How To Read Fighting Game Notation
Because fighting games use combinations of directional and button inputs, several ways of writing these out have been created.
Right now, the most popular method for sharing combos for games like Guilty Gear is called “anime notation,” (called that because it was popularized by players of anime-aesthetic fighting games like BlazBlue , Guilty Gear , and the like).
Directional inputs can be thought of this way: if you are looking at a number pad, your character is standing on the number 5 key, facing right.
7 8 9
Thinking of it this way, pressing Up would be 8, Forward would be 6, Down would be 2, and Back would be 4. Diagonals are similar. When holding Down and Back together, you’d say 1, Down and Forward is 3, Up and Back is 7, and Up and Forward is 9.
Buttons have different names in all kinds of games, but in Guilty Gear: Strive , they are as follows:
Punch -> P
Taking these two together, a crouching punch would be 2P. A quarter-circle-back motion while pressing Kick would be 214K. And so on.
It can take a little while to get used to, but once you can read anime notation an entire world of fighting game information is available to you.
How To Play Queen Dizzy
Screenshot: Sega / Kotaku
You’ll need to buy either Queen Dizzy, herself, or the Season 4 pass, to be able to play her in Strive. She is $7, by herself, and the full season pass is $25 (which will also add Venom, Unika, and Lucy from Cyberpunk Edgerunners later this year).
Once you’ve purchased either of those, you don’t need to do anything else to unlock her. The next time you boot up the game, she will be in the top left corner of the character select screen.
Queen Dizzy’s Most Notable Moves
Crouching Punch (2P) – Dizzy’s fastest move. If your opponent is forcing you to block, this is your go-to ‘mash’ button.
Screenshot: Sega / Kotaku
Far Slash (fS) – This move, which comes out when you press standing Slash when the opponent is far away, is great to hit enemies as they approach. If you get a hit, you can use the Slash version of Michael Sword to combo and knock opponents full screen. After knocking them down this way, you can also use 236S (Name: I Used This To Catch Fish or ‘Ice Block’) to start pressure.
Crouching Slash (2S) – A good way to hit enemies as they approach.
Crouching Dust (2D) – This move has tons of range, and like 2S, you can use it to catch approaching opponents. This also sets up her powerful mix-up options by using her 214K (Lovingly called ‘Ice Fish’ by many players).
Standing Heavy Slash (5HS) – This multi-hit move has plenty of range, and if it hits enemies that are close enough, it will actually freeze them, letting you continue into a combo or knockdown.
Standing Kick (5K) – A fast move that reaches pretty far. You can use 2D afterwards and then call an Ice Fish (214K or 214P) to start your pressure if you hit.
Jump Kick (jK) – A fast air button you can use to jump in on enemies or contest them in the air. jS is also good for this, but it’s slower and has more range.
Screenshot: Sega / Kotaku
Michael Sword (236S and 236HS) – This giant slashing special move has tons of range, and is one of Dizzy’s defining moves. Use it to punish opponents from far away and make them scared to approach.
Screenshot: Sega / Kotaku
Wings Of Light (22HS) – A tricky, but powerful move, Wings Of Light deals unblockable damage, so even blocking will not save them. From the time it’s activated, you’ll need to avoid being hit or grabbed for roughly 10 seconds. After that time, the wings will blossom and start dealing damage to the opponent if they are nearby. It will drain all of Dizzy’s Tension gauge to deal damage unless it’s canceled by hitting 22HS again. Very powerful, but tricky to use successfully.
Screenshot: Sega / Kotaku
‘Ice Fish’ or ‘We Talked A Lot Together’ (214K or 214P) – The core of Dizzy’s knockdown pressure. The P version creates an Ice Fish that flies along the upper half of the screen and bites at opponents, and the K version goes along the ground. The K version will be the version used after a knockdown to start Dizzy’s pressure and mixup game.
Queen Dizzy – Neutral
‘Neutral’ is the phase of the fighting game where neither player has a clear advantage, and you are fighting for control of space.
When the round starts, Dizzy has access to several powerful mid-range abilities. Her standing Far Slash (5fS), standing Heavy Slash (5H), and crouching Dust attack (2D) are all good options.
Screenshot: Sega / Kotaku
If you hit your opponent with 2D, you can immediately use 214K (Official move name: We Talked A Lot Together) and then 236K (Name: For Roasting Chestnuts, or ‘Fire Knife’). This combination of moves is central to Dizzy’s zoning and pressure, so you’ll be using them often.
If you hit with her other round start options, or if you hit with 2D, but would rather knock your opponent full screen (instead of force them to block your mixups), then use 214S (Name: Michael Sword) instead, then you can use 214K and 236K.
Queen Dizzy – Pressure
Screenshot: Sega / Kotaku
While Dizzy is a powerful character in neutral, she is still quite scary after she wins neutral and forces her opponent to start blocking.
Her 236K (Name: For Roasting Chestnuts, or ‘Fire Knife’) leaves her at advantage, so you can alternate between hitting her close-range 5S (also called Close Slash or cS) and 236K, and if your opponent tries to punch their way out, they’ll get hit.
If they don’t try to fight out, you can stop and grab them with 6D or 4D (side switch version). Use this mindgame of ‘Fire Knife or grab’ to keep your opponents guessing with your simplest strike VS throw pressure.
Queen Dizzy – Combos
Screenshot: Sega / Kotaku
cS – 2H – 214HS – 236HS (- 6HS [optional: creates ice field])
This combo is fantastic for when you get a hit point-blank and want to send the opponent fullscreen.
If you leave off 236HS, you’ll lose some damage and the ability to set up an ice field, but you’ll gain plenty of time to set up fireball or ice fish zoning. You can also check their approach with Michael Sword, or even 236S, although the latter is riskier.
Screenshot: Sega / Kotaku
2K or 5K or cS – 2D – 214K – Mixup Options
If they mash on this, they’ll get hit, and if they block, it’s still your turn. Either way, it’s a great (and easy) way to get your pressure started when you land a hit. You can also hold 9, then backdash (44 while in air) and either do delayed jK or land and hit 2K for a mixup.
2K or 5K or cS – 2D – 236S – 6S
This will send the opponent far away, and the optional 6S follow-up to 236S will set ice across the area, leading to slippery shenanigans. While they are dealing with that, you can use Michael Sword, Fire Knife, jumping Dust, and Ice Fish to harry them.
Screenshot: Sega / Kotaku
Dizzy is a fantastically fun character, and now I’ve equipped you to jump into matches and start using these options. Of course, the character will continue to develop as new strategies are discovered, but this is a fantastic starting point. Now go out there and show them what Queen Dizzy can do!
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