Counterstance (VII Remake)

Counterstance is an ability for Cloud in Final Fantasy VII Remake, provided by the . Cloud enters a defensive stance, and when attacked by an enemy, immediately retaliates by swinging his sword in a radius. If Cloud is not attacked in a few moments after assuming the stance, he will simply swing his sword upward, dealing moderate damage to whatever is in front of him.
==Mechanics==
Weapon Ability 	
Effects 	Counterstance- Cloud guards in place, ready to counter the next incoming attack- Blocks ranged, melee and projectile attacks- Can be cancelled into easilySuccessful guard- Reduces damage taken by 80%, and Cloud will retaliate- Cloud will close the gap on his target- Physical melee damage over 2 weaker hits and 1 stronger hit- Stronger hit must be triggered by the 2nd hit; only affects the attacker- Wide area-of-effect Failed guard- Cloud will end Counterstance early, and attack- Close range- Low physical melee damage
Interrupt stats 	- Interrupts targets with ≤50 interrupt defense- Interrupted by attacks with ≥60 interrupt strength- Failed guard interrupted by attacks with ≥20 interrupt strength
Compatible 	
Weapon passive/accessory bonuses 	Non-conditional- Critical Hit Rate Up- Ability Critical Hit Rate UpConditional- Enemy Parts Damage Up- Critical Damage Up- Desperate Striker
Special Interrupt(s) 	Launch (Final hit of successful guard; launches interrupted enemies)
Power modifiers*See damage formula	Succesful guardPer hit, in order:.4, .8, 4 (Total: 5.2)Failed Guard.8
Damage formula:
(2 \times Cloud's\ Attack\ Power\ - Target's\ Defense) \times Power\ ModifierWhere Cloud's Attack Power is his attribute, and Target's Defense is the target's attribute*See table above for Power Modifier
Stagger formula:
\text {1 or 5} \times Target's\ Physical\ Melee\ Rate\ ModifierWhere 1 is used if the guard was failed, or 5 is used on the final hit if the guard was successful, and Physical Melee Stagger Rate Modifier is the respective stagger rate modifier of the target
Counterstance is an offensive and defensive ability for Cloud that deals physical melee damage. Cloud will briefly guard in place, and if hit during the stance, he will reduce the incoming damage by 80% and retaliate. Cloud can block ranged and magic attacks with Counterstance. Attacks from Counterstance have an interrupt strength of 50. Upon using it, Cloud will have an interrupt defense of 60 and guard, making him nearly impossible to interrupt. 
===Successful guard===
If Cloud is hit during his stance, he will respond with a dash forward, and attack the aggressor with two swings. If his attack connects with his attacker, it will then attach an energy bomb to them, which will create a powerful explosion that can hit all enemies in radius around it. 
The first two hits have a power value of 40 and 80, respectively, while the third hit is especially powerful with a power of 400, for a total power of 520. The third hit also has a stagger rate of 5, and can launch enemies upon successful interruption. In this mode, Cloud will retain his interrupt defense of 60 for the remainder of Counterstance, making him still very hard to interrupt, but will no longer be blocking.
===Unsuccessful guard===
If Cloud is not hit during his stance, he will take a step forward to attack his target with a single basic swing. 
This has a power value of only 80, and a stagger rate of 1. In this mode, his interrupt defense will drop to 20 for the remainder of Counterstance, and he can be easily interrupted.
==Use==
Counterstance is a situational physical damage ability for Cloud, with defensive purposes at melee range. It reduces damage taken by 80% (up to 92% if is fully upgraded) against strong, medium, and weak attack, and then retaliates with a powerful three-hit attack. The ability to counter ranged and magic attacks allows Cloud to be more effective against enemies and bosses while constantly being at melee range, compared to the counter from Punisher Mode. Counterstance is optimally used when an enemy is gearing up to use an attack that can be countered. Counterstance, like most of Cloud's abilities, deals area-of-effect damage, making it powerful against clusters of enemies.
Counterstance can be spammed against bosses and powerful enemies in melee range, dealing massive damage while taking minimal damage. It can be unreliable as enemies may not attack Cloud before Counterstance is used up. Cloud then simply dashes and swings his sword up with a much weaker attack that may not even land and takes full damage. It is therefore a situational ability, unlike Cloud's other abilities. It is a good option to set a shortcut to it to be used immediately when the situation calls for it. It is wise to keep Cloud with an ATB segment to spare, and use the ability as soon as the attack name pops over an enemy's head that is heading toward Cloud; the tactical mode can be used for great effect for precise timing.
With Cloud focusing on the defense, Counterstance can be a core part of his moveset if he also focuses on countering from Punisher Mode. Though Counterstance is obtained late into the player's first playthrough, and thus is only available for a short time, it is excellent in New Game Plus and Hard Mode playthroughs.
==Behind the scenes==
Among survey respondents, Counterstance was tied with Infinity's End for Cloud's second-most popular ability, below Triple Slash at 38%.
==Gallery==
Counterstance loading screen from FFVI Remake.png|Loading screen.
==References==
Category:Character abilities in Final Fantasy VII Remake