The Emperor (Dissidia 012)

The Emperor

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

Info
Name	The Emperor (皇帝)
Original game	Final Fantasy II
Base ATK (LV100)	110 (Average)
Base DEF (LV100)	112 (High)
Run Speed	8 (Below Average)
Dash Speed	81 (Below Average)
Fall Speed	97 (Slow)
Fall Speed Ratio After Dodge	44 (Slow)
Fastest BRV	21F (Bombard)
Fastest HP	35F (Flare, Ground)
1-Hit HP	Yes (Flare, Dreary Cell)
HP Links	Yes (Combos only)
Command Block	Yes (Magic Block)
Weapon	Daggers, Poles, Rods, Staves
Armor	Bangles, Clothing, Hairpins, Hats, Headbands, Robes
Exclusive weapons	Diamond Mace, Demon's Rod, Mateus's Malice
Unlock
Alignment	Chaos
Voice Actor (JP)	Kenyu Horiuchi
Voice Actor (ENG)	Christopher Corey Smith

Overview

Emperor Mateus is a trap-laying powerhouse with loads of trap-style moves to pollute the stage, multiple uninteractable spells that force movement up close, high damage and low risk zoning.

Emperor is hard to catch in neutral due to his wide array of traps that stay out when he gets hit, fast and low full recovery moves for defensive mixups, and Starfall allowing for faster dodge chains. His gameplan focuses around Starfall no matter how effective it is in the matchup, setting up for the opponent to have to stop it in some way and punishing their approach.

Uniquely, Emperor can utilize trade punishes the most out of any character, able to throw Flare and Dreary Cell into attacks to punish them even if he gets hit back. He's able to enforce trades that allow him to deplete his opponent's resources while building up his own at the same time.

Using traps to restrict the opponent's options so they have to take greater risks or push for very precise positioning is the whole point of his gameplan. He also possesses a very high skill and damage ceiling if you're able to successfully weave confirms into his fairly free-form neutral state.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Traps and Area-Denial: Mateus specializes in traps that fill space and deny the opponents options, creating tricky setups to create chain reactions for reward and trade into their moves Unique Win Condition: Starfall gives him a unique win condition in the form of a move that is unavoidable once it started, but takes time to be charged. This gives him a tool to force approaches and force them to interact with his traps in some way to stop it or have meter to assist change/EX Revenge out Defensive mixups: Low full recovery on most of his moves, projectiles staying while getting hit and low dodge recovery gives Mateus plenty of options after any move to keep the opponent guessing on how to approach him Assist Gain: Low recovery moves, rotating them and repeated Starfall lets Mateus quickly build assist meter while setting up his gameplan, often staying afloat in the meter economy High Damage Punishes: Huge upsides of combining Thunder Crest, Mines and Dynamite. Mateus can deal loads of bravery damage any time an opponent gets hit by Thunder Crest or Dynamite, and with assist into ground rush it can double the damage. A break from 2000 bravery is possible with Thunder Crest

Lack of Air Melee Abare: Mateus lacking any Melee move in the air is a huge downside in situations where there are no traps around to cover him up. Although emergency Mine and Dreary Cell can still trade with certain moves, its unreliable and a hole in his gameplan that he needs to be careful about. Polarizing matchups: Both a good and a bad thing. With all his upsides, Mateus lacks severely in rushdown, giving him the most polarizing matchup spread in the entire game. Some characters are outright denied with the right conditions and some give him absolute hell without tricky setups and clever use of assist. Any character that can play around Starfall and traps requires a different approach to beat Polarizing stage strengths: Stages change Mateus gameplan harder than most other characters, requiring him to sometimes learn new effective strategies for some of the more unorthodox / smaller stages

Bravery Moves

Ground

BombardLandmineLight Crest (ground)Dynamite (ground)Thunder Crest

	Base damage	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force
	5, 5 x 3 (20)	21F	Physical > Magical	Melee High	84
	Effects	CP (Mastered)	Cancels	Assist Gain (Hit)
	Chase	30 (15)
	Unlocked at level	Mastered at AP

[Close] Sweep with staff. Extra explosion damage on hit.

