Velvet: Beginner's Guide and Combos

A Guide to learning Velvet. Includes knowledge on her moveset, combos and gameplay strategies, though most information is now only baseline and has been extrapolated as time has gone by.

Disclaimer: VERY OLD

Hey there, original creator of this guide, your bloody queen of the night, Mitsuru!
I wanted to state that this guide was made an INCREDIBLY long time ago, as such, most content in this guide may not be as up to date as stated before. Tech since this guide's creation and upload date has been found and gameplay updates and the like have been able to make this guide non-optimal.

THE GOOD NEWS THOUGH is that this guide can still in fact be used as a baseline for people who want to give a try to learn Velvet, though for more in-depth help, please seek out discord servers of this game for more professional assistance.

While I could still update this guide with the up-to-date tech and information, all of the combos have been re-tested and found to still work, though completely non-optimal at this point. I will be adding none of the optimal options on my end as I have long since moved away from this character, now focusing my own personal efforts on Nidra, Baihe(More in hopes that she gets balanced out because she is genuinely fun, but I don't feel comfortable personally with just literally how staggeringly overpowered she is) and Texas.

For a personal recommendation on specifically tech and optimal routes for Velvet, I would suggest asking Vvvvixy or Missingno. They're very lovely individuals and always know the most helpful tips for this character.

Introduction to Me

First off, I'd like to go ahead and say that I've been following this game from the start(Back when I identified as a brony. Don't read into that), and I have to say they've done very well with this. The animations and sprites still have a ways to go and some hitboxes do also, but beyond that, it's a very solid fighter for a game originally based on My Little Pony. I love it. There are enough mechanics in the game that distinguish it as its own individual of a fighting game.

As for myself, I'm a somewhat casual fighting game player. I play many fighting games and one of them being Skullgirls(Also made in the Zero Engine that this game uses), where I would play it semi-competitively for local tournaments(Did pretty well until I dropped it for other fighting games and got very rusty in it...).

After playing this game for a while, I have learned a few tips and tricks for Velvet that I'd love to share with players who want to learn this game and specifically Velvet(for now). And with all that out of the way, let's get into Velvet herself.

Velvet's Moveset

First thing's first, This is going to be formatted in the style of Anime button commands(Numerical) so you might want to learn this lingo so I can short-hand all of these combos and inputs:

First I'll teach you about the directional notation for this. It's very simple and a ton of people somehow don't understand it, but it's okay if you don't understand it readily. If you're playing on a computer, just look at the calculator numerical pad on your keyboard(Unless it for some reason doesn't have one. Then I'unno look at what's after this. ._. ) Here's what the notation looks like.

7 8 9
4 5 6
1 2 3

8 is UP.
4 is BACKWARDS.
6 is FORWARDS.
2 is DOWN.
3 is FORWARD DIAGONAL DOWN.
1 is BACKWARD DIAGONAL DOWN.
5 is NEUTRAL(No directional command input required for it).
9 is FORWARD DIAGONAL UP.
7 is BACKWARD DIAGONAL UP.
J will be used if YOU ARE REQUIRED TO BE MID AIR TO USE IT.

The rest of this guide uses the game's in game button notation for commands. So A for light, B for Medium, C for heavy and D for magic.

it's really weird learning at first but I'll just go ahead and disclaimer for this game:
The only ones you're going to need to know for this guide are the directions of 4, 5, 6, 1, 2 and 3. This game was made with simplicity and ease of access for the MLP/Brony community in mind which I love.

Alright so now we can get on with Velvet's moves herself. We'll be talking about her Normals, Magics and Specials/Supers in this section.

Normals:

• 5A: A backhanding attack. The hitbox lasts for a very quick time and it comes out a tad late and if you miss, it extends Velvet's sprite for a while longer to potentially get hit easier. Advanced: Comes out at frame 5 and lasts for 1 frame.
  
• 2A: She makes a small icicle that pokes at their toes. Advanced: Comes out frame 7 and lasts for up to 6 frames.
  
• 6A: Velvet blows air upwards. Advanced: Comes out at frame 9 and lasts for 6 frames.
  
• JA: She makes 2 quick kicks. Advanced: 1st kick comes out at frame 9 and lasts for 1 frame. 2nd kick comes out at frame 11 and lasts for 1 frame.
  
• 5B: A double headbutt. Advanced: 1st strike comes out at frame 10 and lasts for 1 frame. 2nd strike comes out at frame 20 and lasts for 1 frame.
  
• 2B: Velvet creates a bust of herself and her GLORIOUS FLOOF! Advanced: Comes out at frame 10 and lasts for 6 frames.
  
