Shantotto, not actually a half bad character!

[The Illusive Man]

So after unlocking both Gabranth and Shantotto I decided to have a go with them both.

Shantotto....despite her annoying laugh is actually one of the stronger mage types in dissidia, having excellent range, triple casting and quite possibly the nastiest thing about her, manafont.

For those that sneered at and discarded Shantotto as the mage version of onion knight could not be more wrong, Manafont is quite possibly one of the top 3 ex-mode beneficaries.

Manafont: You no longer lose brave from triggering a hp attack. (this includes going into ex-burst AND finishing your exburst as manafont will linger for a second after and carry your brave over)

What this means: Shantotto can outright kill anyone she traps in a combo from 5k brave (the threshold for her most powerful triple casts which she gains innately)

Pretty nifty right? Although its worth noting...Shantotto's magic is 3 tiered and only becomes stronger past a certain brave (1-1999 for tier 1, 2000-4999 for tier 2 and 5000+ for her most powerful magic) however Shanototto's casting gets quicker, her spells get stronger and the homing on her spells (which is already good at tier 1) gets even better, so Shantotto's biggest weakness is against Summons such as Shiva, Odin and Magus sisters, Shiva being the better of the 3 as she can shut her down for a long period of time.

Shantotto's best bet is to carry demon wall and Phoenix to protect her brave level (phoenix being the best especially against the likes of odin and magus sisters as it will reset her brave level after being put into break status back to where it was when phoenix was triggered)

For setup (since your wanting to abuse the high hell out of manafont for a start) go for ex-mode absorbtion and duration, build her like you would Gabranth, however Shantotto is able to do a better job from the off bat than Gabranth since all her tools are always readily availible.

By far the biggest advantage she carries is her hitbox (hitbox = the area coverage of a character that can be struck, the bigger the character, the larger the hitbox and the easier it is to land attacks) she is about the same size as Onion Knight meaning she can be tricky to land a hit on.

She is pretty much like the emperor as well, in the respect: The CPU plays her VERY badly.

So if you can get past her annoying laugh, and give her a serious look, im sure you'll agree, she is pleasantly suprising, shes definatley my main of choice at the moment

 

[calze6]

If you put a bonecrusher build with alexander summon, she can kill in 2 hits with pwnage from the stage 3 moves.

 

[The Illusive Man]

A couple of other dirty tricks exclusive to Shantotto:

Root: Basically Shantotto gain Dont move, its slow casting but against human players it appears below them, so if there not paying total concentration (shantotto's voice is quite annoying for a start so it causes frustration) you can easily catch them with it.

Stun: This is basically a non-damaging version of goblin punch, instant cast and will stop them in there tracks, however stun is best following with a dash or dodge since it simply resets your opponent and does not last long enough to follow up with an attack, but it will interupt your opponent from anything they are doing.

Bio: slow travelling bolt that drains brave back to Shantotto if it lands, bio has a very long duration while travelling and will curl back on the opponent and hit them in the back if they try to simply dodge it.

Staff Twirl: Shantotto throws her staff forward and the staff flies back in a boomerang effect, it only has medium distance but will home in behind the opponent if they are within range and triggers chase.

Quake, Tornado, Thundaja, Flood, Freeze: The tier 3 hp magic of Shantotto is silly in the respect, it's very tricky to see them coming as they tend to pop up above,below or behind the opponent, the give away is her dialog when casting, listen carefully to what she is saying to know what spell to expect and move accordingly, if its freeze dodge or dash forwards, Thundaja, dodge or dash left/right, Tornado Dodge or Dash backwards and Quake Dash upwards, Quake is the quickest triggering spell so make sure to dash or your going to be in a world of hurt if it lands as you become completely helpless to the following spell bombardment Quake > Thundaja > Tornado, Flare is the red herring of the spells as although it travels fast, its very easy to see it coming and move accordingly.

And trust me your better off moving as the nature of the attacks (all but flare) makes them impossible to counter even with ex-death (they bypass high-guard easily)

Shantotto's biggest weaknesses: Shantotto is massively dependent on Brave, the more brave she can muster up, the more dangerous she becomes, deny her brave and you only have to deal with the predicatable, weak and easy to counter/avoid tier 1 spells, if she manages to get to tier 3 spells and locks her brave with alexander or goes into ex-mode (manafont) your in for a very rough ride.