A 21F Melee High?? What a bargain!

Very low range and awkward hitbox that follows exactly the staff motion, active longer to the right of Mateus.

Amazing move to reflect Blue Flare back first and foremost, but also amazing as a close range poke and counterpoke against sweeping lower priority attacks in grounded footsies. While its very safe by itself already with low dodge and full recovery, using it without traps around or just to whiff something can get risky.

The move sends them away and straight up, and has so much hitstun that a ton of assists can confirm off of it easily. Also it's a nice filler ender after TC if possible since it gives a good position and EX Force.

It can be comboed into the vacuum of Mines and Dreary Cell with specific positioning aswell, making it useful for some setups to trick the opponent even more.

	Base damage	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force
	each (35)	29F	Magical	Ranged Low	0
	Effects	CP (Mastered)	Cancels	Assist Gain (Hit)
	Absorb	30 (15)
	Unlocked at level	Mastered at AP

[Close] Lay mine. Multiples OK; they will persist a long time.

Exactly what it says, throws out landmines that spread out like bombs. Can have up to 8 grounded Mines out at a time.

Great non-committal, fast projectile to just litter the ground with and to stop movement aside from dashing. Also has a slight vacuum to them against opponents in hitstun, but due to position doesn't come into play too often.

With Vacuum from Dreary Cell and Mine around, you can combo into assists. Be careful as they can mess up ground rush assists into Thunder Crest should the opponent land directly into them without activating Crest first. In that case, landing them into Flare can be a backup.

They explode after a set amount of time on their own, causing the hitbox to activate that way aswell.

	Base damage	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force
	each (7)	37F	Magical	Ranged Low	0
	Effects	CP (Mastered)	Cancels	Assist Gain (Hit)
	-	30 (15)
	Unlocked at level	Mastered at AP

[Mid] Draw vertical light sigil. Fires when foe enters range; large vertical range.

Mateus draws a Light Crest that points upwards. Can have only 1 grounded Light Crest out at a time.

The sigil spawns slightly above the ground which makes it not hit standing characters immediately as it spawns. If the opponent gets above it, 5 projectiles fire at them that additonally bounce off of walls/projectiles and slightly home in. The firing angle can also tend to cross up blocks, which isn't reliable but happens more often than not.

Low hitstun makes it hard to use effectively, but excels at keeping opponents out the air above you in pair with Flare and Dreary Cell. If a Mine or Dreary Cell vacuum is near you can combo off of it with assists or set up for trap chains.

The move unlike most of his other moves has fairly high full recovery. Best used in conjunction with other traps around. The additional pressure keeps aerial characters busy enough while Mateus creates more dangerous setups.

Version	Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
LV1	1 x 5, 25 (30)	43F	Magical	Ranged Low (Special when sticked on surface)	60+	Absorb, Wall Rush	30 (15)
LV2	1 x 7, 33 (40)	80F (charge), 3F (hitbox after shot)	Magical	Ranged Mid (Special when sticked on surface)	60+	Absorb, Wall Rush	-
LV3	1 x 10, 40 (50)	120F (charge), 3F (hitbox after shot)	Magical	Ranged High (Special when sticked on surface)	each hit 3	Absorb, Wall Rush	-

[Long] Emit bomb from staff that lands and draws in foe.

Quite literally the same move as the aerial version, but with the key factor that it puts Emperor airborne. Hugely relevant for assist punishes on it since it triggers air versions, aswell as being able to avoid jumping for Pre-Jump booster.

Also uniquely, this can be used unlike the aerial version to place a Dynamite directly in your face, which can be useful for certain setups or against certain characters. Aerial Dynamite can't shoot straight down, so this covers a niche angle if needed in a pinch.

	Base damage	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force
	2 x 17, 6 (40)	35F	Magical	Unblockable	60
	Effects	CP (Mastered)	Cancels	Assist Gain (Hit)
	Absorb	30 (15)
	Unlocked at level	Mastered at AP

[Mid] Draw sigil on the ground. Paralyzes foe when in range.

THE trap of all time. Can have only 1 idle Thunder Crest out at a time.

