Chaos Breaker/GerhardsenII

GerhardsenII's victory screen

Introduction

GerhardsenII is a character that relies on tick throws and rushing down with his grenades, rather than actually firing his cannon. His normals are far from impressive, but he has a number of tricks available to him that can score big damage if they're set up right. Like Troll, Gerhardsen is a very large character and has really bad magic defense, which means that he can be hit by things most other characters can't and will also pay for it a lot more.

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The Basics

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Combos

Mid-screen

5B/5C > 236A (with a bullet) xx 236236A or 214214B/C (in the corner)

• 2B works as well, but it doesn't really make much of a difference. The basic idea is comboing into a loaded cannon shot, then linking the super after to juggle. You basically just need to perform the super immediately after and everything will take care of itself. You can use 214214X in the corner as an alternative to do more damage.

j.A/j.B/j.C/5B > 214X > any supers

• All of Gerhardsen's jump-ins generate a lot of hitstun, so it's fairly easy to combo off of them. Burst cancel into pretty much anything after a successful hit for good damage.

j.C, 236A xx 236236A

• Heavy jump-in to Gerhardsen's usual cannon shenanigans. Requires a loaded bullet to work.

j.D, j.D, 214A

• An unusual combo that works because of way j.D comes out. Basically you need to throw the first j.D as you're falling and about to land, then throw the second right as you jump again, then land and combo into 214A. Easy enough, right?

j.D, 5B >214B/C

• Same principle as the double j.D, minus the second jump. Use 214B/C to get more range as the 5B will push your opponent further away.

j.C, 214C > 2141236C

• Jump-in to supercancel. The trick to doing this properly is to cancel on the first hit of 214C and not the second or else the most damaging part of the super will not connect.

j.D, 2C > 236X xx 236236X

• In order for this to work, you have to time the j.D as low to the ground as possible so that you're hitting the opponent with 2C at pretty much exactly the same time they're getting hit with j.D. From there you can shoot them with the cannon and then combo into super. Basically just keep their position in mind and how quickly you can get the command out. Try 236C > 236236A if you're confused by it.

counter hit A > 214A

• Not something you'll use very often, but a good way to get a quick return off a counter hit.

2C > 66D xx 236236A

• A pretty silly combo that involves swapping sides before hitting your opponent with the super. A decent way of pushing your opponent into the corner, but you'll probably have a hard time landing 2C outside of a punish.

Corner

j.C, 236A (with bullet)xx 2C > 236B (no bullet) xx 214214X

• Gerhardsen's cannon shenanigans in the corner. Basically the same thing you can do at mid-screen, except for the 2C > 236B juggle. Very damaging.

214A xx 214A

• The basic idea is to do the command fast enough after the first one puts your opponent into the air to hit them again, but not fast enough to cancel into the follow-up if you have a loaded bullet. Doesn't really do a lot of damage, but it's free.

2C > 236B x N (no bullets)

• The corner loop that nobody talks about. All you have to do is launch with 2C, then delay the cancel into 236B so that you actually hit your opponent with the very top of the flame. This pushes your opponent high enough that you can recover and hit them with 2C again and keep it going. This is one of the more tricky loops to keep up, but it does a lot of damage and can even do 100% if you get the timing right. The main problem is that you need to land 2C in the corner and you probably won't get that chance against an opponent who knows what they're doing.

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Strategy

Item Compatibility

Talisman

• The Stock Action works the same way as it does for Vargan in that you can use it to make your opponent back off while you reload. The boost to magic defense is also a nice bonus, but the best use probably comes from the IB and using it to start Gerhardsen's corner loop. You probably won't get a lot of opportunities to use it, but supercancelling from 214A can increase your chances of actually landing it.

Blood Sword

• Another way to make the corner loop more practical, this version either relies on a Mana Counter into IB or cancelling 214A into the IB.

