Game:

Guilty Gear -STRIVE- (2021)

Duration: 17:19

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We're back...with just one long set of matches against the same random player. Would have been nice to get another stage at least, and I'm still trying to learn Ram but I found this set to be really fun and a good showcase of Strive's other main newcomer Nagoriyuki so here we are!

Sets 1-6: 12-Dimensional Flux Observatory
Ramlethal (me) vs. Nagoriyuki (Chord)

I blabbed enough about Ram last time right? She hits you with big swords, or goes nuts with feral leaps and attacking with her weird sentient cloak. Let's talk about Strive's other newcomer, Nagoriyuki.

A vampire (Nightless, in GG terms) samurai, Nagoriyuki has a pretty striking design that stood out to players from Strive's very first reveal trailer, but for the longest time we didn't even know his name or how he'd factor into the story. Much of his past seems mysterious but he is an unwilling accomplice of Happy Chaos, one of Strive's main antagonists and is pitted against multiple characters as the game goes on, though he seems to be a pretty stand-up guy otherwise....he also may or may not have a relationship with Slayer, another old Guilty Gear veteran who is also a powerful vampire.

Nagoriyuki is labeled as a "one shot" character in Strive itself; a glass cannon, basically. Large and slow, Nago has limited mobility; he lacks both an air and ground dash or the ability to double jump. Even a big boy like Potemkin can do that! However, his sword grants him some great range, and he can use a variety of powerful special moves. He can quickly dash forward or back with one move, or perform powerful sword swings that can be chained into each other. But all of this comes at a cost: the more Nago uses his special moves, the more his blood gauge rises and if it fills entirely, he'll go into a blood rage. In this state, his health rapidly drains and he loses access to all of his specials. However, his sword attacks have even greater range and power, even doing decent damage when blocked, and he gains access to a special full-screen Overdrive that also instantly ends the blood rage state when used. To combat this, landing normal attacks with his sword slightly sates Nago's bloodlust and he has a command grab that bites the opponent and instantly drains the blood gauge. He ends up being a hard character to use, since you have to keep a constant eye on your blood gauge. In most situations, if you let the meter fill up, you may as well have forfeited the round. If you're the type to just mash out moves without thinking, Nagoriyuki probably isn't for you! During the game's beta tests, many felt Nago was easily the worst character in the game, as his blood gauge seemed to fill up far too fast, with his sword swings and bite not working to drain the meter fast enough. Clearly tweaks have been made and the consensus early on is that he's a lot better, but still hard to pick up, which is arguably the point.

Nago's a hard character to use, but Chord clearly had a decent understanding of him. My Ram definitely needs work, as I kind of spammed certain special moves that leave her super vulnerable (her leaping move, Sildo Detruo for one) and didn't internalize her wallbreak combos like my last opponent did. Still, Chord felt like a good opponent; I'd say he ended up better than me but it wasn't a complete shut-out and I learned a bit about Nago in the meantime. Like being able to throw him in the gaps between some of his sword strikes. I knew better than to approach Nago when in blood rage and just let the health drain do the work in most cases too, and I felt I at least used Roman Cancels well enough; a couple Red or Purple ones to keep combos going and even a Yellow one to get out of the corner. Overall, good games Chord! (Not that you'll ever see this.)

I need to play more and learn more, so expect more Strive...soonish? And of course, in about another week and a half, we've got that "shoto" coming to Smash after all so that'll be fun! :P

Keep smelling that game!

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