If Shantotto misses with a spell she will be exposed for 2 seconds as she hovers still in the air, Characters like Tidus and Onion Knight will be able to captialize massively on this weakness due to there speed and Tidus'es dodge counter abilities, however any slower than 2 seconds and expect to get stunned or rooted, Shantotto will have a very easy time against most melee orientated characters and can more than hold her own against the majority of spell casters, the 3 biggest worries she has are : Onion Knight Tidus and Ex-Mode Gabranth, everyone else is evenly matched or at a disadvantage, Even the emperor cant do much due to her spells mostly being spot targetted, bypassing flare and his other defences with relative ease.

The Ex-Burst: Shantotto's ex-burst is nasty in 2 respects, it carries your brave from your last hp attack, and keeps your brave that you build from using the ex-burst through manafont, due to the nature of this, getting caught in Shantotto's ex-burst is a death sentance as chances are your not going to survive it without Cosmos Rules or a last chance Accessory if she has more than 3k brave when its triggered.

To achieve a perfect when using the burst: Use flare first and head downwards activating the spells in order, never scroll back up to get the others, scroll down and you will come to the top of the list, the spells can be used in any order, but they must be done in the order of the ancient magic circle of FFXI in order to achieve perfect.

Weapon Choice:

Shantotto has a few staves availible to her, but the 2 main ones are more for your choice of playstyle:

Ex-mode duration 30% or Initial Brave 30%, start hefty, or better manafont management for stronger fight finishing, its your choice.

Aggressive summons:

By far the best 5 summons Shantotto can carry for aggressive play:

Ifrit, Tiamat, Alexander, Magic pot and Gilgamesh.

Ifrit and Gilgamesh are great for jumping from t2 spells to t3, magic pot as always is great for turning a fight around, Tiamat is great for building up quickly, and Alexander is basically like casting doom once you get to t3 spells as you can lock them in (manafont without having to ex-mode)

Defensive summons:

Phoenix, Demon wall, Shiva, Ramuh

Phoenix is the best of the 4 as you can basically trigger it at a decent brave point level (if the fight is turning against you) and if you are broken, Phoenix will immediatley return you to your previous level of brave you were at when you triggered phoenix, If your using a beatdown build, Ramuh will put a stop to any counter-summon attempts for a while allowing you to carry on your merry way, Shiva as always is counter-productive to your opponent and demon wall simply stops you going into break status.

The right spell at the right moment:

Shantotto's spell arsenal has advantage and disadvantages, allowing her to cover a variety of situations and mastery of her spells and when to use them means you can cover yourself in any situation:

Air magic opening: This is best for dealing with opponents that are airborne or trying to close the gap, Aero has a much wider area than it seems as its final blast lashes outward, Aeroga is a larger version of Aeroga that gains a slight pull effect, whereas Tornado has a larger pull effect and slowly moves towards the target (it usually pops on top of them so if there moving forward it will follow them from behind)

Earth magic opening: best for dealing with grounded opponents, and quite possibly the better chain spell of the set (earth usually leads to thunder or air which trigger while the person is juggled from the earth spell leaving them a sitting duck) Quake is nasty in the regard, its very hard to see it coming and dodging wont get you away from it as it has a fairly large radius, only dashing upwards is good enough to escape.

Fire magic opening: best for dealing with stunned/juggled opponents due to its travelling speed, the most predictable spell of the set, but if you have a sitting duck on your hands, fire is the best for this situation as it moves quicker than the rest of the spells.

Ice magic opening: best for dodging opponents due to its excellent tracking, have a dodge spammer on your hands? open with ice as it's tracking makes it difficult to avoid, its slower than fire however so only use it as a counter to dodge spammers.

Water magic opening: best for guard breaking, have a person that likes to sit back and shield bash constantly? they trying to rebound your spells all the time? Water bypasses the guard effects and triggers right on top of them, it also triggers one of the nastier spell combos Flood > Quake > Thundaja, its the least effective spell against dodge users however as it lingers for half a second before it starts damaging.

