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Soku-portrait-sanae
Sanaepallete

Introduction[]

Sanae Kotiya (Kochiya), the shrine maiden of Moriya, who appears in Mountain of Faith, UFO, and Hisoutensoku.

As a character here she has slow deliberate movements and the ability to manipulate the wind to her advantage. Best used with a patient mindset and a bit of forethought to how you want to approach.

Hisoutensoku 1.10 Changes[]

Girls are patching, please wait warmly.

  • The wind caused by Sanae's movement now lingers for about a second and a half.
  • New Move, 4C: Uses Suwako. She pops up from the ground in front of Sanae, twirling her iron ring. 5 hits, 25% limit. Aerial too. Takes up the charge used for Suwako.
  • New Move, 6C: Uses Kanako. She appears with a group of spinning pillars that shoot a short distance in front of her after a delay. Aerial too. Takes up the charge used for Kanako.
  • f.5A replaced: Sanae now spins and sweeps her staff downwards, similar in style to Komachi's f.5A. Fairly fast.
  • 3A replaced: Sanae lunges forward, sliding the along the ground to hit them with her shoulder. Can be charged. 40% limit.
  • j.2A replaced: Sanae now sticks a single foot downwards for the animation. If it strikes the enemy, they are hit and then Sanae bounces upwards unless you cancel out. Think: Frog Hop. Cancels out upwards vertical momentum on activation; reels on counterhit.
  • j.6A replaced: Sanae now sweeps her staff in front of her, around to over her shoulder. Moves her up and backwards on use.
  • 6A change: Faster, new downwards-swinging animation. Wall bounces. Can be charged and guard crushes if lowblocked.
  • 8A change: Now moves Sanae slightly forward.
  • B bullets change: The wall of bullets will contract inwards over a distance, eventually spiraling in on itself and then spreading outwards again.
  • 5C and j.5C are now chargeable.
  • Revitalizing Wind (236B/C): Faster launch, quicker recovery. Both versions produce the whirlwind in front of Sanae, where it moves forward quickly. C version now makes it move diagonally upwards instead. Wind lingers considerably longer, but it has no hitbox. Hitbox is activated (and projectile moves as normal) once Sanae initiates wind levitation.
  • Falling Stars (236B/C): Improved default density. Leveling up notably increases damage and size (and probably density, too). Level 1 now tears easily through weak bullets and slows Utsuho's 5C for a bit.
  • Fortune Packet Toss (22B/C): Faster recovery/HJC time. (Needs confirm)
  • Sky Serpent (22B/C): Can now be done in the air. The spirits will go straight down if they fly over the opponent.
  • Cobalt Spread (22B/C): C version now differs, making the frogs leap more forward. Makes for a faster attack, but less vertical coverage.
  • Earth Goddess: Iron Wheel (214B/C): Faster, Suwako's hoop now spins a full 360 degrees around her body.
  • Earth Goddess: Shield (214B/C): Starting at level 1, when the bubble fades away it releases several droplet bullets that hover briefly before falling to the ground.
  • Wonder "Daytime Guest Stars": Now summoned over the enemy. Will continue even if Sanae is struck.
  • Esoterica "Nine Syllable Stabs": Lasers now deal more hits before they vanish.

Unique Features[]

Sanae: She is able to summon her goddesses, Suwako and Kanako, as assists for her 214b/c and 623b/c attacks. There are a few options for both and each have their advantages and disadvantages. Once you use them you have to wait for the bar to regenerate to use a 214 or 623 move again. Leveling up the skill decreases this timer.

Levitation: Sanae's flight will go in the direction you specify, but it's impossible to change the angle without restarting. The wind effect also lasts for a short time, so if you fly towards the right and walk/jump towards the left, you will be slowed from the wind. If you run out of spirit while levitating, Sanae immediately loses all momentum and slowly falls down to the ground. Even if she is struck and techs out, or recovers spirit, she will be unable to initiate flight again until she lands.

You can use this mechanic greatly to your advantage. The wind remains for a few seconds after landing, so if an enemy is in immediate pursuit and planning to launch a blockstring on you, the levitation's wind will keep you pushed out of range. You can also greatly extend Sanae's default airdash (almost three times the length) by dashing diagonally upwards (or downwards, in some cases) in the direction you wish to go and cancel immediately into your airdash. As far as input concerned, think of it as 'D9 66' or 'D3 66'.

Guidance: Sanae's light projectiles can have their flight path altered by flying. While in flight, they go in the same direction that you do. If you're flying towards the enemy they speed up. If you're flying away, they slow down. You can use this to control your Suwako bubble protection, readjust your pink paper bullets to hit an unsuspecting enemy, or push a wind swirly in front of you to control the field.