Draws a sigil that travels forward on the ground for a little, bounces off of walls and outright stops at edges. Mateus can turn and place the crest into any direction with lock off, if it's set on neutral circle input.

It has a slight upward hitbox and the sigil itself is very accurate to its hitbox, just clipping into it is enough to activate it. When active it slightly draws in characters and assists. It can activate as soon as it's visible right infront of Mateus.

The crest staying out when Mateus is hit makes it extremely annoying for trades since its Unblockable and ignores every other priority. Its able to be used as an intentional trade into BRVs, or HPs like Lord of Arms for a guaranteed break, making footsies against him risky to approach.

The damage is amazing already and with Mine skyrockets his damage potential, making any TC hit potentially deadly especially with assist.

Aerial

MineLight Crest (midair)Dynamite (midair)

	Base damage	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force
	each (35)	23F	Magical	Ranged Low	0
	Effects	CP (Mastered)	Cancels	Assist Gain (Hit)
	Absorb	30 (15)
	Unlocked at level	Mastered at AP

[Close] Drop mine. Multiples OK; they will persist a long time.

Landmine but in the air and with a different spread! More Mines! Can have up to 8 air Mines out at a time

Just like Landmine, non-commmital, fast, and litters the air space with small bombs. Same hitstun as grounded, but the position makes them nicely to stop movement other than dashing. Very low full recovery just like Landmine makes this move hard to truly punish for the opponent.

They also explode after a set time, have a vacuum when opponent is in hitstun and can be used that way for setups into trap chains or for assist conversions off of other traps. Great to have out either way as a filler and to build assist.

	Base damage	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force
	each (7)	37F	Magical	Ranged Low	0
	Effects	CP (Mastered)	Cancels	Assist Gain (Hit)
	-	30 (15)
	Unlocked at level	Mastered at AP

[Mid] Draw horizontal light sigil. Fires when foe enters range; faces opponent's direction.

Light Crest but horizontal as it says. Can only have 1 air Light Crest out at a time

It has a huge vertical activation range and tracks the opponent 360° around. As soon as the opponent gets close it fires 5 projectiles at them just like grounded Light Crest and with the same hitstun/homing.

Due to the massive vertical activation it is easily disarmed this way, making it best used to stop vertical approaches before they happen or to stop long setup moves like Exdeath's Black Hole. On its own the hitstun isn't very scary, but paired with potential vacuum from other traps or hitting a wall it can chain into much more and confirm into assist. Also because of it's nature of activation it can be quite potent to fish for Assist Charge

Version	Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
LV1	1 x 5, 25 (30)	43F	Magical	Ranged Low (Special when sticked on surface)	60+	Absorb, Wall Rush	30 (15)
LV2	1 x 7, 33 (40)	80F (charge), 3F (hitbox after shot)	Magical	Ranged Mid (Special when sticked on surface)	60+	Absorb, Wall Rush	-
LV3	1 x 10, 40 (50)	120F (charge), 3F (hitbox after shot)	Magical	Ranged High (Special when sticked on surface)	each hit 3	Absorb, Wall Rush	-

[Long] Emit bomb from staff that lands and draws in foe.

Charges a ball that tracks the opponent while aiming, and can be manually adjusted a little into any direction. Can't shoot directly up or down, only at about 45 degrees max.

Has 3 charge levels that change priority, damage, max range, strength of vacuum, and the time it lasts after it hit a surface. As it sticks to a surface it vacuums in and explodes after a set time, which does 80% of its damage and knocks back into a wallrush.

It becomes Special Priority as it sticks, making it dashable and clashable but unblockable. However when clashing, it triggers an explosion which has to be clashed through as well. Moves with little active frames or projectiles that clash with it can fail to protect the opponent and result in the opponent getting hit by the explosion anyway.

The hitstun as it lands as a ball is great for assist conversions, and if it hits at max charge combos into the vacuum of the sticking ball by itself if hitting a character grounded/at a wall.

Since the knockback always knocks them away from Mateus, it can be controlled into the needed wall/groundrush direction or knocking the opponent into Flare, Mines or Thunder Crest.