Thunder magic opening: someone keep trying to hide behind walls (Bartz trying to holy spam for instance) then give em a taste of your lightning, thunder spells have excellent arc tracking and bypass objects to get to there target, if someone is hiding behind a wall it will strike them before they see it coming (usually leaves a tell-tale trail as it travels which they wont see if there behind a wall) it also triggers the Thundaja > Quake > Tornado chain which can all be used and hit without having to see your opponent allowing you to fight sneaking with sneaking xD

Dirty breaking:

Bio has a dirty advantage and trick in the fact it can rapidly turn a fight around if its landed, if an opponent has used a hp attack without using the likes of alexander or demon wall there brave automatically goes to 0 and begins to regrow, however bio will tick before it regrows instantly putting them into break and giving you the stage brave, on an Omega stage this stage brave is usually enough to jump you straight to t2 spells from 1 brave!

As always more tactics and stuff to come to help you acheive more than a B- xD

 

[Azazer]

An overview on Shantotto's attacks.

Offensive Abilities:
Brave
2-3 Staff Strike: Shantotto's ground melee attack. It is a short range melee attack that leads into chase. Particularly useful after a guard or as a punisher.

Bind (air/ground): Spell that immobilizes an opponent. Range is the same when used in the air or on the ground but the effectiveness is dependent on Shantotto's position. Typically used to trap opponents when attempting to dodge cancel or avoid Bio. It can also be used to "stun" an individual and in order to catch them with Bio.

Bio (air/ground): Slow spell with moderate homing and duration. When it hits the opponent initial damage is dependent on Shantotto's position and if it can be considered a counter or riposte, further damage is calculated separately.

Retribution: Shantotto's aerial weapon strike. Best used after a block or when an opponent is caught in Bind. If dodged there is a chance that the opponent will be caught as the staff returns to Shantotto.

Stun (air/ground): Spell that interrupts the actions of an opponent and has a cooldown time equal to the recover time of the opponent. This spell can be used as a last ditch effort to avoid an attack (if it cannot be blocked) or as a way to knock the opponent into Bio.


HP
Fire/Stone/Thunder (Ground): Shantotto's ground HP attacks. Each of them chain into the other until all three spells have been performed. Fire appears as a bolt that flies toward the opponent. Stone spawns beneath the opponent (if they're close to the ground) and Thunder above them (striking down).
Aero/Water/Blizzard (Air): Shantotto's air HP attacks. Each of them chain into the other until all three spells have been performed. Aero and Water share similar traits (appearing either on the opponent or next to them) with Aero having a larger "vacuum" effect on it. Blizzard appears as a bolt that flies toward the opponent.
[Note]
-Shantotto's HP chains do not have to be performed in their entirety
- All of Shantotto's HP spells at first tier can be blocked via normal guard

EX-Mode
Mana Font: Shantotto's EX-Mode benefit. It retains her brave score after using an HP attack. This means that Shantotto can perform an HP attack, a Burst, and finally another HP attack before her brave is reduced.

Magic Burst: Shantotto's EX-Burst. By performing the spells in the right order (simply choose Fire and go down the list).

Strengths:
-EX Mode benefit (Mana Font) retains brave score.
-HP spells have three tiers available.

Weaknesses:
-Shantotto's HP Cooldown time is longer than most characters, leaving her open for counters
-All of Shantotto's Tier 1 spells can be guarded
-All of Shantotto's attacks can be guarded by Exdeath.

I'll leave the rest up to you to decide. ._.

EDIT:

I'll bother with some of the summons.

Recommended Summons:
-Behemoth
-Carbuncle
-Lich
-Omega
-Shiva
-Tiamat
-Titan

Counter Summons:
-Rubicante
-Scarmiglione

All of these summons focus around the brave of either the opponent or Shantotto.

 

[calze6]

Can first stage shantotto be blocked by normal block? Are you making this a guide section for shantotto?

 

[The Illusive Man]

they cant be blocked normally as they are hp attacks, however the level 1 shantotto spells are highly predictable as she shouts out exactly what spell she is casting, + there is always a visual indication as to what spell is travelling towards you for instance:

Thunder: the lightning will travel in an arc towards the target striking the ground, the lightning and the trail it leaves is very predictable.

Frost: the icicle appears directly in front of shantotto while she aims it.

Fire: leaves a tell tale trail and moves in a linear motion

Aero: the wind will appear and begin to build up for 1/2 a second before it actually starts damaging.

Water: same as Aero

Stone: the ground will crack underneath the target and leave 1/2 sec before it starts damaging.

By far the best thing you can do when using level 1 spells is to try trap your opponent by:

Throwing bio, waiting for the bolt to close in then casting a hp spell leaving them to either get hit by the chain or get stuck with bio chipping away at there brave constantly (this works exceptionally well in inner chaos where npcs seem to be able to dodge everything you throw at them)

Using bio and Root using the same trapping method and follow up with a hp spell.