Gameplay: Unfortunately for Sanae, her melee is outclassed by by all other characters in every possible way - range, startup speed, active duration (how "meaty" it is), damage, and the ability to reliably combo it into other stuff. As a result, if you want your Sanae to also be good at winning, you're going to have to play very patient and wait for your opponent to make mistakes. You can use your bullets to make your opponent do mistakes, with their hitbox and the way they move which is very deceptive. B bullets come in weird patterns, and the C bullets are very dense, 22 can be guided with your movement, etc. Learn these patterns very well and don't be afraid to use them a lot, do everything it takes to confuse your opponent about how to approach you and then counter him once he does something wrong.

Melee Moves[]

Move Description Damage Proration Hits Limit Notes
5A Sanae carefully swings her Shide Onusa wand half an arc downwards. 200 980 Middle 0 Begins dial A combo
5AAA Two close 5A's followed by a far strike 400 (3rd hit) 920 High 0 (3rd hit)Drains one spirit orb on wrong block
5AAAA ‘Dial A Combo’ Two close 5A's followed by a far strike and then a forward slam with Sanae's hands 800 (4th hit) 980 High 40 (4th hit)Wallslams. Drains two spirit orbs on wrong block.
4A Same as close 5A, except it can only combo into itself and will not start Dial A. 200 980 Middle 0
Far 5A Twirls about, lashing downwards with her onusa. 500 920 Low 0 Drains one spirit orb on wrong block. Induces CH.
2A Sanae swings her onusa for a horizontal jab. 450 920 Low 0 Drains one spirit orb on wrong block. Moves Sanae forward slightly when used.
3A Sanae lunges forward along the ground, striking the enemy with her onusa. 650 900 Low 40 Drains one spirit orb on wrong block.
3[A] Same as 3A. 800 850 Low 40 Guardbreaks on wrong block.
6A Sanae swings forth her onusa in a large oval. This move actually has surprising vertical range, making it useful for swatting opponents out of the air. 650 900 High 40 Drains one spirit orb on wrong block.
6[A] Same as 6A. 800 850 High 40 Guardbreaks on wrong block.
66A Sanae dashes forward and lands a heavy strike with her onusa. 500 920 High 0 Drains one spirit orb on wrong block.
66B Sanae spins her onusa for a powerful sideways slam. Knocks the opponent away when it hits and has decent horizontal range. 750 850 High 40 Grazes.
66C Sanae dashes forward and does a downward swipe with her onusa followed by an uppercut that launches. Both hits are considered grounded and cannot be air blocked. This move also has quite a bit of vertical range and can surprise jumping opponents. Can be followed up with j.8A if it hits. 650, 600 900, 900 High 20, 20 Has two hits, both are high. Useful to catch jumpers.
j.5A Sanae swings her wand down. 450 920 High 0 Has a somewhat low hitbox
j.6A Sanae swings her wand forward. This attack sends her floating backwards whether it hits or not. 850 850 High 40 Pushes Sanae up and back.
j.2A Sanae's vertical ascending momentum slows as she leans forward slightly, foot pointed downwards. Coming in contact with the enemy's hitbox causes Sanae to strike them with her foot, and then bounce in whatever direction you're holding. 600 850 High 20 A very interesting move- you don't have to be above them for it to hit, so long as you manage to touch them somewhere with her foot. The difference between this animation and Sanae's default falling animation is hard to see, so it's not uncommon to catch enemies off guard and cross them up.
j.8A Sanae swings her wand up. Decently fast and wide and can be used to bother opponents above Sanae. 800 850 High 40 Catches stuff pretty fast. Moves Sanae slightly forwards.

Bullet Moves[]

5B/j.5B Wave of purple papers. These bullets come from behind her, so they do not hit immediately (but may be useful for crossup/fake crossup purposes) Note: Sanae's B shot changes direction when Sanae dashes/flies. Flying up or down makes existing B projectiles curve in that direction, and flying forward or back changes their speed. Charged version launches 20 bullets. Drains 1/2 orb on complete hit uncharged, more than 1.5 charged.

6B/j.2B Summons papers slightly above Sanae's head, launching them in a diagonally downwards angle.

2B Summons papers around Sanae, launching them upwards.

5C/j.5C Star magic missile. 5C is red and goes forward, 2C is blue and spreads in an arc from over Sanae's head downwards. No difference between air and ground versions. Good penetration. Charged version has more hits, each of them adding less limit than the regular version.

