Rhythm Shift

Rhythm Shifts are a universal mechanic that allow you to cancel whatever action you are doing, allowing you to quickly perform a different action.
== Mechanics ==
By pressing the Z button at any time, at the cost of 1 Spirit Diamond on the user's Spirit Grid, the user will flash a certain color depending on their last action and emit a small shockwave that leaves enemies in hitstun for a long time regardless of whether or not they are blocking. Different Rhythm Shifts can have different trajectories of where they send their enemies if they are hit by the shockwave. In addition, different Rhythm Shifts have different durations, where shorter Rhythm Shift durations put enemies in hitstun for a shorter amount of time than those with longer durations. Players close that hit the shockwave can receive certain benefits such as gaining a bit of meter, if the user of the Rhythm Shift is currently not in the Awakening state. If an enemy is hit by a Rhythm Shift, they will have a clock behind them that disappears when the effects of the Rhythm Shift have concluded. In Awakening, Rhythm Shifting is free, but nearby players in the vicinity of the Rhythm Shift will not reap any benefits. Bosses are unaffected by the effect(s) of Rhythm Shifts.
The Rhythm Shift comes in a multitude of colors, based on the user's last action:
White: Idling, running, jumping - Duration is the shortest. Increases other players' meter by a short amount.
Blue: Dashing - Increases other players' base Speed.
Yellow: Blocking - Best used as a defensive tool as duration is pretty long. Increases other players' base Defense.
Red: Attacking using normal attacks/strong/EX attacks (active frames) - Increases other players' base Attack.
Purple: During the recovery frames of certain attacks. - Increases other players' meter by 25%.
Rainbow: Attacking using Amp OR Hyper attacks during the active frames of the attack. - Duration is the longest. Gives other players full meter.
== Applications ==
Rhythm Shifts can be used to bolster your offense, but they also can be used defensively. When attacking an enemy using an attack with a lot of end-lag, you can Rhythm Shift to make the attack somewhat safer on block. In the best case scenario, you can continue your offense or block immediately when an enemy (such as an officer) ends up getting out of blockstun. In the worst case scenario, you still may be unable to block or avoid the attack in time. 
In the event that an enemy does not block, you can use Rhythm Shifts to continue to deal massive damage to enemies by using them in combos, extending them and dealing damage while your opponents can barely react. In Awakening, Rhythm Shifts become extremely oppressive as the user can use as many of them as they would like, creating a devastating offensive approach that can take out troublesome enemies.
== Trivia ==
* Rhythm Shifting is inspired by the Guilty Gear franchise's Roman Cancels.
* The name for this mechanic comes from a Ridge Racer song.
Category:Universal Mechanics