Get on a higher elevation and land, throw bio to keep your opponent busy, and when they start to approach cast aero or thunder to catch them as they pop up, this should eliminate the 1/2 second wait and hit them with the damaging part right away (works well against annoying melee npcs such as cloud, onion knight and squall that have a tendancy to aerial combo if they get close enough)

Wait for your opponent to do a predicatable hp attack and counter with Water, Aero or Stone (ex-death, emperor, cloud & Jecht are suckers for having predicatable hp attacks)

Wait for your opponent to try a rush attack, dodge past them and counter with fire or aero (quicker casting spells of the set) characters like sephiroth, bartz, cecil & golbez leave themselves exposed for a moment after trying to rush you, plenty of time to hit them with an aero or fire.

That should about cover the level 1 stuff, and yep this is pretty much being used as a guide/discussion

 

[Mordax Praetorian]

All of Shan's HP attacks are blockable, and THAT is her biggest weakness

 

[The Illusive Man]

All of Shan's HP attacks are blockable, and THAT is her biggest weakness

Certain types of hp spells are definatley not recommended for blocking because they will continue on regardless of the block and it will advance Shantotto's casting chain, allowing her to trigger a second spell that will begin to damage you just as block is dropping (thunder, earth, water and air magic have the persistent aspect and will continue the chain, ice and fire will not)

Stage 3 spells cant be blocked at all, Quake being notorious on enclosed maps such as pandemonium due to its radius, height and how quickly it triggers in comparative retrospect to its counterparts (only hatred and goblin punch trigger quicker) and I'd definatley go as far as to say its a tad overpowered on enclosed maps

 

[Mordax Praetorian]

I kinda suck hard at blocking, but I've sat there and blocked full chains from Shan before

Yeh, level 3 isn't blockable, but since Shan has probably the worst Brave game of everyone, I wouldn't put too much faith in being there most of the time

I'm not saying that Shan is unplayable, just that she's not the powerhouse you seem to making her out to be

For fun, try de-equipping some of her HP attacks, you can still chain to them, this gives you a lot of extra CP to spend over other characters

 

[The Illusive Man]

I kinda suck hard at blocking, but I've sat there and blocked full chains from Shan before

Yeh, level 3 isn't blockable, but since Shan has probably the worst Brave game of everyone, I wouldn't put too much faith in being there most of the time

I'm not saying that Shan is unplayable, just that she's not the powerhouse you seem to making her out to be

For fun, try de-equipping some of her HP attacks, you can still chain to them, this gives you a lot of extra CP to spend over other characters

I tend to have the fire and ice start de-equiped because there pretty useless against players and higher difficulty cpu characters, Shan does make up for her lesser initial brave by being ranked in the top 3 damagers in the game (yep its a confirmed fact that her attack power matches that of Garland and Ex-death, 2 of the slower character) so catching someone with a wall rush when doing staff twirl usually nets you 1k brave.

If you equip her out for high initial Brave also her exclusive staff gives her 40% + initial brave + acc and the snow + moon set (30% on blocking, which includes blocks from staff twirl from snow+moon set) you obtain from the lunar whale course will mean she can start out with as much as 5k Brave which is level 3 spells from the start

Shantotto Build I'm currently using/working on:

Weapon: Claustrum

Hand slot: Blue Moon

Head slot: Corolla

Chest slot: Snow Flake Clothes

Acc:

Level = 100
Summon used
Break Inflicted
Chance of Victory
Opponent near loss
Ex-Mode
Centre of the World
Pearl Necklace
Heroes Seal

Summon line up:

Alexander
Tiamat
Ifrit
Gilgamesh
Phoenix

Basic abilities of note:

Dodge extention
Speed boost ++
Ex-Mode Critical
Sneak Attack
Counter Attack

Playstyle/Tactics: The idea with this build of Shantotto is to be aggressive from the very start making use of your level 3 spells to try and quickly dominate the fight, you should be able to keep your brave ticking over nice and high throughout this by either freezing it with Alexander or boosting it with ifrit and gilgamesh, phoenix is for the more trickier fights such as Bartz and Onion Knight, wereas Tiamat will help against more elusive opponents such as Zidane.

