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Raven

Raven

A midrange chameleon. Teleports, clones, and stance shifts pile into mixups nobody quite reads.

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How to play this character

Coming soon. This section will cover the game plan, key tools, and pressure flowcharts for playing this character.

How to beat this character

Overview

Raven controls midrange with compact mids, long reaching launchers, and movement that connects three offensive states: Soulzone, back turned, and Shadow Sprint. df+1 and db+2 check the opponent, successful strings can enter Soulzone, Soulzone can move into Shadow Sprint or back turned, and each stance presents a different set of mids, lows, movement, and defensive options.

Raven does not need to gamble immediately. He can play a patient neutral game with df+1, db+2, f+2,3, and movement, then use a hit, a blocked plus move, or a whiff to begin stance offense. His stronger rewards demand familiarity with transitions because many moves recover in Soulzone, back turned, or full crouch instead of neutral guard.

Strengths

  • Strong midrange checks. df+1 is only -2~-1 and is difficult to sidewalk at range, while db+2 is an i13~14 mid that leaves Raven back turned.
  • Excellent whiff punishment. qcf+4 and df+2 launch on normal hit, while f,F+2 reaches forward as a Heat Engager.
  • Multiple counter-hit threats. ws2 launches at i13~14 on counter-hit, df+3 launches on counter-hit, and the final hit of 3,3,4 gives a full launch on counter-hit.
  • Five Heat Engagers spread across neutral, Soulzone, back turned, and while standing positions.
  • Unusual defensive coverage through b+1+3, standing and back turned power crushes, and stance specific parries.
  • Strong wall and combo routing. Many of his attacks cause Balcony Break, Tornado, Floor Break, or aerial tailspin.

Weaknesses

  • His low pokes do not create effortless offense. d+3 is neutral on hit, d+4 is -2 on hit, and db+4 is punishable at -14~-13.
  • His most threatening full crouch low, FC.df+3+4, is launch punishable at -23~-21 on block.
  • Raven’s fast standing launch punish is the high f+4. His standard mid launcher df+2 starts at i16~18 and is punishable.
  • Clone extensions are generally -13 outside Heat, so predictable string completion gives the defender guaranteed punishment.
  • b+1 supplies excellent plus frames but is a high. Opponents who recognize it can duck and launch.
  • Stance flow creates mental load. Recovering in Soulzone, back turned, or full crouch without a clear plan can turn Raven’s mobility into self imposed risk.

Game Plan

  1. Establish df+1 and db+2 as the close and midrange checks. Use their small block disadvantage to observe whether the opponent challenges, ducks, or moves.
  2. Use f+2,3 and db+2,1 to test string respect. On a confirmed hit or a passive defender, take the optional Soulzone transition instead of always finishing with a clone.
  3. From Soulzone, use SZN.3 as the safe mid, SZN.2 as the Heat Engager, SZN.4 as the low, and SZN.1+2 to catch movement. Soulzone can also move into Shadow Sprint, full crouch, or back turned.
  4. Use Shadow Sprint to change range and threaten qcf+1, qcf+2, or the qcf+4 launcher. Canceling the movement is often safer than committing to an attack every time.
  5. Punish whiffs with qcf+4, df+2, f,F+2, f,F+3, or f+4 depending on range and desired reward. At the wall, prioritize Raven’s many Balcony Break and Tornado routes.
  6. Treat back turned as a real stance, not an automatic attack. BT.4 is a safe Heat Engager, BT.1+2 is an armored wallsplat tool at -13, and BT.d+3 is a dangerous but launch punishable low.
  7. Install habits with repeated stance entries, cancels, and safe options, then change your answer when the opponent thinks they know the pattern. Raven’s broad selection of mids, lows, counter-hit tools, parries, and movement lets him take control of the opponent’s habits instead of following a fixed flowchart.
  8. Use Raven’s excellent pokes to earn small chunks of damage and create hesitation. Once the opponent starts respecting those checks, turn the same situations into stance mixups for a larger payoff.

Heat

Heat changes the risk of Raven’s clone extensions. Their normal versions, including df+1,4, qcf+1,2, ws3,2, and Soulzone or back turned equivalents, are -13 on block. Their Heat versions improve those special mid endings to approximately -3 while adding stronger hit properties such as Tornado, Balcony Break, or Spike.

Heat also adds H.f,f,F+3,4, a running special mid that is +7~+8 on block, launches on hit, deals chip damage, and recovers back turned. Raven’s H.2+3 Heat Smash is +14 on block, deals chip damage, and transitions directly to Soulzone for a guaranteed pressure situation.

Defense

  • b+1+3 activates its parry immediately, catches every attack except Rage Arts, and teleports Raven to safety.
  • b,B+2 parries high or mid punches and kicks while attacking. It is -10~-9 on block, so it remains a calculated defensive callout.
  • f+1+2 is a standing power crush that wallsplats and is -13 on block. If it absorbs an attack, its block disadvantage improves to -9.
  • BT.1+2 is Raven’s back turned power crush and wallsplat tool. It is -13 normally and -7 after absorbing an attack.
  • BT.f+1+2 parries mid and high punches or kicks from back turned.
  • Raven’s block punishment is strongest at i12 with 4,1, i14 with df+1,4, and from crouch with the i14~15 launcher ws1.

Punish guide

Raven becomes much easier to defend against when you separate his safe stance entries from his committed endings. Let him enter a stance, block the actual attack, and punish the option that gives up his turn.

Punish the lows

  • Launch FC.df+3+4 at -23~-21. The second hit only comes out on hit, so a blocked first hit is your punish window.
  • Launch BT.d+3 at -26~-24.
  • Launch the low ending b+2,2,1+2 at -30~-29 and punish b+2,2,3 at -19~-18.
  • db+4 is -14~-13. Use a strong standing punish instead of letting Raven reset.

Punish clone commitments

Outside Heat, Raven’s special mid clone extensions are generally -13. This includes df+1,4, db+2,1,1, qcf+1,2, ws3,2, SZN.1,4, SZN.3,2, BT.2,2,1, and BT.f+2,4,2. Learn one reliable i13 punish and apply it to the whole family.

During Heat, those same endings improve to around -3. Do not attempt the old punish when the move uses its Heat version; take your turn after blocking instead. Raven’s running Heat extension is different again: H.f,f,F+3,4 is +7~+8, so continue defending.

Duck the important highs

  • b+1 is a high despite being +7~+8 on block. Duck it when Raven becomes predictable with his Soulzone entry.
  • f+4 is a high standing launcher and -12 on block. Ducking gives a larger punish than blocking.
  • SZN.1+2 is a homing high around neutral on block. Do not let the homing property discourage you from crouching under it.
  • The second hit of db+2,1 is high. A Raven who always completes the string can be ducked before starting Soulzone pressure.

Respect the defensive escapes

  • Do not autopilot offense into b+1+3; it parries everything except Rage Arts.
  • Raven has armored wallsplat tools from both standing and back turned. Throws beat power crush, while patient blocking earns a punish on f+1+2 or BT.1+2 at -13.
  • When Raven enters Soulzone, avoid swinging blindly. SZN.3 is a safe mid, SZN.4 is the low, and SZN.1+2 is the homing high. Defend against the chosen option rather than the stance animation itself.