot be {{#tooltip: cancelled | An action that is interrupted early by doing another action. }} quickly, so there's no specific rotation of moves that always pulls ahead. Start with Shadow Flare, keep using it until Prishe gets close and work from there. Ground Dash into Transience or Shadow Flare (ground) is also ok if the match is going slow. It's recommended to use assist gauge for Assist Change whenever Sephiroth gets hit. Prishe is expected to have meter depletion, so a Banishga wall rush combo makes it harder to keep up. If you want to fill EX gauge faster, it's recommended to end assist combos with Sudden Cruelty or Hell's Gate. Sudden Cruelty is practical with most assists, while Hell's Gate has more requirements depending on assist. About Builds Sephiroth benefits from EX and BRV damage builds, but he has to make choices with them. He can increase the reward he gets from each hit, or invest into other things outside of combos. EX build with Cleaver , White Gem and Aerith assist + Stronger EX gain + High ATK means more BRV damage and easier BRV breaks against Prishe + Can bypass Assist Lock against LV2 Assist Change - Requires Aerith assist chase setups to get all EX reliably. Makes it harder to get EX outside of Chase. - Assist combo from Godspeed projectiles requires earlier timing than usual - Cannot {{#tooltip: whiff punish | Hitting an opponent who missed (whiffed) their attack. }} HP attacks with Aerith assist EX build with Heaven's Cloud and other assists + Easier to get EX from Sudden Cruelty without relying on Chase (Tenacious Attacker recommended!) + Assist combo from Godspeed projectiles can be reacted to later + Can whiff punish HP attacks with assists - Less BRV damage, especially with Tidus or Yuna assists - Tenacious Attacker takes up one accessory slot, leaves slightly less room for damage, meter depletion and EX gain - Assists can still miss after Godspeed projectiles if called too late Yuna air BRV assist can also bypass LV2 Assist Change block, but her combo routes aren't as flexible.