Using Meter and Playing Defense in Melty Blood: Type Lumina
The new French Bread game’s defense is miles ahead of its predecessors
I don’t personally agree with the sentiment that Guilty Gear defense is very weak, even in Strive. However, if GGST defense is exceptionally weak, then Melty Blood Type Lumina’s defense is exceptionally strong. With two meters that can be dumped into defensive options, both of which recover very quickly, an easy-to-use parry option with a variety of followups, plenty of armor to go around, and the ability to heal back a percentage of your health, French Bread has provided new Melty players with an incredible number of tools that the character in disadvantage can use to turn the game around. Shield in particular is so different from its predecessors in Actress Again Current Code and Under Night In-Birth that it may as well be a whole new mechanic. To understand what options you and your opponent have in MBTL, as well as how to use them, it’s important to first understand everything you can do with the abundance of meter that you spend.
Type Lumina has two main meter systems: the Moon Icon and the Magic Circuit. The Magic Circuit is ostensibly your typical super meter, but you can spend it on other resources. The Moon Icon, or the Moon Gauge, is what is usually spent on tools like Shield and Moon Skills. We’ll go over everything in greater detail as we go, but it’s helpful to think of the main uses of each meter first. The Magic Circuit typically has three bars (when the gauge is full, you are said to have 300% meter,) but the Awakening state will grant the losing player a fourth bar. More specifically, Awakening is triggered when one player is on game point, at which point the other player will get their fourth bar. This can be changed by altering the in-game round count; for instance, in a typical three-round game, Player 1 will earn Awakening if Player 2 has one round up, whereas in a five-round game, Player 1 won’t get it until Player 2 has won two rounds. While it can be difficult to tell due to the shape and color of the Moon Icon, it waxes and wanes in increments of 10%, and certain uses of Moon Icon cost more than others. With that being said, let’s get into defense!
EDIT: As of the 8/19/2022 patch, Melty Blood Type Lumina defense in version 1.3 has changed drastically compared to previous iterations. This guide has had its information and .GIFs updated accordingly!
Regular-ass blocking
This part should be easy, right? Hold back to block mid and high, hold down back to block mid and low. There’s a few intricacies to keep in mind in Type Lumina, however. One, standing block has crossup protection, while crouching block does not. This means you have to be actively block switching correctly on side-switches or overhead crossups, all common types of mixups due to the open air movement. Two, grounded normals and some other supers are air unblockable. The only way to block such attacks in the air is with Shield. While you can block most projectiles and all air buttons with air block, you will get hit by a successful grounded anti-air, which leads us to discuss…
Fatal Counter
Like a regular counter, but worse for the person getting hit. Since you can’t block grounded anti-airs, you may be tempted to mash an overhead on your opponent. If you get punished on your jump-in, however, you will be opened up by a Fatal Counter, which has additional hitstun and combo damage even compared to normal counters. What’s more, Fatal Counters in the air are completely untechable until you land, meaning the attacker gets to juggle you however they like. You can also Fatal Counter an opponent if they incorrectly Shield your attacks, or if you throw them out of Shield. 3C is a common universal anti-air, as they are relatively fast, have upper-body invuln, and can launch for a combo into knockdown.
Other unblockables
Some other moves are unblockable by default, like Kouma’s command throws, but other attacks like Shiki’s and Arcueid’s Blowback Edge 5[C]s are also unblockable and must be Shielded on the correct attack height. For instance, in both Shiki’s and Arc’s case, 5[C] must be blocked high. Blowback Edge moves can be reacted to by watching for- and punishing- the green flash on the attacker’s move. Unblockable Blowback Edge moves usually don’t grant a big combo on hit, since they can’t always be cancelled with special moves, Reverse Beats, Moon Drive, EX Specials, Arc Drives, and so on, and their recovery and untechable times are also substantial. Aerial Blowback Edge moves also have a ton of landing recovery on whiff, meaning any safejump attempts with them will be punished by a reversal instead. Command grabs like Kouma’s Crushing Blow can be comboed into and out of, however, and they can also beat Shield, so your best option is usually to escape with a backdash or jump out.
Attack interactions and armor types
While this document isn’t necessarily focused on offense, it’s important to recognize how attacks can clash, invalidate each other, or be used as reversals. Some moves that are genuine reversals- whether they’re performed with an actual DP input or simply a 22X input that looks like a typical rising uppercut- do have partial or full invulnerability. Other moves, like Arcueid’s Blowback Edge 5[B], have clash frames where the attacker will, as the name suggests, clash through the attack they trade with. When you trade with an attack that has clash frames, as the defender, you cannot block since your cancel options are treated as if your attack hit- thus, you must jump cancel and then block or Shield the rest of the clash frame attack. Since clash frames let you push through attacks, they can be used both offensively and defensively. (Clash frame moves are different than when two normals clank typically- those situations play out in the same way as games like Guilty Gear do.)