• JB: Velvet blows air upwards. Advanced: Comes out at frame 11 and lasts for 8 frames. The attack frames are broken up and the 2nd half comes out at frame 22 and lasts for 5 frames.
  
• 5C: Velvet points and creates a large icicle. Advanced: Comes out at frame 13 and lasts for 4 frames.
  
• 2C: Velvet kicks at their heels(This actually is not a low attack for some reason) with both of her back hooves. Advanced: Comes out at frame 13 and lasts for 6 frames.
  
• 3C: Velvet creates a bust of a buff buck to launch opponents in the air. Advanced: Comes out at frame 12 and lasts for 9 frames.
  
• JC: Velvet blows out freezing cold air downward, freezing opponents on the ground momentarily and blasting opponents to the other end of the screen if they are in the air. Advanced: Comes out at frame 16 and lasts for 6 frames. The hitbox gradually extends as the animation goes on.

Magic:

• 5D(Instant Snowball): Velvet launches a snowball directly forward. Advanced: Comes out at frame 14. This is a projectile.
  
• 1D(Snowball Toss: Backwards): Velvet summons a snowball from the opposite side of the screen that flutters downward towards her. Uses 1 Magic. Advanced: Comes out at frame 19. This is a projectile.
  
• 2D(Snowball Toss: Upwards): Velvet summons a snowball and throws it directly up. Slowly comes down in front of her. Uses 1 Magic. Advanced: Comes out at frame 19. This is a projectile.
  
• 3D(Snowball Toss: Forwards): Velvet summons a snowball and throws it upwards towards the opposite side of the screen. Uses 1 Magic. Advanced: Comes out at frame 19. This is a projectile.
  
• 6D(Wind Push Away): Velvet pushes the opponent away from her. Uses 1 Magic. Advanced: Lasts for 30 frames.
  
• 4D(Wind Pull Closer): Velvet pulls the opponent closer to her. Uses 1 Magic. Advanced: Lasts for 30 frames.
  
• 623D(Magic Ice Eruption): Velvet creates a large amount of ice in front of her on the ground to launch the opponent away. Advanced: Velvet gains Invulnerability for 22 Frames. 1st attack comes out at Frame 19 and lasts for 2 frames. 2nd attack comes out at Frame 24 and lasts for 2 frames. 3rd attack comes out at frame 29 and lasts for 2 frames.

Specials:

• 236A/B/C(Icicle Missile): Velvet creates an icicle shard to launch at the opponent. A variant: Launches instantly, 380 Damage. B Variant: Launches after a little time has passed, 440 Damage. C Variant: Launches after a long time has passed, 560 Damage. Advanced: Icicle Missile comes out at frame 27. This is a projectile.
  
• J236A/B/C(Air Icicle Missiles: Velvet creates an icicle shard to launch at the opponent. lingers in the air as long as ground B Variant and moves slower than ground variant. A variant: Downward angle. B Variant: Downward forward angle. C Variant: Forward moving projectile. Advanced: Air Icicle Missile comes out at frame 20. This is a projectile.
  
• 214A/B/C(Shatter): Velvet creates different ice spikes to use as attacks. A Variant: A long ground based icicle. This is a low. Knocks the opponent down. 570 Damage. B Variant: A closer range attack that knocks the opponent back. 516 Damage. C Variant: Velvet bounds backwards and drops 2 icicles downward that shatter when they reach the ground(That's the actual attack. The icicles themselves do no damage). Bounces the opponent off of the ground. 320 Damage. Advanced: A Ver. Comes out at frame 19 and lasts for 9 frames. B Ver. Comes out at frame 13 and lasts for 7 frames. C Ver. Comes out at frame 30 and lasts for 7 frames.
  
• 623A/B/C(Ice Eruption): Velvet makes spikes of ice pop out of the ground from a distance. A Variant is close range, B Variant is mid range, C Variant is long range. All Variants do 400 Damage and knock the enemy upwards slightly towards Velvet. Advanced: Comes out at frame 24 and lasts for 2 frames. This is a projectile.

Supers:

• 236XX{Any 2 attack buttons}(Ice Cyclone): Velvet creates a large tornado of blustering cold winds. The tornado pulls opponents towards it and it travels across to the opposite side of the screen from Velvet. 734 Max Damage. Requires 1 Super Meter. Advanced: 0 Frame startup time. Comes out on Frame 11. Lasts for 51 frames.
  
• 214XX{Any 2 attack buttons} After Ice Cyclone(Frostbite): Velvet freezes the opponent in the tornado, leaving them realing for a time and slowing them down for a while. 147 Max Damage. Requires 1 Super Meter.

