Valentine
Team Value
Selfish. Val does not pass the ball. There is no "I" in "Team", but there is one in "Valentine". Bad DHCs, bad assists, bad tags. She DOES have a level 5 which revives her teammates. That level 5 is not something to rely on, especially since Valentine will usually be your first character to die.
Resource
Valentine’s vials can be used to inflict poison DoT damage, create new combo routes and get easier conversions off of airthrows and mid-long range tools through increased hitstun (and more undizzy room to work with), or add several frames of delay to an opponent’s inputs to weaken their ability to defend and fight back against your pressure. With the right team composition, right ratio, and enough meter, Valentine can even Touch of Death a character through vial usage.
What they bring
PhD in Point Guard: A really good point character who can deal pretty well with most matchups that the rest of her team may find troublesome
Assists work really well as combo tools and may open up brand new routes for some characters
Can easily get a sliding knockdown and tag in partners to a more advantageous position
Level 5 revives teammates... don't rely on that
What they want
Assists that keep the opponent in hitstun long enough for her to load 1 or 2 vials per combo (Prime example: Cerebella's Excellebella)
Space-control assists to aid in Valentine's neutral domination
DP assists to make up for her poor defensive options
Position - Point. Point guard. Running back. Blue Lock. Red Ranger.
Her assists and DHC options are just very subpar while her neutral presence is top level, so you'll get more value out of her by giving her backup. Some characters actually really like some of Val's assists for combo routes, but you'll likely be better off by helping Valentine dominate neutral as opposed to helping out another character's combo game.
Most Common Assists
H Savage Bypass (236HK) -
Combo Tool
Valentine travels far and fast meaning she may occasionally trip the opponent up in neutral, but because the assist has low blockstun and leaves Val right in front of the opponent, you’re putting her at risk to be punished. Does high damage on its own, so good for frontloaded damage, and with the combination of its speed, distance, and knockback it is an excellent combo tool for certain characters.
Kakushi Caliper (2MK) -
"Lockdown", Low
It does two hits so it can be used for hit-confirms and pressure resets. And it does hit low so it can aid in mixups if the point character has good high options. Not a "good" assist, but serviceable.
Vial Hazard (214P) -
Poison, Input Delay, Combo Tool
If Valentine has a vial loaded, she throws it. If she doesn’t have one loaded, she loads it. Gives your point character access to the poison/hitstun/delay benefits, but keep in mind that Valentine will only load up to level 1 vials (you can build up to level 3 on point and then get level 3 as an assist, but…). You also cannot load the vial and then toss it within the same combo.
Throw (LP+LK) -
Throw...
Gives you an easy combo if the opponent gets thrown. They can still tech the assist, but having to commit to a throw tech, jump, or reversal when a point character is right in front of you not having to commit to anything…. Jab your opponent out of the crumple state from Valentine’s throw and go for another throw with your point character for maximum disrespect.
Mortuary Drop (214LP+LK) -
Command Throw, Combo Tool (with stagger)
Trades the ability to be teched with more startup. You can combo into Mort Drop if you stagger the opponent, which can be nice for Beowulf and Squigly as they both have staggers, and like that Mort Drop gives them plenty of time to build resources.
