ElegantShadow

Actually, in Dia Form, 5D is Jump Cancelable. The follow-up isn't, however. But I wholeheartedly agree that she does look much more interesting than her previous incarnations (I'm looking at you, EX Lambda).

The NicoNico ones? I admit, I couldn't really tell the difference. Dia's Crescent Saber looks completely unchanged without a range increase nor decrease. The same seems to apply to Luna's as well. Though, I could be looking at the wrong video(s).

WHAT?!!! That seems strange, especially since that seems to do more harm than good for Dia Forma, as far as I can see. I'm not even sure if that's helpful to Luna Forma either. Edit: I just watched This and am I the only one who thinks that Act Parser Zwei: Blade and Phase Rift became a bit faster? I don't know, it might just be my eyes. On another note, holy crap, that range on our Astral! And we can finally combo into it!

So, any CP 1.1 videos with Nu footage in them floating around as of yet? I'm inching to see her Astral and the new range on Dia's Crescent Saber in action.

Wouldn't that make Rapsody of Memories (Regular and OD version) ridculous for recoverying Ada's HP then?

Are there any future plans to add new themes? A Carl or Dizzy one would be awesome.

Damn, our Astral Heat got buffed big time! I mean, that range, without visual aid sounds... ridiculous compared to what we once had. :O I'm not sure how I feel about a farther reaching Crescent Saber, that could very well end up being a double edged sword. Do-Dou-Double Calamity Sword?! Eat your heart out, Noel. Well, I'm not so worried about Negative Penalty anymore, thanks to that bit of info. :3 The damage in that video looks roughly like 8270K.

So, Carl, Tager, and Kagura would have more than four because they lack basic mobility like a quick run, while Nu, Mu, and Ragna would have/less than four, because they have access to moderate/fast runs? Alright, that actually does make sense. Thank you for clearing that up. I use Rush-Down character as a catch all for anything that isn't throwing projectiles left and right, doesn't has some outrageous means of controlling the pace of the match, or generally prefers to be close to the opponent. So, yeah, I'm actually not sure of what to call Kagura.

Let's be real here, as you've said, she's hard to balance, but the thing is that, they would only need to buff/change a few things to make her Kokonoe levels of broken (or close to). Actually, I think that they played around with this a bit with her Unlimited Mode. Note that she can use Act Parser off of all of her Specials (and Normals?), and has a delayable Legacy Edge, those changes alone might not seem that big, but taking into account just what Nu is capable of already... yeah. What I'm saying is that they would have to be VERY careful with how Buff her. For instance, a DP would be nice, but even I know, despite wanting it so badly, that if she had one that was even close to Ragna, Kagura, or even Tsubaki's level, she'd be sent over the edge. :I What I find strange is that Kagura has a Negative Penalty Resistance of 5... The Rush-down character has a higher resistance to being punished for playing too passively... and the zoning/keep-away character just barely has any more than the rest of the cast. How exactly does that work? @_@

That Negative Penalty Resistance Nerf has me a bit worried. I think that they might have lowered that due to how Luna Form is used, but I think that's going to hurt Nu overall, since that makes our keep-away game less... lasting without repercussions. The Counter Assault buff is nice. I've heard that it wasn't too good before, so at least Nu has a more viable means of getting out of pressure, albeit, still restricted to Meter. That... I don't know, it might make combos a bit more free/customizable, or it could just make certain combos work better. It wasn't already? *Claps slowly* Congratulations, ASW, you finally listened to your fans... after some few years. This is perhaps the biggest Buff we've gotten since Sickle Storm Okizeme! Jesting aside, I like that they finally did this. I wish that they would have just completely revamped it like they did Mu's, but this is nice as well. I was hoping for more changes, but at least we got something. Edit: Given all the changes to most everyone's Back Dash, and the changes to Negative Penalty, it seems that they're trying to make Blazblue play overall more offensively.

In regards to Hakumen, I'm happy that they're cracking down on some of his more... asinine aspects, so to speak. That said, just because I love fighting Hakumens, I hope that these changes don't make him too underwhelming. Oh, joy!

