Anime fighting games are one of the most difficult subgenres in the FGC. Longer combos, years of legacy fundamental knowledge, hard-to-block moves, and tricky setups have always made these fast-paced fighters less beginner-friendly. Thankfully Melty Blood: Type Lumina is easier to pick up and play.
But easier combo execution and simpler game philosophy do not mean you will immediately dominate ranked online matches. Here are five tips to help you improve before you play the game. Experienced players might even learn something to improve their skills.
Learn Numpad Notation
Before you learn to actually play Melty Blood, you need to understand the language of the game. I don’t mean in-game fictional speak. I’m talking about the language players use to discuss inputs — Numpad notation.
The Fighting Game Glossary defines Numpad Notation as, “A way to describe joystick inputs using numbers instead of letters or words. Each direction is mapped to a number, following the same layout as a keyboard's numpad. For example, holding down is 2, and if you wanted to talk about a crouching medium kick, you'd call it 2MK. Or, holding forward and pressing punch would be 6P."
This language has become a staple in the fighting game community across many genres. It’s typically the go-to way to talk about tech, normals, and combos. Meaning you’ll not only understand the newest discovery quickly, but you’ll catch when commentators use these terms as well. It is also used as a universal language with players from across the globe, so you won’t be limited to just learning info from fellow English-speaking players.
If you want to optimally learn combos, setups, OS’s, and just about everything else you’ll need to know how to read Numpad Notation. If not you’ll probably be lost among the endless stream of game-changing information found by the community.
Learn where to find Melty Blood information
There are plenty of places to be on the lookout for information, character tech, and mechanical tech.
On Twitter, there are character hashtags to follow for tons of tech, concepts, combos, and setups. Catch up on the meta to evolve your gameplay.
#MBTL
— ゆず爺 (@yuzuji) September 26, 2021
I made a hashtag for each character, please use it for capture!
SHIKI #MBTL_SH
ARCUEID #MBTL_AR
CIEL #MBTL_CI
AKIHA #MBTL_AK
HISUI #MBTL_HI
KOHAKU #MBTL_KO
KISHIMA #MBTL_KI
HISUI&KOHAKU #MBTL_HK
MIYAKO #MBTL_MI
NOEL #MBTL_NO
ROA #MBTL_RO
VLOV #MBTL_VL
REDARCUEID #MBTL_RE
Mizuumi Wiki’s entry for Type Lumina is currently a work-in-progress because the game is new. In the future, the wiki will be filled with all things Melty Blood.
There is also a Discord server for Melty Blood: Type Lumina and its predecessor, Melty Blood: Actress Again Current Code. Here, you can find tons of players to help with questions and play matches. Everyone is always looking to get better any way they can.
Learn option selects
An option select or OS is a case of pressing several inputs that can lead to different actions depending on what the opponent does. For instance, there are option selects that shield and counter certain attacks or auto backdash if you don’t land a hit in the previous Melty Blood. This trend continues in Type Lumina.
2 Techs to master for #MBTL
— Team Spooky (@teamspooky) October 4, 2021
1: 2A 2B+D OS
2: Shield into no followup.
Thank me later.
There are already tons of OS’s in the new game. Use them to cut out a piece of the defensive guessing game and cover multiple options at once, ultimately making the game easier to play.
In the video above, legacy Melty Blood player, GO1 discusses some very useful defensive OS’s like an anti-Heat okizeme OS, an OS to deal with empty jump throw/empty jump attack/deep jump-in, and tech for handling jump in pressure mixups. The first comment of the video is a great translation of these tools.
Learn Reverse Beat
Reverse Beat is one of the key features of the Melty Blood series. Players can chain together normals in any order. The catch is you can’t use the same normal twice. For instance, you can go from your heavy C normal back to B, A, and all their variations such as 2A and 2B. Reverse Beat has tons of uses like resetting pressure, setting up tick throws, frame trapping, and ending strings safely. Just learn the system, go to training mode, and get creative.
Watch the game as much as you play it
A lot of new fighting game players don’t realize the importance of watching matches. Viewing better players can really open your eyes to more advanced tech and other options you may have otherwise never considered. Here are a few of our recommendations.
Combine these five tips with the fundamentals of Type Lumina to start strong in the community. Stay tuned to the Competition Center for more Melty Blood guides. Your passion for other fighting games might make you better than you think.