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

The Emperor is a defensive, trap-laying powerhouse. His strategy revolves around filling the stage with lingering projectiles and uninteractable spells that force nearby opponents to move. Deny space with the unblockable Thunder Crest, pollute the stage with Flares and set up Dreary Cells for airborne threats. The Emperor is effective in stopping characters in close range, because his traps stay active even when he gets hit. This makes him hard to catch, and lets him take advantage of traded hits more than anyone else in the game. If The Emperor is left alone, the chargeable homing Starfall HP attack creates a unique win condition for him; This is a barrage of projectiles that rain down on the field, which allow The Emperor to call Jecht assist and charge another one to chain them together in large stages. Side by Side builds are very strong because of this and traps leading to HP damage in general. EX builds are also viable if they are needed, and the assist synergy is adequate for interruptions and combos.

Historically The Emperor has been considered a high tier character. His traps restrict melee characters’ options a lot and force them to take big risks to stop further escalation. However, without traps he relies on fundamental defense (blocks, dodge timing) to stay alive. His aerial offense is exceptionally flawed due to lack of conventional melee pokes and fast mid range tools. Long range fighters (e.g. Ultimecia, Kefka) give him a lot of trouble, who can largely ignore The Emperor's traps. The Emperor also has to watch out for disjointed attacks, such as Squall’s Blasting Zone or Firion’s Rope Knife. When played well, The Emperor is a strong, suffocating character with free-form combo conversions and a high skill ceiling. However, his disadvantages are also far more pronounced when they are in effect, creating one of the most lopsided characters in competitive Dissidia 012.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Area-Denial: Traps fill space and deny the opponent's options, which can create rewarding chain reactions. Unique Win Condition: Starfall takes time to cast, but it is unavoidable once it starts. It forces opponents to approach and interact with his traps, or expend resources to avoid HP damage. Defensive mixups: The Emperor can adjust his attack and dodge timing even against adept opponents thanks to low full recovery on most of his moves and trade potential with projectiles. Assist Gain: Rotating low recovery moves, such as Starfall, Mine and Dreary Cell fill the assist gauge quickly. Every trap and Flare can lead to HP damage, which fill the assist gauge even faster with Side by Side builds. High Damage Punishes: Thunder Crest and Dynamite enable high damage combos, which can be greatly boosted with Mines. Assists that knock downwards (e.g. Jecht and Yuna) can practically double the damage with repeated combos. A Thunder Crest combo can secure a Bravery Break break from 2000 bravery.

Lack of Air Melee Abare: The lack of Melee moves in the air is a huge downside when there are no traps around him. Although emergency Mine and Dreary Cell can still trade with certain moves, they are unreliable, and a major flaw in his game plan. Polarizing Matchups: Both a good and a bad thing. With all his upsides, The Emperor lacks severely in offense, giving him the most polarizing matchup spread in the entire game. Some characters are outright denied with the right conditions, while others can neglect the traps and eventually force offense that The Emperor is not well suited for. Polarizing Stage Strengths: Stages affect his game plan harder than most other characters, requiring him to sometimes learn new effective strategies for some of the more unorthodox / smaller stages.

Bravery Moves

Ground

	Base Damage	5, 5 x 3 (20)
	Startup Frame	21F
	Damage Type	Physical > Magical
	Priority	Melee High
	EX Force	84
	Effects	Chase
	Cancels
	Assist Gain (Hit)
	CP (Mastered)	30 (15)
[Close] Sweep with staff. Extra explosion damage on hit.	Unlocked at level	Mastered at AP

Bombard is The Emperor's close-range poke. It breaks blocks, counterpokes lower priority attacks in neutral and creates assist combos on hit. If the blue Flare is reflected, The Emperor can use Bombard to reflect it back and regain its control. This is a very useful move to have. It is very safe to use by itself due to its short (actionable) recovery. The combination of Melee High priority and 21-frame startup speed are exceptional.

Despite these strengths, Bombard can be risky to use without traps protecting The Emperor. It has very short range and the staff's hitbox is a bit awkward. It follows the staff motion precisely, while being active longer to The Emperor's right.

Bombard sends opponents away and straight up. It has so much hit stun that several assists can combo from it easily. Also it's a nice combo ender after Thunder Crest, since it gives better positioning and EX Force. Bombard can be combo'd into the vacuum of Mines and Dreary Cell with specific positioning as well. This makes it useful for some setups that can confuse the opponent even more.

	Base Damage	each (35)
	Startup Frame	29F
	Damage Type	Magical
	Priority	Ranged Low
	EX Force	0
	Effects	Absorb
	Cancels
	Assist Gain (Hit)
	CP (Mastered)	30 (15)
[Close] Lay mine. Multiples OK; they will persist a long time.	Unlocked at level	Mastered at AP

• Up to 8 Landmines can be on the field.