2C/j.2C Star spread. A group of 7 stars appears above Sanae's head, descending downwards in an arc formation. Their hitbox size increases as they descend. Fairly thick. Key part in Sanae's aerial blockstrings involving j.8A.

4C/j.4C Anti-air Suwako summon. Consumes Suwako use; has its own static recharge time of 4 seconds. Suwako pops up from the ground, ascending diagonally upwards as she swings her hoop above her head. Hits opponents on the ground. 5 hits, 25% limit. Sanae follows Suwako slightly into the air, allowing for special or super cancels.

6C/j.6C Projectile Kanako summon. Consumes Kanako use; has its own static recharge time of 4 seconds. Kanako appears behind Sanae, conjuring a swirling ring of pillars that she shoots forwards. Wallbounces on counterhit. Long active frames at the end of its range but slow startup/firing speed. Useful when you're playing a Wind Tunnel deck and don't have default 623 Kanako- you can use this instead of a default star bullet (one wimpy hit) or when j.2C won't connect in time. Drains 1 orb on block.




Move Description Max Damage Proration # of Projectiles Limit Notes
5B
5[B]
6B
6[B]
2[B]
2B
j.5B
j.5[B]
5C
5[C]
2C
4C
6C
j.5C
j.5[C]
j.2C
j.6C

Special Moves[]

Note: All Goddess Summon skills have their recharge decreased as the skill in particular levels up.

Sa236bc1
Revitalizing Wind - 236B/C:

Summons a small gust of wind in front of Sanae, or slightly above her for the C version. The gust has no hitbox until Sanae initiates flight, where her wind feeds the swirly, moving as she does. Levels increase damage and duration of the 'grown' wind. The gust will die as soon as Sanae's wind does, so you can briefly summon one as soon as you land on the ground, but it disappears in a second or so. Likewise holds true if Sanae runs out of spirit while moving the gust around. Base damage: B:500, C:750. Max Level damage: B:1300, C:1600.

Sa623bc1
Heaven (Wind) Goddess: Thrust (Attack) - 623B/C:

Sanae summons Kanako and then they both rush forward to hit the enemy. Grazes during the charge, but not on startup/summoning. It's actually quite a good move and can catch opponents off guard, especially if care is taken to keep them occupied with Sanae's odd bullets. With a high base damage that grows even higher on counterhit, it's not uncommon that a Sanae player will find themselves pulling off a CH 623 -> 66C combo in the corner for over 2,500 damage purely by accident. Usable in the air.
Damage: 1200(B), 1500(C) | Proration: 850 | Hits: Mid | Hitbox | Limit: 40 |

Sa214bc1
Earth Goddess: Shield - 214B/C:

Creates a bubble with Suwako inside of it. C version is airborne and further than B. Stops several bullets. Purely defensive ability. Suwako will also move in the direction the Sanae flies in. Getting hit (takes multiple shots) makes Suwako disappear. Levels increase bubble size and endurance. If the opponent is standing inside the bubble when Suwako decides to disappear, they will take damage and will be knocked down.

Sa22bc1
Fortune Slip (Omikuji) Bomb - 22B/C:

Sanae throws a packet that, on contact, bursts into a random explosion of one of the following symbols and effects:

"Kichi"(吉)Good Luck: small fiery explosion. 889 damage on direct hit.
"Dai Kichi" (大吉)Great Luck: large fireworks explosion. 40% limit. 1580 damage at level 1.
"Kyo"(凶)Bad Luck: Dark explosion that splits into shadowy projectiles and home in on the opponent. Low damage.
"Dai Kyo"(大凶)Very Bad Luck: Large dark explosion that lasts for multiple hits. 1200-1381 damage on hit. 50% limit. Can damage Sanae as well if she is in the blast radius. Occasionally, this move will create two dark orbs that home in on Sanae's foe.

Only one packet can be in the air at a time. If done again while a packet is still out, the previously tossed packet will disappear without detonating. As with her B bullets, Sanae can alter the flight pattern of these projectiles by flying around after tossing them.

Alternate-Skill Cards[]

Sa236bc2
Revitalizing Wave - 236B/C

Sanae waves her stick downwards, causing water to surge to the left and right of her. One-Three hits as it expands outwards. C version goes twice farther than B version. Each hit deals 400-550 damage (based on level) and limits for 10%.