Rune Ax

• Cancelling 214A into an IB seems to be a pretty standard gimmick for Gerhardsen, and using the Rune Ax to that end is no exception. It does a pretty decent chunk of damage and will let you start the loop if you're near the corner. The only problem is that Rune Ax IB is quite random and occasionally won't work the way it's supposed to. Oh right, having the Rune Ax increases your attack power by a little bit. Not too shabby.

Earth Hammer

• A very useful Item that increases Gerhardsen's attack power and opens up another way to start his corner loop. Performing the IB off of a j.C will result in a mixup (overhead, low) that can be comboed from in the corner. Another interesting gimmick is performing j.D low enough to the ground, then activating the SA when you land for another mixup. It's not an unblockable, but it will probably catch most unwary opponents at least once.

Character Chemistry

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Matchups

Serious Advantage Matchups

Gerhardsen has no serious advantage matchups.

Advantage Matchups

• Curse Head

Fair Matchups

• Troll
• Goblin

Disadvantage Matchups

• Sandra
• Evetta
• Bernhard
• Mara
• Fina
• Dorgan

Serious Disadvantage Matchups

• Vritra
• Nagar
• Vargan
• Elion
• Ramda
• Orc
• Zon
• Nsidor

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Move Analysis

Normals and Command Normals

Standing

5A

• Quick shove with the front of the cannon that can only be cancelled on block. The AI likes to use this move over and over and over again in an attempt to clash everything you throw at him. Don't do that.

5B

• Same animation as 5A, only slower and the dwarf makes a different sound. Range is identical.

5C

• Hard shove with the front of the cannon that makes the dwarf leave the ground briefly in order to push the thing. Looks very similar to his other standing normals, the difference being it has slightly better range.

5D

• Lobs a grenade in a small arc that explodes in midair. Grenades hit overhead and will disappear without exploding if Gerhardsen is counter hit during the throw. Unfortunately, they can also be clashed.

Crouching

2A

• Same range, same basic animation as 5A. Doesn't stop dashes. Cancellable on block.

2B

• Don't worry, no one else can tell them apart either. Slightly slower than 2A.

2C

• Heavy launcher that involves bouncing the cannon upwards to hit the opponent. Has less range than any of his other normals because it involves moving the cannon upward and not forward. While the chances of landing this move outside of a combo are very slim, it can be used as part of 100% combo in the corner. Don't use this move unless you have a very good reason.

2D

• Gerhardsen rolls a grenade along the ground which hits low and knocks down. It has the second longest reach out of any of his standing normals, being only outclassed by 6D. It's slow and should only be used for the occasional surprise attack.

Command

6A

• Akin to Goblin and Nsidor's riding forward normals, Gerhardsen does the exact same animation as he does for his standing A and B moves, but he inches slightly forward. Cancellable on block.

6B

• Do I really have to say it? Same old, same old.

6C

• Violent shove with the front of the cannon that has slightly more reach than 5C and also serves as Gerhardsen's blowback attack since D is assigned to grenades. Your wall-bounce options are generally limited to 214A, 236236X, or 214214X. Bear in mind that it's difficult to space and the recovery is terrible on this move.

6D

• Wide grenade lob that has the most reach out of all of Gerhardsen's standing normals and also manages to hit overhead. It's too bad that they clash.

Jumping

j.A

• A "dive kick" that makes Gerhardsen travel straight downward. Knocks down on air hit. Can be cancelled on landing.

j.B

• Another "dive kick" that travels at a 30 degree angle. Knocks down on air hit. Can be cancelled on landing.

j.C

• The last dive kick which travels at a steep 45 degree angle. Knocks down on air hit. Can be cancelled on landing.

j.D

• Aerial grenade lob that doesn't look like it has a whole lot of range, but the actual angle and trajectory of the grenade is affected greatly by the angle of the jump and when the grenade is thrown. Can be highly effective if used correctly.

Normal Throws

Front Throw: 6D (in close)

• Gerhardsen somehow manages to stick the opponent onto the front of the cannon, then blasts them away.