If your opponent is sitting back and launching bravery projectiles, use staff twirl to block them and gain more bonus brave, all the while try to land a bio on your opponent and keep an eye out for ex-cores, since you will be able to quickly enter ex-mode which will turn the fight very much into your favour even if things are going badly, if the rules are set to chaos rules, keep firing bio and root to keep your opponent busy dodging to try trigger the coward debuff.

Shantotto can also trap opponents with Quake in enclosed maps such as pandemonium, clock tower and old chaos shrine, just bait them in and hit quake, and gasp as they have nowhere to run.

If your using Alexander, you can also chain trap opponents by starting with tornado, if you back them into a corner, go for tornado, finish your chain and hit tornado again, only exceptionally fast characters like onion knight can actually Dash out of it.

Matchups:

Warrior of light: Shantotto should indeed have the upperhand in this fight and should have little to no trouble in despatching him, just keep your eyes peeled for light wave as this is pretty much his only attack that can cause you any worry.

Garland: Again Shantotto should have the advantage, just keep your distance and keep an eye out for his more telegraphed attacks, once one occurs, make him pay for it.

Firion: Firion is a joke of a matchup as his only ways of taking you out of the air are highly telegraphed and easily countered, just keep in the air and stay off the ground and you should not even break a sweat.

Emperor: The advantage lies with Shantotto as long as you stick to spot triggered spells (such as air and water spells) for openers, just make sure not to stray too far from him so he cant catch you with starfall and the matchup should be pretty much in the bag.

Onion Knight: Your first disadvantaged matchup, Melee onion knights are a tough matchup, so try to keep away from him as much as you can using bio and root to cover your retreat, your best bet is to try catch him with air spells as he closes in, Mage onion knights are easy fodder however as you outrange and outcast them.

Cloud of Darkness: This matchup really could go either way, its all about whomever applies the most pressure since both Shantotto and CoD have a large arsenal of HP spells, watch out for zero form beam and beam wall as they can really put a damper on your plans, if your playing a particulary good Cloud of Darkness player, try and get into ex-mode and tornado trap them.

Cecil: Dark Knight Cecil is easy and you shouldnt encounter any problems, however paladin Cecil is dangerous and you should try to work to keep Cecil grounded and out of paladin form, If he gets into paladin form, keep your distance using the same retreat tactics as with melee onion knight and keep an eye out for saints fall, If he triggers it, you can make him pay dearly for it.

Golbez: Dont fight him on the ground, no matter what, keep him in the air to keep the advantage over him and go on the counter offensive (whenever he makes a move, counter it with water magic due to its quick triggering nature) if he uses genesis rock, trigger root straight away so as soon as the rocks have been released he will be a sitting duck for your assault.

Bartz: A difficult matchup, but far from one sided, use staff twirl to counter any holy spam that he may use against you while trying to land bio on him and closing down his space, as soon as you get into range to use your hp spells, use water magic, if he continues to try spam holy, he will get caught, the holy will vanish and you can proceed to punish him, if your on an enclosed map, try get him to follow you to one of the smaller areas and trigger quake, he wont be able to get away from it If he goes to use slidehazzard counter with stun and move or root him if you can trigger it quick enough, he wont be going anywhere.

Ex-death: one word..."NEXT!"

Terra: Terra has a distinct advantage over you on open maps due to her range, so try keep her close, on enclosed maps however, the advantage belongs to Shantotto, dont let her get into Ex-mode or your in for a bumpy ride.

Kefka: And easy matchup, just watch out for havoc wing and trine as they both have excellent tracking, other than that he should be a piece of cake.

Cloud: He has one trick that poses any threat....Omnislash ver 5. keep him at arms length or trap him with quake when the opportunity presents itself.

Sephiroth: Although he can be annoying for some characters, his lack of speed and exposed openings make him tailor made for Shantotto.

Squall: Piece of cake, once again he leaves himself far too exposed making this matchup short work, just watch out for Blasting Zone as its range can often be under-estimated.

Ultimecia: Again, there isnt much she can do that Shantotto would struggle against, her hp moves are heavily telegraphed and her bravery attacks lack the range to cause much trouble.

Zidane: Probably your hardest matchup, Zidane is very quick, and very good in the air, If your on an open map, keep away and try to get into ex-mode as soon as possible, as soon as he closes in for an attack then, trigger ex-mode to break it and follow up with water or air magic while he is staggered, on enclosed maps, try to trap him with quake.

