The 5 Forms of Melee Combat, invented long ago by scholars on Atlantea and elsewhere, are the basis for Astral-augmented fighting with melee weapons.
Form I: Way of the Anemone
Form I was the first form of melee combat invented, focusing on disarming the enemy without as much focus on actual death blows. As this was a mostly experimental form of combat, it did not address the issue of two skilled swordsmen fighting each other, and for most dueling purposes, was replaced by Form II later on. It was not completely abandoned, as it is still used today as a beginner's form for people first getting used to their weapons. Form I is still considered a good backup form by most weapons masters when no other form would work, or if the weapon they are using is too heavy for use in other forms. Its bladework is wild and untamed, relying on basic swings, strikes, and blocks in a somewhat orderly fashion. In people new to the form, the bladework would look uncoordinated and clumsy, but in the hands of a master, it was unpredictable but orderly and fluid.
Notable Masters: King Arturius, Nate, Garett, Elliot, Lane, Maxwell, Sir Carson Cook
Form II: Way of the Eel
Form II was the second form of melee combat invented, focusing on weapon-to-weapon dueling. This form was mostly created to offset Form I's weakness in dueling. Instead of focusing on disarming the opponent like Form I, Form II focuses on defending oneself with minimal effort to avoid being disarmed. Instead of the wide, sweeping motions of Form I, Form II relies on footwork, balance, and economy of motion to keep the user in battle while using the least amount of energy possible. Fluidity and precision were more emphasized than brute force, allowing the user to spend less energy on the bladework and more energy augmenting themselves with Astral Magic. This form was (and still is) especially popular with people with curved weapons, as curved weapons assist with the fluidity and precision. However, once projectile weapons (i.e. slings and bows) began to join melee weapons in the galactic arsenal, this form, with its lack of anti-projectile capabilities, began to become abandoned for other, more projectile-oriented forms (i.e. III, IV, and V).
Notable Masters: Emperor Aaron, Inquisitor Rhys, Omar, Priyanka
Form III: Way of the Pufferfish
Form III was the third form of melee combat invented, devised alongside forms IV and V for the purpose of deflecting projectile weapons, which Forms I and II were not suited for. Basically emerging as a development on Form I's deflection training, this form took off once bows and slings were introduced to the galaxy. Form III relies on subtle dodges and tight bladework, designed to eliminate any possible exposure to projectile weapons. Masters are often seen using this form to walk unscathed through a hail of arrows or sling pellets. In terms of dueling, this form's defensive mentality could be equally well-applied to melee-vs-melee combat, using enough defense to essentially outlast an opponent, wait for them to make mistakes due to frustration and fatigue, and dispatch them while their guard is down. However, the drawback of this form was that it had literally no offensive capabilities, meaning that someone trying to finish off an opponent would need to use one of the other four forms to do so. This form has been seeing a resurgence in the past few decades, after the widespread use of guns by both sides during the Tatian War.
Notable Masters: Alex, Cole, Harrison, Ragnar Lothbrok
Form IV: Way of the Dolphin
Form IV was the fourth form of melee combat invented, devised alongside forms III and V for the purpose of creating a more aggressive dueling style once Form II started becoming rarer and rarer. Form IV is very fast-paced, making extensive use of Astral Magic to augment the user's speed and acrobatics. It employs fast strikes coming from almost all directions, with masters being able to swing down, left, right, and up in less than three seconds. However, its acrobatic nature was not recommended for use against enemies using projectile weapons, and it was not suited for prolonged combat (as it would tire the user out after a while).
Notable Masters: Ali Baboon, Morgan, Sir Michael Jones, Ryan, Sir Will of Cole
Form V: Way of the Sea Dragon
Form V was the fifth form of melee combat invented, created with forms III and IV to create a more offense-oriented style. Form V was created by Form III users who felt that Form III's non-existent offensive capabilities made it less viable in combat, so they came up with Form V. Form V is concerned with using an opponent's attack against them, with focuses in returning deflected projectiles to their origin and following every blocked strike with a counter-strike. As such, it was extremely effective against both ranged and melee weapons.
Notable Masters: Weasel, Tate, Olivia, Lord Etbo, Taftenkhamun
Form VI: Way of the Tuna
Form VI was the sixth form of melee combat invented, combining aspects of all of the previous forms to create a much more balanced combat style. This allows users of Form VI to focus on offense, defense, or both, as well as allowing them to focus much more on incorporating the use of Astral (or Shadow) Magic into their fighting. Form VI lacks significant weaknesses, but also lacks strengths other than an increase in magic output.
Notable Masters: Gunmonga, Logan, Macye, Lord Ombra, Fundisa Ironhoof, Reshon
Form VII: Way of the Shark
Form VII was the last style of melee combat invented, devised by underground Shadow Magic users who wanted to focus on channeling their Shadow Magic emotions (anger, hatred, etc.) into their fighting. This was noted to be by far the most vicious form of melee combat in the entire galaxy, and was said to be highly chaotic and erratic, with an "a good offense is the best defense" mentality. In fact, Form VII masters were said to be the only ones whose speed, power, and tenacity could break through the dedicated stonewall defense of a Form III user. This form was soon declared illegal by most planetary governments along with Shadow Magic, and it was only used by either underground Shadow Magic users or those such as the Black Sun Priestesses with special dispensations to practice Shadow Magic.
However, more recently, a sub-form of Form VII, known as "The Way of the Orca" has been developed. This form was described as being more a state of mind than a style of fighting, with the user acting as one side of a superconducting loop, using the Shadow Magic emotions of their opponent against them by accepting the fury of their opponent and relishing the thrill of winning. This allowed users of Astral Magic to employ Form VII without corrupting themselves with Shadow Magic emotions, thus causing galactic governments to legalize The Way of the Orca.
While Form VII is great at cracking through defenses when used correctly, it is notably lacking in terms of defensive capabilities, especially against opponents using ranged weapons. In fact, many Form VII masters have to switch to Forms III or V to deflect large amounts of arrows, sling pellets, bullets, or other ranged projectiles.
Notable Masters: Chief Witko, Jermie, Spencer of Norman, Beth, Brian, Holly