HP Attacks

Ground

Starfall (ground)Flare (ground)Dreary Cell (ground)

	Base damage	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force
	each (3)	521F	Magical	Unblockable	0
	Effects	CP (Mastered)	Cancels	Assist Gain (Hit)
	Absorb, Wall Rush, Block Low (Ranged)	30 (15)
	Unlocked at level	Mastered at AP

[Long] Call down giant meteor. Long cast. Aim with analog stick.

Your win condition and the reason they should be scared of you with its own utility over the air version

Functionally its identical to Air Starfall, but it's much more effective to use over Thunder Crest due to its innate spacing, shutting down a ton of moves that could stop Emperor from casting.

Due to slightly popping up off the ground, it can also be used to avoid using ground jump which is relevant for Pre-Jump in builds. Additionally that slight pop up can be used to dodge certain grounded moves on the fly, like Tifa's Waterkick.

Grounded Starfall will likely mostly be used for Thunder Crest setups and to get quick access to low-to-the-ground air HPs with good spacing to threaten grounded characters.

	Base damage	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force
	-	35F	-	Ranged High	60
	Effects	CP (Mastered)	Cancels	Assist Gain (Hit)
	-	30 (15)
	Unlocked at level	Mastered at AP

[Mid] Gather globe of blue light that slowly homes in on opponent.

Commonly known as Blue Flare. Mateus throws out a blue Flare ball that slowly homes in. Throwing out a Blue Flare will despawn all the ones currently belonging to your side.

A matchup defining tool, hard to deal with for characters that have risky or no ways to reflect it and leaving them open for Mateus to punish them. Functionally a stop sign to approaching opponents, leaving them to deal with it somehow. Although it can be punished, it requires often either a good read or reaction, leaving him to play mindgames with it aswell.

The Flare itself has little hitstun and doesn't lead to much, but the homing makes it good for annoying the opponent and scare them from approaching recklessly. It can take out assists, shield from most moves, and to sneak in a hit on committal moves.

If the opponent keeps reflecting them they can be reflected back with Bombard for as many times as they last. Mateus only means to reflecting it being grounded needs to be accounted for in his strategy, as it can backfire without cover up.

If the opponent decides to reflect it, throwing out another or setting up more important traps buys time and builds assist, while keeping them busy with dealing with Flare. Overall an amazing trap just to have some passive pressure flying around.

	Base damage	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force
	-	69F (total), 43F (activation)	Magical	Unblockable	36/54/72
	Effects	CP (Mastered)	Cancels	Assist Gain (Hit)
	Absorb	30 (15)
	Unlocked at level	Mastered at AP

[Close] Set discreet light trap. Detonates when foe approaches.

Grounded Cell. Mateus places a cell, a sigil flashing afterwards before it remains as a spark. Can only have 3 Cells out at a time.

The sigil that flashes as its placed indicates its activation range, requiring the opponent to touch it in order for Dreary Cell to activate and turn into unblockable bombs that pop up and vacuum in. Dreary Cell by itself vacuums in opponents in hitstun even when not activated, and has stronger vacuum than Mine, making it able to be used to drag opponents into Flares or more Mines.

Setting them up wisely and spaced well can limit your opponent immensely as it outright punishes alot of moves and assists on hit when Mateus is caught inside. Take care of moves that avoid the sigil however, as the characters hurtbox has to touch it to activate the trap.

Aerial

Starfall (midair)Flare (midair)Dreary Cell (midair)

	Base damage	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force
	each (3)	521F	Magical	Unblockable	0
	Effects	CP (Mastered)	Cancels	Assist Gain (Hit)
	Absorb, Wall Rush, Block Low (Ranged)	30 (15)
	Unlocked at level	Mastered at AP

[Long] Call down giant meteor. Long cast. Aim with analog stick.

Your win condition and the reason they should be scared of you....but in the air!

Mateus starts casting, and after 8.6 secs (521F), 3 small meteors and a giant meteors starts coming down on the opponent.

Without full casting it's already useful as it has a constant Magic Shield while casting, its great for assist building, dodge chains are slightly faster by casting and dodge cancelling, and pops Mateus up slightly for positioning. During casting can float around at a set speed, letting Mateus position more precisely and avoid certain moves that follow and home in.

