Pokemon: Close Combat/Mienshao

Mienshao extends their arms forward and hits anything in front of them.

• Mienshao's longest poke, albeit very slow

Mienshao pulls their arms back, pulling the opponent in.

• Links into most normals on CH
• Notably links into Mienshao's 623B
• Cannot be used on block

Mienshao whips the air above them with their arms.

• Mienshao's fastest move and primary anti-air
• Moves backwards, making it a very non-committal neutral tool

Mienshao lunges forward and stabs the air in front of them.

• Mienshao's best metered combo filler, links into 623B
• Great in neutral, whiff punishing after dodging with 4A
• Advances forward and leads to parry RPS

Mienshao does a small kick in front of them.

• Higher-reward mash option than 4A
• Great combo starter, usually the one you'll use the most
• Exceptional at stagger pressure because of how low the blockstun is
• Hitbox size & special cancel lets it loop with 623B

Mienshao does another kick forward.

• Frametraps 6A
• Strings into sweep, forming the core of Mienshao's excellent meter gain

Mienshao balls their fists and punches the opponent twice.

• Solid combo tool that can be forward or back jump cancelled on hit, linking into j5A jBB to lock the opponent in place
• Rewarding poke, cancellable into 5B to tag extra damage while scoring a knockdown
• 2A 5B is also a great ender for 623B juggles
• Unsafe on block at close range, but can be cancelled into 6BB to make it safe
• Only the first hit is cancellable into specials (excluding 5B which can cancel the second hit), and only the second into jump
• Cannot use jB or jBB during the jump unless cancelled from j5A
• The move's slowness lets it catch up-backing after 6A, converting into juggles with meter similarly to 3A

Mienshao sweeps the ground.

• Main grounded combo ender
• Mienshao's only low, albeit a very strong one
• Combos with 3 bars (2 in the corner)

Mienshao does two kicks in the air.

• Main juggle for opponents in the air
• Using dash jump in combination with a delayed j5A allows for a quick burst option in neutral
• Cannot be realistically used to access plus frames unlike most other jump-ins

Mienshao divekicks.

• Mienshao must reach a height minimum to use, achieved 11 frames after jumping
• Being fast and a high allows for nasty 50/50s with 3A
• Leads into most ground combos, allowing for meter gain or cheap 623B juggles
• Knocks down on air hit, pulling the enemy back into your mix
• Always try and use as low to the ground as possible to remain safe on block and plus enough to combo on hit

Mienshao goes into the air and strikes in front of them 3 times.

• Unreactable overhead, albeit with no real reward besides damage
• Applies frightening mental stack, opening your opponent up to 3A
• Effectively controls space in neutral
• Drift backwards during the move to increase your safety afterward

Mienshao darts forward and bounces off its opponent.

• Cancels into Star Shower (inputted as jB) as a metered follow up
• Very solid whiff punish
• Good against armored moves, as it'll often bounce off of them with no consequence
• Punishable by far reaching moves (i.e. Blaziken 2B)
• Mienshao can cancel backdash into 6B, setting up punishes

Mienshao soars back to the wall and then dives back down at an angle.

• The move in general is a useful escape tool
• The default follow-up itself is somewhat niche without prior mental stack
• When Mienshao hits the wall, you have 4 different possible follow-ups
• Mienshao will always hang on the wall for 10 frames before executing a follow-up
• The kick comes out 11 frames after the wallstick period ends

Mienshao flips upward into the air.

• Mienshao is airborne after the animation ends, giving access to all of their aerial moves
• Rather telegraphed, but allows for more range on jB

Mienshao goes across the stage to the other wall before diving downward.

• Useful for escaping the corner in a pinch
• Generally hits cross-up, dangerous knowledge check

Mienshao backflips and sends a star projectile downward.

• Projectile can be aimed with 4 and 6 inputs
• The move comes out on frame 15, but the star itself is not active until frame 50
• One of the few projectiles that's not mid guard, can set up hard-to-blockables on C-Cancel
• Useful as oki tool because of how much blockstun it has, although somewhat hard to capitalize on without C-Cancel
• Pestering tool in neutral
• Backward version trades with most air-to-airs

Mienshao goes to the other wall extremely fast, hitting anything in its way before diving.

• Fullscreen launcher, combos into Thrusting Tailow
• Minus on block, though you can do parry RPS if the opponent is cornered
• Somewhat telegraphed due to the spacing required to travel along the ground
• Can be done out of Plane or another Slice, unlike other 2B follow-ups
• Prone to trading

Mienshao darts upward rapidly to the wall in front of them before diving back.

• Mienshao's best metered damage option
• Acts as uniquely fast abare and an irreplaceable juggle starter
• Holding up (8) when Mienshao hits the wall will cause it to jump before the second hit, increasing the move's advantage and making corner juggles more consistent

Mienshao sends out three star projectiles at a downward angle.

• Locks the opponent in place after a 2A ladder combo, allowing for a 623B follow-up

Mienshao sends out three star projectiles after bouncing off the opponent.

• Acts as a safety net if the opponent blocks 6B, 3A, or 2A
• Hits high multiple times, catching some opponents unaware
• Does a lot of damage, good low-execution metered ender

Mienshao charges up a powerful projectile before sending it forward.

• Travels about 2/3rds of the screen
• Good whiff punish
• Scales very poorly, not recommended for longer combos
• Decent midscreen 3A follow-up to conserve meter

Mienshao spins around before throwing the opponent away.

• Standard throw, keeps the opponent in the corner

Mienshao spins the opponent around and kicks them away.