Zidane Tribal (Dissidia 012)/Strategy

Zidane

General	Starter Guide	Combos	Strategy	Frame Data
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Offense

Approach

Zidane commonly approaches with Free Air Dash and then uses Swift Attack once he is in range. This is part of his main strategy, but he needs to be careful to not get blocked along the way.

Zidane also has versatile anti-vertical offense in the game. This gives him a degree of safety in running offense from areas the opponent cannot easily fight back. His vertical attacks (Tempest, Vortex), have decent startup frames for the distance they travel, and they can be effective at whiff punishing. Occasionally, Zidane can even attempt a cheesy crossup. Tempest from above is a notable example, but Scoop Art can also work at particular ranges; Either below in the air or above near the ground.

If Zidane is on the ground, he can try using Tidal Flame to support his approach. He may not always have Ground Dash equipped, but Tidal Flame also limits where the opponent can move on the ground.

Mixups

Zidane gets a lot of reward in close-range and he has serviceable mixups to support it. He often relies on jumps to delay his attack timing, but he can also use spot dashing to keep opponents guessing.

Outside close-range, Zidane can struggle to mixup opponent's blocks consistently. Most of his midrange tools can be reacted to (Tempest, Booster 8) from midrange, or they are low reward (Storm Impulse). Shift Break is often too slow to punish blocks on its own as well. This is not a huge drawback for Zidane specifically due to his mobility and damage output; If the opponent misses a block and Zidane dips into close-range, his potential reward is very high.

Dodge Punish (Offense)

Zidane often has to dash in order to punish dodges. This is because the moves with highest reward have short reach (Swift Attack, Free Energy) or relatively long startup (Booster 8, Grand Lethal).

Neutral dodge (ground)

Booster 8

Free Air Dash > Swift Attack

Free Air Dash > Grand Lethal (near wall)

Side dodge (ground)

Free Air Dash > Swift Attack

Forward dodge (ground)

Jump > Swift Attack

Jump > Free Energy

Neutral dodge (air)

Swift Attack

Tempest (only above opponent)

Grand Lethal

Back dodge (air)

Free Air Dash > Swift Attack (may not work against fast fallers e.g. Kain)

Defense

Zidane's defense is a combination of high movement, air dodges and occasionally throwing out an attack. Use air jumps to move around safely and quickmoves to reset air jumps. Swift Attack is a good general use poke, which can be dodge cancelled quickly during recovery. In addition, Scoop Art creates minor screen presence. Both Scoop Art and Vortex can be used sparingly to keep Assist gain fresh, but this is not mandatory; Zidane often uses Side by Side builds, and he can whiff Swift Attack and then dodge consistently to stay safe. If Zidane is on the ground and the pace of the neutral is slow, Tidal Flame can force grounded opponents to move or become airborne.

Zidane's high movement (dash, run speed, jumps) and dodges help him avoid attacks. His fall speed after dodging is one of the highest in the game, which makes his air dodges safer to use on average. Adamant Chains set makes sure opponents have a hard time punishing his backwards air dodges.

However, Zidane lacks a command block. If he gets cornered in wakeup situations or dodges towards opponent, he is pretty vulnerable. This is especially true on the ground, where he lacks quick attacks to protect himself with.

Dodge Punish (Defense)

Zidane does not have a command block, so he has to vary his dodge timing and air dodge trajectory to stay safe. In worst case scenarios, Zidane can clash with Swift Attack. This only works against other Melee Low priority moves, though.

LV2 Assist Change Counters

Zidane's fast dash speed and main air braveries ensure he gets meaningful reward after using LV2 Assist Change. Both Swift Attack and Tempest lead to Meo Twister for HP damage. Tempest also travels a medium distance, which offsets LV2 Assist Change's upward movement. This means Zidane is in good position to get some damage and assist gauge with a LV2 Change.

• Free Air Dash > Swift Attack
• Tempest (> Meo Twister). This becomes easier to do if LV2 Change staggers late. This cannot be done if Zidane is at ceiling, because LV2 Change will move him down instead.

Meter

Filling Assist Gauge

Swift Attack > Dodge > Swift Attack

The old reliable.

Scoop Art (air)

Ok at long-range, when opponent cannot hit Zidane.

Spot dashing

This is a universal method, but requires consistent execution and using an attack eventually to stop assist gauge decay.

Filling EX Gauge

Zidane's EX generation is at odds with itself. Swift Attack generates 90 EX on hit, which is usually great for someone's main poke. Unfortunately Zidane has big incentive to follow up with Meo Twister, which moves him far from the EX he generated. Other moves are either situational (Tidal Flame and Shift Break, ~60 EX), low reward (Storm Impulse, 90 EX) or not used often (Rumble Rush, 90 EX).

Therefore, Zidane either has to use Chase or grab EX Cores to fill EX gauge more consistently. Chase requires assist in order to be safe, which is outclassed by a proper assist combo for reward. Luckily Aerith can be used both ways if Zidane wants it. EX Cores have an element of randomness to their spawn rates, so they're not always guaranteed. Zidane does have a fast dash speed to help with EX Cores. Both solutions have their own flaws, but if Zidane is assumed to fight a long match, he can try these strategies.

Using Meter

1 assist gauge for Aerith's Seal Evil.

Given his synergy with Aerith, Zidane will typically use 1 gauge after Meo Twister / Shift Break for a combo. If Seal Evil already connected and Zidane has 1 more assist gauge, he can extend a combo with Shift Break and another Seal Evil.