Once its done casting, it's completely unblockable and stays out even if Mateus gets hit. 3 small meteors start coming down to lock them down, and a giant meteor afterwards that deals some damage and the HP hit. Always knocks them down to the ground regardless of distance. Important to note is that it also tracks assists with assist lock on, and after it did will instantly switch target to the opponent.

The frame advantage Emperor gets once it hits is insane compared to most moves in the game, letting him charge half a Starfall while its still active up to the groundrush. Using it paired with already set traps and assist can be hard to deal with for certain characters and practically guarantee either another or a punish should they be forced to play risky into traps.

By far the most important move he has. Getting an idea how to checkmate with it, when to go for it and when to fake out into block or dodge is key to his playstyle and completes his pressure. Make your opponent scared with this and force them to engage and take risks, Mateus traps will do the rest.

	Base damage	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force
	-	35F	-	Ranged High	60
	Effects	CP (Mastered)	Cancels	Assist Gain (Hit)
	Wall Rush	30 (15)
	Unlocked at level	Mastered at AP

[Mid] Gather globe of red light that awaits remote detonation.

Commonly known as Red Flare. Mateus throws out a Flare ball, but instead only homes in for a short time before it stops in place and stays out. Can only have 1 out at a time.

Unlike Blue Flare it's a more defensive trap, staying out to hide behind as a shield, for tricky setups with Mines and Dreary Cell vacuum, and stop reckless dashing in the air. Just like Blue Flare, as soon as it spawns it will come out regardless if Mateus was hit.

Red Flare instead causes a wallrush straight down when it hits for huge damage and assist conversions. Good to keep in mind to maximize damage from Thunder Crest confirms.

Mateus can also use it to create some nasty oki setups if he has enough time that can be tricky to deal with.

	Base damage	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force
	-	69F (total), 43F (activation)	Magical	Unblockable	36/54/72
	Effects	CP (Mastered)	Cancels	Assist Gain (Hit)
	Absorb	30 (15)
	Unlocked at level	Mastered at AP

[Close] Set discreet light trap. Detonates when foe approaches.

Air Cell. Mateus places a cell, a sigil flashing afterwards before it remains as a spark. Can only have 3 Cells out at a time.

The sigil that flashes as its placed indicates its activation range, requiring the opponent to touch it in order for Dreary Cell to activate and turn into unblockable bombs that pop up and vacuum in. Dreary Cell by itself vacuums in opponents in hitstun even when not activated, and has stronger vacuum than Mine, making it able to be used to drag opponents into Flares or more Mines.

Setting them up wisely and spaced well can limit your opponent immensely as it outright punishes alot of moves and assists on hit when Mateus is caught inside. Take care of moves that avoid the sigil however, as the characters hurtbox has to touch it to activate the trap.

EX Mode: Power of Hellfire!

Effects:

• Regen
• Critical Boost
• Blood Magic

Blood Magic

[Activates when HP attack hits] Absorbs HP equivalent to damage dealt.

A seemingly unfitting EX Mode but with an evil twist. Blood Magic heals back all HP dealt.

Having EX is already good, but with his high damage and ability to stack high amounts of bravery, Emperor can make comebacks through the Blood Magic perk and heal back loads of damage with a guaranteed assist conversion. Health is a resource for Emperor, and being able to heal alot of it back quickly can change the round entirely.

While the guaranteed finish and assist drain from EX Mode is appreciated too, healing back 5000 through a single Thunder Crest confirm is very satisfying.

EX Burst: Absolute Dominion

An attack that takes over the opponent's mind. Absorbs HP damage dealt. Enter the commands that display on screen.

Damage multiplier (initial)	Damage multiplier (rest)	Type
6, 13 (19)	16x4, 17 (100 total)	Magical

Builds

Builds here.