Kuja: Just watch out for ultima, ultima is his biggest threat to you, as its tracking is horrendously good and getting hit by one of the falling bolts will mean you take the full damage of the attack, maintain the role of aggressor and the fight should be yours.

Tidus: Stay away from him and apply the same tactics you did against the onion knight, he isnt as quick as the onion knight, but getting too close will put you in a bad situation.

Jecht: Far too slow and poorly ranged to be any kind of threat.

Shantotto: Mirror match, may the best magically controlled doll win!

Gabranth: As with all other character matchups against Gabranth, try and end this fight quickly, if he gets into ex-mode you are in big trouble!

 

[Azazer]

=___=;;

In terms of brave damage with equips the three highest are Cloud, Garland, and Jecht. The top non-equips are Kefka, Cloud, and Squall/Sephiroth/Jecht (tied). I’m not quite sure who you used as your source but it goes against the accepted meta-game…

Shantotto’s playing style overall is not purely aggressive. Her Bio spell requires either careful timing or luck as it can be guarded or broken through by every brave and magic attack. Her Bind spell is only affective against attacks that do not possess a high degree of mobility and Stun is to a degree a nerfed guard. Instead she requires a tactical approach to combat that requires you to take advantage of the shortcomings in the other player’s strategy. Because of Shantotto’s range (or rather lack of) it is important to keep an opponent within short to mid range. Due to the nature of her HP spells it’s even more important to keep an eye out for an opening or a successful Bind with a failed guard on the HP spell.

Warrior of Light (WoL):
Because of Shantotto’s slower startup speed and recovery rate it is imperative that you either counter, interrupt, or guard WoL’s attacks. However, despite the fact that WoL’s attacks may be guarded, a majority of his attacks can punish Shantotto with every missed spell.

Garland:
Unfortunately for Shantotto, many of Garland’s attacks are able to break through her brave attacks, move him far enough to avoid a Bind, and on occasion considered unguardable. What’s worse is Garland’s the effect of Garland’s EX Mode.

Firion:
For the most part Firion is an anti-magic character. Many of the spells used by the mages can be easily countered by a well timed Shield Bash and their rare melee attack, destroyed by his Seize Knives. When on the ground Firion will most likely Shield Bash any brave spell conjured by Shantotto. When in the air he will either set up Fire spells for future Shield Bashes or slash at Shantotto’s brave with a sudden melee attack.

Emperor:
Because Shantotto and the Emperor both play a short to mid game, this matchup can be considered easier to play under. When playing against the Emperor keep in mind that his recovery time is still shorter than Shantotto’s and his traps, mines, and crests can interfere with Bio, Bind, and even certain HP spells.

Onion Knight (OK):
Many of Onion Knight’s brave attacks fall under similar restrictions to Shantotto’s HP spells this match will be easier than most opponents. Keep in mind, however, that OK’s melee attacks are difficult to guard and often times he will recover once a dodge has been completed. When in the air OK’s largest threat will most likely come from either a mix of melee and Thunder or – if you aren’t experienced enough – simple Thunder spam.

Cloud of Darkness (CoD):
Perhaps one of the most stacked matchups that exist against Shantotto. CoD’s Wrath counter is able to guard every spell that Shantotto can cast (with the exception of Tier 3) and due to Shantotto’s cooldown hit her with every counter. Should she be found in melee range chances are she’ll simply tear apart Shantotto’s brave unless you manage to perform a successful guard or dodge.

Cecil:
As with any melee character, his attacks can break through Bio and his movements large enough to bypass Bind without worry. Worse his spell of choice (Search Light) has a range large enough to strike Shantotto as she casts a spell. Instead it is important to catch the Cecil player on failed guards and punishes while setting up for the hopeful Bio. Remember to avoid contact with the tip of Cecil’s staff when using Retribution.

Golbez:
An interesting character that fields what is essentially a ground based version of Zidane’s aerial game. However, when Golbez does take to the air one must remember that his attacks have an incredibly low startup time (with a few exceptions) and that he can be caught during his “Teleportation.”

Bartz:
Because of Bartz’s ability to move constantly between a short, mid, and long range game this is one of the most befuddling of matchups (rather than seemingly hopeless in the case of counter characters). Due to his longer reach and higher accuracy with Holy at long range it is advisable to maintain a distance no greater than mid. At this range it becomes far easier to guard Bartz’s melee attacks and is close enough to avoid the wrath of his Holy. Whether or not the Bartz player decides to be cooperative is another matter however.

