Filia Character Guide

Filia is a very in your face type character with the speed and pressure to match. She has a bit of trouble getting in but once she has, she can wreck havoc and force you to guess a rapid fire of resets and sneaky mix ups. She is a very beginner friendly character as she is easy to play and is very versatile in what she can do on a team.

This guide is written with the assumption that you know how Skullgirls and in turn how fighting games work on a basic level. If you are completely new you may need to do a bit of research on terminology and fully understand the in-game tutorial to get the most out of this guide.

I will also be constantly updating this guide so check back every now and then for updates, I will keep a changelog.

Preface and changelog

This is the second guide I've published on Steam. My first one was a guide to Valentine which can be found here. I'm going to copy paste a bit from there since my motives for making this guide are give or take the same so if you've already read my Valentine guide's preface, you can skip this one.

The reason why I wanted to write this guide with people that already know how to play FGs in mind is because I wanted to get right into Filia specific information rather than teaching people about things that are already in the in-game tutorial. That doesn't mean I intentionally made this guide hard to read for complete beginners, if you read up a bit on terminology then you can still understand what this guide is about, I tried to get straight to the point as much as I could when I wrote this up.

I will be constantly updating this guide as I learn new things, Skullgirls is still a young game and there are still many things to learn about it.

I will probably update this guide every few weeks and include a changelog detailing any additions.

Changelog (D/M/Y):
29/12/14 - Guide released!
30/12/14 - Added specials section
18/4/15 - Changed the guide to reflect the Filia changes in the Beowulf patch[skullgirls.com].

Gameplay Objectives

As Filia is a rushdown character, she excels when she is right up and personal. She lacks a double jump and her air dash goes directly horizontal. Because of this her approach can be a bit linear but to compensate she is very fast on the approach. Once you have gotten into your opponent's space, you need to abuse her speed and subject them to multiple hard to react resets until they die. The frame data and hitboxes on her moves are also great, with her c.LK having 7 frames of start up and being +6 on block and s.HK and c.HK changing her hurtbox profile enough that she can avoid certain attacks.

Filia can be played on point however it is more common to see her as a second. Her Updo is a very good anti-air assist and you can extend combos by DHCing into her Gregor Samson super.

Pros

• Easy to play due to having very few special moves, easy to execute combos and straightforward gameplay
  
• Very fast, can easily make your opponent crack under pressure
  
• Great frame data
  
• Two good lvl1 supers with Gregor Samson having multiple different uses
  
• Plays well on a team as she has good assists and DHC supers

Cons

• Linear approach, no double jump and subpar pokes means she has some trouble getting in
  
• Poor lvl3 super
  
• No safe supers (Also means can't DHC into Filia for safety on block)
  
• Lacking long ranged air normals

Team Composition and Assists

Filia plays well when she is out on the field and is also a credit to the team when used for her assists and DHC supers. The most common assist people take with her is Updo but Hairball and even c.MK are also choices.

- dp HP (H Updo) -
The most common assist people use with Filia. It is an invincible uppercut assist that is good for relieving pressure, as an anti-air and as a tool to bait people into attacking you, only to get slapped out of the air and hopefully into a combo. If used properly, it will make the opponent think twice before advancing on you in fear they will get hit by Updo.

- qcb HK (H Hairball) -
A lockdown assist. It covers a lot of horizontal space and keeps the enemy in block stun for a decent amount of time. It has no invincibility to speak of however so be careful before sending Filia to her death.

- c.MK -
Has some uses to trick people into blocking high while you approach from the air, only to get tagged by this assist. The duration of this move helps with the confirm.

Normal and Special moves

c.LP
Generally best normal for Filia when trying to punish something as it only has a 6f start up. While s.LP is a 5f start up, it is a bit shorter than c.LP and also whiffs on some crouching characters.

c.LK
Low short for starting combos. Starts up decently fast however the real kicker is that it's +6 on block.

c.MP
Has some usage in resets but otherwise it is usually used in combos.

c.MK
Not that great of a low forward, it is -7 on block so it's not that great for hit confirms. Ideally you want to either be able to hit confirm from c.LK s.MK or cancel c.MK into s.HP as that is -4. Due to it's multi hit nature, it also heavily scales the combo on hit anyway.

c.HP
Can be used as a poke and then cancelled into Ringlet Psyche on block to make it safe at farther ranges.

c.HK
It's low profile combined with the fact that it moves Filia forward makes this move have it's uses with going under obstacles. For example if an enemy is approaching from the air, it's possible to do c.HK and then cancel into Fenrir Drive.

Stand

s.LP
5f start up, it whiffs on certain characters however and it's range isn't that great.

s.LK
Not really that useful of a move. Can be used as a situational anti air but the move is rarely used if at all.

s.MP
Has some use as a poke for ground to ground as it has a long disjointed hitbox. Use sparingly though.

s.MK
Only -1 on block which makes it good for chaining into for a block string as opposed to c.MK which not only scales the combo harder on hit but is also -7. May whiff in certain situations at longer distances but otherwise it will hit every crouching character.

s.HP
Filia's launcher. It also makes a good anti air due to it's massive vertical hitbox. It's also only -4 on block for some reason. On the first active frame of s.HP, Samson has no hurtbox however after that he will be able to hit. If you mistime it you will get punished.

s.HK
Filia has no hurtbox near the ground during this move which means it can dodge low moves. Causes wallbounce on hit.