Sa236bc3
Falling Stars - 236B/C

Ground and air. Sanae holds her hands up and summons several stars to fall from the heavens towards random directions. Holding the button down summons more shards. B version seems to summon them over Sanae's head, C version from overhead. 200 damage per shard on level-1, 320 per shard on level-max. This move is a bit too random to really be reliable, as it will often miss the opponent outright at lower levels.

Sa623bc2
Heaven (Sky) Goddess: Wind - 623B/C

Ground and air. Kanako is summoned, and she pauses briefly before causing a tunnel of wind to span the distance of the screen. Tunnel gradually widens and has consistent bullet hitbox all throughout. 800 damage on level-1, 1800 damage on max level. Each level increases the duration from level-1 by 33% (meaning max level is twice longer). B version puts Kanako near ground level, C version puts her above Sanae. In the air, B version places Kanako at Sanae's level, C version places her on the ground. 10% limit per hit, tunnel can be guided through flight. Fairly big delay prior to spirit regeneration kicking back in.

Sa623bc3
Heaven (Sky) Goddess: Onbashira (Revered Pillars) - 623B/C

Ground and air. Kanako is called down from the heavens, dropping a massive pillar to the left and right of Sanae. Can be grazed. Level 1 adds 1 pillar, level 3 adds another pillar for a total of 3 on both sides.

Sa214bc2
Earth Goddess: Iron Ring - 214B/C

Suwako shows up and does her j.6A attack. Hits 5 times for 1000 damage at level 1. Further levels increase amount of hits. At a certain level, Sanae can recover in time for a followup.

Sa214bc3
Earth Goddess: Snare -- 214B/C

Suwako pops up and then dives into the ground, leaving behind a giant swirly rainbow star. Seems to move VERY slowly towards the opponent. If the enemy gets in range, Suwako pops up to hit them for 1,000 damage over 3 hits, melee. After waiting for about 6 seconds, she will pop up regardless. During the brief moment where Suwako is above ground, she can eat a bullet and die valiantly for Sanae. At max level, Suwako gains a swirling ring of rocks (her own aerial 5C) for presumably larger damage and/or hitbox. Large delay before spirit begins regenerating.

Sa22bc2
Sky Serpent - 22B/C

Sanae throws out four little white balls in a small vertical spread, which turn into swirly white spirits that fly directly forward. If the enemy flies over it, the spirits stop and go straight up. At Level 3, the number of spirits increases to 6.

Sa22bc3
Cobalt Spread - 22B/C

Sanae tosses a packet into the ground in front of her, causing a tremor to quickly ripple over all the way to the opponent. When it's close enough, a mob of teal frogs suddenly springs forth to damage the enemy. 200 damage per projectile, 275 on max level. 5% limit per hit. You can only have one packet at a time, if you throw another one before an existing one hit it the old one will disappear.

Spellcards[]

Sasc01
Prayer "Charms of Great Commerce" (2)2600 damage, 96% limit. Super version of her 5B. The flight pattern of these cards can be modified by Sanae's flight, but only very slightly because most of the cards are off the screen by the time Sanae can move.
Sasc02
Esoterica "Gray Thaumaturgy" (2)Slow startup. Releases a star pattern with lots of white bullets that spread out. Each hits for 450 damage and 5% limit. Can be used in the air. The first white bullet strike comes on the bottom-right of Sanae, and if it hits the opponent it will connect with all the other bullets for 2000-2900 damage. Example video
Sasc03
Divine Lottery (Omikuji) "Random Omikuji Barrage (Rampage)" (2)Random damage, throws out a bunch of her 22B/C fortune bombs at once.
Sasc04
Sea Opening "The Day the Sea Split" (3)Releases a spray of waves to both directions over the entire ground elevation. 1200 damage on first hit, and can go up to 2800 or so. Chip damage deals 25%. Chips out spirit 1 orb (or slightly less, about 0.9).
Sasc05
Wonder "Daytime Guest Stars" (3)Summons a ray over Sanae's head that gradually floats vertically upwards. Shoots projectiles in a cone arc downwards, hits for 2600 on max 20 hits, but most of them will probably miss since it's pretty much in one spot.
Sasc06
Esoterica "Forgotten Ritual" (4)Sanae quickly draws a laser star that slowly gets bigger before disappearing. Full hit deals 3500 damage, on block does 800 chip and breaks a little less than 2 spirit.
Sasc07
Wonder "Night with Overly Bright Guest Stars" (4)Sanae calls the powers of the shining star and releases a white flash over the sky. Hits air targets only. On block deals 15% chip damage and breaks a little over 2 orbs. On full hit deals 4700 damage (usually the hit won't be full).
Sasc08
Sea Opening "Moses's Miracle" (5)Sanae fades away, then slams down on the opponent from above the screen for high damage. Breaks 3 spirit orbs on block. Deals 1100 chip damage. Guardbreaks if blocked with less than 3 spirit. Sanae is invulnerable for most of the card.
Sasc09
Esoterica "Nine Syllable Stabs" (5)Sanae draws a grid of lasers that cover the entire screen. Extremely long startup and long delay before lasers become active, but deals high damage if it hits. As of 1.02, Sanae has superarmor for the entire casting duration.