The clash frame mechanic works similarly to armor, which is itself also in Type Lumina. Armor works like it does in other games- you still take hitstun and some damage, but you won’t flinch and you’ll push through the attacker’s offense. Of course, if you do enough damage through the armor, you can KO the defender anyway. Characters like Kouma will abuse armor more than anyone else, but it can also be found elsewhere. For instance, whereas Arc’s 5[B] has clash frames on it, Red Arcueid’s 5[B] (which looks the same otherwise) has armor frames. Clash frames on Blowback Edge normals will lose to the clash frames on Moon Skills as well as some invincible EX Edge special moves and Arc Drives, but can still beat other normal attacks and EX Edge specials. Armored moves can similarly also be crushed by EX Edge moves and Arc Drives. We’ll discuss those stronger, metered moves that beat clash and armor later.
Moon Icon uses
Moon can be spent on a plethora of options, and we’re going to discuss Shield first. In total, Moon Gauge gets dumped into using and whiffing Shield, using Moon Skills, certain Shield Counters, entering Moon Drive, and clashing with Moon Skills while in Moon Drive. In patch 1.3, Shield and other uses for Moon Drive were extensively reworked.
Shield
Shield is your basic metered defensive option, used by pressing D. Standing Shield can be used without holding back, but you must be crouching or down-backing for crouching Shield. You cannot change your block height once you’ve pressed Shield, so fuzzy guarding is not possible. As mentioned before, Shield is your main way to get through unblockable attacks, and you can continue holding the button to block multi-hits if the first hit is Shielded. You will also heal back a small portion of recoverable grey health (referred to in-game as Vital Source) on the first parry. On a whiffed Shield attempt, you spend 10% of your Moon Gauge, and that 10% is refunded on a successful parry. The Moon Gauge will gradually deplete if you keep holding Shield, much like Faultless Defense or Barrier Block in Guilty Gear and BlazBlue.
The big draw to Shield, of course, is not only parrying the move you blocked, but what you do after Shielding. Shield has three possible followups, each referred to as Shield Counters. These Shield Counters are performed with either A or C, B, or BC after a successful parry. Shield Counter A/C will automatically perform your character’s 3C launcher on the ground, or an automatic j.C in the air. Shield Counter B performs a cross-up teleport into the air, kind of like Dragon Ball FighterZ’s Vanish tool. The attack performed after the teleport groundbounces on counter hit, and you can hold left or right to drift a little bit while falling after teleporting to get closer on your air hit, or further to escape. Of the three Shield Counters, Shield Counter BC is the only one that costs Moon Gauge, requiring at least 50% meter (keeping in mind that a successful Shield refunds 10% Moon Gauge, this effectively means that Shield Counter BC only costs 40%.) Shield Counter BC is a quick escape option that can potentially start a combo on hit, but is primarily there to get you out of any Shield situation you don’t want to be in.
Of course, all these followups can themselves be Shielded, and lots of moves in the game (such as 5A/2A, and most non-invuln Specials and EX Specials) can be cancelled into Shield on whiff or when they’re Shielded, which leads to a lot of rock-paper-scissors mindgames and can even create a lot of option selects. When you Shield against the attacker, or when you get Shielded, think about your options in this way:
- Shield Counter A/C is very fast at 11f startup and is the most likely to get you a dirty combo in a pinch, especially on the ground. It can also be jump-canceled when clashing with another attack, so overall it’s the best way to deal damage after a parry.
- Shield Counter B will mostly be used to get in on zoners by Shielding a projectile and then teleporting. The overhead teleport’s slow 25f startup can also punish people who immediately counter-Shield, but can still be Shielded with correct timing. If you don’t get a counter hit, however, it can be difficult to follow up with a combo.
- Shield Counter BC is the fastest option at 7f startup and will usually let you or your opponent get out of jail free, resetting the situation at the cost of Moon Gauge. You can also input Shield Counter BC even if you weren’t holding Shield, allowing you to reversal out of some situations… but you spend the full 50% Moon Gauge cost and this reversal can be punished like any other option, so be careful!
- Simply blocking or Shielding back with variable timing can also punish some Shield Counter attempts, although this would take some practice and awareness of specific situations. However, you are stuck in a very long amount of recovery on a successful empty Shield, so it may be better to act right away sometimes.