Side by SideDamage Build with Earthbreaker

Stats
HP	10172
CP	450
BRV	1157
ATK	177
DEF	186
LUK	61
Max Booster

Special Effect: Succubus' Soul

Equipment
Assist	Yuna
Weapon	Blood Sword (CP Glitch)
Hand	Sanguine Shield (CP Glitch)
Head	Blood Helm (CP Glitch)
Body	Blood Armor (CP Glitch)
Accessory 1	Earring
Accessory 2	Bravery Orb
Accessory 3	Dismay Shock
Accessory 4	Battle Hammer
Accessory 5	A Comrade's Vow
Accessory 6	Empty EX Gauge
Accessory 7	Pre-EX Mode
Accessory 8	Blue Gem
Accessory 9	Miracle Shoes
Accessory 10	Side by Side
Summon	Rubicante

{{{dataBRV}}} {{{dataHP}}}

Bravery attacks
Ground	Aerial
HP attacks
Ground	Aerial

indicates a "Gear" extra ability or the use of CP / Equipment glitch. The total CP cost will assume the glitch is done.

Equip Master Protector extra ability.

Stats
HP	9644
CP	420
BRV	1095
ATK	180
DEF	183
LUK	60
Max Booster	6.4x

Special Effect: Seal of Lufenia

Equipment
Assist	Yuna,Gilgamesh,Cecil
Weapon	Earthbreaker (CP Glitch)
Hand	Lufenian Dirk (CP Glitch)
Head	Lufenian Hairpin (CP Glitch)
Body	Lufenian Jacket
Accessory 1	Earring
Accessory 2	Hyper Ring
Accessory 3	Power Ring
Accessory 4	Grounded
Accessory 5	(etc) Summon Unused
Accessory 6	Pre-EX Mode
Accessory 7	Pre-EX Revenge
Accessory 8	Pre-Jump
Accessory 9	(Opp) Summon Unused
Accessory 10	Glutton
Summon	Rubicante

{{{dataBRV}}} {{{dataHP}}}

Bravery attacks
Ground	Aerial
HP attacks
Ground	Aerial

indicates a "Gear" extra ability or the use of CP / Equipment glitch. The total CP cost will assume the glitch is done.

Equip Best Dresser CP Ability for 100 Brv

Damage build focused on maximizing damage from TC, Dynamite and assist confirms into groundrush, but also makes random Mine and Dynamite tags hurt way harder. Also keeps EX open as a resource with Glutton to win the endgame

Basic Abilities
Actions	Support	Extra
Ground Evasion	Always Target Indicator	Precision Evasion
Midair Evasion	EX Core Lock On	Best Dresser
Ground Block	Auto Assist Lock On
Midair Block
Aerial Recovery
Recovery Attack
Controlled Recovery
Wall Jump
Free Air Dash
Ground Dash
Free Air Dash Boost
Assist Gauge Up Dash
Speed Boost++
Jump Boost++
Ground Evasion Boost
Midair Evasion Boost
Evasion Boost
Descent Speed Boost

Build Overview

CP Allocation

30 CP is available to put into either Disable Counterattack, Jump Boosts, Gamblers Spirit or other preferences like Multi Air Slide.

Pre-Jump requires to have no Jump Times Boosts

Substitutes

Substitutes

Equipment	Replacement	Notes
Pre-Jump	After 30 Seconds Hero's Essence	A more stable alternative since Pre-Jump can be finnicky to play around for a 5.5x max booster instead of 6.4x. Otherwise if more Jumps are preferred, Hero's Essence can also be substituted in to get the CP
Grounded	Aerial Large Gap in HP	If air play is favored in the matchup, Aerial can keep the boost up consistently. Large Gap in HP can be triggered very easily through an early lead on either side, making it an alternative to push advantage or for comeback potential.
Power Ring	Dismay Shock Battle Hammer Bravery Orb	If depletion is wanted, Power Ring is easy to replace for minimal damage loss. Higher bravery recovery through Bravery Orb can help with reducing the risk of post-HP hit situations where sitting at 0 bravery for too long might risk a bravery break too easily.

Attacks

Staple

These attacks are recommended regardless of matchup, stage or player preference.

Basic Abilities
Actions	Support	Extra

Flexible

These attacks are great to have, but can be swapped or removed depending on matchup, stage or player preference.

