Maintaining a neutral distance

Learn to master neutral distance in BlazBlue: Central Fiction! Discover how to create doubt, control space, and outplay your opponent with footsies, jumps, and projectiles.

Hey there! So, you wanna get a handle on this whole 'neutral distance' thing in BlazBlue: Central Fiction? It's super important, honestly. Think of it as that sweet spot where neither you nor your opponent has an immediate advantage, but you're both ready to make a move. It's all about making your opponent guess whether you're gonna rush in or hang back, and that uncertainty is a powerful weapon!

To keep this neutral distance, you've got a few tricks up your sleeve:

• Footsies: This is all about tiny, precise movements. You'll be tapping forward (6) or back (4) just a step or two to subtly adjust where you are relative to your opponent. It’s like a little dance to keep them guessing.
• Jumps: Sometimes, a simple jump (8) or a high jump (2,8) is all you need to reposition or bait a reaction.
• Instant Air Dash Back + Guard: This is a bit more advanced, but super useful. You do an instant air dash backwards (7, 4) and immediately follow it up with a dash and guard (66, 1 or 4+AB). It helps you feel out movement ranges and see how far your air attacks can reach.

If your character has projectiles, they're also fantastic tools for neutral. Just be really mindful of *when* and *how far* you're throwing them. You want them to be SAFE, meaning your opponent can't easily punish you for using them. Generally, the further away you are when you throw a projectile, the safer you'll be. You can even use air projectiles as soon as you leave the ground by 'tiger kneeing' them! Just input the special move motion and then immediately the jump motion (like 2369X or 2147X). It's a quick way to apply pressure from the air.

Quick note on punishing whiffed attacks: This usually only works if you can predict an enemy attack is going to miss. You gotta know the exact range and angle of their move, then figure out the perfect distance to be so you can hit them in that small window after they whiff. It takes practice!

Ultimately, the neutral game is about being unpredictable. You want to be able to enter your opponent's threat range on *your* terms, while avoiding being caught in theirs. If you do end up in their range, you need to be ready to either counter their approach or just block if they come at you differently. It's a constant balance between offense (threatening to approach) and defense (evading or blocking). Keep that balance, and you'll start winning neutral!