- You can also just do nothing! If your opponent commits to Shield but they’re facing the wrong way or they’re not blocking the correct height, you have a long time to pick the correct punish. You don’t just have to mash into their Shield mindlessly. The exact data for how long Shield whiff recovery lasts for is different depending on how much Moon Gauge is remaining, but it’s an average of 30 frames.
As repeatedly mentioned, MBTL patch 1.3 extensively reworked how Shield functions, even more so than the updates to the mechanic in 1.2. The cost of the mechanic was updated to what was previously mentioned- 10% on a single press, with a continuous cost as the button is held. There are also now increased whiff recovery on a held, failed, or successful but empty Shield attempt. You can also no longer switch your guard height on a successful Shield- if you committed to a standing Shield, and you were successful, you must let go of D before switching to crouching Shield. Perhaps most significantly, Shield will now lose to mid-hitting grounded normals. Instead, Shield will change into a guard crush state where the defender switches to a regular block that receives a chunk of chip damage. There are also other situations where Shielding will simply no longer work. To elaborate, here are the various interactions that new Shield will lose to:
- Crouching Shields will lose to standing B or C mid normals, and Blowback Edge versions of the same attacks will trigger Fatal Counter.
- Standing Shields will lose to crouching B or C mid normals as well.
- Crouching Shields will lose to Blowback Edge Forced Release (a mechanic discussed further below.) BE Forced Release must be Standing Shielded.
Moon Skills
Moon Skills are shortcut versions of your regular special moves. They are usually performed with a single directional input and pressing BC, and in exchange for their strength and better frame data, they cost 30% of your Moon Gauge. (At the minimum amount of Moon Gauge, a Moon Skill will simply empty it out.) In this way, you can think of Moon Skills as being similar to Granblue Fantasy Versus’s special move button, where you could execute special moves faster and easier at the cost of a major cooldown. This means that you can use them in situations where the execution barrier makes certain moves difficult to input, although some Moon Skills have genuinely unique variations that set them apart from their regular or even EX versions.
Moon Drive
Moon Drive is a wholly new mechanic that combines aspects of a bunch of legacy French Bread mechanics into one. When you have 50% or more Moon Gauge, pressing 5BC will pop Moon Drive, providing 5f total strike invuln and a Roman Cancel-style (or perhaps more like Chain Shift) screen freeze on activation. Moon Drive will deplete your Moon Gauge for the duration, lasting ten seconds at 50% and over 30 seconds at 100%, and provides the following buffs:
- Moon Skills have a reduced Moon Gauge cost- you can use roughly six Moon Skills during a 100% Moon Drive before the meter depletes. Moon Skills also have one frame of reduced startup and they gain clash frames. If you clash with an opponent’s Moon Skill, 30% of your Moon Gauge is depleted per clash. Moon Skills will also heal back a little bit of your health on clash.
- You passively gain Magic Circuit. You can potentially fill 150% of your Magic Circuit during a 100% Moon Drive.
- You gain additional air movement- an additional airdash (only applicable in the opposite direction of the first one) and a third jump which you can use after both airdashes.
As you can see, Moon Drive has a lot of applications. You can use it aggressively, by using the screen freeze to extend combos, continue air combos with your additional movement, and build Magic Circuit. You can also use it on defense by activating reversal Moon Drive for the invuln, taking your turn back with the screen freeze, and making use of the clash frames on Moon Skills to ignore offense. Moon Drive can be countered by throwing it on activation (Moon Drives are not throw invuln) or by popping your own Moon Drive, also known as Moon Drive Counter. This essentially lets you negate the screen freeze and take your turn back. More importantly, Moon Drive Counter will let you cancel moves during your opponent’s Moon Drive pop that would normally not be Moon Drive cancellable, which makes you safe against potential punishes.
Magic Circuit uses
EX Edge moves
Also known as EX Specials or even supers (the game considers them to be equivalent to supers at least,) EX Edge moves are versions of your regular specials that cost 100% of your Magic Circuit. While they often do more damage and are useful as combo enders, EX Edge moves can also provide invulnerability or other properties. Red Arc can use her 236C or 623C as reversals, for instance, since spending meter on her special moves grants then invincibility that the meterless versions don’t have. Of course, like other reversal options, don’t get too predictable with them or else you’ll be called out and also be down precious meter.
Arc Drives and Last Arcs
These are your more traditional supers. Arc Drives are universally performed with 236BC and cost 300% Magic Circuit. Last Arcs are performed with 400% Magic Circuit, meaning they can only be used when in Awakening. Last Arcs also spend the additional fourth bar of Magic Circuit once used. Arc Drives can be often used as invincible reversals, but the screen freeze and animation cut-in means they have slow startups and can be reacted to, so they’re usually better when you can get a guaranteed punish or as combo enders. Last Arcs are high-risk supers that begin with your character swinging a blockable attack forward that transitions into the full cutscene on success and deals a ton of damage. Last Arcs are not always practical due to the cost, potential to whiff, and the setup they require to be useful in combos, so it’s often better to dump meter into Arc Drive or other options.
