Standard Attack

Standard Attacks, often simply referred to as attacks, are the basic melee attacks of a gum weapon. They define the character of the weapon and essentially establish the foundation of the weapon's play style. These types of attacks are fundamental for executing combos to deal damage to opponents, ultimately leading to their defeat and scoring points in form of K.O.s or IPPONs in game modes like battle royale and team battle. Every melee weapon has three different Standard Attacks, each with distinct properties, damage output, down value and hit stun. A relation model informs players about which attack is effective against which other attack. This model is also applicable and represented in a parry. To access or to perform all Standard Attacks in the weapon's moveset, attack stages must be taken into consideration, as they are crucial for effective and devastating combos.
Besides Standard Attacks, there are other attack types in the game such as Break Attack, Special or Alter Special, Gum Shoot and Gum Ninjutsu.
== Details ==
There are three Standard Attacks which can be performed by pressing a combination of the attack button and a direction on the left stick + .
* + up or no direction = Normal Attack
* + left or right = Back Attack
* + down = Wide Attack
Range, damage output, execution speed, hit reaction and other attack properties highly depend on the weapon class and type. Nevertheless, general rules apply:
Normal Attacks are basic, straight forward, direct melee attacks. They are the fastest attack the gum weapon's moveset has to offer. Performing such are visually supported with a blue color.
Back Attack are spiced up Normal Attacks by either added strength or special properties. Most of them are made to counter Normal Attacks. Katanas, Boards and Punch Type A weapons have a teleport attribute added to it. So, the user teleports in the moment the opponent performs a Normal Attack. Hammer weapons have a small repel shield, while performing a Back Attack blocking and instantly punishing a Normal Attack. Yo-yo weapons suffer countering a Normal Attack in that sense. Instead they are fast mobile weapons, allowing the user to evade.
Wide Attacks are strong, (mostly the strongest Standard Attack) areal attacks to handle multiple opponts at once. If an opponent tries to counter with a Back Attack they lose because WA hits opponents behind the user. Additionally, a hit opponent will be launched. The downside of Wide Attack is its time to perform as they are mostly slow. Therefore a quick Normal Attack can easily counter a Wide Attack.
This shows, the rules that apply to parries also apply outside of parries. Back Attack beat Normal Attack, Wide Attack beat Back Attack and Normal Attack beat Wide Attack. There are some differences however. One of it is the timing. So a Back Attack can also win against a Wide Attack if the Wide Attack was performed first. Or, if a Normal Attack comes out before a Back Attack there is enough time to block the upcoming Back Attack.
==Properties==
===Homing===
Homing, also referred to as Auto-Approach or Auto-Proximity, is a property reserved for Standard and Break Attacks. Homing begins when the target marker turns red (the dot or circle when auto-target is active), which is also when Ninja Sense displays a moderate red flame. During homing, the player automatically moves towards the opponent or target without the need for a directional input on the left stick . If the gum weapon offers multiple Standard Attacks with this homing attribute, the selected move can be changed during the approach. To do this, the left stick only needs to be held in the desired direction, as the attack button is already registered. Once Ninja Sense shows a strong red spiky flame, which resembles an orange square in the standby dojo, the attack can no longer be changed. The timings are slightly different for the Break Attack of Hammer Type B weapons, as the overall speed is lower than for most other weapons featuring this property. Homing for this weapon type does not start until the player is very close to the opponent.
Not only can the Standard Attack be switched during the approach, but the attack itself can also be canceled with a Gum Guard or by pressing jump. This can be used to mix up options or as a movement tool. Instead of attacking, the player can block or perform any other action afterward.
If the opponent moves away, the player will chase them for a bit before stopping. If the attack also has the property to teleport, the player will start to teleport when stopping. If the opponent is no longer in range, the player teleports a maximum distance and performs an empty attack. After stopping, the player can decide to resume the pursuit, provided the player is in range, as indicated by Ninja Sense displaying a moderate red flame.