Note that the lasers each have a set amount of hits prior to their fading. If your enemy gets caught in one through blockstun or hitstun, Sanae can use her body to push them into more lasers to continually rack up damage, up to 6,200 if you manage to keep them at laser intersections as often as possible.

Combos[]

(old) Sanae Combo Video - the general stuff, without and with cards
(new) Japan Sanae Replay Pack - 1.03, Phantasm-Tier Sanae, watch and learn


Midscreen:

From 5A(AAA)

  • 5AAA 2B 623B (1939/1811 damage)
Requires: 1 Spirit, Kanako
Notes: Works everywhere on the screen.
  • 5AAAA 6A 623B/6C (2395/2289 damage)
Requires: 1 Spirit, Kanako
  • 5AAAA hj9 j.5A j.2A (2240 damage, 80% limit)
Requires: Near Corner
Notes: This is a string not for corner, but for a location close to the corner. Requires no spirit since it's just melee.
  • 5AAAA hj9 j.5A j.2A j.5B j.6C (2617 damage, 117% limit)
Requires: 2 Spirit, Kanako, Near Corner
  • 5AAAA 6A 5C 623C (2465 damage, 130% limit)
Requires: 1 Spirit, Kanako, Near Corner
Notes: Easy combo which only works near the corner for Sanae to connect with the 6A.

From 2A

  • 2A 3A 5C hj9 j.5A j.6A (2307 damage)
Requires: 1 Spirit
Notes: Requires some space to pull off.
  • 2A 3A 4C 623B/C (2388 damage)
Requires: 2 Spirit, Kanako, Suwako
Notes: Teamwork! Execute Kanako's rushdown as soon as possible, else Suwako will hit them out of range. Will not work in corner.

From j.5A

  • j.5A j.8A j.5C D9 j.5A j.6A (2369 damage)
Requires: 1 Spirit
Notes: Anti-air.
  • j.5A j.8A j.4C D9 j.8A (2340)
Requires: 1 Spirit, Suwako
Notes: Alternative to above.

From j.8A

  • j.8A j.5B j.5C (1652 damage, 100% limit)
Requires: 2 Spirit
Notes: Simple Anti-air for high targets that works everywhere. In the corner only does 1300~ damage and 70%~ limit.

From j.2A

  • j.2A j.2A j.2A 623C (2266 damage, 100% limit)
Requires: 1 Spirit, Kanako
Notes: Works anywhere on an airborne opponent. Seriously. The first j.2A has to connect fairly low for the combo to work (Sanae's head should be at about chest level of the opponent). Tends to drop after the second hit on smaller opponents (Cirno & Suwako). Swap 623C with j.6C for a lower damage variant if you're not running thrust Kanako.