So, it's Similar to some of Bullets Grapples? I,E, A strike attack that leads into a Grab the same way a regular Command Grab would?

I've seen some people Zone in Luna. Her Drive is essentially the same (minus being able to follow up the attack on Block), and she still has access to Gravity Seed and Spike Chaser (albeit, the latter is quite lesser when compared to the Dia form version). That said, I think the easiest way of looking at it, in terms of Nu's zoning in Luna Forma, is that it's somewhat lesser than Lambda's was, but overall still better than what most characters are capable of. Also, I've heard that switching forms in neutral was very risky, however, I've seen people do it in their Block-Strings, and of course combos, so I think you really just have to pick and choose when you want/need to change forms and be aware of the risk that comes with it outside of combos. Hope this helps.

So, when it comes to Axl in Xrd, did he lose some of his close-ranged Specials for more long-ranged options? Because that new Stance, albeit likely isn't as spammable as shown in the current videos, is ridiculous! Not to mention his new/re-tuned DP. Are they actually trying to make him a bit more of a zoner now. I wonder?

Well, not the changes that I was hoping for, but at least she wasn't nerfed as far as I can see .

Someone get this person into ASW immediately! =D I was thinking that when Nu activates her OD, since it's suppose to, more or less, combine her two forms, Sickle Storm would become fast traveling like in Dia Forma, but once it hits the opponent, it starts to spin around multiple times like in Luna Forma. The same could apply with Spike Chaser, except that it would be a combination of Dia's chargeable version and Luna's version with (slightly?) bigger hit-boxes and stun. Also, I would love if we had access to both DDs regardless of form, but they had different attributes and properties depending on what Form Nu is in. For instance, Luna could have regular Legacy Edge, while Dia has Unlimited Nu's delayable version; Luna could have regular Calamity Sword, while Dia has a long ranged version that hits opponent's regardless of where they are on the screen, and the trade off would be that it would no longer possess invulnerability frames, save for against projectiles. Edit: @Dazardz, I'd love to see that, actually. But wouldn't that make Nu's Gravity Seed combos a bit less effective, since due to the stronger Gravity, opponents would travel less distance in most combos?

Agreed. I had over looked Nu's increased projectile level in Luna Forma, in those match ups you gave, I do agree that, for the most part, Luna would be better to use (though, Rachel, IMO, is debatable, since we can handle her pretty well in either form). However, you also have to look at characters like Tager and Hakumen, who Dia is vastly better against than Lune Forma otherwise is; Act Parser and Gravity alone make these match ups a thousand times easier than they were in Extended, because we hardly have to even touch those two at close range most of the time. I must also say that Luna Forma does not possess the same scary Okizeme that Lambda did in CS. I feel that Sickle Storm just doesn't stay out long enough for Nu to reap the full benefits of the attack, especially without Crescent Saber ~C. But I will agree that Luna can at least hold her own in more situations than Dia can. As you said, Dia is better at neutral, but has a harder time in most other scenarios. Okay, that just blows my idea completely out the water. Someone test this out! Though situational at best, this could at least help Nu out a bit if the opponent gets too careless. I 100% Agree with this. I'd take a pseudo-DP over what we have currently (nearly nothing that could be consider consistent). However, I would rather Luna have it instead of Dia, but I've already gone over why that is, so I won't repeat it here. Astral Start-up and range? I say just give her an all together new Astral. They improved Mu's in Extended by making it an actual attack instead of a Grab, but left Nu's alone completely. You'd think that the character that's known to manifest blades and impale her targets would do the very same with her Astral, but nope, she strolls on up to the opponent and Grabs them like some sad imitation of Tager. >_> Well, if we're brainstorming ideas here, I'd rather instead of this, we just got a command Act Parser Backwards with invulnerability frames. It wouldn't be perfect, but it would be something.

