S-17

S-17 is an all-rounder fighter who can handle close-quarters fights as well as secure long-distance kills. Her shield is the defining part of her kit, giving her a long-distance Charge Attack & several multi-hit shield spins.

## Background

S-17 is an android built by a well-known machinist from Metropolis. With enhanced power, speed and agility, she joined Flash Party to realize her dream of becoming human.

## General Playstyle

### Neutral

With S-17's fast ground speed, dash dancing is a great option to bait the opponent into an option. Neutral Air is a great move for catching opponents using moves or in the air due to its multihit & low knockback, and can link together with Forward Air, Back Air, Up Air, or more Neutral Airs. Retreating Neutral Air is a very good option for shield pressure, since, with proper spacing, you cannot be grabbed on landing even if the opponent parries.

When playing more defensively, Neutral Special projectiles can be good to create pressure and to catch opponents approaching. Due to Neutral Special's startup time, it's best to use during or at the start of a jump so S-17 isn't stationary. With the Colorful Sticker "Hi-Ion Flame", Neutral Special becomes an incredible pressure tool due to the uncertainty of when and where the projectile will be released.

Although Dash Attack can be used to catch opponent's endlag or landings, it should be used infrequently, since it's easily punished on shield. When catching an opponent's endlag on the ground, Side Special is usually a better option due to its higher damage & multihit additions to the Triaxial meter.

### Edge-Guarding

S-17 has several great tools to gimp opponents. The simplest options are adding pressure with Neutral Special projectiles or challenging offstage with Forward Airs. Alternatively, standing from ledge, Charge Attack covers a very large distance offstage, and can hit many high & low recovery angles with the Colorful Sticker "All-rounder".

For opponents who recover low with hitboxes such as Thanatos, Down Special's counter can be an easy tool to stop their recovery. Alternatively, you can catch low recoveries with runoff Up Special, since Up Special's hitbox extends below S-17's feet on startup.

Down Air can potentially be a great offstage kill move against predictable recoveries such as Mikko, however it should be used very cautiously and never more than once or twice per match, since missing will lead to an SD.

Of course, one of the best edge-guarding tools in the game is Triaxial Beam. Even the threat of the full Triaxial Meter can cause opponents to airdodge or jump prematurely, which can lead to Forward Air, RARs, or Charge Attack KOs.

### Disadvantage

The two best tools to use in disadvantage state are Down Special to catch a counter in an untrue combo or move in an unexpected way, or Neutral Air's large multihit hitbox to potentially clank & beat their move with your own.

When stuck in an aerial position above an opponent, hovering with Down Special can be a great way to mix up timing without using a jump or airdodge. Also, as a mix-up, it's possible to quickly descent with Down Air. Just make sure Down Air is infrequent, since missing and hitting the ground with have a large amount of endlag and let the opponent get a large punish.

### Offstage Recovery

Because of Up Special's high distance, strong immediate hitbox, but low horizontal drift, she does best with low recoveries. Make sure not to land on stage with Up Special due to the large amount of endlag.

Down Special can be a great recovery tool due to its brief omnidirectional movement & its counter when predicting an opponent's edge-guard attack. Because Down Special causes lots of endlag when landing, it's important to grab ledge rather than landing on stage to avoid the endlag window.

In a dire situation, Side Special can also be used to mix-up your recovery timing due to the small aerial hovering window. Be careful with this option, since the period after Side Special ends will leave you vulnerable.

## Setups, Techniques, & Kill Confirms

### Triaxial Beam

Although it can take a long time to fill, Triaxial Beam is one of the best kill moves in the entire game due to its massive full-screen length & 1 second multihit length. Down meter can be the trickiest to fill due to the high endlag of both Grounded Down Attack & Down Air. Make sure to consistently mix up attacks rather than going for the same direction repeatedly for meter filling or else your movement will become predictable and easy to punish.

Because of the long prep time, it's important to make sure it's only used when the opponent is in the middle of a move, in endlag, or has just air-dodged. Of course, with its full-screen length, it is possible to catch an opponent unaware when very far offstage, or when recovering to catch the opponent's edge-guard on yourself.

Keep in mind, a good player will be aware when Triaxial meter is full and will most likely change to a more defensive or evasive playstyle. You can take advantage of opponents blocking more often by baiting Triaxial Beam setups, then switching with grabs to catch shields or delayed firing to catch airdodge.

Against opponents who tend to recover low with high vertical recoveries such as Alice, Tong, or Sophie, it's possible to KO with a run offstage into b-reverse Triaxial Beam. This should only be used as a rare mix-up, since it can be teched, and can be punished if they adapt with different recovery timing.

### Down Air Pogo

If an opponent is hit with a Down Air and misses a tech (or techs in place), this move can combo into itself at low percent. At mid percent, it can combo into Neutral Air. At high percent, it can combo into Up Air or Up Special to KO off the top. It is important to try and match the opponent's DI to continue the combo, since missing with a Down Air will have a large amount of endlag.

If the opponent successfully techs and rolls right or left, depending on your height in the air, it's possible to fast fall and catch the opponent with a Forward Air or Back Air to put them in an offstage position to edge-guard.

### Retreating Wavedash Charged Attack

With most opponents blocking more often when Triaxial meter is full, and the most common retaliation to attacking block being a grab, this can be exploited with quick movement into Charged Attack's long distance.

Run towards the blocking opponent, then once close to their block, use a retreating wavedash into charged attack hold, then releasing the charge once they drop shield for a grab or counterattack. Because of the long distance of Charged Attack, if spaced properly, it is difficult for the opponent to punish even if they block the full move. If they manage to parry the Charged Attack, most opponents will only be able to reach fast enough for a weak punish.

The potential of this technique is amplified with the Colorful Sticker "Chainsaw Pro", which can mix-up the ending of the move, making it extremely difficult for the opponent to parry if they stay in block, and can potentially break their block if they have existing block damage.

It's important to note, when used too often, an opponent will begin adapting by jumping out of block to punish from above. This can be stopped with the Colorful Sticker "All-Rounder" to catch their jump with an upwards angled Charged Attack. Alternatively, you can use this as a conditioning moment by retreating wavedash to trick an opponent into jumping, then catching their jump with a Forward Air or Neutral Air.

1. ↑ https://www.taptap.io/post/986710