Exdeath:
Because his High Guard can essentially protect him from every attack (with HP spells up to rank 2) it is highly advisable that you do not play as Shantotto against Exdeath. However, if you’re daring enough you can attempt to Bio him, get caught in an HP attack, break him, and eventually hit him with a tier 3 HP spell. This match in general will be against you though.

Terra:
Like Bartz many of Terra’s spells allow her to constantly move between the various playing ranges and unlike other casters her Blizzard Combo makes her a capable melee combatant. At a distance her Holy is almost as damaging as Bartz’s with other spells replacing it as Shantotto comes closer.

Kefka:
An incredibly irritating distance mage that possesses a damage output comparable only to the stronger melee characters. When playing against Kefka it is important to keep in mind that his primary spell can only be deflected safely by either HP attacks or when it is in its small form. If Shantotto’s HP spell misses be prepared for the possible Trine or Havoc Wing (if in range).

Cloud:
A character that a majority of Dissidia players play incorrectly. Cloud for the most part is a defensive fighter that catches an opponent off-guard with sudden brave or HP attacks. In general, however, it is important to keep in mind Cloud’s damage potential during either a counter or riposte and the priority increase he benefits from during EX Mode.

Sephiroth:
Unlike Cloud who focuses on a few damaging strikes, Sephiroth focuses on multiple strikes that deal small to medium damage depending on the crits activated. When against Sephiroth it is important to remember that his Shadow Flare can be used to interrupt spells and that his melee moves can be used at a distance (and occasionally combo’d). Essentially a slower Squall with an increased chance of contact with HP attacks.

Squall:
A swift melee fighter, Squall focuses primarily on crushing the opponent’s brave score with an incredible damage. When against Squall it is important to remember that you cannot rely on the brave score that you have at any given time, instead taking steps to ensure that Squall can be caught within the HP spells Shantotto casts. If Sephiroth would be considered a trade off on speed for HP attacks, Squall would be a trade off on HP accuracy for increased BP ease.

Ultimecia:
Her brave attacks are faster than a majority of Shantotto’s attacks and typically unaffected by Bind. When playing against any mage Ultimecia will typically use Apocalypse to interrupt spells and deal HP damage.

Zidane:
A difficult matchup for a majority of mage characters and only further magnified by Shantotto’s slow recovery time and dependence on her brave score. If Bind is successful on Zidane chances are he will counter with Solution 9 simply to interrupt any spell Shantotto may cast.

Kuja:
Kuja represents another difficult matchup when against Shantotto. His ability to glide away from attacks and move while making an attack means that he won’t always be caught in a spell that would otherwise succeed. Remember that a successful Bind on Kuja does not spell success, his Snatch Shot and Snatch Blow can easily catch Shantotto due to her range restrictions.

Tidus:
An agile aerial and ground fighter, Tidus focuses primarily on dodging an attack and then countering. His attacks aren’t deployed as quickly as OK’s and the motions he makes occasionally leaves him open for counters or guards, but because of Shantotto’s cooldown time he provides an incredible threat.

Jecht:
Though it hasn’t been tested fully all of Shantotto’s spells can be blocked by Jecht Guard meaning that he essentially has the same defenses given to the other counter characters. Combined with his aggressive melee playing style and ability to chain into HP attacks via careful timing it is easily possible for him to tear through both Shantotto’s HP and brave.

Gabranth:
Unfortunately for Shantotto her range is not large enough to catch Gabranth on larger maps till he has enough EX to activate EX Mode and her pressure game is not strong enough to prevent him from charging when he is within range. Because of his incredible damage output when in EX Mode it is recommended to simply run when it is activated.

 

[The Illusive Man]

=___=;;

In terms of brave damage with equips the three highest are Cloud, Garland, and Jecht. The top non-equips are Kefka, Cloud, and Squall/Sephiroth/Jecht (tied). I’m not quite sure who you used as your source but it goes against the accepted meta-game…


Exdeath:
Because his High Guard can essentially protect him from every attack (with HP spells up to rank 2) it is highly advisable that you do not play as Shantotto against Exdeath. However, if you’re daring enough you can attempt to Bio him, get caught in an HP attack, break him, and eventually hit him with a tier 3 HP spell. This match in general will be against you though.