Air

j.LP
Fast air normal with a decent hitbox.

j.LK
Has it's uses for setting up fast overheads/highs, such as air dash j.LK j.HK

j.MP
When combined with air dash, it makes Filia attack diagonally down forward. Due to it being multihit, it is slightly harder to pushblock and even when it is pushblocked, Filia can get right back in again with IAD j.MP.

j.MK
Has some usage as an air to ground but not used too often.

j.HP
The hitbox isn't as big as the animation suggests but it is disjointed. Superb for air to airs, especially when combined with Filia's speedy air dash. People don't say "mash IAD j.HP" for no reason. (Don't actually mash it but you get the idea)

j.HK
It's primary function is for cross ups. If you do IAD j.HK over the opponent it will be an ambiguous cross up. Due to recent changes however, it hits mid instead of high so it can be blocked standing and crouching. To utilize j.HK in an overhead mix up, you must chain into j.HK from IAD j.LK.

Specials

qcf P (Ringlet Spike)
Projectile special however it isn't like most conventional fireballs. You can use it to hit people at neutral but you won't be using it that much unlike other fireballs. Each version changes the range of the Spike. If you hit an enemy with Ringlet Spike, you will freeze them in hit stun for 30f and 55f if it was OTG. This allows you to convert off of Filia's throws when not in the corner however the combo will be automatically scaled to 50% and this special hitstun will only apply once per combo.

qcf K (Ringlet Psych)
Filia feints a Ringlet Spike and recovers faster. It is usually used in set ups and resets or to make certain things safe. It won't make all your blockstrings safe however. One thing that it will make safe usually is c.HP xx Ringlet Psych at long range. The only move that can punish it is Peacock's Argus Agony super due to the fact that most moves can't reach Filia before she can get the chance to block.

dp P (Updo)
A dragon punch move, like Ryu from Street Fighter. Functions pretty similarly although however one key difference is that due to the ability to block in the air in Skullgirls, outside of reversals you need to make harder reads to successfully pull it off. Some people like pressing buttons when they jump in but if they jump in, block and you do Updo, they will block it and you'll get punished. H version starts up a tiny bit slower and has slightly less invincibility but generally the H one is the most used. The other versions have their uses but for reversals and neutral usage, H is used the most.

qcb K (Hairball/Airball)
Rolls Filia along the ground, it has no invincibility and is unsafe on block so the ground one isn't used at neutral very much, it's usually for combos.

The air one is more interesting. the L one makes Filia travel upwards, the M one straight forward and H travels downwards. You can use it to advance at neutral but keep in mind it's still unsafe on block. (Less so but still punishable unless you cancel it into something) Using Airball can be key in certain match ups such as against Peacock as Filia lacks tools to get past Peacock's projectiles without it.

Supers

LVL1 qcb KK (Gregor Samson)
Gregor has a ton of uses and one of the best things about it is the fact that you can combo off of it. After they wall bounce, you can dash up to them and do s.MK s.HP into a combo most of the time but screen position and character weight make for different also factor in, also if you did a throw or not as her throw uses up OTG. Consult this Skullheart thread[skullgirls.com] for the specifics.

Air gregor can also be hard to punish in certain situations, being -5 at best which makes it difficult on occasions.

Because you can combo off of it, the move also makes for a great super to DHC into. Be it if you did a reversal super or if it's a punish, such as using Valentine's Scalpels super and then DHCing into Gregor to convert the punish into a combo.

LVL 1 dp PP (Fenrir Drive)
A DP super, it starts up in 3 frames, making it one of the fastest supers in the game. It does more damage than Gregor so it is useful if you need damage for a kill. It also obviously has invincibility frames on all of it's start up and up to the 7th active frame so it is good for reversals.

LVL 3 qcb PP (Tricobezoar)
Not that great of a move, gets scaled pretty hard and can miss on ground opponents as it fires a projectile diagonally up.

Resets and Mix ups

In training mode you can turn on "Show Crossups" to see if a mix up really is a cross up.

Low/Throw --
The basics of every reset. Filia will need to use Gregor to follow off of a throw that isn't in the corner however

IAD j.HK --
When they are on the ground, do IAD j.HK to cross them up. Does not work in the corner.

IAD j.LK j.HK --
Allows you to chain into j.HK for an overhead mix up.

s.HP (slight delay) j.LP j.MP(3) j.MK j.HP --
Fast fall reset. You don't need strictly 3 hits on j.MP but you have to let it go for awhile. j.HP should not come out but instead let you fall faster to go for a reset.

c.HK MK Bomber Cross under --
On enemy incoming (After character death or snap out) do c.HK to get under them and use MK Bomber to keep them locked down. If they get hit, you can convert into a combo in the corner. If they don't then you will be safe. Works with most lockdown assists, pretty much anything that forces them to block and doesn't have too long of a start up.