Landmine is a staple move for The Emperor. It fills assist gauge safely, adds lots of damage during Thunder Crest combos, and quickly occupies a bit of space. The short recovery makes this attack rather non-committal, which is great for filling assist gauge when nothing else is going on. Landmines can stop basic movement, but they lose to dashes. They have a slight vacuum effect against opponents who are in hit stun, but it doesn't come into play often due to the grounded position.

The vacuum effect from Dreary Cell and Landmines can create assist combos. However, this can mess up ground Wall Rush assists (e.g. Jecht, Yuna, Gilgamesh) if the opponent falls into them first, instead of Thunder Crest. Flare can salvage the situation, which is worth noting.

The Emperor lays 2 Landmines at a time. If The Emperor tries setting more than 8 Landmines, the earliest Landmines will simply disappear.

	Base Damage	each (7)
	Startup Frame	37F
	Damage Type	Magical
	Priority	Ranged Low
	EX Force	0
	Effects	-
	Cancels
	Assist Gain (Hit)
	CP (Mastered)	30 (15)
[Mid] Draw vertical light sigil. Fires when foe enters range; large vertical range.	Unlocked at level	Mastered at AP

• Only 1 grounded Light Crest can be on the field.

Light Crest is a secondary tool, best used in conjunction with Flare and Dreary Cell to anti-air opponents. It has situational combo potential with assists, prior aerial traps and vacuum effect from Mine / Dreary Cell, but usually it sees less use than The Emperor's other moves. It has fairly high recovery when used, and the low hit stun makes it difficult to use for combos. Light Crest does give The Emperor more time to set up more traps if it hits, though.

Light Crest activates when the opponent is above the light sigil. It fires 5 projectiles, which have slight tracking. They can also bounce off of walls and projectiles. The firing angle can cross up blocks, which isn't reliable, but happens more often than not. The sigil spawns slightly above the ground, which makes it miss against standing characters immediately.

		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3
	Base Damage	30 (1 x 5, 25)	40 (1 x 7, 33)	50 (1 x 10, 40)
	Startup Frame	43F	80F (charge) 3F (hitbox after shot)	120F (charge) 3F (hitbox after shot)
	Damage Type	Magical	Magical	Magical
	Priority	Ranged Low (Special when sticked)	Ranged Mid (Special when sticked)	Ranged High (Special when sticked)
	EX Force	60+	60+	each hit (3)
	Effects	Absorb, Wall Rush	Absorb, Wall Rush	Absorb, Wall Rush
	Cancels	Dodge	Dodge	Dodge
	Assist Gain (Hit)
	CP (Mastered)	30 (15)
[Long] Emit bomb from staff that lands and draws in foe.	Unlocked at level 9	Mastered at 100 AP

Dynamite's ground version is mostly identical with the aerial version. It puts The Emperor airborne, which is useful for placing the projectile in front of The Emperor. Aerial Dynamite can't shoot straight down, so this covers a niche angle if needed in a pinch. This is also useful for maintaining Pre-Jump accessory booster.

Since The Emperor becomes airborne with this attack, he becomes more vulnerable to air brv assist punishes. This is notable when fighting anyone with Kuja or Tidus assist, for example.

	Base Damage	2 x 17, 6 (40)
	Startup Frame	35F
	Damage Type	Magical
	Priority	Unblockable
	EX Force	60
	Effects	Absorb
	Cancels	Dodge
	Assist Gain (Hit)
	CP (Mastered)	30 (15)
[Mid] Draw sigil on the ground. Paralyzes foe when in range.	Unlocked at level	Mastered at AP

• Only 1 idle Thunder Crest can be on the field.
• If Thunder Crest activates, another Thunder Crest can be placed.

Thunder Crest is THE trap of all time, a must-have for The Emperor. It is used for area denial, block staggers and various combos. It is quite effective against close-range characters, such as Onion Knight, Jecht and Prishe. The Emperor can combo into Flares for solo HP damage with this move, and the BRV damage potential skyrockets with Landmines. Getting hit by Thunder Crest is deadly, but there's more: Thunder Crest is a true unblockable, which means it ignores every other priority. Blocks and LV2 Assist Change always lose to it. Standing near Thunder Crest provides a notable advantage for these reasons. Once Thunder Crest is set, The Emperor can start setting up other traps, such as Landmines, Flares and Dreary Cell. Since Thunder Crest remains active even when The Emperor gets hit, it can be used to trade against attacks, such as Firion's Lord of Arms. Trading with HP attacks in this fashion can lead to guaranteed Bravery Breaks.

Thunder Crest is slow enough that The Emperor can get punished by fast attacks if he uses it after a ground dodge. The Emperor may need to use Starfall to provoke opponents into Thunder Crest's range. It is ground only and it does not interact with projectiles or disjointed attacks. Just to name a few, watch out for Kefka's Trine, Cloud's Firaga and Squall's Thunder Barret and Blasting Zone.

