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Guide - Ethereal TakeAChance's All In One Ethereal Guide - Updated with Yomi Saltface's Summer Jam Matches! 9/2/2015

@TakeAChance @ZeroEffect Thank you for taking the time to make this guide/videos. Ethereal was the variation that I wanted to play with Mileena from the start, but my inexperience prevented me from understanding the strategy behind the variation.

Questions and observations.

the 54% vortex seems deadly, but isn't the f4 mixup unsafe (if blocked)? I understand that certain mixups in the game are risky, but I want to make sure I understand the risk.

Also, I don't know if any one has seen this, and this could be because my reactions are slow, but if you ~EX Fade Towards a "safe string" (as indicated in OP) you will still get caught by some of their reversals (I tested throw with Raiden) unless you hold the fade. I tested this with F23 and F34. The fade has to be held to wait for the reversal to complete. Doing the same thing with "unsafe strings" (e.g., F12B4) will not leave you open to that, and you do not have to worry about holding the fade.

The only time I see this would matter if you made a great read and wanted to punish a safe string (on block) with ~EX Fade Towards, otherwise what incentive is there to EX an already safe string.

Feel free to correct as I could be missing something, and am excited to unravel more about Ethereal.
Well you can only do the vortex if you have 2 bars or more. 1 for EX Fade behind and 1 for potentially EX Roll. So the answer is no, F4 is safe in this situation since, If you have a bar, you do F4~EX Fade which on hit gives you the 123~TK to set it up again.

I think Chance has already listed somewhere how much advantage you get from EX Fade after certain strings on block. Reversal throw should work on a held Fade, so I'm not sure how that works. Most of the time, if you don't hold it, Mileena can usually hit you before the Throw comes out.
 
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Jolt

Uprise
@TakeAChance @ZeroEffect Thank you for taking the time to make this guide/videos. Ethereal was the variation that I wanted to play with Mileena from the start, but my inexperience prevented me from understanding the strategy behind the variation.

Questions and observations.

the 54% vortex seems deadly, but isn't the f4 mixup unsafe (if blocked)? I understand that certain mixups in the game are risky, but I want to make sure I understand the risk.

Also, I don't know if any one has seen this, and this could be because my reactions are slow, but if you ~EX Fade Towards a "safe string" (as indicated in OP) you will still get caught by some of their reversals (I tested throw with Raiden) unless you hold the fade. I tested this with F23 and F34. The fade has to be held to wait for the reversal to complete. Doing the same thing with "unsafe strings" (e.g., F12B4) will not leave you open to that, and you do not have to worry about holding the fade.

The only time I see this would matter if you made a great read and wanted to punish a safe string (on block) with ~EX Fade Towards, otherwise what incentive is there to EX an already safe string.

Feel free to correct as I could be missing something, and am excited to unravel more about Ethereal.
The f4 IS unsafe but so is the ex roll. In order to make this a mix up, you need to have an extra (2nd) bar of meter anyways. So you can do f4 ex fade to be safe. True 50/50 with completely equal costs. Though its clear that the higher risk is on overhead roll
 
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GQJ

Noob
You use ex fade after strings to be plus and to remove the gaps in some strings. For instant 21u4 and f44 has a gap in it so you would do 21 ex fade and f4 ex fade. There are some strings such as f14 ex fade that are plus enough to jail into s2 if you time it right. And while the can reversal out of her pressure they have to reverse there inputs and if mileena does f1 then she can beat most reversals and she's still safe if she chooses to just block there reversal.
Thanks I was wondering abut F44. Excuse my ignorance but what is s2

Well you can only do the vortex if you have 2 bars or more. 1 for EX Fade behind and 1 for potentially EX Roll. So the answer is no, F4 is safe in this situation since, If you have a bar, you do F4~EX Fade which on hit gives you the 123~TK to set it up again.
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OK. So the OP says that you can combo from F4 without EX Fade, so wouldn't you have to commit to the vortex to stay safe? I interpreted those options as a block/hit confirm.

The f4 IS unsafe but so is the ex roll. In order to make this a mix up, you need to have an extra (2nd) bar of meter anyways. So you can do f4 ex fade to be safe. True 50/50 with completely equal costs. Though its clear that the higher risk is on overhead roll
Did not take into account that EX Roll does not have a cancel. But F3 by itself has too slow of a startup, and that's why EX roll is necessary?
 

Jolt

Uprise
Thanks I was wondering abut F44. Excuse my ignorance but what is s2



OK. So the OP says that you can combo from F4 without EX Fade, so wouldn't you have to commit to the vortex to stay safe? I interpreted those options as a block/hit confirm.



Did not take into account that EX Roll does not have a cancel. But F3 by itself has too slow of a startup, and that's why EX roll is necessary?
s2 is neutral 2 s is for standing

To stay safe, you do have to commit to the vortex or at the very least do an EX fade after f4 and then end in something safe. The vortex again makes the most sense as even if you don't have enough meter to loop again, you have the throw they would have to tech 50/50 but this ends the vortex.

and yeah, the slow startup of f3 is why ex roll is the overhead for this 50/50 vortex.

If f3 was fast enough, this would be GREAT (though meter reliant) because f3 and f34 are VERY plus on block if canceled into EX Fade
 
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JerzeyReign

PSN: JerzeyReign
Though I've had some recent success with Ravenous, its time to grind Ethereal. I'll post my feedback and thoughts as well as my many questions as I go through this training.

Really needed this variation this week vs Kung Lao and his pressure.
 

GQJ

Noob
@YOMI RM SaltFace et al.

I am a extreme noob trying to improve at the game. saw that after you TK'ed, you followed it up with a sai blast? Why is this? I see that it makes the TK safer, but I am sure there are a number of things at work.

Thanks guys.
 
I'm playing her a lot now and throwing f3 after ex fade a bit more than I would normally with piercing and catching people with it into full combos, I'm saying if her OHor low start up was quicker , even f3 being as fast as f4 she would be complained about
 
I'm playing her a lot now and throwing f3 after ex fade a bit more than I would normally with piercing and catching people with it into full combos, I'm saying if her OHor low start up was quicker , even f3 being as fast as f4 she would be complained about
Hmm, possibly. But I don't think even with EX Fade that she'd get a jailing 50/50 mixup with F3. Besides, EX Fade was a buff. It wasn't always as good as it is now on block.
 
Hmm, possibly. But I don't think even with EX Fade that she'd get a jailing 50/50 mixup with F3. Besides, EX Fade was a buff. It wasn't always as good as it is now on block.
Definetly not jailing, it's just a throw off move if you can get the opponent used to f4