Heat and Blood Heat
Press ABC with at least 100% Magic Circuit to activate Heat. Heat begins draining your Magic Circuit while converting your grey health into blue health, and immediately gives you access to your Arc Drive even if you didn’t have 300% meter upon activation. Other expenditures of Magic Circuit will tap into the depletion of Heat as well. You also receive a slight 10% damage buff on top of everything else. While Heat activation is slow, it can be used as a guard cancel (activate Heat while in blockstun) and is unblockable, making it an excellent get-off-me option, combining the best aspects of combo breaker tools like Burst with that of Alpha Counters. Blood Heat is like regular Heat, except it can only be activated with Awakening available. The damage buff is increased to 20%, and your health recovery is much faster, but most importantly, any successful Shield during Blood Heat immediately triggers Last Arc! However, while the hitbox for Heat and Blood Heat is unblockable, much like other unblockable moves, it can still be parried with a standing Shield, and a whiffed Heat pop can still be punished after the invuln frames are over, so be careful when using it.
Bonus: Moon Charge
By holding 2AB down in neutral, your character will perform Moon Charge. This restores your Moon Gauge and Magic Circuit while converting your HP into grey health. When you activate Moon Charge while your opponent is in Moon Drive, your Moon Charge drains your opponent’s Moon Gauge. Moon Charge has a minimum activation time of 23 frames, so it’s not something you can perform and get away with, especially since most characters would rather take advantage of full-screen or knockdown situations by setting up okizeme or zoning. Still, if you’re in a position where you want to quickly build some resource, you can keep Moon Charge in your back pocket as an option.
So what do I do against all of this?
Type Lumina has a lot of all-encompassing, buckwild defensive options. While most fighting games already have some sort of tactical RPS built into every interaction, if you don’t understand Type Lumina’s defense it can feel like you’re guessing wrong every time you IAD j.C. Fortunately, there are a lot of ways to muscle through the defensive options in this game, and the RPS you play around them even works by playing these options against each other. Let’s look at some examples:
- Shield cannot block throws and ends the blockstun protection you would normally have after a regular block. Punishing things like wake-up or jump-in Shield by simply throwing them, or getting a tick throw after a blocked jab into a Shield attempt, will condition your opponent to stop using it as a reversal or approach option.
- As noted above, you can counter Moon Drive with your own Moon Drive, essentially resetting the situation while giving you the same buffs that your opponent can now take advantage of. Of course, things like bonus clash frames and invuln aren’t intimidating to characters like Arcueid or Kouma who can already take advantage of that privilege without popping Moon Drive.
- Many reversal options, up to and including Heat activation, can be baited and Shielded. Since normals can be cancelled into Shield on most situations, you can fake a meaty 5A (for instance) and then immediately press 5B~D (press 5B and then piano the D input.) If you performed this option select correctly, you will Shield a reversal Heat and poke again with 5B if your opponent blocked. In fact, several of these option selects exist in the game and revolve around the ability to cancel a whiffed normal into Shield or a throw by plinking a normal into the AD command. New option selects are being discovered in this game all the time, so for this segment I’ll defer directly to the MBTL Mizuumi page.
- In the April 13th, 2022 patch, several changes were made to MBTL’s defensive system. Whiffed Shields carry longer recovery times, and you can no longer continue holding Shield after whiff cancelling a 5A/2A into one. Non-invuln EX Specials can now be cancelled into Shield when they themselves are Shielded, making it harder to punish some metered options. Furthermore, Heat activation now has a Blowback Edge version performed by holding the input down, which changes the activation timing and makes it harder (though not impossible) to punish with the anti-Heat Shield OS. The new defensive tweaks from 4/13/2022 and 8/19/2022 realign Shield into being a defensive tool with higher risk/reward, while other reversal options are much stronger overall.
Due to the abundance of ways to spend your meters and how exceptional they are on defense, learning those options yourself is crucial to your survival in MBTL. You don’t have to know all of the interactions right away, but having an understanding of small pieces like when to Shield or pop Moon Drive or Heat is important. It’s also important to recognize that so-called defensive options can be used aggressively, whether it’s ignorantly armoring through your opponent’s pokes or jumping in ready to parry an anti-air. Take the time to learn everything slowly, practicing options regularly both in real matches and via the training mode and tutorial. Once you have a grasp on a handful of these defensive elements, you should know not only when to use them, but how to counter them.