The Thunder Crest sigil travels a short distance forward on the ground. It can bounce off of walls, and it stops at ledges. Thunder Crest has a slight upward hitbox and the sigil itself is very accurate to its hitbox. It can activate as soon as it's visible right in front of The Emperor. The opponent can dodge Thunder Crest and activate it this way, but then The Emperor can place another Thunder Crest. When Thunder Crest is active, it slightly draws in characters and assists.

The Emperor can lock off and place Thunder Crest in any direction he faces, if it is set to neutral Circle input.

Aerial

	Base Damage	each (35)
	Startup Frame	23F
	Damage Type	Magical
	Priority	Ranged Low
	EX Force	0
	Effects	Absorb
	Cancels
	Assist Gain (Hit)
	CP (Mastered)	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	each (7)
	Startup Frame	37F
	Damage Type	Magical
	Priority	Ranged Low
	EX Force	0
	Effects	-
	Cancels
	Assist Gain (Hit)
	CP (Mastered)	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	-

		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3
	Base Damage	30 (1 x 5, 25)	40 (1 x 7, 33)	50 (1 x 10, 40)
	Startup Frame	43F	80F (charge) 3F (hitbox after shot)	120F (charge) 3F (hitbox after shot)
	Damage Type	Magical	Magical	Magical
	Priority	Ranged Low (Special when sticked on surface)	Ranged Mid (Special when sticked on surface)	Ranged High (Special when sticked on surface)
	EX Force	60+	60+	each hit (3)
	Effects	Absorb, Wall Rush	Absorb, Wall Rush	Absorb, Wall Rush
	Cancels	Dodge	Dodge	Dodge
	Assist Gain (Hit)
	CP (Mastered)	30 (15)
[Long] Emit bomb from staff that lands and draws in foe.	Unlocked at level Level 32	Mastered at 100 AP

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

	Base Damage	each (3)
	Startup Frame	521F
	Damage Type	Magical
	Priority	Unblockable
	EX Force	0
	Effects	Absorb, Wall Rush, Block Low (Ranged)
	Cancels
	Assist Gain (Hit)
	CP (Mastered)	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	35F
	Damage Type	-
	Priority	Ranged High
	EX Force	60
	Effects	-
	Cancels
	Assist Gain (Hit)
	CP (Mastered)	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	69F (total), 43F (activation)
	Damage Type	Magical
	Priority	Unblockable
	EX Force	36/54/72
	Effects	Absorb
	Cancels
	Assist Gain (Hit)
	CP (Mastered)	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

	Base Damage	each (3)
	Startup Frame	521F
	Damage Type	Magical
	Priority	Unblockable
	EX Force	0
	Effects	Absorb, Wall Rush, Block Low (Ranged)
	Cancels
	Assist Gain (Hit)
	CP (Mastered)	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	35F
	Damage Type	-
	Priority	Ranged High
	EX Force	60
	Effects	Wall Rush
	Cancels
	Assist Gain (Hit)
	CP (Mastered)	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	69F (total), 43F (activation)
	Damage Type	Magical
	Priority	Unblockable
	EX Force	36/54/72
	Effects	Absorb
	Cancels
	Assist Gain (Hit)
	CP (Mastered)	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.

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
Hand	Sanguine Shield
Head	Blood Helm
Body	Blood Armor
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 Equip Glitch. The total Capacity Point cost assumes the equip 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
Hand	Lufenian Dirk
Head	Lufenian Hairpin
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 Equip Glitch. The total Capacity Point cost assumes the equip glitch is done.

Equip Best Dresser Extra Ability for +100 base BRV.

Damage build focused on maximizing damage from TC, Dynamite and assist confirms into ground wall rush. It also makes random Mine and Dynamite tags hurt way harder. And it still 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

Point Allocation

30 Capacity Points are 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

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 punish 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)

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Page	Completed	In progress	To-do	Score
General				31 / 86
Pros / Cons				/ ?
Overview / Character Data				2 / 2
Bravery Attacks	Ability info added, images, overviews.			5 / 5
HP Attacks	Ability info added, images, overviews.			5 / 5
EX Mode	Basic info added, images, overviews.			3 / 3
Combos	Few example solo and Jecht assist combos		Create a combo page, add more solo and assist combos with video examples.	3 / 7
Builds	4 builds, dedicated build page.		Adjust based on feedback.	10 / 10
Assist	Assist data, synergies, Emperor assist overview.			3 / 3
Matchups			Create page. Matchup analysis and tips against each character.	0 / 32
Frame Data			Create page and add info.	0 / 1
Starter Guide			Create page. A concise PvP guide with core concepts and bare essentials.	0 / 8
Strategy			Create page. More in-depth tips, tricks and counterplay (ground and air)	0 / 10