From 66C

  • 66C hj9 j.8A j.2C (1800 damage, 100% limit)
Requires: 1 Spirit
Notes: For general 66C connections, sometimes you won't be able to reach them fast enough but it's all you can usually do.
  • 66C hj9 j.6A j.2C 623B (1990 damage, 130% limit)
Requires: 1 Spirit, Kanako
Notes: Sometimes the opponent can air-tech before the j.6A connects. Works best near corners.
  • 66C (only last hit) hj9 j.5A j.8A j.2C (2000+ damage, 100% limit)
Requires: 1 Spirit
Notes: For when the first hit whiffs. If only one hit connects the enemy loses the option to airtech and isn't flung as far, allowing for a full followup. Easiest in the corner. j.2C will usually hit 100% for big damage.
Corner:
  • 5AAAA 2A 3A 5C 623C (2623/2539 damage, 130% limit)
Requires: 1 Spirit, Kanako
Notes: Standard corner string for clean 5A hits. You may skip the 5C but then you have to use 623B and not 623C.
  • 5AAAA 6A 5C 623C (2483 damage, 130% limit)
Requires: 2 Spirit, Kanako
Notes: The upper combo won't work in 1.10, so this is an easy one to do until someone discovers a better one
  • 2A 3A 5C hj9 j.5A j.6A j.6C (2227 damage, 130% limit)
Requires: 2 Spirit, Kanako
Notes: If the Kanako bar isn't full, j.5B can be substituted for j.6C. It deals less damage but still limits.
  • 6[A] 6A 2B (1457 damage, 96% limit)
Requires: 1 Spirit
Notes: For the rare occasion that you get a held down 6[A] hit in the corner, works regardless of ground or air opponent.
  • j.5A j.8A j.2B j.2C (2247 damage, 100% limit)
Requires: 2 Spirit
Notes: Simple Anti-air in corner.
  • j.5A j.8A j.5B j.2C 66 j.5A j.6A (2610 damage)
Requires: 2 Spirit
Notes: Better Anti-air in corner with stricter inputs.
  • j.5A j.2A j.5A j.2A j.2C 623C (2998, 100% limit)
Requires: 2 Spirit, Kanako
Notes: Anti-air in corner with Kanako. Vertical spacing is somewhat difficult; the combo needs to be initiated with both characters at about the same height. Damage calculated with Kanako at level 0.
  • j.5A j.2A j.5A j.2A j.5B j.2C (2777, 100% limit)
Requires: 2 Spirit
Notes: Kanako-less version of above combo.
  • 66C hj8 j.5A j.6A j.5C 623B (2150 damage, 130% limit)
Requires: 2 Spirit, Kanako
Notes: j.8A can be substituted for j.6A, but it deals less damage. Easy non-spellcard combo off 66C.
  • 66C 22B/C 22B/C (j.8A) (1873 - 2517 damage, 120% limit)
Requires: 2 Spirit
Notes: Damage varies with the fortune packets. j.8A if limit doesn't reach 100% after the fortune packets. With two Lv 4 大吉 packets, the combo damage goes up to 3701.
  • 66C hj8 j.5A j.6A j.6C (1994 damage, 120% limit)
Requires: 1 Spirit, Kanako
Notes: New combo for v1.10, still inferior to the one above but useful for decks that don't use the default 623 skill.


Spellcard:
  • c.5AAAA [Forgotten Ritual] (3050 damage, 72% limit)
Requires: [Forgotten Ritual]
Notes: Corner only.
  • (j.5A) 5AAAA [Gray Thaumaturgy] j.8A (3141/2956 damage)
Requires: [Gray Thaumaturgy]
Notes: The j.5A is optional. Corner only.
  • 5AAAA [Night Stars]/[Sea Open] (3780/3847 damage)
Requires: [Sea Opening] -OR- [Night Stars Wonder] -AND- *A certain distance zone*
Notes: For this to work you have to be NOT in the corner, but close enough to it to make your dial-a wallslam the opponent. Practice this, as you have less than a second to activate the spellcard due to the enemy being able to airtech almost immediately on wallslam.
  • 2A 3A [The Day the Sea Split] (2000+ damage)
Requires: [Sea Opening "The Day the Sea Split"]
Notes: Best used midscreen, where Sanae will be able to followup while the wave carries the enemy to the end of the screen. Followup usually consists of j.A j.#A for around 3,000 damage. Will whiff on some characters.
  • 66C [Moses's Miracle/Night with Overly Bright Guest Stars] (2800/3000 damage)
Requires: [Sea Opening "Moses's Miracle"] -OR- [Wonder "Night with Overly Bright Guest Stars"]
Notes: Easy way to profit from Sanae's lack of easily-connectible spellcards. It's generally recommended you reserve Moses's Miracle for dial-A wallslams, but if this wins the match, it wins the match. Night variation is likely to whiff for about 1300 damage if the first hit misses and second counterhits in midair.
  • 66C (1 hit) [Gray Thaumaturgy] hj.8 j.6A (2000+ damage)
Requires: [Esoterica "Gray Thaumaturgy"], Kanako (certain distance only)
Notes: Easy way to benefit from the ordinarily-unwieldy Gray Thaumaturgy card. There's only a few bullets but they're powerful as exemplified here. Works at any range, even if Sanae is casting from the right (the first bullet comes out in the southeastern position). You can use the default Rush goddess card (Kanako) instead of j.6A if you're close and fast enough. Usually limits.
  • 2A 3A 5C [Moses's Miracle] (3600 damage, 190% limit)
Requires: [Sea Opening "Moses's Miracle"] -AND- 1 Spirit -AND- Some distance from corner]
Notes: Nice combo to Mose's Miracle. Do Mose's Miracle right after the 5C. Some distance is need from the corner for the remaining 4 hits of the 5C to juggle the opponent.
Weather-Specific:
  • 2A 3A 2C 623B/C (2200 damage)
Requires: Monsoon, Kanako, Corner
Notes: Use when a stray 2A lands in the corner. Limits. As a note, any corner Monsoon combo with 2A 3A 2C starter can usually be finished with some spellcard.
  • 2A 3A [Gray Thaumaturgy] 6A (2953 damage)
Requires: Monsoon, Corner, [Esoterica "Gray Thaumaturgy"]
Notes: 6A may not connect due to awkward firing of Gray Thaumaturgy's bullets. Limits.
  • 2A 3A 2C 6A (2097 damage)
Requires: Monsoon, Corner.
Notes: For when a spellcard and/or Kanako are simply unavailable. Damage may vary into the 1900s due to some 2C stars not hitting. Limits.
  • 2A 3A [Forgotten Ritual] (3402 damage)
Requires: Monsoon, Corner, [Esoterica "Forgotten Ritual"]
Notes: Will not limit, so they'll usually tech away. Chaining into a special prior to the Ritual just results in proration that decreases the overall damage.