Thus, the player can also gain height without using a jump or consuming S-Energy for a dash or Gum Boost. Break Attacks can also have the homing attribute, but switching between these two attack types is not possible. If an attack has the homing attribute but is inputted without being in range, the attribute will be ignored, and the player will perform the attack without it.
===Teleport===
Teleport is a property reserved for Standard Attacks, specifically Back Attacks of the following weapon types: Katana Type, Board Type, and Punch Type A. A Back Attack can be inputted by pressing either left or right on the left stick along with the attack button . If the right direction is selected, the player teleports clockwise, while selecting the left direction results in a counter-clockwise teleport. Teleports can only be performed when in range of a target. If the player is not in range, they will instead perform a Normal Attack. Attacks can be evaded with a teleport, including Gum Shoots and projectile attacks in general. Therefore, the timing and distance must be precise, as well as the speed of the projectile, which should not have a fast launching speed.
=== Physical Attack Guard ===
Physical Attack Guard is a property reserved to Standard Attacks. More precisely, it is reserved for just the first stage Normal Attack of Extra Type B weapons. It reminds of a Normal Attack Guard of Hammer Type A and B, but it is different. After activation, a diamond shaped shield consisting of four small diamonds covers the user. Not only does this protect the user from Normal Attacks but also from any other physical attack. This includes all melee Standard Attacks and even other attack types, including Break Attacks, Specials and Alter Specials. As long as the attack directly involves the weapon, instead of a casted object produced by the weapon, it can be defended against. This means, projectiles and Special attacks like Froggy Block, Beyond the Gum, or Golden March cannot be guarded against. Attacks with invulnerability are also an exception.
The Normal Attack with this property consists solely of the shield; there is no follow-up attack. A successful block is indicated by a a small blast and a sound effect. The opponent's attack stops and the opponent suffers from a recoil during which S-Burst is disabled. Afterwards, the user can continue with a stage two Normal Attack. 
===Other Properties===
See: Attack Properties
==Stages==
File:First Stage Normal Attack.jpg|First stage Normal Attack.
File:Second Stage Normal Attack.jpg|Second stage Normal Attack.
File:Third Stage Normal Attack.jpg|Third stage Normal Attack.
File:Fourth Stage Normal Attack.jpg|Fourth stage Normal Attack.
Attack stage, or stage for short, not to be confused with the stages where battles take place, is a concept that is important when it comes to Standard Attacks. The appearance, properties, down value, and damage output of the attack can vary depending on the current attack stage.
When attacking, the first inputted Standard Attack is considered to be a first stage Standard Attack. Many Standard Attacks have the property to advance to the next stage. If a Standard Attack successfully hits a target, the next attack will be a second stage Standard Attack. The second stage attack is not limited to a specific Standard Attack; instead, any Standard Attack can be followed up with. For example, if the player performs a Wide Attack after a Normal Attack, the Normal Attack is a first stage Normal Attack, or NA1 for short, and the Wide Attack is a second stage Wide Attack, or WA2 for short. Based on the weapon, a Standard Attack can have up to four stages.
It is also important to note that a Standard Attack can remain the same across different attack stages without changing its attributes, damage output, or down value. For instance, a weapon could have just two different Wide Attacks: the first one can be performed during the first attack stage, while the second one can be executed at the second, third, or even fourth attack stage.
If at any point another action or attack type is performed that isn't a Standard Attack, or if no further input is made, the stage resets to stage 1. These actions and attack types include Specials, Gum Ninjutsu, jump, and dodge. A Standard Attack can also reset the stage instead of increasing it. In general, the last stage Standard Attack resets the stage, as do attacks that apply hit reactions such as blowback or spin. Thus, Standard Attacks can even reset the stage back to stage 1.
Using this stage knowledge not only allows players to perform a combo string but also to take advantage of the attacks. Firstly, the damage output generally increases through the stages. Secondly, the added down value gradually decreases as well. This allows players to extend combo strings in order to get the most out of them.