Had to quote this as just to clear a few things up.

1. Shantotto's melee power is in the top 3, suprisingly so in fact considering she only has staff twirl and staff lunge, hitting someone with the initial throw out of staff twirl can easily net 1k brave, and even 2k if it crits, from something that only hits twice (on the initial throw out) thats very good brave per hit. Cloud is usually ranked higher due to his ability to fluidly melee combo and the number of hits, on a brave per single melee hit, Shantotto is slightly stronger.

2. High guard can easily be bypassed by Air, water and earth magic as it is spot triggered, and bypasses the frontal guard of Ex-death, I find Ex-Death remarkably easy to beat because his predicatability is just not even funny. level 2 magic onwards will guard break it rendering high guard entirely useless.

3. Shantotto can be played aggressively quite easily, although she is meant to be a "tactical" caster, I have no trouble playing her on the offense (bio travels quickly for the first 3m, so if your quick at reacting and dodging, you can move in throw bio and move out)

4: A common misconception that I'm going to clear up right now, Shantotto's casting speed, range and tracking DOES indeed increase as her magic levels up, this is why quake is such a headache in online battles because it has a pretty phenominal trigger speed for a spell of its nature, only Gabranth's Hatred, Bartz'es Goblin punch and Onion Knights melee combo's are actually quicker, Quake triggers exactly as the text flashes on screen, the only way to avoid it is listen for her shout outs to prepare for whats coming (An element they have taken from MMORPG scripted boss fights and put to shantotto since she represents the FF MMORPG)

 

[Azazer]

[Damage]
When considering damage you're applying the same logic to all characters: How much Brave damage can they do with a single attack sequence given the same circumstances (with or without gear, what crits, etc). This much we both probably know and what we accept as the base line. That said...Shantotto can only gain roughly 1.4k Brave with Retribution on non-equips with three crits activated (Riposte, Back to the Wall, and Cat Nip). Cloud on non-equips with three crits activated (Riposte, Back to the Wall, and Cat Nip) can easily pass the 2k barrier. If you would like another example of this damage...Holy with two crits activated (any) can do overwhelming amounts of damage (even passing 3k at times).

[High Guard]
High Guard does not rely on any particular spot when applied to Shantotto's Tier 1 and Tier 2 spells as they are automatically guarded no matter Exdeath's position.

[Offensive Taru]
Does not work against a player with a modicum of proficiency in PvP.

[Casting Speed]
Her casting speed in its entirety is not fast enough to defeat any of the melee attacks unless the attacker is still within the AoE (Area of Effect) at the end of their attack sequence.

[Notes]
All characters have a battle quote for their options in battle. The only thing that changes is the timing between the name of the move appearing for an HP attack and when the attack actually manifests. Certain attacks (such as Flood) have a text that appears with the initial manifestation of the attack. Other attacks (such as Soul Eater) have a charge-up time before the actual attack takes place. That said...a majority of players are alerted by the darkening of the screen.

 

[Yantra]

I play both Shantotto (main) and Exdeath (alt), and I can vouch that Shantotto does have a very hard time with Exdeath. All of her BRV attacks (not sure about Stun, but that point is moot), and everyone of her HP attacks, Tiers 1 and 2, can be High-Blocked. Tier 3 magic (i.e. BRV = 6000+) are her only HP attacks that will ignore High-Block.

The problem with this is getting to 6000 BRV. Especially in no-equips/accessories matches. It all revolves around mind games.

Bio can be a double-edged sword, here. On one hand, it provides a distraction, forcing Exdeath to deal with it, which could leave him open, but on the other hand, if you're not quick enough about it, it can lead to a free counter for Exdeath. If Bio is close, you can throw a gimmie at Exdeath, and hope he counters you with an HP attack, leaving him open for that stray Bio, and a quick Break, netting you the stage BRV. But that's risky.

Retribution is one of Shantotto's best options, as you can try to catch Exdeath on the rebound behind High-Block, and enter a chase.

You're best bet is to force Exdeath's High-Block and get him from behind. Shantotto is easily Exdeath's best matchup.

Edit: I'm also talking PvP here. AI Exdeath is a complete joke.

 

[calze6]

I personally think that shantotto is easily dealt with and outclassed by terra and somewhat bartz. I'd give her up. By the way, azazer, you really put an effort in your posts