Credits:
Writers: Dean “Dean[SG]” Eddy, Thomas “Tomo009” Bishop.

Art and Photoshop: Swordsaint32, Dana “BreadKrew” Hare.

Consultation: Dime_X, Novril, WorldJem, CaioLugon

Sources: Skullheart.

Character Intro:

Filia is the token pixie character of Skullgirls.
Use her fast horizontal mobility and effective pressure options to stay in your opponent’s face. She is a fantastic beginner character thanks to her simple play-style, goals and gameplay.

Pros:

• Amazing mix-up options, reset openings and offensive pressure.
• Fast horizontal mobility.
• Great DHC continuations.

Cons:

• Lacking range on her normal moves.
• Lacking poke and projectile game.
• Her approach can be linear and obvious.
• Very punishable blockbusters.

Game Plan

Filia’s game plan is quite simple. She wants to make her way in, avoid her opponent’s pokes and attempts to push her back in order to start pressuring her opponent. She has quite a few tools to do this, though their effectiveness depends on the matchup. She can approach with instant air dash normals, such as j.HP for a poke or j.MP for pressure. She can use LK hairball in the air to get above character’s effective zones and try to get in on the opponent from the air. Her fast run speed also helps a lot, however many characters and assists have good ground control that make it difficult to simply run up to an opponent.

Once she is in, it is Filia’s job to remain in. She has a lot of mixup options from close range and a multi hitting advancing move that continues her pressure in instant air dash j.MP, so she tends to not have much trouble at this point. Filia is arguably more reliant on successful resets than other characters, generally requiring a few resets or a lot of meter to finish off a character. Make sure you manage your meter well as a Filia player, you want to have meter available to finish off characters when you can, but also to land hitconfirms you normally would not, through her Gregor Samson super.

Links to popular guides and footage:

Ashzu Steam Guide to Filia.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=325227275

WingZero vs Duckator ComboBreaker.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nufRBcIO35k

 

Mobility:
Single jump.
Air Dash (Fast, Moves directly horizontal).

Her ground speed is above average, her dash starts off as a burst of speed that transitions into a steady run. This can be “Wavedashed” by pressing “PP” and crouching in rapid succession.

Moves:

Normals:
Light Punch:

Both her standing and crouching punches are great tools. Standing is a decent air dash anti-air and comes out fast. Crouching is amazing on block and can lead into blockstrings and set up your mix-ups. Either of these are fantastic hit-confirm options.

j.LP is a good go-to air normal when trying to catch players out. It’s fast and can be done multiple times in the air, also great when combined with j.LK while instant air-dashing.

Light Kick:

Crouching LK is a fantastic hit-confirm opener, a low and a great otg follow up tool, you will be using this button often. Standing LK has little usability outside of combos.

j.LK is a very fast overhead option when instant air-dashing.

Medium Punch:

s.MP hits far and is a decent poke, use sparingly cancelled into c.HP as a hit confirm.
c.MP is a mini-launcher and can lead to good combo conversions and mix-ups and can be a pretty decent anti-air.

j.MP hits multiple times, making it a strong pressure, reset and blockstring tool.

Medium Kick:

s.MK is good for continuing combos and is a great hitconfirm.
c.MK is a multi-hitting low move with surprisingly long range. It is also very punishable on block.

j.MK hits twice and is a good combo button. Very good for air-dash pressure and the first hit can be more useful than j.LK in some pressure situations.

Hard Punch:

s.HP is her launcher. It is fairly safe on block and is also a fantastic anti air due to the hitboxes appearing before the hurt boxes.
c.HP is a good ground poke.

j.HP is great for catching opponents above her, but directly horizontal and below her are very vulnerable. A good poke and I.AD pressure tool.  

Hard Kick:

s.HK causes a wallbounce on hit, lows are prone to miss due to her high profile from the ground.
c.HK is her sweep, it is low profile so can avoid projectiles.

j.HK is an amazing button to press after confirming an instant air-dash overhead. It is not an overhead itself, but is easy to cross up with.

 

Throws and Throw Follow-ups combos:

Filia’s ground throw sends the opponent directly forward. Her Air grab sends the opponent directly downward.

Following up from her ground throw can be done either by following up with a Gregor Samson, OR by doing H.Ringlet Spike, dash jumping i.AD, j.MP. The former is easier but costs meter and uses up your OTG.

Air Throw is easier, H.Hairball in the air into an ADC.

 

Specials:

Ringlet Spike, QCF+P (236+P)

Filia’s projectile. Comes out of the ground, distance depends on the button.

The spike also remains active even if Filia is hit out of the move.  