Partners
Beowulf
Recommended Assists:
L/H Hurting Hurl, Grendel Flex (Chairless 2HP), Alpha Clinch (Chairless 5HP)
H Chair - Projectile DP
Gives Val a DP assist and a great Alpha Counter (+1 on block)
The chair travels fullscreen through the air, making opponents trying to out-lame Valentine have to stop and move or block
Vial load combo in the corner
L Chair - Projectile Sweep
Helps Val convert into a combo from her pokes, catches upbackers, and helps in mixups
Vial load combo in the corner
Grendel Flex - Armored Space-Control, Combo Tool
Can eat attacks for Val as an armored assist and ward off opponents trying to close in
On light and medium weights, lets Valentine load 2 vials in the corner, but must spend a bar on scalpels and OTG afterward
Alpha Clinch - Gimmick
Is one of the few assists in the game that allows Valentine to get two vial loads in a combo
Useless for anything else
Pros:
Val gets decent neutral and vial loading support from Beo's assists
Valentine can play the point position for Beo against his more troublesome matchups and easily tag him in from a sliding knockdown
Safe DHC with Airwulf
Cons:
Extra cooldown on chair assists means less neutral control for Valentine, and while Grendel Flex is nice, it requires putting Beowulf on point and stealing the spot from Valentine
They fight for the point position, and even if you let Val play point and tag into Beo, Beo is still left with an assist that's pretty subpar for his needs
Val's DHCs are pretty poor
Synergy:
Decent for Valentine, Decent for Beowulf
Poor duo choice as they are basically two point characters who want the rest of their team to enable them, but they don't do much for each other
Absolutely look for a good anchor character who provides neutral assistance... or go with Cerebella with Excellebella assist as both characters love it
Big Band
Recommended Assists:
L/M Beat Extend, H Brass Knuckles
Beat Extend - Anti-Air DP
Gives Val a great DP assist that also controls a lot of air space,
Vial load combo midscreen and in the corner
H Brass Knuckles - Armored Neutral, Anti-Zoning
Commands the ground space while it's out, helping Val control the pace of the match as she pleases
Great for counter-calling assists, which your opponent is likely using to approach Val
Vial load combo in the corner
Pros:
Band's assists give Valentine good screen coverage and vial loading support
Val's assist support for Band is good for combos and conversions from stray hits in neutral
Valentine can fight off Big Band's bad matchups and bring him in to play on his terms
Cons:
If Super Sonic Jazz is done on an airborne opponent, Valentine either has to whiff most hits of her Scalpels level 1 super, or spend level 3 to combo
Synergy:
Favorite for Valentine, Good for Big Band
Very strong duo, can't go wrong as long as Big Band is the anchor
Any character works for a trio, even the more selfish characters (Fortune, Beowulf)
Cerebella
Recommended Assists:
Excellebella, H Lock 'n' Load, Cerecopter
Excellebella - Anti-Air, Combo Tool
The only (good) assist that lets her build two vials in a combo from anywhere on the screen and still continue
You get easy access to Touch of Deaths with poison vials, opened up combo routes and greater reward off pokes with the hitstun vial, and shenangins with the lag vial, more so than any other Valentine team
Valentine (H Bypass) + Cerebella (Excellabella) Tech - YouTube
Cerecopter - Space-Control, Lockdown, Anti-Armor
Midscreen and corner vial load combos
Great lockdown pressure
Wards off opponents trying to approach on the ground while you control the air
H Lock 'n' Load - Armored Neutral, Pressure
Like Cerecopter, good for making opponents wary of making a grounded approach while you hover in the air
No vial-load combos, but still adds a chunk of damage to combos, also good for hitting a mid-air opponent and leading to tricky resets
Pros:
Excellebella assist is the Valentine Enabler, but the other options are also good for neutral and pressure
Valentine's assist (singular) is very good for upping Bella's damage as her favorite combo assist
Good DHC synergy for combo extensions
Valentine deals pretty well with Cerebella's more troublesome matchups when she's on point
Cons:
As good as H Bypass is for Cerebella's combo game, it does very little for helping her out in the neutral game, her biggest weakness
Synergy:
Favorite for Valentine, Good for Cerebella
The only problem with this duo is that it would be even better with a third character with a strong neutral assist, as both characters really want each other as combo tools
Pick a mid or anchor with a good neutral assist for a trio
Double
Recommended Assists:
L/M Hornet Bomber
M Bomber - Neutral, Lockdown
Valentine's favorite neutral assist, covering a great amount of ground space as she either chases the assist, or controls the air space
Lets Valentine convert into a combo off of her long-range pokes and projectiles
Allows Val to load a vial mid-combo both midscreen and in the corner
L Bomber - DP, Lockdown
Not as good in controlling space and leading to conversions, but gives Valentine a DP assist and vial load combos, albeit only in the corner
Pros:
L/M Bomber are often thought of as Valentine's favorite neutral assists
Bypass assist is a fairly good tool for Double
Safe DHCs in both directions; Double can create the distance for Scalpels to be safe (in most cases) after using Car super
Cons:
None
Synergy:
Favorite for Valentine, Good for Double
Top level shell, amazing matchup spread
Slightly less flexible than all the other Double shells as Valentine really wants point... but even throwing in one of the "point only" characters has been shown to be effective
Eliza
Recommended Assists:
Butcher's Blade, H Osiris Spiral
Butcher's Blade - Armored Lockdown, Space-Control, Anti-Armor
The offensive option, good at converting or locking down opponents from long-range pokes and counter-calling assists
Osiris Spiral - Space-Control, Lockdown, Mixup
The defensive option, keeping the space near Val protected and helping anti-air
The better option for resets as it pops ups opponents, making them susceptible to left/right mixups
Both provide vial loads mid-combo, and might let you sneak a vial on block since they lock down for so long
Pros:
Val gets good assists for pressure and vial loads
Easy to tag into Eliza mid-combo and continue if you need to tag out for whatever reason
Valentine can play point against Eliza's worst matchups and easily tag Eliza in to a more advantageous position
Cons:
What Valentine provides in her assists is not what Eliza needs
No good options for DHC'ing after Lady of Slaughter; Scalpels super works but requires OTG in the corner and whiffing the super
Synergy:
Good for Valentine, Poor for Eliza
Very strong duo when Valentine is on point, and it is easy to fix your order if it gets disrupted, but Eliza is not getting much from this relationship
Valentine is going to hog point and Eliza is not a great mid, so for a balanced team you'll be looking for a good mid character
Filia
Recommended Assists:
H Updo, H Hairball
Updo - Anti-Air DP
DP assist, also gives a vial load in corner combos
Hairball - Lockdown, Neutral, Anti-Armor
Controls the ground space and pushes opponents away from Val on hit and block,
Gives a vial load midscreen and in the corner
Pros:
Valentine gets good neutral help, with decent vial loading support from assists
Cons:
Val is just not a good partner for Filia, with poor assist options and poor DHCs
Synergy:
Good for Valentine, Poor for Filia
Not a very good duo. Both characters can fight well alone, but they aren't the scariest anchors. You can consider it a Valentine-focused shell, but Filia does not really enable her enough unlike other good Valentine duos.
Valentine takes up the point slot, and anchor is Filia's weakest position, so a good choice would be to look for a good anchor
Ms. Fortune
Recommended Assists:
H Fiber Upper, Dash
Fiber Upper - Anti-Air DP
Valentine is one of the best characters for converting off of Fiber Upper
Even if she cannot get a conversion, she does not mind the return to neutral in most cases
Gives vial load combos off of throw and in the corner
Dash - Alpha Counter options
Lets you Alpha Counter into Fortune and have her choose any option, including a 5 frame jab, a fast DP, super, jump, or just block. You get to steal your turn out of some pressure strings or get punishes that no other Alpha Counter will safely allow.
Pros:
Bypass is a very good tool for Fortune's combo game, and even Headless' pressure
Excellent matchup spread on both characters; no character really gives this shell any trouble
With Fortune's high meter build, while Valentine is not good at dumping meter for damage, it gives her access to her reversals
Valentine can easily tag in Fortune off of 5HK's sliding knockdown to skip to the fun part
Cons:
Fortune's defensive assists are pretty meh for Valentine
Both characters want to play on point, their only saving grace as anchors being that they fight well alone
Fortune has to end headless Cat Scratch Fever (headless) early for Valentine to land her DHCs, giving up damage
Synergy:
Poor for Valentine, Decent for Fortune
This shell as its own team is less of a "duo" and more "two solos put together."
Please find a good anchor character. There are several neutral and lockdown assists to pick from the good anchors and they will help this shell operate much more like a team. If the assist also helps Valentine load vials mid-combo, you're golden.
Fukua
Recommended Assists:
H Platonic Drillationship, M Forever a Clone, L Love Dart
H Drill - Lockdown, Neutral, Anti-Armor
Controls the mid-range ground space fairly well and is good for pressure
Gives a vial load in the corner
M Clone - Neutral, Combo Tool
Very easy conversions off of Valentine's pokes
Vial load combos midscreen and in the corner
L Dart - Persistent Projectile
A lingering ground threat that the opponent is forced to block, shoot, or jump over if you hide behind it, or can cover your approach and act as a combo breaker if you get ahead of the bomb. You can still call another L Dart while one is still on the screen.
Good choice if on a trio and you already have your lockdown/combo needs fulfilled
Pros:
Fukua's assists complement Val's neutral game
Bypass assist is a pretty good combo tool for Fukua
Cons:
No good DHC options to get damage after Drill super, and Val's DHCs in general are not good
Synergy:
Good for Valentine, Decent for Fukua
Fine as a duo as the synergy is ok, and both characters can fight well when alone
Advised to look for a mid or anchor character for a trio, as Valentine wants the point slot
Painwheel
Recommended Assists:
Cruel Lily (2MP), M Gae Bolga Stinger (M Nails)
Cruel Lily - Lockdown
Not stellar, but gives Val a vial load in combos
M Nails - Fireball
Standard projectile, but can cancel out opposing projectiles if you need to run in against a zoner
Pros:
Valentine can play point and tag-in Painwheel either mid-combo through green vial, or post-slide knockdown and let her come in at an advantage
Hatred Install for a safe DHC, or a high damaging combo especially if paired with Valentine's vials
Cons:
Poor assist support both ways
On everyone except Parasoul, Valentine cannot combo into Painwheel's tag-in without green vial
Synergy:
Poor for Valentine, Poor for Painwheel
Straight up a bad duo, but don't let me stop you if you only like those characters.