==Combos==
Landing a series of attacks, consisting of at least two attacks, while the target cannot move, block, or counterattack is considered a combo. The resulting hit stun after an attack is key to the combo's success. The attacker must ensure that the next attack is performed during the hit stun. Therefore, it is important to know the time it takes to execute the next selected attack. If the attack takes too long, the opponent can escape as the hit stun ends before the attack connects. 
As long as the attacker pays attention to the hit stun, the combo should work. However, Ninjala has a built-in mechanic that allows opponents to break free from a combo using an S-Burst. Spending four units of S-Energy enables the opponent to attempt a counterattack or escape. If the player notices this attempt, they can react with countermeasures, provided the next attack hasn't already been inputted before the opponent activates the S-Burst. By using such countermeasures or punishing the S-Burst, the player can continue the ongoing combo.
Not only do the hits and damage outputs of the combo stack, but there is also a hidden down value percentage. Just as any attack has a fixed amount of damage it deals, each attack also has a fixed down value that contributes to the down value percentage. Attacks that lead to 100% down value send opponents flying away into an invincible state that lasts for a moment, effectively stopping combos and marking a combo limit. Gum Binds reset the down value percentage, opening up new potential combos.
===Simple Combos===
Taking advantage of the attack stage mechanic allows players to easily chain attacks to create simple combos. Hit stun and the time to perform a follow-up attack are already built-in or tailored to match these conditions, so players shouldn't have to worry. 
Additionally, the end or reset of the attack stage doesn't necessarily mean the end of the combo. For example, considering the blowback property, the opponent doesn't get launched that far after being hit. This gives the player options to follow up with another attack before the opponent can react. Therefore, the attack needs to have enough range or other supporting properties, such as homing or teleportation. This can be further elaborated on until the down value reaches 100%.
For example, the IPPON Katana can perform a first stage Normal Attack into a second stage Back Attack, followed by a third stage Wide Attack. The Wide Attack has a blowback characteristic, while the first stage Normal Attack has a homing characteristic. This can be utilized after the third stage Wide Attack to catch the opponent. Although the attack stage resets, the player or attacker can catch the opponent before they can perform any action. Thus, the combo continues, but the attack stage returns to stage one. A full combo can look like this: NA1 - BA2 - WA3 - NA1 - BA2 - WA3 - NA1 - WA2 - WA1.
===Advanced Combos===
Ninjala has a built-in hidden mechanic that allows players to cancel attacks on hit. This is particularly useful when chaining two matching Standard Attacks. To elaborate, an attack roughly consists of three parts after the input. The first part is where the player prepares the attack. This part doesn't deal any damage and cannot be skipped, which needs to be considered when factoring in hit stun. The second part is the actual hit that deals damage to the target. The third part is the recovery, a duration during which the player cannot move or perform any actions. Animation-wise, this is the part where the weapon returns to the neutral position. The mechanic in the game allows the recovery phase to be skipped entirely if the attack hits. Therefore, when chaining two Standard Attacks, the first attack doesn't have to recover, and instead, the next attack is performed. The input of the second attack initiates it.
In addition to Standard Attacks, there are other actions that can initiate the cancel, including Specials and Gum Ninjutsu. Other actions, such as jumping and dodging, can also trigger this mechanic. Essentially, any attack, except for Gum Ninjutsu and projectiles, can be canceled on hit. This makes the combo system very flexible. For example, the IPPON Katana can perform a first stage Normal Attack followed by a jump to cancel the recovery part. The next attack can be another first stage Normal Attack. Since the follow-up is a jump and not a Standard Attack, it returns to the first stage. While this might not necessarily make sense for Standard Attacks, other attack types can benefit significantly from this mechanic, most notably Gum Shoots.
See the combo section of Attack for more.
Category:Attack
Category:Game Mechanics