Advanced Levitation[]

There's many techniques that can be performed using Sanae's levitation/wind guidance mechanic, detailed here.

For reference, the following projectiles/skills can be guided using Sanae's levitation: B bullets, 236B/C Wind gusts, 214B/C Suwako Bubble, 22B/C Fortune Packet Toss, 623B/C Wind Tunnel, Colorful Draw "Serial Disorder Mix" (Barely, given recovery time), Prayer "Swift Protection" (same).

  • Bullets Realign Themselves: As far as B bullets are concerned, the effects of the wind will wear off and they will return to their normal trajectory roughly 2/3 of the way across the screen. A brief tap of either D2 or D8 will alter their altitude by roughly half the screen height. This rule also applies with speeding or slowing the bullets via D4 or D6.
  • No 180-degree Guidance: B bullets are the only projectiles with their own momentum that cannot be reversed, like how Fortune Packets can. At best, you can alter their flight path to make them go vertically straight up or down.
  • Fortune Packet Reversal: You can use your flight to redirect a sugar packet's trajectory and send it flying back towards you, often hitting an unsuspecting enemy in the back. Just be careful you don't get caught in Dai Kyo.
  • Lengthened Airdash: Sanae can utilize the wind to massively extend the distance she airdashes (44/66 in midair). This is simply done by pressing either D9 or D3 (depending on the altitude you want to end up in, D9 obviously gets you farther since you won't hit the ground) and then 66. You can do it backwards, too, if necessary. Be careful about using this one, as it consumes both your dashes and can leave you stranded in the air for a few moments.
  • Grounded Levitation: Unlike other characters, Sanae will not automatically land when dashing into the ground. If you D3 from midair and touch the ground, Sanae will simply 'float' forwards...very slowly, considering half of her mechanic is forcing her into the ground. She'll still have graze frames and she can stop this at any time by just letting go of D. While this isn't useful on its own, it's something you need to be familiar with for another technique...
  • Tempest-Grade Ground Dash: Sanae can use her levitation mechanic to transition from a ground 'float' into a plain ground dash, but with a speed akin to Tempest weather. The transition is quick and seems to be mostly flawless- just let go of D and press it again when you reach the level where Sanae is ground 'floating'. D3 (pause to touch ground) D6. This requires a lot of practice. If you release D before you enter the ground-float state, Sanae will simply enter her landing frames, preventing her from taking advantage of her wind.


Strategies[]

Weather[]

  • Tempest: The increased movement speed stacks with your wind, allowing you to travel across the screen nearly instantaneously.
  • Scorching Sun: Great time to execute a 66C Wonder "Night with Overly Bright Guest Stars" combo.
  • Monsoon: You can utilize the extra ground bounce very well in the corner, unlocking some news combos.
  • Spring Haze: 66B will let you graze past their bullets, and Spring Haze will make the graze frames count for any melee they try and use to stop you.
  • Diamond Dust: Work on knockdowns via 2A 3A. Sanae has so much okizeme at her disposal that keeping them in the corner will be no problem.

Okizeme[]

Sanae has surprisingly good okizeme and bullet pressure in general.