Valentine wants point, Painwheel wants mid, you're stuck to finding an anchor who benefits both if you want a good team.
Parasoul
Recommended Assists:
Napalm Pillar, L Napalm Shot
Napalm Pillar - Anti-Air DP
Cover Val's bad defense, as well as a bit of air space with its large hitbox
Vial load combos anywhere, but the midscreen conversion is tight
Napalm Shot - Projectile, Pressure
Good as a cover if you need to approach from ground
A nice help for when you land a hit and are putting opponents in the blender, as the tear shot will make it harder to challenge your mixups and pressure
Pros:
Valentine gets good assists for defense or offense, decent vial load support with Pillar assist
Cons:
Val's assist and DHC support for Parasoul is just not there
Synergy:
Good for Valentine, Poor for Parasoul
Not the strongest duo, but far from the weakest. It functions.
Valentine wants the point position, and Parasoul's weakest slot is mid, so you'll want a good mid or even anchor character
Peacock
Recommended Assists:
George's Day Out (L George)
L George - Persistent Projectile
A lingering ground threat that the opponent is forced to block, shoot, or jump over if you hide behind it, or can cover your approach and act as a combo breaker if you get ahead of the bomb. If you have a second partner, you can still call them while George is out.
Pros:
Valentine is an excellent point character to deal with the roundstart matchups you don't wish to handle as Peacock
Cons:
L George is nice, but more active neutral assists benefit Valentine more, and she gets no real Vial loading support
Valentine's assist options are super meh for Peacock
Valentine has no good DHC options after Argus Agony, with Scalpels doing little damage and EKG just... not working sometimes
Synergy:
Decent for Valentine, Poor for Peacock
While a good shell, as a duo these are basically two solo characters paired together. They don't address each other's strengths or weaknesses very well, and crumble on defense.
Stuck to looking for a good anchor if you want a good trio
Robo Fortune
Recommended Assists:
H Theonite Beam
Theonite Beam - Beam Projectile
Provides the character with amazing neutral one of the best neutral assists
Can get cute mixups with Bypass + Beam
Vial load in the corner
Pros:
This shell just dominates some characters when Valentine is on point with Beam assist
Robo receives surprisingly good assist support from Valentine with H Bypass
Cons:
Valentine's reversal super into Robo's Magnet super is NOT a safe DHC
Synergy:
Favorite for Valentine, Good for Robo Fortune
A good duo until you get hit. You have great neutral and movement and can outright shut out some characters. However, you also have two characters with poor defensive options, and their preferred assists don't really help each other much in that regard. You also have no safe DHCs. As for the usual "solo Robo" issue, Valentine can easily get a sliding knockdown and tag in Robo into a favorable position once she gets a hit.
An anchor character would be a big help for a trio
Squigly
Recommended Assists:
Drag 'n' Bite
DnB - Lockdown, Neutral
Very similar to M Hornet Bomber (which Valentine loves)
Conversions off of long-range pokes
Mid-combo vial loads both midscreen and in the corner
Compared to Hornet Bomber, trades space-control for better lockdown, as Drag 'n' Bite lasts longer but is easier for the opponent to contest than Bomber
Pros:
DnB is a great assist for Valentine, helping her neutral, pressure, and being good for vial loads
Valentine gifts Squigly good combo assists for damage, charges, and expanding her reset potential
Safe DHC in either direction, even SBO > Scalpels
Cons:
While Squigly does get plenty of good usage out of Val's Bypass assist, it's still not as threatening as most other neutral assists and cannot always be relied on to keep opponents off of her. Even still, Squigly can largely hold her own.
Synergy:
Good for Valentine, Good for Squigly
This duo is a bit lacking as solo Squigly is the weak link if Valentine dies first, yet even on point with Val alive she does not get enough neutral assistance. You do get safe DHCs in both directions, which is nice as neither character has good meterless reversal options.