Ice Queen's Gameplan

Velvet has a strong emphasis on the neutral game and keep away, using her projectiles for zoning out opponents and staying a safe distance to chip away at their health. It's very good to stay a safe distance from characters until you can nail them with an attack and then dash on in to attack them.

With very few tools for Mix-up potential and breaking through the opponent's guard, Velvet has very little close range utility and needs to ensure she doesn't get bullied and pressured too hard by the opponent. Characters like Oleander and Tianhuo give Velvet a hard time due to their easy access pressure.

A good way to make sure you can get in nice hits for easy is to use Light Ice Missile and Snowballs to your advantage and using Ice Eruption if they open themself up for a quick hit to get them closer to you for a nifty combo.

Every time you knock the opponent down, you want to make sure you can set up an Ice Missile. Usually you'll need to use a Medium Ice Missile to make sure it hits them right as they wake-up from combos, but sometimes you may need Heavy Ice Missile or Light Ice Missile if the combo doesn't leave a long time for them to wake up.

Velvet can be scary with her combos though, despite being a zoner based character. Her ability to manipulate opponent positions with her wind makes her a strong character and can create many unique situations most characters can't.

If you are in major trouble, hope that it isn't very early on in the game. Since Velvet does not start with any magic, if you get hit early on in the round and they push you into a corner, you'll need to wait a small bit for your reversal move, Magic Ice Eruption. This is the move you have to use if you are stuck in the corner and the opponent will not let off the gas pedal.

Frosty Combos

Now we're getting to combos. These are necessary for any fighting game and really don't need much explanation.

{When commands are in these, that means it is an okuzemi or a move used to set up for an attack after the opponent has been knocked down}

Combo 1: Short and Sweet(Damage: 525)
2A>5B>5C>3C>JA>JC>623B

• A standard damage combo for midscreen neutral. It knocks the opponent away and puts in some additional damage at the end. You can omit the 623B at the end for less damage but for an Okuzemi setup with Ice Missile B

Alt 1: Short and Magical(Damage: 495)(1 Magic)
2A>5B>5C>3C>JA>JC>5D>{J236B/C>236A/B}

• A Good combo for more damage if you wish to make an Okuzemi setup on neutral.

Alt 2: CHANGE PLACES~!(Damage: 599)(1 Magic)
2A>5B>5C>3C>4D(Instantly after 3C)>(Delay)5B>5C>3C>JA>JC>{J236B/C>236A/B)

• This is a very useful combo for if you need to get them on the other side of you whether it puts them closer to the corner or gives you more distance while keeping you out of the corner.

Combo 2: Driving Snow(Damage: 780)(2 Magic)
2A>2B>5C>3C>3D>1D>(Delay)5B>5C>214B>{236A}

• This combo is used if you have the magic to spare and want the damage and the keep-away.

Alt 1: Flurry(Damage: 864)(3 Magic)
2A>2B>5C>3C>4D(Immediately After 3C)>(Delay)5B>5C>3C>3D>1D>214B>{236A}

• A very powerful combo to use midscreen if you have the magic to spare. It causes a sideswitch and it's very good to use if you are close to the corner but not yet in it.

Combo 3: Tableturner(Damage: 836)(1 Magic)
5A>5B>5C>3C>4D(Immediately After 3C)>(Delay)5B>5C>3C>JA>JC>5A>5C>214B{236B}

• This is for your combo if you see an opening to jab out. It lets you instantly push the opponent in the corner in your place which is very useful.

Alt 1: Super Size It(Damage: 1353)(1 Magic)(1 Super)
5A>5B>5C>3C>4D(Immediately After 3C)>(Delay)5B>5C>3C>JA>JC>236XX

Alt 2: With A Frosty(Damage: 1164)(1 Magic)(2 Super)
5A>5B>5C>3C>4D(Immediately After 3C)>(Delay)5B>5C>3C>JA>JC>236XX>(Before Final Hit)214XX

• I know this has lower damage for a higher super cost, but the slow down from Frostbite really makes up for it making it impossible for them to reversal out of your pressure without you being able to read it.

Combo 4: Cornering Them(Damage: 893)
2A>2B>2C>3C>(Delay)JA>JB>2B>5C>3C>JB>JC>214B{236A/B}

• A standard corner combo for okay damage output and an easy missile set up to continue pressure. Can also carry opponent caught by 2A from midscreen to the corner.

