The Clash System is a new mechanic to fighting games players and for this reason it appears that there is quite a bit of confusion to exactly what it is and how it works (even though the demo is out and people can just test it out). So to give those people who are new to the game a good idea of what it is and how it works, I have decided to write the following. Enjoy.
Background information:
- The health bar in IGAU is actually two in one. Silver Life and Red Life.
- Meter Burn: This button is used to ENhance special moves which gives some of them EXtra properties. Moves that have used the MB button will often be referred to as EN or EX, I will refer to it as it’s own button MB.
Clash description:
A Clash is a player initiated combo breaker that has a risk and a reward to it. A clash can only be initiated by a player being combod. To initiate a Clash the player must press toward their opponent on the directional pad (or stick) and press MB. There will be a character specific clash animation. Each player will be shown their own meter bar, with a button to represent each bar of meter that you currently have. Both players can (but do not have to) select an amount of meter that they would like to wager against their opponent, a false bet can also be entered by pressing MB. A false bet, will look like you have placed a normal bet, but will not take any of your meter. The best you can do is a tie though, and that is only if your opponent also bluffs. The winner is the player that wagers the most amount of meter.
Clash System Rules:
- A Clash can only be initiated by a player after they have entered into their Red life bar.
- Each player can initiate a clash only once a piece.
- No matter the winner, all meter wagered is lost.
- If the initiator wins, they will stop the combo, and get a heal, based on the number of bars that they wagered.
- If the initiator loses, they will receive additional damage, based on the number of bars their opponent wagered.
- If the wager ends in a tie, the combo is broken at the point of wager, and neither player loses or gains life. If meter was waged for the tie, then both players lose the waged meter.
- A player can not lose the round from damage taken by a Clash, instead it will just bring you to a sliver of health.
- A player can not heal more than any amount taken from their RED LIFE. This means that if you have just entered your Red Life bar, and have taken only 10% damage, a 30% heal will not give you Silver Life back.
- A false bet can be locked in by pressing MB.
- All clashes move the players closer to the center of the stage, removing any corner advantage that may exist.
Clash System Theorycrafting:
- Because of the risk and reward of using a Clash, there are many mind games that can be played. One of the biggest misconceptions that I have seen is that if you have less meter than your opponent, then you are guaranteed to lose a Clash. Although this is in theory true, it is also possible for you to bait your opponent to wager all his meter, in order for you to abuse your new meter advantage to get the upper hand. Since this is a new mechanic, it will be up to the individual players to decide, when and how to use the system to their advantage, and it will require good reads to completely utilize the system, I look forward to the many potentially hype moments that the clash system can bring.