Basic Abilities
Actions	Support	Extra

Avoid

Assist

The Emperor's assist data

Type	Attack	Startup	Position	Spawn	Damage multiplier	Effects
BRV	Thunder Crest	35F	Ground	Player	2 x 17, 6 (40)	Absorb
BRV	Mine	23F	Air	Opponent	35 each (up to 70)	Chase, Absorb
HP	Flare	35F	Ground	Player	-	-
HP	Flare	37F	Air	Opponent	-	Wall Rush

Assists

YunaGilgameshJechtTidusCecilKujaSephiroth

One of the strongest assists and most reliable for Mateus to have in every way. Air BRV converts reliably off of Thunder Crest, Bombard, and in setups; stabilizing them. She is also one of the safest on assist change, fantastic to keep the meter advantage.

She has great whiff punishes BRVs for Mateus to use. Air BRV is fast and has huge range, Ground BRV less reliable but giving a wallrush to confirm off of with Dynamite even from far away. Air HP is also fast and safe on lvl2 assist change, and Ground HP while not as fast is huge and great to throw into scramble situations or to punish risky moves into Starfall.

One of her biggest upsides however is the reliable spacing she gives when comboing off of Thunder Crest. Her air BRV is one of the most reliable groundrushes to space around and get the optimal distance for Thunder Crest followups, letting him double his BRV damage output easily.

Yuna does have some disadvantages to substitute her for other assists though. She can't reflect Blue Flare with her HP assist, a bit lacking in range, and sometimes unable to punish attacks with projectile shielding.. Her wallrush range is on the shorter side too, along with her short attack duration sometimes making converting off her in air neutral quite difficult. Her Ground BRV being generally a poor combo assist can also be unfortunate in most stages.

Despite being so good, other assists can do better and similar jobs in some cases to maybe consider changing around for certain matchups. Still, Yuna is likely the assist Mateus will learn to love the most.

Lovably calling him "Melee Yuna".

Gilgamesh gives similar benefits to Yuna for Mateus. Air BRV is slower than Kuja for whiff punishes but with more range, and converts reliably off of Thunder Crest, Bombard, but on the less reliable side with vacuum setups. He has more groundrush range than Yuna and lasts just as long so setups barely have to be adjusted. His Ground BRV has larger wallrush range too and can be hit into with Flare to try and salvage should he not get a wallrush.

His HPs are great too. Air HP is a fast, melee HP for whiff punish, and has the benefit of reflecting Blue Flare back while punishing HPs Yuna struggles with in reflect scenarios. Ground HP is on the slower side again but spawns far away, also has a deceptively big hitbox that can end up killing scrambles in grounded footsies.

He has the same downsides as Yuna with no assist chase and relying on mid-range wall rush, trades safety on assist change for way more range and Melee HPs, but keeps the amazing combo friendliness that Mateus loves to make stray hits hurt.

A top tier assist for a reason in 012.

Jecht has both fast air and ground BRVs for whiff punishes and gives plenty of time to line up setups to pick up from. His ground assist can be difficult to combo off of for Mateus from large ranges, requiring him to be fairly close. More importantly, it lets Mateus combo off of stray groundrush hits from Red Flare and Dynamite on reaction, which can be a huge gamechanger in certain matchups.

His HPs are both on the slower side making them harder to use for punishes, but can still solve some scramble situations. They are huge, move forward fast and cover some nasty angles paired with traps.

Most important however, is that Jecht holds the opponent so long he enables a pseudo-infinite with Starfall and Side by Side , by comboing off of the Starfall groundrush with Ground/Air BRV and charging another Starfall during that window. It's a pseudo-loop that few characters can truly escape from, especially on larger stages, making it a powerful win condition. Especially when it's possible to be set up from Thunder Crest and Dynamite hits even.

He's not without downsides however, as aside from the usual downsides of melee assist hits against Lvl2 Assist Change, Mateus has a hard time covering his assist if they Lvl1 Assist Change out aswell making him easily and safely locked by alot of characters.

He trades some range issues and consistent setup spacing for a powerful wincon for Mateus, effectively changing the threat level of Starfall going off immensely. Paired with Assist Depletion and Side by Side , Jecht is the one to let Mateus kill someone in possibly a single Starfall.

