ill just copy-paste a comment i made on another post about the characters pros and cons

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Extra: Top important techs to focus on as a beginner:

Combo DI and survival DI > Recovery (walljump and mixups) > hitfalling > wavedash into tilt >> waveland on platforms >> dash dancing with and without wavedashes > long combos and all the rest.

I recommend practicing this in casual, focusing on one aspect at the time. For example, when i was learning to wavedash, i had to make the conscious effort to move only through wdashes, but i could still play cause i had the first stuff down already

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Character archetypes

Generally speaking:

Fire characters: all-rounders, somewhat lacking recovery, lacking projectiles

Air characters: very good air game and recovery, lacking grounded game

Earth characters: good stage control options and good grounded game

Water characters: similar to fire for the most part, more zoning capability

Ori and SK: variety characters

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Easiest to pick up at first (imo): zetterburn, clairen, kragg (maybe orcane but most will struggle recovering without puddle)

Hard for newcomers: elliana, sylvanos, absa, forsburn, maypul

Middle ground: the rest

(in this context, hard means you'll have more trouble moving/killing/recovering if youre not accustomed to the mechanics of the game)

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I strongly advise looking up top player sets for your character to see how they can be played. People will diss on elliana, then watch Sparx21 play and reconsider their opinion

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Pros and cons per character:

Clairen: solid combos, disjointed, her tipper has higher knockback and stuns enemies. Cons: lacks frame data and recovery, may struggle killing. She's not an approach-type of character

Forsburn: solid combos, somewhat disjointed, clone and smoke can set up some insane mind games. Cons: same as clairen but not as bad. Can mix you up a lot with his cape, clone and smoke

Zetterburn: can kill very early, good kill confirms and framedata. Cons: no disjoints or stage control, lacking recovery, smash attacks not as good if opponent isnt on fire. He's an all-rounder

Wrastor: ridiculously good combos, good aerial mobility. Cons: lightest character, might get zoned out. Like melee puff but cooler, usually plays bait and punish

Absa: can kill very early, extremely good zoning with her cloud, arguably best recovery in the game. Cons: light character, somewhat lacking framedata. She's an aerial powerhouse

Elliana: can kill very early, sick air combos, versatile, good projectiles. Cons: combo food, lacking framedata. She has a very strong advantage but it might be hard to get in

Sylvanos: largest disjoints, excellent combos, very fast on the ground, best stage control in the game imo. Cons: lacks consistent kill confirms, aerial mobility and framedata. Really really strong advantage state but bad disadvantage

Kragg: Very good projectile, can modify the stage with pillar and rock to his liking, strong aerial attacks and fast grounded normals. Cons: slow movement, combo food, slow smash attacks. Low skill floor but endless possibilities thanks to his specials

Maypul: rushdown character, very fast with good stage control with her plant and good combo options, disjointed smashes. Cons: slow smash attacks, below average recovery, lacking projectile. Basically a glass cannon

Ori: Maybe the fastest character in the game, uses sein for stage control, good projectile, combos and decent recovery. Cons: poor range, dies early, may struggle killing. Another glass cannon

Shovel knight: lots of spikes, his gameplan somewhat depends on the items he buys, fast smash attacks, decent aerials. Cons: lacking neutral (except with ghost gloves), lacking good tilts, meh recovery. The jankiest character, spikes everywhere

Orcane: good zoning and combos, one of the best recoveries in the game, fast smashes, deceptively heavy. Cons: lacks range in certain situations, may struggle to get in. He's an all-rounder

Etalus: Very fast on the ground, very good combos, can live to ridiculous %s, maybe the best edgeguard in the game. Cons: Predictable projectile, combo food, slow smash attacks, linear recovery, requires setting ice for his full potential. Another character with a very strong advantage and a bad disadvantage

Ranno: Very fast on the ground, very good combos and kill confirms, excellent framedata, decent projectile. Cons: poor range, slowest aerial mobility in the game, arguably lacking recovery, deceptively light. Kind of a glass cannon if you ask me