Grab an anchor character for a solid trio
Annie
Recommended Assists:
H Destruction Pillar, H North Knuckle
Destruction Pillar - Anti-Air DP
DP assist, which Valentine highly appreciates
Val has no issues converting from Destruction Pillar's knockback
Vial Load combos anywhere on the screen, and she gets to save OTG
H Knuckle - Neutral, Lockdown
Good ground threat that provides a lot of blockstun for Val to reposition in neutral, or aid her pressure game
Val can easily convert from H Knuckle with air Bypass, making it great for things such as Dead Cross/5HP + assist call as a medium-long-range poke
Vial Load combos anywhere on the screen, on every character except Big Band(?) outside of the corner
Pros:
Very strong assist options for Valentine to buff her defensive, neutral, and combo game
Fullscreen Vial Combo support for Val
Pillar of Creation DHC for good damage
Cons:
While Savage Bypass helps Annie a great deal in post-hit scenarios (damaging combos and tricky resets), none of Valentine's assist options address Annie's weaknesses in neutral and landing a hit in the first place
Synergy:
Good for Valentine, Decent for Annie
Valentine gets a nice partner in this duo, but Annie's biggest issues aren't addressed with Val's help so this could not be called a good duo
Valentine takes the point slot, so look for anyone who fits well as a mid or anchor
Umbrella
Recommended Assists:
Cliff Hanger (6HP), Salt Grinder, Hungern Rush
Cliff Hanger (6HP) - Anti-Air, Neutral, Combo Tool
Controls both air and ground space nicely, making it difficult to approach a keep-away Valentine
Can turn stray shuriken hits into full combos if the opponent is grounded
Vial load anywhere on the screen
Salt Grinder - Combo Tool
Enables Valentine to load 2 vials mid-combo and gives a nice damage boost to combos
Useless outside of that
Hungern Rush - Anti-Air DP, Combo Tool
DP assist, though not a great one
Vial load anywhere on the screen
Pros:
Umbrella's kit gives options for helping Valentine players who like playing a keep-away style, and all of her good assists give easy vial loads
Umbrella gives Valentine a safe DHC out
Cons:
Umbrella gets very little off of Valentine's assists or DHCs
Synergy:
Good for Valentine, Poor for Umbrella
A very weak duo with the only caveat being a safe DHC. Valentine should always be played point if you attempt this duo.
This duo requires a third character to function properly, one that can help each other's gameplan and assist the two with approaching the opponent.
black dahlia
Recommended Assists:
Medici Mousetrap (2MK), L/M/H Order Up! (X Shot)
Mousetrap - Ground Space Control, Low
Vial load combo
Controls ground space while Valentine utilizes her air movement and amazing air pokes to play neutral
Val can easily convert from beartrap hitting anywhere on the screen with Air Bypass
Good for corner mix, pressure, and incoming setups
X Shot - Projectile, Multipurpose*
*Slow projectile (all but shotgun and beam), combo (shotgun, ice, electric), lockdown (ice, electric, fire), long-range (beam, electric)
Space-control provided by normal bullets is appreciated, Ice Shot lets Valentine get 2 Vials in a combo
Pros:
Val appreciates Dahlia's assists for space-control and vial loads, getting 2 vial loads if Ice Shot assist is available
Dahlia can tag into Val and let her pickup the combo anywhere on the screen, sometimes even being able to save OTG
Because of the above, while Valentine is usually a "point-only" character, it is still a viable strategy to play point Dhalia, load up on Ice shots then tag into Val so she gets an amazing lockdown assist and 2 vial load combos
Last Call and Barrel DHCs
Cons:
Bypass assist is pretty whatever for Dahlia outside of combos
No Counter + assist help
Synergy:
Good for Valentine, Decent for Dahlia
A good team shell, but questionable duo. Could potentially still work
Absolutely pick an anchor character with a neutral or DP assist if you want to run this shell in a trio
marie
Recommended Assists:
[assists this character wants]
[assist] - [function]
[what it's good for]
Pros:
[How does the supporting partner's assist kit help, if helpful]
[How does this page's character assist kit help their partner, if helpful]
[Any special notes: Is there high utility or damage in their DHCs, can they easily tag to each other for preserving health or upping combo damage, Is either partner a good battery that enables the other, Does either character help deal with the other's bad matchups, etc.]
Cons:
[If either character's assist kit is poor for their partner, note it here]
[Any special notes: Is it difficult to make use of this partner's DHCs, Do these characters compete for meter or a position, Do they share bad matchups, etc.]
Synergy:
[Fav/Good/Decent/Poor for this page's character, Fav/Good/Decent/Poor for this section's character]
[Does this shell work well as a duo, or are they incomplete? Even with duo health and damage, does either character suffer as the anchor?]
[How flexible is this shell for building a trio?]