Another fantastic whiff punish assist. Notable for his BRVs' unique utilities on Emperor.

Hop Step, the fastest Air melee BRV assist for reaction whiff punishes into assist chase that Mateus can combo from with a delayed assist chase into Flare or Mine. Likely the reason you ever want to consider him as Mateus.

Ground BRV re-ground rushing allows for consistent conversions off Red Flare on stages with flat ground into Thunder Crest and more.

Air HP Slice n Dice can also be great for pinning down an opponent, with its strong tracking helping consistency even when hitting Emperor's traps. Ground HP Spiral Cut can punish some moves, but very few and the least notable trait when most other assists can do the same and some more.

Mateus might want to consider Tidus assist if he needs a reliable air reaction whiff punish from anywhere. Having no height requirement like Yuna, Gilgamesh and Cecil and more safety than Jecht puts him above them in that regard.

A helpful assist when someone with insane range is needed.

Air BRV has huge range to use for both unique whiff punishes and conversions from weird hits where even Gilgamesh might not reach anymore. It also gives him a groundrush to work with and works perfectly fine from his important hits as it should optimally. Ground BRV is a niche punish mostly to be avoided being used unless Mateus is in range to confirm off of the wallrush.

Air HP can be very annoying for the opponent if put into a bad situation by traps, aswell as catch floaty dodges when anticipated. And it gives a groundrush too to get possibly a nice damaging combo off of. Ground HP is once again a niche punish, although a fine one at that and can catch ground dodges if anticipated too, more to be avoided like the Ground BRV.

His huge Air BRV and HP range makes him wanted if ever for Mateus, as he can uniquely punish and deal with moves that can otherwise completely shut him down with how safe they are. Not the first choice, but not to be forgotten when he might be really useful.

Top Tier assist of 012, reliable when you need him.

Not the most optimal of combo conversions, but once more a great whiff punish Air BRV and a decent ground BRV for catching dodges, and both having assist chase with loads of hitstun to work with, meaning he is the most reliable if Mateus wants the assist chase. His Air BRV in particular is of interest for him because it moves forward and up so much it largely ignores reflected Blue Flares, and his BRVs have a great homing so that the vacuum of DC can easily pull them in during if near.

His HPs are notable for him the most, Air HP giving one more thing to throw into scramble situations with his traps and Ground HP as a possible dodge punish, whiff punish and conversion from Red Flare if its worth the cost.

An overall top assist with few notable traits for Mateus, but nonetheless a solid choice to have.

A niche matchup specific assist.

His range is what should interest Mateus as his Air and Ground BRV are both good whiff punishes and can poke through certain moves, and lead both into assist chase that he needs to manually delay to combo off of.

Air HP is even more of a niche punish and scramble glue, having great homing and covering a huge space which can be hard to avoid with traps all around. Ground HP is much the same and the least notable for Mateus.

Worth considering to solve matchup woes that can come up while still being perfectly usable in all the ways needed.

Wiki Roadmap (012 The Emperor)

Please edit this page's roadmap template when relevant additions and changes are made.

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Page	Completed	In progress	To-do	Score
General	Add images for attacks.			/ 86
Strengths and weaknesses	Done.			4 / 5 / ?
Overview			Write overview.	0 / 5 / 2
Bravery Attacks	Ability info added and Thunder Crest overview.		Overviews for other braveries.	1 / 5 / 5
HP Attacks	Ability info added.		Overviews.	1 / 5 / 5
EX Mode	Basic info added.		Detailed info / overview.	1 / 5 / 3
Combos			Add combo section, solo & assist combos with a video example.	0 / 5 / 7
Builds	1 example build.		More builds for EX, brv boost dodge etc. Build overviews like on Tifa page.	1 / 5 / 10
Assist	Assist data added.		Add common viable assists with an overview (use tabber).	1 / 5 / 3
Matchups			Create page. Matchup analysis and tips against each character.	0 / 32 / 32
Frame Data				/ 1
Starter Guide			Create page. A concise PvP guide with core concepts and bare essentials.	0 / 5 / 8
Strategy			Create page. More in-depth tips, tricks and counterplay (ground and air)	0 / 5 / 10