The reason that I think Luna Forma is weaker is because Dia Forma just does its job so well. With all the new options Nu has access to in Dia Forma: Jump Cancelable 5D, Act Parser Forward, Backwards, Air Versions, low hitting Sickle Storm, and Gravity Seed, she easily shuts down opponents in that form, and can stay relatively safe, so long as she doesn't make too many mistakes in her pressure. I've seen battles where the opponent couldn't even touch Nu in Dia Forma due to all those options, and she was able to slowly wilt their HP down to 0 without much trouble. In short, Dia Forma just seems all around better than Luna Forma, and considerably safer to use. Luna Forma on the other hand, while strong in its own right, can't really do much of the above due to the restrictions it was given: No ~C version of Crescent Saber, Spike Chaser, and Sickle Storm, no Drive follow ups unless the attack hits, and generally less safe than Dia Forma. The damage boost that she gains is nice, but it seems to me that, while Dia Forma can pin the opponent down and keep them blocking with her Drive, Luna Forma has to wait for that one stray hit to connect for her to be able to really start her game. I mean, I realize that she can still zone, but besides preference, there doesn't seem to be much reason to use Luna Forma over Dia unless you're doing a combo. The suggestions I gave were ideas that could strengthen her neutral game, make it easier for her to keep up pressure, and give her something that Dia severely lacks, a good defensive option. But I must ask, what makes Luna stronger than Dia in your opinion? I really cannot think of anything that Luna has over Dia, when it comes to what Nu is supposed to do. Maybe I'm over looking something? I'll admit, I was under the impression that even in Luna Forma, her Drive would still only clash with Death Spike, so my bad on that part. However, again, I was imagining it to be more of a gimmicky surprise move, rather than an end all, be all of trolling other zoners. But yeah, I see what you're saying, Rachel could potential counter with Cat Chair, Hazama could retract his Chain and easily get a counter hit, and Mu could just DP us. It's just a property I've always wanted to see added to Act Parser Zwei. The Sixth it being added back would, IMO, make her corner oki and neutral stronger in that the opponent would be forced to block longer, thus opening up a few more opportunities for Nu to pressure the opponent in Luna Forma. ArcSys has made horrible mistakes before. :P Seriously, though, I always thought that the point of taking away Nu's ~C moves was so that Luna and Dia Forma could be better defined, I doubt that it's some unspoken rule, though. I think that the chances of Luna having access to this (likely with some form specific tweak made to it) is a strong possibility. Hmm... I didn't even consider this. Though, the problem with this is that, that's kind of... unfair for the opponent, as strange as that sounds. What I mean is that if it were to track the opponent that far, and still possessed the same properties, that would make Sickle Storm ridiculously good, too good. What I was trying to get across is that the ~C version would possess more start up, but could reach the opponent in places that the normal one can't. I agree with Hazama and Rachel, but Mu is versatile enough that she can play zoner effectively. I've seen matches where she just spammed strategically placed Steins left and right and completely shut the opponent down, while pushing the opponent back with her Normals. We have stronger zoning tools, yes, but Mu definitely has enough characteristics to be considered a zoner, or at least incredibly versatile. O_O!... That's from CT... can Nu still do that in CP? Wait, could Lambda do that?! That aside, I do think that something should be done about Nu in the defensive department. I'd be happy with anything really.

