Leona Heidern (Arcade Version)

[FataCon]

Yeah, giving (some-what) harsh criticism after the lack discussion lately does seem like a dick move doesn't it? my bad.

I definitely didn't mean it in a bad way, so I apologize if it came out as such. I just really encourage people to talk about the game a little bit more. Even if you think something might be wrong or you're not even sure something might work, discussion is what keeps the forums moving! So don't be shy, people!

On topic, have you guys been doing Moon Slasher HD activations? I feel like I should be doing them a lot more, but I always forget about it. Seems like it would be an easy confirm into some good damage.

P.S. I really wish she had Gravity Storm in this game.

[Kane317]

As for the HD activations, 4leaf should chime in as he's been getting them off on me a lot lately.

[4leaf]

It's pretty hard for me to do Moon Slasher HD activations since it needs to start off from a d.B. I would rather add a d.C after activating HD but if the opponent is hit at the furthest range of d.B, the d.C will miss. I can't really say much about the moon slasher to grand sabre hd combo except that it may take a few practice sessions to get the timing down.

[PurpGuy]

Does anyone know what, exactly, those things on her belt are?

The entire Ikari Team brought a beltload each.  It's pretty funny they came to a fighting tournament expecting to have to blow the place to smithereens.

[sociald]

As for the HD activations, 4leaf should chime in as he's been getting them off on me a lot lately.

i dont know what u guys mean with moon hd combos and i couldnt try yet the game so probably i ll do the weirdest question ... so is hd activable while doin the moon slasher ? and if yes it means d,u B+C makin leona doin the slasher and shine at the same time ?
so for the full combo d,b u,b B+C and sabre ... ... ... ?

[FataCon]

As for the HD activations, 4leaf should chime in as he's been getting them off on me a lot lately.

i dont know what u guys mean with moon hd combos and i couldnt try yet the game so probably i ll do the weirdest question ... so is hd activable while doin the moon slasher ? and if yes it means d,u B+C makin leona doin the slasher and shine at the same time ?
so for the full combo d,b u,b B+C and sabre ... ... ... ?

That is correct. You input your Moon Slasher as d~u B+C. This allows your HD activation and Moon Slasher to be done simultaneously. Then you just finish the combo as usual, buffering the Moon Slashers into Grand Sabres. You can get the activation off of cr.B's but your hitconfirming has to be pretty spot on or the opponent can block a C Moon Slasher. 4leaf likes to do the activation off a crossup j.C > cr.C > Moon Slasher activation > etc. I find it easier as well, since the cr.C has considerably longer hitstun than cr.B.

[sociald]

As for the HD activations, 4leaf should chime in as he's been getting them off on me a lot lately.

i dont know what u guys mean with moon hd combos and i couldnt try yet the game so probably i ll do the weirdest question ... so is hd activable while doin the moon slasher ? and if yes it means d,u B+C makin leona doin the slasher and shine at the same time ?
so for the full combo d,b u,b B+C and sabre ... ... ... ?

That is correct. You input your Moon Slasher as d~u B+C. This allows your HD activation and Moon Slasher to be done simultaneously. Then you just finish the combo as usual, buffering the Moon Slashers into Grand Sabres. You can get the activation off of cr.B's but your hitconfirming has to be pretty spot on or the opponent can block a C Moon Slasher. 4leaf likes to do the activation off a crossup j.C > cr.C > Moon Slasher activation > etc. I find it easier as well, since the cr.C has considerably longer hitstun than cr.B.

i see
so u could do d.B , d.B EX moonslasher too ? ( pressinc A+B+C ? ) and then the rest of the combo or the ex version push away the opponent or something like that ? in theory cause i cant try it , it should works too and the ex version is comboable after the d.B right ? so u can hit confirm.
oh and another question since i never used crossups too much in the other episodes i dont know how they works in xiii ? usually they come off after a hop or any jump works if well spaced ? and for leona it is only jump C to crossup ?

[4leaf]

d.b d.b ex moonslasher with abc will activate hd

[ottomatic]

I was in training and set the dummy to block 1 then jump then i proceeded to do Leona's instant overhead (neutral jump D) followed by her ex-caliburs. The dummy didn't block the instant overhead but they blocked if it was late. After seeing this i set the dummy to block all and it still didn't block, lastly i used block cause that doesn't switch between hi and low guard, and the instant overhead still hits the dummy. When my time ran out i tried again with a different dummy (first time I used Iori second time Ryo) to check if it was a glitch against a specific character, but it still worked on Ryo.

Can two players check to make sure it is indeed blockable in versus? I like Leona and all but a cancelable unblockable attack is a bit too much I think.

[SAB-CA]

So, did anyone notice any console changes for Leona? Save for noticing that she was my sweet XII Leona, but better, I couldn't notice any real changes. I'd be happy with 1 form or Earring Bakudan becoming the old "heart attack" variation, or her regaining her Air throw...

[Kane317]

So, did anyone notice any console changes for Leona? Save for noticing that she was my sweet XII Leona, but better, I couldn't notice any real changes. I'd be happy with 1 form or Earring Bakudan becoming the old "heart attack" variation, or her regaining her Air throw...

No.17 had a lengthy discussion with Yamamoto-san and he mentioned to No.17 that there were several characters that were left largely unchanged except minor tweaks.  I believe it was Yuri, King, Leona and Chin but I can't remember 100%.  His reasoning being that they were pretty strong/balanced in v1.1 to being with.

[SAB-CA]

Sounds pretty reasonable, though the Fanboy side of me would wish otherwise. Thanks for the heads-up!

[Kane317]

RobocopTwo from ON wrote up a nice tutorial about her:

http://orochinagi.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=78&t=2859&p=76290#p66567

[sociald]

ehi guys
what do u think about leona in 2nd position in the team ? usually i would have put her 3rd but since i read the console version has leona HD combos damage nerfed i think 2nd would be better and leave all the meter i can for the last
i plan to use mai leona and vice or king replacing vice ... any advice ? i would have prefer to use king leona vice too but i think they dont match toghether ... in any case any suggestion for this team too ? talking in general king in first position could work ? and vice at the end has sense ?

[SAB-CA]

Personally, I think it depends on what style you want to play her with. If you're really good at keeping pressure with her normals, limiting the opponents options, and pressuring them with blockstrings up close, and earring minefields from afar, I think she could be a solid second.

King, Leona, Vice also doesn't sound bad. King might be stuck doing a lot of zoning and such, since she won't be using the meters as much, but her versatility should make it simple enough to go VS anyone, and stand a solid chance.

I'm a fan of Final Round Vice myself, But I think the fact that simple combos with her hurt SO GOOD makes her a solid first too, if you depend more on cancels, and less on DMs and EX moves. She's strong enough to blow opponents away, before they have time to build their own offensive. This would give you more room to play Leona and King in a more freeing way, since you'd possibly be though a good amount of their team by the time Vice falls.

With the easier pressure of her crouching low combo, plus the amount of damage she can land with corner combos, or Midscreen ones cancelled into Slash Saber, I think Leona is at one of her best years at being versatile in order selection.

With her ground normals being less awkward, including her new ground CD, a bit better crossup potential on her jumping C, a solid combo that starts off of lows, the ability to tag more damage onto Grand Sabers with Slash Saber, and EX's that make some of her more awkward special moves now much more useful, I think she has the tools needed to make her fit into a wider variety of teams, and positions..