Back Throw: 4D (in close)

• Gerhardsen uses his magical magnet to grab the opponent, then spins and throws them behind him.

Mana-Counter

A mighty forward shove that's the same as Gerhardsen's 6C animation, which can be linked into 236X, 236236X, or 214214X if the opponent is hit standing near the corner. Airborne or mid-screen opponents are mostly safe from punishment, so use the time they're downed in order to reload. Unless you really want to try something gimmicky like crossing-up with 623CC.

Specials

Cannon Fire: 236A/B/C

• Fires the currently loaded bullet. Discharges short-ranged flame if not loaded.
• Button strength affects angle of fire. A is straight, B is 30 degrees up, C is 45 degrees up.
• The blast from the cannon's barrel itself counts as a hit, while the cannonball hits twice. A close-ranged shot will hit the opponent 3 times.
• Zon's 236X can be clashed with the flame while the cannonball will continue towards him.

Cannon Jump: 623A/B/C

• (After Cannon Jump) Cannon Jump Attack: A/B/C/D
• A command jump that's fairly fast and puts Gerhardsen a lot higher than his regular jump.
• Button strength affects angle of ascent. A goes straight up, C goes further forward.
• A/B/C will make Gerhardsen spin and drop to the ground. Pressing D is the same as j.D
• The hitbox on the spinning part is not directly below the cannon but slightly towards the front, so landing directly on top of something may or may not clash or get the desired results.
• Spin drops have landing recovery while simply lobbing grenades does not.
• Short startup invincibility on the jump.

Cannon Spin: 214A/B/C

• Two-hit spin along the ground that knocks down.
• Button strength controls distance. A short, C long.
• A version comes out really fast.
• Inputting 214A/B/C again during the spin will cause a second spin if a bullet is currently loaded. It will fire the shot backwards to give the cannon more momentum.
• Number of spins added by button strength: A = 1, B = 2, C = 3.

Reload: 22A/B/C

• Reloads the one and only shot the cannon can hold.
• Button strength makes no difference whatsoever.
• Recovery time is lengthy, so making use of the end of round grace period to reload (like Vargan) is a very good idea.

Cannon Advance: 66D

• Command dash that can pass through an opponent and has upper-body invincibility.

Cannon Retreat: 44D

• Reverse command dash that does the same thing as 66D, only backwards.

Mana Bursts

Special Shell: 236236A/B/C

• 4-hit cannonball that's controlled in the same way as 236X.
• Juggles are possible after hitting an opponent with a loaded 236X.
• Unlike Vargan, not bullet needs to be loaded in order for this super to work.
• Can be dash-clashed.

Cluster Shell: 214214A/B/C

• A series of short-ranged flame blasts from the cannon that affect a wide area.
• Same range control as the other supers.
• Works well for adding damage in the corner.

Shell Bunker: 2141236A/B/C

• Gerhardsen fires a shot at the ground which launches him in the air, then he spins back down the ground to hit his opponent. Like Maxima's Bunker Buster.
• Button strength controls location of descent. A is straight down, B and C are further over.

Hell Flame: 236236D (Only when Draconic Figurine is equipped)

• Flame super that's pretty much useless in every way.
• Can be clashed and does crappy damage.

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Frame Data

Attack	Cancel	State	Total	Start-up	Active	Hit	Guard
5A	No	Mid	18	6		+3	-1
6A	No	Mid	18	6		+3	-1
2A	No	Mid	18	6		+3	-1
j.A	No	Overhead		17
5B	Yes	Mid	27	10		+2	-4
6B	Yes	Mid	28	11		+2	-4
2B	Yes	Mid	28	11		+2	-4
j.B	No	Overhead		17
5C	Yes	Mid	43	17		0	-16
6C	No	Mid	53	17		Blowback	-16
2C	Yes	Mid	44	14		Float	-16
j.C	No	Overhead		17
5D	No	Overhead	52	36
6D	No	Overhead	52	36
2D	No	Low	52	36
j.D	No	Overhead		22

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Chaos Breaker