Burst baits

Corner: (Works on everyone)

c.LK s.MK (or c.MK) s.HP
j,HP j.HK xx H Airball ADC j.MP j.HK
c.LP c.MK s.HP j.HK air dash backwards


Burst bait 50/50 (Corner, works on everyone, harder to do on heavier characters)

s.HP j.LP j.LK j.MP j.MK j.HP (Land) jump back j.LP IAD backwards

Double snaps

A Double snap is when you catch both the point and assist character in your combo, snap out the point character with an Outtake and then do an infinite combo on the assist to kill it (Assists are not affected by IPS or Undizzy)

These only work in the corner, it's ideal to snap out the point character by cancelling c.MK to make sure you've caught both characters but it's not mandatory.

c.LK s.MK s.HP (Or anything that launches them into the air)
j.HP ADC j.HP s.LP s.MP s.HP j.HP ADC j.HP... etc etc

Keep in mind Parasoul/Cerebella/Double/Big Band/Eliza fall faster so adjust your timing accordingly

Combos

Midscreen (Works on everyone)

c.LK s.MK (or c.MK) s.HP
j.HP ADC j.LK j.HK
OTG c.LK s.HP
j.LP j.MK(1) xx H Airball ADC j.MP(4) j.HK
c.LP c.MK c.HP xx H Hairball xx Fenrir Drive

Corner (Works on everyone)
c.LK s.MK (or c.MK) s.HP
j,HP j.HK xx H Airball ADC j.MP j.HK
c.LP c.MK c.HP xx H Hairball xx Fenrir Drive (If you have OTG left then you can do another string after the H Hairball with c.LK c.MK c.HP xx Hairball xx Fenrir Drive)

The OTG combo "extension" requires a bit of timing, especially on Big Band. You will probably have OTG left if you started the combo from a raw c.LK but you may not have it left if you caught them with an assist like Hornet Bomber or you start the combo off of a throw.

Match ups & Synergies

It's difficult to give absolute match up advice in a team game like Skullgirls since team effectiveness can completely change depending on the team set up however this section will go over some specific points that Filia has with other characters that are worth noting. The points listed are things you should look out for in the match up, if a match up has more disadvantages than advantages listed that doesn't mean I think it's a bad match up.

+ = Filia advantage
- = Filia disadvantage

Peacock

+ Hairball can be useful with getting over Peacock's projectiles as it keeps Filia in the air, slightly above Peacock's ground projectiles and below her air projectiles.

Big Band

+ Normally after you throw someone midscreen you need to use OTG to follow up on it with Gregor. If you do L Updo right after you throw and then quickly use Gregor, you can preserve the OTG. Timing is slightly difficult.
+ Sometimes Filia's j.MP can eat through Big Band's armor if he decides to use Brass Knuckles if you do j.MP before or as Brass Knuckles is in start up.

Other Resources

You mainly want to check the Filia section[skullgirls.com] on Skullheart for most Filia related resources and discussion. Although you can check all the hitboxes in-game, here[skullgirls.com] is a link to a Skullheart thread that has them all listed anyway.

The Filia page[wiki.shoryuken.com] on the Shoryuken wiki is also good however it may be outdated so take any numbers with a grain of salt, when in doubt check the frame data in-game.

As Filia is a versatile character, there aren't really too many character specialists for her but you may want to look up players such as Sonic Fox or Winnie. Winnie also made a Filia guide of his own which can be found here[skullgirls.com] however it is from last year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixLjhonClsg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMh-JHCmh5I

Afterword, Feedback and Discussion

I hope after reading this guide I've taught you a thing or two about Filia. If you have any comments about this guide then of course leave one below however if it's something that requires a more proper/longer discussion or answer then I'd prefer it if you posted it in the Skullheart thread for this guide which can be found here[skullgirls.com]

Thanks for reading!

[Diabeetus88]

Don't forget C.MP > J.MP > J.HP, pretty good combo if you can land it.

[KhronoBread]

I'm just not understanding how u did j.MP in to j.HK

[Sunriser]

Thank you. What about the match-ups? I think I already got them figured, but I think there should be a section about them.

[GG Player]

I guess I omitted that section, oops. With Filia she works with a lot of characters due to Updo being just pretty decent overall. Not as good now but still just useful overall. I don't think there's anything overly important to point out.

[Sunriser]

Great guide, it's getting me started with this girl. Just a question... where are the synergies?

[merophysik]

This guide got me a solo Filia going. Thanks man.

[GG Player]

Already have a Valentine one but otherwise probably not. If anything it would be a Double guide but someone else is doing one and I'm not learning her full time.

[CF900]

You forgot to add that she has the best booty game.

Jk, nice guide, adding it to favorites, will you make guides for other characters?

[GG Player]

Technically the purple OTG bounce is the visual indicator

Try doing it on someone lighter like Filia

[Robitron]

I'm having a hard time getting the timing for the OTG part of the mid screen combo. I'm getting one of 3 scenarios. I do it too early and the command doesn't go in. Then I hit it or I wiff it. Is there a visual que I could look for to help getting it more consistanly?
I've been practicing it on Parasoul