Alt 1: Super Size It(Damage: 1418)(1 Super)
2A>5B>5C>3C>JA>JC>5A>5B>5C>214B>236XX>{236A/B}

Alt 2: With a Frosty(Damage: 1229)(2 Super)
2A>5B>5C>3C>JA>JC>5A>5B>5C>214B>236XX>214XX>{236A/B}

• You can actually follow up off of this one for a very little bit. Have fun.

Combo 5: Blow It Off(Damage: 762)
2A>2B>5C>3C>(Delay)JA>JB>6A>5B>5C>214B>{236A}

• This is a combo for high mid screen damage without magic. Knocks the opponent away, gives you quick set-up and does a nice chunk of damage. It's basically your standard BnB combo for Velvet at midscreen.

Alt 1: Super Size it(Damage: 1484)(1 Super)
2A>2B>5C>3C>(Delay)JA>JB>6A>5B>5C>214B>236XX>{236A/B}

Alt 2: With a Frosty(Damage: 1295)(2 Super)
2A>2B>5C>3C>(Delay)JA>JB>6A>5B>5C>214B>236XX>214XX>{236A/B}

Alt 3: Slam Down(Damage: 886)
2A>2B>5C>3C>(Delay)JA>JB>6A>214C>5C>214B>{236A}

• This combo is a little bit more annoying to pull off due to some weird thing in the game where it might or might not eat your 5C input after 214C. Just a fair warning.

Alt 3(1): Super Size it(Damage: 1608)(1 Super)
2A>2B>5C>3C>(Delay)JA>JB>6A>5B>5C>214B>236XX>{236A/B}

Alt 3(2): With a Frosty(Damage: 1419)(2 Super)
2A>2B>5C>3C>(Delay)JA>JB>6A>5B>5C>214B>236XX>214XX>{236A}

Combo 6: Juggle(Damage: 1089)
2A>2B>2C>623A>66>5A>5B>5C>3C>JA>JB>6A>5C>214B>{236A/B}

• This combo is her best meterless damage and is really good to get off, but it's also the hardest to nail down(which says something about her combos since this is also pretty darn simple). I'd advise labbing this one out til you get the hang of it. Just be careful because you can accidentally cross under when doing this one if you dash too far forward, but it still works as a combo if you catch that you crossed under.

Alt 1: Super Size It(Damage: 1811)(1 Super)
2A>2B>2C>623A>66>5A>5B>5C>3C>JA>JB>6A>5C>214B>236XX>{236A/B}

Alt 2: With a Frosty(Damage: 1622)(2 Super)
2A>2B>2C>623A>66>5A>5B>5C>3C>JA>JB>6A>5C>214B>236XX>214XX>{2336A}

Alt 3: That Pokemon Episode With Ash in the Cave w/ a Blizzard(Damage: 1133)(1 Magic)
2A>2B>2C>623A>66>5A>5B>5C>3C>1D>66>5B>5C>3C>JA>JC>5C>214B>{236A/B}

• NOW this one has a name on it. It's basically your Pom and Oleander hitter. You know, those people who keep a distance while you're in the corner because they have insanely huge normals and can just keep you at an arm's length while they punch you to death so you gotta sit in the corner and respect as best as you can til you get an opening? Yeah, you know. This will only work when you're in the corner and they're far enough away from it so that 1D(The backwards snowball) will hit them when you push them up into the air with your launcher. It gets you out and puts them in it. Another momentum shifting combo. This one is also a very tricky one so once again you should lab it til you nail it. Of course You could just DP to get yourself out of the corner, but DP is an easy read unless the opponent is just way too confident/aggressive. You can do this in midscreen but you won't be able to capitalize off of that sick sweet wall bounce off of JC unless you decide to pop a 623B or something. You can super after this but honestly I'd save it personally because you might not be close to a round closer if you're that pressured in the corner when using this. But that being said, if you do super after this, it's 1855 Damage. Just so you know.

NOW Go forth with your new knowledge on velvet combos and mechanics and chill with your friends~!

[Mitsuru]

@じぇんなつね Jennatsune— , I will eventually(maybe) get to grouping up combo strings with their super/ex super variants if I get to a point where I reach the word cap for the combo section. I also did fix those typos you mentioned and really do thank you for telling me about those.

[Krunk]

Thanks for the guide! Do you mind critique?

- I suggest grouping similar combo strings that end with B Shatter -> Super -> EX Super instead of writing out the entire combo again.

- Switching to written descriptions of special moves can help clean things up, too. (B Shatter instead of 214B)

- You have some combos here that use magic but don't specify so.

For everyone else: A tiny dash can be used after Flurry drags airborne opponents backward to make the side switch combos a bit easier. <3