Ringlet Psych, QCF+K (236+K)

Brings Filia low to the ground. Decent as a burst baiting tool and a fast empty cancel out of normals, making it good for combos and pressure.

Hairball, QCB+K (214+K):

Fantastic combo ender or linker in combos if you haven’t used your OTG in the combo.
A good mobility tool in the air as well  as the Light and Medium changes directory in the air. The light version in the air can be used to reach super jump height and call an assist while falling. You can air-dash cancel this move but only once per combo.

Updo, Z-motion+P (623+P):

Filia’s uppercut. Invincible on startup so it’s a fantastic reversal. Strength of the punch changes the height, can also be cancelled into a Gregor Samson and a follow-up.

 

Blockbusters:

Gregor Samson, QCB+KK (214+KK)

Sends Filia forward, can also be done in the air.
This is an ok reversal on incoming or on a good read, but outside the first few frames it can be beaten out quite easily.

Used frequently after certain hit confirms such as 5MP 2HP or and Updo hit. Can be used similarly as a DHC with a followup combo.

Fenrir Drive, Z-motion+PP (623+PP)

Fantastic damage combo ender, great for keeping opponents in the corner. Fillia’s best reversal, it has incredible invincible frames and starts up in just 4 frames with a large hitstop range.

Tricobezoar, QCB+PP (214+PP)

Sends a fireball upwards at about a 45 degree angle. Pretty much only ever used as a 2 meter DHC for a character kill, but the fireball does travel quickly and it has a lot of invincibility.

Combos:
(All of these combos can be found and viewed on the “General BnB Compendium” right here: http://skullheart.com/index.php?threads/general-bnb-compendium.4072/)

Midscreen:

c.lk, s.mk, s.hp,

j.hp, adc, j.lk, j.hk,

otg c.lk, s.hp,

j.lp, j.mk (1 hit) xx H Airball, adc, j.mp (4 hits), j.hk,

s.lpx2, s.lk, s.mp, c.mk, c.hp xx H Hairball xx Fenrir Drive.

Midscreen: (Damage route):
c.lk, s.mk, s.hp,

j.hk, adc, j.lk, j.hp, j.hk

otg, c.mp, s.mk, s.hp,

j.mk xx H Airball, adc, j.mp (5 hits),

s.lpx2, s.lk, s.mp, c.mk, c.hp xx H Hairball xx Fenrir Drive.

Corner carry:

c.lk, s.mk, s.hp,

j.lk, j.mp (5 hits), j.mk, adc, j.mp (4 hits), j.hk,

c.mk, s.hp,

j.lp, j.mp (5 hits), j.mk xx H Airball,

dash, s.lpx2, s.lk, s.mp, c.mk, c.hp xx H Hairball xx Fenrir Drive.

Corner only:

c.lk, s.mk, s.hp,

j.hp, j.hk xx H Airball, adc, j.mp (4 hits), j.hk,

s.lk, s.mp, c.mk, s.hk xx H Hairball,

dash, otg c.lp, s.lp, s.lk, s.mp, c.mk, s.hk xx H Hairball xx Fenrir Drive.

 

Reset Points, Burst Baits:

2MP:

2MP 2HK + assist xx 236K

A simple left/right reset using an assist, you can make it as ambiguous as you want. Be aware of air reversals or use an assist that will deal with them.

restand, delay 2LK

Simple low reset, mix up with delayed throw.

IAD j.HK

+4 on block, a very quick and potent cross-up.

j.HK xx air dash j.HK

a non crossup into a crossup. Used as a mixup to the first, but be aware the opponent can pushblock the first j.HK making this VERY unsafe.

IAD j.LK j.HK

Overhead option.

IAD throw > 2LK

Overhead fake into low

2LK > IAD j.LK

Low fake into overhead

IAD throw > ground throw

Overhead fake into throw

 

Assist synergy and good characters to team up with:

Filia is very versatile in team placement and synergy. She can effectively support any character and can use many assists effectively herself. Because of this, you should decide on a team goal and decide how Filia will fit into your team based on that.

LP Shot (Parasoul): Helps cover Filia’s poking range and approach weakness, good for pressure and setting a trap on block to cover continued mix-up.

L.Beat Extend (Big Band): Allows for Filia to poke from further ranges, IAD j.HP becomes a larger threat due to Beat Extend allowing easy conversions. Great reversal.

H.Lock and Load (Cerebella): Makes Filia’s offence even more potent. Good range and armoured, allowing Filia to be more liberal with her mix-ups.  

H.Theonite Beam (Robo Fortune): Long range, Giving Filia a lot of space to approach and poke from afar. Conditions the opponent to either duck the beam, opening them up to an overhead or block and be locked down by the beam.