  • j.2C: The stars are fairly dense and grow larger as they fall, proving a large range of ground cover. Since they fall from above Sanae, they also work as aerial self-cover. Basic bullet cover and oki.
  • 623B/C Wind Tunnel: The higher your level the longer the tunnel lasts, improving overall oki capability. Forces the enemy to either fly, graze or block on wakeup.
  • 214B/C Snare Trap: Place this out of their teching range, or just drop it a bit from the corner if you're in Diamond Dust. Prevents them from flying out at lower altitudes or ground dashing away.
  • 22B/C Fortune Packet: Fairly weak, but it can work. Kyo and Dai Kyo in particular provide good cover, since the first releases some homing bullets and the second has a consistent glob of hitframes that remains for a few seconds.
  • 22B/C Cobalt Spread: A gigantic mob of frogs, can stop some attempts at bullet cover and forces the enemy to graze through.
  • j.2A: Unusual skill, can be used to crossup.

Decks[]

Wind Tunnel Harassment

4x Heaven Goddess: Wind Tunnel
4x Earth Goddess: Snare Trap
2+ Wonder "Night with Overly Bright Guest Stars"
2+ Sea Opening "Moses's Miracle"
Cards used: 12.
Cards remaining: 8.
Other cards options: 2 more Wonder/Sea Opening spell cards. Grey Thaumaturgy, Forgotten Ritual and Nine Syllable Stabs are also options. Any number of Cobalt Spread (alt 22B/C) skillcards synergizes well with the rest of the deck. Can also bring Guard Hangekis/Bombs to escape pressure, Grimoires to increase spirit regen or Dolls to decrease received damage.

Strategy:

As implied, this deck is built mainly around endlessly harassing and pressuring the enemy into doing something wrong. Wind Tunnel provides you with a clear horizontal zone that's free of bullets, and its vertical control is amazing as well. Snare Traps provide good pressure and defensive cover (make sure you don't get hit, or else it will fade) due to Suwako being considered melee, making them hard to simply graze over. You can help harass the enemy yourself by tossing out frog packets (22B/C) whenever necessary, since they have a big, sprawling hitbox when they jump out of the ground.

While the two provided spellcards are high-cost (4 and 5 respectively) they're the easiest to combo for Sanae. You'll usually manage the Guest Stars card through 66C or by your enemy being hit by the top of Kanako's wind tunnel, though the latter requires a good sense of spacing and timing. Moses's Miracle can work off 66C but it generally works best off of dial-A wallslam. This likewise requires a good sense of spacing- if you launch it after they hit the wall, they'll be able to tech away safely.

Wind Tunnel can be guided vertically, so you can deploy it in the air and then guide it downwards to pin your enemy in block, graze, or crouching states, depending on what they were doing at the time. Just be careful that you're not hit out of the summoning, since there's a bit of a delay prior to the wind tunnel gaining hit boxes. You can surprise your enemy by flying straight up and dropping the tunnel on the ground below with 623C. You can also fly around to cross them up, since the tunnel has multiple spaced-out hits that they have to adjust their directional blocking for.

The main attraction with Suwako's Snare Trap is that she's melee. While it's possible to bait her out safely, doing so generally opens Sanae to increasing her momentum. Likewise, Suwako keeps them in hitstun for around 3 hits with 30% limit, allowing for followups when they're caught off guard. It's useful for keeping the enemy in the corner, and it can enhance your dial-A when used in the corner. If you drop it near the corner and dial-A an enemy into the wall, Suwako will pop up and extend your damage to around 2,000+. If you're quick, you can followup with a j.A j.8A combo as well. There's a fair delay before spirit regeneration resumes after dropping a snare trap, so you may want to HJC and briefly fly to jump-start regeneration to keep the pressure coming.

It's extremely important to level up Wind Tunnel whenever possible, since levels increase the tunnel's duration and, by proxy, damage.

Nine Syllable Stabs[]

At first glance, this appears to be a very subpar spellcard due to the massive delay before the lasers fire. Even then, the enemy can just graze or sit there and block and it will have been for naught, right? Not quite.

Even assuming full spirit, when the enemy gets caught on one of the lines, there's a fair amount of time for Sanae to follow up and guardcrush. More importantly, if the enemy is caught slightly in the air (and this is generally the only way they can escape unless they want to walk right into you), you can use 66C's grounded (that is, unairblockable) property to break their guard and fling them up into other grid lasers. Dropping a Snare Trap beforehand will also make Suwako help snag any low-fliers that are trying to get away.

With 1.10, this move's beastly nature has been exacerbated. Impossible to stop the startup, and each laser has roughly 11 hits before it fades- 33% limit per laser. Each laser drains roughly a spirit orb. If you catch the enemy in the air, crushing them is beyond easier through melee alone. But simply bouncing them along the lasers with your own body is extremely effective- it deals almost 4,000 damage raw even at the highest levels of health proration.

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