Author/Twitter handle: @dot_Nova

Character Discord Server: https://discord.gg/0XbyOuifGoWPv1G3

Day 1 Combo
2K->c.S->f.S->3H->22P/K/S
Day 1 Blockstring
2K->c.S->f.S->2H

General style

Overview
Jack-O’ is an unorthodox character with strong ground normals, a versatile set of specials, and a very unique win condition, involving the creation of ‘servants’ which attack independently. The general goal is to successfully place 3 houses (which create servants), protect and maintain them, and eventually win by overwhelming the opponent. When, where, and which houses are placed will vary depending on the matchup.

Strengths

• Strong and quick ground normals
• Versatile set of specials and overdrives
• Non-committal normals and chain routes
• Servants can disrupt opponent’s offense and okizeme

Weaknesses

• Requires a lot of momentum and resources to be effective (Unstable win condition)
• Servants are difficult to control and can disrupt Jack-O’’s combos/knockdowns
• Weak offense without servants
• Reward on knockdown is weak compared to rest of cast

1. Neutral

In most matchups, the goal of neutral is to look for opportunities that allow Jack-O’ to safely set a house. Look for a chance to begin offense to force a rock-paper-scissors situation (RPS) to set a house, score a knockdown for a safe house set, or be at a position/situation in which the opponent cannot immediately respond to a house set.

Once houses and servants are a factor, the goal is to protect the houses and stay nearby or behind servants to maintain momentum. As houses level over time, it forces the opponent to take risks and make decisions on whether it’s best to focus on destroying houses, servants, or focusing on Jack-O’. The same applies to Jack-O’ as the decision to take a risk to protect a particular house lies within the player.

P and K servants disrupt the opponent and control space in neutral, giving Jack-O’ opportunities to begin her offense. S servant prevents the opponent from jumping or gives Jack-O’ protection from certain options from the air.

Note that in Rev2, level 1 and level 2 servants die in 1 hit, and when Jack-O’ is hit the servants spawn timers reset so they will not disrupt the opponent’s okizeme.

f.S – Jack-O’’s go-to poke. Long range. Can confirm into 3H/5H for continued chaining or house pickup/house throw/organ command.

5K – Shorter range than f.S but slightly faster startup.

3H – A strong sweep with many active frames which is used in response to your opponent’s pokes or attempts to move into range to poke. Goes under mids after its startup. Very negative on block but can be plus near max range.

6P – Counterpoke tool. Decent AA against jump-ins from an angle

2S – Very strong AA. Leads to high damage combo on counter hit (CH).

5H – Active and low invulnerable move. Situational counter-poke. Decent range as it moves her forward

6H – Long range AA. Used preemptively against an opponent’s air movement and jumps. Will also hit certain grounded attacks if opponent’s hurtbox is extended upwards during the animation.

House Pickup (2P) > House Throw (4/6- Used to reposition a house closer to the opponent and serve as a zone controlling projectile. Projectile is still active even when Jack-O’ blocks or is hit. Provides cover for Jack-O’ to advance.

Organ Deployment (22H)- Pressing a button afterwards manages the servants in some manner.

Aegis Shield (22H > H) – 6 second projectile nullifying shield. Allows Jack-O’ more safe opportunities to for house pickup/house throw/organ command or begin offense. Long cooldown so use carefully. In Rev2 the shield also prevents servants from dying, so it can be useful for moving in and attacking in tandem with the servants, and not just as an anti-projectile tool.

Retrieve (22H > P) – Retrieves all houses and fully heals them. Low risk option to safely protect houses.

Clock Up (22H > K) – Speeds up servant movement and shortens attack intervals to further disrupt opponent. Weak in neutral against characters with high mobility.

Explosion (22H > S) – Situational command that can be used to disrupt the opponent and force them to move out of the way of the explosion or block. Mainly used to finish off or stall against less mobile characters. Aegis Shield can be used to protect Jack-O’ from the explosion and Retrieve can be used to prevent houses from exploding. In Rev2 it also gives the servants invulnerability until the explosion.