So, I was thinking a bit about what's keeping Nu from being top tier, and what her greatest weaknesses are in CP, and well, with a new balance patch (Yes! An actual balance patch at last!) on the horizon, I thought that I'd ask what you guys would like to see changed/improved in regards to Nu. Now, bear in mind that my general idea is that Luna Forma is the weaker of the two Formas (in regards to what Nu's playstyle is meant to accomplish), so I think that most of the buffs would be given to that form. Like, these are the changes that I'd like to see: Luna Forma: Act Parser: Zwei, gains Projectile Invulnerability during the beginning and middle part of the move: Act Parser Zwei would still be gimmicky, but Nu would have a better way of getting in against other Zoners in Luna Forma if she had this, and it could even be used to surprise certain characters when they go for a projectile attack, E,G, Ragna using Death Spike. Sickle Storm gains its sixth hit back: This would give Nu back her Oki from CS:2/EX, which I feel is lacking now in CP. Sickle Storm seems lack luster when compared to Gravity Seed as an Oki option in the corner in most cases, so this buff would remedy that a bit, methinks. Luna Forma is able to use the ~C version of Crescent Saber: Luna Forma is meant to be the more aggressive of the two forms, no? So why not give her back the mix-up game she had in CS2/EX that, when coupled with Sickle Storm, made her a terror in the corner. This would also help her neutral game a bit, although, it would still be weaker than Dia Forma's. Luna Forma is able to use the ~C version of Sickle Storm: Since Nu doesn't have access to Drive follow ups in Luna Forma, I think that it would be a good idea to give her something to keep the opponent on their toes at a distance (that small spot where 5D can't reach.). Now, to keep this from being too good, the start up for the actual attack should be considerably longer than its normal counterpart. Supra Rage has DP properties in Luna Forma. Nu's greatest weakness (as far as I can see) is her lack of defensive options, so a DP would help that a bit. However, nothing on the level of Ragna or Makoto's DPs, but more akin to Rachel's Cat Chair, I,E, situational, but useful none the less. So, what do you guys think? Are these fair Buffs? Would this make her Kokonoe levels of cheap, or help Nu keep up with the competition a bit more?

I play an aggressively, mind gamey, Zoning game (if that makes sense. XD) . Whenever I use Nu, I tend to use her Drive to scare the opponent into making a mistake, then surprising them by getting in their face and attacking them, only to regain my distance from them by utilizing Act Parser: Zwei. Basically, I try to harass the opponent as much as possible and while their busy being frustrated, I can safely put them into a scenario where they are at a disadvantage E,G, in the corner or stuck in my Okizeme set up. That said, I would say that on top of that, I do, "Do Whatever The Fuck I Want." XD I would say, however, that my over all playstyle with my Mains and Alts is usually somewhat to observe the opponent's movements and act according to the situation... So yeah, zoning fits me to a Tee. :3

Agreed. Her buffs do seem to be more apparent than her nerfs, and seem to cover them very well. Though, I'll admit that I will miss setting up all four Traps and sniping the opponent from the other side of the screen with Bullets. That said, she actually looks a little funner to use, now that I take a closer look at what they gave her. That's not even counting the new characters, and the potential threat they may pose to Naoto (I'm looking at you, Yukari.) XD Though, if memory serves, we now have a 50/50 mix-up, so that could make some match-ups a bit easier once we catch them. (Also, sorry for the late reply. I actually just remembered that I posted in here.)

Glass Cannon in the sense that she lacks defensive options, but has a huge plethora of offensive, high damaging tools at her disposal, not in terms of HP. Mayhaps I should have been a bit clearer on that. My bad. Also, "invalid"? Eh, I'd say that the opinion of one that observes is just as valid as that of one that plays, so long as they know the bare basics of what's being discussed, and as stated above, I did clear up what I meant by that term. But I'll say no more on the matter. Edit: And upon reading the comment above me, I realize that Glass Cannon may not be the correct term for Kokonoe. God Among Men would be a more fitting term for her. XD

If you can, could you make a video demonstrating those combos? I'd love to see them in action and a visual aid is always nice.

I honestly cannot make up my mind as to whether Naoto seems overall stronger or weaker than in the past iteration. One one hand, She seems to have so many new tools, and her old ones actually seem a bit better than before. However, on the other hand, I can't really tell if her damage has suffered any or if her traps are still as bad as they were in the Loketests. What's everyone's opinion of her so far? Better? Worse? about the same, perhaps?

Hmm... Good question. Well (bear in mind that I don't own the game as of yet, so this is based completely on observation alone), Kokonoe honestly seems like she cannot afford to make any mistakes whatsoever in her pressure, similarly to Nu, or her lack of defensive options will get the better of her. There's also the matter of how easy/hard she is to use. I can't really say myself, but I've heard that she's about as difficult as Rachel, so I think that might be a valid point if it's true. In a nutshell, she seems like a very high risk, high reward, Glass Cannon type of character. So with that in mind, her lack of Meterless defenses (is Super Ball even that good of a Reversal?) are what keeps her from being completely unfair to fight.