Guilty Gear mainstay Faust returns in Guilty Gear Strive with his iconic paper bag helmet headpiece and gigantic scalpel. In the recent Arc System Works title, Faust is still traveling around the world sharing his interesting views towards philosophy. A man trying to change himself after a traumatic fast, he now fights for his own goals.

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In combat, Faust boasts an extremely flexible kit that allows him to build counter-offensives towards different attack strategies. As a Unique character, Faust places huge emphasis on wide attacks that hit enemies whenever they think they're safe. How can Strive players capitalize on his unique toolkit?

10 The King Of Unconventional

Faust is already a uniquely unconventional character in Guilty Gear, and Strive will emphasize this even more. For those who fight against Faust, they'd see him mostly as an oddly-moving character. Somehow, Faust can dodge even the trickiest of moves with weird twists and turns.

This weird movement pattern is the highlight of Faust's moveset. Thanks to his strange moves and penchant for crawling, his hitbox rapidly changes. This forces enemies to switch strategies constantly to face him. This level of unpredictability is a great strength that players should capitalize on.

9 Stop, Drop, And Roll

Crawling remains Faust's iconic movement pattern, and players should maximize on the opportunities this brings. Whereas usual crouching will provide low block at the cost of non-movement, Faust's crawling mechanic allows him to avoid most neutral attacks.

Moreover, this weird movement also enables him to dodge a lot of punishment the opponents could give him. Players should learn how to maximize this crawling, to get past a lot of typical mixups from opponents.

8 Mind The Meter

Despite Faust's flexibility, players need to remember that his special moves do heavily rely on his Tension Meter. In turn, players might be at a disadvantage if they don't have enough juice to dish out some of Faust's fiercer combos. To counteract this, players can keep the pressure on opponents through his Command Grabs and throwing items for distractions.

For added time, Faust can dish out his Roman Cancels to give him more time to prepare for his movements. Granted, this will cost him his Meter, but it's a worthwhile price if it also distracts an opponent.

7 Get That Low Blow

Interestingly, Faust's low crawling not only works for movement, but also for securing some heavy hits. Granted, Faust does have a limited amount of attack options from this vantage point. Enemies who also play Faust will likely be able to predict these attacks. But either way, the following three go-to movements are worth a shot.

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• Heavy Slash is a relatively safe low attack against enemies, and can release a heavy counter against airborne opponents.
• D & P. 2K is a great combo string to counter air attacks.
• 2S is also a great way to cancel air attacks, and begin stringing mixups.

6 Master The Neutral Poke

Given the RNG-heavy dynamic of some of Faust's main attacks, it's important to have a basic sense of what Faust can do when moving regularly. Thankfully, some of his basic attacks enable him to dish out decent damage that can string into some neat combos. When used properly, these can also open more possibilities for trickier attack patterns.

• Ground Poking is best done with Slash and Kick, due to their mid-range potential.
• Air Poking is best done with J.2K, which also serves as one of Faust's handy Command Normals.

5 Dynamic Command Normals

Due to his erratic nature, it makes sense for Faust to have some of the most creative Command Normals in the game. Depending on the strategy, players can use a wide range of Command Normals to turn the tide against opponents.

• Command Movement serves as Faust's crawling action. He can use this to defend against high attacks.
• Command Normal 1 (6P) will have Faust swing his hand up. This provides him with upper body invincibility, serving as his main anti-air.
• Command Normal 2 (6HS) will have Faust swing his scalpel down. This does have a long startup, but easily compensates with its longer range.
• Command Normal 3 (HS + Standing HS) is a continuation of Command Normal 2, where Faust picks up opponent and knocks them back. When used with Mix Mix Mix, this Command Normal can help secure the opponent for more combos.
• Command Normal 4 (2K in air) will have Faust spin diagonally, useful to counter opponents anticipating the typical jump.
• Command Normal 5 (Hold D) is a stronger variation of the Dust Attack, wherein Faust can actually deflect projectiles.

4 What Could This Be?

Perhaps the highlight of Faust's entire toolkit, his What Could This Be? (236P) is a Special Attack, which summons a random tool that could potentially be dangerous for any opponent. Each item that Faust can throw each have their own unique effects. Regardless, players can be use What Could This Be? to bait opponents into reacting to them, leaving Faust with a lot of room for feinting and punishing opponents.

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The items Faust can summon include the following:

• Afro
• Bandana
• Bomb
• Donut
• Hammer
• Horn
• Meteor
• Small Faust
• 100-Ton Weights

3 Secure The Pressure

Faust does have the rest of his toolkit to rely upon when pressuring opponents. He can use any of these attacks to follow-through with the punishing element of What Could This Be? With the right strategy, Faust's other Special Attacks can lead to devastating situations that opponents may not be able to escape.

• Mix Mix Mix (236s) is Faust's primary combo tool, which can blend in easily with his basic pokes. Faust can use this both on the ground and on the air, with players being able to steer him to a certain direction.
• Snip Snip Snip (236H) is essentially a nifty Command Grab. As a catch, Faust also gives the opponent an afro.
• Love (J.236P) is a non-RNG projectile in the form of a bomb. Typical of bombs and other projectiles in the franchise, Love works as a great tool to pressure opponents into retreating, leaving them open for poking.
• Scarecrow (214P/K/S) is a neat repositioning tool with a risk-reward component. Faust summons two Scarecrows, one of which he can inhabit. This allows him to safely reposition while opponents are confused. However, Faust is in for a punishment if the enemy gets to predict his Scarecrow.

2 Punish Enemies With Thrust

Thrust (41236K) remains another handy tool in Faust's disposal, primarily due to its punishment potential. When used with 6H, Thrust can also punish jumping opponents. However, perhaps what makes Thrust special is its three dynamic options that can change the flow of battle in Faust's terms. It can:

• Force the enemy back to neutral, especially if Faust doesn't do anything.
• Pull opponent to Faust, especially if Faust presses back when catching opponents during thrust.
• Give a slamming, especially when Faust presses HS while pulling the opponent backwards.

1 Throw Everything Away

Owing to Faust's nature as a hilarious character, his Overdrives also take the ridiculous level to 110-percent. Interestingly, there aren't a lot of "supreme" strategies involved when using his Overdrives —except, perhaps, when it comes to overwhelming his opponent with a string of attacks. The following are his best moves:

• Bone-Crushing Excitement is easily one of the game's funniest Overdrives. This is a reversal move that Faust can use to string better combos.
• W-W-What Could This Be? (236236P) and W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-What Could This Be? (236236236P) are more ridiculous versions of What Could This Be?, where Faust throws a ton of items instead of just one.

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