Remove the Chain of Chiron (j.D) – With tension, it serves as a deterrent to opponents running forward, as an AA bait, and prevents opponents from jumping towards Jack-O’ while she is in the air. Jack-O’ keeps any remaining air options after recovering.

Aerial Zest (j.2D) – High Risk/High Reward divekick. Changes momentum in the air serving as AA bait. Leads to damaging combos on hit near the corner but punishable on block.

2. Offense

Jack-O’’s pressure is consists of frame traps, throws, and RPS situations in which she attempts a house pickup/house throw/organ command without being punished. She has an extensive chain route table and her normals have large cancel windows. With servants and meter, Jack-O’ can perform stronger okizeme and extend her pressure by attacking in tandem with the servants. Her pressure is freeform and allows for creativity.

2K/c.S – Jack-O’’s strongest meaties and pressure tools. Both being +3 on block and have quick startup allows for stagger pressure and frame traps. Most common use of both during pressure is to link 2K > 2K or c.S > 2K, delaying a chain from 2K > c.S, and using 6D to grab an opponent that’s respecting your offense.

2P – Fast jab mainly used in pressure. Most commonly used as link after 2K/c.S during pressure.

5H/2H – Catches most backdashes. Can be comboed into after c.S. Can be cancelled into Calvados (214S) to make safe.

6K – Overhead, can only combo on RC or if servant attack is well timed. Can YRC before 1st hit for tricky high/low okizeme.

5D – Can be hidden behind houses. Goes under dead angles and other moves. Most common direction is to do an up dust as servants can interrupt side dust combos.

3H – Grounded combo ender. Most commonly used after f.S.

Elysion Driver (6D) – Used to open opponents up. Is throw invul frame 1 and lower body invul frame starting frame 5. Allows for combos if S or P servant attacks while opponent is airborne. Combo extensions available if near the corner. Forever Elysion Driver (360P) grabs bursts and deals a lot of damage if used in hellfire or early in the combo.

Aerial Zest (j.2D) – Throw and AA bait. Leads to big damage in the corner. Punishable on block

Calvados (214S) – Used as combo extender on hit and makes blockstrings safe for 50 meter.

House Throw – Good for extending pressure and covering your approach. Also serves as DP and blitz safe okizeme.

Clock Up/Explosion(22H > K/S) – Clock Up extends pressure and creates more opportunities for Jack-O’ to mixup opponent. Explosion can be used for gimmicky mixup and be made safe with Aegis Shield.

After knocking down an opponent and depending on the special/normal used, Jack-O can:

• Set a house
• Pickup and throw a house
• Safe jump meaty
• Organ command

(Note: The following listings may differ depending on an opponent’s wakeup timing)

Common Enders:

• 3H – 1 option above and a grounded meaty
• 2H – 2 option above and a grounded meaty
• Low to ground 4D – 1 option above and grounded meaty
• High in the air 4D – 2 options above or 1 and a grounded meaty

3. Defense

In addition to system mechanics (FD, blitz, dead angle, etc), Jack-O’ has a DP which can be input by pressing 1,2, or 3. This means Jack-O’ can option select her DP during blockstun. Because she can input 1D, she maintains a low block while buffering DP.

Example: While the opponent is performing a blockstring, Jack-O’ can input 1D and the DP will not come out if it’s frame tight while it will punish the opponent if inputted during a gap.

Servants play a role in defense as they can disrupt an opponent’s okizeme and pressure. They spawn as long as Jack-O’ isn’t hit (this includes her wakeup time) forcing your opponent to give up offense or make risky moves.

4. Meter Usage

Jack-O’’s meter usage is similar to the rest of the cast’s with an added importance of maintaining at least 10 tension for enhanced D specials and the additional benefit of passive meter gain while being near houses.

For okizeme, Jack-O’ can use 6K YRC or j.D YRC for tricky mixup.
YRCing normals and house pickup/house set/house throw/organ command to avoid being punished.
Using Calvados to make blockstrings safe is also useful as tension pulse is not affected (RC/YRC/PRC affect tension pulse for an extended period of time).